Inside the Pride Upper Elementary School News - Volume 227

Keeping you plugged into the exciting things happening at the Upper Elementary School

Published August 4, 2024

Volume 227

 

Adam Vinson - Upper Elementary School Principal

 

A MESSAGE FROM MR. VINSON

We’ve had a great week of pre-planning with our teachers and can’t wait to see everyone back on campus this week for Meet the Teacher and the first day of classes! We feel extremely blessed to have 180 days to invest in the lives of your children. Thank you for your continued support by choosing TCS for your child’s education. May the LORD have His hand upon every single moment of every single day for His glory this school year!

Remember, this is your checklist of items to complete when you join us Monday for Meet the Teacher day.

Make sure you have reviewed your child’s schedule on Blackbaud and if you notice any errors, please email Kristan Peavy (kristan.peavy@tcslions.org), our Director of Curriculum and Instruction, ASAP so we can get those fixed for you. Be sure to print a copy to have for Meet the Teacher Day and on the first day of school.

WELCOME TO THE ROAR AND MEET THE TEACHER

Don’t forget to join us on Sunday, August 4 for our Welcome to the Roar celebration as we kickoff the new year. Also, on Monday, August 5 we will have our Meet the Teacher Day. Check out your family’s time slot schedule below. Hope to see you at both events!

  • Families with last name beginning with A-L = 9:30-11:30am (drop-in time slot)

  • Families with last name beginning with M-Z = 1:30-3:30pm (drop-in time slot)

MONDAY, AUGUST 5 - DO I REALLY NEED TO COME?

Meet the Teacher Day is important because it is more than just a chance to meet your child’s teachers! Check out the checklist below regarding all you need to accomplish on this day prior to classes beginning.

SAFE DISMISSAL PROCESS INFORMATION

Parents, We have partnered with the company safeDISMISSAL.COM to facilitate our dismissal process for our Early Learning campus (PreK-3 through Kinder) and our Main Campus (1st - 8th grades). One of the many wonderful features of this dismissal process is that your children will remain comfortably and safely in their classroom until the moment they meet you in the "car loading zone". 

Here are a few tips to follow during our dismissal process: 

  • Please make sure to have your ‘pick-up’ card displayed in your front window when entering the dismissal line. Please keep your card displayed until your child has been loaded into your car. 

  • Please stay in-line (no passing) during dismissal as the children will be instructed to walk to specific spots for loading. 

  • To reduce your wait time, please keep up with the car in front of you.  Stay attentive and focused on the car line.

  • If your student does not arrive at the loading spot before you do, you may be instructed to move to a "waiting" area where your child will be notified again. We ask you to move to this area so that we do not hold up the remaining dismissal line.  

  • Please note:  Your child is assigned to be picked up at a particular spot according to the order of cars in line each day.  Please follow the car in front of you until the line stops, regardless of where you might or might not see your child.  Stopping before the line has filled will cause the sequence to be thrown off and delay the line.  We will get your child to the proper spot should they have gone to the wrong place.

Finally, we ask for your patience the first couple of weeks of school as everyone gets accustomed to the process.  It will get faster/better each day!

The administrators and teachers are committed to making this process beneficial to all parties. Please visit www.safeDISMISSAL.com for more information.  Below are a couple of helpful resources to further explain the process.

4TH GRADE CURRICULUM NIGHT

All of our 4th grade parents are invited to our special Curriculum Night on Tuesday, August 13 at 6:00pm when you will get to hear more from our 4th grade team about how to navigate the transition to Upper Elementary. Please meet in The Gathering Place (school cafeteria). We look forward to sharing with you more about our exciting program.

MEET OUR NEW TEACHER: GINA SMEAL (5TH GRADE ENGLISH/LANG ARTS)

Gina Smeal is thrilled to have the opportunity and privilege of teaching the art of writing to this year’s 5th-grade class.  Having taught 2nd grade at TCS for the past 3 years, she is excited to see some familiar faces in her classes!  Prior to joining the school faculty, Gina was a Trinity parent.  Her son, Dominic, has been a Lion since 5th grade and is a senior this year.

Outside of her professional life, Gina is a devoted wife and mother, not only her son, but also 3 rescued dogs and 1 cat.  She enjoys reading and traveling all throughout the US.  Her most loved destinations are by the water.  

Gina is passionate about teaching and views the classroom as the mission field that she has been called to.  As a parent and teacher, she is thankful for the community and Christ-centered environment that Trinity provides to all those who call it home.  She is looking forward to the new school year with excitement about the learning journey ahead and anticipation of how the Lord will use her to touch the lives of her students.  She can’t wait to see the amazing gifts that the Lord has given each student on display, as they grow into the remarkable person that God has created them to be.

