Grade Level Auction Baskets - Contributions Needed

As a tradition, each grade puts together fabulous auction baskets to be auctioned off at SOFI's Night.  Please keep an eye out for more information in your child's backpacks and via Class Dojo.  See below for the auction basket themes and the contact information for each grade's basket coordinator(s):

Pre-K:  Wine (Shukura Ingram and LaKeitha Daniels)
K:  Arts and Crafts  (Brittany Alverson)
1st:  Family Game Night (Kara Williamson)
2nd:  Rainy Day Activities (Keisha Prentiss and Von Johnson)
3rd:  Bolton's Birchbox (Kara Williamson)
4th:  Spa (Jennifer Veri)
5th:  Month of Fun (Heather Shankwiler)

From the Soaring Owls Foundation

Bolton's biggest night of the year promises to be our best ever!  We'll have dancing, hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and fantastic live and silent auction items. Tickets are $75 per person ($40 for teachers) and sponsorships begin at $100.

New this year!  All bidding, ticket and sponsorship purchases, auction item payments and event check-in/check-out will be handled electronically through our online auction portal (you'll see a button to Get Started on the SOFi's Night web page).  You'll be able to browse and bid online before the event begins, and you can share the auction site with friends and family who want to show their support, but can't attend the event in person. 

We've already added a few items to the auction site, so register today so you can check them out.  Of course, there will be many more added over the coming weeks!

Our goal is to raise $60,000 this year so that SOFi can continue funding its yearly initiatives like IB training and cultural events, and fund new and exciting improvements at the school!  Book your babysitter and start shopping for the perfect outfit.  We can't wait to see everyone dressed to the nines!

Questions about sponsorship, got an item to donate or want to volunteer?  Email us!

Equipment Upgrades to the Field and Café

We are excited to share that we applied for and were awarded a $4,000 grant to participate in the Fuel Up to Play 60 program!  This grant was provided by NFL Play 60 and the National Dairy Council.  Our funds have been approved to purchase two brand new soccer goals for the turf and for the recently installed electronic menu display in the Café.  The Fuel Up to Play 60 program encourages kids to stay active and eat healthy which is why both our outdoor space and Café are getting upgrades!  Be on the lookout soon for opportunities for your child to participate here and at home in challenges that encourage them to eat healthy and exercise. 
 
In addition to our Fuel Up to Play 60 grant, we also applied and were awarded another $1,000 from the Target Corporation.  The grant requires us to encourage soccer play so we will be using these funds to purchase additional soccer equipment for the field. 
 
We are very excited to bring these improvements to our school and are even more thrilled to be able to fund them from grants!

Bolton IB Showcase: We need your help!

Our 2nd annual Bolton IB Showcase is coming up on March 8 (stay tuned for more information!).  In the meantime, Mrs. Walls needs your help collecting old CDs for 3rd grade projects and also volunteers for the event.  Please see attached flyer for more information.

Also, please contribute an hour of your time to help make our Showcase a success!  Click here for more information about how you can help.  If you can help, please click here to sign up.  We really need your support so all of the art projects are ready for the big day!

Black History Month Celebration - This Friday!

Bolton's annual Black History Month Celebration is going to be a "Harlem Renaissance Experience." We have an exciting, fun and educational day planned for our young scholars. There will be dancing, crafts, double dutch, Black history facts and more!!  Parents, we need your help.  Please sign up here to volunteer for this event

SOFi's Night 2019!

The Soaring Owls Foundation (SOFi) is thrilled to invite you to the 6th Annual SOFi's Night Charity Auction on Saturday, March 23, from 8 pm to midnight, at Upstairs Atlanta.

Bolton's biggest night of the year promises to be our best ever!  We'll have dancing, hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and fantastic live and silent auction items. Tickets are $75 per person ($40 for teachers) and sponsorships begin at $100. 

New this year!  All bidding, ticket and sponsorship purchases, auction item payments and event check-in/check-out will be handled electronically through our online auction portal (you'll see a link on the SOFi's Night webpage).  You'll be able to browse and bid online before the event begins, and you can share the auction site with friends and family who want to show their support, but can't attend the event in person. We promise you'll love it!

Our goal is to raise $60,000 this year so that SOFi can continue funding its yearly initiatives like IB training and cultural events, and fund new and exciting improvements at the school!  Book your babysitter and start shopping for the perfect outfit.  We can't wait to see everyone dressed to the nines!

Questions about sponsorship, got an item to donate or want to volunteer?  Email us!

