New banner 8-21-09 
 October 26, 2014
DES News
IN THIS ISSUE
ANNOUNCEMENTS
From Our Principal
From Our PTO Co-Presidents
From Our School Nurse
UPCOMING EVENTS
DES Red Ribbon Week - Monday, October 27-Friday, October 31
Mad Italian Spirit Night - Tuesday, November 4
Cultural Awareness Committee Social - Friday, November 7
GET INVOLVED
The DES Yearbook needs Your Photos!
Vote on next year's DCSD Calendar
Dunwoody Donates - Canned Food Drive, October 10th - 29th
Link your merchant cards to DES to earn cash for our school
SCHOOL CLUBS
COMMUNITY EVENTS
PCMS Recycles!
DCPC Meeting - Preparing Your Child for College Acceptance - Tuesday, November 4
"LIKE" us on Facebook - and Follow @DESAlerts on Twitter!
Featured Article
Featured Article
Calendar At a Glance
This Week
Red Ribbon Week - Schedule HERE
Monday, October 27 - Picture Make Up Day
Friday, October 31, STEM Day

   

Next Week
Monday, November 3 - Tiger Paw Celebration
Tuesday, November 4, 4pm-9pm - Spirit Night at Mad Italian
Tuesday, November 4, 6:45pm - DCPC Meeting at Dunwoody High School
Friday, November 7 - DES Spirit Day

Announcements

From Our Principal
 
Greetings,

Dunwoody Elementary has certainly received its share of the media spotlight this month. Fox 5 completed a story last week about our STEM certification. Students in Ms. Mendel's third grade class were shown in video while some students presented information through an interview. The class did a great job, and represented Dunwoody Elementary very well! You can see the video HERE.

The second story also aired about a week ago on WSB which prompted the school district to send mass communication to the DeKalb community regarding the enrollment of students from Ebola stricken countries. The district has been proactive in their efforts by formulating entry protocols which have been followed by Cobb County. I realize that many of you are disappointed to not hear directly from me regarding students seeking enrollment at Dunwoody Elementary, but the Superintendent has requested that communication only come from his office. I am always more than willing to talk to any individual parent who may have continued concerns about the measures DeKalb has put into place.

Our school will host STEM Day this Friday, which a day that is loved by our students. The students will spend a large portion of their day solving an engineering design problem. Students will research a curriculum related problem, brainstorm solutions, and develop and test prototypes. Students enjoy the collaborative engineering process the best! 

We also have a STEM certification celebration in store for the students. Be sure to ask your child what they did during Specials on STEM Day this Friday!

Our Red Ribbon anti-drug and bullying campaign begins on Monday. The counselors have planned activities all week to educate and bring awareness about these important issues that students may face. Each day hosts a dress-up activity along with a message on WDES Broadcast. On Tuesday, McGruff the Crime Dog will visit our PK - 3 students, and there will be a drug dog presentation for fourth grade on Thursday. To kick off the week, we ask for everyone to wear red on Monday!

Jennifer P. Sanders
Principal, Dunwoody Elementary School

From Our PTO Co-Presidents
 

Don't forget that Picture Make-up day is tomorrow!

Mark your calendars! Mad Italian and Froyo Spirit Night is November 4th, from 5-8pm. More information to come.

Do you have any pictures from your child's classroom or school events? It's now easier then ever to upload those photos using replayit.comYou can even upload from your mobile device. Help make this year's Yearbook a success! 

We are still in need of assistance for the Playground Drainage Remediation project we are currently pursuing at DES. The PTO is actively collecting bids, considering playground surface options, and working with DeKalb County on this project. We are interested in finding someone with additional knowledge of landscape drainage systems along with the variety of playground surface options. If you are interested in helping, please contact Amanda Rountree at [email protected] for additional information.

In addition, we are looking for a creative parent to be our Bulletin Board Chair.This person will update the PTO's bulletin board located in the school's foyer, once a month. If you are interested, please contact Jan Jay at [email protected].

Amanda Rountree and Jennifer Fenmore
From Our School Nurse

Is your child too sick for school? 
It's a question parents ask regularly. What makes the keeping-home decision even more complicated is the fact that it's not just about your child, it's about exposing other children, too. Children are really good at spreading germs. 

