Monthly Update #8
Monday, March 2, 2026
Character Traits for March
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 March 2, 2026 | Loyalty: True and faithful to love, promise, duty, or other obligations
Week of March 9, 2026 | Diligence: Working hard in a careful, steady manner
Week of March 16, 2026| Courage: Meeting a challenge without giving in to fear
Week of March 23, 2026 | Sportsmanship: Respect for and polite behavior by someone who is competing in a sport or competition toward opponents
Week of March 30, 2026 | Resourceful: Having the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties
Important Dates to Remember
Monday, March 2nd-Friday, March 6th: Read Across America Week
Tuesday, March 3rd: Family STEM Night from 5:00-7:00 PM
Thursday, March 5th: Student Council Talent Show 3:30 PM
Monday, March 9th: Teacher Work Day - No School for Students
Tuesday, March 17th: GMAS Informational Night 6:00 PM - Virtual
Friday, March 27th: Spring Picture Day
Tuesday, March 31st: Math Family Night 5:30 PM in the Cafeteria
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
Beyond the Front Porch
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!
March 14: Fernbank Museum
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/
Parent ProTech - Navigating the Digital World
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
2026 Project Peru
The Douglas County School System is excited to continue our special partnership with Peru to provide essential school supplies for students in need. Factory Shoals Elementary is proud to support this important initiative once again!
This year, we are collecting:
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Packs of pencils
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Packs of erasers
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Counting cubes
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Flash cards
Donations may be sent to school with your child or dropped off in the designated collection bins located in the front office.
Our goal is to make a meaningful difference in the lives of Peruvian students, and we cannot do it without your support. Please consider contributing and helping us make Project Peru 2026 a success!
All donations are due by Friday, March 20th.
Thank you for your generosity and continued support of this incredible partnership!
DCSS Parent and Guardian Survey - Spring 2026
Your input is vital in the planning and implementation of the parent and family engagement program and activities at our school. The following survey is confidential and will be used to assist us with future planning for parent and family engagement activities. We appreciate your feedback and thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.
Please go to the following website (please note this address is case sensitive). If you need a paper copy of this year’s survey, please contact your child’s school and one will be provided for you.
https://douglas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_41l8T3NMqsxNake
Please contact Mrs. Wright at 770-651-3901 if you have any questions about the survey. Thank you
for your support and participation!
DCSS 2026 Community Strategic Planning Meetings
The Douglas County Board of Education will hold a series of community meetings as part of the district's five-year strategic improvement plan process. All meetings will be held in the media center of the host school at 6:00 p.m.
Meeting Schedule:
• March 4, 2026 — Douglas County High School
• March 17, 2026 — Lithia Springs High School
• March 19, 2026 — New Manchester High School
• March 23, 2026 — Mirror Lake Elementary School
• March 24, 2026 — Alexander High School
DCSS Strategic Planning Survey
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! 💬
Upcoming Beacon Assessments
Students in Kindergarten through 5th grade will participate in the upcoming Beacon assessments. These assessments are designed to measure student learning in ELA and Math throughout the school year. Beacon provides teachers with real-time, standards-based data that helps identify student strengths and areas for growth. This allows us to adjust instruction, provide targeted support, and monitor progress toward our school improvement goals.
Grade-Level Testing Information:
ELA – March 3rd-4th
Math – March 10th-11th
Why It Matters: Beacon results help teachers tailor instruction to meet each child’s needs, while also giving parents valuable insight into how their child is progressing. Together, we can use this information to ensure that every Dolphin is on the path to success!
2026 Field Days
Our students will be taking part in field day activities earlier this year. Here are a few reminders about the event:
- Field Day T-shirts & Jeremiah's Ice tickets will go on sale later on this week.
- Students must have good behavior to participate. Your child's teacher will notify you by Monday, March 23rd if he/she hasn't earned the opportunity to attend field day.
- Please note that if you purchase a Field Day shirt and/or Jeremiah’s Ice and your child is unable to attend due to behavior, refunds will not be issued.
- Parents are welcome to attend field day. You will need to communicate with your child's teacher before you attend. Parents must sign in (using a state issued ID) before reporting to the field.
National School Breakfast Week
National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) celebrates the importance of a nutritious school breakfast in fueling students for success. This special observance during the first week of March celebrates the national School Breakfast Program and the many ways it gives kids a great start every day. Students who participate in School Breakfast this week will receive a special treat.
Visit Parent Portal to View Report Cards on March 20, 2026
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:
Stay connected and information about your student's progress.
Updates from PTA
We are looking for volunteers on Friday, March 6th from
8:30am AM – 1:30 PM
to help make this day extra special for our students!
We need assistance with:
Helping students with Kona Ice
Supporting the Media Center during guest readers
Assisting with general event activities
Your time and support will help create a fun and memorable experience for our students during Read Across America Week! Please email dolphinpodpta@gmail.com if you are able to help.
If you’re available and willing to help, please sign up and join us. We truly appreciate our amazing volunteers!
Snack & Paint – Friday, March 6
Students will spend the afternoon exploring their imagination, sharing their creativity, and painting their very own take-home masterpiece. It’s the perfect mix of art, fun, and after-school excitement.
2:30–4:00 PM | Art Room
Students will be dismissed directly from the Art Room in the bus lane.
Grades 1–5 only
Only 25 seats available — first come, first served.
Please submit payment as soon as possible to secure your child’s seat.
$15 per student | CashApp only
Snacks and all art supplies included
When submitting payment, please include your child’s full name and grade/teacher.
Don’t wait — spots will go quickly.
Forks Finds and Fun at Factory Shoals ES
Friday, March 13, 2026
4:00 – 7:30 PM
Factory Shoals Elementary School
Admission: Free
Still looking for vendors. Would you like to showcase your business at our 2nd Vendor Fair? Contact us at dolphinpodpta@gmail.com.
Get ready for a night packed with fun for all ages. Bring the whole family, invite friends, and come enjoy an unforgettable evening with our Dolphin community.
Spring Gala Tickets Are On Sale
We’re excited to announce that Spring Gala tickets will be available starting February 16, 2026.
Payment Options:
Cash or Cash App
Important Reminder:
When submitting payment, please include the student’s full name and homeroom teacher.
This will be a fun and festive event for our students and families. We look forward to celebrating together. Come dressed to impress.
Transportation Changes
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!
Digital Citzenship
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.
Student Medication
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.
Parent Pulse Surveys - We Value your Opinion!
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.
Concentric Educational Solutions
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!
Epic Books
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.
Student Check-Outs & School Attendance Policy
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.
2025-2026 Student & Family Handbook for FSES & DCSS
Here you will find the FSES Student & Family Handbook
Here you will find the DCSS Elementary Student Handbook
FSES Staff Shout-outs
Complete the FORM here.
Have you joined us on Remind & ClassDojo?
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.
Go Guardian
School Nutrition: Breakfast and Lunch
If your child has a negative lunch balance, they will not be accepted into any FSES extracurricular activities until that balance is cleared.
Infinite Campus Parent Portal
Here Comes the Bus & Bus Expectations
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.
Late Bus Information
Morning & Afternoon Car Rider Procedures
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.
FSES is a No Cell Phone Zone
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!
Student Birthdays
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.
Bilingual Liaison
Phone: 770.651.2223
Email: lizzy.kilgore@dcssga.org
