Monthly Update #9

Email: tosha.wright@dcssga.org
Website: fses.dcssga.org
Location: 2375 Mount Vernon Road, Lithia Springs, GA, USA
Phone: 770.651.3900
Facebook: https://facebook.com/Factoryshoalselementaryschool

What is character education? Character Education is a learning process that enables students and adults in a school setting to understand, care about, and act on core ethical values such as honesty, respect, and responsibility for self and others. Below are the weekly character traits for the month.

Week of April 6-10, 2025 | SPRING BREAK

Week of April 13, 2026 | Acceptance: Willing to tolerate a difficult or unpleasant situation, or consenting

Week of April 20, 2026 | Perseverance: Working hard without giving up

Week of April 27, 2026 | Self-reliance: Relying on one’s own abilities, efforts, or judgments

Wednesday, April 1st: Kindergarten & 1st Grade Field Day

Thursday, April 2nd: 2nd & 3rd Grades Field Day

Friday, April 3rd: 4th & 5th Grades Field Day

Monday, April 6th-Friday, April 10th: Spring Break - No School for All

Wednesday, April 15th: Students in Grades 3-5 will participate in a MOCK GMAS (please make every effort to have your child here at school, on time)

Friday, April 17th: PTA Spring Gala from 6-8 PM

Friday, April 17th: Progress Reports available in Infinite Campus

Monday, April 20th - Friday, April 24th: GMAS Spirit Week - all students are invited to attend - Flyer will be sent after Spring Break

Wednesday, April 22nd - PTA General Body Meeting - a quorum is needed so please see the PTA Section for more information

Georgia Milestones Assessment Dates

Tuesday, April 28th - GMAS English/Language Arts Section 1

Wednesday, April 29th - GMAS English/Language Arts Section 2

Thursday, April 30th - GMAS English/Language Arts Section 3

Friday, May 1st - GMAS Mathematics Section 1 and 2

Monday, May 4th - GMAS Science Section 1 and 2 - 5th Grade Only

On these days, please ensure your 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade is here at school between 7:00-7:30 AM.

1st Place Project #9, Kaitlyn J. of Oglesby's 5th Grade Class with “Which Insulation Keeps Ice From Melting?" (PHYSICAL Science)

2nd Place: Project # 29, Teronie L. of Harris' 5th Grade Class with "Heat VS Candy" (PHYSICAL Science)

National Assistant Principals Week in 2026 is celebrated from April 6th to 10th, recognizing the crucial role assistant principals play in supporting students and schools. We appreciate our assistant principals and all of their work in supporting our learning community. We are so thankful for Mr. Thomaston and Mrs. Washington and all they do!!

We have 30 days of school left for the 2025-2026 school year. As we move into the final stretch of the school year and the weather gets warmer, we are noticing a significant increase in disruptive and disrespectful behavior among students. This includes stealing school property and inappropriate interactions with peers and a lack of respect toward adults. Let us be very clear—this behavior will not be tolerated.

We need your support in reinforcing expectations at home. Please take a few minutes each morning to remind your child about the importance of respect, responsibility, and making good choices at school. Our goal is to provide a positive learning environment for all students, but that requires everyone’s cooperation.

If inappropriate behavior continues, we will have no choice but to call home during the school day, which may interrupt your work day. We would much rather partner with you proactively than have to reach out due to an issue.

Thank you for your support in keeping our school a safe and respectful place for learning. We appreciate your help in reminding your child of the expectations and consequences.

We are asking parents/guardians to send in a letter for their child to help motivate them for GMAS. The letters are there to act as silent little cheerleaders for the students before they start GMAS testing on Tuesday, April 28th.

These letters will be given to your child to read before the test to remind the students of the love and encouragement from their families every day.

Handwritten letters will be accepted in the front office. Be sure to have your child’s name and teacher’s name attached.

All letters should be submitted by Friday, April 24th.

