Ellis G. Arnall Middle School Home of the Knights April/May 2016 The Knightly News 700 Lora Smith Road, Newnan, Georgia 30265 - (770) 254-2765 www.cowetaschools.org/ams Volume 21, Issue 3 Authentic Engagement - Motivated Teachers - Successful Students Principally speaking Jan Franks, Ed.D. Dear Parents, It is hard to believe that we have completed our third nine weeks and are well into our final nine weeks of school. Stressing good work habits, setting academic goals and making the right choices each day to work toward our goals have been a large part of our focus with your child this school year. This is an important time as we prepare to take the Georgia Milestones Assessment and determine the 2016-2017 academic placement of your child. The Georgia Milestones Assessment will be used to determine the academic growth of your student as well as the academic success of our school. Every test or assessment we give is important, and it is imperative that your students be present and do their best on the test. Throughout the year, we have aligned our instructional practices to reflect the depth of knowledge the Milestones will assess. This year will be the first time our seventh and eighth grade students will test online instead of using pencil/ paper versions of the test. The testing schedule is listed on the next page. Please note that seventh grade will test in the afternoon while sixth and eighth grade will test in the morning. While the Milestones test is important, it is also important to maintain the best academic standing in their classes. Preparations outside of school such as completing their homework assignments and turning in projects and studying for tests contribute tremendously to the academic performance of your child. The county will be releasing promoting requirements soon, but here is a general guideline to use as a point of reference. A student must pass four of the five following subjects: literature/ language arts, math, science, social studies, and connection classes. The final grades in connection classes will be averaged to obtain a final grade for the connection sequence. Any student who fails two classes will be retained but may attend summer school for possible placement to the next grade level. The cost of summer school will be approximately $300.00 and must be paid in full at the time of registration in the form of a cashier s check. Cash and personal checks are not accepted. Summer school will run from June 1st- 24th at the CEC, and classes will be from 8:00-12:20. Transportation must be provided by the parent. The school principal or designee may retain a student who performs satisfactorily on the Georgia Milestones Assessment but does not meet the promotion criteria established by the local board of education for the school that the student attends. Eighth grade students must meet grade level standards on the Georgia Milestones Assessment in English Language Arts and math to be eligible for promotion to ninth grade. If a student does not score proficient in the reading portion, they will retake the entire section of the Milestones test (, Reading and Writing). The retest for eighth grade will be the last week of school. Please encourage your child to be prepared for each school day, take advantage of every instructional opportunity so they successfully complete their course work, and enjoy their summer. JF Honors Day Honors Day for 6th through 8th grades will be held in the Arnall gymnasium on Thursday, May 12th. We will have three separate programs on that day. The 8th grade honors program will begin at 9:00 a.m., the 7th grade at 11:00 and 6th grade at 2:00. Please join us on the 12th as we recognize your students achievements!
The Knightly News Page 2 Below is the schedule that we will follow beginning Monday, April 18 Thursday, April 28. Attendance will be crucial on these days. Monday April 18 Tuesday April 19 Wednesday April 20 Thursday April 21 Friday April 22 Sections 1 & 2 Monday April 25 Math Writing/Sect. 3 Tuesday April 26 Science Important Testing Information for Parents The Georgia Milestones Test will be administered to all Arnall students on April 18-28. This year s testing will see some changes from the past years. Two thirds of our student body will test online while 6th grade will test with pencil and paper. Eighth grade, 6th grade, Special Education and ESOL will test during the morning, and 7th grade will test during the afternoon. Please use the following guidelines to help our students to be as successful as possible on these tests. 1. Have your child present and on time each day. Students do much better when they are tested with their class rather than being tested apart from their peers. In addition, students who are absent are pulled from academic classes to make up the test, which means they get behind in those classes. Students who are tardy will not be allowed to disrupt the testing process. They will be sent to an alternate location until testing is complete. 2. Please do not check out your child from school during the testing period. Unless there is an emergency, we will not disrupt an entire class of students, who are testing, to call your child to the office. 3. Please make orthodontist, dental, and other appointments for some time other than the weeks of testing. Keep in mind we will have 7th grade testing and make-up testing in the afternoon. 4. Encourage your child to get a good night s sleep and eat a nutritious breakfast each morning. 5. Make sure your 6th grader has 2-#2 wood pencils for testing. No mechanical pencils. NO CELL PHONES OR OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES SUCH AS IPODS, TABLETS, AND E-READERS ARE ALLOWED IN THE EXAM ROOM. Please tell your child to make sure they leave their phones either at home or in their locker. Failure to do so could result in their test being invalidated. Dawn Jerrell, 770-254-2769, ext. 213. Wednesday April 27 Social Studies Congratulations to Mrs. Jennifer Davis, Arnall s 2016 Teacher of the Year! Mrs. Davis teaches 8th grade English/ Language Arts. Math Thursday April 28 Science & Social Studies & Math Yearbooks are now being sold for $50. You may pre-order at www.jostens.com until April 18, or pay at the school by cash or check payable to AMS. Any unsold yearbooks will be available on a first come, cash only basis when the books are delivered in May. Guarantee your book by pre-ordering now! Leigh Ann Rhodes and the Yearbook Staff leighann.rhodes@cowetaschools.net
The Knightly News Page 3 8th Grade Semi-Formal The 8th grade Semi-Formal will be held on Friday, May 6th, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. in the Arnall cafeteria. The cost is $15 per student, and the deadline to pay is May 4th. The food will be catered by La Parilla! Pick up is in the bus loading zone. Attire is dressy-casual to semi-formal for both boys and girls - please no formal, prom style gowns, strapless or backless attire, jeans or shorts. Short dress lengths must be below fingertips when arms are extended by the side. Buddy pictures will be made for $1.00 per person (maximum 6 people). Each person will receive a 3-1/2 X 5 photo. Please pay at the dance. You may be in more than one picture with different groups of friends. Students must have demonstrated appropriate behavior during the year, paid all fines and lunch charges, and be present at school on the day of the dance in order to attend the dance. Only 8th grade Arnall students may attend. 8th Grade Field Trip Our 8th grade students will have the privilege of a field trip to the Center for Civil and Human Rights on May 11th. The Center is located in downtown Atlanta between the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola. Students will depart Arnall at 8:30 a.m. and return in the early afternoon before buses run. The cost of the trip is $15.00 and will be combined with the Semi-Formal cost for a total of $30.00, which will be due on May 4th. Please copy and paste the link below in your browser for more information on this cultural and inspirational opportunity. www.civilandhumanrights.org Arnall s Got Talent Congratulations to this year s winners of our Arnall s Got Talent talent show. Pictured left to right, first row: Melanny Rojas Velez, 3rd place tie Emily Barton, 2nd place Laura Rodriguez, 1st place Back row: Anthony Lowe and Walter Lloyd, 3rd place tie
The Knightly News A Note from the Nurse Parents of all 6 th grade students, please remember that 6 th graders going to the 7 th grade are required by Georgia law to have two new immunizations/boosters. These are meningitis and TDap. They are required to have them prior to the first day of school, so please make sure your child is up to date. If your child has any form of medication in the clinic, whether you brought it at the beginning of the year or sent it recently, please make sure you pick it up before 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 27, 2016. Any medicines left after the last day of school will be discarded. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call. Carolyn Young P. T. A. We will have a very important meeting on April 14th at 6:30 in the Arnall cafeteria. We will be voting on PTA vs. PTO and need a two-thirds majority vote to change to PTO. Please be present if you are a member of the current PTA. If not, we will contact you by email for your vote. We are currently looking for volunteers for next year. Please consider becoming an active volunteer for our organization and/or serving as a member of the Board. Because of the generous and involved parents at Arnall Middle School who support our fundraisers, we were able to make the following donations: Scoreboard - $2,500 Band - $1,000 Chorus - $1,000 Technology - $1,000 Media Center - $500 General Music - $200 Art - $500 Science - $300 Thank you for all that you do. Stephanie Eggen Sixth Grade Orientation Night If you have a 5th grade student who will attend Arnall for the school year 2016-2017, please attend an informational meeting at Arnall on May 5th at 6:30 p.m. Report Cards There are four options available to you for end of the year report cards: 1) access & print from parent portal 2) access & print from student portal 3) send in a stamped, self addressed envelope 4) send a written request for a copy to be picked up at school beginning June 3rd. You are invited to the Band Spring Concert Thursday, May 19th at 7:00 p.m. at the Centre for Performing & Visual Arts Page 4 Learner s Permit If you are turning 15 in the summer and plan on getting your learner s permit, you must obtain a Certificate of Attendance through the school. The certificate is good for only 30 days so if your birthday is in June, you need to request it in May. If your birthday is July, you should request the certificate in June. In order to receive your Certificate of Attendance, you must not have missed more than 10 school days, and you must have passed all classes. PEP SQUAD Tryouts for 7th grade girls who are interested in trying out for Pep Squad will be held on May 2-4 and May 9-11 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. Week 1 will consist of a 15 minute run each day followed by 45 minutes of small group instruction from current Pep Squad members. Week 2 consist of a 15 minute run each day followed by 25 minutes of small group instruction and 20 minutes of whole group performance. The team will be announced on Friday, May 13th. The Pep Squad uniform fee is $300.00 and is due no later than Wednesday, May 18. It must be paid in money order or cash. No personal checks will be accepted. Uniform sizing is scheduled for May 19. No uniforms will be ordered without payment. Seventh grade girls who tryout will need to submit recommendations from each teacher along with the required sports forms and a current physical.