After School Care for Second Semester

The Spring Enrichment Club Schedule is here!  Please click here to review the Menu to better understand what the kids will be doing this semester.  You can click here to review the schedule, review registration links and directly pay the vendor.  If you do not see an online registration option, please email the vendor for more information on how to sign up.  Finally, if you do enroll in an enrichment club, you will need to click here to fill out the Preferred Care Enrichment Application.  You will need to turn this form into the front office or Ms. Jackson so the after school staff will be ready and prepared for your student.

Classes begin the week of February 4th so don't delay. We hope you will sign up for some of our great classes for the Spring!

New From the Nest - 1/14

We did it!  We made it through the first week back from break.  We hope you and your family have gotten back into the rhythm and flow of school.  

Report cards went home last week.  If you haven't already, please return the report card envelope with your signature to your teachers.  Also please review the report card with your child and follow up with your teacher if you have any questions about their development.  We are proud of their progress and your involvement and engagement will only encourage them to keep up the good work.

I shared this last week, but I want to invite you again to our 2nd Semester Parent Empowerment Night on Thursday, January 24th.  We will be dividing our four rotation groups based on grade levels so you will have the opportunity to hear questions and dialogue from parents surrounding your child's grade level.  We will start check in and free childcare drop off (Pre-K-5th) at 5:30 pm and start the sessions promptly at 6:00 pm.  A free pizza dinner will be provided for both children and adults.

Our sessions will be led by Mr. Kemp, Ms. Ross, Ms. Scharff, Ms. Varner and myself.  Ms. Scharff and I will be discussing Restorative Practices and how we are prioritizing and building a culture of learning that will positively impact student success.  A key component of this priority is the effective implementation of Restorative Practices.  We invite you to this discussion to learn more about what we are doing as a school and how you can support it at home.  You won't want to miss any session as it will be filled with new information and some great take home resources as well.

Finally, as a reminder, we will be closed next Monday, January 21st for Martin Luther King Jr Day.

~ Mrs. Lawrence  (on Twitter @BoltonPrincipal)

Georgia Parent Survey - Please Complete Today!

All parents are encouraged to participate in the Georgia Parent Survey because the data will be used as part of the calculation of the School Climate Star Rating. The survey contains 24 questions and you can access it here. 

Parents may complete the survey using their personal computer, smartphone, or tablet.  If you need access to the internet, please come by the Parent Resource Center (Room 226) to complete the survey.  Survey responses are anonymous and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis.  The Georgia Parent Survey is also available in Spanish.

GO Team Meeting 1/8

Do you know what drives our school’s budget? In preparation for upcoming budget discussions, our GO Team has been reviewing school data, and analyzing areas of strength and improvement. We use this data to set two priorities/areas of focus for the 2019-20 school year, and then we evaluate our Strategic Plan. We are currently in the process of reviewing the 2017-2020 Strategic Plan to ensure alignment to our school priorities and the allocation of resources. We invite our school community to attend our next GO Team meeting on 1/8 at 5 pm in room 212, during which we will present and finalize this document. We recognize the importance of awareness as it relates to our budget, as well as every day decision-making. We hope that you are able to attend!

News From the Nest - 1/7

I hope everyone had an incredible break and you enjoyed the time with your family.  We are excited for everyone to be back at school and are looking forward to kicking off the second half of the school year.  Please save the date for our Second Semester Parent Empowerment Night on Thursday, January 24, at 6 pm.  You will have the opportunity to rotate to different sessions that will dive deeper into different content areas to help you better connect with your child’s school experience at home. The children (Pre-K-5) will be entertained in the gym, and dinner will be provided for both parents and kids.  Please save the date and plan to attend. You don’t want to miss it!

~ Mrs. Lawrence  (on Twitter @BoltonPrincipal)

Please Visit the Lost and Found

With the help of our PTA and volunteers, we have an organized Lost and Found area in the hallway to the left of the gym. Please take a minute to come by before the end of this semester to see if any of the items belong to your child. We will be donating any remaining items to a local shelter after January 11, so please come by soon. Also after the break, we will establish a system for new Lost and Found items so you or your child can find your items more easily.

We could really use your help by labeling your child's outer wear including jackets, sweatshirts, cardigans and hoodies. We were able to return a few items already to students since they were labeled.

Winter Concert is This Friday

Our Winter Concert, "A Small Part of the World," is this Friday, with two performances at 9:00 am and 10:15 am. Parents can attend either performance. If your child is performing, you have already received a permission form from Ms. Daniels. All classes who do not perform this winter will perform in the Spring Show.

