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Calendar At a Glance
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This Week
Monday, August 10 - First Day of School
Monday, August 10 - 7:45am - Welcome Back Coffee
Next Week
Monday, August 17, 8am - Room Parent Meeting
Monday, August 17, 9am - Board of Directors Meeting
Monday, August 17, 5:30pm - Room Parent Meeting
Tuesday, August 18 - 5:15-5:30pm - PTO General Membership Meeting
Tuesday, August 18 - 5:30-6:30pm - Curriculum Night Pre-k through 2nd Grade
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From our Principal
Welcome Back! I hope that everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable summer. Our teachers have been at work for a week getting the school and classroom ready for your little ones. We are looking forward to a fabulous year.
The first week of school is a little hectic, so we will need all parents to exercise patience and flexibility - especially in the parking lot! In an effort to alleviate some frustration, please follow these suggestions:
- Arrive early (7:15am) if you have not registered your child
- During the first week, if you plan to park, please park in the smaller lot or in the lot at GPC.
- When you park in the carpool lanes, you interfere with the flow of traffic and create unsafe situations when leaving.
- In the morning, please plan to leave the building or attend the PTO new parent coffee at 7:45am - our teachers need to get the day started.
- Make sure that you plan plenty of time to get ready for school - children do not work well when they are hurried.
- Plan to be at the bus stop in the morning and afternoon 10 minutes earlier and later than the exact times. It takes time for us to know the exact length of the routes. The afternoon route during the first week could be exceptionally long and slower than normal.
- It is helpful that you start your children on their regular arrival/dismissal schedule as soon as possible.
Thank you for trusting us with your children! It is our pleasure to serve you and provide an exceptional educational experience for your child.
Jennifer Sanders
Dunwoody Elementary School Principal
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From the PTO Co-Presidents
As we come off of a very busy week of school preparation, we would like to take a moment to thank our wonderful parent volunteers who came out last week to help us with another successful Registration Day. Without these wonderful volunteers, we could not have pulled it off so smoothly. A special thanks to Andrew Ziffer, the PTO Technology Committee Chair, for volunteering an endless number of hours ensuring that PTO was digital on Registration Day. And thank you all for being such an important part of the PTO.
We would also like to thank Mr. Frank Brake and all of our custodial staff for working all summer to ensure our school is in tip top shape for tomorrow morning.
We are enthusiastic to serve as your PTO Co-Presidents for the 2015-2016 school year. We anticipate this to be a rewarding experience as we have the privilege of working with all of the wonderful Dunwoody Elementary staff and the parent volunteers. We are very lucky to be part of a great community.
We have the unique opportunity to build on amazing foundation our  PTO has created over the years. By joining the PTO, you have the opportunity to work with our teachers and administrators to continue building programs that help promote health and well being for every student. Involved parents better understand the challenges schools face and in many cases can be part of the solution.
Our goal is to support the teachers and staff in their efforts to seek excellence in education. We welcome your involvement. You are an integral part of helping our children grow to be a successful part of our community.
There are many ways you can get involved:
- Helping out in the cafeteria with Lunch Bunch
- Volunteering to work on our Nature Trail
- Participating in our Tour de Dunwoody family bike event
- Reaching out to local businesses about partnerships and sponsorships
- Taking pictures for the school Yearbook
- Grant Writing
To get a full listing, please visit our website at dunwoodypto.com under the Committees page.
There is a place for everyone to showcase their talents and passions in serving our children and local community. We challenge you to find a place where you can put your talents to work by volunteering for 10 or more hours per semester. Every effort counts, no matter how big or small.
Elementary school is a special part of your child's academic career. These are the years when you can be directly involved in the classroom and show your child the importance of his/her education. The strongest and most successful teams work together toward a common goal. We hope you will join our team!
As we begin another school year, we are again reminded about how fortunate we are to have wonderful teachers, staff, and volunteers here at DES! We look forward to seeing you all bright and early on Monday morning.
See you around school!
Jennifer Fenmore and Megan Cann
PTO Co-Presidents
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DES Transportation Safety Reminders
 As we all prepare to send our children back to school tomorrow, we thought we would take a moment to give you a few reminders about Dunwoody Elementary School's Transportation Safety Reminders:
- Arriving early during the first week of school is always a good idea! Traffic will be thick, so plan on leaving home earlier than normal to accommodate for any delays you may encounter. You may drop your children off as early as 7:00am. The tardy bell will ring at 7:40am.
- There will be NO LEFT TURN from the east exit after 7:30am due to safety concerns. If you wish to turn left onto Womack Road after 7:30am, we ask that you exit on the west side of the parking lot where our crossing guard is present.
- For your safety and for the safety of those children who will be entering the building in the morning and exiting in the afternoon, we ask that you remain off of your cell phone any time you are in the carpool line. Carpool should be a distraction free zone for everyone.
- The Georgia Perimeter Parking lot will be open tomorrow morning. If you're not utilizing carpool, please be respectful of our neighbors and park in the GPC lot instead of on neighborhood side streets. If emergency vehicles cannot get through the streets, cars are parked on both sides of the street, or driveways are blocked, neighbors have been instructed to call the police and have the cars towed.
- We understand that it is a big transition for some students and parents during the first week of school and we welcome you to walk your child into school to help them get acclimated to their new classrooms and the building. After the first week, parents who have appointments in the building are more than welcome to park in a parking space and come into the building before 7:40am. We ask that everyone else please utilize the carpool lane and follow our transportation guidelines.