Our third, fourth, and fifth grade students will be taking the Georgia Milestone Assessment on the following days:

Tuesday, April 28th - GMAS English/Language Arts Section 1

Wednesday, April 29th - GMAS English/Language Arts Section 2

Thursday, April 30th - GMAS English/Language Arts Section 3

Friday, May 1st - GMAS Mathematics Section 1 and 2

Monday, May 4th - GMAS Science Section 1 and 2 - 5th Grade Only

Students should be on time and in attendance during these scheduled tests. We will be sending home reminders but please ensure that the following occurs:

1. Go to bed early to get a good night's sleep.

2. Eat a healthy breakfast (avoid sugary foods). Breakfast will be provided at school.

3. Encourage your student to do their best. This test will be rigorous but we know they can do it!

Beyond the Front Porch's mission is to bring back the experience of educational field trips to school-aged students (K-12) by offering monthly day trips through Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. Join them every second Saturday of the month to explore and expand the educational experiences of your youth!

April 11: Tennessee Aquarium

May 9: SAM Shortline Scenic Railway

June 13: Helen Tubing

July 11: Majestic Caverns

Register by calling 470.729.3988 or emailing info@beyondthefrontporch.org.

Additional information can be found here: https://beyondthefrontporch.org/

Want to help your child navigate the digital world safely? Douglas County School System schools are using Parent ProTech to teach digital citizenship skills.

The Georgia Department of Education provides free access to all families and teachers.

Learn more and sign up for your free account: https://bit.ly/3Z7Be57

Our Annual Parent Survey is now open, and we would love to hear from you! The survey is available now and will remain open until 5:00 PM on Friday, April 3, 2026.

Your feedback is extremely important to us. The information gathered from this survey helps us make informed decisions and plan for the next school year, especially as it relates to Parent Nights, Family Engagement Events, and overall school improvement efforts.

📝 Take the survey here:
https://douglas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_41l8T3NMqsxNake
Please make sure you choose Factory Shoals Elementary School when asked.

✅ After completing the survey, please send a screenshot of your submission confirmation to Principal Wright via a private message on ClassDojo.
🎉 As a token of our appreciation, your child will receive a special treat on Monday, April 13th, but I must receive your screenshot via ClassDojo by April 3rd at 5 PM.
💳Each family that submits a screenshot will be entered into a drawing for one of three $50 Kroger gift cards! All screenshots must be sent by April 3rd at 5 PM. The drawing will be taped on Monday, April 13th.

Your voice matters — and now’s your chance to be heard! We’re conducting a quick community survey to better understand your thoughts and experiences. Your input will help shape future decisions and improve what we do.

📝 Take the Survey: https://sprw.io/stt-3NWkH
It’s short, anonymous, and should only take a few minutes of your time. Every response counts!

Thank you for sharing your perspective — we truly appreciate your time and insight! 💬

Here is the link for directions on signing up for the Parent Portal for our Student Information System, Infinite Campus. We use Infinite Campus school for student's grades, attendance and other important information throughout the year.

Not signed up yet? Click here for directions on how to create your Parent Portal account:

English | Spanish

Parent Portal Link

Stay connected and information about your student's progress.

Forks Finds and Fun Event

A huge THANK YOU to our amazing vendors, volunteers, families, and students for making Forks, Finds & Fun such a success at Factory Shoals Elementary School! Your support helped raise funds for school programs and brought our

community together. See you next year!

PTA GENERAL BODY VIRTUAL MEETING

Your voice matters — and we want to hear from you! Join us for our upcoming PTA Virtual Meeting as we discuss important updates and plans for our school.

Date: April 22nd

Time: 6:30 PM

Location: Virtual (Meeting link will be provided after RSVP)

Agenda Highlights:

• PTA Budget Review
• Upcoming Events
• Planning for Next School Year- Exciting News
• Open Discussion & Member Input
• Important: A minimum quorum of 15 members is required to conduct business, so your attendance truly matters!

Please RSVP: dolphinpodpta@gmail.com

Let’s work together to make this a great school year!

