Seymour's Smarties

On behalf of the entire Sope Creek PTA, we wish to thank the many, many parent volunteers who gave their time and talent to make each of our enrichment and family fun events a huge success. We could not have done it without you. We hope you have a happy summer!

Barbara Dyck and Lisa McDougall

PTA Co-Presidents

It is hard to believe, but the PTA is already making plans for the new school year. We need volunteers to help in several areas:

Monday, August 3rd (8:30am - 12:30pm) - Volunteers needed to stuff PTA Membership packets and to deliver school supply packets to the classrooms. We will start at 8:30am, but volunteers are welcome any time. Sign up sheets are posted on the PTA office door (2nd grade hallway) or you can contact Lisa McDougall,

maclisa@comcast.net

.

Thursday, August 6th (one hours shifts, any time between 11:30am and 4:00pm) - Volunteers are needed to help at Meet and Greet. Please contact Sally Wright, szwright@bellsouth.net, if you are able to help.

Friday, August 7th - Volunteers are needed to help at the Teacher Back to School Luncheon. Help is needed any time between 10:30am and 1:00pm. Volunteers are also needed to donate drinks and/or desserts for the luncheon. Again, sign up sheets are posted on the PTA office door, or you can contact Lisa McDougall, maclisa@comcast.net.

Turn in your Health and Nutrition Fruit and Veggie Consumption sheet on Monday!  We hope you had fun tracking all the colorful foods your child consumed during the week.

 

Box Top Betty says, “LAST BOX TOPS ARE DUE TUESDAY!  Thank you for making this the best Box Top collection year EVER!  Each Box Top Rewards Coupon is worth 10 cents to the school.  Remember to collect Box Tops all summer for next year’s collection.  Also, sign up for more deals at http://www.boxtops4education.com/AboutBoxTops/News.aspx

 

Papa John Pizza Night Tuesday – The Sope Creek Foundation’s last pizza night of the year is Tuesday.  Feed your family and earn money for the Foundation.  Let Papa John know you are from Sope Creek and turn in your receipt on Wednesday to the Sope Creek Foundation.

 

This year's Awards Days are slightly different from the dates posted on the PTA Calendar.  If your child is going to receive be recognized on Awards Day, you will receive an invitation from their teacher. To check on Awards Day Dates and Times: http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/blogs/

 

If you are a parent of a 4th grader, you know that Pioneer Day is Monday, May 11th.  Volunteers are still needed for full (8:30am - 2:10pm) and half day (8:30am - 11:30am or 11:45am - 2:10pm) shifts.  If you are not able to volunteer your time, food donations (specifics to follow at a later date) for the "Hospitality Room"  are also needed.  If you are able to help in either way, please contact Sarajane Fletcher, sjfletcher@hotmail.com. 

 

2nd Grade Georgia Day is Friday May 15th and volunteers are still needed.  This is a new curriculum enrichment program and we are excited to present all the wonderful history and unique aspects of Georgia to our 2nd Graders.  Please contact Tracy Pickens (tonksy@gmail.com) if you can volunteer.  It will be a great learning opportunity for all involved.

Pioneer Day

Monday, May 11^th

         

 

 

          Activities/Codes/Location                     Trunk                         T                     

Seymour

                                                                   Quilter                       Q                     Carter

                                                                                    Spinner                     S                     Keller

                                                                                    Weaver                     W                    Library

                                                                                    Corn Husk Dolls     CH                  Pfaff

                                                                                    Games                      G                     Outside/Field

                                                                                    Butter Making        BT                   Jenkins                    

                                                                                    Square Dancing    SQ                  Sebren

 

Time/Place	Sebren	Jenkins	Seymour	Keller	Moshetta	Pfaff	Boucher	Carter
8:10-8:50
9:00-9:25	SQ	BT	G	W	S	CH	T	Q
9:30-9:55	BT	G	W	S	CH	T	Q	SQ
10:00-10:25	G	W	S	CH	T	Q	SQ	BT
10:30-10:55	W	S	CH	T	Q	SQ	BT	G
11:00-11:25	S	CH	T	Q	SQ	BT	G	W
11:54-12:40	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
12:45-1:10	CH	T	Q	SQ	BT	G	W	S
1:15-1:40	T	Q	SQ	BT	G	W	S	CH
1:45-2:10	Q	SQ	BT	G	W	S	CH	T

 

 

Thursday, May 7th from 9:00- 10:30 - Kindergarten Sneak a Peek.
If you or someone you know is a parent of a rising Kindergartner, please be sure to join us for the Kindergarten Sneak a Peek.
The student will get a taste of what his/her new school will be like while parents will be given the opportunity to learn more about Sope Creek and all it has to offer.

Friday, May 8th is Field Day.  

The week of May 4th - 8th is "Eat Your Fruits and Veggies Week" at Sope Creek.  Students will have an opportunity to track their fruit and vegetable intake and enter the results into a drawing for a special prize.  One winner per grade level will be announced on Monday, May 11th.  During the week of May 4th - 8th, students should track their fruit and veggie consumption.  Tracking forms are available on both the Sope Creek blog and the Sope Creek PTA blog.  All forms should be turned into the front office on the morning of Monday, May 11th.  Please contact Natalie Rogers, fluffyjune@yahoo.com or Robin Zeldin, rrzeldin@aol.com with any questions.

