Forsyth County Schools



Coal Mountain Elementary Dear Parents,Many thanks to all of you who attended our Parent Academy? this week.? We hope that you received valuable information and that you enjoyed the instructional activities you participated in with your children. ??Our students are achieving amazing things in our classrooms, and we are so proud of their enthusiasm, ?manners, and the positive behaviors we are observing! You have heard a great deal about the new Common Core Georgia Performance Standards that are rolling out this year.? As we mentioned at Parent Academy Night, Georgia is one of 48 states that will be implementing these standards.? We will continue to add information to our “Parent Toolbox” link on our web page and on our Facebook page.? Please check these resources often.? I have also included a link below that you may want to review.? It provides helpful information for parents on CCGPS expectations for students and what parents can do to support learning. Debbie Smith, Principal Kim Fox, Assistant PrincipalAugust 31, 2012 Mining For Coal . . . . . . . . Discovering DiamondsEmpowering Young Minds for a Bright FutureImportant Dates:September 3No SchoolSeptember 6Fun RunDebbie Smith, Principal Jan Munroe, Assistant PrincipalJanuary 21, 20101676400-977906324600-9779039013341493446Forsyth County is asking your input for the 2013-2016 Strategic Plan for Forsyth County Schools.? Please take a moment and access the link below to provide your thoughts.? It's Here! Take the 2013-16 Strategic Plan Survey, Our Path to Greatness! We welcome your input as we continue on our path to greatness with the new 2013-16 Strategic Plan! CLICK HERE for the survey!Open August 30 to September 14, 2012.On behalf of our faculty, thank you for all of your support!? It’s been an excellent beginning and we are looking forward to wonderful things ahead.? Please contact us if you have questions or if we can help you in any way.Sincerely,Debbie Smith, Principal??????????????????????????? Kim Fox, Assistant PrincipalRevision to Student HandbookParents are no longer required to call the school attendance line to report a student’s absence.? Parents must submit a written note, email, or doctor’s excuse within five days of the student’s absence in order for the absence to be excused.? Always feel free to contact your child’s teacher regarding absences.? However, please know that it is the parent/guardian responsibility to send in written notice in order to excuse the absence. !!!!!Attentiom Parents!!!!!!Valuable Common Core Information for ParentsAs we begin to roll out the Common Core/Georgia Performance Standards, we want to provide you with the most updated information and help answer any of your questions.? At our upcoming Parent Academy Nights (August 27 – Grades K-2 and August 30 – Grades 3-5) we will give you an overview of our progress and provide additional information.? Until then, I encourage you to look over the helpful information provided by our District at the link below.? As always, please call if you have any questions.? We’re always happy to help! PortalPlease see the office staff for your activation code to create your Parent Portal account.? You can update phone numbers and messenger preferences via Parent Portal.What is the Campus Portal?Campus Portal is our tool for parents and students to access instant, online, timely and secure student information: class schedule, assignments, attendance, discipline, course registrations for next year, report cards and transcripts.Campus Portal is a means to further promote educational excellence by enhancing our program of communication with parents and students.Who is eligible to have a Campus Portal account?Parents of current students are eligible to activate a Parent Portal account, after agreeing to the terms and conditions of use.What kind of software or computer is needed to use the Campus Portal?Computer - any computer capable of running the browser Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, Macintosh or Windows.Software - Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher. It is a free download from Internet connection - 56k modem speed or higher is recommended.A monitor with at least 800x600 resolution is recommended.How much does the Campus Portal cost?Nothing. It is a free service to parents, and actually saves the district money by reducing paperwork and labor costs. What is Edmodo?Edmodo provides teachers and students a secure place to connect and collaborate, share content and educational applications, and access homework, grades, class discussions and notifications. Edmodo helps educators harness the power of social media to customize the classroom for each and every learner.Edmodo promotes anytime, anyplace learning. Functionally, it allows teachers to post messages, discuss classroom topics, assign and grade classwork, share content and materials, and network and exchange ideas with their peers - but in reality, it is so much more. Parent accounts are a great way to keep parents informed of classroom activities, assignments, grades and school events. ?The registration process for parents is similar to student registration, with one additional security