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Busy Days Ahead for Our Bees!

Greetings Parents and Community Members! Another week is upon us and, as we inch a little closer to Spring Break, the learning, instruction and engaging classroom activities continue each day at Brandon! This past week saw lots of exciting activities happening within our wonderful school. As you know, each month our school reads a book focused around SEL competencies and tied into what is happening during that time. Mr. Hutson and I highlight these books each month in a segment we call “Principal Book Chat.” It’s a great way to send a positive message to our students across both campuses and we hope these are viewed in each classroom! This month we read “Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterly during Women’s History Month. You can see our chat on this great book here.

I also hosted my 3rd Principal Coffee Talk of the year, this time focused around testing and assessment. We spoke about the difference between a test and an assessment, as well as some of the ones your children will be taking from kindergarten all the way to 5th grade. There was something for everyone and, if you missed it, don’t worry! You can access the information here. We had a large turnout from our rising K parents and it was great to see the interest in our awesome neighborhood school starting so early! My final Coffee Talk will take place in late April with a focus on SEL competencies and a short question-and-answer portion on the upcoming Georgia Milestones. More info to come soon! Aside from that, here’s what happened in the classrooms and around the school:

  • Our Kindergartners laughed and enjoyed themselves watching Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook in the PC gym. It was a great way to ease into Daylight Saving Time and build upon what they are reading within Ms. Ingram’s Media Center.
  • In Ms. Klibanoff’s 1st grade DLI classroom, students learned the importance of choosing kind words and the impact they can have on others. Taking back what you said is difficult, like putting toothpaste back into the tube!
  • Ushering in their new science unit (5th graders learn physical, earth and life science), students in Ms. Stansbury’s class learned about vertebrates through a mammal scavenger hunt. So cool!
  • To piggyback on science in 5th grade, Ms. Cramer’s class began to write informational essays on microorganisms, focusing on strong introductions, a main idea within multiple paragraphs and incorporating a strong conclusion. This is transdisciplinary learning at its finest!
  • Our awesome media specialist at the MC, Ms. Lander, kicked off our 5th grade exhibition with a Galileo Library refresher, diving right into some great research.
  • Ms. Lane, 2nd grade teacher extraordinaire, used partner work to help solve math problems. Academic conversation among peers, especially at the younger grades, is so important and she models it so well!
  • And, of course, we celebrated our first Atlanta United day of the new season (but not school year). It seems like we just won the championship!

As we continue to roll along this school year, I’d like to make a significant push on our attendance. Every study shows that attendance trends for students start in Elementary school and can have lasting impacts throughout their schooling careers. Remember that we need your kids here every single day, ready to learn and on time! When children are late to school, they have difficulty adjusting into the normal classroom routine and it can actually affect their mood all day. Of course, I know there are always extenuating circumstances, so please make sure you contact our attendance hotline any time your child will be out. It won’t always count as an excused absence, but it will let us know proactively why your child is absent and may keep an attendance letter from arriving in your mailbox (per APS policy). Also, please remember that Handicap parking spots at both campuses MUST remain open for the people who need them. If you are parked there, please make sure your permit is hanging in the rear view mirror or indicated on your license plate.

I look forward to seeing everyone at our first annual Morris Brandon’s Got Talent this Thursday, 6pm at the Sutton theater (I’m so excited!!) and, of course, please reach out to me or a member of my admin team with anything you may need.

Until next time!
j

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