Polar Regions Unit Assessment

Please see the 3 links under "Important Documents" for study guides for this unit. Assessment is March 3rd. Thank you!

Lower School Newsletter - Feb. 25

Our mission at First Presbyterian Day School is to educate and equip students

to change the world for God’s glory.

Cleaning Out?? Save items for March 4-13^th for our Goodwill Donation Drive Competition! FPD will compete with other area schools to see who brings in the most donations. Students have tickets (in today’s signed papers) to attach to their items when dropping off.

FPD uniforms: Please DO NOT take to Goodwill or other local charities. Instead, please donate to our school’s annual consignment sale (info on sale TBA). You may drop off items in The Viking Store, open daily 7:45am to 3:30pm near the cafeteria in the MAC.

BACKPACK NEEDS: Immediate needs are: fruit cups, juice boxes, juice pouches, Vienna sausages, and peanut butter crackers. Thanks for your help! We have recently added 15 more children from another school, so all donations are appreciated! 

MATH-A-THON – Donations and prize order form due FRIDAY, Feb. 26^th.

CLASS PICTURES are Tuesday, March 8^th. All students should wear FPD uniforms that day.

Scholastic BOOK FAIR is coming! Since it is the same week as Grandparent’s Day, (the week before Spring Break) we hope you and visiting grandparents will find time to stop by our book fair Monday, March 21 through ½ day Thursday, March 24. Hours are 8am - 3:30pm Monday through Wednesday, and 8am – 11:30 Thursday. A Scholastic flyer will come home soon with wish-lists from preview day. ***If you are interested in volunteering to work a 2-hour shift at our Book Fair, please contact Elizabeth Hardy at hardy_ee@hotmail.com.***

Jump Rope for Heart promotion will be March 3-21, for 3^rd - 5^th grade participants. Students will receive info packets in next week’s signed papers.

Parent’s Technology Tidbit: PLEASE make sure your child’s personal technology devices have appropriate restrictions. Safety and protection with devices is crucial and is a best parenting practice. We want all children safe!

LIBRARY NEWS: We only need one more volunteer for Mrs. Murnan’s 5^th grade quilt. Please consider asking your mom or grandmother to piece together squares and then quilt the crib-size blanket for this class. We provide all supplies. Thank you!

GRANDPARENT’S DAY is THURSDAY, March 24^th. Every student 3K through 5th grade will be participating in our “Sunday School Revival” theme.

COSTUMES: Students should dress in their “Sunday best.” Boys: Black, navy, or khaki pants and a long or short-sleeve button down shirt or nice polo shirt; Bowtie or ties are also acceptable. Girls: Dresses or skirts and tops in spring colors are appropriate. Shoes: Dress shoes or other school shoes. (Please, no flip flops or heels.) All 5th grade band/chorus will also wear this costume. ALL students will wear this attire for Thursday performances.  

PERFORMANCES: Thursday, March 24^th at 9:00 and 10:30

Questions? Email mindy.krejci@fpdmacon.org

Are you taking advantage of this FREE resource? RightNow Media (rightnowmedia.org) is online streaming of Bible study videos, Christian speaker videos, and faith-based children’s shows. It’s similar to Netflix with Christian-based programming. Many of our classrooms are using these supplementary materials, and they are available to FPD families for home use as well. Create a LOGIN easily at: https://www.rightnow.org/Account/Invite/FPD_Macon

THE VIKING STORE: Spring sports have started and we have sport-specific shirts for all our Vikings! We carry short-sleeved Lands’ End shirts and uniform-approved outerwear in different weights for each season. Spring T-shirts arriving soon, so check out our selection of long and short sleeve T-shirts on clearance. Open daily 7:45am to 3:30pm near the cafeteria in the MAC. Email: renita.eversole@fpdmacon.org or call 478-477-6505 x 177.

