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Calendar At a Glance
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This Week
Tuesday, May 10, 7-8am - School Council Meeting
Tuesday, May 10, 11-1pm - Staff Appreciation: Ice-Cream Social
Friday, May 13, 12-2pm - PTO Executive Meeting
Next Week
Thursday, May 19 - Field Day (Pre-K - 2nd)
Thursday, May 19, 6-8pm - Musical Play: Disney's Aladdin
Friday, May 20 - Field Day (3rd - 5th)
Friday, May 20, 7:45-8:45 - All Pro Dad
Friday, May 20, 6-8pm - Music Play: Disney's Aladdin
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Greetings!
The College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) is a comprehensive school improvement, accountability, and communication platform for all educational stakeholders that will promote college and career readiness for all Georgia public school students. The 2015 scores were released by the State DOE this past week, and you can view all reports at http://www.gadoe.org/CCRPI/Pages/default.aspx.
Dunwoody Elementary performed very well this year with an overall score of 93.6 which compares fairly closely to our surrounding or similar schools - Vanderlyn 91.2, Fernbank 90.9, Austin 98.6, and Oak Grove 83.3). Our school improved significantly with regard to the number of students achieving typical or high growth. We had 601 students of a total count of 774 students scoring at the typical to high growth range. All subject areas and all students tested comprise the total number of students considered. I feel that the improvement is due to the increased focus on rigor in the classroom along with explicit instruction aligned to the GA Milestone assessment.
There are areas where we will continue to focus and improve, though, and we actually identified some of these areas at the beginning of this school year. For example, we would like to see more third grade students reading at the appropriate Lexile band, and we need improved social studies scores. We also lost points for attendance due to the increased number of students missing more than 6 days of school. These areas, along with a few others, will continue to be a focus as we move to the 2016-2017 term.
I am definitely proud of the work accomplished by our students and teachers. We didn't know what to expect from the first admission of Georgia Milestones, but our community rose to the occasion. There was a deliberate focus on helping students prepare fully for the writing portion of the test along with the development of critical thinking skills. Our boys and girls did phenomenally well!
Unfortunately, I'm not sure we will have data moving into next year to guide our improvement efforts and see if we make progress. The State DOE has determined that there have been too many glitches in the testing process this year to make the administration a valid assessment of student knowledge. The State is waiving the Georgia Milestones as a promotion/retention test for the 2016 administration, and they are considering eliminating the data from next year's CCRPI report. I'm certain that we will have more information as we approach next year.
For now, congratulations to our students and to our wonderful teachers for a job well done!
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From the PTO Co-Presidents
Thanks so much to the staff for the lovely PTO brunch on Friday celebrating all of our PTO volunteers! Though the volunteers delight in assisting the staff and children at DES, it was so nice to be recognized! Many thanks!
Just a reminder that all PTO reimbursement requests are due no later than 5/13 in order to receive payment prior to the end of the school year. Though the school year is winding down, the PTO is still in high gear preparing for yearbook distribution, field days, end of year parties, and celebrating our fifth graders! Be sure to keep up with your emails and Tiger Talk for more information on these exciting events!
Happy Mother's Day to all who love and are loved today!!
Jennifer Fenmore and Megan Cann
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Parents! The third grade honors celebration will take place at 8:30am on May 25, followed by the fourth grade honors at 9:30am. All fifth grade parents are invited to their honors program on May 26 at 8:30am. 
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2015 - 2016 Yearbooks
Have Arrived!
If you already purchased a yearbook for your child, they will be distributed  via your child's homeroom teacher on Wednesday, May 11.
EXTRA YEARBOOKS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE: There are a limited number of yearbooks available for purchase on a first- come first-served basis. Yearbooks will be sold each morning at the front of the school May 12 and 13, from 7:15 to 7:45am until they are SOLD OUT. The cost is $40 (cash or check only). Checks need to be made payable to JOSTENS.
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Pre-K Lottery
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Parents are allowed to register at their home school from 8:30am -  1:00pm only on Tuesday, May 10, 2016.
The lottery drawing process will begin at 1:15pm.
Results will be posted on the front door of the school at 3pm.
Parents/Guardians must provide all of the following documents to apply:
- Child's Original Certified Birth Certificate (4 years of age by 9/1/2016)
- Parent's Photo ID
- Child's Social Security Number
- Proof of Resident
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Spirit Night
Please join us Tuesday, May 10, from 5pm-8pm at Chick-fil-A Perimeter Pointe for our last Spirit Night!
