Dolvin Diary
August 18, 2022
Principal's Message
Dear Dolvin Families –
It’s hard to believe that we are almost at the end of our second week of the new school year! Students have been doing a wonderful job getting back to their routines, and there is great instruction taking place all around the building.
Curriculum Night
I am excited to welcome parents back in to the building for Curriculum Night. PreK, Kindergarten, and first grade will hold their Curriculum Night on Tuesday, August 23. Second and third grade will present on Wednesday, August 24, and fourth and fifth grade will have their Curriculum Night on Thursday, August 25. Each night will run 6:30-7:30 pm. This event is intended for parents/guardians only – please do not bring students.
Transportation
Our car rider lines, over all, have been running well. Things tend to get backed up when the weather is poor, or the traffic officer is not present. Thank you for your patience when navigating car pool.
Our buses are a challenge. As you may know, there is a shortage of drivers, and the transportation department has had to be creative with their routes. We are typically short a driver every day. It has become the norm in the first two weeks of school for a driver to take a load of students home, and then come back for a second load. If your child is taken home by a different bus driver, this will affect what you see on “Here Comes the Bus” as you may not be tracking the bus your child is actually riding.
Cultural Kaleidoscope
Fulton County is providing our students with some great field trips this year! There is no cost to students, and buses are provided.
Student Success Skills Inventory
The Student Success Skills Inventory will be administered to students in grades 3-5 between August 29th and September 9th. The inventory is used to measure student growth across our Student Success Skills standards as a result of ReThink Ed lessons. The Inventory contains 15-20 items and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. Parents can choose to opt their student out of the inventory. To opt out, parents must send a written request to (me) the school principal – cookek1@fultonschools.org.
Student Enrollment
In the first ten days of school, the county monitors enrollment numbers of each school. After that, they determine if a school will gain or lose a class/classes. Our enrollment is currently about 40 students more than anticipated. If we need to open a new class, a number of factors will be considered including continuous achievement levels, services needed for students, and so on. We likely won’t have changes communicated to us for another week or two. I will keep you posted as I learn of any adjustments.
Your proud principal,
Karen
Please Welcome Staff Member Lisa Floyd
My name is Lisa Floyd. I am a Teacher of Students with a Visual Impairment. I have been teaching for almost 24 years. I am married with 3 children. I enjoy reading and spending time with my family. I am so excited to be a teacher and to help inspire children of all ages.
Advanced Studies/TAG Department
All Fulton County students are screened for the gifted program twice a year. Read here to find out more details about the process.
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
If your child will miss school for any reason, please send an email to their homeroom teacher as well as dolvinattendance@fultonschools.org. Ideally these emails are mailed the morning of the absence but can be sent no later than 5 days after the absence. Please include first and last name of student.
Please visit https://www.fultonschools.org/attendancematters for full details regarding attendance. Please note that the system generates automatic emails to parents of students that miss a certain number of days. The county is looking at EXCUSED and UNEXCUSED absences as a whole. Your child's attendance can be viewed in the parent portal.
If your child tests positive for COVID, you must report it to the COVID portal located on the Dolvin.org website. A nurse will contact you with a return date.
Families/Students must formally request for students to be absent due to family events or other pre-approved absences at least 5 days prior to the absence. Send requests to Andy Stein at steina@fultonschools.org.
DOCUMENTS TO COMPLETE ENROLLMENT
If your child was provisionally enrolled due to lack of required documents, please submit required documents no later than September 9, 2022, to complete enrollment and avoid withdrawal.
Media Center
Please click HERE for information about our upcoming Scholastic Book Fair!
Ready For School
Please send your child to school with everything they need to have a successful day! Lunches, water bottles, homework, snacks, devices, etc., should arrive with your student in the morning to avoid interruption of instructional time. If a child arrives in the cafeteria without a lunch, they will be allowed to purchase one. Thank you and we appreciate your understanding.
Car Pool Lines
Morning car pool will continue to operate on the Jones Bridge side of the building. We rely very heavily on parent cooperation to keep car pool running smoothly. As marked in the map below, we ask parents to pull up as far as possible (the first car being at the red star/end of the awning) before letting children out of vehicles. We have a heavy car line in the morning, and our FCS officer is not always able to arrive for the beginning of car pool.
Afternoon car pool will remain on the Buice side as in previous years.
Breakfast and Lunch at Dolvin
Who should you contact with questions or concerns?
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to a member of the administrative team. The first point of contact should always be your child’s teacher.