measure – each parent will need their own unique parent code to register. ?This is to ensure that parents can view their child’s school activities.As students are being introduced to Edmodo, teachers are working to inform them about the program as well as to educate them on their “digital footprints”. Classrooms discussed that student communication within the program is expected to be of an educational manner at all times. When students are working in Edmodo, teachers receive notification of all new posts, replies and communications. How to retrieve parent codesThe code for parent accounts can be retrieved from their child’s Edmodo account. (Your child should have their individual log in information for Edmodo in their Agendas) ?The code will be located on the right panel, below the notifications section.Parent account codes can also be retrieved from teacher accounts. If you need help, contact your child’s teacher.How to create a parent accountTo create an account, parents should visit Forsyth. and select the “I’m a Parent Button” on the homepage, just below the student and teacher sign up buttons. Complete the registration form, which includes your unique parent code, your relationship with the child and a valid email address.Parent account overviewWithin the parent account homepage, parents can:Get a dashboard view of their child’s school activities including:Assignments Due- A list of upcoming assignments that have not been turned in.Late Assignments- A list of assignments that are past due.New grades- Recent grades that their child has received.Upcoming Events- A list of upcoming calendar notices which may include assignments, school events, tests, etc.Assignment Comments- Recent teacher feedback provided on their?assignments.View announcements and messages from teachers and administrators.See a list of their child’s teachers.If a parent has multiple students on Edmodo, they can add additional students to their Edmodo account by selecting the “Add a Student” button on the top navigation bar. ?Utilizing?the “Filter post by” option, the parent can also filter messages by individual child.For additional information, parents are invited to view a webinar from the Edmodo site. Parents are also encouraged to take a moment to read Edmodo’s Terms of Use. Car Line GuidelinesCoal Mountain Elementary School“Our primary concern in the morning car line is the safety of our children.”Students should not be dropped off before 7:10 AM.Please turn on your emergency flashers if you need assistance with your child exiting your vehicle and someone will be happy to assist.Help your child to be prepared to exit your car when the student in car in front of you exits.Pull all the way to the end of the sidewalk or close to the car in front of you. Students should exit your vehicle from the passenger (right) side.Please follow the directions of the faculty member directing traffic at the front doors. Students should arrive at school before 7:40 AM. Students are expected to be IN their classrooms by 7:40AM. It takes one to three minutes for your child to walk from your car to their classroom. If the tardy sign is out when you arrive, parents are expected to come into the office with their child to sign them in.If there is a need to walk your child into the building, please park in the parking lot and walk your child across the car line using the crosswalk.We are always happy to handle special situations. Please speak with a faculty member.If you need to pass a delayed vehicle in the line, please pull around slowly. Be extremely careful as you pass.Because of the many car riders we have, it will usually be faster if you let your child off in the car line rather than park and walk them into the building.Help us to make Coal Mountain Elementary School the happiest, safest, best learning institution in north Georgia. . . . OK, the world!!The Green TeamAfter 11 hrs of garden work on Saturday I think it's safe to say that was the hardest work day ever...I’m still recovering, but way worth it. We got a lot accomplished thanks to all of the wonderful volunteers; Denise Webb, Rodney Weems, Kathy Taylor, Shelly Gonzalez, Tim and Hannah Hollingsworth, Susan Gray and Quinn Webb’s eagle scouts! Thank You for supporting this project, I couldn't have done it without you. ?We are so close to getting our first stage completed so our kids can start growing. If you are available this afternoon, I could use some help spreading more mulch for a path and to outline the compost bin and shed. Bring newsprint and/or cardboard if you have some. Rodney Weems and his carpenter Tim will also be working to finish the shed if you’d like to lend a hand there. We’ll meet at the school at 3:15pm and work till we’re done.Thank you,Suzanne Geddes404-702-2601Parent at Coal Mountain Green Team VolunteerCMES Garden CoordinatorCounselor’s CornerScience LabBULLYING PREVENTIONAt Coal Mountain we use the Olweus [pronounced Ol-VEY-us] Bullying Prevention Program. This is a comprehensive, school-wide program. Its goals are to reduce and prevent bullying problems among school children and to improve peer relations at school. The program has been found to reduce bullying among children, improve the