DES gets credit for all sales from our school community, dine-in or drive-through, anytime between 5pm and 8pm. Please be sure to mention "DES" at the time of purchase.
Stop by the 'ice dream' table to visit with our Specials teachers who will be serving.
Thank you Chick-fil-A of Perimeter Pointe for your support of DES!
Chick-fil-A Perimeter Pointe
1145 Mount Vernon Hwy
Dunwoody, GA 30338
A big thank you to our volunteers who helped with the CFA stickers this year: Aradhana Chaturvedi, Jennifer Dixon, Valerie Pate, Nia Bradley and Lauren Campbell
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3rd Grade Music Performances
Thursday, May 12
Ms. Dunn, Mendel, and Leymann classes will have their music performance  on Thursday, May 12, at 9:40am in the cafeteria.
Your children have been working very hard to prepare recorder music and a song selection and we hope you can attend to enjoy this wonderful performance!
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No Place For Hate Student Poster Contest
Theme: A World Without Hate
Who: All students in Grades Pre-Kindergarten through 5th Grade are invited to participate in Dunwoody Elementary School's No Place For Hate Poster Contest!
How: Poster submissions should be created on 8x11 inch white printer paper.
When: Turn in your submissions to Ms. Gilbert by Friday, May 13.
Thanks to students, staff, and parents for all you have done to help Dunwoody Elementary School achieve the No Place For Hate School designation this year!
Anna Proctor
Counselor / PreK-2nd Grade
Dunwoody Elementary School
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DES Dads, please come to our All Pro Dad Breakfast this month.
Friday, May 20 - 6:45 to 7:45am.
Please arrive for breakfast in the cafeteria (6:45 - 7:15am)
Program will begin in the media center at 7:20.
This month's topic is "Finishing Well"
All Pro Dad Dad's Day is a simple idea with a profound impact. It's a one-hour monthly breakfast held before school where fathers and their children meet with other dads and kids in the school cafeteria. During this time, we will discuss a wide range of family topics, spend time together, create fun memories, and leave equipped with resources to strengthen your relationship with your child.
The program is fun and free! All you need to do is attend, and if you want to purchase breakfast, you may do so in the cafeteria by using your child's myschoolbucks account, cash or check ($1.65 adults, $1.20 children). If you do not have a myschoolbucks account, please register for one at MySchoolBucks.com before the meeting.
To help with keeping the parking lot and carpool drop off running smoothly, please park at GA Perimeter College and walk over to school.
Please visit our chapter website for dates and more information.
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Field Day Volunteers Needed!
Thursday, May 19 (Pre-K - 2nd grades)
Friday, May 20 (3rd - 5th & All MOID/MID)
DES Field Day 2016 is just a few weeks away. Remember to wear sneakers and athletic shorts. Looking forward to a great day! Parents please visit the following link to volunteer at field day. It is our goal to have a parent at every station. Please save the date and sign up!
Field Day Volunteer Sign Up
Schedule
9:00am Morning Rotations Begin
11:30am Lunch Break for Field Day Participants
12:00pm Afternoon Rotation Begins  1:30pm 50 meter dash
1:45pm Teacher Tug of War
2:00pm Dismissal back to class
Thanks,
Field Day Committee
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Next week in your TIP folder (PK-4th grade), you will find a box top collection sheet. Please continue to collect over the summer and return to the blue schoolbox in the school foyer in August!
As a reminder box tops can be found on the following brands: Betty Crocker, Annie's, Cascadian Farms, Ziplock, Lysol, Land o' Lakes, Pillsbury, Yoplait, Hefty, Mott's, and Cheerios.
If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Becker at mandybecks@mac.com.
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Little Free Library at DES Needs Donations
The Little Free Library at DES is empty! We are happy that people have  enjoyed using the library but we need people to donate books to keep the library going. Remember if you take a book - leave a book! It's a community effort to keep the library stocked and maintained.
"To promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide and to build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations. There are over 36,000 Little Free Library book exchanges around the world, bringing curbside literacy home and sharing millions of books annually."
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PTO Technology Team Needs Your Help!
Do you have web skills? Do you want to make a difference for our DES  families? Please help us with the technology behind the registration process.
The PTO Tech team is still looking for help setting up the DES 2016/2017 Registration System. We are looking for someone with web related skills to help us move our registration process forward for the next school year. You will enable our school to automate the registration process, school directory, and basic setup of the iPads parents will use during the registration process.
The group will meet a few times over the summer to setup and test - and of course you will be one of the first ones to be registered avoiding any lines.
