Dear Families,

Mark your calendars for some exciting events happening over the next few weeks:

12/13-12/18 Winter parties

12/14 High Flyer Ceremony

12/14 Chorus/ Orchestra Concert

12/19 Early Release at noon

12/20 Winter break begins for students

One more big event is my favorite of the year. Every December Chestatee has our “Big Winter Raffle.” Students use Bravo Bucks to purchase a ticket (or more) for the raffle. We draw winners during the days leading up to break with over 10% of our students winning prizes. Art supplies, candy, Stanley Cups, Squishmellows, Nintendo Switches, and Legos are some of the prizes children can win. The kids are excited and I can’t wait to give the prizes away! Many of you know that Chestatee has been an exemplary PBIS School in the state of Georgia. PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.

Our “Big Winter Raffle” celebrates students showing the Chestatee Way. I am proud of the positive climate our school radiates. Sharing expectations with students while keeping our environment positive is important. Our foundation for great learning takes place when students feel safe and connected. Our Teacher Leadership Team has done an incredible job in supporting PBIS throughout the school. Bravo Bucks are a tangible sign that students are showing the Chestatee Way. Responsible, Respectful, Problem Solvers are soaring within our halls. If you would like to learn more about PBIS at the T, please use this link: HERE.

Stay tuned for photos of our Big Winter Raffle winners. These winners are a great example of PBIS working at the T !

Together we are Chestatee!

Kindly,

Dr. Polly Tennies

Principal

• Please remember to send in your child’s excuse within 5 days.
• Families can send up to 10 notes from home for absences before doctor notes are required.
• On email excuses to the teacher, it’s easy to add Ms. Stacey (Sholbrook@forsyth.k12.ga.us) to make sure she gets the excuse.
• Any time you go to see the doctor, please ask for a school excuse. If you forget, contact the doctor and ask them to email or fax the excuse. Fax: 770-781-2281.
• Georgia law requires the school to send attendance letters after 5 or more unexcused absences.
• If your child is checking out from the clinic, the absence is excused.
• When you check your child in/ out on Checkmate, the absence will be unexcused. Please provide a medical excuse if you'd like the absence excused.

Students MUST stay home or will be sent home if they have:

• A temperature that is 100.4 or higher
• had vomiting in the last 24 hours
• had diarrhea in the last 24 hours
• a rash with itching or fever
• pink eye (if drops are prescribed, child may return after 24 hours of treatment).
• strep throat
• ring worm (may return after 24 hours of treatment and area musted be covered with a bandage while in school until area is resolved).
• A frequent/persistent, or disruptive cough
• Frequent/persistent complaints of pain/discomfort
• been on antibiotics for contagious symptoms less than 24 hours
• the need to see a physician

Your child may return to school when:

• no fever of 100 degrees of greater for 24 hours without fever reducing medicine.
• Diarrhea and /or vomiting must have stopped for a full 24 hours with the aid of medication before returning to school.

If your child has seen a physician and has been ordered antibiotics, please keep your child home for 24 hours after you have started the antibiotic.

These protocols are in place to protect the wellbeing of our student body.

Kristen Knottek, BSN, RN

School Nurse

Chestatee Elementary

770-887-2341 ext. 722151

f41520@forsyth.k12.ga.us

School Pay is a new program we will use for all payments EXCEPT meals. My Payments Plus will still be used for cafeteria accounts. Click here.

Students can be "written up" by any staff member for showing Strategies, Effort, Attitude, and/ or Kindness. Dr. Tennies calls these students to the office for a picture, prize and talk together. This is a big deal!

We are grateful that our Game Changers are leading and serving others at the T! Dr. Bearden came to visit and see them in action.

Congratulations to these students for being great role models for responsibility. Families were invited to celebrate these students in November.

This club comes together once a month for projects to help our school. In November, the kids made kind notes for staff.

Dr. Tennies loves to meet with students for lunch. Students can purchase this experience with Bravo Bucks.

Welcome Mack!

Mrs. Shelton and Mrs. Hall's classes were the top readers. They enjoyed a kickball tournament to celebrate.

Thanks to Leah for purchasing this experience.

Thanks to Mr. Dixon Poole for spending the day shadowing Dr. Tennies to see our amazing school.

Our kindergarten crew all came in matching!

We began celebrating in carline before a program and then parade.

Thank you to Michelle Birriel and our PTO for coordinating this great event. Families came and learned about different countries, sampled foods, and learned some salsa dancing. It was a blast!

We are very grateful.

We are proud to announce fifth grade teacher, Abigail Ross, as our November Staff Member of the Month!

Ms. Ross graduated from Toccoa Falls College with a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education with both ESOL and Reading endorsements. She began her career at Chestatee five years ago. Abigail taught second grade and small groups before joining the fifth grade team and really finding her niche!

Abigail is a newlywed and a dog mama of Turk and Winnie. She lives in our community and actually attended Coal Mountain Elementary, North Forsyth Middle School, and North Forsyth High School as a student! She has a passion for life, her family and friends.

Ms. Ross has been nominated several times this year already. Nominations state that her gift to teaching is her ability to connect with her students and recognize their individual gifts. She makes learning fun for fifth graders while also preparing them for middle school. She often attends her students sporting and after-school events too which is pretty amazing.

Abigail, we are very thankful you are a Chestatee Eagle! Thank you for all you do to make Chestatee a better place. Congratulations on this great honor.