The Sope Creek Community Outreach PTA Committee is currently taking applications for the Dr. Karen Looft Memorial Scholarship.  Any Walton or Wheeler graduating senior who is also a Sope Creek alumni is eligible to receive this award.  Additional details as well as the application are available on the following site:  

http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/pta_events/2008/03/community-outre.html

.  The due date is May 15th.

CALENDAR UPDATES!

As the year has progressed, we have had to make some changes to the published PTA Calendar.  Please make the following revisions:

Thursday, May 7th:  Kindergarten Sneak-a-Peek 9:00- 10:30

Friday, May 8th:  Field Day   |   Rain Date:  Wednesday, May 13th

Awards Days:
Thursday, May 14th:  1st & 2nd Grades
Monday, May 18th:  3rd & 4th Grades
Wednesday, May 20th:  5th Grade

APRIL 27 – MAY 1 EVENTS

Monday

-Last day of CRCT’s!

Tuesday

-BOX TOPS DUE

-3rd Grade Earth Day Celebration – another great program sponsored by the Sope Creek PTA.

-SOPE CREEK FAMILY BRAVES NIGHT! Our Sope Creek Chorus has been selected to sing The National Anthem. .

Wednesday

-LAST BIRTHDAY BOOK CLUB

Thursday

-PTA OFFICER ELECTIONS 8am in the café

-Kindergarten Program 8:10am in the café

Friday

-Career Day

-Presale Packets Due

CALENDAR UPDATES:

As the year has progressed, we have had to make some changes to the published PTA Calendar. Please make the following revisions:

Thursday, May 7th: Kindergarten Sneak-a-Peek

Friday, May 8th: Field Day | Rain Date: Wednesday, May 13th

Awards Days:

Thursday, May 14th: 1st & 2nd Grades

Monday, May 18th: 3rd & 4th Grades

Wednesday, May 20th: 5th Grade

CRCT Testing begins on TUESDAY!!! Please make sure your student is rested, on time, and has a healthy breakfast!  More information can be found on the Sope Creek blog.

The week of April 20 - 24 is "Turn off the TV" week.  This will be a great opportunity for families to turn off their TV's, computers and video games and spend some quality time playing board games, taking a walk or just talking.

Friday, April 24th is the last TGIF of the year.  Please bring your family and friends to the Chuck E. Cheese on Roswell Road from 3:00pm - 9:00pm for some fun while FUNraising.  This is a great way to support our school.

Friday, April 24th is Spirit Day.

Please make a note of the following important changes to the Sope Creek calendar:

Thursday, May 7th:  Kindergarten Sneak-a-Peek
Friday, May 8th:  Field Day    Rain Date:  Wednesday, May 13th

Awards Days:
Thursday, May 14th:    1st and 2nd
Monday, May 18th:      3rd and 4th
Wednesday, May 20th:   5th

ART DAY WAS INCREDIBLE! Thank you to our Art Day Committee for giving us another incredible day! What a wonderful way to kick off Spring!

Quack Quack! They’re Back! Duck Sale Tuesday 3/31 for K, 1 and 2 & Duck Sale Wed 4/1 for 3, 4 and 5

PRESALE/DIRECTORY PACKETS: Volunteers needed to put together the directory forms and the pre-sale forms on Tuesday, March 31st starting at 9am in the Media Center.

SPIRIT DAY – Friday April 3 – wear your favorite Sope Creek t-shirt!

WWF Presents: Ten Things to Do in the Dark Wondering what to do when the lights go out for Earth Hour? There are ten fun ideas to help you, your family and your friends make a change and make a difference on March 28 in the PTA Environmental Education Committee blog:

http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/pta_events/2008/03/environmental-e.html

FOUNDATION SOCIABLES NEWS:

On Tuesday, April 14th Sope Creek will be holding their yearly Football Sociable. It will be right after school til 4:30 with Walton's own Coach Rocky Hidalgo! $35 per child 2nd grade thru 5th grades. Kids will be given a tee shirt, sandwich, snacks and drinks and a few other goodies. Hosts: Nancy Garfinkel (garfinks@msn.com), Maureen Lamar(mlamar@na.ko.com), Beth Wiesner (2m3@bellsouth.net),Lee Oesterling (lee@oesterling.com)

You can email us to sign your child/children up. Also, send the check with your child/children's name on the check and mark the envelope Football Sociable. Their will be a basket in the front office.

Don't miss the chance to sign up for Drama Camp! Info is on the blog and a flyer will come home with all 2nd - 4th grade students.

Got Milk?  The PTA Health and Nutrition Committee needs volunteers to help with their "Got Milk?" campaign going on all next week (3/23 - 3/27).  They need people during lunch to randomly hand out pencils and stickers to children who are drinking either milk or soy milk.  If you are available to help, or would like more information, please contact Robin Zeldin, rrzeldin@aol.com. 

Monday, March 23rd - The PTA Health and Nutrition Committee is hosting a Lunch and Learn from 11am - 12pm in the Media Center. The topic is "Litterless Lunches". Please come to learn how to create lunches that are nutritious, delicious and eco-friendly. Please contact Natalie Rogers,

fluffyjune@yahoo.com

, with any questions.

Tuesday, March 24th - Box Tops due. This is a fun and easy way to raise money for Sope Creek...one dime at a time!

