August 31, 2023

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Monday, August 21 through Friday, September 1 - Fall MAP Assessment Window

The first of three MAP assessment windows for the 2023-2024 school year are coming to a close tomorrow, September 1st. Assessments will take place two more times during this school year and follow this schedule:

MAP Growth Assessments - Reading and Math (Grades K - 5)

MAP Growth is the most trusted and innovative assessment for measuring achievement and growth in K–12 math, reading and language usage.. It provides teachers with accurate, and actionable evidence to help target instruction for each student or groups of students regardless of how far above or below they are from their grade level. MAP Growth Assessments will be completed on the following dates:

• Monday, August 21^st – Friday, August 25^th (COMPLETE)
• Monday, November 27^th – Friday, December 1^st (Winter window)
• Monday, March 11^th – Friday, March 15^th (Spring window)

Access a Family Guide to understanding MAP Growth: ENGLISH  SPANISH

MAP Reading Fluency Assessments (Grades K - 3)

This assessment allows precise, reliable insights to support early readers while maximizing valuable instructional time. With speech-recognition technology, group administration, and automatic scoring, MAP Reading Fluency provides a clear view of early literacy skills and learning needs for an entire class in about 20 minutes. MAP Reading Fluency Assessments will be completed on the following dates:

• Monday, August 28^th – Friday, September 1^st (almost COMPLETE)
• Monday, December 4^th – Friday, December 8^th (Winter window)
• Monday, March 18^th – Friday, March 22^nd (Spring window)

Monday, September 4 - No School!

Reminder that school will be closed on Monday, September 4th. Happy Labor Day!

Wednesday, September 6 - Last Day for 3rd and 4th Grade Families to Pre-Order Books for the Upcoming Visiting Author

On Thursday, September 21st, MES will play host to visiting authors Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko as part of a collaborative event between the Amy Snowden Mather Library at MES and Little Shop of Stories in Decatur. They will be presenting their new book, Dogtown, to MES 3rd and 4th grade classes. Dogtown is a humorous and moving middle-grade illustrated novel about a shelter that houses stray dogs - and robot dogs!

Information about pre-ordering signed copies of the book were sent home with 3rd and 4th grade students in this week's Wednesday Take Home folders. Please note that orders must be received by Wednesday, September 6th in order to arrive in time for the Visiting Author event later in the month. Thanks to our partnership with Little Shop of Stories, 20% of the sales of these books will be donated to MES.

Friday, September 8 - No Place For Hate: Buddy Bench Dedication

Join your student during their lunch period on Friday, September 8th for the dedication of the newly installed Buddy Bench on the MES Playground!

Students will recite and sign the No Place for Hate Pledge and we will have a countdown to reveal the new buddy bench donated to MES by EcoPlay Structures.

The No Place for Hate Committee is also looking for parent volunteers to assist with the ceremony during each lunch period. Please email Halley Blythe if interested.

Friday, September 8 - MES International Festival Volunteers Meeting

We are excited about our first festival of the year, the return of the International Festival on Saturday, September 30th from 11am to 2pm. According to our recent survey (which you can still complete here now through September 3rd), our community represents at least 52 countries! In order to ensure that we can have tables for as many of these countries as possible, we will need a lot of volunteer support, so please read on for more details about how you can get involved:

MES International Fest Volunteer Sign-Up

There are several ways to help out with this year's International Fest:

• Event Set-Up and/or Breakdown
• General event volunteer to fill in where needed or at underrepresented tables
• Volunteer by Country in one of the following roles (please indicate your preferred role during sign-up):
• 1-2 Table Leads per table
• Up to 6 Table Volunteers per table
• Unlimited number of Table Supporters, who are people who cannot volunteer during the event but want to support by donating, providing artifacts and/or decor, and more

If you're interested in helping out, please click the button below. Specific volunteer times related to set up will be determined once we know how many tables we have. Breakdown will be immediately following the event.

NOTE: There will be a volunteers' meeting at 8am on Friday, September 8th. Please make every effort to attend! Please email Shraddha Srivastav Strennen if you'd like to volunteer but cannot attend this meeting.

We can only have tables for the countries that have volunteers, so please help us out! We love to have all of the countries from our recent survey represented!

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

Sunday, September 9 - Kindergarten Bowling Social

Please join us for the first Kindergarten Social of the year - Bowling!

Kindergarteners and their families are welcome to join us from 1:00-2:00 pm at Midtown Bowl on Saturday, September 9th. The cost per each bowler is $10, which can be pre-paid via the Venmo link sent out in last week's Wednesday Take Home folders. An Evite link is also included in same flyer - please use this link to RSVP for each paid bowler only. Midtown Bowl can NOT accommodate payment on site or additional bowlers the day of the event. All RSVPs and payments must be received by Friday, September 1st. If financial assistance is needed to participate, please contact Mallory Rahman.

Tuesday, September 12 - GATE Testing Information Meeting

If you are interested in learning more about Gifted and Talented at MES, please mark your calendars for our fall informational meeting:

GATE Testing Informational Meeting

Tuesday, September 12, 2023 

8:00am- 9:00am

Morningside Auditorium

This meeting is open to all MES parents and guardians who are interested in the testing process for Gifted services. Please come to learn more about the program, the approach, to ask any questions you may have and to meet some of the teachers. Please also feel free to 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

Please note: 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.

