Burnette
Blast
May 11 – May 15, 2015
Volume 5 Issue 36
Burnette Elementary School, 3221 McGinnis Ferry Rd, Suwanee, GA 30024
Kim Reed
Pr i nc ipa l
Christine Farrell
Lori King
As s is tan t Pr in cip als
Instructing at the highest
level, achieving beyond
belief!
Mark Your
Calendar
May 12th: Field Day
May 14th: Kindergarten
Roundup
May 18th: K, 2nd, and 3rd
EOY Parties
May 19th: 1st and 4th EOY
Parties
May 20th: 5th grade awards
and EOY celebration
May 21st: Last Day of
School
Message from Mrs. Reed…
It has been a busy week of learning at BES! First
grade has been learning through an Economics
project in which they researched, planned, and
set up businesses. They then sold and purchased
goods. Through this unit they learned the
principles of supply and demand, investments,
and the importance of a strong community. Be
sure and read more details about their unit and
view the pictures. We ended the week with a
school wide emphasis on GA STEM Day where our
students researched, planned, constructed,
tested, refined, tested, and demonstrated a final
product having to do with Aerospace Engineering.
Our learning will continue next week as we
review this years’ AKS and preview AKS for the
next grade level. Please encourage your child to
stay focused and come to school ready to learn!
Page 2
Burnette Blast
First Grade Economics Community
The Burnette Elementary School First Grade Community Project teaches students to be
entrepreneurs. The students have been learning how to sell goods for profit. They've studied the
effects of supply and demand and discovered the importance of income budgeting. This
integrated Personal Finance unit began with a simple question: "Where do people get
money?" The students investigated possible sources, then began researching, designing, and
creating their own businesses. Each first grade classroom opened 3-4 different businesses. The
students have been working on storefronts and have made business decisions regarding goods,
quantities, and prices. They wrote persuasive letters to "investors" and helped gather
materials. During the second part of the project, the students alternated between working at their
businesses and using their wages to shop at stores within the community. The students earned
two dollars a day and made spending choices based on this income. Classroom activities
reinforced the community experience, and the students used estimation, graphing, place value to
add two digit numbers, and coins to make change and count money. The students also wrote
about their experiences, created video reports, and used technology to share their learning. This
was an engaging project that was designed to promote economic interest while using real world
applications to reinforce multiple grade level skills.
Georgia STEM Day
Burnette students launched into a STEM
finale as they learned about Aerospace
Engineering. Kindergarten and first
grade students constructed rockets,
second grade constructed catapults used
to move moon rocks, third grade
constructed Earth reentry parachutes,
fourth grade constructed modules that
must land on the moon safely, and fifth
grade constructed and launched rockets.
All students rotated through a plethora of
Aerospace learning activities in
specials. Students had a fun filled day of
learning through the integration of
science, technology, engineering, and
math.
Burnette Blast
Page 3
Award Winning Character Education Program 2014-2015
With summer just around the corner, Gwinnett's public libraries have many great literacy
resources to explore this month's character value of self-control. Teaching children to
have power and control over their emotions, words, actions, impulses and desires can be
a challenging endeavor for parents. Establishing summer reading goals with your
children can help them develop self-control through their perseverance and commitment
to achieve the goals set. The following is a suggested reading list for students who want
to discover more about self-control while reading an engaging book.
K-2
The Stonecutter: A Japanese Folktale, Demi
The Tale of Jeremy Fisher, Beatrix Potter
The Hating Book, Charlotte Zolotow
The Shaker Boy, Jeanette Winter
It Could Always Be Worse, Margot Zemach
The Best Prize of All, Mark Taylor
Self Control, Henrietta Gambell
How I Feel, June Behrens
Don’t Pop Your Cork On Mondays, Adolph Moser
Sugar Gum Tree, Patricia Wrightson
3-5
Annie and the Old One, Miska Miles
Ben and Me, Robert Lawson
The Crane Wife, Sumiko Yagawa
Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson
Sometimes It’s Up, Ruth Carlsen
Pollyanna, Eleanor Porter
Missing May, Cynthia Rylant
―Casey at the Bat‖, Ernest L. Thayer
Middle School 6-8
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Sounder, William Armstrong
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
Anastasia Absoutely, Lois Lowry
Scorpions, Walter Dean Myers
The Trouble with Lemons, Daniel Hayes
The Story of My Life, Helen Keller
Anne of Green Gables (series), Lucy Maud Montgomery
Wringer, Jerry Spinelli
Burnette Blast
Page 4
Media News
To keep encouraging our students to read
over the summer, Burnette is participating in
Scholastic's Summer Reading Challenge.
Students will log reading minutes online
during the summer and see if our school can
read 500,000 minutes. As students log more
minutes, they can earn badges and unlock
short stories from favorite authors. All
students will need a special username and
password to log in to this program, which will
be handed out by Mrs. Costilow during their
summer reading orientations. Once they have
their password and username, they can start
logging minutes! Keep on reading, Burnette!