Wednesday, March 25th - Birthday Book Club will be held at 7:20am in the Media Center.

Quack, quack the ducks are back! Mark your calendars. The Kids Care Club will once again be selling those cute rubber ducks. They will be available for purchase on Tuesday, March 31st at 7:20am for grades K through 2, and Wednesday, April 1st at 7:20am for grades 3 through 5.

Career Day is almost here!! 

Sope Creek’s Career Day is Friday May 1^st, 2009.

To help get ready for this exciting event we will have

“CAREER DRESS UP DAY”!!

 

When: Friday March 27^th, 2009

Who: Students AND Staff

What to do?  Wear something to school that represents a particular job or career.

  

Show your Sope Creek School spirit by participating in this fun day!!

FYI:  All fourth grade students need to wear a white shirt for Art Day (March20th).  The fabulous Art Day coordinators are requesting that your child have their white shirt at school by Wednesday, March 18th. 

FRIDAY, 3.20.09 IS ART DAY – GOGHING GREEN! One of the most creative days of the year! Extra hands are always needed! Please contact Bonnie Fishman if you would care to volunteer or if you can drop of a food item for all the guests who will be educating and entertaining our students.

Also make sure your students wear the appropriate color to school for Friday’s student performance art picture:

MAKE SURE TO BRING YOUR SHIRT IN BY WEDNESDAY MARCH 18 and have it ready at school. Grade shirt color assignments are as follows:

kindergarten – White

First Grade -- Green

Second Grade -- White

Third Grade -- Green

Fourth Grade -- White

Fifth Grade -- Green

If you have any questions, please contact Bonnie Fishman at 770-303-0704 or email

ARTDAY09@aol.com

***PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ART SHOW SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY EVENING AT 6PM HAS BEEN CANCELLED – We hope you had a chance to see your child’s art hanging in the school during the Fun Run. ***

We want to thank the students and parents here at Sope Creek. Our Clean Air Campaign has paid off, and now we all can breathe easier. The percentage of idling cars has greatly decreased since the first count that was made in October. In October 55.2% of the cars waiting for student pick-up were idling as they waited. Last week the percentage of idling cars in the car pool line was 11.2%. What a difference! Please continue to keep the air around our school clean. Thanks!

Tuesday, March 10th - Kindergarten and new first grader registration packets are available for pick up in the front office.  Please inform your neighbors and friends who have children ready to start Sope Creek next year!

 

Tuesday, March 10th is Pizza Night.  Be sure to tell Papa John's when you call in the order that it is for Sope Creek Pizza Night.  Also, please remember to send the sticker from the box (with the dollar amount you spent) in to school the next day.  We need the sticker in order to make sure Sope Creek gets the appropriate credit for the sale.

 

Wednesday, March 11th - Friday, March 13th the PTA is sponsoring a Sope Creek Clinic Drive.  Needed supplies range from ginger ale and round peppermint candies to tissues and clothes.  Please see the clinic link located on the Sope Creek blog for a complete list.

 

ART DISPLAY FOR FUN RUN – Wednesday, March 11th from 10am - 12pm, volunteers will be hanging our children's artwork for display during Fun Run.  If you are available to help, please stop by the Art Class and Daphne Hopkins will give you instructions.  If you are not available on the 11th, but have other free time this week, please see Daphne or contact Susan Laug, susanlaug@msn.com.   We need to have all the art work hung by March 13th.

 

The Foundation needs volunteers to help stuff race bags for the Fun Run.  Please stop by the Sope Creek gym on Sunday, March 8th any time between 12pm and 4pm if you are available to help.  Pizza and water will be served.  Please contact Tamara Karrh, tdkarrh@bellsouth.net for more information. 

 

Class baskets will be on display in the Media Center during the week of March 9th - 13th.  They will be auctioned off at the Fun Run on Saturday, March 14th.

 

On March 3rd, Sope Creek will be celebrating its "Go Green" initiative with a themed program for all grade levels.  The kids will enjoy a morning of speakers and hands on activities both in the classroom and around the school.  If you are interested in helping to plan activities or volunteering on the day of the program, please contact Monica Anschel, 404-277-2318 or monica.anschel@pathbuilders.com.

March 3^rd is also Early Release – 12:20pm

MARCH 10 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION PACKET PICK UP!  Please inform your neighbors and friends who have children ready to start at Sope Creek next year!

 Volunteer Opportunities Available:

 ART DISPLAY FOR FUN RUN – Please help us display the beautiful artwork done by our students.  We need to have all the art work hung by March 13 so if you have ANY FREE TIME, please come by the Art Class and Daphne Hopkins will give you instructions. If you have any questions, please contact Susan Laug, susanlaug@msn.com.

 FOUNDATION FUN RUN VOLUNTEERS:  Fun Run stuffers needed on March 8th, 12-4. We will have pizza and waters. If they are willing, they can email me at tdkarrh@bellsouth.net. Thanks Tamara Karrh

April 28th is Sope Creek Night @ The Braves!  Be sure to purchase a ticket to hear our Chorus sing the National Anthem!

The Six Flag Reading Logs are due Tuesday, February 24th. For more info, visit

http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/pta_events/2008/03/education-liter.html

Honoring Our Heroes: Entry deadline is Tuesday, February 24th. This essay writing contest is a great way for students to discover their "real life" heroes. Entry forms are available at: http://www.ecccpta.org/PDFdocs/HoH/HOHEntryForm_2009.pdf

For additional information, please visit the PTA blog or contact Tina Buitrago, tinastephenson@comcast.net.

