September 21, 2023

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September 18th though the 22nd - MES Book Fair!

There's only one day left to shop the 2023 MES Book Fair!

Visit the Book Fair webpage for all details



The 2023 MES In-Person Book Fair closes TOMORROW, September 22, 2023. Shop in person until 10am on Friday in the Amy Snowden Mather Library at MES.

We've received many books in a new shipment to restock titles that sold out quickly! Please check back Friday morning, or have your child ask their teacher if it's ok to come see if the book they wanted is back in stock. (Hint: this includes the highly sought after Guinness Book of World Records 2024 edition!)

It's also not too late to buy a book for a teacher classroom library with books teachers have picked from the fair for their classrooms or to bring in outgrown books to donate to Children Read Atlanta.

The Simultaneous Electronic Book Fair is open until Friday, September 22, 2023. Anything purchased from the Electronic fair will be shipped to the school the week after the fair and delivered to students in their classroom. 

Friday, September 22 - Lost and Found Donation Day

Are you missing a water bottle or coat? Please be sure to look for it before the next donation day on Friday, September 22nd! The Lost and Found is now located near the cafeteria, along the hallway to the library - simply check in the office before swinging by to claim your items. Please note that we will NOT donate any items that are labeled, as the front office staff will work to reunite all labeled items with their owners.

Please see opportunities to volunteer to help with Lost and Found HERE.

Saturday, September 23 - 2nd Grade Bowling Social

This event will take place at Midtown Bowl on Saturday, September 23rd from 12:30-1:30pm. There is a $10 fee for all bowlers which must be prepaid via Venmo to Mallory Rahman. The RSVP to bowl is now closed, but if you missed it you can still attend to join in the social event without participating in the bowling.

Saturday, September 23 - MES Night Out at Atlanta United

On Saturday night, Atlanta United teammates will take on CF Montreal in one of the final games of the season. Earlier this month, the MES PTA sold tickets to 150 members of our school community who will come together to cheer on MES alumnus Caleb Wiley and his Atlanta United teammates during this game. If you purchased tickets for this game through the PTA, please check your email for details about your tickets.

If you have not received your tickets or have questions about this event, please contact Justin Hubbarth.

If you missed out on ticket sales this time around, please stay tuned! We are already working on scheduling our next MES Night with Atlanta United in the spring when the next season kicks off.

Sunday, September 24 - MES Garden Work Day!

Please plan to join us on Sunday, September 24 from 5pm to 7pm for a parent work day at our MES Garden! We are planning to fill our garden boxes with soil for the students to begin their weekly garden lessons and fall plantings!

Please sign up here if you can make it (and comment to let us know when you can join if not the whole time) - remember to bring work gloves, a bottle of water and sunscreen! We will also need shovels, a few wheelbarrows, and likely some extra soil - see the signup for spots if you can help with any of those. And if you'd like to contribute towards additional bags of soil, please email Dawn or Jackie.

We'll be meeting in the garden on Sunday - you can check-in and enter through the staircase up to the garden at the fence by the parking garage entrance off of the main driveway. Thanks for helping us prepare the garden boxes for our students - we can't wait to see you Sunday afternoon!

Friday, September 29 - EIP Parent Information Session

Please consider attending this event for an overview of the Early Intervention Program we have here at MES. We're looking forward to an informative session and will include an opportunity for questions.

Time: 8:00 a.m.

Location: MES Café

An interpreter will be present. If you have any questions, please reach out to Master Teacher Leader, Marva Nelson.

Saturday, September 30 - MES International Festival

40 different country tables, Irish dancers, Bollywood, Capoeira, Caribbean dancers and stilt performers are all going to be at International Fest on Saturday, September 30 from 11am-2pm! You should be there too! Join us for the first fun, outdoor event of the year!

The event is in the interior courtyard (enter through the main doors of the school). In the event of inclement weather the festival will move indoors.

You can learn more about International Fest on the MES International Fest website. For questions about this event, please email Shraddha Srivastav Strennen.

DON'T FORGET! Waffle House is coming to International Festival! Want some?

It wouldn't be an Atlanta festival without a little Waffle House! Since the festival is 11am-2pm we thought it would be good to have lunch for purchase. Click on this link and let us know if you want some yummy goodness! This isn't a commitment, just a way to help the organizing ensure we have enough food for the event.

September 30 - Last Day for GATE Referral

The Parent Referral Window for GATE testing will run from September 1st - 30th. The live link for the parent referral can be found here, under the GATE tab on the Morningside Elementary School website.

Please also visit the Atlanta Public Schools Gifted and Talented website for more information, including answers to frequently asked questions about how we identify, serve, enrich, and support gifted students

Saturday, September 30 - 3rd Grade Meet Up

Come hang with your 3rd grade friends on Saturday, September 30th beginning at 3pm - right after the amazing International Festival!

Please consider walking to the park if possible due to lack of parking. We will have an ice cream vendor (available for purchase), so please RSVP to help us with head count. See you then!

October 2nd & 4th - Parent University: Shifts in Reading at MES

Please join Ms. Laurie Luckmann (MES's instructional coach) and Mr. Michael Rawls (the MES Librarian) for a conversation about reading acquisition and approaches to reading at MES. Sessions will also talk about how you can utilize the MES library to help support your child's reading journey.

