City Park School

No Kid City on Thursday, December 4

There will be no Kid City on Thursday, December 4th due to the Dalton Christmas Parade and the availability of buses needed for early dismissal of the program due to road closures.

We have already notified families through the Kid City Rooms for each site, and we have sent home a flyer with students. We will also send home an additional reminder the week of December 4th to ensure all families are aware of the schedule change.

Beacon Testing

Our students will be taking the second round of the DRC BEACON assessments in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics.

Beacon is a through-year, formative interim assessment system designed to help teachers monitor progress and guide instruction throughout the school year.

K–3 students will participate in DRC BEACON Early Years, which provides important information to monitor growth.

Grades 4–5 students will participate in DRC BEACON, which is directly aligned to Georgia standards and helps teachers identify strengths and areas needing more support.

Testing Dates

December 2--Beacon Testing for Grades 2 and 3 (Math)

December 2 and 3--Kindergarten Beacon Testing (Math)

December 3 and 4--Beacon Testing for Grades 4 and 5 (Reading)

December 3--Beacon Testing for Grade 1 (Math)

December 5--Beacon Testing for Grades 4 and 5 (Math)

Beacon is not a high-stakes test—it is a valuable tool that helps teachers better understand student learning and provide the right support at the right time.

Both assessments are flexible, can be given multiple times during the year, and adjust in difficulty to meet students where they are.

Because Beacon uses the same online platform and tools as Georgia Milestones, it also helps prepare students for the end-of-year summative assessment.

To help your child do their best, please make sure they are well rested, eat a healthy breakfast, and arrive on time during the testing window.

Science Family Night

Thursday, December 18, promises to be an exciting day at the 405! At 5:30 PM, our Glee Club will inaugurate our Family Science Night with a delightful holiday concert and sing along.

Kindergarten and1st Grade will perform Jingle Bells, 2nd and 3rd Grades will perform Elfie Selfie. All of our grades will sing Feliz Navidad together--we encourage everyone to attend this interactive show!

Following the concert, PAWS will provide hot chocolate and sweet treats in our cafeteria. Families will have the opportunity to visit classrooms and engage in enjoyable, hands-on science activities.

To prepare our students for this engaging Science Night, PAWS will host two science-themed assemblies during the school day on Thursday, presented by The Science Zone.

Our K-2 grades will participate in the assembly at 9:00 AM, and our grades 3-5 will attend at 10:00 AM.

This assembly is made possible through our media center, funded by proceeds from our recent Scholastic Book Fair and the upcoming FUN Services Holiday Shop. PAWS appreciates the support of all who participated in these events, as the profits directly benefit all of our City Park Panthers!

Holiday Shop December 8-12

Join PAWS for the Annual Holiday Shop! We will be open from Monday, December 8 through Friday, December 12. Shop hours are 8:00-3:00 daily in the media center (we will close at 12:30 on Friday) .

Students are encouraged to bring their money in an envelope or ziploc bag.

Our Holiday Gift Shop Program makes it possible for children to experience the joy of choosing their own special holiday gifts for family and friends. We believe this program will create wonderful memories for our students while teaching them to budget their money and make their own decisions. There will be a large variety of gifts in different price ranges to choose from. Imagine the fun they will have suprising a loved one with a “secret” gift they bought...all by themselves!

Early Dismissal Day/ PAWS and Claus Pep Session

Friday, December 19 will be an early dismissal day. Students will be released at 12:15 PM. Please remember that there is no ASP on early dismissal days.

We will have our PAWS and Claus Pep Session at 9:00 AM on this date. We will recognize our PAWSitive Panthers for December at this time. Parents of those students being recognized will be invited to attend. Entrance for this event will be through the GYM lobby.

5th Grade Spirit Fundraiser

Fifth grade will be selling holiday spirit items just in time for our PAWS and Claus Pep Session. All items will be $1 and will be available before school during the week of December 15-19. We ask for cash only, small bills.

Counseling Corner

For the month of December, our PAWSitive Panther focus is compassion. Compassion means noticing when others are having a tough time and choosing to offer kindness, understanding, and support. Throughout the month, students will learn how small acts—like including a classmate, offering a helping hand, or speaking kindly—can make a big difference in our school community. We encourage families to talk with their children about ways to show compassion at home and at school as we work together to build a caring, connected Panther community.