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Calendar At a Glance
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This Month
3rd Annual DES Fall Food Drive
Red Ribbon Campaign
This Week
CogAT (Grades 1,3,5)
Scholastic Book Fair (Tuesday through Thursday)
Tuesday, October 8, 7:00am - School Council Meeting in the Media Center
Tuesday, October 8 - Chick-fil-A Spirit Night
Wednesday, October 9 - International Walk to School Day
Wednesday, October 9 - PTO Executive Committee Meeting
Thursday, October 10, 6pm - Fall Family Dinner *NOTE: Corrected Date
Next Week
Monday, October 14 - NO SCHOOL (Columbus Day)
Tuesday, October 15 through Friday, October 25 - ITBS Testing (Grades 1,3,5)
Friday, October 18, 6:45am - All Pro Dad's Breakfast
Saturday, October 19 - Tour de Dunwoody
View the complete calendar on the Dunwoody Elementary PTO Website, and/or Subscribe to the GMail Calendar
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From our Principal
Greetings,
Fall is now in the air as we experience cooler mornings! Students are bundled appropriately for these brisk mornings, but they shed the jackets by the end of the day. Make sure that you have your child's name in sweaters, jackets, and coats. We will make every effort to return them to your child if they are left behind on the play field.
Our attendance data for the month of September looks much better. The number of students tardy each morning continues to improve, and I'm proud to see that first grade has shown the most dramatic progress. Last month, first grade had 50 tardies on record and this month only 16. The number of students tardy for September is as follows:
PK - 2 K - 22 1st - 16 2nd - 15 3rd - 15 4th - 16 5th - 5
The District representatives for STEM met with our school committee last Tuesday. I am pleased to report that they felt we have almost everything in place for certification. They recommended work in a few areas, but directed us to go ahead with scheduling a pre-visit from the State. Areas of needed improvement include writing integrated science and math units, teaching STEM methodology in all subject areas, and working collaboratively with our partners. We have met as a team to determine specific strategies for improving each area.
We will work diligently as a staff during professional development times on Wednesday and during collaborative planning time to not only prepare integrated teaching units but also to better educate teachers on STEM teaching methodology. STEM requires that we present students with problems to solve and teach them that there are multiple ways to solve the problem. For instance, an activity following the reading of The Three Little Pigs may ask students to use their knowledge of shapes to construct a house that would withstand the pressure of the wolf.
Additionally, I have had a wonderful outreach of parents and community members willing to serve as STEM partners. We are in the process of defining the expectations for them. I'm excited that our students will have such a wide array of experiences and knowledge from which to pull. If your career is in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and/or Math, please let your child's teacher know. We would like to establish a pool of participants to help with instruction as relevant content presents itself in the curriculum.
We look forward to a great October. Remember that testing begins for our students in grades 1, 3, and 5. The building should be quiet from approximately 8am - 1:30pm each day during the testing window. Volunteer activities are kept to a minimum during these days. Thanks for
your help!
Jennifer P. Sanders
Principal
Dunwoody Elementary School
1923 Womack Road
Dunwoody, GA 30338
Phone (678) 875-4002
Fax (678)-875-4010
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From the PTO Co-Presidents
We would like to take a moment to thank all of our STEM parents for volunteering in the classrooms on Friday. We know how valuable your time is, and we are grateful to all of our wonderful parent volunteers!
As the cooler weather rolls in, we are finding that our schedule gets quite busy. You will see that a lot of our events are geared towards making our families' lives easier and giving you an opportunity to participate in activities that are family friendly and sensitive to the time constraints of busy families. Take a look at all of the fun and exciting things we have planned for October.
Have a fantastic week!
Amy LeVasseur & Amanda Rountree
PTO Co-Presidents
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Fall Testing Dates
Parents of all 1st, 3rd, and 5th Graders,
Please put the following important testing dates on your calendar:
CogAT - all 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders will test on October 7th, 8th, and
9th with makeup days on October 10th and 11th.
ITBS - all 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders will test on October 15th - 25th
with makeup days on Oct 18th, 21st, and 25th.