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Setting up a Lunch Account
Parents! 
To set up a lunch account for your child, please visit www.myschoolbucks.com. For prior DeKalb County students who had an account with mylunchmoney.com, you should find that your balance transferred! For new students, you can obtain a six digit number from your child's teacher to set up and add money to their account! Thank you!
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Free and Reduced Meal Application Online
The site is easy to manage and much quicker than regular applications.
You may still get a hard copy application from our cafeteria manager, Cassie Battle.
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Reminder about Lunch Visits
During August, everyone is learning new routines  and procedures in school, and in the cafeteria. Parents are asked to wait until after Labor Day to visit for lunch.
Thanks!
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Recorders for 3rd Graders
Dear parents,
We are very excited to start our 3rd grade students on the recorder.
In order for the students to get the most out of the experience, we would like for each student to purchase 2 Yamaha Soprano recorders (one would stay in the classroom and the other would stay at home for practice assignments). We have asked the New School Of Music to order the recorders (about $5.95 each) for your convenience. It is located in the Dunwoody Village shopping center, and it is about 5 minutes from DES. You may also purchase the recorders online or at any store of your choice as well.
Thank you,
Mrs. Miller and Ms. Esartia
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It's Time to Rent Your Instrument
for Band & String Orchestra!
All Band & String Orchestra students need to have their instrument rented for the first week of school. Classes begin on the first day! Please email Mrs. Miller - Band or Ms. Esartia - String Orchestra for more information.
Mrs. Miller - Band 
yvonne_m_miller@dekalbschoolsga.org
Ms. Esartia - String Orchestra
natia_esartia@dekalbschoolsga.org
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Dunwoody Singers Auditions!
The Dunwoody Singers is a choral group that meets once a week on Tuesdays from dismissal until 3:30pm. Membership is open to 4th and 5th grade students and is by audition. Students who were in the Dunwoody Singers last year do not need to re-audition. If your child is interested in auditioning for this group, please email Mrs. Miller by Monday, August 17th, 2015.
Mrs. Miller
yvonne_m_miller@dekalbschoolsga.org
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Welcome Back Coffee!
Monday, August 10
We have a Welcome Back Coffee open to all parents on 
Monday, August 10, from 7:45-8:30am in the Cafeteria.
This is a great opportunity to get more information about our school, sign-up for volunteer opportunities and meet other parents for a little social time before you start your day.
We will also have a PTO table set up on the stage. If you were unable to attend last Wednesday's Registration Day, you will be able to contribute to the Tiger Fund, pay Annual Dues, sign up for the Directory, and get your carpool number and bus route information.
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DES Lunch Bunch Needs You!
DES Lunch Bunch is in need of volunteers! Lunch Bunch is a group of volunteers who help out in the cafeteria during lunch. It is a great way to see your child and see how they interact with their peers. Lunch Bunch volunteers help children with opening up containers and cleaning up small  messes. The kids love to see someone they know helping out and making lunchtime more exciting.
This is a great volunteer opportunity for those who have preschool aged children and those with flexible work hours. You can choose between 2 shifts: 10:30am-11:45am or 11:00am-12:30pm. Please consider helping out even if you are only available for part of the shift.
Please email Erika Cuttino or Andrea Perez if you have any questions or are able to help. There is also a signup genius link available: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c054dadab28a20-lunch
Erika Cuttino erikacuttino@yahoo.com
Andrea Perez apmdre@hotmail.com
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PTO Committee Volunteers Needed
We still need to fill several of our PTO Committees. If you have any interest in chairing or co-chairing one of these committees and being a part of the PTO Board of Directors, please contact Jennifer Fenmore or Megan Cann.
Yearbook Co-chair: The Yearbook committee produces, publishes and distributes the school's annual Yearbook. Committee Responsibilities include:
- Photograph all major events at the school, including as many pictures of the student body as possible.
- Track Yearbook orders throughout the school year
- Assist in the distribution of the books to the appropriate students during the last week of school.
This committee will require photographers, layout and design volunteers, and a page coordinator for each grade.
School Store Chair: The School Store provides DES students with the opportunity to purchase a variety of school supplies. Committee responsibilities include:
- Schedule volunteers to work in the school store
- Purchase and display the various items for sale
The school store will be open from 7:10-7:40am on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
If you are interested in any of these committees, please contact Jennifer Fenmore or Megan Cann.
Jennifer Fenmore and Megan Cann
PTO Co-Presidents
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Registration Day was a success! Thank you to all of the families that donated to the Tiger Fund. We are well on our way to reaching our Tiger Fund goal!
The Tiger Fund will pay for the following programs this 2015-2016 school year:
- Continue training of Orton Gillingham for Kindergarten/1st grade teachers
- Field Day
- Scholarships
- Classroom Enrichment Stipend
- Digital Student Directory (free this year to all parents)
- Visiting Authors
- Bag Tags (free this year)
- Grounds Improvement
- Custodial Equipment
- Hospitality
- Honor's Day
- Cultural Arts Assemblies
- Academic Competitions
- Book Fair
- Drug Awareness Programs and much, much more!
If you haven't donated to the Tiger Fund, and wish to do so, please visit dunwoodypto.com. Families that donated the full Tiger Fund recommended amount of $125 will receive the Tiger magnet.
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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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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.
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