Mrs. Allison Polaski – Instructional Support Teacher (IST), polaski@fultonschools.org
- Mrs. Polaski coordinates programs and service delivery for our special education students. Questions about special education services at Dolvin should be addressed to the IST. Mrs. Polaski is at Dolvin on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Mrs. Amber Fisher – School Counselor, fishera@fultonschools.org
- Mrs. Fisher works with school personnel to foster a positive learning environment for our students. She provides classroom guidance instruction and also works with students individually and in small groups as needed. Mrs. Fisher is the 504 chair.
Mrs. Jennifer Shaffer – Administrative Assistant, shafferj@fultonschools.org
- Mrs. Shaffer is Dolvin’s device coordinator and coordinates/leads SST meetings.
Mrs. Carrie Halron – Curriculum Support Teacher (CST), halron@fultonschools.org
- Mrs. Halron is the point of contact for questions regarding curriculum, continuous achievement, and class placements.
Mr. Andy Stein – Assistant Principal, steina@fultonschools.org
- Mr. Stein oversees student information (Infinite Campus, Parent Portal), grading, standardized testing, discipline, and transportation.
If further assistance is still needed, contact the Principal, Ms. Karen Cooke cookek1@fultonschools.org.
District Health Services - Annual Parent Information Letter 2022-2023
Entering the Building
As part of FCS Safety procedures, we are required to ask anyone entering the building why they are here. When a visitor rings the bell, our front office secretary Terri (or whoever answers the door) will ask “How may I help you” even if she knows you very well. Please briefly share your reason for visiting the school, and she will let you in. We appreciate your cooperation on this very important safety item.
Community Meetings with Linda McCain 2022 - 2023
Parent Volunteers
We welcome and greatly appreciate our volunteers at Dolvin! If you would like to be a volunteer, you must complete the Volunteer Registration Application prior to volunteering. For volunteer information and frequently asked questions on the Fulton County Schools website, click HERE.
Please note the following as stated on the Fulton County Website:
All persons interested in volunteering in the Fulton County School District must complete an application every two years, even if they have completed an application in the past. To keep in compliance with State Law and best practices, we will require everyone to re-register/register every two years based on the following volunteer service periods.
Volunteer Service Periods:
June 2020 thru May 2022
June 2022 thru May 2024
The registration process can be found on the FCS District Website under Community/Partners and Volunteers. In accordance with State Law, all volunteers must be current with the Child Abuse Reporting Protocol Training before being allowed to volunteer in our schools. All applicants must wait 24 hours after applying for application processing. Applicants should be prepared to spend about 10-15 minutes for the training and application process. It is very important that volunteers enter their full legal name as it appears on government issued ID. Please do not use nicknames or goes by names on the application.
Please click HERE to begin the online Volunteer Registration Application. Thank you.
Resources in Different Languages
Bienvenido de nuevo. 입학을 환영합니다.欢迎回来. वापसी पर स्वागत है. Добро пожаловать. Bem vindo de volta. Сардэчна запрашаем назад. お帰りなさい. Content de te revoir. مرحبًا بعودتك ברוך שובך chào mừng trở lại خوش برگشتی
Nice to meet you! I’m Mrs.Holladay and I am so glad that you are here at Dolvin. I look forward to meeting all of you, the parents of Dolvin! I am the Bilingual Community Liaison. My second language is Korean, but I am super passionate about helping ALL parents become educated and empowered to be the best advocates for their students! I am here to help all parents. Please let me know if there is something I can do to help you.
¡Un placer conocerte! Soy la Sra. Holladay y estoy muy contenta de que esté aquí en Dolvin. ¡Espero conocerlos a todos ustedes, los padres de Dolvin! Soy el enlace comunitario bilingüe. ¡Mi segundo idioma es el coreano, pero me apasiona ayudar a TODOS los padres a educarse y empoderarse para ser los mejores defensores de sus estudiantes! Estoy aquí para ayudar a todos los padres. Por favor, avíseme si hay algo que pueda hacer para ayudarlo. (*disculpe cualquier error tipográfico, se usó traducción electrónica)
만나서 반갑습니다! 저는 Mrs.Holladay입니다.저는 이중 언어 커뮤니티 연락 담당자입니다. 제 두 번째 언어는 한국어이지만 모든 부모가 학생들을 위한 최고의 옹호자가 될 수 있도록 돕고자 합니다. 제가 도와드릴 일이 있으면 알려주세요.기꺼이 도아들이겠습니다.
Is your 4th/5th grader bilingual? Would your 4th/5th grader like to help current ESOL students by becoming a reading buddy? Help them fill out this form.
https://forms.office.com/r/WR8A3BKvZz
Bilingual Buddies help current ESOL students by reading together in English. They are paired by their second language in order to help interpret or translate whatever they are reading.
