Good afternoon,

It’s Read Across America Week and we have a lot of great activities promoting literacy happening all week long!

Our RAD Kids Program will begin this week. Letters were sent home and are linked here if needed.

On Tuesday we will welcome leaders from around our community for our Read to Lead Day!

We are excited to have our Crosswell Families in the building for Literacy Night on Thursday, March 2nd from 5:30-7:30! There’s still time to RSVP! See links and details below! It’s going to be an amazing event!

Our Book Fair will take place from Friday, March 3, 2023 through Thursday, March 9, 2023 during student library time. See the informational letter that was sent home here!

Be sure to read the information below about the many happenings around our school and community.

Click here to see our Family Engagement Calendar to view events for the month of February!

Andy Holliday, Principal

Synergy is celebrating differences, working together, being open minded, and finding new and better ways. This means that I know everyone is good at something. I know that everyone needs to get better at something, and I know that we can all learn something from each other. Working in groups helps create better ideas than what one person can do alone. Together is better!

Our Cub of the Month Celebration for February was on Friday! Pictures here!

Gettys is are having a meeting at Gettys Middle School on Tuesday, February 28 at 6 p.m. in the GMS Auditorium. The students can come and try out the different string instruments and see if they would like to play a strings instrument next year. They can attend even if they attended the band instrument test already. Parents will also have an opportunity to get an instrument reserved for next year.

The 2023 Reading All-Stars Program will kick off this week! The Reading All-Stars program is focused on “using fun, excitement, & Drive baseball to encourage the fun of reading & reading achievement”. The success of this program for students could not be possible without your support. Please see below for further information and key dates.

Dates:

· Reading Dates – Monday, February 6th – Friday, March 10th

o Elementary students will read 5 reading-level appropriate books during this time period.

· Turn in reading logs to media center– Thursday, March 16th

· Celebration Game – Sunday, April 30 or May 21 @3PM at Fluor Field

Dear Parents of 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Graders,

This summer, the School District of Pickens County is excited to be able to host a three-week summer camp called ArtsVenture for current fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students, in the areas of:

• Dance
• Vocal Music
• Instrumental Music (Strings)
• Instrumental Music (Band)
• Theater/Drama
• Visual Arts

This is a FREE camp for SDPC students selected to participate. Breakfast and Lunch will be provided each day, and bus transportation is also available.

The ArtsVenture camp will be held during the weekdays of June 5-23, 2023, from 8:30 am - 2:30 pm at no cost to students. The students chosen for this special Arts opportunity must display talent beyond that of their peers in one or more artistic areas and audition. Up to 30 students from the auditioning applicants in each arts area will be selected to participate in ArtsVenture 2023.

For information about the School District of Pickens County ArtsVenture Program, please complete the form below.

Please complete the form below by Tuesday, February 28, 2023 in order to receive an audition time.

COMPLETE THIS FORM https://forms.gle/AVUCVM55TYL9HiBa6

Important Follow-Up Information:

· All information about how to audition for these programs will be sent via email - so be sure to submit a valid email address that you check regularly!

· Auditions will take place Saturday, March 18, and March 25.

· Information about how to prepare for the auditions will be sent by email after you submit this form.

For specific questions regarding ArtsVenture, please contact Amy Turner, Coordinator of Federal & Special Programs, at AmyTurner@pickens.k12.sc.us, or Brooke Gravett, Visual Arts teacher at Forest Acres Elementary and Director of ArtsVenture, at BrookeGravett@pickens.k12.sc.us