Eagle Wings

Greetings Eagle Families,

We were thrilled to welcome everyone back for the 2026-2027 school year last week at Meet & Greet! The energy across our school was incredible as we begin another exciting year of learning, growth, and connection.

Please note that Monday through Wednesday this week, families are welcome to walk students to their classrooms between 7:10-7:35am. You will need to enter through the front door. We know these first few days are an important transition, especially for our youngest learners and students who may be new to our school community. We appreciate your partnership as we help every Eagle begin the year feeling confident, safe, and supported. After the first three days, we will return to our regular morning arrival procedures to help ensure a smooth and secure start to each school day.

Thank you for your continued support and trust. We look forward to an amazing year filled with meaningful learning experiences, strong relationships, and countless opportunities for our Eagles to soar.

Here's to a fantastic 2026-2027 school year!

Together, There Is Only WE

Yours in partnership,

Ms. Crawford

August:

3rd-First Day of School

19th-PTO General Meeting/Room Parent Meeting 5-6pm (Media Center)

27th-STEM Night with Innovation Academy 5-7pm

31st-Lunch Visitors & Volunteers begin

Due to the population growth of the Alpharetta area, more & more drivers are using Mayfield Road as a means to get to their morning destination. Please take note of the "No left turn from 7:10-7:40am" signs that are now located at the main and bus rider entrances. By helping to adhere to this, the flow of traffic can continue while ensuring that our students who arrive by car are in their class by 7:40am.

Beginning this school year, morning carpool will end at 7:35 am. Ending at this time allows for students to walk to their class and be in their seat by 7:40am, which is the start of our instructional day. If you are arriving after 7:35 am, you will be directed to park and walk your child to the front door. If the bell rings during this time, you will need to sign you child in on our Checkmate system which is located outside the front doors.

*Please note, we have several families with students who participate in our Autism classes and use our main carpool drop off area after 7:35am. This is to help ease their transitions and limit distractions.

We have new carpool tags this year. Each family should have received 2 in their red folder during Meet & Greet. Please ensure that these are visible during afternoon dismissal. For questions or tags, please reach out to Jenna Silverman, AP (silvermanj@fultonschools.org).

All schedules and teacher assignments are tentative and may change until after the 10th day of school as that is when teacher allotments will be finalized based on student enrollment at that time. We are not accepting requests for teacher changes until after the 10th day of school and change requests will be accepted based on the instructional needs of the student.

Please take a moment to review information in our AES Family Handbook. In coming weeks, we will highlight pertinent information you need to know about.

Students will be receiving the FCS Code of Conduct in their folders. Please review the FCS Code of Conduct. Parents/guardians must complete the Student Code of Conduct acknowledgment in Infinite Campus by August 31st.

At our school, we are committed to creating a safe, positive, and productive learning environment for all students. To support this goal, we teach and reinforce our school-wide behavior expectations through SOAR:

• Safe
• Ownership
• Attentive
• Respectful

Throughout the school day, students are expected to demonstrate these behaviors in classrooms, hallways, the cafeteria, playground, buses, and all other school settings.

What is a SOAR Reminder?

When a student does not meet one of our SOAR expectations, a staff member will provide a SOAR Reminder. A SOAR Reminder serves as an opportunity for the student to reflect on their choices, understand the expected behavior, and make positive adjustments moving forward.

Our behavior system is designed to give students multiple opportunities to correct their behavior before administrative intervention becomes necessary.

• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd behavior infractions: Student receives a SOAR Reminder.
• 4th behavior infraction: Student receives an office referral/write-up, which is submitted to the Assistant Principal for review and follow-up.

This process allows teachers and staff to address minor behaviors consistently while providing students with opportunities to improve and demonstrate our SOAR expectations.

We ask that parents/guardians review the SOAR reminder, sign the form, and return it to the homeroom teacher. See below for what the form entails:

How Families Can Help

We encourage families to discuss SOAR expectations at home and reinforce the importance of being:

• Safe in actions and choices
• Taking Ownership of behavior and learning
• Being Attentive and ready to learn
• Showing Respect to peers, staff, and school property

Thank you for your partnership and support as we continue to foster a positive school culture where every student can SOAR!

Are there any medical conditions or concerns that we should know about?

Please contact:

Tamera Shellington

Cluster Nurse for AES

shellingtont@fultonschools.org

Please consider joining the PTO--they provide incredible resources and support to our students, staff, and community. For more information, click here: Alpharetta Elementary School PTO - Home

The Fulton County Board of Education met on Thursday, July 30, 2026, for a called School Board meeting at the South Learning Center. The full agenda is available via Simbli, a website that makes the Board agenda and all supporting documents available online. Meetings are streamed live on the FCS homepage, with recordings available within 48 hours.

Superintendent’s Report
Fulton County Schools (FCS) Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney congratulated the FCS Police Department, which has earned Georgia Law Enforcement Certification from the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, becoming one of only four school district police departments in the state to receive this distinction.

The certification recognizes the department’s commitment to professionalism, accountability, and service after demonstrating compliance with 141 state-approved standards related to policies, procedures, and training.