Here are some guidelines that can help you decide whether your child should stay home from school.

  1. Does my child have a fever or have they had one in the last 24 hours?A fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher is a sign that your child needs to rest and stay home from school. It is school policy to wait until your child has been fever-free, without medication (Tylenol or Motrin), for 24 hours, before letting them return to school.
  2. Did my child wake up with a crusty, red eye? Pinkeye (conjunctivitis) is contagious, and children should stay home from school for the first 24 hours after treatment begins. Other symptoms of pink eye include eye redness, irritation and discharge. 
  3. Has my child vomited within the last 24 hours? Children should stay home for 24 hours after the last time that they vomited.
  4. Rashes can be a sign of contagious conditions such as chickenpox, bacterial meningitis, ring worm or impetigo. Children should be kept home until they're properly diagnosed or free of rash.
  5. Is my child too lethargic or sick to be comfortable at school and participate in educational activities?
Please notify the child's teacher if your child is staying home due to illness. This way, the absence will be marked "excused". A doctor's note is not required unless three or more consecutive days are missed related to illness. Thank you for understanding and keeping our school healthy!

Stephanie Clark, RN, BSN

Upcoming Events

DES Red Ribbon Week!

October 27-31


 

 

Red Ribbon Week was developed in 1988 to promote an awareness of the dangers of alcohol and other drugs. This special week was developed to honor the memory of Enrique Camarena. During the week of October 27th -31st, we will have special activities to educate our students on the dangers of drugs and the importance of making positive choices.redribbon

 

 

Monday, October 27 - "Rally in Red Against Drugs and Bullying!"
(Wear Red Clothing)


 

Tuesday, October 28 - "DES is PAWSitively Drug-Free!"
(Wear Tiger Attire)


 

Wednesday, October 29 - "Sock it to Drugs and Bullying!"
(Wear Crazy Socks)


 

Thursday, October 30 - "Be on a Drug-Free Team!"

(Wear Your Favorite Team Jersey)


 

Friday, October 31 -"Turn Your Back On Drugs and Bullying!"
(Wear Backwards Clothes)


 

Drug Free Pledge

I pledge allegiance to myself and who I want to be,

Cause I can make my dreams come true, if I believe in me.

I pledge to stay in school and learn the things I need to know,

To make the world a better place for kids like me to grow.

I pledge to keep my dreams alive and be all that I can be.

I know I can, and that's because

I pledge to stay DRUG and BULLY FREE!


 

*Create and bring in a poster which demonstrates your commitment to stay drug-free!

 

Spirit Night at Mad Italian

November 4

 

Join us at Mad Italian for our next Spirit Night on Tuesday, 11/4 from 4-9pm. Please  bring the flyer that will go home in the TIP on October 30 so DES can earn credit. 

 

Mad Italian is located at 2197 Savoy Dr, Atlanta, GA 30341. Yogli Mogli will also be there selling froyo for $4 a cup. 

 

See you there! 

Cultural Awareness Committee Social

November 7th

 

Please join us for our next Cultural Exchange Social on Friday, November 7, from 9 to 11am.

  

We want to thank Nobuko Oto for agreeing to host the social at her home.
Please bring a friend and your younger children and enjoy coffee, tea and refreshments while you meet and mingle with families of Dunwoody Elementary School. Bring a cultural snack to share. RSVP on SignUpGenious.com.

Everyone is welcome!

If you have any questions or need more information, contact: 
Sirisha Ganduri 

Sushma Barakoti 

Get Involved

  The DES Yearbook Needs Your Photos!

 

DES Parents, Teachers & Staff:

 

The Yearbook Committee needs YOUR HELP!  We need photographs to use in our 2014-2015 yearbook. We've created an easy way for you to share photos with the yearbook committee.....replayit.com!!!!

 

See and share photos from the school year 

ReplayIt.com is your school's home for all the photos uploaded by the school community including photos from sports, hobbies, clubs or even photos with friends.
 

Contribute to the Yearbook.

From your computer: Visit ReplayIt.com from your desktop computer and start seeing and sharing photos from the school year.

