Eagle Family Weekly News

Congratulations to our incredible Picture Book Bowl Team! These amazing 2nd and 3rd graders have worked hard to read the required books, prepare for competition questions, develop effective strategies, and build confidence in public speaking. Their hard work and dedication paid off as they earned FIRST PLACE yesterday!

Next stop: REGIONAL COMPETITION!

We are SO proud of these reader leaders for demonstrating that hard work, teamwork, and a love of reading can take you far! They are true champions, and we can’t wait to cheer them on as they take on their next adventure!

Way to go, Eagles!

#ProudPrinciPAL #ReaderLeaders #PictureBookBowl #ChampionsAreMade #EaglePride

We have another fun week of learning planned at East Lake!

As we celebrate and show appreciation for our amazing bus drivers this week, I’d also like to take a moment to encourage families to talk with their students about appropriate behavior and safety expectations while riding the school bus.

Our bus drivers have an important responsibility: getting students to and from school safely each day. Following bus rules helps our drivers stay focused on the road and ensures a safer ride for everyone!

Here are a few friendly reminders to review with your student:

🚌 Stay Seated: Students should remain seated throughout the entire bus ride.

🗣️ Use Appropriate Language: Students should use school-appropriate language and refrain from profanity, threats, or other inappropriate conversations.

🙌 Keep Hands and Feet to Yourself: Students must keep their hands, feet, and all objects to themselves to help everyone feel safe and comfortable.

📱 Keep Technology Put Away: Phones, Chromebooks, and other electronic devices should not be used while riding the bus.

Thank you for partnering with us to reinforce these expectations at home! A quick conversation can make a big difference in helping students understand that bus safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Let’s work together to ensure our bus drivers feel supported, our students feel safe, and every ride is a positive part of the school day!

Every student matters here. Every moment counts.

Sunday, October 18

• Happy Birthday, Devy Hansford! 🎁

Monday: October 19

• Bus Safety: Wear Red 🔴 Respect the Stop.

Tuesday: October 20

• Happy Birthday, Chante Martin! 🎉
• Bus Safety: Wear Green 🟢 Stay at least 12 feet away from the school bus.
• Student Led Conferences: Grades 1, 2, and 4

Wednesday: October 21

• Our school PINK OUT is today. Wear ALL the pink you can! We honor our breast cancer survivors and will fight against this disease until there is a cure! 🎀💗🎀 💗
• Bus Safety: Quiet at the Railroad. Stop, Look, and Listen.
• Student-Led Conferences: Grades 3 and 5

Thursday: October 22

• Bus Safety: Wear Orange 🟠 Respect the “Danger Zones.” Know where they are.
• Traditional Conferences: Kindergarten

Friday: October 23

• Bus Safety: Wear Blue 🔵 Appreciation Day for Bus Drivers, Monitors, and Transportation Staff.

If you’ve never ridden a school bus, it may be hard to imagine all that comes with being a bus driver! Students are often eager to get home, excited to chat with their friends, and sometimes need a few reminders to follow directions. Through it all, our bus drivers work hard to ensure our students travel safely between home and school each day.

Their role is so important, yet their hard work and dedication can sometimes go unnoticed. They are an essential part of our students’ daily school experience, and they deserve to know how much we appreciate them!

This Friday, let’s show our bus drivers a little extra love!

I encourage everyone to consider purchasing a $5–$10 gift card as a small token of gratitude for the care, patience, and commitment they show our students each day.

A small gesture can make a BIG difference! Let’s make sure our bus drivers know they are valued and appreciated. ❤️

Who wants to make dinner on Monday, October 26? Not you!

Please consider dining in or ordering a pickup order from Pedro’s to support ELE’s Beta Club! Please tell your server or use the code Dine2Donate in the Promo Code box before you place your online order. Thank you for supporting ELE’s Beta Club!!

Please join us!

5:30 - 6:30 --- Cluster Conversations in the UGHS Commons Area

6:30 - 7:30 --- Our 1st Cluster Trunk or Treat!

Please be aware that our next Asynchronous Learning Day is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3. The district calendar is available here. Fun fact: The drafted calendar for our next 2027 - 2028 school year is already available! Use that to plan ahead for vacations and such!

We are thrilled to announce our 4th Annual Veterans Day Celebration! We invite the veterans in our school community to join us for breakfast and an assembly in their honor.

If you are a veteran and plan to attend in person or simply want to recognize a loved one who served, please use the QR codes on your invitation or click the links below:

• Attending & Honoring a Veteran: RSVP & Honor Link

• Unable to Attend, but Honoring a Veteran: Honor Only Link

We look forward to celebrating together and paying tribute to our veterans!

During the month of November we will implement our annual “You Matter campaign, which focuses on building self-confidence and self-esteem. Students will also compete in yard sign competitions and video challenges. In preparation, we are selling You Matter hoodies and shirts in all sizes. Click here to access the order form

If you have not already, please consider participating in our October Support and SOAR: YOU Belong Video Challenge! To give everyone a little extra time to participate, we are extending the submission deadline to Friday, October 23rd!

If your student or family has created a video showing how you feel supported at East Lake, please submit your video by emailing Ms. Singleton at sherikia.singleton@henry.k12.ga.us. If you have large files, feel free to share a downloadable Google Link.

Thank you for helping us bring this challenge to life and celebrate what it means to be SUPPORTED!🦅

Together we support. Together we SOAR!

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 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!

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! 🦅

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.