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Red Ribbon Week
Greetings to the DES community:
 This year, in recognition of Red Ribbon Week, our students will be engaged in a variety of activities designed to educate them about the dangers associated with various types of substances. This year's program has already begun and will last until the end of October. As an example, our 5th graders are currently participating in a state-wide poster design contest which is part of the "Governor's Red Ribbon Campaign" designed to enlighten students about the importance of drug awareness. Throughout the month, students will have an opportunity to watch some age-appropriate videos and participate in teacher-led follow-up discussions.
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Morning Carpool
Morning carpool is doing great! A big thank you to all the volunteers who wake up a little bit early to help! One quick note, if you are volunteering in the morning (carpool or inside) and will stay until after 7:45am, please use the West (closest to Dunwoody High School) parking lot. We have limited parking space on the East (closest to Georgia Perimeter College) side, and faculty and staff are having difficulties finding a space to park their cars. We appreciate it!
Also, thank you to all the parents for your patience and understanding about how to keep carpool running smoothly in the mornings! Everyone has been working hard to get the kids to class on time.
Another big thank you to all the parents that are turning right at the East exit. It makes a huge difference in helping to keep the traffic flowing!
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DES Book Fair
Dunwoody Elementary's Fall Scholastic Book Fair is Tuesday, October 8 through Thursday, October 10.
We are excited about the book fair and all the great activities that surround it. We will be open mornings before school and afternoons after school. And join us during Family Dinner Night on Thursday, October 10th.
Book Fair Hours
Tuesday: 7:00 - 7:30am and 2:30 - 5:00pm
Wednesday: 7:00 -7:30am and 2:30 - 5:00pm
Thursday: 7:00 - 7:30am and 2:30 - 8:00pm
** Family Night
Book Fair is an excellent opportunity to encourage your children to read with the great selection of books available from Scholastic. Your child should have received a flyer with book titles and information on the great selection that is available this year. Proceeds from the Book Fair are used to fund school events, add to classroom libraries and to provide reading instruction for the entire school.
If you can't make it to the Book Fair, you can shop online! You can get an expanded selection of items and orders will be delivered to the school. All proceeds go to DES.
Book Bucks
If you are interested, you can give your teacher "book bucks" to use at the fair. These monies allow them to buy much needed reading materials for their classroom. Book bucks can be purchased in $5.00 increments and you may give as many you wish. If you missed the form that was send in your child's TIP folder last week, simply send a check or cash, in a sealed envelope marked Book Bucks. Include your child's name and teacher and place in the PTO mailbox in the front of the school.
Volunteer to help at the Book Fair
We are seeking enthusiastic volunteers to work as helpers and cashiers for 1 hour shifts in the morning or 2 hour shifts after school. Interested? Please use this link to see the Book Fair Sign Up. Thank you!
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Chick-fil-A Spirit Night
Come one, come all to Chick-fil-A Spirit Night on Tuesday, October 8 from 5pm-8pm at Chick-fil-A Perimeter Pointe.
DES gets credit for all sales from our school community, dine-in or drive-through, anytime between 5pm and 8pm, so please be sure to mention "DES" at the time of purchase.
Ice cream will be served in the dining hall by staff members of Dunwoody Elementary.
Thank you Chick-fil-A of Perimeter Pointe for your support of DES!
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International Walk to School Day
Walk To School is Wednesday, October 9!
Come wear your DES Spirit Wear and join the fun as Dunwoody Singers perform! Prizes are handed out to those that Walk!
You may either walk/bike your own route to school or use one of the following places to park your car and walk:
Kingswood United Methodist Church
5015 Tilly Mill Road
Vermack Swim & Tennis Club
4756 Vermack Road
Both of these routes will take approximately 20 minutes. Please note: There will be no volunteer walking leaders from either location.
If you are unable to use one of our meeting points or make the walk from your house, please park in the GPC parking lot next door to the school and walk into the school grounds that way. Please do not park on surrounding residential streets. This creates a safety hazard and restricts access for the residents living on these streets and for emergency vehicles. Dunwoody Police will be monitoring this.
