August 4, 2023
FTE Families:
School year 2023-24 is upon us! The anticipation of opening the doors and seeing our scholars fill the hallways with enthusiasm is growing as we get closer to August 28, 2023.
Our PGCPS Summer Leadership Institute challenged us to ‘Lead through Change!’ We have a new Superintendent. Superintendent House has high expectations for us to “empower students towards readiness.” If you get a chance to attend one of his listening sessions, please do so to hear his plans for your child. Superintendent House is keeping the following three priorities:
● School Climate & Culture
● Accelerating Achievement in Mathematics
● Social Emotional Learning and Mental Health
I’m happy to introduce to you our new Assistant Principal, Mr. Darryl Payne, Jr. He has an elementary school background and is excited to work with the FTE Community! Let’s also welcome the following new staff members: Mrs. Ana Santos, Kindergarten Teacher; Ms. Brooke Shaw, First Grade Teacher; and Ms. Florence Nelson, Third Grade Teacher.
FTE’s School Performance Plan includes goals in the areas of Reading, Math and Attendance. We will work on achieving these goals so that your child will grow academically, emotionally and socially throughout the school year. Our belief in your child’s ability to learn continues to be why we teach. In addition, we know that each child has ‘Endless Possibilities!’
The following are a few reminders:
● For safety reasons, we will continue to meet parents and visitors at the door by appointment only.
● FTE remains a mandatory uniform school.
● Food Services will resume normal operations. The Meal Benefit Application (Lunch Application) is required to determine eligibility for free or reduced-priced meals. Please fill out an application. Students not eligible for free or reduced-priced meals must pay for their meals.
● Technology will continue to be a part of daily instruction. All registered students should have a county-issued device. Recognize that the devices are fragile and need to be cared for daily.
● Establish routines at home for getting back on schedule for school. If your child will bring lunch from home, take a moment to practice opening and closing their lunchbox and lunch containers. While this task may be simple to us as adults, opening containers at lunch can be challenging for younger students.
● We encourage our families to stay connected by joining the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) to use their talents, skills, and resources to benefit our school community.
● Finally, parents will drop students off outside instead of coming into the building.
Remember, we can not do this work without you. You are encouraged to monitor your child’s progress on Google Classroom/Canvas, intervention programs and in SchoolMax. Scholar performance will be seen on all platforms. We will use Class Dojo, SchoolMessenger, and emails to strengthen our home-school communication. Maintain contact with your child’s teacher. We also urge you to join our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).
Our staff and school community are committed to providing the best educational experience possible for your child. I commend our staff for their hard work in meeting the learning needs of our children. Including creating a culturally responsive classroom. We will celebrate our efforts
of hard work throughout the school year.
Upcoming Dates to Remember
● August 25 - Orientation Day In person, for Grades 1-5 Sneak-a-Peak (10:00-11:30), Pre-Kindergarten Orientation (9:00-9:45), and Kindergarten Orientation (9:30-10:15). We ask that you adhere to the appointed time. We also encourage families to bring student supplies with them to orientation as parents will not have an opportunity to walk scholars to class on the first day of school.
● August 28 - First Day of School
● September 20 - Back to School Night (more details to come)
We are working earnestly toward our Francis T. Evans vision and mission of the school. Our motto, “Piloting Our Paths Towards College and Career Readiness” remains the same. Our theme, “Endless Possibilities!,” encompasses what we believe for every child. Join me and our staff as we strive to teach our scholars to be prepared for their best future selves. FTE will produce better readers, better writers, better mathematicians, better scientists who will make
profound contributions to society!
Sincerely,
Sonya Gaston
Principal
