Elkins Pointe Middle SchoolApril 13, 2015

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This week at Elkins Pointe

 

 

Hello, Titans!

 

Spring has arrived! Our April showers signal this time of year where we return from break well-rested and ready to buckle down for the remainder of the school year. Just 6 weeks left, including this one! How exciting is that? The week before spring break was packed with celebration and closed off with an amazing Battle of the Titans. Thank you to ALL OF OUR PARENTS who came out to help with Hydration Stations. Your presence made such a difference, and our students had a fabulous day.   

 

Let's Celebrate!

 

Roswell Rotary

 

Congrats to Ms. Ray, Ms. Marmiol, Ms. Springman, and Ms. Bilentschuk for supporting our  Interact Club and being recognized at Roswell Rotary.  Jackson Dalby, who is our Student Interact Leader, gave a great speech.    

   

Latino College Fair

 

Kudos to our Titans who attended the 3rd Annual Latino College fair and STEM.  There were numerous hands-on activities and a planetarium to learn about life in space! Click here to see the names of Titans who were scientists for a day.

 

Seven Brave Titans!   

 

On May 29-31, our Titans will be competing in the Special Olympics State Games at Emory University.  These students will be training hard for the track and field competitions.  The seven Titans representing Elkins Pointe are Bennett Key; Drew Casa; Achin Chugh; Joey Newton; Brooks Taylor; Michael Astorga; and Mason Coleman.  We will also be sending 19 athletes to the Fulton County Local Special Olympics Track and Field event at Tri-Cities High School on Friday, May 8th. 

 

Informational Items

 

Local School Governance Council

  

Are you interested in serving on the Local School Governance Council? Would you like to have a say in the direction of the school? To help review the progress of our three year strategic plan and provide input moving forward? Well, it's time for YOU to step up. As we end our first year of the Strategic Plan, it is time to hold elections for new members to the council. These elections will take place in May, so if you are interested in learning more about the opportunity, please email me at springmanm@fultonschools.org for details. Remember that all positions from this point forward will be two-year terms. Which positions will be available?  

  • 1 Community Member (can be parent, but should represent local businesses / organizations)
  • 1 Teacher Representative
  • 1 Parent Representative

Join EPMS.... in our fight against cancer.   

 

Almost all of us have been touched by cancer in some way, so we've decided to make a difference by raising money and walking in our local American Cancer Society Relay for Life event, on 4/18.  In our final week of fundraising, we would like to reach out to the community and ask you to participate by making donations to the team, which you can do at this link: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/titanscare.  

  • Additionally, we will be having some FUN WITH FUNDRAISING on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week. On each of these mornings, Coach Tongue will be collecting donations in the front atrium. Here's the fun part ... for every dollar a student donates, s/he will have a choice of which person to donate to ... for a chance to help shave that person's head! That's right! We have three student volunteers and are finalizing our staff volunteers ... these folks have volunteered to shave their head in a show of solidarity for those who lose their hair during chemotherapy. But only if their "pot" of money exceeds $100 (for staff) or $50 (for students). We hope you will join us in this fun effort to draw attention to a serious cause. If you donate via the link, please print the donation summary for your child to bring in to the school so that they can enter for their chance to participate in the fun.

PTSA time!   

 

Our fabulous PTSA is working on their Membership drive for next year.  The theme is Monopoly based - Titanopoly.   Business "space" is available on the board.  They already have one business sponsor, in this short period of time, so reserve your "space" before it's too late.    They have an awesome t-shirt in the works.

 

  

 

 

 

Georgia Milestones Testing

   

The first section of GA Milestones testing begins this Thursday, English and Language Arts. We are confident that we have prepared our Titans to show their best on the test and excited to show the community what we can do. Your child recently received a letter with details about how to access practice assessments online, with details about logging in to OAS (Georgia's Online Assessment System). Click here to see what that letter looked like, in addition to viewing the Start Up Guide for the program. Due to the significant changes to the assessment, we strongly recommend that all parents take the time to log in with their child at least practice one assessment to see what they look like. Remember that English/Language Arts and Mathematics will be the most drastically different, so those may be a good place to take a look.

