Our Partners in

Education

Dairy Queen

Earl Smith Strand

Theatre

McEachern Methodist

Church

Macland Presbyterian

Church

Powder Springs

Police Department

Puckett EMS

Sam’s Club

Studio 4 the Arts

Waffle House

West Cobb Chiropractic

Thanks for your

Support

Compton Cubs O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3

3450 New Macland Rd. 770-222-3700

Powder Springs, GA 30127 www.cobbk12.org/compton

From the desk of Liz Murphy, Principal

Dear Parents,

We have had a wonderful start to our new year and our students are

working hard and learning! Our Open House was exciting as we started our

new school year. Most of our parents and students attended and it was

delightful to see all the smiling faces and feel excitement as we start another

year of learning.

I want to personally invite you to our Title One meeting on Tuesday, October

15 at 6:30 p.m. Our talented 2nd and 3rd grade students will be performing

following this meeting and we will be sharing pertinent information about our

learning plans for the upcoming year as well!

Please make plans to meet with your child’s teacher during Conference

Week. Your child’s teacher will be contacting you about setting up your

conference time. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about your

child’s teacher, classroom, and the progress your

student is making this year!

Upcoming Events:

Title One Meeting – Oct. 15 6:30 pm (2nd and 3rd grade performing)

Conference Week – October 21-25

Community Christmas Dinner – December 12

I want to let you know about our annual Day of Hope which is coming up on

November 8th. At this event, we will have guest readers in each classroom,

sharing their inspiring stories of success and hope! Keep watching our

website and you will be thrilled with all our community heroes who are

reading and sharing with our students! We can hardly wait till this exciting

day!

P A G E 2

If you have not joined our PTA, I encourage and invite you to become an active member of our

PTA. We have many projects and events for our students and families over the course of the year

that would not be possible without our PTA.

Looking ahead, please mark your calendar for our annual Christmas Dinner for our Compton

families on December 12. This is our special gift from our Compton staff to you and your family.

We will be sending home more information in the future!

Accomplishing Much Together,

Ms. Murphy

Dear Parents,

Thank you to all who have joined PTA. Our Membership Drive Contest ended on September 30

th, but it ‘s never TOO LATE to join! The !st place

winner was Mrs. Schwann’s 3rd

grade class with 53 %. They will receive a Pizza Party. We had a tie for 2

nd place between Mrs. Hollifield’s and Ms. Cheryl Hawkins classes. They will receive an ice

cream treat.

We are looking into a fundraiser so look for information in your child’s Thursday Folder soon. Thank your for your continued support! Randi Taylor, PTA President

Guidance Department

Ali McCown has joined the Compton family as a Professional School Counselor.

Ms. McCown comes with years of experience. The counseling department has been

teaching career lessons to all our students. We have discussed topics relating to agriculture, law

and public safety, Arts and communication, energy systems, architecture and construction,

government and public administration. These lessons are designed to keep our students aware

about the world of work and how they can start to prepare for these jobs by how they learn and

apply what they learned to these jobs.

5th grader Walk-A-Thon

On Friday, November 1, 2013, the Walkathon will serve as one of our main fundraisers for our 5th

grade field trip to Charleston. All monies that your child raises will be deposited into their

account for the trip. We anticipate that with a good number of pledges, your child can raise ALL

of the cost for the trip. We hope that you can start soliciting pledges as soon as possible. Please

take the opportunity to look over the Walkathon packet that your 5th grader brought home.

If you have any questions, please call the school to speak to your child’s fifth grade teacher about

this fundraising event.

P A G E 3

Art Happenings

We have been incorporating Fall festivities and Pop Art in

the art room this month! 1st grade has their wonderful

pumpkin collages on display in the main hall, Kindergarten is ex-

ploring different types of lines, 2nd grade is about to take on Cave Art - some of

the first art ever to exist, 3rd – 5th is learning about the importance of a sketch

journal and exploring Pop Art. And please don’t forget that one man’s junk is an-

other man’s treasure! Our students would love to turn your water bottles, grocery

bags, bottle caps, cartons, tissue boxes, etc. into awesome TRASH ART

Music Notes

This month we will be doing several festive music activities. In kindergarten we will be leaving

our time on the farm and learning several fun fall related music games to practice steady beat and

work on improving our singing voices. In first grade we are working on composing simple songs

using ta and ti-ti and our most popular solfege pattern, sol-mi sol-mi. We will read some fall in-

spired books and use music to enhance the story! 2nd and 3rd grade is polishing up our songs for

our upcoming performance on October 15th! Get ready for a great performance from these talent-

ed students! 4th grade will be working on our keyboarding skills this month as we work in stations

to practice reading and writing notes on the staff and then playing them on the keyboard! Finally

5th grade is working hard on their recorder skills. Students can pass off songs to earn karate belts

for their recorders! We will also be working on learning how to improvise and compose our own

songs on the recorder using our first 3 notes, B, A, and G!

P.E. Pulse Fall is here and we have been falling into fitness! I am SO proud of

the 4th and 5th grade students on how well they actively and enthusiastically completed their

pre-assessment of the state-mandated FitnessGram. ALL students have been doing

remarkable with being energized through various fitness activities such as jumping rope,

Reader Alert: Win Lunch with the Principal

Once again, for those of you who are quick to read your newsletter, here’s a treat. Fill out the form below, clip it off,

then turn it into the Media Center. Students will become eligible for a special drawing to have lunch with the

Principal this month.

______________________________________________________ ________________________________

Child’s Name . Parent(s) name

Grade: _______ Teacher:______________________________

Page 4

MEDIA MATTERS

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Compton!

If you are interested in being a volunteer to work the Book Fair one or more days during the week of

October 21st – 25

th, please contact Terri Reece at 770-222-3700/ ext. 227 OR email her at

Terri.Reece@cobbk12.org.

STEM Lab

We have been extremely busy in the STEM Lab this month!

Our 3rd

graders have been working with rocks, making fossils, and are currently

excavating their own fossils.

Our 4th graders learned more about the water cycle as

they made their own cloud and rain. They are really showing their creative

side as they build their own weather instruments.

Our 5th graders continue to learn about destructive and constructive processes.

They explored engineering as they built structures made with marshmallows

and toothpicks that had to withstand a pan of jello. Finally, the long awaited

volcano building has begun and our 5th graders couldn’t be more excited!

Book Fair Dates: October 21-25, 2013

Proceeds benefit our

Library Media Center!

Our ONLINE Book Fair is open October 13 - November 2 at

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/comptonelementaryschool1

Reading Coach

Fall is in the air! September has come to an end and with it our September Book of the

Month, 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy. This book was a perfect way to remember

September 11th. This book was based on a true story about a Kenyan diplomat who was in our

country on 9/11 and was so moved by the experience that he went back to his home, a remote

village in Kenya and organized the most sacrificial gift of all – 14 cows! In his village, cows are held

in very high esteem and are treated like prized possessions. A very moving quote that we spent

time discussing was “Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people

so small they cannot offer mighty comfort.”

14 Cows for America was also a great book to introduce our character word of the month:

empathy. We defined empathy as understanding the feelings of others. Our students discussed

and practiced empathy throughout the day but especially focused on it during their daily morning

meeting. Talk to your child(ren) about 14 Cows for America! See if they can tell you why the gift of

14 cows was such an incredible gift. Talk about empathy and have your child tell you how empathy

was displayed in the book. Ask them who is someone they’ve felt empathy for.

In October we’ll be reading 2 books: One is Exclamation Point by A. Rosenthal and T. Lichtenheld,

where we’ll introduce October’s character word of the month, optimism. We’ll be defining optimism

as hopefulness and confidence about the future. We’ll also read The Brand New Kid by Katie

Couric – a great book to review empathy! Keep reading with and to your child!!

Compton Players

Congratulations! You have proven once again that you are the most talented group of

4th and 5th graders in Cobb County. We were all blown away by all the talent we saw

at auditions.

The Little Mermaid Jr. Cast

Ariel…..Hailey Saunders Prince Eric…..Daniel Smith Ursula…..Ramiere Macon

Sebastian….Landon Tuggle Flounder….Crystal Hines Scuttle…..Carlton Medlock

King Triton.Billy Dominquez Mersisters: Janaya Pride, Aaliyah Keel, Madeline McNinch,

Daphne Simin, Victoria Afe, and Tresha Gormon

Ensemble:

Ashlee Davis Jackson Duren Jessica Joseph Trey Perry Ilissa Gay Rene Barber

Kayla Garrison Ethan Ruger Kimberly Leon Justin Mixon India Pride David Lira

Makayla Camese Paul Vera Zaret Morales Gage Reeves Imani Lyons Cayla Moore

Reynaldo Herrera Kimberly Meus Arturo Noriega Malik Williams Jayda Pride

Karrington Swinney Alyssa Mewborn Johmanuel Arnold Yolanda Ogedengbe

Assistants: Lauryn Leech and Zedrick Sistrunk

Page 5

Advanced Learning Programs:

Parents, have you ever wondered about Cobb County’s gifted identification process?

I will be presenting a program about gifted identification on Tuesday, October 15th from

5:45 - 6:30 P.M., immediately before the Title One meeting. This presentation is intended for

anyone who would like to learn more about gifted eligibility and how students are identified for the

gifted program. Make plans to attend and get your questions answered. We will meet in the

Target classroom, room 5.011. Karen Ricketts, Gifted Education Specialist

Math Coach

Numbers are being talked about throughout our school! The practice of number talks is being

used in our classrooms to help students learn to reason with numbers and build a solid foundation

for math reasoning and making sense of math.

A few examples of the strategies we are learning:

Target strategy - Using Ten Frames to Add

Target Strategy – Multiple Strategies for Addition

Do you find yourself wondering WHY your child can’t solve math problems the WAY you were

taught? Well, WONDER no more! Come and join us for a “Number Talks” session. You’ll learn

the WHY behind the WAY!

Thursday evening, October 10, 2013 at 6:30 in the Compton Media Center! We look forward to

learning with you!

The goal is for students to decompose a

number to make a ten. In this example the

student moved two dots to complete a ten

frame. Four dots were left over. After

much practice with the ten frames, the

written model should be included.

326 + 247

(300 + 20 + 6) + (200 + 40 +7)

200 + 300 = 500

20 + 40 = 60

326 + 247 326 + (200 + 40 + 7) 326 + 200 = 526 526 + 40 = 566 566 + 7 = 573

326 + 247

+3

326 + 250 = 576

576 – 3 = 573

326 + 247

-3 +3

323 + 250 = 573

Page 6

Page 7 Clinic Clips

Now that summer is behind us, we face the upcoming autumn weather and illnesses com-mon to the season. There are a few illnesses that are in our community. Conjunctivitis is

caused by a virus, bacteria or allergy. Symptoms include drainage causing the eye lashes to stick together, swelling, tearing, itchy eyes, redness. It is common for children to wake up with their eye matted together but they may not tell a parent and just wipe the drainage away. If your child exhibits any of these symptoms they should not come to school, although they may feel well. Take your child to a healthcare professional for a diagnosis before returning to school. Communicate with your child’s teacher regarding the diagnosis and treatment if any. The stom-ach virus is typically a 24 hour illness. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea. Do not send your child until they are free of vomiting/diarrhea/fever for 24 hours. It is also important to ensure your child is back on a regular diet as before the illness. Please be prepared should your child be sick at school. We ask a child be picked up within an hour of the phone call. Do-nations are always appreciated such as bandaids, Kleenex, Clorox wipes, baggies, gently used clothing and underwear. Thank you!

ASP Happenings ASP is open and ready for your students when you need

us. If you are new to Compton or not familiar with our After School Program, let me give you an idea of what we are about. ASP is available to all Compton students and is open from dismissal until 6:00pm all school days. If you are sending your child that usually rides a bus, walks or is a car rider, you MUST send a note to their teacher indicating that your student will need to attend ASP. There is a registration form to be filled out with a $10.00 non-refundable fee as well as $7.00 to cover the first day’s attendance. All fees must be paid in advance. No credit will be given. ASP includes homework and reading time daily as well as computer time, movies, snacks, outside and gym playtime. COME SEE US IN ASP!!!

Parent Resource Center

Thank you parents for all your comments and “input” regarding Compton’s total school program! We had over 45 parents give their input regarding our School-Wide Title 1 Plan. We also had 11 parents attend our annual “Hispanic Parent Night” Program. Jackie Korwek, from the International Welcome Center, was on hand to answer questions regarding Compton Elementary and the Cobb County School District. We appreciate our parents and look forward to working with you this year! Cindy Cutler, Parent Liaison

Cafeteria—What’s Cooking?

The school day just got healthier for you because school meals are improved this

year. They are better for you and will help you do your best in school, sports, and help

you grow and stay strong. Power up with fruits, low-fat milk, and healthy breads.

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