The link below provides a student calendar of events for the 2023-2024 school year. The calendar informs everyone of dates for school activities, progress reports and report cards, breaks, and celebrations. Please check this calendar out to keep up to date with what's going on at SCES.

Seminole County School System Attendance Policy & Procedure:

• Upon enrollment Parents/Guardians receive State Compulsory Law and County Attendance Policy

• 1-3 Unexcused absences parent and student contact made by teacher(s)

• 4 Unexcused absences parent & student contact made by principal designee(s)

• 5 Unexcused absences parent contact via letter

• 6 Unexcused absences parent contact via home visit from school social worker

• 7 Unexcused absences Attendance Support Team meets and creates an attendance contract. A certified letter is mailed to the parents/guardians requesting a meeting to discuss and sign the contract.

• 8+ Unexcused absences which breaks attendance contract; parent contact via home visit from the school social worker with a recommendation for referral to law enforcement and complaint filed with the court system.

• Further unexcused absences will result in continued referral to law enforcement

The full attendance protocol is attached below. Please be mindful of the number of days your students miss. If no action is taken after an absence, it will be classified as an unexcused absence.

Our school-wide AR goal at SCES is 25 million words read with at least an 80% accuracy. So far this school year, we have read almost 13 million words and are at 81% accuracy on our AR comprehension tests. Please encourage your student to read and take the time to read with them.

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching. Family Connections will provide individual Valentine's pictures for students on January 29 and 30. The PTO will also provide a Valentine's store for students to purchase Valentine's gifts on February 13th. These schedules along with a volunteer sign up spreadsheet for Valentines Day is linked below. Guidelines for presents and policies regarding Valentine's Day are also linked below. Please make sure we adhere to the Valentine's Policies regarding deliveries to the school and transportation.

PreK and Kindergarten registration for the 2024-2025 school term will begin on February 1. Parents can scan the QR code attached below to fill out the google form for each registration. Current SCES K3 students will automatically be enrolled into the PreK program and can bypass this process. Current SCES PreK students will automatically be enrolled into Kindergarten and can bypass this process.

Join us at SCES and eat lunch with your Kindergarten student on Friday, February 9th. There will be some entertainment along with some academic instruction. The deadline to reserve your plate for this lunch has already passed. However, if you want to still attend, you are welcome to come and sit with your student. We may have extra plates for sale in the lunchroom on this day. We look forward to seeing you at this event.

Mr. Buczek and the Seminole Singers have been working tirelessly to get ready for their production of The Wizard of Oz. The attached flyer lists the public performances that will be held February 1-5. All tickets for public performances can be purchased for $10 in the SCES front office or at the door. The play will be held at the SCES Auditorium.

We have recently had some complications with our School App that have since been corrected. Please make sure that you are still connected to us online and you are receiving notifications. Attached below is the directions to download the app. If you have any problems downloading, please contact the front office of SCES at 229-524-5235 or email our technology specialist at david.roland@seminole.k12.ga.us.

SCES will again host Parent/Teacher Conferences by appointment only from 3:30 until 5:00 on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 6. Parents can check the progress of their students during the 3rd Quarter and view their student's growth on our Middle of the Year Assessments. Later that afternoon, SCES will host Family Stem Night and their quarterly PTO meeting at Hardee's in Donalsonville. Once again, Hardee's has graciously agreed to have a share night this night from 4:00 until 8:00 with 20% of the proceeds going back to SCES. The class with the most participation this night will have a party at school sponsored by Hardee's. Family Stem Night will be 4:00 until 6:00 with stations set up for parents and students to rotate through. PTO will recognize Student's of the Month at 6:00.

Join our MS Administration, Counselors, and Staff for an information night for 5th Grade students transitioning into Middle School on February 26 at 5:30 in the SCMHS Cafeteria.

Students in possession of phones at school has become a major discipline issue since we've returned from Christmas Break. Students are not permitted to have phones at school. The student code of conduct in the SCES Student Handbook states:

Electronic Devices/Telephone Use

Students are not allowed to make or receive personal telephone calls at school. Members of the office staff will make emergency phone calls to parents or relay emergency messages to a student or teacher. Students are not allowed to have cell phones or other personal electronic devices, such as smart watches, tablets, laptops, game consoles, etc., at school. In special circumstances that MUST PREVIOUSLY BE APPROVED BY AN ADMINISTRATOR, students MUST turn in the cell phone to their teacher or the front office before the start of the school day. They will receive the cell phone back at 3:10 when school ends. Students in possession of cell phones or other electronic devices without permission or students who fail to turn devices into the proper authorities will face disciplinary consequences. Since these items are prohibited at school, Seminole County Elementary School will not be responsible for lost, stolen or damaged cell phones or electronic devices.

For true emergencies, i.e., sickness, hospital stays, etc, parents can communicate with teachers on a case by case basis. However, this should only be for one instance and not every day. In those instances, students should give the phone to thier teacher or the office in the morning and it will be returned at dismissal.

Violation of this policy will result in the phone being confiscated and a parent contact on each occasion. The phone will be returned at the end of the day on the first offense. On the second offense, the student will be punished and the phone must be picked up by a parent from the office. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact Mr. Johnson or Mrs. Miller.

SCS Social Worker Mrs. Bianca Culver Bright would like to inform all families that food is available for those in need. One food box per family will be distributed at the BOE office on February 2nd from 10-12 until supplies last. Information concerning the event is attached in the flyer below.

We are so excited our new school plans have been approved and we are anxiously awaiting seeing some actual progress being made at the new school site. Attached below are the new school renderings developed by the architect. (The exterior brick colors may not be exact)