Hello, Titans!

Another great week here at EPMS. The 8th graders are getting ready for their Georgia Writing Assessment on Wednesday of next week, the Yearbook students are finalizing the yearbook, and we are preparing for a great Hands on Atlanta Event on Monday. I was lucky enough to spend the majority of this week in the classroom doing teacher observations, and it is exciting to see the great things that are happening here at EPMS on a daily basis. 

Yearbook Staff finalizes 2014 yearbook

• Please join me in congratulating our Elkins Pointe 2013-2014 Spelling Bee winner and runner up! Our winner was Emily Gallagher from 8th grade, and our Runner Up was Alex Philips from 7th grade. Emily will represent us at the Fulton County Spelling Bee on February 8, 2014 and, if she cannot attend, Alex will represent us in her place. The winning word was: GARGANTUAN. Way to go ladies!
• Today I had the joy of congratulating our Inaugural 2014 On Pointe Program on their 8th grade graduation. The ceremony was held at and sponsored by Red Lobster and The Historic Roswell Kiwanis Club. We are so proud of these students and their hard work. They are currently working on their 9th grade courses and are "on pointe" to finish the year with 4 high school credits to their name.
• Our Roswell Rotary Interact Club had an amazing fall, with philanthropy efforts with the NFCC food pantry, raising over 1,000 food items before the holidays. They continue to serve our community and make us proud!
• Kudos to our EPMS Band Students who made the GMEA District V Middle School Honor Band. Janie Pan and Cassie Manrique auditioned against several students from Fulton County and APS schools and achieved a high enough score to make the very exclusive group. Furthermore, Janie and Cassie's score was high enough that they were allowed to audition for the All State Band. The students traveled to Perry, Georgia the first weekend in January and auditioned against the best musicians in the State where both students scored very high.  Janie's score was high enough that she made the Georgia All State Band on Clarinet which means she is one of the best middle school Clarinet players in the State. We are very proud of our young musicians.
• Congratulations to Kristin Dippolito for doing so well on her SAT scores for the DUKE Tip program! She is in the 97th percentile of college-bound seniors at the National Level!
• Do you have results for your student? I would LOVE to share ... just email me the good news!

• Our Lost and Found is overflowing with items! Please have your child stop by the clinic to look for any lost items. On January 31st, we will donate all remaining items to NFCC. Thank you!
• Was your 8th grader invited to a WRITING BOOTCAMP this Saturday? Teachers identified students who could use a bit of extra support before the 8th Grade Georgia Writing Assessment on January 22nd. If your child was invited, please take advantage of this unique opportunity.
• On January 28th, we will have our first Parent Night presentation focusing on the Common Core math curriculum. Susan Baker, the STEM Program Specialist for the Northwest Learning Community will be presenting. Click here for more details in English and Spanish and mark your calendars for this important event. 
• We are excited to offer Golf Squad Spring at Elkins Pointe Middle this semester with the start date on Thursday, March 6th for an eight week semester.  This activity encourages boys and girls of all skill levels to participate and build the social and technical skill necessary to enjoy golf for a lifetime.  Additional information on Golf Squad can be found at www.golfsquad.com.  For specific info (dates, times, cost, etc) and online registration, click on the Elkins Pointe Middle page here:  http://golfsquad.com/programs/georgia/greater-atlanta-2/elkins-pointe. 
• What are you doing on January 20th? The E.P.M.S. Beautification Committee is hosting a "Day of Service" on Jan. 20, 2014 from 9-1:00pm here at Elkins Pointe Middle School.  This event is sponsored by the "Hands on Atlanta" organization.   We are going to be cleaning up planter beds in the front of the school and putting down mulch.  We are also going to be painting science tables, cleaning up the "Titan Trail," building picnic tables and planter boxes, and improving an outdoor eating area. Click here for additional details on registration. I hope to see you there!
• Elkins Pointe presents... Parents' Night: Success Through Standardized Assessments on February 25th. Standardized testing can be so confusing, from the CRCT in middle school, to the EOCT and the GHSWT assessments in high school.  What do all of these assessments mean, and how do I prepare my student to do well on each one?  During this parent workshop, teacher Annie Marmiol and Program Specialist Alison Boivin from the Assessment Department will share essential information about the assessments, including who takes each one, the purpose of each, preparation ideas & related resources, and associated promotion and graduation requirements.  You won't want to miss this second Parents' Night session! 
• It is the time of year for us to screen potential students for the TAG program. Please click here for more information.
• 8th Grade Trip for the 2014-2015 school year will no longer be to Washington DC. Though this was announced in December, I have recently received quite a few questions about this. Click here for more details about the decision if you would like to learn more.