RECORDERS: If your family has a recorder that you are no longer using, one of our FPD seniors is planning a music camp with the Campus Clubs children of Pleasant Hill and would love to have or borrow those. You may bring to the Elementary Office. Thanks so much!

*** COMING UP ***

• March 4-13 - Goodwill Donation Drive. Please donate!
• March 8^th – Chapel, led by 2^nd grade, 12:05-12:30 in the auditorium. All are welcome!
• “West Side Story” – Performed by FPD theatre students in grades 6-12 – is March 10-12, at 7:00 pm. (Parents: This show is probably most appropriate for older elementary students.) Prices are $10 for general admission, $15 for premium seating, and free for FPD students, faculty, and staff.
• Dress Down Day to benefit Alzheimer’s Association is Friday, March 18^th.
• March 21^st – Jump Rope for Heart packets due

A Visit from GA Power!

During science this week, we were visited by Bill Glisson from GA Power.  Students learned about insulators and conductors, as well as formed open and closed circuits.  He also taught these energy saving tips to the students:

1. Keep the door closed.

2. Take shorter showers. 

3. Use daylight to complete tasks.

4. Unplug chargers.

5. Turn off the lights when you leave the room. 

We love having guest speakers enhance our science curriculum!!!

Counselor's Corner

Click HERE for a link to the latest newsletter from Susan Causey, our elementary school counselor, titled "That's Not Fair!"

Elementary News

Lower School Newsletter from Wade Putnal

February 11, 2016

Our mission at First Presbyterian Day School is to educate and equip students

to change the world for God’s glory.

SAFETY INFO and REMINDERS: As you know, a top priority at FPD is keeping all students safe. Thank you for helping us with this. Please be reminded of these items from our Elementary Handbook:

MEDICINE – as stated in FPD’s Elementary Handbook (posted on the website), all medication must be administered by school office personnel or the teacher. The child or parent should deliver the medication, labeled with name, to the Elementary Office, along with a signed note from the parent or guardian, and if a prescription, a copy of the prescription or physician’s directions stating what the medication is for, how often it is to be taken, and the length of time to be taken. Any special handling such as refrigeration, dilution, etc., must be placed in writing. IF you send an email, please send to your child’s teacher, as well as to Carrie Rogers (carrie.rogers@fpdmacon.org) AND Betsy Peake (betsy.peake@fpdmacon.org) with dosage instructions. The office must have written instructions. Kindergarten building - please send to Lauren Wrabel (lauren.wrabel@fpdmacon.org) and to your child’s teacher.

FIRE, SEVERE WEATHER, and SAFETY DRILLS are procedures in which we have prepared plans at FPD. Please know that we have specific guidelines for each of these, and we do practice them with the students. Note: We will have an upcoming SAFETY DRILL. In this drill we will practice what to do should anything unsafe happen on our campus. You will be notified beforehand about this drill, in case your child has questions or shares about it when they get home (you will know it was a drill.) We know how important it is to practice these with staff and students. Our top priority being the safety of the students, we also want to conduct practice procedures in a very serious but non-threatening way for students.

VISITORS: If you are coming to visit a classroom, bring a birthday treat, eat lunch, etc., all parents and visitors must enter through the front Elementary Office door, sign in, and get a visitor’s badge. Please do not try to enter at the carpool door or knock on the window to be let in. We know your top priority, like ours, is for the safety and well-being of all our students. Thank you for helping to keep all as safe as possible.

MATH-A-THON – Please return your donation envelope and prize order form by February 26^th. If you are finished now, you can go ahead and send it in to the Elementary office.

THE VIKING STORE has extended the Winter Sale thru this Friday (2/12). All outerwear and long sleeve shirts are 20% off! “Viking Bucks” spending cards make great gifts for Valentine’s Day or any occasion. Remember we have everything a Viking needs for cold weather: headwear, scarves, long sleeve spirit shirts, sweatshirts and jackets (all uniform-approved) as well as blankets. We carry Land’s End uniform shirts and girls’ sweaters also. Open school days 7:45am - 3:30pm and located in the MAC building near the cafeteria. For more info, email renita.eversole@fpdmacon.org or call 478-477-6505 x 177.