There will be extra pedestrians on the sidewalk in the morning. Remember pedestrians always have the right of way.
We will tally walkers in the classrooms. The classroom with the most walkers will receive the Gold Sneaker Award.
The event will be held rain or shine!
Visit the Student Store, open 7:15-7:40am. DES merchandise available to purchase!
Which class will be the first to win the Gold Sneaker??!!!
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 Fall Family Dinner
 Join us for a wonderful Family Dinner night catered by Mad Italian on Thursday, October 10th from 6:00-8:00pm. Penne pasta with a choice of sauce and garlic bread, plus salad donated by Shane's Rib Shack will be served. Family Dinner Night is a delicious reason to take the night off from cooking and enjoy one last night of shopping at our Scholastic Book Fair. We are also celebrating 100 years of educating Dunwoody students, with a special unveiling of historical photographs on canvas, sponsored by Dunwoody Homeowners Association and Dunwoody Preservation Trust. You won't want to miss this Family Dinner evening!
We are still in need of MANY volunteers for our Family Dinner night. Please consider offering an hour of your time to help us out on this important evening! Our special events are only as good as the people who help make them happen! We need volunteers during the event to help with the food line and a few volunteers willing to help us clean up after the event concludes. Please contact Amy LeVasseur at amylevasseur@gmail.com or Amanda Rountree at akrtree@gmail.com to volunteer!
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Turn in your Box Tops!
 The Fall deadline for Box Tops For Education is fast approaching! Please have all collected Box Tops turned in by Tuesday, October 15th!!
Put your collected Box Tops in the designated box in the foyer of the school in a Ziploc baggie labeled with your student's name, grade, and class.
Remember, for every 50 Box Tops that are turned in, the student's name will be entered into a drawing for prizes! Each Box Top is worth 10 cents for DES! Keep collecting, the next deadline will be March 15, 2014!
Thanks!
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Girl Scout Troop 29420 Parents' Night Out
 Dunwoody Nature Center Friday, October 18, 2013 5:30-8:30pm CRAFTS*GAMES*PIZZA*HIKE
Girl Scout Troop 29420 is hosting a Parent's Night Out on Friday, October 18 from 5:30 - 8:30pm at the Dunwoody Nature Center (DNC). Drop off your kids for outdoor games, a nature hike, crafts, dinner and tons of fun! Cost is $25 for the first child and $15 for additional siblings from the same family. This event is for children in PK-4th grades with a maximum of 20 participants.
The event's proceeds will help fund Girl Scout Troop 29420's community service project at the DNC to earn their Bronze Award. They will clean, paint, and reorganize the Center to make it a livelier atmosphere for campers and for its many activities throughout the year.
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Dunwoody Junior Wildcats Volleyball
Last chance to register!
The Dunwoody Junior Wildcats is now registering girls for their fall volleyball program.
 The three-week program will run October 7-28 in the gymnasium at Peachtree Charter Middle School from 6 to 7:30pm on Monday and Wednesday nights. The six sessions (October 7, 9, 16, 21, 23, and 28)
are open to current 4th through 8th graders and will help players develop their skills on the court through group drills and competitive play. Players that are new to the sport as well as experienced players are welcome.
Sessions are designed to teach proper volleyball mechanics in a fun, safe learning environment that will challenge players to do their best in every drill and skill. Our coaches also provide a lot of individual attention for overall skill improvement.
The cost is $95 per player. Each player will receive a Junior Wildcats T-shirt. You can download a copy of the registration form at dunwoodyvolleyball.com under the Junior Wildcats section, or follow this LINK.
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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 10pm on Tuesday.
All announcements must be brief and sent in writing as an email to Dunwoody.TigerTalk@gmail.com. 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 Dunwoody.TigerTalk@gmail.com.
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Tiger Talk Archives are Searchable!
Ever need to find an old newsletter to get an announcement? Tired of searching through your thousands of emails for it? Starting in the fall, 2013, all newsletters are archived, and searchable on dunwoodypto.com!
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LIKE us on Facebook and Twitter!
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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