Happy Friday, Happy February, and Happy Black History Month!

Thanks for an awesome week! Today we celebrated our January Mustangs of the Month and celebrated our Beta Club. Congratulations to all of our honorees and thank you to the families that were able to come. Below you will find helpful information for our upcoming week:

• It's Black History Month! Throughout the month, we will pay tribute to the many to African American men & women who have made significant contributions to America and the rest of the world in the fields of science, politics, law, sports, the arts, entertainment, and more! Just for fun, we have a Black History Month Attire Calendar for staff and we would love for our students to participate as well. The calendar is detailed below. We are excited to share
  
  
• STUDENT ARRIVAL: Please remember that we receive students beginning at 7:00 am. Please refrain from dropping students off prior to 7:00 am as we do not have before school care nor do we have staff members available prior to 7:00 am.
  
  TRAFFIC CONCERNS: Please be mindful that during both drop off and pick up, families should refrain from pulling around other cars. This will ensure safety for our students and families during this time. Parents should use the appropriately spaces to park and follow our traffic markers at all times.
  
  Please remember our Car Rider Etiquettes:

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  • Please be alert at all times! We have students exiting vehicles, parents and students crossing the street, and staff supporting students as they exit their vehicle. Please be attentive to all mustangs.
  • Please do not park in the car rider loop. The car rider loop is for quick drop offs only. If you would like to exit your vehicle and escort your child into the school, please park in a nearby visitors parking space. Parents may escort students to class up until 7:35 am daily.
  • Please have your student ready to exit the vehicle. This means, make sure his/her bookbag and other belongs are ready and easily accessible. This speeds up the process tremendously!
  • Pull all the way forward.
  • Help your student learn his/her car rider number.
  • Please be patient!
    
    
• PK LOTTERY REGISTRATION IS NOW OPENED! Parents may complete the lottery registration February 1, 2024 - March 8, 2024 using the provided link:
  https://fultonschools.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d4qSzBK7y12hLO6
  
  Parents should email FCS's PK Department at prekregistration@fultonschools.org if you have questions.
  
  
• SAFETY REMINDER: As we approach Valentine’s Day, it is important to ensure that all homemade candy, desserts, baked goods, or other edible items are not to be sold or distributed during school hours, and that appropriate store-bought items are delivered to the administration. Please know that taking this measure will help us maintain a safe environment for all students with allergies, etc. You can help us protect your student(s) by requesting that they not eat anything given to them by another person, anything that they have not brought from your home or anything not in its original sealed package.
  
  Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping all of our students safe at school! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out at any time cantya@fultonschools.org.

Mrs. Canty

Our PTA is excited to present MASQUERADE - A Family Gala! Tickets are on sale NOW. Parents may purchase tickets ONLINE ONLY by visiting Member Hub or CLICKING HERE. Tickets will be available until sold out 11:59 PM TONIGHT!!!!!! PTA has extended the window for payment. Guests will not be able to pay on event day or at the door. Unpaid guests will not be admitted. This event is opened to all community members and families! Additional details pertaining the dance maybe found on the attached flyer.

Have questions or suggestions for PTA? Please email our Executive Board at any time.
📧Cesmustangspta@gmail.com

February 5-9, 2024 is National School Counseling Week, and we celebrate our very own, Dr. Ford!!!! Over the course of a school year, Dr. Ford spends countless hours providing school counseling services, supports, interventions, and learning opportunities to students as they plan for academic, college-career and social emotional success. The 2024 NSCW theme is “School Counseling: Standards-Based, Student-Focused.” We appreciate you Dr. Ford, and all that you do for our students!!

We are so excited about our school’s American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge program kicking off! We are asking you to register for our Kids Heart Challenge team and help us reach our goal of 100% of our families learning the lifesaving skill of Hands-Only CPR.

Get started today and be the first at our school to complete Finn’s Mission!

• Register Online or download the free “AHA Schools” app.
• Complete Finn’s Mission: Watch the 2-minute Hands-Only CPR video featuring cardiac arrest survivor, Damar Hamlin, and watch a music video on the warning signs of a stroke (F.A.S.T.).
• Share with Family & Friends: Send messages via social media, text messages and/or email.

Students who raise $50 before kickoff will receive a special edition Buster Keychain.

Help our class win the classroom challenge by registering and completing Finn’s Mission. We can create a community of lifesavers! See what classes are in the lead!

Did you know, students and families at our school have been personally impacted by heart disease? Your participation in Kids Heart Challenge helps the American Heart Association fund research that helps these students have longer and stronger lives!

*If you have any questions or concerns about the Kids Heart Challenge, please contact our Coach Luckett, our Health and Physical Education's Teacher @luckettd@fultonschools.org

It is time for the election of new members to our School Governance Council. The School Governance Council has both parent/guardian and teacher positions open for election.

Our School Governance Council (SGC) plays a critical role in the success of our school. The SGC works with school leadership and the community to help determine the long-term direction of the school, design innovative solutions to increase academic achievement, and serve as school ambassadors to the local community. Specifically, the School Governance Council has the following powers:
• Create, approve, and monitor the implementation of the school strategic plan
• Manage the Request for Flexibility process
• Approve the annual budget recommendations and related allocations
• Participate in the hiring of the principal, in the case of a vacancy
• Provide annual feedback to the Area Superintendent on principal performance

The candidate declaration phase will begin on Monday, February 5th and will end Friday, March 29th at 5:00 pm. Voting will be April 17th-24th. The Governance and Flexibility team provides a toolkit with a wealth of materials that we anticipate will support your Outreach and Communication Committee and SGC with the elections process. Additional election tools and information are available on the FCS charter website.Charter System (SGC) / Elections (fultonschools.org)

SY2024 Candidate Declaration Form (Coming Soon)

Applications for parents who wish to apply for a 2024-25 hardship transfer or to renew a current hardship to another Fulton County elementary, middle, or high school are available beginning January 1, 2024.

Parents will use an online form, available through the school system’s website, to enter and submit their information. Hard copy applications are not required, except for medical transfers which require a medical provider’s signature and documentation.

The deadline for submitting a transfer application is Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, by 4:30 p.m., with no exceptions or extensions granted. All requests must be received or postmarked by this date and time. In addition, school system employees who have children receiving an employee hardship transfer must renew their request.

The February 29 deadline applies to students and parents seeking a hardship transfer for medical reasons, curriculum differences, and childcare situations or for employees’ children. Schools participating in open enrollment, a separate transfer process that allows students to move to a school with available space, will be announced in early May.

Parents with questions or who need more information about hardship transfers can contact the Fulton County Schools’ Student Assignment Office at 470-254-5550 or visit the FCS Hardship Transfer webpage.

February 9, 2024: PTA Presents a Family Gala

February 14, 2024: 2nd Semester 4 ½ Week Progress Report (viewable in Parent Portal)

February 14, 2024: Friendship Party

February 19, 2024: Presidents’ Day-School Closed

February 20, 2024: Professional Development Day-No School for Students

February 27, 2023: STEAM Night

March 1, 2024: Mustang of the Month – 8:30 am

March 6, 2024: Moms on the Move 8:00 AM-9:30 AM/Dads on Duty 6:55 AM- 8:00AM

March 6, 2024: Assessment Workshop – 8:30 am and 5:30 pm

March 11, 2024: Teacher Workday-No School for Students

March 12, 2024: Professional Development Day-No School for Students

March 14, 2024: Spring Individual & Class Picture Day

March 15, 2024: 2nd Semester 9- Week Progress Report (viewable in Parent Portal)

April 1-5, 2024: Spring Break – Schools Closed

April 11-19, 2024: Boosterthon- Fundraiser

April 12, 2024: Mustang of the Month – 8:30 am

April 24, 2024: 2nd Semester 13 ½ - Week Progress Report (viewable in Parent Portal)

April 29-May 17, 2024: Georgia Milestones – End of Grade

April 30, 2024: PK Transition Meeting

May 1, 2024: Moms on the Move 8:00 AM-9:30 AM/Dads on Duty 6:55 AM- 8:00AM

May 3, 2024: Mustang of the Month – 8:30 am

May 6-10, 2024: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 15, 2024: PK Awards Day – Time TBA

May 15, 2024: Kindergarten Awards Day – Time TBA

May 16, 2024: First Grade Awards Day -Time TBA

May 16, 2024: Second Grade Awards Day -Time TBA

May 17, 2024: Third Grade Awards Day -Time TBA

May 17, 2024: Fourth Grade Awards Day -Time TBA

May 23, 2024: Last Day of School

May 24, 2024: Post Planning - No School for Students

June 1, 2024: 2nd Semester Report Card (viewable in Parent Portal)

What better time than now to join our PTA? Use the QR Code or link provided to access our platform for joining. Remember to share our membership information to your family and friends as they can join also.

Have questions or suggestions for PTA? Please email our Executive Board at any time.

📧Cesmustangspta@gmail.com

Please review Cliftondale's 2023-2024 School-Family Compact, Parent-Family Engagement Plan as well as Fulton County School's Parent-Family Engagement Plan by CLICKING HERE. Parents, school staff, and students partnered together to jointly develop the School-Family Compact and school Parent and Family Engagement Plan (PFEP). This was done through input collected from feedback forms, surveys, and input meetings held annually in the spring. The School-Compact explains how families and teachers will work together to make sure all students reach grade-level standards at Cliftondale Elementary School.

All students above 10 years of age and their parents/guardians are asked to digitally sign the School-Family Compact in the Infinite Campus Parent/Student Portal. Your digital signature acknowledges you have received, read, and agree to the School-Family Compact. Parents may CLICK HERE to access the parent and student portal in Infinite Campus. If you have questions about Title I or need assisting with acknowledging receipt of the Title I documents or would like a printed copy of any of the documents, please contact our Parent Liaison, Ms. Hope Render at 470-254-3040 or by email at renderhh@fultonschools.org

Thank you to the many parents that attended our Annual Title I Meeting and Curriculum Night on September 26, 2023. During our Title I Meeting, we discussed the following items:

• Understand what makes our school a Title I school including requirements, funding, and associated programs;
• Understand school provided resources such as curriculum, assessment, parent resources, and staff contact information;
• Understand Family Engagement at our school;

Unable to attend? No problem! The full presentation is linked for you here. After reviewing the presentation, we welcome your feedback through the EVALUATION LINK. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

This past week, we hosted our Title I Day of Literacy. Many thanks to the families that attended and our Literacy Coaches for making this a hands-on , enjoyable experience for our students and parents! . Through this sessions, parents learned a lot about literacy and how to support their students with literacy development through fun and engaging learning activities.

Unable to attend? No problem! The full presentation is linked for you here. After reviewing the presentation, we welcome your feedback through the EVALUATION LINK. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

Many thanks to the families took part in our Technology Workshop. Unable to attend? No problem! The full presentation is linked for you here. After reviewing the presentation, we welcome your feedback through the EVALUATION LINK. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

In addition to your child's teacher, our curriculum team is here to support you! If you have questions pertaining the curriculum, understanding a specific skill/standard, need additional strategies to support your child at home, please feel free to reach out to one of our curriculum team experts. They are here for you and happy to support you and your Mustang! Each month, we will share resources with parents so that you can support your child at home. Please connect with each of us if you have any questions.

Curriculum Support Teacher: Yazmin Hicks- hicksz@fultonschools.org
-Curriculum Administrator for all curriculum/content areas

Instructional Support Teacher: Dr. Shabo- shabog@fultonschools.org
-Special Needs Administrator

K-2 Literacy Coach: Mrs. Kalista- kalista@fultonschools.org

3rd-5th Grade Literacy Coach: Ms. Johnson- johnsonkr1@fultonschools.org

Math Coach: Mrs. Everett - everettba@fultonschools.org

Inspiring BodyWorks is excited to offer FREE Male Initiative Program offered for boys ages 7-17. Their program, On The Right Track, meets approximately 2 Tuesdays per month at the Hugh C. Conley Recreation Center in College Park. Participants are provided with dinner and work on character development, social & emotional skills, life skills, communication & critical thinking skills, leadership & teamwork, positive attitude & more! The boys hear from high-quality speakers provided by Jump Forward, Inc., and from our fabulous partner representatives, including first responders and law enforcement agencies. Visit their website for additional information: Inspiring BodyWorks

Champions Soccer is a 501c3 organization that offers customized GRASSROOT soccer training programs in a safe and supportive environment. They are dedicated to ensuring that our communities’ youth have greater access to quality programs and services that help promote healthy lifestyles, academic success, and strong leadership skills. Additionally, they have partnered with the City of South Fulton as the official soccer provider.

More on our mission can be found Here!

Parents, family members and friends are not allowed to bring in cakes, balloon bouquets, flowers, goodie bags, gifts, pizza, or any other type of treat to celebrate a student birthday. Teachers are not allowed to celebrate birthdays in the class with a party or a snack either. Rather, parents may purchase a Smart Celebrations Package from the cafeteria. This can be done to student birthdays and/or any other classroom celebrations. Smart Celebration packets should be purchased in the cafeteria at least (2) days in advance. Please contact our Nutrition Manager, Ms. Curry at curryd1@fultonschools.org

Are you registered for your Campus Parent Portal Account? If not, REGISTER TODAY! Everything you need as a parent is contained in the parent portal. You can monitor your student's grades throughout the school year, review your child's schedule, download progress reports and report cards, update your contact information, register other students within your household, withdrawal your student and so much more! If you already have an account, you do not need to register again. New users should click the link provided to register: Parent Portal Registration

*Please note, if you DO NOT have an email address on file, you will be unable to register via the provided link. Please call the school and ask for our Data Clerk, Ms. Allen.

See It. Hear It. And Report It Every Time

If you SEE or HEAR anything about school threats, weapons, violence, bullying, drugs, self-harm, or have other school safety suspicions or concerns, REPORT it EVERY time anonymously using the SHARE TIP LINE.

Subscribe to the receive email updates. Provide us with a mobile number and get text messages on your phone. Fill out the form below and be sure to select any school(s) you wish to follow! You can unfollow or unsubscribe at any time.

Subscribe Now To Receive FCS District Emails

Have questions or concerns? Please review our "Contact List" to see who at Cliftondale can provide immediate help to you.

The consideration for gifted services may be reported or automatic as defined by the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services. The Fulton County School System screens all students for eligibility for gifted services twice a year and uses a systematic approach to identify highly capable students who may qualify for gifted services. The gifted teacher routinely reviews available data to refer students for further assessment. Students meeting either the automatic screening OR the classroom screening criteria AND who have supporting data gathered from test history, products, and/or advanced content levels are referred for additional testing to determine gifted eligibility.

TAG TESTING ELEMENTARY PARENT Q&A

TALENTED AND GIFTED (TAG) DISTRICT PAGE

BUS RIDERS/BUS STOP INFORMATION - CLICK HERE to verify your child's assigned bus stop info. All stop times are approximate times. If you have questions pertaining your child’s assigned stop or assigned bus, please contact FCS Transportation Department at 470-254-6060.

"Here Comes The Bus App" is a free, easy-to-use website and app that enables you to see the location of your child’s school bus on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. This way, you know when the bus is near your stop, so you can send your child out at just the right time. No more worrying about whether your child has missed the bus! If you have questions or concerns regarding your child's assigned bus or bus stop, please contact FCS Transportation Department at 470-254-6060 OR contact our supervisor:

Cheowana Henderson, Supervisor
Hendersonc1@fultonschools.org

Charisse Weigner, Special Needs Supervisor
weignerc@fultonschools.org

• The app will request a school code, which is 87428
• How do you access your student's student ID number? Parents may access their child's student ID number from the parent portal in Infinite Campus.
  
• If you add your child and the bus number or bus stop is incorrect, please contact our supervisor, Ms. Henderson
• If you add your child and their is no bus route displayed, please contact our supervisor, Ms. Henderson.

Fulton County Schools (FCS) remains committed to communicating updates and/or changes to COVID-related protocols within the district. Maintaining face-to-face instruction is a top priority for our district. Fulton County Schools will conduct case investigations and contact tracing for positive cases only. Parents should report only positive cases to the Parent portal. Do not submit a report if you are waiting on a pending test result or for an exposure/direct contact. Fulton County Board of Health Case Investigators, FCS School Nurses and FCS Case Investigators will response to student and staff cases. Please be safe, and as always: Do not come send your child to school sick. If your child tests positive, please keep he/she home and isolate (follow the guidance provided by the Case Investigators and your provider). Please submit the positive test results via the PARENT PORTAL

Principal: Mrs. Canty- cantya@fultonschools.org

Assistant Principal: Mrs. Long- longt@fultonschools.org

Curriculum Support Teacher: Yazmin Hicks- hicksz@fultonschools.org

School Counselor: Dr. Ford- fordb@fultonschools.org

Instructional Support Teacher: Dr. Shabo- shabog@fultonschools.org

K-2 Literacy Coach: Mrs. Kalista- kalista@fultonschools.org
3rd-5th Grade Literacy Coach: Ms. Johnson- johnsonkr1@fultonschools.org

Math Coach: Mrs. Everett - everettba@fultonschools.org

Parent Liaison: Ms. Render- renderhh@fultonschools.org

School Social Worker: Dr. Carver- carvera@fultonschools.org