social climate of classrooms, and reduce related anti-social behaviors, such as vandalism and truancy. The Olweus Program defines bullying as an aggressive behavior that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power and is repeated over time.Student Led Conferencing is coming!!Student led conferencing is an alternative to the traditional parent/teacher conference in which the student is left out. The goals of this conference format are to increase positive communication between students, their parents, and teachers in the following ways:Encourages students to accept personal responsibility for their academic performanceTeaches students the process of self-evaluationHelps develop students’ organizational and oral communication skillsEncourages students, parents and teachers to engage in open and honest dialogueIncreases parent attendance at conferencesLights! Camera! Action!We are so excited about our new drama special. As a special (PE, Art, Music, Drama) first and second graders will have the opportunity to participate in drama activities and public speaking. As we are just starting out, we could use your help in stocking our inventory. We would appreciate donations for any of the following items:Mirrors (handheld or over the door)Costumes (nothing scary)Props (rotary phones, canes, eyeglasses etc…)Thanks for your help.!Director: Wayne Clements Flunky: Robin MitchellREWARD ROOMCMES is looking for donations for a Reward Room to be located within the school.If you have any items that you would like to donate to the school for this project, please email Michelle Alford at Miller16111@? or if you have any questions about the Reward Room contact Kara Lurie at 678-947-5224 or email her at kwlurie@. Below are some examples of what may be in the room.Creative Center - all kinds of paper, colored pencils, crayons, glue, stamps, stickers, drawing table(s),Seating - small sofa, chairs, bean bags, activity tableBooks for a Mini LibraryStorage ContainersBoard GamesA “loft” or wood to build a raised sitting/reading area or donation of time to buildGames - Nerf basketball goals or some type of basketball game. video, foosball, air hockey, ping pong, chess, and card games, TV(s) for gaming devices, Wii, Xbox, games for gaming devicesBuilding - Legos, BlocksTransportation - Trucks, cars, planes, Trains and track, pirate ships, race tracks, garagesDinosaurs, farm animals, farmDoll house and furnishings, DollsPlay Kitchen - Grocery Store, plastic food, cash register, grocery cartPuppet Theatre or Material to make one, puppetsMats, educational or children throw rugs, Wall Decals, PostersArt Matters !!!The “Square 1 Art” project is almost completed and will be shipped off to the company very soon! Be on the look-out for the fundraiser order packets to be coming home sometime in October. A new on-line ordering system is being offered this year, so hopefully it will be a lot easier to place orders especially for your out of town family members! Just as a little reminder, please have your child wear old clothes on the days their class has art. Sometimes we paint and do other “messy” and creative artwork! Wish List: Kleenex, 3 oz. Dixie cups, Paper or Styrofoam plates, Wipes, Heavy Duty Foil We are looking forward to another creative year on the mountain!Remember: “Make Every Day a Masterpiece!”Toni Sullivan, art teacher-398145154305Coal Mountain ElementaryBirthday / Special Occasion Book ClubWe will be changing our birthday / special occasion?book club at Coal Mountain. This is a great way to help out our school library and at the same time honor the birthday / special occasion?of your child. At the beginning of your child’s birthday / special occasion?month, your child will be able to choose a book from a special new book collection. The book will receive a unique inscription inside with your child’s name and birth date. Your child will be the very first to check it out from the library. In addition, a picture will be taken of your child with their book and hung on the Birthday/Special Occasion Book Club display in the lunchroom. (We will honor June and July birthdays / special?occasions?in May, and next years August birthdays / special occasions?in September.)?Please complete the form and return it with $17.00. ?(Checks made out to Coal Mountain Elementary and please include your phone number on the check) ?All Birthday /?Special Occasion?Book Club Donations are due by the end of the month before your child’s birthday / special occasion.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please return to Coal Mountain Elementary Media Center Child’s Name as you wish it to be inscribed (please print): ? Child’s Birthday/ Special Occasion: ____________________________________________________?Teacher’s Name / Grade: _______________________________Click on the website for more information: Mountain Elementary appreciates our business partners! HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" ? ?Cumming Location? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" Northside Forsyth. ??If you would like to be a Business Partner, please contact dsmith@forsyth.k12.ga.us ................
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