Our First Week of School: The Principal’s Update

 

Dear Parents & Students:

 

What a great first week of school! We are having an excellent start to this school year and headed in the right direction for making this school year the best one yet.  I’d like to welcome all of our new students and parents to Snellville Middle.  If you are receiving this newsletter, I want to thank you for taking such an important first step in getting connected to Snellville Middle.  I have several reminders, updates and announcements to share with you for the month of August.

 

We Believe in Our Kids!

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Many adults can pinpoint that one special teacher, beloved coach, or other school or community mentor who helped pave the way to a successful future. Sometimes it’s several caring adults who helped spark and nurture an interest that became a passion, even a profession. (Perhaps you’re thinking of that person who made a difference for you right now!)   At our school, your student is surrounded by teachers and support staff who are committed to helping every child reach his or her potential. Our employees are the best in the business! They believe in our kids and want to see each one ready and able to pursue whatever avenues will lead to their dreams.

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Believing in our students means encouraging them to try new things and supporting them as they think big and reach high. This school year, your student will have opportunities to learn, grow, and excel. That’s the Promise of Gwinnett, believing that we can, working together, ensure a future filled with promise for all students.  Know that your student’s teacher is an enthusiastic partner with you in ensuring that your child has a great school year. At Snellville Middle, our teachers know they are the bridge to your child’s success and in partnership with you, we know and BELIEVE that your child will reach his or her full potential. 

 

We are Teaching, Leading and Believing in Tomorrow’s Promise: OUR Students!”

 

Schedules

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With the district wide installation of the new student management system(Synergy)in middle and high schools, we encountered some errors with the system roll-over this summer. For our parents with students in elementary school last year, you may recall this same system installation in all of our elementary schools in the district last year. Our priority is to ensure our newly enrolled students have schedules and any scheduling errors (as a result of the rollover) are corrected.  Due to class and funding limitations, we are unable to honor preferential class and/or teacher schedule change requests. However, if you have an extenuating circumstance that you would like for administration to consider and review, please submit your request in writing to your child’s grade level Assistant Principal.  I want to thank you for your patience as we work on properly scheduling all of our students.  

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Arrival and Dismissal

 

Each morning our first bell rings at 8:50 a.m. which signals for our car riders to unload and for walkers and students to enter the building. Please be mindful that car riders should unload students only in the designated area. Unloading students in the parking lot in an undesignated area is a safety risk. Also, do not attempt to drive around or pass another car that may be unloading a child. Also, students should never be dropped off in the front parking lot, in the street or across the street from the school. For the safety of all of our students, please follow these very important procedures. In the afternoon, dismissal begins at 4:00 p.m. with afternoon announcements and then the dismissal of walkers and car riders.  We understand that the car rider lane moves slowly and takes time for you to enter and exit, so please plan your time accordingly while exercising patience, courtesy and safety.   

 

Parent Updates

 

Please be sure that you are enrolled and have access to the Parent Portal so that you may access your child’s grades and update your contact information.  It is important that your information is up to date in the Parent Portal so that you are able to receive notifications.  For more information on how to enroll in and access the Parent Portal click on the appropriate link below.​

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English                                                                 Spanish(Espanol)                                             Vietnamese-Cổng Phụ Huynh 

 

School Messenger

Beginning this school year, both Snellville Middle and Gwinnett County Public Schools(GCPS) will use School Messenger as a parent notification system.  The new system will communicate information related to emergency and general announcements, attendance calls to parents and district wide events, including key school dates and school closings due to inclement weather.  Please see the attached link for more on the SchoolMessenger system, how to access it from the Parent Portal and how to download the mobile app onto your phone.  Thank you for staying connected to Snellville Middle and GCPS.
Click here for more information on the SchoolMessenger system.

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Enrollment

 

Each year we receive a projection of the number of students that will attend our school. During the first month of school we complete an enrollment count one day a week to monitor the number of students attending Snellville Middle.  It is important that your son or daughter is in school each day and arrives on time during this critical enrollment count period. Should our student enrollment exceed our projection we have an opportunity to earn a teacher(and classroom). If we do not meet our projection, we could risk losing a teacher.  So please arrive on time and be counted!

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Curriculum Night  

 

Please mark your calendars for our annual Curriculum Night. Curriculum Night is an opportunity to hear directly from your child’s teacher about what he or she will learn this year in all of his or her classes. Please join us on Thursday, August 24 at 6:30 p.m. for Curriculum Night.  Please be mindful that this is not the same as student-led conferences (commonly known as parent-teacher conferences) which are held in late September. 

 

Solar Eclipse - August 21st

 

On August 21, 2017, all of North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun. This means that Earth, the sun, and the moon— which all orbit in space in predictable paths— will align. The moon will move between the sun and Earth, blocking the light of the sun. Thus, the moon will cast a shadow on Earth. Here in Gwinnett, we will experience a near-total eclipse between 2:35 and 2:40 p.m. that will last approximately two minutes. This alignment of the sun, the moon, and Earth will mark the first time this phenomenon has occurred coast-to-coast in our country in nearly 100 years.   Gwinnett County Public Schools is planning to make this day a special educational event for our students by organizing a safe and engaging viewing experience. Instructional activities may include viewing the solar eclipse using solar shades, learning how to safely view it using a reflective surface, watching the eclipse via live-streaming on the web, and much more. Safety is always a top priority and we will take all precau­tionary measures to make this exciting experience both safe and enjoyable.

 

While schools plan to provide an opportunity for a safe, educational experience, we understand that some parents may not want their children to participate in a live viewing of the eclipse.  In order for your student to participate in an outdoor viewing of the solar eclipse, please sign the following permission form and have your student return it to his or her teacher by Tuesday, August 15, 2017.  Students who do not return this form signed by a parent/guardian will complete an alternate activity from inside the school building during the eclipse.

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English                                                                          Spanish(Espanol)                                             Vietnamese-Cổng Phụ Huynh 

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All Middle Schools in Gwinnett County will dismiss school at 5:00 p.m. on August 21st. Please mark your calendar!

 

Teaching, Leading and BELIEVING in Our Students,

 

Sincerely,

 

Katise Menchan

Principal