09.22.26 Cub Connection

We would like to send out a HUGE thank you to everyone who came out for our SKG cluster spirit night. The evening was truly magical! Watching Ivy Creek, Patrick and Harmony come together and support our community was so special.

We loved walking around the field for our parade and listening to the three chorus groups sing God Bless America and The National Anthem. How exciting to watch our very own Mrs. Peek throw the ceremonial first pitch! Congratulations to our families who were raffle winners (pictured above.)

Thank you again for making this an unforgettable night. We made memories that will last a lifetime!

We also want to recognize Gaby Lavery for organizing such a fun Spirit Night! Our 5th grade chorus and our music teacher, Katie Trent, did an outstanding job preparing for this event as well. We are thrilled to have you at Ivy Creek!

We hope your family will consider participating in the Food Fight this year! The need in our community is greater than ever. The Pantry at Hamilton Mill assists approximately 2,500 families each month thanks to the generosity of donors and volunteers.

The Food Fight is a wonderful way for our students to learn about the spirit of giving back to their community while having a friendly competition with their classmates. The Seckinger and Collins Hill Cluster schools are competing for the Food Fight trophy, which will be awarded to the cluster that collects the largest donation. The winner will be announced at the football game on Friday, October 2nd.

Ivy Creek is hoping to collect 8,000 items, which will feed over 150 families for one week! The highest contributing class in each grade level will receive a Pizza and Popsicle Party!

There are several options to lend your support:

• Have your child bring canned food items to their homeroom teacher.

• Drop items off at school.

• Donate money online (https://www.successfund.com/fnff26) $1=1 can and will be added to classroom totals. (SKG Student Council will use the funds to purchase specific food items for the Pantry.)

• Share the donation link with friends and family! Anyone can contribute on behalf of your child's class!

• Volunteer to help organize our donations: Food Fight Volunteers

Thank you for supporting this worthwhile cause!

We are excited to invite you to join your student for lunch in the cafeteria during their designated lunch schedule! Having family members visit for lunch is a special experience for our students, and we look forward to welcoming you.

To ensure a smooth, enjoyable, and secure environment for everyone, please keep the following guidelines in mind:

• Scheduling: Keep in mind that classes rotate weeks to welcome visitors for lunch. Remember to check with your child's teacher to ensure it is their class's week to have visitors on the day you want to visit.

• Check-In & Security: All visitors must check in at the main office upon arrival. Please bring a valid driver’s license or state ID for scanning and step through our Evolv weapons detection system. Your visitor pass must remain visible at all times while on campus.

• Limited Seating: We host 10 to 12 classes in the cafeteria during each lunch block. Because space is extremely limited, we kindly ask that only one guest per student attends.

• Designated Seating: Visitors and their students (only) will eat together at the designated Visitor Table.

• Arrival and Departure: Please meet your student directly in the cafeteria once you have checked in and depart from the cafeteria when their lunch period ends.

• Safety First: For the safety and security of all students and staff, visitors are not permitted to walk students back to their classrooms after lunch.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our school safe, organized, and welcoming for every student. We appreciate your cooperation!

The Book Fair is coming! Students may shop from 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM September 16th-28th with extended hours on Thursdays from 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM. To minimize classroom disruptions, parents are invited to shop during the teacher’s scheduled class time or after school on Thursdays. Please communicate with your child's teacher regarding the best time to shop with your child.

Volunteers

We will need many volunteers for this event! You'll receive a discount on your purchases when you volunteer with us at the Book Fair. Click on the Book Fair Volunteer Sign Up link to sign up.

Payment

**NEW This Year!** We will no longer accept cash or checks as payment.

We will continue to accept eWallets, credit and debit cards. eWallets are preferred for students shopping without a parent. You can even share your child's eWallet link with family members who would like to add funds to purchase books for your child. Remember to include 6% sales tax for all purchases.

To set-up your eWallet account: Visit our Scholastic webpage – select “eWallet” - create account - add funds. Funds will immediately be available for your child to shop at the Book Fair. Your card will be charged for the amount you choose. After students complete their shopping, any remaining account balances will stay in their eWallet to use for future fairs or to order books online. For more information, watch this Scholastic eWallet Video for more details.

Teacher Wish Lists

We also invite you to help build our classroom libraries by purchasing books and donating them to your child’s class. You may even add funds to a teacher’s eWallet account so they may shop for books they’d like to include in their classroom. Look for the Teacher Wish List display at the Book Fair!

