Don't wait till it's too late to order your 24-25 yearbook.

Yearbooks are on sale now till they sell out.

SPRING IS ALMOST HERE!

How “Unplugging” Benefits Our Children and Teens

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that children and adolescents spend a lot of time watching screens, including smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, TVs, and computers. On average, children ages 8-12 in the United States spend 4-6 hours a day watching or using screens, and teens spend up to 9 hours. While screens can entertain, teach, and keep children occupied, too much use may lead to problems.

Here is a great link with information and guideline recommendation for parents:

https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-And-Watching-TV-054.aspx#:~:text=Children and adolescents spend a,use may lead to problems.

Nature for Everyone

Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children form Nature Deficit Disorder, a book by Richard Louv discusses children’s increasing lack of exposure to Nature and the physical, mental, and social ramifications.

Since 2005 over 1000 research studies have been conducted on the beneficial impact that spending time in Nature has on children, adolescents, and adults.

The National Park Service has identified ParkRX as a promising practice. Here is information from ParkRx.org:

Since the Pandemic, while adults’ time spent outdoors has increased, for children it has decreased.

Nature is everywhere and children don’t have to travel far to find and interact with it. Most opportunities to create Nature experiences don’t require travel, specialized equipment, or money!

Here are some ideas to get children to “unplug” and get outdoors:

-Have meals outdoors

-Get help from the kids spotting weeds!

-Go on a walk and inventory trees, shrubs, and flowering plants on your street or community

-Collect a small Nature sample (twig, stone, leaf, etc.) to add to an indoor Nature Bowl or create art with!

-Bring the outdoors in with easy to care for plants

-Plant a pollinator garden

-Open the blinds – especially is there is something Green to see outside!

-Build a frog raft

-Have plenty of sticks/branches laying around

-Go outside after it rains to find worms

-Make mud and play with it

-Go barefoot on different surfaces

-Install a rope swing

-Set out a play sprinkler

-Keep tree logs to observe or convert into stepping logs

-Identify butterflies

-Have old bed sheets on hand and 1 X 2 boards for kids to build forts with

-Go pole fishing

-Go to the beach

-Spot reptiles

-Take reading outdoors

-Be still and use your senses (wind, temperature, sound, texture, smell)

-Identify birds by the sounds they make

-Visit the Florida Audubon Society for ideas and information:

Florida Audubon Society

-Plant a garden on the ground, above ground, or in a pot! You can’t go wrong with Basil or Rosemary

-Join others to Green up your street or neighborhood

-Create pesticide/chemical free zones for children – Nature is wild!

-Visit the St Johns County Parks and Recreation website for a list of parks:

Parks in St Johns County

-Join the St Johns County Parks and Recreation newsletter:

Parks and Recreation Newsletter

-Visit a Florida State Park:

Florida State Parks

Let’s Go Outdoors MCA!

SAFETY MATTERS AT MCA

Dear Family,

Our school will be partnering with the Monique Burr Foundation for Children, a leader in abuse and bullying prevention, to implement their comprehensive, evidence-based prevention program called MBF Child Safety Matters®.

Students receive two fun, engaging, and developmentally appropriate classroom lessons that educate and empower them to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to all types of child abuse, digital abuse, and other digital dangers. Mrs. Dail, MCA School Counselor will facilitate the MBF Child Safety Matters® in classrooms.

Over the next few months you will receive information and materials as students in your child’s grade level participate in the lessons. To learn more about the program or about child safety, visit www.mbfpreventioneducation.org or download the mobile app, “Child Safety Matters,” available at no cost from the App Store or Google Play.

Why is Prevention Education a Mandate in Florida?

A high need for prevention education exists in schools as abuse and bullying have reached epidemic numbers in our country.

» 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before they reach their 18th birthday

» 160,000 students stay home from school every day for fear of being bullied

» The Department of Justice reports that 1 in 4 children is, or will be, bullied, and 1 in 5 cyberbullied

By using the MBF Child Safety Matters® program, our school is being proactive and helping to better protect our students. Learn more at www.mbfpreventioneducation.org

More information on the Human Trafficking Education mandates from the Florida Department of Education 

The Florida Department of Education mandates Child Trafficking Prevention Education in grades K-12. More information can be found in the State Board of Education Rule Memo and the FL DOE Comprehensive Education Mandates webpage. 

This rule requires school districts to annually provide instruction to students related to Child Trafficking Education, and institutes procedures for school districts to document planning and delivery of instruction. The Child Trafficking Education should advance each year through developmentally appropriate instruction and skill building using the adopted health education standards.