 

Here are a few reminders about this year's test:

  • The writing section will be quite different. Visit our school's website for a video of the workshop we held to explain this portion of the assessment.
  • Expect more rigorous test questions that require a deeper level of critical thinking, drawing connections between different reading passages, and open-ended questions as well. Because the test questions are far more than multiple choice on the new test, we anticipate that scoring will take much longer, and results may not be available until the middle of Fall semester.
  • Because of online testing, students will test in either the morning or the afternoon. Make sure your child brings a healthy lunch to school each day to keep their energy up for afternoon testing.
  • The testing window lasts for two weeks because some of the students take an online version of the test, and computer lab space is limited. Because of this, the county allots two days for each subject test. Note that student groups testing online will be TAG, ESOL, and Special Education. Our schedule is tentatively set to hold all testing on the first day of each subject, allowing for one "regular" day between each test. We hope this will allow for students to rest, study, and recuperate each time - in addition to handle make ups.
    • 4/16 - 4/17 - ELA Sections 1 & 2
    • 4/20-4/21 - ELA Section 3 Writing
    • 4/22 - 4/23 - Math Sections 1 & 2
    • 4/24 - Make Up Day
    • 4/27 - 4/28 - Science Sections 1 & 2
    • 4/29 - 4/30 - Social Studies Sections 1&2
    • 5/1 - Make Up Day
       

Click here for a more detailed testing schedule, including class periods for the afternoon of each testing day. Note that student groups are testing at different times due to the requirements for online testing, so be sure to read carefully for your child's student group and view the schedule accordingly.  

Community News

 

EPMS parents, we need you!   

 

Milton High School's PTSA is recruiting for next year's PTSA. They are currently seeking actively involved parent volunteers from EPMS for the Executive Board (Recording Secretary, VP Communications) and Committee Chair positions (9th Grade Representatives (need 2), Membership, Milton Moms and Dads, Holiday Bazaar, Mini Grants). If you would like to be a part of this award winning PTSA, please contact Shannon Wagar, shannon@wagar.net. Click here to see the slate of officers for the election.

 

Autism Awareness matters!   

 

Join us on Tuesday, April 14th from 5-7 p.m. for only $7* (50% off the regular price) for a full hour of fun! 100% of the ticket sales will go to Autism Speaks, so it's a win/win for everyone!  Please fill out the waiver online at www.skyzone.com/roswell and get ready to jump and have fun for an awesome cause.

 

Attention rising 7th & 8th grade girls   

 

You are invited to our TEC (Technology, Engineering & Computer) Camp, which will be held from June 1 - 5, 2015 on the Georgia Tech campus.   This fun and interactive camp is hosted by the Georgia Tech Women in Engineering Program and is designed to give girls an early introduction to the exciting world of engineering with the hope of inspiring them to eventually consider college majors and careers as engineers.  Click here for more information about the camp.

 

Chattahoochee High School Event 

 

CHS is hosting an event of interest. Please click here

to learn more.
 

 

Upcoming Dates

 

  • 4/16 - 4/30 - GA Milestones Testing
  • 4/18 - Roswell Relay for Life
  • 4/28 - Progress Reports Go Home
  • 4/30 - Band and Orchestra Trip departure
  • 5/1 - LSGC Meeting @ 7:30am
  • 5/4 - 8th Grade Chorus Trip
  • 5/5 - 5/7 - GA Milestones Testing for HS Courses
  • 5/5 - Orchestra Concert
  • 5/6 - Chorus Concert
  • 5/8 - 8th Grade Dance
  • 5/12 - Band Concert
  • 5/15 - Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast @ 9:00am
  • 5/19 - 5/21 - Final Exams, Grades 6-8
  • 5/22 - Last Day of School (Award Ceremonies, all 3 grade levels)
    • Note, every 8th grader will be recognized, ceremony begins at 9:00am
    • Details for grades 6th and 7th forthcoming
  • 5/29 - Summer School Begins

Have a great week, Titans!

 

Sincerely,
  
  sig  


Melinda Springman, Ed. S.

Principal
Elkins Pointe Middle School