Tuesday, February 24th - Box Tops are due. Please remember that this is a quick, easy and fun way for everyone to give to our school, one dime at a time!

Wednesday, February 25th - Birthday Book Club, 7:20am in the Media Center.

On March 3rd, Sope Creek will be celebrating its "Go Green" initiative with a themed program for all grade levels. The kids will enjoy a morning of speakers and hands on activities both in the classroom and around the school. If you are interested in helping to plan activities or volunteering on the day of the program, please contact Monica Anschel, 404-277-2318 or monica.anschel@pathbuilders.com.

Sope Creek and the PTA are now participating in the Coke Rewards for Schools programs. This is a great opportunity to earn art supplies, nutrition tools and PE equipment just by collecting codes off specially marked Coca-Cola products. Once collected, the codes can be dropped off in the PTA box in the front office, or you can go online to http://www.mycokerewards.com/schools and choose Sope Creek as the recipient of some or all of your points. For additional information visit the PTA blog or contact Pam Buffington, sopecreekrewards@googlegroups,com.

Our carpool line is a "No Idling Zone". As part of our "Going Green" campaign we have launched this "No Idling" zone to protect the health of our students. You received a green informational sheet on this topic last week. Please remember to turn off your car or truck if you are going to be sitting more then 30 seconds in the carpool line. This helps your car, saves gas, and protects lungs.

Monday February 16 – NO SCHOOL – Teacher Workday

Feb 17 – 20:  TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK!.  For more information, please contact your Room Rep or:  Kelli Evertsen { kellievertsen@comcast.net }  Susan Laug { susanlaug@msn.com } Lindsay Rodriguez { fbrodriguez@comcast.net }

COMING SOON:

 

The Six Flag Reading Logs are due Tuesday February 24th.  What a great way to receive a free ticket to Six Flags!  Students need to read 360 minutes and the form needs to be signed by a parent in order to qualify.  The Six Flag reading logs were handed out by the teachers about 5 weeks ago.  If you did not receive one, the children can log their time on a sheet of paper and have parents sign it.  Please return to your teachers.  For more information, please contact Jana Brubacher (brubacher@bellsouth.net)  or go to the PTA Education and Literacy blog:  http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/pta_events/2008/03/education-liter.html

 

 

Honoring Our Heroes  Entry deadline is February24^th 2009

This program is designed to encourage students to discover "real life" heroes.

Our real heroes are grandparents, parents, siblings, doctors, policeman, soldiers, teachers and anyone else that has made a real and positive impact on a student's life.

Entries should be typed or handwritten on one single sheet of 8½ x 11 paper - double-sided is acceptable.

The entry form must be completed and submitted with each essay, along with a picture of the hero, with the student, if possible.  Entry forms are available at: http://www.ecccpta.org/PDFdocs/HoH/HOHEntryForm_2009.pdf

Please label the picture with the student's name.

Entries will be judged on the student's ability to articulate the qualities of the hero and to describe the manner in which the hero has impacted the student's life.

Please contact Tina Buitrago with further questions, tinastephenson@comcast.net

 

On March 3rd, Sope Creek will be celebrating its "Go Green" initiative with a themed program for all grade levels.  The kids will enjoy a morning of speakers and hands on activities both in the classroom and around the school.  If you are interested in helping to plan activities or volunteering on the day of the program, please contact Monica Anschel, 404-277-2318 or monica.anschel@pathbuilders.com.

 

Sope Creek Foundation Fun Run is Saturday, March 14th.  There are still many volunteer opportunities available for both before and the day of the race.  Please contact Tamara Karrh, tdkarrh@bellsouth.net, for more information or if you did not receive a race form this week.

 

Sally Foster gift wrap and accessories are available online, and purchases can still benefit our school.  To place your orders and have them attributed to Sope Creek, please follow this link: 

http://www.fundraising.entertainment.com/esale2.cfm?CI=499998&SI=664321&LI=1

We will not be selling Sally Foster (or wrapping paper of any kind) next year, so now is the time to stock up!  Thank you for your support.

 

 

