Cartersville Elementary School

We trust that everyone is enjoying a wonderful summer break! We'd like to welcome those who are new to Cartersville City Schools as we kick off a new school year. We would also like to welcome our new assistant principal, Drew May (see below for an introduction), in addition to a few staff changes and new teachers. Natalie Carr will be transitioning to our Student Support Specialist, and Andrew Wilson will be taking her role as our 5th grade math EIP teacher. And we welcome four new teachers to CES for the 26-27 school year: Kiana Sulliavan - 4th, Cat Cooney - 4th, Danielle Ruff - 5th, and Amie Wilson - 5th. Please take a few moments to read through our Back-to-School Newsletter which includes a few beginning-of-year opportunities, as well as links to our school supply lists and school calendar for this year. Please also don't forget to update your address if needed, as we will be mailing postcards on July 29th to our students to introduce their homeroom teacher. We look forward to greeting our students at Open House on Monday, August 3rd from 3:00-6:00. In the meantime, please enjoy a wonderful finish to summer break!

Go Canes!

~Mrs. Bryant

Our school day is from 7:40-2:40. Doors open at 7:15 each morning.

· Early checkouts are not permitted after 2:10 pm for student safety.

· Please remember to send in a written and signed note for all transportation changes.

· All visitors must come through the main office and bring a photo ID to sign in.

· If your child is absent from school, a note must be turned in within 3 days of the absence. You may e-mail doctor's excuse notes to Sabrina McWhorter at smcwhorter2@cartersvilleschools.org. (Note: Text messages to staff will not excuse an absence.)

· All medications requiring administration at school must be brought to the school by a parent or guardian.

· No outside food or drink may be ordered and sent to the school for students; however, parents may bring food with them for a lunch visit with their child in our cafeteria.

· Be sure to check your child's grades frequently on Infinite Campus. Progress reports will go home at 9-weeks, and report cards will be issued at the end of the school year.

· We kindly request all families picking their students up in cars, use the car rider line each afternoon. Car tags are available in the front office. This is for the supervision and safety of our students.

August 3rd - Open House 3:00-6:00

August 5th - First Day of School!

August 13th-14th - Fall MAP Assessments - ELA/Math

August 17th - Lunch visitation begins

August 27th - First PTC meeting at 8:30 in CES Cafeteria

August 28th - CHS home football game

August 29th - Backpack Buddies 5k - Please join us!!

September 7th - Labor Day - No School

**Check back soon for additional dates including Purple Rain Singers auditions, club start dates, and more!

Please note the information below is meant to help with planning; however, dates are still subject to change should the need arise. Please check each month's newsletter for updates to school events.

NOTE: Printed copies will be available at Open House.

Please check the Cartersville Elementary School website for information about our summer office hours, 4th and 5th grade school supply list, and Open House information!

Home - Cartersville Elementary School

A few things to note:

• Families may bring school supplies to Open House to help lighten the load for students on the first day of school.
• If your child requires medication at school such as seizure or asthma medication, please bring it with you to Open House. Parents/guardians will need to complete the appropriate paper for each medication. Our school nurse will be available in our media center during Open House.
• We kindly request our 4th and 5th grade students enter the building on their own the first day of school. We will have photo opportunities available at Open House!
• Lunch visitor guidelines are below; however, to help our students establish routines in our cafeteria, we will not accept lunch visitors until Monday, August 17th.

Whether you are a rising 4th grade family or have a student new to 4th or 5th grade at Cartersville City Schools, we invite you to take a few moments and read through our FAQs for new students. Contents include how to navigate our car rider line, student cell phone expectations, lunch visitor guidelines, and more!

Tons of Delicious Options - Many Are Made from Scratch!

Our school meals are made fresh with wholesome, nutritious ingredients that fuel students’ learning and growth, while offering delicious flavors everyone loves.

See Our Menus

Paying for Meals Has Never Been Easier!

You can pay for meals online using MySchoolBucks or by sending cash or a check with your student. Lunch prices by school are posted below.

**Please note that elementary school students are allowed to use their available funds to purchase extras such as chips, cookies, and flavored water/drinks. Please discuss your lunch expectations with your child.

Learn More

Qualify for Free or Reduced School Meals?

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program that provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to qualifying children each school day.

We encourage all families to complete the application online

Apply Today

Check back soon for our August menu!

Cartersville City Schools Nutrition is excited to invite you to our 4th Annual Back-to-School Community Luncheon! Join us on Friday, July 31, at Cartersville High School for a delicious, made-from-scratch lunch. Whether you choose to dine with us in the cafeteria or grab your meal to-go, you'll enjoy some of the same high-quality, student-favorite recipes served in our schools every day.

Tickets are just $12 with seating is available at 11:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., or 12:30 p.m.

This annual event is a wonderful opportunity to connect with friends, neighbors, and community members while experiencing the care and quality that goes into our school meals. We'll be serving several student favorites- take a look at the attached menu for a preview...and we promise there's even more to enjoy!