On your mobile device: Download the free mobile app and share your photos as you take them from your phone!


 

Calendar Committee for DCSD Survey

 

A community member on the Calendar Committee for Dekalb County School District (DCSD) is developing a 2015-16 school calendar to be presented to the Superintendent and ultimately the school board. The county is seeking input from parents.

 

The basic question is: do you want to start school a week earlier and have a week long Fall break or not? The deadline on Monday at noon.

 

The link for the survey can be found on the DCSD website at www.dekalb.k12.ga.us.

 

The link is located in the middle of the page (just above the Superintendent's picture) and the survey is offered in 8 languages. 

  
Thank you for your assistance,
Linda Podger-Williams

Merchant Rebates

 

Remember to link DES to your Georgia Natural Gas Account, Kroger Plus, Target Red and Publix cards, and DES will receive a rebate check from your purchases!


 

Pick up a Publix key card from the School's front office.  Make sure to give your card to the cashier to scan every time you make a purchase at Publix and proceeds will go to our school. 


 


 


 


 

 

Shop with your Target REDcard at Target or Target.com and 1% of those purchases will come back to our school. 
 

 

Kroger is committed to helping our school grow and prosper. The Kroger Community Rewards� program is designed to make our school's fund-raising the easiest in town...all you have to do is shop at Kroger and swipe your Plus Card!  Register online at http://krogercommunityrewards.com.
 

 

 

If you are a Georgia Natural Gas Residential Customer,  go to www.trueblueschools.com and select Dunwoody Elementary School. Fill out the required information. For every month your account is in good standing, DES will receive $5.00 PLUS a one-time $25.00 donation per customer. 

School Clubs

Calling All Snow Bunnies

 

Ski Club is back for the 2014-2015 school year. The on-campus Ski and Snowboard Skills and Safety Program will be offered for NEW 4th and 5th Grade Skiers or Snowboarders. Classes will take place after school the week of January 26th -January 30th from 2:30-4pm. The on-campus program cost is $79.00.

All DES families are invited to join us for the 11th trip to Cataloochee, Saturday, February 7th, 2015. Students in Grades PreK-3rd may attend with a parent. PreK-3rd snow bunnies and shredders will take a lesson at the slopes. Fourth and fifth grade students may attend without a parent
chaperone. The trip cost is $140.00 includes gear rental, lift ticket,
lunch at the lodge, pizza dinner on the way home, and transportation
to/from North Carolina.

Please contact Mrs. Mattison if you have any questions! For registration
Register before November 7th for a $10 savings on either the on-campus
program or the trip!

See you on the slopes!
Jenn Mattison
Chess at Dunwoody Elementary

Championship Chess presents a systematic, fun way to build chess skills during chess instruction and while students play. Studies show that chess improves math, reading and problem-solving and our methods connect these academic benefits to our classes. Classes include instruction as well as chess play and guided analysis.

Coach Steve Schneider has been a teacher and chess coach for over 25 years. Championship Chess teams have won local, regional, state and national tournaments. Coaches utilize the Championship Chess curriculum introducing, reinforcing and improving chess skills and strategies in the opening, middle and end game.


Day/Time: Thursdays after school from 2:35 to 3:35pm. Children must be picked up on time.

Dates: Winter session November 6 to February 19. No chess: November 27, December 11, 19, 25, January 1.

  • Parents are responsible for keeping track of all dates of chess for each session. There are 3 sessions for the school year, with no breaks between sessions. For each new session, ALL chess students must register and pay before the first class of the new session. Email [email protected] before the session ends, if you do not see the new session registration flyer.
  • Note: For the first class we recommend sending a reminder note to your homeroom teacher to direct your child to chess after school dismissal.
  • Who can play: Any student in 2nd through 5th grade. Younger students may join only if they know how the pieces move and capture. Due to limited space, you are strongly encouraged to register early as either class may fill up before the deadline. Once enrollment is filled you will be notified if you have been placed on a waiting list. Full refunds will be issued if seats are not available after the first class.
  • Winter Session Club Fee includes online access to Family Connection Site for instructional materials $150; or, if paid on or before November 4thdeadline, pay only $135.
  • Registration/Payment: Online with a credit or debit card at www.championshipchess.net click "Register and Pay - School Chess Clubs". After payment transaction is complete, you will receive an email receipt. For payments by check, email child's name, school and grade and request mailing instructions, to [email protected]
  • Family Connection and Club Achievement Cards Every Championship Chess Club participant is a registered member of the Family Connection, our exclusive site filled with activities, videos and games that promote chess skills. Championship Chess Achievement Cards start with basic pre-chess games and progress through increasing skills. Players earn cards after completing each level. Your invite for access is sent from Pat Schneider. Can't find the invite? Check your "Junk" mail folder and accept emails from [email protected]
Suggested Activities