We will have two sessions: one geared for reading in K-1st grade and a second for reading in 2nd-5th grade.

• MES Library, October 2 (2nd-5th grade) 8-9AM
• MES Library, October 4 (K-1st grade) 8-9AM

October 4th: Walk, Bike, Roll to School Day!

National Walk To School Day is October 4th! Set those alarms a few minutes earlier and let’s hope for great weather, because we'd love to see all of our MES Dolphins walking, biking, rolling their way to school as we mark this fun day! Side walk chalk, coffee, and fun before school will start at 7:20am.



See you there!

BASC-3/BESS Starts September 18th

APS is committed to creating a culture of student support and the needs of the whole child. In our continuing efforts to support the well-being of all students, all schools will be administering a universal screener of social, emotional & behavioral health. There are two key parts of the screener for all students, as well as a third portion specifically for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. The two key parts include a brief rating scale for the teacher to complete and a parent/guardian rating that you will be invited to complete. Note that this portion is optional - it is up to parents and guardians to decide whether or not to complete the BASC-3/BESS rating scale for their children. Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will also complete a self-rating that will take 5 – 15 minutes to finish. Together, this information helps us understand the needs of all students, and to make effective plans to support those needs at the school, class, and individual levels.

No action is required at this time if you agree with your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade student(s) completing the self-rating scale portion of the BASC-3 BESS. If you would prefer that your upper grade student NOT complete the self-rating scale, please complete the opt-out form which was sent home in your Wednesday folder. Extra opt-out forms will also be available in the front office.

If you have any questions, please email Counselor Oseni at [email protected].

The MES Foundation Needs Your Support!

Are you curious about the impact that the Morningside Elementary School Foundation has on our school, teachers, classrooms, and overall learning experience? Well, don’t take our word for it - we are excited to share with you some heartfelt testimonials from teachers who have experienced the transformative impact of the MES Foundation.

Click through to watch a short video from our MES teachers and staff!

Their stories underscore the Foundation's commitment to education and its meaningful contributions to both educators and students alike. These testimonials speak to the MES Foundation's unwavering mission to elevate education and empower educators and students of Morningside Elementary.

Please consider donating today!

Morning Carpool Drop Off Reminder!

Friendly Reminder: The ONLY safe and acceptable method of dropping off students in carpool is through our designated carpool route. There is no drop off allowed on East Rock Springs Road as it is extremely unsafe with traffic patterns. We have even noticed a few cars dropping off students in the middle of the street, which is extremely unsafe for our children during a very busy time of increased traffic. 

You can find the carpool route on the MES website Transportation page. Thank you!

STEAM Partner Interest Form 2023-2024

We need YOUR expertise, experience and help to shine a light on STEAM/STEM amazing Careers!!

We are looking for partners who are willing to share their STEAM/STEM career with students in any way that will help bring it to life:

• field trip opportunity
• in person speaker
• facilitated hands-on class project
• zoom speaker
• donation of supplies for a project
• OR sharing resources or contacts

If it is you or someone you know can help, please complete the form here or share it to help our MES students grow in their knowledge of diverse STEAM/STEM careers!

MES Principal Blog

Principal Sofianos has been busy updating her blog this year, with some help from Assistant Principals Dr. Sinclair and Mr. Baron. Be sure to keep up with all the school news straight from the principal's desk by bookmarking her Principal's Blog and checking back often!

Atlanta Board of Education Meeting

The next monthly APS Board of Education meeting will take place on Monday, October 2nd from 2:30-8:00pm. All meetings are held at the Atlanta Public Schools Center for Learning and Leadership Auditorium and are typically livestreamed via the APS Board of Education Facebook Page. Interested parties are welcome to provide comments during the Community Meeting portion (which begins at 6:00pm) by signing up in person from 5:00-5:50pm.

Department of Special Education Parent Listening Session!

Sesiones De Escucha Para Padres De Otoño!

APS Department of Special Education would like to invite you to our Fall Parent Listening Sessions to Communicate and Collaborate.

English-language Session: October 24th 5:30 PM on Zoom (more details here)

El Departamento de Educación Especial de APS desea invitarlo a nuestras sesiones de escucha de padres de otoño para comunicarse y colaborar.

Sesión en español: Octubre 25 7:30 PM Zoom (más detalles aquí)

CINS Reps Needed for Morningside!

The Council for Intown Schools (or CINS) is currently looking for 1-2 representatives from Morningside Elementary School that are willing to engage with the community. The CINS committee is comprised of representatives from each school within the Midtown Cluster. CINS was founded in 1978 by a few moms wanting to help support the schools in what was then the "Grady" Cluster. Over 40 years later, CINS is still committed to supporting the whole cluster. To learn more about CINS, please visit the CINS Facebook page.

If you are interested in becoming a representative, please contact [email protected].

Stay Up to Date with the APS Midtown Cluster

Click HERE for resources directly related to our cluster.

Stay Up to Date with the 2023-2024 APS Calendar 

Click HERE to view the district calendar and start planning for all the breaks.

Click HERE to view the Atlanta BOE 2023 Calendar.

Thank you to our 2023-2024 Diamond Dolphin, Dolphin, and Platinum-level sponsors for supporting our school!

For more information about Dolphin Donors, please click HERE.