Reserve your ticket or make a donation by visiting www.givebutter.com/canescommunityluncheon. If you prefer, cash will also be accepted at the door.

Please feel free to share this invitation with your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors- everyone is welcome at our table! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for supporting Cartersville City Schools Nutrition and helping us ensure every student has access to nutritious meals. We look forward to seeing you on July 31!

10th Annual Backpack Buddies 5K will take place on August 29!

This is a wonderful opportunity to support the students in our community! We'd love to have you sign up under Cartersville Elementary School! We won the "friendly competition" last year, and we'd love to win again!

🏃‍♀️ The Downtown Cartersville 5K—along with a 1K Fun Run—supports Backpack Buddies by helping provide food for students in both our City and County schools.

The "Downtown Cartersville 5K" (and a 1K Fun Run) to support Backpack Buddies

Not a runner or walker? No problem! Join us as a Ghost Runner—you’ll still get the t‑shirt, and no one will ever know whether you ran or not 😉👕

👟🏆 Be sure to join our friendly competition between schools to see which one can register the most participants!

This is the largest race in Bartow County, and we are so grateful for the continued support that makes it such a tremendous success. Thank you for always showing up for our students and our community!

👟 “Run for a cause, because every mile makes a difference.” 💚

If you'd like to know a little more about our school goals, progress, and accountability please visit our website at the link below.

School Improvement Plan

CCS Mission - We inspire all students to build the skills and confidence to find their passions and achieve their goals.

Each month we will share the Capturing Kids' Hearts Newsletter for the month. Attached is an introduction to the CKH Monthly newsletters. Please take a few moments to review the monthly content to help you capture your child’s heart!

As we begin the new school year, we wanted to reach out with a reminder about something that truly makes a difference in student success: consistent attendance. Research shows that regular attendance is one of the strongest predictors of academic achievement. When students are present and engaged from day one, they build strong foundations in their learning, develop positive relationships with peers and teachers, and establish routines that support their growth throughout the year.

As we kick off the school year, we encourage you to:

• Establish a consistent morning routine to ensure your child arrives on time each day

• Plan vacations and appointments outside of the school calendar when possible

• Communicate with the school promptly if your child will be absent so we can support their learning

Starting the year strong sets the tone for everything that follows. Your partnership in prioritizing attendance sends a powerful message to your child about the value of education and commitment to their success. We appreciate your continued support.

As we begin the school year, children are excited to share ideas and experiences—but unfortunately, they also tend to share germs. Illnesses among students and staff are expected, but there are simple steps we can all take to reduce the spread of infectious diseases:

· Keep children home when they are sick

· Know when it's appropriate to return to school

· Encourage frequent handwashing with soap and water

· Use personal protective equipment when caring for ill students

A child should remain home if their illness interferes with their ability to participate in school or may put others at risk. While schools and families may not always know the exact illness, certain symptoms are clear signs that a student should stay home:

· Fever of 100.4°F or higher, especially if accompanied by a new rash. Student’s must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.

· Vomiting more than twice in the past 24 hours. Students must be vomit-free for 24 hours before returning to school.

· Diarrhea that causes accidents, contains blood, or is significantly more frequent than usual. Students must be diarrhea-free for 24 hours before returning to school.

· Draining skin sores that cannot be covered, or mouth sores causing drooling.

· Respiratory symptoms that are worsening or not improving, and not explained by allergies

While we maintain a strict attendance policy, student health is a top priority. It is important to protect other students from getting sick if your child is sick, so please consider keeping your child home during illnesses that could be contagious.

If your child stays home, please remember to send a written excuse. Also, if your child sees a doctor, please request a school excuse note and send it to your child’s teacher. Please notify the teacher if your child stays home to prevent them from getting behind in school.

Thank you for helping us keep our students and staff safe and healthy. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns about your child!

Marcie Garrett, RN, BSN

Cartersville Elementary School Nurse

Phone: (678) 535-6133

Email: mgarrett@cartersvilleschools.org

Welcome Parents!

We are delighted to invite you to join your children for lunch at our school. To ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for everyone, we kindly ask that you follow these guidelines:

1. Sign In at the Office: Upon arrival, please sign in at the school office and present a valid ID.
2. Lunch Visitors: Parents and other guests on a student's pickup list may sign in and join their child for lunch. If a guest is not on the pickup list, they may still join for lunch if a parent/guardian sends a note giving permission. This ensures that all visitors are known to the parents/guardians, maintaining a secure environment.
3. Friends at visitor lunch tables: Students may invite one friend to eat with their guest(s) provided the friend’s parent/guardian sends a note giving permission prior to their scheduled lunch time.
4. Team Lunches: To keep the focus on academics during the school day, we are unable to accommodate team lunches for recreational sports.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. We look forward to seeing you!