A big thank you to our Chestatee Elementary PTO and Mathnasium of Coal Mountain for sponsoring our Chestatee Staff Member of the Month Program!

Do you want to recognize and celebrate the exemplary teaching and contributions by Chestatee Elementary teachers and staff? Click here to write a nomination.

December 6- Enrichment Club after school

December 7- Spelling Bee

December 7- Live to Give Club after school

December 11- Great Day of Finding- Lost and Found

December 13- Enrichment Club after school

December 14- High Flyer Ceremony at 9:00 AM (invitations will be sent).

December 14- Chorus and Orchestra Winter Concert- 6:00 PM/ Cafeteria

December 19- Early Release (Students dismiss at noon).

December 20- First day of Winter Break for students/ Professional Development Day

January 4- Students return from Winter Break

**We will be limiting lunch guests in December due to many special festivities.

December 11

December 14

Our PTO board members raise money to help teachers and our school.

You can support our PTO through our fundraisers, Spirit Nights, events, and spirit wear.

There are no membership dues this year.

Contact our PTO at chestateeelementarypto@gmail.com any time!

Second graders earned their teachers lunch for being the top earners during Boosterthon.

Grapevines- tiramisu

Papa Johns- pizza

Moe's at Hammond Crossing- chips and salsa

Community Cup- Colombian Coffee

Kani House- California Spring Rolls

We had a great crowd and made $391 back to our school. Thank you, Culver's and thank you, Families!

Dear Families,

The main reasons for keeping your child at home are as follows:

• If he/she is too sick to be comfortable at school
• If he/she will spread a contagious illness/disease to another child

Remember: Students must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications before returning to school. Students must also be vomiting and diarrhea free for 24 hours before returning to school.

Kristen Knottek, BSN, RN

School Nurse

Chestatee Elementary

770-887-2341 ext. 722151

f41520@forsyth.k12.ga.us

Thank you for helping with Blessings in a Backpack.

Thank you, Matthew, for bringing gift cards for our staff.

Thank you, Corey, for the financial information and Chick-Fil-A cookies.

We love receiving books for students!

If you are looking to volunteer this year, we would love to have you! Please watch the mandated reporter video (10 minutes) and sign off on the confidentiality form. Click here for everything you need. https://docs.google.com/document/d/11sucZ7O2QGJMRh5Vr9UwvOpr7UpaRIaCLc8HklX8vjQ/edit?usp=sharing

Meg Killingsworth will take these signed forms in the office. We also have hard copies.

Do you or someone you know have 30 minutes a week to make the difference of a lifetime? Mentors are positive adults the spend time with one student each week building relationships and confidence in the child's life. Please contact Robin Mitchell at rmitchell@forsyth.k12.ga.us or ext. 722455 to discuss the possibilities.

Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and professional situations. Mentoring leads to better attendance, academic learning, self-confidence, and higher graduation rates.

Watchdog Dads

Calling all male role models! Watchdog Dads are welcome at the T!

Our WatchDOG (Dads of Great Students) is an awesome program where positive role models come and spend the day with us! From car line to the morning news to visiting classrooms, our guys will have a blast helping us at the school.

There are two ways to help:

#1- Wear a WD shirt (we have one to borrow if needed), and help on car line by smiling, greeting kids, and helping them get out of the car.

Carline Signup

#2-Wear a WD shirt and spend the day with us! You'll visit the carline, the school news, your child's class, Pathways classes, lunch and recess. You'll be busy and tired at the end of the day!

WD Signup for the Day

Click here for all the information!

Questions? Contact Meg Killingsworth

770-887-2341 ext. 723002

Email Meg

Happy December, Families!

One of my favorite books is the “5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. Chapman states that there are 5 ways to show love, and each person has a favorite way they feel loved. Service, time together, words of affirmation, physical touch, and gifts are the 5 named in his book. For me, the greatest gift is words of affirmation. Who doesn’t need to hear that they are good, do good work, have a kind heart, look nice, etc. During November we posted a tip for family engagement each day. The most popular post was a graphic of 50 encouraging words children need to hear. I loved reading this! What an easy way to give gifts often to your child. I wanted to take a moment and post it here for anyone who missed it or isn’t on Facebook. Sharing and hearing kind words never gets old in our home. I encourage those words to be the greatest gift in yours also.

And a big thanks to all of you for a great Family Engagement Month! From Veterans Day to International Night to a Coffee Chat, we were busy celebrating all the different ways our families get involved. Thank you for partnering with us and being amazing to ensure student success.

Enjoy December and some extra time with family this month!

Together WE are Chestatee!

See you soon,

Meg

Meg Killingsworth

770-887-2341 ext. 723002

mkillingsworth@forsyth.k12.ga.us

We are proud of our partnerships with families.

http://chestateeyearbook.com/

@JOSTENSYEARBOOK, @JOSTENSADVISERANDSTAFF, #YEARBOOKWEEKSWEEPSTAKES, #YEARBOOKLOVE

If you ask to connect your Kroger Plus card to Chestatee Elementary, they will donate a certain percentage of the profits to our school. You can find out more about how to do this if you CLICK HERE.

Publix Partners with Chestatee also. You only need to put your phone number in as you checkout. Publix will donate a certain percentage of their profits to Chestatee from your purchase!

We love our Partners in Education!

Email: chestateees@gmail.com
Website: http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/site/default.aspx?domainid=260
Location: 6945 Keith Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA, United States
Phone: 770-887-2341
Facebook: facebook.com/ChestateeES
Twitter: @chestateees