#PTA #SchoolCommunity #ParentInvolvement #YourVoiceMatters

**Spring Gala Tickets Still Available!**

There’s still time to grab your Spring Gala tickets for $35.00!

**Payment options:**

Cash

Cash App: https://cash.app/$CourtneyCollinspta?qr=1

Please remember all transportation changes must go through the office -- in writing. You may send in a note or send an email to fses-transportation-dcss@dcssga.org before 1:00 PM. Please help us get your child home safely!

The Douglas County Schools System will use the Parent ProTech platform to teach digital citizenship lessons to all students in grades K-12. Every teacher, staff member, student, and guardian in the Douglas County School System has access to the platform. Users can sign up for an account using this unique Douglas County School System link.

Important: Senate Bill 351, “Protecting Georgia’s Children On Social Media Act of 2024”, mandates in section 2.2 that students in grades 6th - 12th receive digital citizenship and online safety instruction, and that districts certify compliance. The four required lessons indicated in the guidance for middle and high schools satisfy the requirements of this portion of the bill.

Elementary, Grades Kindergarten - 5th

The ProTech platform provides four lessons for each grade level. One lesson will be taught every nine weeks. These lessons represent the minimum requirement, but schools can include additional lessons throughout the year. The minimum amount of time required for a mini-lesson is approximately 15 minutes. Lessons contain multiple resources and activities, however, and can be expanded.

All medication (prescription and non-prescription) must be brought to the school by the parent or guardian.

No student will be allowed to bring medications to school or on the bus. Students may not have medication in their possession except with a physician's order for emergency situations only. There is zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol in Douglas County Schools.

Medications must be in the original container. Medications brought in Ziploc bags or other unmarked containers will not be given. Prescription medications must be in the pharmacy container labeled with the child's name, date, name of medication, name of prescribing physician, times(s) medication is to be given and name of the pharmacy filling the prescription. We request that you ask the pharmacist to give you two labeled prescription bottles so that you have one bottle at home and one at school.

Do not bring medication to school which needs to be given once daily or two/three times a day unless the physician specifically states a time during the school day for the medication to be given. If the medication can be given at home, please do so.

Parent/guardian must provide specific instructions, including the drugs and related equipment to the school. It will be the responsibility of the parent/guardian to inform the school of any changes in pertinent data.

As school we want to get better at improving our school culture and get a pulse on the issues that matter to you. We've signed up to a service that will send you regular, short, anonymous surveys making it quick and easy to get your voice heard.

Please click the link below to sign up https://app.satchelpulse.com/parents?country=us

Please use the school ID (code) 735095 when prompted to join the school.

We are excited to announce that Factory Shoals Elementary School has partnered with Concentric Educational Solutions, Inc. (CES) to enhance our support for students, families, and the school community. This partnership aims to strengthen the connection between home and school by providing evidence-based solutions that address academic and social needs.

Through our collaboration with CES, we will enhance existing supports and resources while identifying effective strategies to improve your child’s attendance and academic success.

One of the most exciting aspects of this partnership is the opportunity to learn about the barriers impacting our families so that we better understand and address any needs. For the remainder of the school year, at the recommendation of the School Support Team at Factory Shoals Elementary School, CES representatives will be conducting informational home visits. These visits will help us gather valuable insights from you and your child, allowing us to create an enriching learning experience focused on improving attendance, fostering appropriate social-emotional behaviors, and boosting academic achievement.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Principal Wright. We are looking forward to a productive and engaging partnership with you and your child!

Students love to read using Epic, a reading app that gives 24/7 access to a digital library of over 40,000+ premium books. It’s great for their daily reading and for keeping up the momentum on weekends and during school breaks. Here are the login instructions:

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘀: Open browser and

1. Go to 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀.𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗰.𝗰𝗼𝗺/𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

2. Enter class code to log in.

𝗶𝗢𝗦 & 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗱: Download & open Epic for Kids app

1. Tap on “Students”

2. Enter class code to log in.

Here is a link to the class codes for your child's homeroom teacher.