Heritage Board at Dolvin!
A new bulletin board at Dolvin in the new 2022-23 school year!
Parents, we are always celebrating our diverse group of Dolvin Dolphins and we would love for you to help!
- Would you like to celebrate your family’s heritage? Volunteer to decorate our Heritage Board!
- Would you like be in charge of decorating the Heritage Board with the country of the month?
- Please use this form to sign up: https://forms.office.com/r/4yXLZeMsBu
Dates to Remember
August 19
All Pro Dad Chapter Meeting - Dolvin Cafeteria 6:30am - 7:30am
August 23
Curriculum Night - PreK, Kindergarten and First Grade 6:30pm - 7:30pm
August 24
Curriculum Night - Second and Third Grade 6:30pm - 7:30pm
August 25
Curriculum Night - Fourth and Fifth Grade 6:30pm - 7:30pm
August 26
Parent Coffee - 9:00am - 9:30am
September 1
Picture Day
September 2
Spirit Day
September 5
Labor Day - (schools closed)
Stay In Touch With Dolvin
Dolvin Website: dolvin.org
Dolvin PTA Website: dolvinpta.org
Dolvin PTA Email: dolvinpta@gmail.com
Dolvin Foundation Website: dolvinfoundation.org
Teacher's blogs
Twitter: Follow us at @DolvinES
Dolvin Diary - A new issue comes out the first and third Thursday of the month. Please read to keep up with current events at the school.
Peachjar: Various flyers are sent home via Peachjar.
Dolvin-specific flyers come to your inbox on Thursdays. All can be viewed following the link
on the homepage at dolvin.org or click HERE.
LED Sign: Located on the corner of Buice Road and Jones Bridge Road.
********
Foundation News
The Dolvin Elementary School Foundation (DESF) is a 501(c)(3) organization established in 1999 to raise funds for educational programs, technologies, and improvements that would not otherwise be available through traditional funding. We focus on enhanced educational resources to support the whole child, like software, devices, STEM supplies, health & safety resources, and even the Discovery Lab special.
The Foundation is kicking off its annual Direct Giving campaign to raise funds for the 2022-2023 school year, with a goal to raise $20,000. The Foundation funds several critical resources each year, but one of our top goals this year is to install vibrant and educational durable playground markings - this is an exciting project that promotes enhanced learning opportunities, physical fitness, social/emotional intelligence, playground safety, and campus beautification - all in one project! And this year, if we reach our Direct Giving goal, ALL students will receive FREE Foundation t-shirts, color-coded by grade level (perfect for field trips and school events!).
When you make a 100% tax-deductible donation to DESF, you support the foundation for student success that benefits Dolvin children and their communities for years to come. And our newly updated website makes donating easy through our secure, streamlined PayPal integration. You'll even receive your tax receipt immediately via email - how convenient!
In addition, many employers will match your donation 1:1, or even double or triple it - it's an easy way to multiply your impact! Simply check the “Interested in Corporate Matching” box when making your donation, then check with your HR department or employee website to find how to submit a matching request. Any businesses who submit corporate match donations by August 31st will also get their logo added to the Foundation t-shirts!
Plus - giving is so rewarding! For the 2022-2023 school year, Foundation donors and each of their students can earn the following incentives:
- · All Levels, when $20k goal is reached - Grade-level Foundation T-shirts (students/staff only)
- · Dolphin ($50 donation) - Reward above, PLUS Classic DESF Car Magnet (one per family)
- · Diligent Dolphin ($100 donation) - Rewards above, PLUS the Student Ice Cream Party with Principal Cooke
- · Dynamic Dolphin ($250 donation) - Rewards above, PLUS a Student Pledge Video for the Dolvin News Splash
- · Daring Dolphin ($500 donation) - Rewards above, PLUS the Discovery Lab Family Night, AND Family Name on Foundation T-shirts
- · Dynamite Dolphin ($1,000 donation) - Rewards above, PLUS Lunch with a Teacher in the Outdoor Classroom, AND Two (2) Reserved Parking Spots for School Events!
With nearly 100% of our teachers and staff donating to our direct giving campaign each year, we encourage our Dolvin families to show the same support. There is no donation too small or too large! No matter the amount, we appreciate your support and truly believe that every dollar counts!
Want to get involved with the Foundation? We are always looking for volunteers to help with events, fundraising efforts, or to be part of our Board. Contact us at dolvinesfoundation@gmail.com to get started. You can also like and follow us on social media:
Website: dolvinfoundation.org
Contact Us: dolvinesfoundation@gmail.com