News from Elkins Pointe Middle School Edition 2013-2014 Issue 10

November 8, 2013

Happy Friday, everyone!

As usual, we had an exciting week here at Elkins Pointe, full of celebrations and learning. Talent Show auditions were fun, and the students are excited for the upcoming Talent Show on November 21st. Personally, I am spending the day at the Legacy of Excellence event, celebrating all of the employees of the year, including our very own Mrs. Andrea Smith and Mrs. Christine Vicente.

This week at EPMS

Let's Celebrate!

We am proud to announce that Rhea Daswani is the school winner of
Rhea Daswani with her winning entry
the Roswell Lions Club Peace Poster Contest. The theme of this year's contest was "Our World Our Future". Rhea will be honored at an upcoming Lions Club dinner where she will receive a check for $100. Her art work will now be sent to the regional level for judging.
Last weekend, our Honors Chorus students performed beautifully. Mr. Baugh said he was very proud of them, and so are the rest of us.
This week, both visits with our visitors from Japan were spectacular. The visiting teachers on Tuesday enjoyed their visit, and I held a great discussion with them afterwards. Yesterday's Kakehashi "Bridge to Tomorrow" ceremony was a joy as well. The students are in our school today, attending classes and getting to know their host students. We are so proud of and grateful for Mrs. Miyuki Johnson for all of her hard work. Look for photos of these events to be posted on the school's website soon.

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

Remember that we elect our first Local School Governance Council between November 13th and 19th. The only way to vote is through Home Access Center. There is no paper voting. So please take the time to review information about our candidates (click here) and make sure that you have your Home Access Center username and password (available with photo ID in the front office). Don't forget that each parent has a unique ID.

Informational Items:

Elkins Pointe Middle School is starting our Food Drive for North Fulton Community Charities next week. NFCC serves our community every day, feeding over 100 families on a daily basis. How can we help? This weekend, please pick up a few extra non-perishable food items and bring them to the school for drop off in the front atrium any morning before school. For those of us who are blessed enough to be prosperous, what better time to show our thanks than during the holiday season? Please join us in this endeavor.
Do you have plans for Saturday, November 16th? If not, come on out and join us from 9:00-3:00. We are going to be planting flowers and bushes in the area next to the bus drop zone. How can you help?! We are need donations of flower flats (pansies, violas, etc.) or cash/gift card donations to make purchases of soil, wood chips, and the dwarf magnolia trees that are slotted in our planting design. We also need volunteers who are willing to come out on Nov. 16 to help out. In addition to the planting, our Dad's Club will be sanding and painting the 7th grade science room tables to give them a facelift. If you can help out in any way, please send in donations or email Mrs. Okiyama (Okiyama@fultonschools.org) to sign up. Let's work together to make EPMS pop with color and pride!
The 8th grade Washington DC Trip leaves this coming Wednesday, November 13th. Please see last week's Titan Talk for the itinerary. In addition: It will be helpful to dress in layers. Temperatures are expected to be very cold and it could rain one day, and they will be outside as well as inside for several tours. Please bring a coat and other accessories to keep warm and dry. Rain is in the forecast, so either an umbrella or raincoat should be packed. Students may wear jeans, slacks, or sweat suits. Pajama bottoms are not appropriate day wear. We ask that all clothing be school appropriate.
We are excited to announce that next Tuesday (11/12/13) we will be welcoming Mr. Cary Trivanovich. He travels all over the United States presenting assemblies titled "Choose Character Over Bullying". Students will attend the assembly during Connections. We believe this assembly will be a fun opportunity for students to reflect on their behavior and learn some strategies for how to navigate the social growing pains of middle school. Visit this link to learn more: www.coolassemblies.com
I need your help .... Let's celebrate our community and wonderful partnerships here at Elkins Pointe Middle School. I am hosting an event on November 20th, at 9:00am, to honor our current business partners as well as invite new business partners and real estate brokers in the area to see EPMS. The event will include light refreshments, a school tour, a "state of the school" presentation, and opportunities to network and discuss opportunities for partnerships with EPMS. Would your business be interested? Do you know someone who may be? Or a real estate agent in our area that would like to learn more about Elkins Pointe? Please forward this on, and ask all interested parties to RSVP to me at springmanm@fultonschools.org. Thank you for your support.
Have you taken the GA Parent Survey yet? This survey directly affects the school's state CCRPI score and is utilized for discussions on how to improve our work at EPMS. Please take the time to complete the survey to help us out. GA parent survey (CCRPI) http://admin.doe.k12.ga.us/gadoe/sla/gaparents.nsf/Survey.xsp

Hve a great weekend, Titans!

Your partner in education,