New banner 8-21-09 
 April 21, 2013
DES News
In This Issue
ANNOUNCEMENTS
From the PTO Co-Presidents
UPCOMING EVENTS
Earth Week Recycling Drive - April 22-24
Staff Appreciation Day - Tuesday, April 23
Evening of the Arts - Thursday, April 25
Lost and Found will be Donated on Friday, April 26
Jump Rope for Heart Celebration - Friday, April 26
El Azteca Spirit Night - Monday, April 29
Walk to School - Wednesday, May 1
Last DCPC Meeting of the School Year - Wednesday, May 1
GET INVOLVED
Save the Date and Volunteer Now for Field Day - May 16 and 17
Chairs 4 Charity
RECOGNITION
Girls on the Run in the Newspaper
Mrs. Holbrook Nominated for "Teachers Make a Difference" Award - Vote for Her!
Georgia Young Authors Competition 3rd Place Winner
COMMUNITY INFORMATION
Camp Invention at Austin Elementary
Hairs to Helping
Information about summer camps now on the DES PTO Website!

 

Calendar At a Glance

Monday, April 22 - Earth Week Recycling Drive Begins

Tuesday, April 23 - Staff Appreciation Day

Tuesday, April 23 and Wednesday, April 24 - CRCT Testing

Thursday, April 25 - Evening of the Arts

Friday, April 26 - Theme Day - DES Spirit Wear

Friday, April 26 - Lost and Found Donation Day

Monday, April 29 - El Azteca Spirit Night

Wednesday, May 1 - Walk to School

Monday, May 6 through Friday, May 10 - Teacher Appreciation Week

 

View the complete calendar on the Dunwoody Elementary PTO Gmail Calendar

Announcements

From the PTO Co-Presidents
  

We had a very successful testing week and we have two more days to go this week. Tuesday and Wednesday we will continue CRCT testing for our 3rd-5th grade students. Please make sure your children get plenty of sleep Monday and Tuesday night and they eat a healthy breakfast so they are ready for the day.

Friday is DES Spirit Day... Show your school pride by wearing your Spirit Wear to school!

You won't want to miss Thursday night at DES! First, we have our brief PTO meeting at 6:30pm where we will elect our new officers for our 2013-2014 Executive Committee. The nominees are as follows:

 

PTO Co-President: Amanda Roundtree

VP of Ways and Means: Amy Hatmaker

VP of Communications: Jan Jay

VP of Programs: Jennifer Fenmore

Secretary: Rosemary Gorham

Financial Secretary: Alison Woodrow

 

Then, stick around and enjoy the Evening of the Arts throughout the evening. Our students have worked on wonderful art projects this year with Ms. Fleury-Bell and they will be displayed and available for purchase Thursday evening. See the article below for more information. You won't want to miss this eventful evening!
  
Last but not least, don't forget Monday kicks off our Earth Week Recycling Drive, so gather those recyclables and bring them to the school!

Have a great week,

Amy LeVasseur & Shari Wassell
PTO Co-Presidents
[email protected]

Upcoming Events

earthweekEarth Week Recycling Drive
 
 Monday, April 22 is Earth Day!
  
To celebrate, the Recycling and Environment Committee will be sponsoring a 3-Day Recycling Drive April 22 through 24. We will meet you in carpool line at drop off and at pick up to collect your recyclables. Your child may also bring a bag on the school bus and we can get it from them as they arrive at school.
  
Gather your old paired shoes, batteries, cell phones, eye glasses and printer cartridges/toners and we will recycle them for you. Start your spring cleaning and teach your kids the importance of recycling items that can be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way.

If you have any questions or can volunteer some time, please contact Jan Jay at [email protected].  
staffStaff Appreciation Day
Tuesday, April 23
 

Take a moment to thank the DES staff members who help keep our school running - the friendly office staff, our amazing nurse, the many cafeteria and custodial workers, and our hard working bus drivers. This is the day to give them an extra big smile and a thank you!!