Please contact Andrew Ziffer for more details.
Andrew Ziffer
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Public Input Meetings and E-SPLOST
The DeKalb County School District is conducting an assessment of its middle  school and high school facilities to determine challenges and needs for the future. This assessment is known as the Secondary School Facility Planning and Feasibility Study.
The study will identify the challenges and opportunities facing each middle school and high school, determine options to address the needs identified, and prepare regional master plans to implement the options. The regional master plans will be presented to the Board of Education for approval as input into the 2017-2022 E-SPLOST program.
The study will review feeder patterns, re-clustering attendance areas, additions to schools and new/replacement schools. Five regional community meetings in three rounds for the public to participate in this process. Those dates are: Round 1 (Gather input on the challenges and opportunities facing the region) - Tuesday April 12th at Tucker HS at 6:30pm
- Thursday April 14th at Southwest DeKalb HS at 6:30pm
Round 2 (Present options for public input) - Tuesday May 10th at Dunwoody HS at 6:30pm
- Thursday May 12th at McNair HS at 6:30pm
Round 3 (Present Recommended Plan) - Thursday, July 14th at AIC at 6:30pm
Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (E-SPLOST)
A significant funding source for capital improvements (e.g. new construction, facility improvements, technology upgrades, etc.) which can ONLY be used for educational purposes.
A one penny sales tax funded by anyone buying goods in the county, regardless of where they live.
Must be approved by DeKalb County voters, and has been continuously approved since its inception 1997.
The E-SPLOST will expire on June 30, 2017, unless it is continued by the voters of DeKalb County on May 24, 2016.
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Thank You for Your Donations
I wanted to thank all participants of the Feed the Hungry food drive! The  project was a big success! I was amazed to see the generosity of the Dunwoody community in action as the bins filled up. The recipient charity received the donations and the food was sorted to create food back-packs that went to selected students. Thanks to your kindness, several children will not go to bed hungry!
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Lunch Bunch Volunteer of the Month
Hi Volunteers,
Andrea and I really appreciate all the participation in lunch bunch for the  month of April. Our volunteer of the month is DeAna Danzy. She will receive a gift card to Target for $25.
Thank you DeAna for putting in the most hours. We will do another gift card for the month of May, so please sign up and help out for the last month of school.
Thanks again volunteers for your help!!!
Erika Cuttino
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Volunteer of the Month
THANK YOU Megan Cann and Jennifer Fenmore for your service as PTO co-  presidents this past year! For your hard work we would like to reward you with the reserved/specially marked parking space for the entire month of May! Don't forget to log your hours during the month of May and you could win the parking space for the month of August!!
Congratulations to Suzanne Melan! She won the April volunteer of the month drawing and will be taking home a gift card to The Wing Factory.
It's easy to log your hours in order to be considered for the May Volunteer of the Month parking space and the May volunteer drawing!! Simply go to the Dunwoody Elementary PTO website and follow the Log Volunteer Hours link.
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Puppet Show
The PK and kindergarten students enjoyed an educational puppet show about taking care of the earth by Lee Bryan, the Puppet Guy, on Wednesday morning!!
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2016 DHS Kids Cheer Camp
For Elementary Age Students
LEARN: Cheers, Chants, Jumps, Dances, Stunts
Taught by the Dunwoody High School Varsity Football Cheerleaders 
Monday, July 18 - Thursday, July 21
8:30am - 1pm
$160
Limited number of spots remaining
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Jr. Technology, Engineering & Computing Camp
Rising 5th and 6th Grade Girls
We would like to invite your rising 5th and 6th grade girls to our upcoming Jr. TEC (Technology, Engineering & Computer) Camp, which will be held June 21-23, 2016 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 young 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. More information on the camp can be found in the attached flyer.
We would also like to ask for your assistance in circulating the attached TEC Camp flyer to the parents of your current 4th and 5th grade girls. Please note that the application deadline for Jr. TEC Camp is Monday, May 16.
Thank you for your time and assistance in disseminating this information. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Tonia Knobf
Associate Director, Women in Engineering
College of Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
791 Atlantic Drive NW
Atlanta, GA 30332-0360
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Autism Speaks Fundraiser
What: Autism Speaks Fundraiser
Where: Village Burger - Dunwoody
When: May 17 - 5pm - 8:30pm
10% of all proceeds between those hours will be donated to Autism Speaks!
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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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Please make sure to follow DES on Twitter @des180_sanders for any school updates or last minute notifications.
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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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