Sagamore Hills ES Principal's Post

School Starts at 7:45am and Dismissal will begin at 2:15pm.

Students may come in as early as 7:00am for breakfast. All students are released to classrooms at 7:25am. Students arriving before 7:25am will remain in the cafeteria.

Parents may walk their child to class the first 3 days of school only.

Starting Thursday, August 6th, students should be prepared to be independent by walking to class by themselves. Staff will be stationed throughout the building to assist.

Parents may come to have lunch with their child starting September 8th.

We need to ensure our cafeteria routines and procedures are in place before allowing visitors in.

Thank you for understanding!

Greetings parents,

Please review our dismissal procedures so you are ready for Day 1 - August 3, 2026!

Afternoon dismissal will begin promptly at 2:15pm. Please do not remove the transportation tag that will be attached to your child's bookbag.

If your child is riding a school bus, a text message will be sent through School messenger letting you know when the bus departs the school. Your patience is appreciated.

If you are picking up your child as a walker, this means that you have walked from home to pick up your child from school. You will wait under the "teddy" tree outside of the cafeteria door. You must have your carpool number (given out at Open House) for safety purposes.
*Please note that walkers are no longer coming out of the front doors of the school!

If you are picking up your child as a car rider, this means you will be inside of your car and drive around to the front of the school. You should not exit your vehicle for any reason. You must have your Family ID hangtag (given out at Open House) clearly displayed in your window for staff to see.

If you have not received your carpool number - please pick it up from your child's teacher on the first day of school.

It is extremely important that you have informed your child's teacher AND completed the transportation google form to let us know how your child will go home each day. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6fPQsgp02d3zjQ1imva2pIVrFPDuUZ8DXpkntdJ10P6bJwA/viewform

Thank you for adhering to our afternoon dismissal procedures to ensure all students are dismissed safely from school.

Be well,
Ms. Freeman, Principal

Safety is the priority during arrival, throughout the day, and dismissal. To ensure that all students get home safely, every child will have a transportation tag attached to their bookbag.

Please do not remove the tag. It should remain on the bookbag for the entire school year!

We utilize the tag to ensure students go home the correct way. Thank you!

This year, all families will receive a Family ID hangtag with an assigned Family ID number (pictured below).

Only one hangtag will be distributed to each family for free. You will receive the hangtag from your child's teacher at Open House.

If your child is walker, you must present your Family ID hangtag at dismissal.

If your child is a car rider, you must always have your Family ID hangtag attached to your rearview mirror.

If you would like to purchase additional hangtags, please contact our bookkeeper, Ms. Cross, at Natalie_cross@dekalbschoolsga.org. The cost will be $5.

For Afternoon Bus Routes - parents are asked to be at the bus stop no later than 2:20pm daily.

Our After School Academy (ASA) program is now full and has reached capacity.

Any registration payments and paperwork submitted after Thursday, July 30, 2026 will be placed on our waitlist. If a spot becomes available, families will be contacted in the order registrations are received.

If you have further questions, please reach out to our co-directors Ms. Hankins and Ms.Latimer:saghillsasacademy@dekalbschoolsga.org

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

The transportation google form will be shared in welcome letters sent out by your homeroom teacher on July 28.

School Safety will always be my top priority!

Every precaution will be taken to ensure the safety of your child during school hours. One safety measure practiced are safety drills (fire, tornado, intruder), which are conducted throughout the school year. Fire drills are held once every month. Tornado drills are held twice a semester. Intruder (Lockdown) drills are held three times a semester. Schedules, exits, and procedures are a part of these important drills to keep our students and staff safe in the event of an emergency. The administrative team and all staff members will be in position to aid in a safe, quick evacuation. Routes of exit are posted in each room of the building. Our number one priority is the safety and security of our students and staff.

During the school day, we ensure the following safety measures are taken:

• All classroom doors remain closed and locked at all times.
• Exterior doors remain locked at all times and are not propped open for any reason.
• All visitors must come to the front of the school to receive assistance.
• All visitors must press the entry button outside the front door. The front office staff will initially assist all visitors from this point.
• Students are monitored by staff members in all areas of the building and on the recess field.
• Outside of traveling with their class to other parts of the building, students will travel in pairs when leaving their class independently to go to the restroom, nurse, or front office.
• Every classroom is equipped with a telephone and walkie in the event of an emergency.
• For afternoon dismissal, students are only dismissed from class when their name appears on the dismissal spreadsheet and/or their bus is called.
• Staff are strategically stationed all around our building and campus to ensure students arrive and depart safely from school.
• Every staff member has a crisis alert badge that they wear daily. In the event of an emergency, staff will press a button on this badge to alert administration that they are in need of help.