The Smartie Sentinel February 2009

NEWS FROM THE MAYOR A special thank you to the parents and students that attended conference this week. I know the students were very nervous about attending conferences, but I’m proud to announce that everyone survived. It was so exciting to see the huge smile across their faces as they shared their accomplishments this year. Everyone has areas to improve, and I feel it is vital that the students take ownership in their learning and know what they can improve on to become a better student. I am so proud of each and every student in our learning community. Thank you for the gifts and special treats I received for the winter holidays. I had lots of fun shopping during the holidays with the gift cards I received and eating lots of chocolate as I relaxed during the break.  I  really appreciate your thoughtfulness and warm accolades written.  Please read this newsletter carefully because there is lots of information that you will need to know about the next couple of weeks. Our Reading Celebration for the second quarter will be on Friday, February 6th at Brunswick Bowling Lanes. Your child will bring home the information about the outing. Congratulations for supporting our life-long readers! I am  still trying to create a costume box for plays and skits we will be performing throughout the year. If you have any item you would like to donate to our classroom, I would greatly appreciate your donation to continue building our treasure box of costumes. I would like to do several “Reader’s Theatre” plays in Social Studies throughout the rest of the year, and  would love to have costumes for the plays.         Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. We will celebrate Valentine’s Day on Friday, February 13th. The students will have the opportunity to give Valentine’s to each other. Attached to this newsletter is a list of students in our classroom. We ask that if the student would like to give out Valentines to his/her classmates that he/she gives a Valentine to everyone in the classroom. This will avoid anyone getting his/her feelings hurt.   MINI ECOMONY: ·         Our citizens will receive their first paycheck for 2009 next week. Our inventory for our store needs replenishing for the 2nd semester.  Please send in your $20 cash or check  donation in a sealed envelope addressed to Kelly Melnick.  With this contribution, Kelly will be able to purchase gift cards  to Fuzzy Wigs, Blockbuster, Brewster’s, Target, Wal-Mart, Borders, etc.   ·         Thank you for your donations to our classroom charity this holiday season. We were able to purchase a bicycle and several other cool gifts to donate to the Department of Family and Children Services for children in foster care. The students that were able to help deliver the bikes to DFCS had the opportunity to see how many children are in the foster care system. This exposure helps children understand the true meaning of giving and selflessness.  Thank you for your donations so that we were able to bring cheer to others during the holiday season. COMUNICATION: ·         Please check my blog on a regular basis. You will find homework and a copy of this newsletter on the blog. ·         If you have any questions or concerns please email us or write a note.  Leaving a message on the phone may be overlooked. ·         When you are responding to your child’s “Get Connected” letter, please feel free to ask them questions about what they are learning. The students really enjoy reading your responses to their letter.

CURRICULUM: Social Studies: We have begun our study of colonization and the American Revolution. The students will begin an exciting class project. They will create their own “Ms. Frizzle” lesson about a topic in Social Studies. They will learn more about this next week. Science/Health: At the end of the month we will begin a unit on forces and motion. In addition, we will soon begin a unit on nutrition. Your child will have a “Nutrition Diary” in February. They will have to write down everything they eat for several weeks as we begin to discuss healthy eating habits. Math: The students have been working very hard in math. We have learned how to add and subtract decimals, round decimals, and how to write decimals three ways. Next week, we begin working with fractions J Reader’s Workshop: The students will begin learning about nonfiction text features. Nonfiction text features are features in a nonfiction text that helps us to understand the content. Examples of nonfiction text features include the table of contents, index, glossary, captions, pictures, photographs, diagrams with labels, graphs, and bold or highlighted words. The students will begin reading nonfiction text for their book summary reports or AR test starting February 2nd.  Because non-fiction reads differently, I will be using the point system established by the AR program.  These books usually have a range from ½ point to 3 points depending on the reading level and number of pages.  I suggest that the students complete the book summary report as they read to help them comprehend what they are reading as they read.  Please check your child’s agenda for due dates.  Writer’s Workshop:  The students have begun learning about information writing. We learned the types of informational writing and the importance of summarizing information. Next week, they will begin a research project where we model each step of writing a research paper, and then they will practice by writing a report. After the “practice” research paper is complete, the students will write their own nonfiction book including nonfiction text features on a social studies related topic. These projects will be completed in class. They may be required to conduct some research at home about their topic. HOMEWORK: ·         Your child should be reading for thirty minutes each night. The students should be writing in their Reading Response Journals five times each week. Please take a few moments each week and have your child share his/her journal with you.  I am encouraging them to complete the book summary report or record the information needed for the book summary report in their journal as they read their nonfiction book. ·         Please make sure you sign your child’s agenda every night. This will help me know that you are aware of the homework. Remember, it is your child’s responsibility to ask you to sign the Agenda, “Get Connected Letter”, Parent Signature sheet for graded papers, and the weekly behavior sheet. PTA NEWS: ·         Check the PTA Blog (http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/pta) and the main blog at http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/blogs often.  ·         Our carpool line is a “No Idling Zone”. As part of our “Going Green” campaign we have launched this “No Idling” zone to protect the health of our students. You received a green information sheet on this topic last week. Please remember to turn off your car or truck if you are going to be sitting more than 30 seconds in the carpool line. This helps your car, saves gas, and protects lungs.   QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Remember that life’s most treasured moments often come unannounced. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
2	3	4     Early Release	5   Chorus performs for the students @ 8:15  and performs at our PTA general meeting	6 Pay Day & Store   Reading Celebration at Brunswick Lanes	7 Talent Show 2-4 at the Sope Creek Cafe
9	10 Pizza Night	11	12 High Touch High Tech in-house field trip	13   Spirit Day   Valentines Distributed	14   Valentine’s Day
16   Student  Holiday/Teacher Workday	17   Academic Alerts Sent home only for those students with a C average or below	18	19   Eric’s Last Day at School -  We will miss you, Eric!!	20	21
23	24   Box Tops Due Six Flag Form Due	25   Birthday Book Club	26	27   Spirit Day	28

 

Wednesday: Early Release 12:20pm

Thursday Feb 8: PTA General Meeting 6:45pm Sope Creek Café – please join us to elect the PTA Nominating Committee. The elected PTA Nominating Committee will be then be seeking candidates for the 2 PTA Executive Board positions which will come available in June – Co-President and Co-Vice President. If you are want to serve on the PTA Nominating Committee or have questions about their mission, please contact Jonna Miller at Jonna Miller (jonnamiller@bellsouth.net). The Nominating Committee does need volunteers and it is a one to two hour commitment. We would appreciate your help!

