Date: April 2nd 2021
Get your Field Day Shirt ONLINE!

Shirts are for sale from Monday, April 12th - Friday, April 23rd (2 weeks only)
-Sale is ONLINE ONLY!
-Order Website is linked in the button below:
Wolf-A-Thon Success

Our Wolf-A-Thon on Monday was a great success! The kids had a blast; we are so thankful to our PTO for organizing such a wonderful event. We will have a final donation total soon, and we can't wait for the amazing resources these funds will provide our students.
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ESOL Speaks Out:

Family Connections through Home Languages

Hello to all our wonderful ESOL parents! We would like to use this month to focus on the importance of the use of your home language. Did you know that home languages play an important role in maintaining communication and relationships with family and forming your child’s identity? Sharing family histories, experiences, and cultural stories in families’ home languages can strengthen children’s speaking skills. Children can gain a stronger sense of who they are when they have conversations with their families in their home languages. Try to fit in time to share family stories orally, sing favorite songs, read books together in your home language, read signs, labels, or other visuals in the environment, discuss events, stories, movies, or games, show children how to do something, and create art or crafts. Rich cultural interactions can give children a sense of themselves and their primary language skills. Children can master a language and academic learning when their primary language and culture are stronger. Language is, after all, an important part of our identity and communication in the home and at school are key to your child’s success. Keep up the good work at home and feel free to reach out to us anytime through email and/or TalkingPoints (text). We look forward to hearing from you! Kendra Barfield, Amy Clark & Stephanie Ledford 

For more resources, visit:
Buford Academy Cafeteria News:
CONGRATULATIONS to the Buford Academy cafeteria staff. We received a PERFECT 100 on our health examination!
The Buford Academy cafeteria is proud to serve Georgia grown strawberries in the month of April!
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Counseling Corner:
This month's classroom counseling lesson is about confidence and self-esteem. Kids who feel good about themselves have the confidence to try new things. They are more likely to try their best. They feel proud of what they can do. Self-esteem helps kids cope with mistakes. It helps kids try again, even if they fail at first. As a result, self-esteem helps kids do better at school, at home, and with friends. Follow this link --> https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/self-esteem.html for more about why self-esteem matters and how parents can help build self-esteem.
We also wanted to share with you that Gwinnett County Public Library in partnership with Lettum Eat! Inc. will hold free drive through meal distributions at four library locations. 
The Buford Branch (2100 Buford Hwy., Buford) will be distributing on Wednesdays starting at 11:00am until supplies run out. For information on the other branches follow this link --> https://www.gwinnettpl.org/news/drive-through-food-distribution/
Take care!
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Parent Connection Video

Parents: Watch this short video from Buford Academy about the math strategies your child is learning for addition and subtraction. This is the second video in our series of strategies. This month's math video focuses on the base ten blocks strategy.
Georgia Milestones Testing:

Buford Academy will administer the Georgia Milestones End of Grade assessments to students in grade 3 on the following dates:  

May 10--ELA
May 11--ELA
May 13--Mathematics
May 14--Mathematics

Georgia Milestones practice assessment can be found here:  http://www.gaexperienceonline.com 

 We suggest you watch the 12 minute tutorial before attempting the practice assessment. 
This practice site lets students see what testing online is like. Parents and educators are welcome to try it too. The items on the demonstration tests are general and are organized into three grade bands: Grades 3 – 5, Grades 6 – 8, and High School in the content areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. The items do not necessarily represent the specific grade-level content that students learn daily in their classrooms. The primary purpose is to let students experience, firsthand, the functionality of the online testing platform. The sample tests are not graded, so have fun!  

Buford Academy third grade students will only take the ELA and MATH Georgia Milestones Assessments.