This achievement reflects the district’s ongoing focus on safety, continuous improvement, and building trust with students, staff, families, and the community.

Tax Digest Update
The Board received an update from Chief Financial Officer Marvin Dereef on the ongoing delay in Fulton County's completion and certification of the 2026 tax digest. Because the tax digest has not yet been certified, FCS remains unable to begin the state-required process to establish its final millage rate. The Board adopted the FY2027 budget in June based on the best information available at the time and the current millage rate.

The delay continues to create uncertainty in the district's financial planning. Without a certified tax digest, the district cannot accurately determine the amount of local property tax revenue that will support more than 60% of the district's operating budget. As a result, the district is unable to fully assess the financial impact of changes in property values, new exemptions, and other factors that could increase or decrease projected revenues.

District leaders also informed the Board that, if the delay continues, Fulton County Schools may need to consider short-term financing options to ensure uninterrupted operations while awaiting local property tax revenue. In addition, if Fulton County proceeds with interim property tax bills, taxpayers could receive two bills; an interim bill followed by a final adjustment after the tax digest is completed and the district's final millage rate is established.

FCS will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with county officials as additional information becomes available. The district remains committed to keeping families, employees, and taxpayers informed throughout the process.

2026-2027 Attendance Initiative
Heards Ferry Elementary School Principal Tara Uremovich presented the 2026-2027 Attendance Initiative, a districtwide effort to increase student access to learning by improving attendance across Fulton County Schools. Built around the goals of reducing late enrollment, increasing attendance during student enrollment count periods, and improving satisfactory attendance rates by three percentage points, the initiative promotes consistent attendance through engagement, recognition, communication, and community partnerships.

The yearlong 95% to Thrive campaign encourages students to maintain at least a 95% attendance rate, with quarterly recognition, family attendance updates, and early intervention supports. Complementing this initiative is the 5 to Thrive campaign, which focuses on encouraging attendance during the first five days of school and key student enrollment count weeks through schoolwide celebrations and incentives. Together, these strategies are designed to strengthen student engagement, maximize instructional access, and help every student thrive. Click here to visit the website, which features a new video highlighting the campaign. See the full presentation here.

Find Your Future at Fulton
Chief Academic Officer Brannon Gaskins provided an overview of the district’s new Non-Resident Tuition Program, including the tuition structure, application and enrollment processes, and marketing efforts designed to attract prospective families.

A cross-functional team developed the program and gathered feedback from the four pilot schools: Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence (FAVE), Global Impact Academy, North Springs High School, and Northview High School.

The program is being implemented in phases, with Phase One establishing a transparent admissions process for out-of-district students at select high schools and Phase Two focusing on integration with the district’s Change of School Assignment (COSA) process.

Marketing efforts are centered on the “Find Your Future at Fulton” campaign, supported by a dedicated website, online application portal, email support, and outreach through digital and social media channels.

Tuition is set at $5,500 per semester or $11,000 per school year. Click here to see the full presentation.

2025 STAR Climate Ratings Update
Mr. Gaskins reported that 47 Fulton County schools earned the highest distinction of a 5-Star Climate Rating, including 31 elementary schools, nine middle schools, and seven high schools. An additional 31 schools earned ratings between 4.0 and 4.75 stars, resulting in 78 schools receiving four stars or higher. Fourteen schools earned ratings between 3.0 and 3.75 stars, while seven schools received ratings between 1.0 and 2.75 stars and will continue to receive targeted district support. Click here to see the full presentation.

New Hires & Promotions

The following individuals were approved for a new position at the Board meeting:

• Dr. Taylor Barton | Director, Strategy and Technology Support
• Tara Uremovich | Principal, Heards Ferry Elementary School
• Damond Smith | Principal, FAVE

2026-27 Community Meetings with Board Members
Each member of the Fulton County Board of Education sponsors a monthly meeting open to all community members. The sessions provide an opportunity for direct contact with community members and give Board members a chance to listen to local issues and concerns. Click here to see the meeting schedules of all Board members.

Fulton County Schools is excited to introduce SchoolCash Online—a convenient and secure way for families to pay for school-related fees. With this new system, you can easily pay for items such as field trips, classroom activities, parking permits, yearbooks, and more—all from the comfort of home.

SchoolCash Online helps reduce the need for cash and checks in our schools while giving families a safe and simple way to make payments using a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.

Getting Started

Beginning July 1, 2026, please be on the lookout for a registration email from:

"KEV Group at noreply@stagingschoolcashonline.com."

The subject line will read: “Fulton County Schools shared a student with you.”

For step-by-step registration instructions, please visit the SchoolCash Online webpage at https://fultonschools.schoolcashonline.com/.

Learn more about SchoolCash Online on the FCS district website at www.fultonschools.org/schoolcash.

Please take a moment to read Fulton County's Device Handbook.

FCS 26-27 Student Device One-to-One Handbook- English

Families will need to complete the Device Use Agreement.

As you prepare for the first day of school, please note that there have been some changes to bus routes. If you haven't already, we encourage you to check Here Comes the Bus for updated information on your student's bus route to ensure a smooth start to the year.