2nd Grade Chorus Performance 7pm Sope Creek Café

Saturday Feb 7:WINTER TALENT SHOW 3-5pm in the Sope Creek Café. Sope Creek has talent! Come for a fun afternoon of great entertainment. Invite your family, friends and neighbors!

Our carpool line is a "No Idling Zone". As part of our "Going Green" campaign we have launched this "No Idling" zone to protect the health of our students. You received a green informational sheet on this topic last week. Please remember to turn off your car or truck if you are going to be sitting more then 30 seconds in the carpool line. This helps your car, saves gas, and protects lungs.

Lights! Camera! Book Fair! The Book Fair will be open daily during conference week, January 26 - 30 from 12:15pm until 4:30pm. All the popular titles for all ages will be available for purchase. Hope to see you there.

The PTA Community Outreach committee is sponsoring a Snack Drive, January 26 - 30, to benefit our sister school Powers Ferry Elementary. All snacks (including juice boxes), with the exception of candy and peanut butter items, are welcome. The bins for collection will be located outside the front office.

Sope Creek SUN articles are due Monday, January 26th.

Box Tops are due Tuesday, January 27th.

TGIF at Chuck E. Cheese is Friday, January 30th from 3:00pm until 9:00pm.

Join your friends and neighbors for a night of Braves baseball! Our Sope Creek Chorus has been selected to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" on Tuesday, April 28th. Mark your calendar now and join us for a fun-filled evening! Ticket Sales will begin in March.

 Wednesday Birthday Book Club 7:20am in the Media Center – January BBC birthdays please go to the Media Center starting at 7:20am until 7:50am

Wednesday 9am – 10am – Café Worker Appreciation Day – the Health and Nutrition Committee Chairs need help with set up/take down and serving.  Please contact Natalie Rogers or Robin Zeldin if you can help or if you have a favorite breakfast recipe you would like to bring:   Natalie Rogers fluffyjune@yahoo.com  or Robin Zeldin rrzeldin@aol.com

Winter Talent Show applications due January 23!  Information: http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/pta_events/2008/03/winter-talent-s.html

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon:  Donations for door prizes are needed for the luncheon on Feb. 20th.  Any type of item or gift, big or small, will be appreciated (corporate "swag" is great too!).  Please drop off in the PTA office or contact Susan Laug at 770-850-0138.

The PTA Health and Nutrition committee is sponsoring a "Healthy Hints" poster contest. This is an opportunity for your child to share with others what he/she knows about being healthy. Additional details are posted on the PTA blog. All posters are due by January 16, 2009.

Tuesday, January 13th is Papa John's pizza night.

Wednesday, January 14th, the PTA is hosting a Newcomers Welcome coffee at 9:30am in the Media Center. If you are new to Sope Creek, this is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the school and all it has to offer.

Friday, January 16th - Spirit Day

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - The PTA Community Outreach committee will be sponsoring a snack drive the week of January 26th - 30th to benefit Powers Ferry elementary school. All snack items are welcome (including juice boxes) with the exception of candy and peanut butter items.

The Seymour's Smarties News Flash December 2008

NEWS FROM THE MAYOR I can’t believe that we are almost halfway through the school year! Even though we only have a few more weeks left before the holidays, our calendar is packed full of activities. The students have made progress academically by checking their work thoroughly and taking responsibility for their class work and homework. They have learned to be an active participant in our community by doing their jobs and working cooperatively with their peers in group projects. I am so proud of them and look forward to an exciting second half of the year. J  Please read this newsletter carefully for information that you will need to know about the next couple of weeks. Congratulations to Meha Srivastav who won our class Spelling Bee! She will represent our class in the school-wide Spelling Bee on Friday, December 12th. Also, congratulations to Harper Melnick, our second place winner. She will be the alternate in case Meha is not able to participate in the Spelling Bee. I am still trying to create a costume box for plays and skits we will be performing throughout the year. If you have any item you would like to donate to our classroom, I would greatly appreciate your donation to begin to build our treasure box of costumes. Conference Week will be coming up in January. (FYI: Report cards will go home with you at the time of your conference)  I will send home the schedule after we return from the holidays. I would like the students to attend their conference to give them the opportunity to reflect on their progress, strengths and areas to improve. Our holiday party will be Friday, December 19th. Our room mom (Kelly Melnick)  will be sending an email with information about the party and looking for volunteersJ I hope that you will be able to relax over the holidays and spend time with your family and friends. As always, thank you for your support! CURRICULUM: Social Studies: We have almost completed our study of the early explorers. The students have been working in groups (and individually)  to create a power point presentation about an explorer. I will try to post a few of the presentations on the blog so you will be able to learn about the explorers. Our next unit will be the colonization and the formation of our government.  If you have anything that we could use for our immersion table that relates to colonization/government, please send in with your child.  Also, make sure all items are marked with your name. Science/Health: Next week we will begin a unit on sound and light. We will complete this unit before the holidays. Math: The students have been working very hard in math. We mastered long division! We have begun our unit on geometry. Ask your child the difference between parallel and perpendicular linesJ Reader’s Workshop: The students have been reading fables, tall tales, and folk tales. They are completing a project in class about the fable, folk tale, or tall tale they have read. We have been discussing character traits about characters in traditional literature. They will be writing a character sketch about a character from a story. In addition, we will be discussing and learning how to use the “Questioning” strategy as they read. When good readers read they question ideas about the text. Examples include: “I wonder …?”, “Why …?”, “What will happen next?” etc. Writer’s Workshop:  We have completed our personal narratives. If you are visiting stop by the classroom and read the person narratives outside the classroom. The students learned how to write an entertaining lead, use strong verbs and figures of speech such as similes and metaphors. In addition, the students learned how to include transition words and dialogue into their narratives. We will spend time writing poetry. The students have written a “Come with Me” poem using their five senses. They wrote amazing poems!  We have several blooming authors among us. SUPPLIES: ·         We are in need of a few supplies. If you could send any of the supplies below with your child, we would greatly appreciate it: 1.       A Box of Band-aids          4. Erasers CAPS 2.       Notebook paper                5. Rulers 3.       Liquid Soap and Instant Hand-Sanitizer