 

Also, mark your calendars for Teacher Appreciation Week coming up May 6-10.

eoaDES Evening of the Arts
  
At the Evening of the Arts there will be a door raffle! Every person who enters the "art gallery" in the gym will have the chance to enter our fabulous raffle! We will have 3 drawings for 3 different raffle prizes:
  
1-A drawing prize: this includes a large pad of drawing paper, artist pencils, oil pastels & chalk pastels
  
2-A painting prize: this includes a pack of canvases, paints and paintbrushes
  
3-A clay prize: this includes a tub of clay, clay carving tools, and clay sculpting tools
  
The more people you bring to the Evening of the Arts, the more chances you have to win BIG! See you there!
lafLast Call for Lost and Found!
 
All lost and found items will be donated on Friday, April 26th and again on Friday, May 17th. Please claim your lost items today!
From the Gym Office...
  
 jrfhThank you Dunwoody!
  
 

Together we were able to raise $19,964 for the American Heart Association. We are truly amazed at the enormous amount of participation received from each homeroom. You have helped to provide funding for research for all types of cardiac related diseases. Great job Dunwoody! Prizes should be delivered during the 1st week of May, so please stay tuned! Our American Heart Association Representative with let us know the exact date for prize distribution. 

 

Pizza Party

For the students who raised $200 or more and a guest enrolled at DES

Friday, April 26th

3:00pm - 4:00pm

DES Gym

(Permission slips will be sent to these students on 4/22/2013)
  
Thank you so much,
Mrs. Reynolds and Coach K
elazEl Azteca Spirit Night!
 
Mark your calendars for El Azteca Mexican Restaurant on Monday, April 29, 4-9pm!
  
Bring your family and friends for this fun-filled Pre-Cinco de Mayo celebration, which includes All-You-Can-Eat Taco buffet for children ($8) and All-You-Can-Eat Fajita buffet for adults ($12). There will be free giveaways every hour as well as spirited live entertainment from our very own 4th Grade Strings from 4:30-6pm, and then from 6-7pm, our 4th/5th Grade Band ensembles!
 
Flyers will be coming home in the April 25th TIP, or you can print it from here.   Bring the flyer to Spirit Night to enter your homeroom teacher in a giveaway drawing!
  
El Azteca is located in Dunwoody Village behind the US Post Office, at 1412 Dunwoody Village Pkwy
walkWalk to School
Wednesday, May 1
 
Put on your walking shoes and walk to school (or ride your bike) and join us for our last Walk to School Day of the year! You may either walk/bike your own route to school or join one of our "walking school buses" to walk to school as a group. Walking school buses will leave from the following locations: 
 
Kingswood United Methodist Church 
5015 Tilly Mill Road
Please meet at 7:05am
We will start walking at 7:15am


Vermack Swim & Tennis Club
4756 Vermack Road
Please meet at 7:05am
We will start walking at 7:10am
  
Both of these walks take approximately 20 minutes. 

Remember to respect our neighbors in the surrounding areas and avoid parking on the streets and blocking access to their homes. Please take advantage of one of our walking school buses or walk from your house. Dunwoody Police will be monitoring this that morning.

Walkers will be tallied in the classrooms. The class with the most walkers will receive the Gold Sneaker Award!
  
If you have any questions please contact Rosemary Gorham at [email protected].
dcpcDunwoody Chamblee Parents' Council
The Dunwoody Chamblee Parents' Council (DCPC) is accepting nominations for the Co-President position from a Dunwoody school. Please email your bio to [email protected].
  
The final meeting of the school year is Wednesday, May 1.
Time: Refreshments at 8:45am, meeting starts at 9:15am
Location: Dunwoody High School Theater
Speaker: Michael Thurmond, Interim DCSD Superintendent
Topic: "Update on DCSD"
  
DCPC meets monthly on the first Wednesday of the month (unless noted otherwise), starting with refreshments at 8:45 am. The meeting starts at 9:15am and ends by 10:30am. Meetings are held at various public venues within the Dunwoody Chamblee area. Meetings are open, and topics are geared toward the interests of parents and guardians with children in Dunwoody and Chamblee schools in the Dekalb County School District. There is no charge for attendance. All Parents are encouraged to attend.
 