We still need some extra hands to help us prepare the stage for the show. If you have any time available this week to help, please email Melanie Haley.

News From the Nest - 12/17

As we wrap up the last week of the semester, I wanted to take a minute to thank all of our parents and students for a great first half of the year at Bolton Academy!  We have one final week filled with classroom parties and our "A Small Part of Our World" winter concert on Friday.  Our entire administrative team hopes you all have a great break with your families and that are able to spend time with the ones you love.  We look forward to seeing everyone back on Monday, January 7 - in the meantime, enjoy your time away!

~ Mrs. Lawrence  (on Twitter @BoltonPrincipal)

Georgia Parent Survey - Please Complete!

All parents are encouraged to participate in the Georgia Parent Survey because the data will be used as part of the calculation of the School Climate Star Rating. The survey contains 24 questions and you can access it here.

Parents may complete the survey using their personal computer, smartphone, or tablet. If you need access to the internet, please come by the Parent Resource Center (Room 226) to complete the survey. Survey responses are anonymous and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis. The Georgia Parent Survey is also available in Spanish.

The Empty Stocking Fund

The Empty Stocking Fund invites parents and guardians of metro area children who are receiving public assistance benefits to come to Santa's Village and select gifts for their children. Please see the flyer to learn about eligibility and more information on hours of operation. You can also visit www.emptystockingfund.org/register to register. They strongly encourage you to pre-register before coming!

New Spirit Wear Ordering Information

Parents and teachers, thank you for your patience as the PTA has streamlined our Spirit Wear ordering process this year.  We now use two vendors for our spirit wear:  Zeus' Closet for embroidery and Amazon for screen printing.  With both vendors, items are purchased directly and are shipped to you.  Amazon provides a quick turnaround on all items ordered, and Zeus' Closet also provides us with an option to have the school logo embroidered on garments purchased from other vendors and brought into the store.  Please click on the links below to visit both of our school stores. Any time new products are added, we'll include a notice in the Weekly Hoot email newsletter, so make sure to sign up so you don't miss out!

Zeus' Closet
Amazon

We are working on getting these links added to our website, but wanted you to have the latest information in case you wanted to do any holiday shopping

Winter Concert - Next Friday

The Winter Concert is right around the corner on Friday, December 21, with two performances at 9 am and 10:15 am.  If you are new to Bolton Academy, you may not know that two classes per grade perform in the Winter Concert and then the other classes perform in the Spring Concert.  Our Pre-K classes perform at both concerts because they are just too cute!  The classes that are performing in the Winter Concert are:

Pre- K:  Hicks/Bostic
Kindergarten:  Irvin, Price
1st Grade: Adcock, Pookrum
2nd Grade:  Gilbert,Young Watson/Perez
3rd Grade:  Browne-Roberts, Harris
4th Grade:  Simpson, Thornton
5th Grade:  Alcantara, Armstrong

We also need parent volunteers to help prepare the stage for the concert.  Ms. Daniels is asking for volunteers from Monday, December 17, through Thursday, December 20, for any amount of time beginning at 9 am.  If you can volunteer, even if just for a one hour block, please email our Parent Liaison, Melanie Haley. We appreciate any help at all!

News from the Nest - 12/10

Happy Monday, everyone!  Be on the lookout for this letter (ENG ESP) in your child's book bag. We want our parents to know that outdoor recess is a priority for our students and will adhere to the guidelines set forth below. 

Be sure your child brings a coat to school every day with gloves and a hat, when needed.  Recess is a very important part of the day and we know that research has shown that students who have daily access to unstructured play are less likely to act out and stay more focused in the classroom.

As for determining the appropriateness of a trip outside, we have established a general guideline for our teachers to go outside if the wind-chill is 36 degrees or above. If the cold or rain keeps the children inside, we feel it is imperative that unstructured time still be allowed during the scheduled recess time. We have provided recommendations and resources for indoor recess to our teachers.

We hope you understand that our teachers cannot be in two places at one time, so when a student does not wear the appropriate clothing, it can affect the entire class. We are working on organizing our Lost and Found items so children who forget their coat that day can borrow a coat for recess and enjoy the fresh air. 

We also would like to be a resource for our community. If you do not have the appropriate winter wear, please return the letter linked above (which you should see in your child's book bag as well) to your homeroom teacher by Wednesday, December 12, and we will do our very best to accommodate your request.

I have spoken with our entire staff on the importance of recess and plan to closely monitor our unstructured playtime. If you ever have any questions or concerns about recess time, please feel to reach out to me.

~ Mrs. Lawrence  (on Twitter @BoltonPrincipal)