Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts

After a wonderful day at work yesterday, our teachers with Jamaican roots shared smiles as they reflected on their early beginnings and celebrated the independence of their birth country. Happy Jamaican Independence Day, August 6, 2026, to our Jamaican school family! 🇯🇲

At Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts, we embrace diversity and believe that Many Hands, One Masterpiece makes our school community stronger.

It's hard to believe it's been ONE WEEK since we got to meet our families at Open House! The electricity in the air was palpable, and you can see the excitement in every shot captured at our photo booth. WE LOVE OUR GATOR FAMILIES!

Although summer break has come to a close, there is still time to get your Summer Reading completed, and we have upped the anti by adding a little friendly competition to the mix. The grade level in each grade band that submits the most Summer Reading Logs will WIN a FREE dress down day on Friday, September 4th!

Check out the current leader boards below...

Is your middle schooler interested in playing sports at Garrison? Take a look at the projected Sports Tryout Dates for the coming year.
Some things to know:
> Sports are for students in 6th - 8th grades only
> A sports physical must be on file with Coach Salas in order for your student to attend tryouts
> Students must maintain good academic and Fine Arts standing to remain on athletic teams
For more information about SCCPSS Athletics go to https://www.sccpss.com/departments/leadership/athletics

Today was a great day! Thank you for your patience as we navigated the rain and the Powerschool checks. Tomorrow will flow smoother with a few helpful hints:

The SMORE contains the maps of each pickup location. Please note that older children are picked up with their younger siblings.

Arrival
Pk-4th, 7th and 8th may drop off in the teacher parking lot off of Boundary or Lumbar Lane (the lower ramp)
Grades 5-6 will take Boundary to Jones Street and turn right on to Purse Street. Follow traffic into the gate to the side of the gym
Dismissal
Pk, K, 5th and 6th will take Boundary from Gwinnet, make a right onto Cohen and into the first set of gates to the lower ramp area. (Lumbar Lane)
Grades 1, 2, 3, 4 can take Boundary from Gwinnet, make a right onto Cohen and turn into the teacher parking lot OR turn onto Jones from MLK. Take the first left onto Selma Street (behind MLK) and follow the street pass Savannah Station and the Blake. Turn into the first gate into the faculty parking lot.
Grades 7 and 8 will take Boundary to Jones Street and turn right on Purse Street. Follow traffic into the gate to the side of the gym.
Here is the link to the SMORE (https://app.smore.com/n/8cmja ) and the car rider procedures outlined in this communication are attached complete with graphics.

We will see you all for Day 2 tomorrow.

Many Hands, One Masterpiece,

Principal Parks

Tomorrow is the first day of school for the 2026-2027 school year! So much anticipation is building for the arrival of your gators. It was so wonderful to see so many of you at Open House! Thank you all for adhering to all of our safety protocols. Please note that parents will have the opportunity to walk students in the first 3 days (Mon-Wed, only). Feel free to park on Jones Street and walk up to the school as the "U" in the front of the school is for school buses and day care buses only. Clear bag policy for entry into the building. School supplies may be brought into school.

Please do not block the back gates when arriving early as teachers will need to get into their parking area. Please also remember not to block the Blake Apt entrance.

We do not have walkers at Garrison. Please remain in your cars when picking up or dropping off children. Remember your turn signals and please pack your patience. We all want our children to be safe and our faculty to return home safely to their families as well.

Please find all the information you need to be back to school ready in this weeks SMORE:

Many Hands, One Masterpiece 2026-27 Many Hands, One Masterpiece 2026-27

We want everyone to be day one ready!! The anticipation is building and we can’t wait to see all our Gators tomorrow.
Please take a moment to review the Arrival and Dismissal plans detailed on the Garrison SCCPSS page.

Car Rider Arrival Dismissal - Garrison School for the Arts Car Rider Arrival Dismissal - Garrison School for the Arts

Meet our Gator Teams! We have the best teachers and staff in the District! We are excited to embark on the 26/27 school year and welcome all our Gators back. "Many Hands, One Masterpiece" reflects our belief that every person in our school community has a valuable role. By working together, supporting one another, and sharing responsibility for student success, we create a school where every child can thrive. Together, our collective efforts become our masterpiece.

And here are the teams that are going to be leading the charge: