Home of the Extraordinary Dolphins

Dolphin Families,

We officially made it through our first month of school! 💙💛

Our students are settling into their routines, building relationships, and working hard each day. Thank you for your patience, support, and partnership as we continue getting the school year off to a strong start.

Our carpool lines are also moving much more quickly. Thank you for helping us improve the process! We still need your help during morning arrival. Please make sure students are ready to exit the car when you pull up, with shoes on, bookbags ready, and hugs and affirmations already given.

Students should be in the building and ready to learn by 7:40 a.m. Our teachers begin instruction right away, including phonics and other foundational learning, so every minute matters. Please remember that after 7:40 a.m., an adult must come inside to check the student in. Students may not be dropped off at the door unattended.

Upcoming Dates

September

• September 7: No School
• September 8: Dancing Dolphins Tryouts
• September 10: First Day of After-School Enrichment
• September 10: 4.5 Week Progress Report (Viewable in Parent Portal)
• September 10: Grandparents Day Bingo, 4:30-5:30 p.m. in our cafeteria
• September 14-18: Hispanic Heritage Month Spirit Week
• September 15: Title I Curriculum Night at 5:00pm
• September 21-25: No School for Students
• September 25: Optional Device Protection Deadline
• September 29: Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A on Camp Creek

• October 2: Liver Cancer Awareness Day, Wear Green | Westlake High School Homecoming
• October 2: Champions of Character Celebration at 8:30 a.m.
• October 3: APRES Game Day, Sponsored by PTA
• October 5: Fall Picture Day
• October 5-9: Georgia Pre-K Week
• October 12: No School for Students or Staff
• October 16: Breast Cancer Awareness Day, Wear Pink | Skate Night
• October 21: Unity Day
• October 23: Prostate Cancer Awareness Day, Wear Light Blue
• October 23: Westlake Cluster Night
• October 26: Help a Child Smile
• October 26-30: Red Ribbon Week
• October 27: SGC Meeting at 4:00 p.m. | Title I Math & Literacy Night at 5:00 p.m.
• October 30: Book Character Parade
• October 31: Westlake Trunk or Treat

With appreciation,

Brittney Burns
Proud Principal & APRES Mommy

Randolph Elementary School is launching our Dolphin Parent Network, an initiative intended to connect parents and families to the work that is happening in our classrooms each day. We have teachers on every grade level that are committed to providing instructional videos that model strategies, resources, and support the learning at home.

Thank you to the Leach, Petit, Anderson, Thornton, Harrison, and Stidwell families for joining us at our Annual Title I Meeting at Westlake last week. Seeing our APRES families engage and participate with such pride was truly inspiring!

All resources from the Annual Title I Meeting are available below. If you have a moment, please complete the Annual Title I Meeting survey. Your feedback helps us continue to strengthen our partnership with families and improve future events.

Hello Randolph PTA Families,

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first annual PTA meeting on August 25! We truly appreciate you taking the time to attend, connect, and support our school community.

Please see the attached thank-you message for a few more words of appreciation from the PTA.

We’re looking forward to a wonderful 2026–2027 school year together! 💙🐬

Warmly,
Char-Lecia Bennett

Vice President

A. Philip Randolph Elementary School PTA

One of the key factors contributing to our success at Randolph Elementary last school year was strong student attendance. We need our students at school every day so they can grow, learn, and reach their full potential.

This month, our school is launching an attendance awareness campaign centered on the message:

"Your Presence Matters: 95% to Thrive!"

Throughout the month and school year, we will have surprise attendance celebration days with fun activities and special experiences for students who are present and on time. The dates will remain a secret, making each celebration an exciting surprise!

Here's a hint: We would love to see every student in attendance on the Friday before Fall Break, especially through at least 11:00 a.m.

We will begin after-school enrichment on Thursday, September 10th. We still have spaces available! Click the PDF above for a description of the enrichment opportunity.

• Girls on the Run: Full
• Artsy Smartsy: 9 spots left for 3rd-5th Click here to submit payment for Artsy Smartsy
• A Call to Greatness: 15 spots left Click here to submit payment for A Call to Greatness
• Chorus: 24 spots left for 3rd-5th Grade
• Dancing Dolphins try-outs are on Tuesday, September 8th

Grandparents Day Event Update

Due to a mandatory teacher training that will be held at our school, our Grandparents Day celebration has been rescheduled.

📅 New Date: Thursday, September 10
🕓 Time: 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
📍 Location: Asa Philip Randolph Elementary School

We are excited to celebrate our grandparents and special family members with a fun-filled afternoon of Bingo! Best of all, the event is free of charge, and complimentary snacks will be provided.

A big shout-out to the Hinkle family for sponsoring a photo booth for the event!

Devices were assigned to all students last week. We highly encourage families to enroll in the optional device protection plan. Our cost at Randolph is $25.00 per student.

Optional Device Protection - Fulton County School System

As part of USDA’s Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program, our school will have a free fresh fruit and vegetable snack during the school day! The program expands the variety of fruits and vegetables children experience while increasing children’s fruit and vegetable consumption! Beginning in September, students will get a free fresh fruit or vegetable snack every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!

Randolph's program will begin on August 26th.

Our PTA is active, engaged, and dedicated to supporting our students, staff, and school community. As we begin the 2025-2026 school year, we are actively recruiting both parents and teachers to join our team. The more members we have, the more we can accomplish for our Dolphins!

PTA Accomplishments in 2025-2026

✅ Sponsored teacher appreciation meals, coffee, and donuts

✅ Supported our Art Show through volunteers and grant funding

✅ Provided teacher and paraprofessional classroom grants ranging from $50-$150

✅ Refreshed the flower pots in our front office

✅ Organized and hosted the return of our Valentine's Day Dance

✅ Partnered with Councilwoman Dr. Rowell to organize a community meeting for families

Upcoming Initiatives

⭐ Support our Character Day Candy Parade

⭐ Provide a meal for participants in our New Teacher Mentor Initiative

⭐ Adopt a local roadway through an Adopt-A-Road project near Randolph

As you prepare for the new school year, please label all items sent to school with your child's first and last name. Last year, we donated nearly six bags of unclaimed lost-and-found items.

Please label jackets, coats, water bottles, lunch boxes, backpacks, and other personal belongings. A simple label makes it much easier for us to return misplaced items to their owners.

Thank you for helping us keep track of our busy elementary learners' belongings!

For the safety of our youngest students, a parent or guardian must be present at the bus stop to meet all Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade students. The only exception is for students who have an older sibling in 2nd grade or higher riding the same bus.

To help ensure student safety, all Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade students will receive an additional bookbag tag this school year.

If a parent or guardian is not at the bus stop when the student arrives, the bus driver will return the child to school, and the parent or guardian will be required to pick them up from the front office.

Here Comes the Bus has how-to videos for using the app on a mobile device and a computer.

All 'How-To' Videos

• Creating an Account
  • Mobile
  • Desktop Computer
• Logging in on Mobile
• Add/Remove a Student
• Tracking your Student's Bus and More
• Notifications
  • Changing Settings
  • Turning On/Off Email and Push Notices
• Configure your Email/Mobile Device
  • Scan your Bus

We are excited to share that all Randolph Elementary students will receive FREE breakfast and lunch every school day during the 2026–2027 school year.

Breakfast is served daily from 7:10 a.m. to 7:35 a.m., and lunch is also provided at no cost to all students. Families do not need to complete a meal application or pay for regular school meals.

Important Reminders:

• Bus riders are always guaranteed a school breakfast, even if their bus arrives after breakfast service begins.
• If your child is a car rider, please make every effort to have them at school on time so they can enjoy breakfast before the instructional day begins.
• Students who wish to purchase extra portions or snacks must have money on their meal account.
  
  

Please click below to view Randolph Elementary's Parent Approval Letter for additional information. We are grateful to be able to provide healthy, nutritious meals to all of our students each day.

We are incredibly grateful to have a valuable resource room available for our families called Zion's Closet, sponsored by Love Beyond Walls.

Zion's Closet provides a variety of resources to support our school community, including:

✅ Clothing
✅ Hygiene items
✅ Educational resources
✅ Free food
✅ Backpacks and school supplies
✅ Access to Title I computers for job searches and other family needs

Families may access Zion's Closet every Thursday and Friday when our school social worker is on campus, or by appointment as needs arise.

🎉 Zion's Closet will also be open during Open House!

To learn more, please visit the link below.

Important Registration & Records Update

Ms. Patterson is currently out of the office. For assistance with registration, attendance, withdrawals, or student records, please email apresregistration@fultonschools.org. Our team will assist you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding! 💙💛

Here is a list of key staff members who can provide support and answer questions throughout the school year.

Paying for school activities is easier than ever with SchoolCash Online. Families can securely pay for field trips, athletics, clubs, and other school related fees anytime, from anywhere. Payments are tracked automatically, and digital receipts make it easy to stay organized throughout the school year.

Below is a screenshot of the email I received for my daughter. Check your inbox from June 30th around 11an.

• Notify our registration team at apresregistration@fultonschools.org
• Students in grades K-5 can substitute up to 5 absences per semester (a max of 10 per year) with a remote learning day by meeting the remote learning participation benchmarks listed in policy. This would result in the student being counted as present for the day(s) they participate remotely.

What is the Code of Conduct?

The Fulton County Student Code of Conduct and Discipline Handbook contains some vital information that will help your child understand the expectations of the Fulton County School District.

Who Needs to Sign?

All students above 10 years of age and their parents, guardians, or other person having control or charge of the child is asked to sign acknowledging receipt of the Code of Conduct and Student Handbook.

How to sign?

1. Login to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal Account

2. Click documents on the left hand side

3. Select Needs Attention

4. Select the red signature box

5. Select sign or disagree

6. Click submit.

🎂 Birthday Reminder 🎂

Please remember that we do not celebrate individual birthdays in classrooms. Please do not send cupcakes, treats, goody bags, balloons, or other birthday items to school.

Students are recognized during our monthly WAPR Morning Show Broadcast, and each birthday student receives a goody bag from the school.

Families may choose one of our school-approved birthday celebration options:

🍦 Classroom Ice Cream Celebration: $20
https://nutrition.fultonschools.org/PDF/order%20form%20Classroom%20celebrations.pdf
Questions about ice cream celebration orders ? Contact Shirley Rainey at rainey@fultonschools.org.

📣 Birthday Marquee Shout-Out: $10
More information will be provided in August.

Our PTA is the heart of our school community, and we need your voice! By joining, you’ll support school events, teacher appreciation efforts, and student enrichment programs throughout the year.

Click the links below to join now and make a difference from Day 1.
Join the PTA

Due to limited cell phone reception inside the building, we recommend signing up before entering the school or while you're still outside the building to ensure a smooth process.

APEC is our official on-site after-school care provider, offering a safe, engaging, and enriching environment for students after the school day ends. Team members from APEC will be available during Open House to answer questions and help with registration.

Families are encouraged to visit the links below to learn more about the program and register in advance: