Eagle Family Weekly News

Some people love this newsletter.

Others may feel like it’s a little too much to read each week!

This is my best attempt to keep everyone informed about what’s happening at East Lake, so I encourage you to peruse it each week as you have the time. There’s no expectation that you read every single thing—but I hope you'll use it as a resource to stay connected to what’s happening across our school.

And, as always, if you have suggestions for how we can make it more helpful, relevant, or easier to navigate, please make those known! I’m always open to feedback. My email address is dana.flowers@henry.k12.ga.us.

Thank you for trusting East Lake with your favorite Eagle(s)! I appreciate YOU!

Dana Flowers

Principal

Help Your Student LEVEL UP Their Attendance!

Parents & families, help us make every school day count! Please make sure your student shows up and arrives ON TIME each day, ready to learn and have fun!

Each day this month, 2 lucky students will be randomly chosen to hear their name called on the school intercom and receive a special treat for being present and on time!

Thank you for helping your students LEVEL UP their attendance!

Check out the pictures below of some of our winners from this week!

Monday: September 21

• Movement Monday: Find something active to do as a family! Ride your bikes, throw the football, or take a 10 minute walk together. More talk, less tech is still a great way to spend family time!

Tuesday: September 22

• Please talk to your student about the need to practice safety drills at school. We will have a lockdown drill tomorrow; we never want this to be scary for students - but practice (just like we have drills for fire and severe weather). It's always important to remain quiet and follow directions.

Wednesday: September 23

• Lockdown drill

Thursday: September 24

• Happy Birthday, Staci Stimmel! 🎂
• At the district TOTY event, we will honor Ms. Stimmel as our Teacher of the Year! 💜

• Happy Birthday, Shannon Burge! 🎉
• Pajama Day for $1.00 - all proceeds benefit our Beta Club!

We are so grateful for the parents who have stepped up to serve and lead on our PTO Executive Board! Their willingness to give their time, energy, and talents makes a tremendous difference for our Eagles and our school community. 💙

After our school election on Friday, congratulations to the following individuals that have been elected to serve for the 2026 - 2027 school year!

Election Results

• President: Sophe Pope
• Vice President: Jamie Fuller
• Secretary: Dwayne Pollock
• Treasurer: Shanethia Abdullah

Click here for additional details about routines and procedures at East Lake.

Please see the menu and details for increased cost of lunch and breakfast this year. You can find details and submit an application for the Free & Reduced Lunch Program by clicking this link and choosing the best option.

As part of our 4H work, 5th grade is collecting silver poptabs for a good cause (The Ronald McDonald House)! There is a class competition at the 4H level, but all donations from other grade levels will be split between the 5 classes to turn in. It's a win-win, really! East Lake loves to be the best in all things...so if you can help us out, we'd be most grateful!

As a service to our families, Ms. Varian has created a Bus Remind to provide you with the pertinent details regarding bus transportation that is specific to your child's route.

We encourage you to sign up for the Remind group for your child’s bus only. We will use this platform to share important transportation updates, changes, and information as it becomes available.

Thank you for partnering with us to help keep our families informed and our students’ transportation experience running smoothly! 🦅

As we journey through the year, if you have questions about grades, instruction, or other classroom-specific matters, please reach out directly to your child’s teacher. Barring unusual circumstances, you can expect a response within 24 business hours. (I fully encourage—and actually prefer—that our teachers disconnect on weekends and school holidays to recharge and rest.)

If you have questions or concerns that extend beyond the classroom, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the school. We’re here to support you and your child every step of the way.

Kindergarten, 2nd, and 4th Grade Administrator: Ms. Varian
Corletha.Varian@henry.k12.ga.us

1st, 3rd, and 5th Grade Administrator: Ms. Southern

Melissa.Southern@henry.k12.ga.us

Principal: Dana Flowers

Dana.Flowers@henry.k12.ga.us

With your ongoing support and partnership to ensure safe, secure, and supportive learning environments, we are confident that this will be our greatest adventure...yet!

This year, students are practicing emotional awareness through the Zones of Regulation during counseling lessons. This program teaches kids how to identify their feelings and manage them constructively.

How to support this at home:

• Ask about their zone: Check in periodically by asking, "What color zone are you in right now?"

• Practice coping strategies: Work together to find healthy tools (like deep breathing, taking a quiet break, or drawing) to help them shift between zones.

• Normalize all feelings: Remind them that every zone is okay to experience, but some zones require extra support to manage safely.

Students may not carry medication in their backpacks, pockets, or otherwise.

If your child needs medication during the day, they must have a form on file AND all meds must be stored in the clinic. An adult must report to the front office with the medication.

If you have questions, please contact Ms. Patel by calling our front office or by sending her an email: alpa.patel@henry.k12.ga.us.