Additionally, we have a Security Associate, Ms. Williams, that will walk throughout the building and monitor the exterior grounds to ensure all students and staff remain safe.

In the event of an emergency, we will communicate with all parents via School Messenger and Class Dojo. Please ensure you are connected and signed up for both on your mobile phone. It is important that parents read all text messages from the school thoroughly and follow next steps as outlined.

Safety will always remain our top priority. We appreciate your partnership and collaboration as we work together to maintain a safe learning environment for all students and staff.

We need at least 2 room parents for every class.

Click here to read over the duties of Room Parents: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ls9mB_CIWU6PA8XIubbBNrDolWoJOe46/view?usp=sharing

If interested in being a room parents, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/PCgWUJCSNk2sZzk3A

If your family would like to pre-order pizza, please click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdXWdBOfElL1IP8ycbGaqKKiUkAjpMliKC9SSOwUDVM3lztDg/viewform

Spirit Day is every Friday!

Get ready for an amazing school year by purchasing your Sagamore Hills spirit wear! Show your Wildcat pride all year long while supporting our school. Check out the available designs and place your order today! Short sleeve shirts, long sleeve tees, and crewneck sweatshirts are all for sale! Let's go Wildcats!

Dear Sagamore Hills Families,

As we prepare for another exciting school year, we are always looking for ways to make things easier for our families while ensuring our students continue to have meaningful learning experiences.

One piece of feedback we received many times from parents last school year was the desire to reduce the number of requests for money throughout the school year. We listened!

New this year, each grade level will have one Class Dues payment that will cover many of the activities and events students participate in throughout the year. Rather than sending home multiple payment requests, families will make one payment that covers the items listed below.

PreK – 4th Grade: $75
Your child's class dues will cover:

- Two field trips
- Field Day T-shirt
- Classroom activities and special projects throughout the year

5th Grade: $250
Your child's class dues will cover:

- Overnight trip to the Fortson 4-H Center
- Yearbook
- Field Day T-shirt
- 5th Grade Week activities

We strongly encourage families to pay online through MySchoolBucks, which provides a safe, secure, and convenient way to submit payments.

We appreciate your partnership and support as we continue working to simplify processes for our families while providing enriching experiences for every Wildcat. Thank you for helping us make this school year a wonderful one!

We look forward to seeing you at Open House!

With gratitude,
Ms. Freeman

***Please download the handbook using the attachment below and save it to refer to throughout the school year.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us in ensuring our school year runs smoothly!

https://www.sagamorehillses.dekalb.k12.ga.us/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=5ABYY2&dasi=3Y20

If you ordered a school supply pack, those will be shipped directly to your home.

If you have questions, please contact our school nurse: Nurse Theodore: Mency_Theodore@dekalbschoolsga.org

Information about meal applications and meal payments can be found at the link below.

Families are encouraged to complete the 2026-2027 Federal Eligibility Application (FEA) for Free & Reduced-Price Meals.

Completing the application may provide your student with free or reduced-price school meals.

Breakfast and lunch menus can always be found on this website: https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/school-nutrition/menus/

***PLEASE NOTE: No outside vendor/fast foods or deliveries can be brought in for students (i.e - Chick Fil-A, McDonalds, etc). Students should bring in a lunch packed from home if they are not eating school lunch.

Please contact our Assistant Cafeteria Manager if you have questions: Ms. Sade Agabara: morenike_okanlawon@dekalbschoolsga.org

If your child is interested in being on our track team - please register here:https://survey.sogolytics.com/survey/form?k=SsRPUXRPsYTVsPsPsP&lang=0

This is completely FREE for students to participate!

Go Wildcats!

Thank you for supporting our teachers! Please consider purchasing an item off of their wishlist to support teaching and learning this school year!

Don’t miss a moment of the magic happening at Sagamore Hills! Follow us on Facebook to see highlights of student learning, school events, and the incredible things our Wildcats are doing every day. 💙💛
Like and follow us: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AmVi4se2G/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Dear Sagamore Hills Families,

As we prepare for another wonderful school year, we're looking for local businesses to partner with the Sagamore Hills Foundation as 2026–2027 School Sponsors.

If you own a business—or have a family member, friend, or neighbor who does—we'd love to connect with them! Becoming a School Sponsor is a wonderful way to give back to Sagamore Hills while gaining year-round visibility within our amazing school community.

School sponsorships help fund teacher-requested classroom projects, STEM programming, arts and music enrichment, after-school clubs, campus improvements, and other initiatives that directly benefit our students throughout the year. Sponsorship opportunities begin at $250, with a variety of recognition benefits included at each level.

As a special thank you to our Sagamore Hills families, we're offering 5% off all School Sponsorship levels.

If you'd like to learn more, simply email our fundraising co-chairs Rebecca Newcomer & Vivian Blom at fundraising@sagamorehillsfoundation.org.

They'd be happy to answer any questions and help you find the sponsorship level that's the best fit for your business.

Thank you for helping make Sagamore Hills such a special place for our students and staff. We are incredibly grateful for the support of our community and the businesses that invest in our school.

Rebecca Newcomer & Vivian Blom

On Friday, August 14th, the Sagamore Hills Foundation will kickoff the school year with our annual FamilyFun Night! This is agreat time for kids and families to come together, enjoy musicand activities, and eatdinner with our school community.Traditionally, the 5th grade class has used this night as theirlargestfundraiser of the year -- using the money raised to fund5th grade graduation events.

As 5th grade families, we need your help to make this night asuccess! Whether it's helping sellconcessions, making somephone calls to book a DJ and activities, putting together goodybags to sell, anyand all help is welcome! Please emailpresident@sagamorehillsfoundation.org if you are able to lenda hand!

Please review and save the list below so you are aware who to contact when questions arise.

Please keep in mind that we have a communication protocol at Sagamore Hills for concerns.

• If you have a concern about your student/class, you should email your child's teacher directly first!
• If the concern/issue continues, you should email the Assistant Principal: Ms. Fassinger.
• If you continue having concerns, please reach out directly to Ms. Freeman, Principal.

Skipping a step above will actually slow down the process of getting help for

your child, as the person you contact will have to back-track and gather additional information.

By starting with the person who spends the most time with your child – the teacher – you are

most likely to get the information you need and reach a solution more quickly.

If you have questions regarding any of the following items below - please contact the person listed.

• Membership Toolkit - Mr. David Lomba: website@sagamorehillsfoundation.org
• Spiritwear - Ms. Cristina Fundora: spiritwear@sagamorehillsfoundation.org
• Foundation Volunteer opportunities - Ms. Allison Porter: president@sagamorehillsfoundation.org
• Reporting your child's absence from school - email your child's homeroom teacher AND our school registrar, Ms. Jamila Stewart: jamila_stewart@dekalbschoolsga.org
• Changes in transportation - email your child's homeroom teacher AND our school secretary, Ms. Jamila Stewart: jamila_stewart@dekalbschoolsga.org. This must be done by 10am!
• Questions for the school nurse - contact Nurse Mency Theodore: mency_theodore@dekalbschoolsga.org.
• Questions about school lunch - contact our Assistant cafeteria manager, Ms. Sade Agbara: morenike_okanlawon@dekalbschoolsga.org.
• General questions pertaining to your child's class - email your child's homeroom teacher
• Questions related to school counseling and/or 504s - email one of our school counselors: Ms. Ashley Witeczek (PreK-4th): ashley_m_witeczek@dekalbschoolsga.org or Mr. Sean Patrick (5th grade and all 504 plans): sean_patrick@dekalbschoolsga.org.
• Questions related to Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and requesting additional interventions for academic support, contact Adrienne Toliver: adrienne_toliver@dekalbschoolsga.org.
• Questions pertaining to our Special Education program: contact Ms. Jericka Harden: Jericka_K_Harden@dekalbschoolsga.org
• Questions about gifted eligibility - please contact Dr. Kristy Shackelford: kristy_shackelford@dekalbschoolsga.org.
• Questions pertaining to After School Academy (ASA) - please contact the co-directors: Ms. Cherri Latimer: and Ms. Unique Hankins: saghiles-asacademy@dekalbschoolsga.org.
• Questions pertaining to class schedules, progress reports, assessments, and report cards - email our Assistant Principal, Ms. Jennifer Fassinger: jennifer_fassinger@dekalbschoolsga.org
• Questions pertaining to schoolwide operations - email Principal, Ms. Freeman: tonya_edwards@dekalbschoolsga.org

Email: tonya_edwards@dekalbschoolsga.org
Website: https://www.sagamorehillses.dekalb.k12.ga.us/
Location: 1865 Alderbrook Road, NE Atlanta, GA 30345
Phone: (678) 874-7502
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AmVi4se2G/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Twitter: @Sagamore_Hills