For upcoming chess events view calendar at www.championshipchess.net
Announcements will be emailed from [email protected] check your SPAM mail folder
  • Sun., Nov. 9, GA Grade Championship, Creekland MS. Play your own grade $25 plus USCF www.georgiachess.org
  • Fri, Nov. 28 Thanksgiving Camp and Sat, Nov 29 Thanksgiving Tournament in Decatur
  • FREE Chess Club: Ironman 1st & 3rd TUESDAYS 6:30pm. N.DeKalb Mall Food Court. Coach Tim 770-633-6718

Recognition

Box Top
Way to go DES! Thanks to your collecting efforts, over $1200 was raised with Box Tops for Education! Thank you to Stars and Strikes as well as the DES School Store for your assistance with prizes! The names of five students who contributed Box Tops were randomly chosen on Friday on WDES and received a prize! 

Congrats to Mrs. Mendel's third grade homeroom for bringing in the most Box Tops for a class! All of your efforts are appreciated! These funds can be used toward proposed capital improvement projects! Keep up the good work! Ask your relatives and neighbors to clip and collect for you! Each Box Top is worth ten cents in CASH for DES! The next deadline will be in March! Great job! Let's raise even more by March! 

Thank you!

Megan Cann

Community Events

PCMS Recycles!  

 

PCMS will be participating in a county-wide recycling pilot program.  We were one of seventeen DeKalb County schools chosen to participate and the only school in the Dunwoody cluster.  From September 29th until October 31st we are in competition with the other pilot schools to see who can recycle the most, based on recycled weight and school enrollment. Monetary grants and field trips will be awarded to the top scoring schools. 1st place is $2,000 and 3 bus vouchers!


 

We are recycling throughout the school and are reaching out to the community to ask for help as we strive to be the number one school in the county!  Instead of placing your recycling on the curb in front of your house, bring it to us!  We will accept paper, plastic, Styrofoam, aluminum, tin and steel.  Our new recycling dumpster is located in the back of the school, behind the cafeteria.


 

Thanks in advance for helping us reach our goal of being the top school. Since we are the only school participating in the Dunwoody cluster, we hope that you will tell all your friends and neighbors to bring their recycling to Peachtree as well!   

Dunwoody Chamblee Parents Council

 

Topic:

Preparing Your Child for College Acceptance

 

Date:

Tuesday, November 4th


Time:

  • 6:45 pm, social and light snack
  • 7:00 pm, meeting starts, panel discussion
  • 8:30 pm, meeting adjourned

Location:
Dunwoody High School
5035 Vermack Rd
Dunwoody, GA 30338

This meeting is geared towards middle and early high school students and their parents. We'll have a panel of representatives from a variety of schools from around the state including 2 and 4 year institutions, small and large. We'll also have a parent who has experienced the college application process with several children and works in the state system so you can get an additional perspective. Our panel will be answering questions and giving tips for things you can do now to better prepare your child for college application/acceptance in the years to come.

Please note, this is an evening meeting and we hope the time change will allow for more parents to attend. For this particular meeting and topic, we also encourage middle and high school students to attend, as well.

Again, we hope you can make it!

Thanks,

DCPC Board

Website: http://www.dcpc-dekalb.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DunwoodyChambleeParentCouncil
 

Tiger Talk Information

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 [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  Follow us on 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.

Quick Links

 

PTO Website


DES School Website


Facebook Page


DeKalb Schools Calendar

Thanks to our Sponsors! 

  

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