For more information, go to http://www.dcpc-dekalb.org.

Get Involved

Save the Date!

 

Field Day 2013

Thursday, May 16th (PreK-2nd grades)

Friday, May 17th (3rd - 5th grades)

9:00am - 2:00pm

Students and parents, get ready for the exercise event of the year! Field day is an event of fun fitness with friends. All of our students will have the opportunity to play through fun filled stations located around the campus.

 

Parents, we need your help! Please volunteer to "Direct a Station" at field day. There are roughly 25 stations to be manned. Please look for a link through Sign Up Genius at the end of April.

 

Congratulations to our Field Day T-shirt Design Winner!

Daniel Libran

Mrs. Slaton's 2nd Grade Class

Thanks,

Field Day Committee

Chairs 4 Charity
 
Before you clear out your house for spring cleaning, consider donating any small tables or chairs to the art room! Mrs. Fleury-Bell & her photography club are looking for gently used chairs and small tables to paint for the 4th annual Chairs 4 Charity. The Chairs 4 Charity booth is sponsored by the Dunwoody Rotary Club. The chairs will be auctioned off at the Dunwoody Arts Festival, in the heart of Dunwoody on May 11th & 12th, 2013. Students in the photography club will paint these chairs and 100% of the proceeds are donated back to the art room at DES. Wood, plastic and metal chairs are preferred, but we're artists so we can be creative with anything! Thank you!

Recognition

Girls on the Run
 
Dunwoody Elementary School Girls on the Run had a nice article in the DeKalb Champion newspaper this week! You can read it here.  
  
Dunwoody Elementary School started two Girls on the Run teams, with a total of 30 girls participating. Girls on the Run is a non-profit organization that teaches girls (in grades 3-5) about understanding yourself, having confidence in your beliefs, and to always "keep moving forward." The lessons are taught through discussion and by physical activity (running). Each girl practices and strives to achieve the ultimate goal of completing a 5k race at the end of the season. The DES group meets twice each week.
  
 
Pictured are sponsors (left to right, front row): Donna Fialkowski, Robin
Hollis, Kelly Dye; (left to right, back row): Katie Grubbs, Chrissie Shelton, and Klaretta Young
Mrs. Holbrook Nominated for
"Teachers Make a Difference" Award

Congratulations, Avis!

Mrs. Holbrook is one of ten teachers nominated for a "Star Choice Award" as part of the 2013 "Teachers Make a Difference" Awards! This is Georgia United Credit Union & Star94 Radio's annual recognition program that honors outstanding teachers in our communities. They received hundreds of entries through the April 12 deadline from across the state. There were so many wonderful stories from the nomination essays, it was extremely difficult to select only ten nominees but they did - and Mrs. Holbrook is one of them! Vote, and encourage your friends and family to vote for Mrs. Holbrook from the Georgia United website (www.georgiaunitedcu.org) or the Star94 website (www.star94.com) April 22-May 3.  The winner will be selected and announced the week of May 6! The "Star Choice Award" winner will receive a $500 cash prize as well as an ice cream party for his or her class!

Below are two of the nominations that caught the judging panel's attention - and can you blame them!?

"Ms. Holbrook is a student's teacher. She treats the students with respect and asks the same in return. She consistently goes above and beyond to help the students "get it". My daughter has been having trouble in math and I went in for a conference to discuss what we could do at home. She offered suggestions and said she would try another option in class. As a parent, I found it welcoming that she would take time to try something new- most teachers would rather move on to the next item instead of building a foundation for learning like Ms. Holbrook does. In addition to her responsibilities at school, she is currently is studying for her Masters degree at GA State. I can only hope that my daughter's future teachers will be just like Ms. H!"