Share the Fair is the giving program built into the Scholastic Book Fair, empowered by contributions from people like you! These funds support students at our school who need help getting new books. Your contribution helps even more kids take home a book from the Fair—and experience the all-the-feels, read-past-lights-out rush that we call “Book Joy.”

For every $10 donated, we are able to get a book in the hands of a student who isn't able to shop at the fair. If you would like to add to our ‘Share the Fair’ donation, please visit the link. Donations are all anonymous so THANK YOU in advance to anyone who can help!

Share The Fair Donation Link

We are excited about this year's Jag Dads group forming now at Ivy Creek! If you would like to be a part of this special group, please fill out the Jag Dads Interest Form and plan to attend the meeting on Friday, September 25th at 7:30 AM in the Leaders in Training Room. We will fill you in on our plans and have you participate as you are able.

We are so excited to once again be participating in the reflections program! This year's theme is "What My Culture Means to Me". All submissions should be created specifically for the reflections program and be inspired by the theme.

Reflections Art Program entries will be due September 30th! The online submission form can be completed any time between now and September 30th. Physical submissions for photography, literature, and visual arts will be accepted September 28-30th.

Visual Arts, Photography, and Literature submissions are displayed anonymously in the Media Center and all submissions are judged on Interpretation of Theme, Creativity, and Technical Skill. First and Second place winners in each category and age group (K-2 and 3-5) will be forwarded on to the area contest, with a potential to continue to state and nationals! Last year, we had three students qualify for State and one State age-level winner.

We are so excited to see the artwork our students will create this year for Reflections!

Rules for each category can be found here - tinyurl.com/ICESReflectionsRules

Online submissions can be completed here - tinyurl.com/ICESReflectionsSubmit

Feel free to reach out to ivycreekreflections@gmail.com with any questions!

Come join our school for a spirit night onThursday, October 8th @ 5pm! Swing by to grab and easy dinner, let the kids play and support your school Be sure to mention Ivy Creek when you check out. Hope to see you there!

Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 22nd as we celebrate our diverse school community! Join us for food trucks, cultural performances, arts & crafts, a fashion show, henna, and more.

Want to participate? We are looking for families who would love to share their heritage! Scan the QR code on the attached flyer or visit the Multicultural Night Registration Form to sign up to host a booth, share traditional food, perform, or contribute. All families are welcome!

Contact Laura.Spencer@gcpsk12.org if you have questions!

The Book Mobile 5K will be held on the last Saturday in October which happens to be Halloween this year! We would love to have lots of Ivy Creek families participate!

Visit the Book Mobile 5K Registration page to sign up. Register for the Fun Run ($18) or the 5K ($30.) You'll receive a t-shirt (that glows in the dark!) and all runners 18 and under will choose a FREE book from the Bookmobile on the day of the event!

Keep in mind that the Book Mobile will be handing out books at Ivy Creek at an event in May where every student will receive a FREE book! It's one of our favorite events of the year!

If you aren't able to participate in the event, but would like to make a donation to the program, check out the "donate" option on the registration page linked above.

It's time for the school science fair! It's open to all grade levels. If you are interested in participating, please see Mrs. Beard in STEM.

Yearbooks and 5th Grade Recognition Ads are on sale now! Visit https://www.treering.com and use Passcode: 1016941015053998 to order before the April 15th deadline.

You may personalize your child's yearbook by designing pages that will be printed only in the yearbook you order for your child. Each order comes with two FREE custom pages and you have the option to purchase additional two-page spreads to further customize your book.

5th Grade families may also purchase Recognition Ads to celebrate their 5th Grade child's accomplishments. These are sold separately on the same site and will be printed in ALL yearbooks.

If you have questions, please email our Yearbook Committee at ivycreekyearbook3@gmail.com.

Have you ever wanted to send your child's teacher a little treat but didn't know what to do? Here is your solution... order Jag Junk Bucks to be delivered to your child's teacher by the Pre-K and Autism programs while helping them learn valuable job skills. It's a win, win - share the love with your child's teacher and support a great cause! You can order here: https://sfnd.io/jx779

Information regarding the majority of our clubs and how to sign up will be announced after fall break. Please check back for more updates. Thank you!

Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) invites GCPS families, Gwinnett County residents, students, and GCPS staff members to participate in the school district’s review of the Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum Sept. 1 through Sept. 24. The public may review proposed standards online, offering feedback on AKS that have been developed to align the curriculum with the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) and/or Georgia Performance Standards (GPS).

Here is a list of the courses with AKS under review. To review the AKS and provide feedback, please click here to begin. Comments will be accepted through Thursday, Sept 24.

What: Annual AKS Public Review Opportunity

When: September 1 through September 24

The International Newcomer Center is hosting a workshop for families in Vietnamese to connect, educate, and support our multilingual community, providing the tools families need to navigate the school system and advocate for their students’ future.

Gwinnett County Public Schools offers a Birth to Five program for you and your child at elementary schools across the county! Class takes place for 90 minutes each week from August -May. For more information about the Play 2 Learn program, please email Pam Stewart at pam.stewart@gcpsk12.org

Join Ivy Creek Counselors for Coffee & Conversation in the Leaders in Training Room on September 30th from 9:00-10:30 AM.

Topics will Include:
*PTA/Volunteer Events
*Everyday Counts-The Importance of Attendance
*Academic Knowledge & Skills
*Understanding AI at Ivy Creek

RSVP using the QR code above or with this RSVP link.

Scholastic Book Fair: (September 10th-29th) We will need many volunteers for this event. You'll receive a discount on your purchases when you volunteer with us at the Book Fair! Questions? Contact Kimberly.Sharp@gcpsk12.org.

Jag Dads: This is a club for dads and male mentors who want to get involved in our school community, encourage students, and be a positive, consistent presence on campus! There will be a mandatory info meeting on September 25th at 7:30 AM. Sign up if you are interested!

If you would like to receive volunteer emails from us during the 2026-2027 school year, please fill out the 2026-2027 Volunteer Email Form. We'll email you periodically to let you know how you can help the school, and you can then sign up for the specific things that work with your schedule. We start a new list each year, so please sign up again - even if you've been on the list for years!

Show your school spirit and join us every Friday for Spirit Wear Friday! Rock your favorite school gear, cheer on our school community, and let’s fill the halls with school pride! Whether you’re a longtime spirit-wear fan or looking for something new, our Spirit Wear Store has lots of new products and fun designs to choose from. Grab your gear, wear it proudly, and let’s make every Friday a celebration of our school!

Please visit our online store for 2026-2027 to see the latest designs and order. Spiritwear USA

Make sure you write in your child's name and teacher and select Pickup so it can be delivered to the school or you can pay to have it shipped directly to your home.

We hope you'll get involved with our PTA this year! Please visit the PTA website at www.ICESPTA.cheddarup.com. Join us as a PTA member for only $10! It helps support us and the school.

Don't Forget to Order your Class Shirts by September 9th! This is the shirt that your student will wear for all class events like field trips and field days. You'll also want to order your Spirit Wear to cheer on and support our community and show school pride!

Once a month we have Spirit Nights around the community to help support our school as well. Come out and join us in the fun! If you'd like to get involved further, we always have a need for volunteers for different events throughout the year!

Follow us on our social media @Ivy Creek Elementary PTA to stay connected and keep up to date with all the current news and events as we post them.

Please feel free to email us at IVYCREEKPTA@gmail.com with any questions you may have for the year! We look forward to working with you!

Seckinger is hosting a golf tournament at TPC Sugarloaf in November! If you are interested, visit https://skg-golf.perfectgolfevent.com/ to register!

A goal of this tournament is to raise funds to create an on-campus golf area that serves as a hands-on learning space, blending multiple subjects into a real-world project. This interactive lab would allow students to apply classroom knowledge to design, build, and maintain a functional, environmentally responsible facility. In addition, the space would serve as an inclusive learning center for elementary, middle, and high school students who may not otherwise have access to the game, providing opportunities to develop skills, confidence, and a lasting interest in golf.

We invite local businesses to partner with us in bringing this vision to life. If your organization would like to get involved through sponsorship or resource sharing, we would love to discuss how we can work together. Please contact Craig Begalle at craig.begalle@gcpsk12.org with any questions or inquiries.

If you would like to attend a Seckinger Football game this season, visit GoFan.co to purchase tickets!

Students ages 5 and Up are invited to participate in Winter Basketball with the SKG Athletic Association. Visit skgaa.sportngin.com for more information!

Address: 3443 Ridge Rd, Buford, GA 30519

Phone: (678) 714-3655

Website: https://www.gcpsk12.org/IvyCreekES