Friday, September 15th - Principal Coffee Talk

The first Principal Coffee Talk for this school year will be held on Friday, September 15th at 8am in the MES Auditorium! All coffee talks will also be live streamed to our YouTube channel if you cannot attend in person. During these meetings, topics will include the latest news from MES, as well as special speakers and visits from our staff. The first coffee talk will also include some data, news from each of our two assistant principals, a visit from our new counselor, as well as time for questions and answers. See you then!

Please save the date for the remaining Principal Coffee Talks for this school year (all at 8am in MES Auditorium unless otherwise noted): October 27th, January 19th, February 9th (BYO Lunch & Learn at Noon), March 15th, and April 26th. There will also be a special coffee talk, to be scheduled, which will be focused on Howard Middle School.

Sunday, September 17th - 1st Grade Bowling Social

Please join us for our first, 1st Grade Social of the year!

First Graders and their families are invited to join us on Sunday, September 17,2023 from 1:00-2:00 pm at Midtown Bowl, located at 1936 Piedmont Circle NE.



A flyer was sent home to first grade families earlier this week. Please RSVP to the EVITE QR code where you will find details and Venmo link. The suggested donation is $10.00 per person bowling. Midtown Bowl can not accommodate additional bowlers or payment the day of the event.

Please RSVP and Venmo donation by September 8th. If financial assistance is needed to participate, please contact Anita Garland.

We look forward to spending time with you and your families!

September 18th - 22nd - MES Book Fair!

The 2023 MES In Person Book Fair will be September 18 - 22, 2023. Students will visit the book fair during their browse & buy days with their class. Visit the book fair webpage for all details including an explanation of browse and buy days and when to shop. Families are welcome to join their students during their scheduled browse or buy days or shop anytime without their student.



Vouchers are available for students who may need assistance purchasing books. The voucher distribution process will be coordinated through Mr. LaSalle, the school social worker. Teachers or parents/guardians who would like to request vouchers on behalf of certain students should reach out to Mr. LaSalle ([email protected]) for more information about the voucher process.

The MES Foundation Needs Your Support!

Will you support the Morningside Elementary School Foundation with a donation to foster teaching excellence and enhance student achievement through strategic investments in curriculum, teacher training, building enhancements, and technology programs?

The generosity of our donors allows the Foundation to quickly and nimbly fulfill needs at the school that would not be met otherwise - helping us retain teachers, create dynamic experiences for all students, and ensure Morningside is one of the top elementary schools in Georgia. 

Look for more information in take home folders soon, as our annual appeal picks up steam!

Click here to Donate!

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!

Morningside Birthday Book Club

It’s time to begin our biggest fundraiser for the school library - Birthday Book Club! Be on the lookout for a paper copy of a flyer to be sent home this week or next with all the details, or you can download and print a copy at home by clicking here now. Raising money for the library benefits ALL students; this helps keep our collection fresh with updated series, new releases, and replacement copies of beloved books that are torn and tattered.

NEW THIS YEAR - There’s a new option to pay online - scan the QR code on the form to pay using School Cash Online. If you pay online, we still need a paper copy of your child’s information - just check the box that says PAID ONLINE. Thanks for supporting our library program!

Don't Throw Away the P-EBT Cards!

You may have received a P-EBT card in the mail over the past week or so. Anyone who attended an APS school last year and did NOT use their P-EBT card may be receiving a new card this year with rollover funds from last year. These cards have cash value and can be used for a variety of groceries, toiletries, and necessities at most stores. These cards are related to a past Congressionally-approved pandemic benefit that was disseminated last year; cards appear to have been resent to families that did not previously use them.

If you do not need to use your card for your own family this year, don't throw it away and don't let it go to waste! Instead, please consider one of the following options recommended by Linda Brenner of Grady Cares:



• Buy items for Intown Cares - here's what they need / drop off or mailing instructions: https://intowncares.org/donate/food-donations 
• Buy needed snacks and/or supplies (tissues, pencils, books, wipes, etc.) for any APS school - ask a counselor, social worker, office staff, principal team, etc.
• Use it to buy your own groceries and donate the money you would have spent to Grady Cares, Intown Cares, or another organization of your choice

Note: you should NOT give your card or pin number to anyone else; it could be considered fraud.

Technology Tips: Infinite Campus Parent Portal

One of the main apps that MES uses to communicate with parents is Infinite Campus, which we call the Parent Portal. The Parent Portal is an easy-to-use, secure communications tool that enables parents to access attendance records and grades for their students. Once you set up your account, you will be able to use this same account all the way through high school graduation! If you have any younger children, they will be added to the Parent Portal when they enter our school. There are some helpful links here for things like a forgotten password or if you still need to create your account. 

The Parent Portal is also the system that Principal Sofianos uses to send school related emergency or other messages. Be sure to create your account so that you can change your contact information if needed. It is important that you receive APS and MES messages at the email and phone number that is correct and most convenient for you. 

Please check your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account today to ensure everything is up to date!

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 Tuesday, September 5th 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.

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 2022-2023 Diamond Dolphin, Dolphin, and Platinum-level sponsors for supporting our school!

Sponsorships for 2023-2024 are available now!

For more information about Dolphin Donors, please click HERE.