"Ms. Holbrook is the nicest teacher I have ever had. She works with me to make sure I succeed in all areas of my school work. Ms. Holbrook loves math, just like me! I did not like to read at the beginning of second grade, so Ms. Holbrook encouraged me to find books that I had an interest in. I did, and now I enjoy reading so much that my mom can't stop me from reading. Ms. Holbrook makes sure everyone in the class enjoys the work that she gives, because she wants us to learn. She also pushes us to be ready for third grade. I think Ms. Holbrook has made a big difference in my life, and should be the Teacher of the Year!"

CONGRATULATIONS to Mrs. Holbrook again!
Georgia Young Authors Competition 2013

Dunwoody Elementary School is very proud to announce that 4th grader, Abigail Watts, placed third in the Georgia Young Authors Competition for her story "Life of a Pure Bred Mutt." Abigail was also featured in the Dunwoody Crier this week!

Pictured: Abigail Watts, and photo of Abigail with her teacher, Adrienne Thornton
  

Community Information

Camp Invention at Austin

Camp Invention is coming to

Austin Elementary this Summer!

 

Austin Elementary will be hosting Camp Invention this summer!  Join us for a week of fun and learning.  Camp Invention's CREATE program features Problem Solving on Planet Zak where, after crash landing on Planet Zak, you will need to use critical thinking skills to create shelter, clothing and  ultimately build a spaceship to blast off for home. 

 

Date: June 3-7, 2013 from 9:00am to 3:00pm

Who: Children entering grades 1 through 6

Where:  Austin Elementary School

Cost: $220, but register online before 3/28/13 for $190

 

Space is limited so register soon.  We would love to fill this camp with students and siblings from our Dunwoody cluster schools.  For more information and to register, visit www.campinvention.org or visit Austin's homepage at www.austinelementary.com.

 

Questions? Contact Ms. Angie Smith, Austin Elementary Assistant Principal at: [email protected]

Hairs to Helping

 

Are you looking to donate your hair to charity? Well look no farther! Come support members of Girl Scout Cadette Troop 25419 as they work to get their Silver Award. The event will take place on place on May 5, 2013 from 2-5pm. The location is Balance Salon, 4505 Ashford Dunwoody Rd. #17. Your hair must be at least 8 inches long, and you may choose between the Pantene and Lock of Love charities!


RSVP encouraged. Come today, and give your hair to a good cause!

 

Rachel [email protected]

Shana [email protected]

 
Camp Information

 

Tiger Talk receives many requests for camp announcements in our community this time of year, so we have created a page on the DES PTO Website dedicated entirely to all the great camp options available for our children this summer.  This page will be updated regularly throughout the spring, so check back often!

 

DES PTO Website/News & Events/Camps

Tiger Talk Information

Tiger Talk Newsletters Archived

Ever need to find an old newsletter to get an announcement? Tired of searching through your thousands of emails for it? All newsletters are archived on www.dunwoodypto.com. Look for "Tiger Talk" under the "news" menu, or click HERE.
 
How to Send an Announcement Using Tiger Talk

 

Tiger Talk is the weekly e-newsletter of the Dunwoody Elementary School PTO. Every Sunday, we publish information that is pertinent to the students and parents of DES. The submission deadline for each issue is 10 p.m. on Tuesday. All announcements must be brief and sent in writing as an email to [email protected]. Announcements will run for two weeks prior to the event or as applicable. If you have any questions about Tiger Talk, please contact the editors at [email protected].

LIKE us on Facebook and Twitter!
  
If you are a Facebook user, we hope you are enjoying Dunwoody Elementary School's page. We also have a Twitter account to help disseminate information in a timely manner.  You can even set up alerts to be sent to your phone. Follow @DESAlerts, and be sure to enable notifications!

Our school's Facebook page and Twitter account will be used to promote upcoming school events and communications. We will also allow comments from our DES community but through daily monitoring we will remove anything that is not appropriate. We're excited about this new opportunity to share all the good things happening at our school.

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