Student checkouts ended on May 6, and all library
books are due on Wednesday, May 13. However, there
are still lots of ways to get great books. Students will
have access to our eBook collection until mid-July. We
have many of the favorite series, such as Wimpy Kid,
Big Nate, Geronimo Stilton, and Puppy Place in our
eBooks on the Follett Shelf, and students can read
these on a computer or device. Directions on how to
access the eBooks can be found on the Media website
or on the Burnette homepage. Students can also
access our Capstone and ABDO eBooks using the
Symbaloo links on their eClass page.
Some of our first grade students walked the red carpet
in the Media Center this week! Our first graders are
graduating from the Everybody section to the Fiction
section of the Media Center! It's an exciting time, as
students have free choice of any book in the Media
Center. Parents, as your children move on to longer
chapter books, keep in mind that
commonsensemedia.org is a great resource. Since we
can't read every book our child is reading,
commonsensemedia.org gives you a place to look up
titles and get an age rating, a synopsis of the book, and
specific details about what that book might contain.
Burnette Blast
Page 5
PTA News
Yearbooks
The yearbooks have arrived and are being delivered to classrooms today!
Students may take them home but should remember to bring them back
to school on Thursday, May 14th for Signing Day. We have a very limited
number of books left to sell. If you did not purchase a book and would
like to buy one, we will be selling them in the front lobby from 8:20am
8:50am on Tuesday morning, May 12. These books will be sold on a first
come, first serve basis. Books cost $32, CASH ONLY. Please do not
send a check with your child as we cannot accept it.
If you think you purchased a book and your child did not receive one,
please email us at [email protected] immediately.
Take advantage of a promo code to use on
discounted admission tickets to Six Flags Over
Georgia. The tickets are valid for any public
operating day in the 2015 season. Please visit
www.sixflags.com/overgeorgia and in the upper
right hand corner, enter promo code
Donation15 to receive your discounted tickets.
Burnette Blast
Page 6
Earning for Learning
Remember, you can keep checking your product packaging for Boxtops,
Campbell's, Tyson, Community Coffee, and SunnyD labels. Even though there
are no more official collection days this school year, you can send them in to
your teacher at any time.
Attention 5th Grade Parents!
We are excited about the 5th Grade Finale!
Here is the tentative schedule for Wednesday, May 20th:
9:30am - 5th Grade ceremony
11:30am - 5th Grade walk through the school (immediately following the
ceremony)
1:00pm - 5th Grade celebration for students
We are creating a slideshow for the 5th grade Finale and need photos.
Unfortunately, we are not able to use eClass to upload the photos. Please
email 2-3 photos of your choice (can be all 5th grade or younger years) to the
following email address - [email protected]. If you are not able
to email the photos and need to send in prints, please place your photos in
an envelope with student name/teacher on the back of each. We will return
your photos to you when complete. Please email or send your photos by May
13th.
Thanks!
5th Grade Finale Committee
Page 7
Burnette Blast
Remember to support Burnette ES when you shop
this summer and for your back to school supplies!
Amazon will donate .5% of the purchase price to
our school.
How to get signed up:
Click here http://smile.amazon.com/ch/27-2062532
to get started, or on your first visit to AmazonSmile
(smile.amazon.com), you’ll search and choose
“Burnette” to receive donations before you begin
shopping. You may also want to add a bookmark to
AmazonSmile on your browser to make it even
easier to return and start your shopping at
AmazonSmile. You only have to do this once. They
will remember your selection, and then every
eligible purchase you make on AmazonSmile will
result in a donation.
Thank you for your support!
Want to help your Burnette
PTA?
Email your name and interest to
[email protected] and
someone will contact you!
Publix supports our school in many ways
and one of them is the Publix Partners
Card. Keep this little card with you in your
wallet or on your key chain. At checkout,
remember to ask the cashier to scan it
before you pay. Publix will then donate a
portion of your purchase to our school, at
no cost to you. Burnette Publix Partners
cards are available at the upstairs and
downstairs reception desks at school.
Thank you for your support!
Burnette Blast
Page 8
Business Partner Spotlight
Burnette Elementary
Vision / Mission
Burnette Elementary School supports the Vision
and Mission of Gwinnett County Public Schools.
Our Mission
Burnette Elementary School will pursue
excellence as we teach the Academic
Knowledge and Skills at the highest levels,
engaging students in critical thinking, problem
solving, and collaborative communication so
that they may achieve at their highest
potential.
Our Beliefs
3630 Peachtree Parkway
Suwanee, GA 30024
Burnette Elementary School
3221 McGinnis Ferry Rd
Suwanee, GA 30024
•
Our core business is teaching and learning.
•
All children can learn at or above grade
level.
•
All children should reach their learning
potential.
•
The school effect is important and has a
profound impact on every child's life.
•
A quality instructional program requires a
rigorous curriculum, effective teaching,
Did you know Burnette
PTA has a Facebook
page? Like us to keep up
with postings and news!
Phone:
678-546-2170
Fax:
678-546-2515
Website:
http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/BurnetteES/home.html
Superintendent: Mr. Alvin Wilbanks
Assistant Superintendent: Dr. Kelli McCain
School Board Member: Dr. Mary Kay Murphy