For specific information from FL DOE about the education described in the rule; resources on abuse, including sexual abuse, and human trafficking prevention for professional learning purposes; and materials for parents, guardians, and other caretakers of students, access the following link:

http://www.fldoe.org/schools/healthy-schools/human-trafficking.stml

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s counselor with any questions:

Suzanne Longobardi – Suzanne.longobardi@stjohns.k12.fl.us (Grades K-2)

Ellen Dail– ellen.dail@stjohns.k12.fl.us (Grades 3-5)

Parent Testing Information Night

Come join MCA for a Parent Testing Information Night!

We will discuss how you can help your student prepare for testing. We will cover information about best testing practices, computer adaptability, how testing scores are used, and what you can do at home to help your student do their very best during testing. If you would like this valuable information, please attend March 12^th for either or both sessions.

• STAR Testing K-2^nd: 5:00pm-6:00pm  -- Virtual option if you can not attend in person:  Join the meeting now  
• FAST/BEST Testing 3^rd-8^th: 6:15-7:15 -- Virtual option if you can not attend in person: Join the meeting now

You may RSVP using this link https://forms.gle/dX9GAq4AQ6pH6kLx9

NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION FOR THE 25/26 SCHOOL YEAR IS NOW OPEN

Incoming students NEW to SJCSD can begin registering March 1^st.

Registration will remain open throughout the summer.

Go to: https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/student/enrollment/

MAKE SURE YOU REGISTER YOUR CHILD IN THE CORRECT YEAR.

(Both the 24/25 and 25/26 school year will be open for new registrations)

If you complete the form in the wrong year you will have to fill out a new form in the correct year as the registrations cannot be transferred from one year to another.

Hardship Waivers are not open for the 25/26 School Year

If your student currently attends MCA on a waiver and you want them to remain at MCA next year, please submit a waiver for the 25/26 school year.

PLEASE NOTE: BOTH THE 24/25 AND 25/26 SCHOOL YEAR APPLICTIONS WILL BE OPEN.

BE SURE TO COMPLETE IN THE CORRECT YEAR. 

Applications cannot be transferred. You will be required to complete a new one in the correct year.

PM3 FAST Testing Schedule

Sending a HUGE thank you to all who donated books and food items! The donations have been brought to Epic-Cure and we are still collecting! The last day to bring in items is Thursday, March 13!  

Due to limited space: 8th grade students will receive two guest tickets for 8th grade Promotion Ceremony.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/281JZJONF9EY9?ref_=wl_share

PTA NEWS

Middle School Social

MCA Middle School Families,

We’re excited to announce this year’s Middle School Social on March 28th from 3:15–5:15 p.m. in the gymnasium! This fun-filled event is free, but a permission slip is required and must be turned in my March 24th.

Pickup time is 5:30 p.m. sharp. Please remind your child to bring cash for concessions.



We can’t wait to see our MCA students there for an afternoon of fun!

PTA Meeting

MCA Families,

Monthly PTA Meeting and Annual Elections – April 1st at 4:00 p.m.

We invite all PTA members to join us for our monthly meeting on April 1st at 4:00 p.m. in the Media Center. This meeting is especially significant as it includes our annual elections for PTA officer positions.

Eligibility to Vote or Run for Office

To participate in the PTA elections- either by voting or running for a position- you must be a registered PTA member for at least 30 days prior to the election. 

Nominating Committee and Candidate Selection

Our nominating committee has been diligently working to identify qualified candidates for each officer position. Their role is crucial in shaping the future leadership of our PTA. For more information on the nominating process, please refer to the Florida PTA's guidelines. floridapta.org

Importance of Participation

Your involvement is vital to the success of our PTA and, by extension, the enrichment of our students' educational experiences. We encourage all members to attend, cast their votes, and consider taking on leadership roles. We look forward to your participation on April 1st!



Note: Please review our bylaws and standing rules to familiarize yourself with election procedures and officer responsibilities.

Want to help? Want to get more involved at your child's school. There are tons of opportunities!!!



NEW OPPORTUNITY!!! Media Center: Media teachers need help managing students during their resource, shelving books, etc.

If you would like to help in the media center sign up here: Mill Creek Academy: Library Helper

Cafe Help: Opening packages, hand out supplies, etc. If you would like to help in the cafe sign up here: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0E4BADAF22A2FEC07-54062019-lunch

Helping Hands: Meet on cafe stage to help laminate, cut, staple etc for teachers. Sign up here to help: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0E4BADAF22A2FEC07-54061810-helping