All students are expected to be neat, clean, and appropriately dressed for all school activities. Clothing and appearance should not distract from the instructional program. Good judgment should be a key word. Please note the following guidelines:

• Shoes must be worn at all times. Sandals are allowed; flip flops and high heels are discouraged.

• Halter tops, tank tops, spaghetti straps, see-through clothing, and clothing which shows the midriff are not permitted.

• Shorts are acceptable provided they are not too short.

• Jogging shorts, Lycra-Spandex cycling shorts and swimwear are not permitted.

• Hats and other head coverings are not to be worn in the building.

• Articles of clothing which advertise or display the symbols of drugs, weapons, tobacco products or alcoholic beverages are not permitted.

• Clothing which displays obscene language or symbols is not permitted.

• Emblems, insignia, badges, or other symbols, which unreasonably distract students or disrupt the operation of the school, are prohibited.

• Students should avoid extreme hairstyles and colors which may distract from the learning environment.

• All clothing must be worn in the manner in which it was intended to be worn.

• Belts must be worn if pants/shorts are oversized.

• Pajamas, including pajama pants, should not be worn to school unless it is a designated pajama day.

• Costume attire should be reserved for designated dress up days only.

• Students should wear athletic shoes in P.E. (ex. tennis/running/sports shoes).

• Shoes that contain roller devices are not permitted.

• No see-through holes above the knees that show the students' skin or under garment can be seen.

Administration reserves the right to determine if items of clothing or student appearance are too casual, too revealing or too distracting. In the event of an infringement of the dress code, parents may be called to bring appropriate clothing.

The number of students with cell phones and cellular watches in grades 4 and 5 has grown tremendously over the past two years. In order to minimize distractions during the school day and prepare our students for middle school expectations, the following rules for student electronic devices will be in place at CES.

CES Student Cell Phone/Smart Watch Expectations: In accordance with Georgia House Bill 340: Distraction-Free Education Act, CES has created the following expectations regarding cell phones and smart watches.

Student cell phones and smart watches are expected to be off and remain in students' backpacks during the school day. (This includes day and over-night fieldtrips) If a cell phone or smart watch is visible or used during the day, the following consequences will be put in place:

· First Offense - Student Warning

· Second Offense - Infraction: Warning - Parent Contacted

· Third Offense - Infraction: Teacher assigned consequence - Parent Contacted

· Fourth Offense - Infraction: Teacher assigned consequence - Parent Contacted

· Fifth Offense - Office Referral to Administration – ISS

*A student refusing to put away an electronic device when asked could result in an additional office referral for defiance.

*Smart phones/watches are exempt from this rule if the watch is used for medical reasons. Parents must contact the school nurse to put a plan in place for the device. Example: Diabetic

*Please note that if the device is being used for any other purpose than medical purposes, the student may be subject to the consequences listed above.

We are fortunate to be a one-to-one school, with a school laptop available for every student. In addition, all of our classrooms have phones and digital clocks.

Should you need to get in touch with your child during the school day, please call the school at 770-382-0983.

Hello and welcome to the CES/CMS After School Program. The ASP lead is Marcie Garrett, the school nurse at CES. She will be your primary contact for all things ASP. Her email address is mgarrett@cartersvilleschools.org.

The cost to attend ASP includes an annual registration fee of $20 per child, with a maximum registration fee of $40 per school and $80 per family. The daily attendance rate is $12 per child, per day.

ASP hours are from 3:05 pm to 6 p.m. All students MUST be picked up by 6 p.m. to avoid late fees. If a student is picked up after 6 p.m., the late fee is $1 per minute, per student. Pick up will be in front of the cafeteria. Parents will receive a PIN number to sign out their student and will be required to come inside for pick up.

Registration Link:
A registration link with information for the 26-27 school year will be shared at or before our Open House.

Thank you!

The ASP Handbook can be found on the CES/CMS After School website at: After School Program - Cartersville Elementary School

We would love to have you join our PTC program! There are multiple ways to be involved and support our school, and we'd love for you to be part! Look for information at our Open House on how you can be involved and register to support our school and students or go ahead and get connected now! Here's the link to sign up:

CES PTC Membership

Want a chance to check one big thing off your back-to-school to do list? Follow the link above to complete your PTC registration and pay dues (just $10 per family for the whole year) by noon on July 29th to be entered into a drawing for a school supplies bundle! PTC will draw a 4th grade and a 5th grade winner that night. Good luck and thanks for supporting our school!

You can also reach out to CartersvilleElementaryPTC@gmail.com any time with questions!

Our first PTC meeting is scheduled on August 27th at 8:30 am in the CES Cafeteria. We hope to see you there!

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Every Kid Outdoors

Please visit the link below to learn how to access this voluntary opportunity.

K-12 Student Accident Insurance (kandkinsurance.com)

Email: bbryant@cartersvilleschools.org
Website: https://www.cartersvilleschools.org/ces
Location: 340 Old Mill Road, Cartersville, GA, USA
Phone: 770-382-0983