The Knightly News Page 5 April 1 Last day of Book Fair 4-8 Spring Break 9 Arnall Chorus sings at Braves game, 6:30 12 Beta Club, 3:30-4:15 12 Heartbeat Club, 3:30-4:30 12 Shaner s class - aquatics, 10:30-12:30 12 Track CCMSAL Field Finals at ECMS, 4:30 13 Art Club, 3:30-4:30 13 Select Chorus, 3:30-4:45 13 Drama Club, 3:30-5:00 13 Track CCMSAL Running Finals @ ECMS, 4:30 14 Student Leadership Academy, 3:30-4:30 14 Solo & Ensemble rehearsal, 3:30-4:45 14 Knight Writers, 3:30-4:30 14 PTA meeting in cafeteria, 6:30 p.m. 15 Shaner baseball game day 15 Georgia Milestones Pep Rally, 2:00 p.m. 18-28 Georgia Milestones Testing, 8th & 6th in a.m. and 7th in afternoon 16 Abby s Angels 5K Run @ fairgrounds, 9-2 19 Shaner s class - aquatics, 10:30-12:30 20 Select Chorus, 3:30-4:45 21 Solo & Ensemble rehearsal, 3:30-4:45 26 Shaner s class - aquatics, 10:30-12:30 26 Heartbeat Club, 3:30-4:30 27 Art Club, 3:30-4:30 27 Future Georgia Educators, 3:30-4:30 27 Select Chorus, 3:30-4:45 28 Solo & Ensemble rehearsal, 3:30-4:45 28 Knight Writers, 3:30-4:30 29 Relay for Life at fairgrounds, 6:00 p.m. LUNCH CHARGES Please make a note... We will not be able to accept lunch charges after April 1. Students must pay all past charges, keep money in their accounts or pay each day. If you do not have lunch money, an alternative meal will be served. Parents may also monitor their child s lunch account on parent portal or www.mypaymentsplus.com. Café Mgmt. Arnall Chorus Spring Concert SouthCrest Church 365 International Park Newnan, GA 30265 Monday, May 16, 2016 7:00 p.m. May 2-4 Pep Squad tryouts, 4:00-5:00 3 Shaner s class track & field meet 3 Progress reports issued 5 Select Chorus, 3:30-4:45 5 Select Chorus performs at 6th grade Parent Night 5 Student Leadership Academy, 3:30-4:30 5 6th grade Parent Night, 6:30 6 8th grade Semi-Formal, 7:00-10:00 p.m. 9-11 Pep Squad tryouts, 4:00-5:00 10 Shaner s class aquatics, 10:30-12:30 10 Beta Club, 3:30-4:15 10 Heartbeat Club, 3:30-4:30 11 8th grade field trip 11 Art Club, 3:30-4:40 11 Select Chorus rehearsal, 3:30-4:45 11 Drama Club, 3:30-5:00 12 HONORS DAY 12 Knight Writers, 3:30-4:30 16 Help a Child Smile dental van on campus 16 Spring Chorus Concert at SouthCrest Church, 7pm 17 School Council, 7:30 a.m. 17 Shaner s class aquatics, 10:30-12:30 17 Art Reception at Centre, 6:00-7:00 18 Pep Squad uniform fee is due, $300 18 Art Club, 3:30-4:30 19 Arnall Ambassadors, 3:30-4:30 19 Pep Squad uniform sizing 19 Band Spring Concert at Centre, 7 p.m. 21 Pep Squad Banquet @ Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse 23 9 weeks exams science 24 9 weeks exams math 24 Milestones Retest 24 Heartbeat Club, 3:30-4:30 25 9 weeks exams social studies 25 Milestones Retest 25 Future Georgia Educators, 3:30-4:30 25 summer school regis. for Arnall @ ECHS, 4-7 26 9 weeks exams 27 9 weeks exams - connections 27 8th grade field day/cookout 27 Last day of school June 3 Report cards ready Beta Club Members, If you are looking for a fun way to earn service hours, please see Ms. Mortensen, Mrs. Clark or Mrs. Shepherd about helping at the Abby s Angels 5K run on April 16th. They need as many volunteers as possible, so please check the date with your parents and let us know as soon as possible. Heartbeat Club will continue to collect any letters or cards for the soldiers or the convalescent home throughout the remainder of the year.