Special Edition: July 22, 2023 | |
Hello Morningside Families!
It seems impossible, but it's already time to think about heading back to school! Everyone at MES has been busy over the summer preparing for our return to our newly renovated campus on East Rock Springs. We can't wait to have all of our Dolphins back home!
Over the past week, Principal Sofianos and Assistant Principals Baron (Grades 3-5) and Sinclair (Grades K-2) have been sharing a series of blog posts on the MES School Blog with a lot of important information related to our return to school on Tuesday, August 1st. Because this information is so important, we wanted to reiterate some of this information via the Digital Dolphin as well. Read on for all the details!
| |
Teacher Assignments and Meet the Teacher Day
Teacher assignments will officially be posted in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal on Sunday, July 30th for all returning MES students in grades 1-5. Rising Kindergarten and new MES families will receive their teacher assignments via U.S. mail sometime during the week before school starts. All incoming MES students can get a sneak peek of your students' teacher assignments on Friday, July 28th when the lists will be posted on the door of the school. Please note that for security reasons, we ask that you do NOT post photos of the teacher assignment lists online, including in the private MES Facebook group.
Meet the Teacher Day
Once you know who your teacher will be, the next step is to meet them! Meet the Teacher Day will be on Monday, July 31st during the following times:
- Families with last names that start with A-M: 9-10am
- Families with last names that start with N-Z: 10-11am
Meet the Teacher Day is a great opportunity to see the school, help your child find their classroom (using our colored dots wayfinding system!), drop off all of those new school supplies, and of course, get to know your new teachers. With our return to the newly renovated East Rock Springs campus, this is sure to be an exciting morning for everyone!
Meet the Teachers Day will end promptly at 11am so that our teachers have time to complete all of their last minute school preparations. If you have multiple students/classrooms to visit, please be sure to plan enough time to complete the rounds before 11am.
NOTE: If you ordered school supply kits through the school last spring, they will be delivered to your homes prior to the first day of school. If you still need to shop for school supplies ahead of Meet the Teacher day, the school supply lists for each grade are here.
| |
Transportation to MES
All of the most recent MES Transportation information can be found on the school website, here. There are three primary transportation options for arrival at MES: Bus Rider, Walker, or Car Line. Regardless of how you get there, all MES students must be in their classrooms ready for school to start at 7:45am.
Bus Routes
Atlanta Public Schools anticipates posting the bus routes for the 2023-2024 school year on their Bus Routes webpage on Thursday, July 27th. The MES Transportation webpage will also be updated at the same time.
Car Line and Walkers
If you anticipate walking to school or using the car line to drop off your students, please review the updated transportation map! This map highlights how car traffic should flow around the school during drop off and pick up as well as the location of the walker pad. Please note that the school doors will open for all arriving students at 7:15am and that students in the car line must stay in their vehicles until this time.
For a refresher on all of the arrival and departure procedures at MES, please click here.
PikMyKid and MES Transportation Forms
MES will once again be using the PikMyKid transportation app to coordinate dismissal from the school. ALL families must have an active account in PikMyKid in order to set up default dismissal options (including for Morningside After School), change dismissal options as needed throughout the year, and alert the school when you have arrived to pick up your students. MES has a ton of information on PikMyKid available on their website, here.
In order for your students to show up in your account in PikMyKid, you MUST submit a new Transportation Form for the 2023-2024 school year for each child you have attending MES. Transportation Forms for this year will be available in the afternoon of July 28th. A notification to complete this form will be sent via Infinite Campus once the 2023-2024 forms are available. Please note that you will need the name of your student's teacher and their assigned bus numbers (if applicable) to complete this form. MES administrators are asking that all Transportation Forms are submitted PRIOR TO THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL ON AUGUST 1st.
Once you have submitted your Transportation Forms, PLEASE BE PATIENT. MES administrators will be working quickly over the weekend and throughout the first week of school to activate each student's profile within the app. As Mr. Baron says, TRUST THE PROCESS. If you've set up the app and submitted your Transportation Forms, your students will magically appear within the app within a few days. There is no need to submit the form more than once for each student.
| |
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: Tuesday, August 1st!
We can't wait to see everyone's smiling faces on Tuesday, August 1st as we open the doors to a new school year! As a reminder, on Day One, you are welcome to walk your child to the classroom. After Day One, no matter the transportation method, our MES students walk to the class on their own, without a parent. We have trained adults ready to assist, with much expertise in transitioning our students to their classes. Kids also love following the dots on their own!
Parking on Day 1
Parking on the MES East Rock Springs campus is very limited, and the school is asking that all on campus parking spots be reserved for MES staff. Parents are also asked to NOT park on East Rock Springs in front of the school as this is where the school buses unload in the mornings. Please be respectful of our neighbors when parking near the school and walking up to campus, on Day 1 and whenever you come to visit us on campus.
Coffee and Kleenex
After your students are settled into their new classrooms, please join us for a longstanding MES tradition: Coffee and Kleenex! The MES PTA will be providing the coffee and MES administrators will stop by to say hello. This is a great way to kick off the school year by getting to know your fellow MES parents!
School Hours
School hours at MES for the 2023-2024 school year are:
- School Hours - 7:45 am - 2:45 pm
- Doors Open - 7:15 am
- School Starts/Tardy Bell - 7:45 am
- Notify School of Change in Dismissal (via PikMyKid app) - 2:00 pm
- Dismissal - 2:45 pm
School Breakfast and Lunch
Please be sure that your students are prepared for the day by eating a healthy breakfast and bringing their lunches to school. If your students would prefer to purchase one or both of these meals, they may do so in the cafeteria. Breakfast is available as a "grab and go" option from 7:15-7:45am, while lunches are available for purchase during the grade level lunch periods. Students will use the My School Bucks app to pay for meals throughout the year, so please be sure to set up and per-load their accounts before the first day of school!
| |
MES PTA Updates
The MES PTA has been hard work preparing for the new school year! If you'd like to learn more about the work of the MES PTA, please visit the PTA section of the MES website. You can also purchase a PTA membership for the 2023-2024 school here via our Square Site, here.
Back to School Parent Work Day
The MES PTA and the SWAG Committee (that's Sustainability, Wellness, and Garden, for our new Dolphin families) will be organizing a volunteer parent work day on Sunday, July 30th from 9am - 12pm. Please stay tuned for more details about how to help out with this effort!
Join Our MES Family Directory!
Because the school administration cannot share parent contact information with the PTA, it is VERY important that all MES families maintain an active account in our Family Directory, which we manage through Membership Toolkit. While parents can choose to keep their contact information private within the directory, having an active account in Membership Toolkit will ensure that you will continue receiving the Digital Dolphin and will allow you to sign up for volunteer positions at the school, including Class Parents and Social Chairs.
Volunteer with the MES PTA
Speaking of volunteers, please visit our NEW Current Volunteer Needs webpage to learn about our open opportunities - we're always looking for new faces to help out! You can also learn more about volunteer opportunities at MES in general by downloading our MES Volunteers Overview one-pager, here.
| |
Additional Reminders and Resources for Back to School
-
Feeling lost with all the apps and technology you need? Download a brief overview of all of the school-wide apps that we use at MES here!
-
Make sure you're in the loop with all things MES this year by checking out our various communications channels, including our new school Instagram account. Download a brief overview of the MES communications channels here!
We can't wait to welcome everyone back to our beautiful home at MES on East Rock Springs for the new school year, starting on August 1st! See you soon!
| | | | |