MEET OUR NEW TEACHER: BETH ESTABROOKS (4th-6th STEAM, 5th SDP)

Beth Estabrooks is excited to start a new journey at Trinity Christian School this year, teaching STEAM to our fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. Beth is a proud military wife. They have two sons, Jameson (2nd grade) and Jackson (Pre-K). Being an all-boy mom, she is always playing some type of sport, whether it’s baseball, wrestling, hockey, or watching my Oregon Ducks play football. Her favorite thing to do is spend time with her family. Beth’s husband is currently deployed, so any minute they can FaceTime or share a moment together, is a moment well spent. She also enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with our two pups. 

Beth graduated from Thomas University with a bachelor’s in Childhood Education. She plans to obtain her master’s once my husband gets home. God opened her eyes and helped her find her true passion for teaching during my four years at Arbor Springs Elementary. She loves educating kids and connecting with them in a fun and engaging way. Beth previously taught STEM and is thrilled to continue teaching STEAM at Trinity Christian this year. Beth is excited for this upcoming school year, where she can implement engaging and creative lessons while also connecting God’s word to help students understand the amazing things He can and will do for His children. Through prayer and God's guidance, along with a large sweet tea in her hand, Beth anticipates an absolutely amazing school year ahead. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6

MEET OUR NEW TEACHER: HOLLY SAVOY (4th-5th BIBLE)

Holly Savoy has her masters in education from the University of Florida. She taught in Florida and Georgia before taking time off to raise and homeschool her children. She has coached soccer at Trinity for 4 years. Last year she also taught 6th grade girls PE and is thrilled to add teaching 4th & 5th grade Bible this year. Holly loves any chance she has to spend with students and encourage them in their faith, which is why she loves being a part of TCS. Because of her calling to students, she also serves with the youth at Trinity Church and spent the summer chaperoning youth camp and a missions trip to Barbuda. Holly and her husband (Sean) just celebrated 22 wonderful years of marriage. They have 4 children, Josh (graduated TCS '24), Rebecca & Kristen (11th graders at TCS), and Timothy (8th grader at TCS). In her free time Holly loves to run, do anything in God's creation and spend time with her family. She is excited to get to know the students God has placed in her classes this year.

MEET OUR NEW TEACHER: JENNIFER KING (SPANISH)

Jennifer King was born in Miami, FL, but grew up moving frequently due to her father’s job in the US Air Force. After she graduated high school, she served on the Logos Hope with OM for two years. While serving on the ship, she felt God’s call to be a teacher. She returned to the US and studied Elementary Education at Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. As she graduated from university, God called her to begin teaching overseas. She taught 1st and 2nd grade at the International Christian School in Caracas, Venezuela for 3 years. During this time she met her now-husband, Gabriel Corona, at church. Then she moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina where she taught 6th grade at Buenos Aires International Christian Academy for 6 years. Jennifer is excited to join the TCS team as the Elementary and Middle School Spanish teacher. She is excited to share language skills and Spanish-speaking cultures with her students. She looks forward to exploring this part of God’s world with her students.

MEET OUR NEW TEACHER: ANGELA ANDERSON (4TH GRADE ENGLISH/LANG ARTS)

Angela Anderson is looking forward to teaching at Trinity this year.  Originally from Indiana, Mrs. Anderson graduated from Olivet Nazarene University with a Bachelors in Housing & Environmental Design and a Masters in Teaching.  It was at ONU where she first taught as an adjunct professor for 2 years while holding the position of assistant coach for the women’s basketball team.  When she moved to the Newnan area in 2007, she decided to stay at home with her young children while building a career as a realtor.  Mrs. Anderson and her husband Ben have 3 children, Caden (12th grade), Reese (10th grade), and Sloane (5th grade), who all attend Trinity.  She has been involved at TCS as a middle school volleyball and basketball coach. She is excited to get back into the classroom and become a part of the Upper Elementary team where core Christian values are taught alongside classroom curriculum.  Mrs. Anderson can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for her and her students during this new season in her life

SUPPLY LISTS FOR 2024-2025

Check out the most updated supply lists to help prepare your child for the start of the school year.

AUGUST BACK TO SCHOOL EVENTS

Mark your calendars for these special days to kickoff the new year. More details to come!

  • Sunday night, August 4 = WELCOME TO THE ROAR - a block party style event for all of our new and returning TCS families

  • Monday, August 5 = MEET MY TEACHER DAY - an opportunity to walk through schedules, meet teachers, etc. 

  • Tuesday, August 6 = FIRST DAY OF CLASSES = the new school year begins!

  • Tuesday, August 13 = 4th Grade Curriculum Night = learn more about the transition to Upper Elementary

UPPER ELEMENTARY RESOURCES

24/25 SCHOOL CALENDAR: Stay in the know about upcoming breaks and holidays. 

UPPER ELEMENTARY ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM:

WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

Principal 

Director of Academics and Student Development 

Director of Curriculum and Instruction

  • Kristn Peavy (kristan.peavy@tcslions.org) - Mrs. Peavy provides direction and guidance related to each grade level’s curriculum. 

Academic Coordinator

  • Melissa Lanier (melissa.lanier@tcslions.org) - Mrs. Lanier oversees our class placement and return-to-academics process for students who have been absent. 

Director of Spiritual Development