MINI ECOMONY: ·         Our citizens will receive their final paycheck for 2008 next week. Our inventory for our gift-card store is dwindling which is what we anticipated.  The first contribution (collected at open house) got us through the first semester.  We would like to replenish our inventory at the beginning of the year when we return from the holidays for second semester. I will send home another reminder in January. If you would like to make a donation, please send a check ($20 or any amount) with your child to Kelly Melnick. The students are loving the gift cards!  Who knows if the elves may decide to come and rearrange our room or borrow some items from our classroom? We hope everyone has insurance! ·         On Monday your child will bring home a note with the amount of his/her charitable donation he/she has made each pay period. My hope is that each child will donate the amount of the contribution so that we can purchase bikes for children in foster care. The details will be in the letter. We will deliver the bikes on Friday, December 12th. Our hope is that the students will “earn” the amount of their donation by doing household chores, yard work, etc. at home. Please submit in a sealed envelope the cash amount your child will donate by Thursday, December 11th. I will take three students with us to deliver the bikes. I will randomly choose students’ names from a drawing. I will draw names on Monday and send home a permission form to be signed and returned the following day. HOMEWORK: ·         Your child should be reading for thirty minutes each night. The next Book Summary report  or AR test will be due on Thursday, December 15th.  I would encourage you to ask your child to share his/her Book Summary Report with you. ·         The students should be writing in their Reading Response Journals five times each week. Please take a few moments each week and have your child share his journal with you. ·         Please make sure you sign your child’s agenda every night. This will help us know that you are aware of the homework. Remember, it is your child’s responsibility to ask you to sign the Agenda, “Get Connected Letter”, Parent Signature sheet for graded papers, and the weekly behavior sheet. ROAD TRIP ·         The students continue to work on their trip to National Park. They have written letters to the Chamber of Commerce in cities where they will be stopping along the way to their destination.  Some cities have already sent info. packets from their Chamber of Commerce.. COMUNICATION: ·         Please check my blog on a regular basis.  Lauren and Vivian are doing a nice job updating our homework blog daily. You will find homework and a copy of this newsletter on the blog! ·         If you have any questions or concerns please email me or write a note in your child’s agenda. ·         When you are responding to your child’s “Get Connected” letter, please feel free to ask them questions about what they are learning. The students really enjoy reading your responses to their letter. FIELD TRIPS: 1.       This week on December 10th, we will travel back in time as we visit the American Village and learn about colonial life and how our constitution was created. This will be an extended day field trip. We will depart early that morning (6:30 am/Wednesday), so please make sure your child arrives on time to school that morning. Please read the letter carefully because it will contain important information about the field trip. Please visit the website to learn more about our trip at http://www.americanvillage.org/ . There is a letter in your child’s red folder that has details about the trip. Please read it carefully. If you have any questions pleas email us or write a note. PTA NEWS: Check the PTA Blog (http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/pta) and the main blog at http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/blogs  often.  QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you sit quietly, may alight upon you. Nathaniel Hawthorne

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
8	9 Papa John’s Pizza Night No Target Classes 7:00 PTA: Chorus                  Performance	10 Field Trip to American Village : Arrive at 6:20	11 Donations due  for charitable  contribution	12 8:15 Spelling Bee Sitton Spelling Test Wordly Wise Test Deliver Bikes for foster children	13
15 Book Summary Reports Due	16 Box Tops Due No Target Classes	17  Birthday Book Club Science Test Kids Care “Duck” Project	18	19 Spirit Day 12:45-1:45 Holiday Party	Winter Holidays Begin: December 20 – January 5th Students return to school on January 6th