As instruction and student safety are our top priorities, we hope to limit the reduction of instructional time disruptions and the decrease in office chaos in the afternoons. When students are consistently checked out of school early, they are missing valuable instructional time with their teachers. We respectfully ask that all families refrain from office check-outs after 1:45 PM each day. In addition, we can no longer pull children off the bus once we have began our dismissal process as this becomes a safety issue for students. Of course we understand that emergencies happen but we do ask that you work with us as we ensure all students get home safely in the afternoon.

The Georgia Compulsory Attendance Law holds parents responsible for making sure that their children attend school. According to this attendance law, the only legal excuses for absences are

1. Personal illness

2. Death in the immediate family

3. Religious holidays

Although attendance at school is very important, students with a contagious illness or fever should be kept home. Upon returning to school after an absence, a written excuse must be given to the homeroom teacher within three days. Students who are absent miss instruction that is vital to the mastery of the standards. Students are tardy to school after the 7:40 AM bell. Students who are tardy miss valuable instruction and disrupt the class. If a student is late, a parent must escort his/her child to the office for a tardy pass before the student goes to class. Again, students who are repeatedly checked out prior to the end of the instructional day (2:10 PM) miss valuable instructional time.

Here you will find the FSES Student & Family Handbook

Here you will find the DCSS Elementary Student Handbook

Do you want to shout out a teacher or staff member for the amazing job they're doing?! Well, now you can! Use this form to recognize a teacher or staff member. All recognitions will be shared with the appropriate staff member and may also be posted on our Facebook page. Please submit one form per teacher.

Complete the FORM here.

Our school code for Remind is: @fsesga

Join our school on Class Dojo using this link.

We will use Remind for all communication with families. We will use Class Dojo as our school-wide behavior management tool. Please be sure to sign up for both. Our staff is also available via email (first name.last name @ dcssga.org) or via phone at 770-651-3900.

GoGuardian is a Chromebook monitoring and teacher facilitator application that helps students learn safely, stay focused, and get engaged. Administrators and teachers can see everything your child does on their school issued device and when they are logged into their DCSS portal. Administrators get alerts when students search inappropriate or explicit content on their device. Students will lose device privileges if their account is flagged for inappropriate content.

Parents are required to complete a Free and Reduced Meal Application in order to qualify for free or reduced meals. Meals will no longer be free. Parents will be required to send money for breakfast and lunch until the free/reduced meal application is approved. You can use schoolcafe.com to load money to your child's account or send cash for meals.

If your child has a negative lunch balance, they will not be accepted into any FSES extracurricular activities until that balance is cleared.

Here is the link for directions on signing up for the Parent Portal for our Student Information System, Infinite Campus. We use Infinite Campus school for student's grades, attendance and other important data.

Here Comes the Bus is available for parents and students to download now. To sign up, visit the Apple or Android store, or visit www.herecomesthebus.com.

Students are still encouraged to arrive at their stop five to ten minutes early and to follow any additional instructions given by drivers. Please sign up for Here Comes the Bus. You can use code 79003.

As your children board the bus each morning, please help us and remind them of our bus rules. Students should stay seated in assigned seat, there is to be no eating or drinking on the bus and students should use their inside voices. Students should also keep their hands and other objects to themselves while riding the bus.

School bus transportation is a privilege afforded pupils by the Board of Education. It is not a right. To protect the safety and well-being of all involved, pupils must adhere to established bus conduct rules. Bus transportation privilege may be revoked if the pupil does not observe bus conduct expectations.

There are some days that your child's bus may be late due to busses being combined or a substitute bus driver driving a new route. If you would like to know if your child's bus will be late, you may locate that information here. Our school is abbreviated as FSES. This information is updated each morning and each afternoon.

Morning Arrival to FSES

• Car riders may only be dropped off and picked up within the designated car rider zone.

• Morning student drop-off begins at 7:00 AM in the car rider lane.

