Calhoun Early Learning Academy
We are looking forward to another great week!
Important reminders for February:
*February 14: "I Love You BEAR-Y Much!" Valentine Pancake Brunch
*February 15: CELA Sweetheart Dance - 5:30-7:00 pm
February 15: School Resource Officer Appreciation Day
February 19-21: Winter Break for students and staff
February 22: Bus Driver Appreciation Day
February 26-March 1: Read Across America Week
A Message from Mrs. Bennett
CELA Families,
After a wonderful journey as principal here at Calhoun Early Learning Academy, I wanted to share that I will soon be transitioning to a new role within the district as Teacher/Leader Development Coordinator. This transition will officially take place later this month, with my last day at CELA being February 23rd. The time I have spent as CELA principal has been amazing and incredibly rewarding. I am grateful and honored to have had the opportunity to serve in this role.
Mrs. Amanda Swift will be transitioning to CELA as the new principal at the end of February. Mrs. Swift is currently an Instructional Coordinator at the district level and brings with her a wealth of experience and dedication to education. She has served in many leadership roles during her career in education and understands the importance of a strong foundation of learning as a vital part of continued educational and life-long success. She is committed to continuing to provide this for CELA students, while maintaining our high standard of excellence. I am confident that Calhoun Early Learning Academy will continue to flourish and thrive under her leadership.
I want to express how deeply grateful I am for your support, trust, patience, and collaboration during my time as principal. To be completely transparent, leading a brand new school was very exciting, but also a little scary. I can't express what a vital role our parents and families have played in helping make these first years amazing and seamless. I could not have done it without your help, understanding, and cooperation, and I will never forget the impact you and your children have made on me as a person and leader. CELA is definitely a special place and will always be a huge part of my heart. I want to thank you all for being a part of my journey and sharing your sweet babies with me. If you ever need anything at all, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Please join me in welcoming Mrs. Swift to CELA. I am certain that with your partnership, CELA will continue to accomplish amazing things. I am excited to see the continued success and growth of our school under Mrs. Swift's leadership. Go Jackets!
Respectfully,
Susan Bennett
Meet Mrs. Swift
Mrs. Swift is looking forward to meeting parents very soon and will have a message in next week's newsletter.
She will be at our Sweetheart Dance on Thursday and is planning to hold a Meet and Greet session for parents during our next virtual learning day on March 13th. More information will be sent about this during the month of March.
Mrs. Swift is excited about getting to know our students and parents, so please take the opportunity to say hello and welcome her when you see her!
Important Car Rider Safety Information!
Student safety is our top priority at CELA!
For this reason, we are asking that you help us with morning car rider drop-off, particularly at the front of the building. In an effort to avoid students and adults crossing in front of drop-off traffic as much as possible, please hand any extra items that your child may be bringing to school for any particular reason (birthday treats, Valentine boxes, special projects, donations, gifts for teachers, etc.) to the staff member that helps your child out of the vehicle in the morning. CELA staff will make sure the items get to the correct classroom if the student is unable to carry the item themselves.
If the hand off of items would hold up traffic flow, we ask that you go through the line and drop your child off at the breezeway BEFORE pulling into the parking lot and walking the items to the office.
Adhering to this procedure will ensure that we have as few students and parents as possible needing to cross over to the school entrance during drop-off.
Thank you for helping us ensure the safety of our CELA students!
Morning Car rider Reminders!
*Please remember that car rider drop off ends at 7:30.
*If you are not in the parking lot entrance (past the CELA sign) at 7:30, you will have to walk your child into the building, sign them in, and this will be counted as a tardy.
*The left lane of the CELA drive MAY NOT be used for student drop off. Cars must remain in the right hand lane for student drop off. This procedure must be adhered to after 7:30, as well, and is in place to ensure student safety.
*Please keep the line moving at all times and avoid gaps in the line. Please avoid using cell phones in the line and make sure students are ready to exit the vehicle when they arrive at the designated staff member.
HELP US IMPROVE
The Georgia Department of Education surveys students (in grades 3 through 12), parents, and school personnel to measure perceptions of school climate which includes education, safety, social support, involvement, and communication. Responses are confidential and will be used to identify areas in need of improvement. We are asking parents to complete the survey found at the link below at your earliest convenience. Please direct any questions to Heidi Allen at allenh@calhounschools.org or 706-602-6871.
Parent Survey CLICK HERE: https://gshs.gadoe.org/parents
CELA Sweetheart Dance!
Mark your calendars!! February 15th!!
ORDER YEARBOOKS NOW
Click here for information about CELA attendance.
All medical and parent notes should be emailed to celaattendance@calhounschools.org
Our staff is happy to assist your child with loading and unloading and grabbing any extras that may be needed for the day.
CTAE CORNER
The Crayons to Careers journey continues and begins with our youngest jackets! CELA students are learning about careers as well as the career pathways they can study in the future as students at Calhoun High School. Each month all students participate in a lesson on one of the career pathways offered at Calhoun High School and learn about the different careers that belong to that pathway. Our teachers incorporate careers from the monthly pathway into their lessons, and we have a display of materials related to specific careers on display in our Media Center each month. We have been very fortunate to have community members volunteer their time to come speak to our students about their careers throughout the school year.
The career and pathway focus for the month of February is Culinary Arts. Students are excited to explore this career pathway and we can't wait to share all that they learn!
Career Day 2024!
We loved seeing so many of our students dressed up for Career Day on Friday! Even at such a young age, students can dream about their future and begin working to achieve their goals. Thank you for instilling the importance of future choices and dreams in our youngest Jackets. The future definitely looks bright!
Visitor stickers will be sent home on Tuesday. Please make sure you check your child's folder and wear to ensure a faster check-in for Wednesday.
Please refrain from wearing visitor stickers in places that make it more challenging for staff to identify our welcomed guests.
Read Across America Week!
February 26-March 1
Calhoun City Schools will celebrate Read Across America Week February 26th-March 1st. The goal of Read Across America is to promote literacy and a love of reading among children and to encourage them to explore the world of books and reading. Read Across America was originally created to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss (March 2nd), one of history's most successful children's writers and use it as a springboard to celebrate reading among children. Since the first Read Across America Day in 1998, the program has expanded to become a week-long event for many schools. Teachers and students across the district look forward to this fun filled week full reading and learning! CCS will celebrate Read Across America with the following activities:
READY TO VOLUNTEER?
If you are interested in volunteering at Calhoun Early Learning Academy this school year and have not already received a Volunteer Interest Form in your child's folder, please use the form linked to enter your contact information. (Parents who signed up to be a volunteer at the PTO table during Open House do not need to fill out the form linked below.)
Volunteer Interest Forms with more information will be sent home in your child's folder soon. Please return the completed forms to school. Thank you for your interest!
FEBRUARY MENU
KINDERGARTEN NEWS
Kindergarten Classroom Young Georgia Author Winners
The Calhoun Early Learning Academy is thrilled to announce the results of the 2024 Young Georgia Author (YGA) competition. The grade-level winner will be advancing to the Regional level.
The YGA writing competition is a platform to inspire and cultivate students' passion for writing. It provides an opportunity to showcase their skills, celebrate their achievements, and recognize excellence in the fields of arts and academics.
Kindergarten: 1st - Declan Sullivan,
2nd - Amir James, 3rd - Knox McDougal
Kindergarten learned about differences in the day and night sky. The Red Dogs made observations regarding their shadows and predictions on whether or not the groundhog would see his shadow.
Practice From Home
Tying Shoes
Zipping Jackets
Letter Sounds
Letter Recognition
Number Recognition
Adding and Subtracting within 10
PRE-K HAPPENINGS-SPOTTED COWS
The Spotted Cows did some marble painting this week for Valentine's Day!!
WE LOVE JJA!
The Koalas learned about the shape of the month, which is a heart, and the colors of the week, which were pink and purple. The students took pieces of pink and purple paper to create their “I love you to pieces hearts.”
Pictured left is Ellie Miller
2024-2025 SCHOOL CALENDAR
Below is the adopted CCS calendar for the 2024-2025 school year.
There's An App for That
We're thrilled to announce the new app for Calhoun City Schools! It's everything CCS, in your pocket.
Download for Android https://bit.ly/3AksnRa
Download for iPhone https://apple.co/3AkIWMO
We Need Your Feedback
The Georgia Department of Education surveys students (in grades 3 through 12), parents, and school personnel to measure perceptions of school climate which includes education, safety, social support, involvement, and communication. Responses are confidential and will be used to identify areas in need of improvement. We are asking parents to complete the survey found at the link below at your earliest convenience. Please direct any questions to Heidi Allen at allenh@calhounschools.org or 706-602-6871.
Parent Survey Link: https://gshs.gadoe.org/parents
VISIT THE CALHOUN-GORDON COUNTY LIBRARY
Stay Informed with Remind!
All parents are encouraged to join the Remind for the district and school threads by entering the codes below either in the Remind app or by texting 81010.
Calhoun City Schools Remind: @ccs1902
Calhoun Early Learning Academy Remind: @celahive
Contact Us
Calhoun Early Learning Academy
380 Barrett Rd
Calhoun, GA 30701
706-629-6563
Principal: Susan Bennett
Asst. Principal: Mandy Robertson