November's Newsletter: NEWS FROM MS. SEYMOUR I am so proud of the students in our community. They have learned the procedures and are using their lifeskills and Lifelong Guidelines. All of the students successfully completed the Fire Safety program and earned a plaque for our classroom!  Did you hear about the "flying pigs" that crash landed on our classroom last Friday? It was a good thing many of them had purchased insurance. They were very relieved when they found out that they did not have to pay the extra 500 points for clean-up fee that resulted from the "freak" accident.  I would like to welcome our new student, Chilufya Kapita, to our learning community! We are all excited that she joined our class. We are still looking for costumes for our costume box. We would like to create a costume box for plays and skits that we will be performing throughout the year. As you are “out and about” after Halloween, if you find wigs, hats, or costumes (generic type – Native Americans, capes, crowns, fancy dresses, coats, peasants, etc.) that you would like to donate to our classroom, we would greatly appreciate your donation to begin to build our treasure box of costumes. Sope Creek will be hosting a “Lunch and Learn” on Wednesday, November 5th. If you are interested in learning more about the math curriculum, please come to the presentation. Check the blog for the time. CURRICULUM: Social Studies: We will begin our study of Explorers. The students will learn about early explorers and the obstacles they had to overcome, accomplishments, conflicts, and how they used their resources. We will have a special project to complete. More information will be forthcoming.  Also, we would love to borrow any items that we could use for our "immersion table" on exploration. Math: The students have continued to use problem solving strategies to solve word problems in their math journals. We have begun to use manipulatives to model long division. Please continue to work with your child on his/her multiplication and division facts. Reader’s Workshop: We will be reading traditional literature including folk tales, fables, and tall tales. The skills we will emphasis in reading is the questioning strategy, making connections, and cause and effect.  We will continue to learn vocabulary in guided reading using context clues and looking at multiple meanings of words. The students have been responding in their reading response journals. We continue to study word patterns in spelling. Writer’s Workshop: We have almost completed our personal narratives. The students are using transition words, similes, strong verbs, and dialogue in their stories. They have learned to write an entertaining lead. Ask your child to tell you about their personal narrative and the entertaining lead he/she wrote for his/her personal narrative. Next, our writing focus will be on responding to literature. COUNSELORS: ·         We will continue Sope Creek's annual "Holiday Helper Bear" program by putting up a Bear Board in the lobby of the school today. These bears are labeled with different $10.00 gift cards from: Publix, Kroger, Toys R Us and Wal-Mart. The counselors will be collecting gift cards from now until the week before Thanksgiving. They will be included in "Thanksgiving Food Baskets" for our needy families (which PTA is spearheading). We are launching this program a bit earlier this year as we hope families will have the gift cards well before the holidays. Thanks in advance for your help.

MINI ECOMONY: ·         Friday (October 31st) was our second pay day! Our citizens received their first paycheck today! They are learning to budget their money. It is amazing how many students are remembering to get everything signed and returned so they can earn money from their “B” sheets each week. Who knows when Ms. Seymour will have a “Blue Light Special” and offer a special lunch with them or a special treat. If they have money in their checking account, then they will be able to purchase on the specialty items offered during the “Blue Light Special”. HOMEWORK: ·         Your child should be reading for thirty minutes each night. Our next Book Summary report or AR test will be due on Friday, November 14th.  We would encourage you to ask your child to share his/her Book Summary Report with you. The students received their reading response log. They should return it every Monday. They are required to write in it five days each week. They can choose which days they want to write in their journal. There are a variety of responses they can write, but they must write a summary each week (main idea and 3 to 4 supporting details). ·         Please make sure you sign your child’s agenda every night. This will help us know that you are aware of the homework. Remember, it is your child’s responsibility to ask you to sign the Agenda, “Get Connected Letter”, Parent Signature sheet for graded papers, and the weekly behavior sheet. ROAD TRIP: ·         The students continue to work on their trip to National Park. They have mapped their route from Marietta , Georgia to their destination. They have begun to calculate how much gas it will cost to travel to their destination. Also, they are determining where they will stop and what sites they may visit on the way to their final destination. In addition, they are researching the Native American tribes that settled in the area of their National Park and determine if there are any tribes still there today. Ask them about the trip. Many of them have decided that they do want to grow up and be responsible for planning and paying for a vacation! COMUNICATION: ·         Please check my blog on a regular basis. Our "News Reporters" post the homework daily.  You will also find a copy of this newsletter on the blog! ·         If you have any questions or concerns please email me (sally.seymour@cobbk12.org), write a note in your child’s agenda, or write a note on your child's "B" sheet. Please do not use the school phone for messages.  In a nutshell, I cannot access the messages due to technical difficulties beyond my control. :-) FIELD TRIPS: ·         We enjoyed our trip to the High Museum of Art. Our next field trip will be on December 10th, as we travel back in time to visit the American Village and learn about colonial life and how our constitution was created. This will be an extended day field trip. Please visit the website to learn more about our trip at http://www.americanvillage.org/ . PTA NEWS: ·         (http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/pta) and the main blog at http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/blogs often.  QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Imagination is stronger than knowledge, dreams are more powerful than facts, and hope can triumph over experience

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
3	4 Student Holiday Vote Today!	5 Lunch and Learn (Math)	6	7 Spirit Day! Wear your class t-shirt or your Sope Creek shirt!	8
10 PTA Thanksgiving Drive	PTA Thanksgiving Drive	12 PTA Thanksgiving Drive	13 PTA Thanksgiving Drive	14 Book Summary Report Due PTA Thanksgiving Drive	15 PTA Thanksgiving Drive

News Flash From Ms. Seymour

*Multiplication Facts:  Students need to recall their multiplication facts within a 3 second recall.  Continue to practice this skill daily.  There are quite a few sites posted under "Fun Websites to Explore" on my blog that have multiplication games.

Bella says, "Hi Smarties!  I just love being your classroom pet.  Thank you for being so gentle and kind towards me!  You guys Rock!"