• As the car approaches the drop-off location, students should unbuckle themselves, have their bookbag on, and place any materials being carried in their hands.

• Please move forward until directed to stop. Once stopped, please remember to unlock doors. In the morning, we typically unload three to four cars at a time.

• Students MUST wait until FSES School Staff opens the car door in order to proceed from vehicles. Students should not get out of the car by themselves. This is for the safety of all students.

• If possible, all students should be loaded and unloaded through passenger side doors- Curb Side.

• Do not drive around or pass cars that are still unloading. Vehicles will wait until all children have exited their vehicle before proceeding to the exit. Like school bus loading and unloading zones, violators will have license plates turned over to the DCSS Police Department.

• Vehicles NOT in line when the clock turns 7:40 AM will be directed to sign the child in through the front office.

• Students coming in through the front office must be escorted into the building by a parent or guardian.

Afternoon Dismissal from FSES

• The afternoon car rider line begins at 1:50 PM.

• Afternoon dismissal of car riders begins at 2:10 PM.

• Please do not use cell phones once the car pick-up line begins to move.

• The school-issued car rider tag is required for pick-up. (Even if we know who you are. You must have a car rider tag to pick up a child.) If you do not have a tag, you will be directed to the front office to get one.

• A staff member is responsible for radioing your child's car rider number. Please wait until they have done so before moving on in the line.

• Move all the way forward until directed to stop.

• Vehicles should be placed in park.

• Normally, three students are loaded into cars at a time.

• Children will enter the car on the right-hand side.

• Parents or Guardians should remain in the vehicle at all times.

• Once the child is loaded, you may proceed to the exit.

• If a child needs assistance with getting buckled in, your vehicle should move forward towards the exit. Do not assist while in the line.

• Vehicles need to be in line by 2:25 PM. After 2:30 PM you will need to pick your child up from the front office.

• Students waiting after the car rider line ends will be placed in the After School Program and a fee will be assessed.

If you or the person who is picking up your child in the afternoon does not have the hanging FSES 2025-2026 Car Rider Identification card, they will have to pick up the child from the front office and have their ID available for our front office staff to check. This is for the safety of your child. Thank you for your understanding.

We thank you in advance for adhering to our rules as they all help keep your students safe around moving vehicles.

We recognize that electronic devices are an important part of our everyday world and are increasingly being used in teaching and learning. However, we want to be sure that any devices at school are being used as an appropriate instructional tool, and their use does not interfere with our students’ learning environment.

Factory Shoals is proud to provide student access to Chrome Books in all of our classrooms. Students should only use electronic devices under the direct supervision of their teacher, so there is absolutely no need for students to bring their own devices from home. This includes cell phones, smart watches, iPads, and tablets. We believe that elementary school students are not equipped to deal with the responsibilities of having unsupervised access to technology, and their brains are not quite ready to handle such distractions at school.

If your child must bring a device to school in order to communicate with you after school hours, then please remind them of the following:

Electronic devices brought from home will be kept in the backpack turned off during the school day and will not ring or cause disruption to the instruction in the classroom. Please see the district policy regarding cell phones in our Family Handbook.

Thank you for helping us to make Factory Shoals an amazing place where students value their education!

We do not allow birthday parties during lunch, whole birthday cakes or any birthday treats that are not individually wrapped.

We enjoy honoring our students on their birthday. We announce the birthday child’s name on the morning announcements and allow families to bring in treats within the guidelines below.

Cupcakes/snacks must be store bought AND prepackaged/individually wrapped.

Also, you may want to think about non-food items. The items listed below will still make your child feel special and they will last a lot longer than a food item.

• A game for the classroom
• A classroom book (A nice touch would be having your child pick it out, sign it, and date it.)
• A classroom set of items for each child to keep such as pencils, pens, erasers, markers, etc.

Ms. Lizzy Kilgore is our District Bilingual Liaison. Please contact her if you need help with translating or interpreting.

Phone: 770.651.2223

Email: lizzy.kilgore@dcssga.org