LIBRARY NEWS: It’s 5^th grade quilt time! We need volunteers for Miss Brown’s and Mrs. Murnan’s classes. (Many thanks to Isabel Stokes’ grandmother for volunteering for Mrs. Hollingsworth’s class!) Each mom or grandmother volunteer will piece together squares made by a 5^th grade class, and then quilt the crib-size blanket for that class. We provide all supplies, and this can be done by machine or hand - NO rush. The quilts hang in the library until their junior year when they are auctioned at the Fall Festival to help fund the Junior-Senior prom. You may stop by the library to view previous years’ quilts any time. Please consider volunteering for one of the 5th grade classes. Thank you!

FPD Center for Discovery spring class registration is underway! Open to the community, classes are available for 3K through adults. Pick up a program guide and registration form in the Elementary Office or online at: www.fpdmacon.org/center-for-discovery

Please label all jackets, coats, sweaters, hats, mittens, lunchboxes, etc. If you are missing something, please check Elementary “Lost & Found.”

*** COMING UP ***

·         Red Cross Blood Drive – Friday, February 12^th, 8am-1pm, Clark Fine Arts Building

·         President’s Day Holiday – No School – Monday & Tuesday, February 15^th and 16^th

·         Dress Down Day – February 19^th – for Daybreak Center for the homeless

·         Cleaning Out?? Save items for March 4-13^th for our Goodwill Donation Drive Competition! FPD Elementary will compete with other area schools to see who brings in the most donations.

• “West Side Story” – Performed by FPD theatre students in grades 6-12 – is March 10-12, at 7:00 pm. (Parents: This show is probably most appropriate for older elementary students.) Prices are $10 for general admission, $15 for premium seating, and free for FPD students, faculty, and staff.
• Grandparent’s Day: THURSDAY, March 24^th – invitations to come home soon!

Thank you for coming!

We enjoyed having you all visit our classrooms on Friday! Thank you for looking through your child's portfolio, sharing ways you use measurements, voting for your favorite landform, and telling us the name of your favorite childhood book.  We will continue to add work to your child's portfolio, and it will be sent home at the end of the year. Enjoy your day!

Celebrating Our Visiting Author!

Today we were so excited to welcome our visiting author, Mr. Darnell!  We enjoyed hearing stories about his childhood in Pike Road, Alabama.

Save the Date!

Tuesday, March 1st at 6:00 pm will be our Parent Informational Meeting for our field trip to Tybee Island! We will meet in Mrs. Thigpin's classroom. The meeting will only last 30 minutes, since some parents may need to attend another meeting on campus for rising 7th/8th graders at 6:30. See you then!

February Newsletter is Ready!

Our latest Fourth Grade News is posted on the right under "Newsletters." See what's going on in your child's classroom all this month!

Important Policy Information

MEDICINE – as stated in FPD’s Elementary Handbook (posted on the website), all medication must be administered by school office personnel or the teacher.  The child or parent should deliver the medication, labeled with name, to the OFFICE along with a signed note from the parent or guardian and a copy of the prescription or physician’s directions stating what the medication is for, how often it is to be taken, and the length of time to be taken.  Any special handling such as refrigeration, dilution, etc., must be in writing.  If you send an email please send to your child’s teacher, as well as to Carrie Rogers (carrie.rogers@fpdmacon.org) AND Betsy Peake (betsy.peake@fpdmacon.org) with dosage instructions.  The office must have written instructions. Thank you for helping to keep all safe!

Newton's Laws of Motion

Today in science, 4th graders experimented with ramps, pennies, marbles, jars, and model cars in order to test Newton's 3 laws of motion.  Enjoy a few pictures below of our scientific discoveries...