March 28, 2024

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Atlanta Public Schools (APS) is currently in the process of updating student information and pre-registering students for the 2024-2025 school year. This process ensures that each school has adequate information about the anticipated student body to guide planning for next year as well as maintaining up-to-date records for all students. APS, MES, and all of the Midtown Cluster appreciates all of our families for addressing these requests in a timely manner!

Re-Registration Information for Rising 6th Graders

Atlanta Public Schools requires all parents or guardians to re-register (including providing proof of residency) their children when entering 6th grade, including all students continuing on from MES to Howard Middle School. To ensure that adequate space and resources are allotted for your children at their new school, APS is asking all rising 6th grade families to complete online registration via their Infinite Campus Parent Portal accounts by Friday, March 29th, 2024.

Parent Portal accounts can be accessed by clicking here (or using the button below!). The APS Parent Portal Help Page can be found here, just in case you need it.

After logging into your, click on "More" and then select "Online Registration for Existing Students". If you are having difficulty completing online registration, please contact Howard Middle School at 404-802-3200 or by emailing [email protected] to request a virtual or in-person registration appointment. Rising 6th grade students who do not complete Online Registration will not receive class assignments for the 2024-2025 school year and may be withdrawn from school at the end of the current school year.

Additional information for Rising Rams families was sent out yesterday in this Special Edition Digital Dolphin. Rising Rams families should join the Howard Class of 2027 Facebook Group to keep with all of the latest information.

Registration Information for Rising Kindergarteners

Online registration is also open now for Rising Kindergartners who will be starting school in August 2024! Families with children who will be five years old before September 1, 2024 should complete Kindergarten registration via the APS Kindergarten Registration website, which can also be accessed by clicking the button below. If you are having trouble with online enrollment, please contact Ms. Aquilla Jones (the MES school clerk) via email at [email protected].

Please note that the MES Dolphin Splash event for Rising K families is coming up quickly on Thursday, April 18th. Incoming Kinder students must have completed Kindergarten Registration in order to participate in Dolphin Splash, so please do not delay in completing your registration.

Additional details about Kindergarten registration, Dolphin Splash, and much more can be found in the MES Rising K Facebook Group.

Continuing MES Student Information Verification

For all current MES students who will remain MES students next year, re-registration is NOT required! However, during times of emergency, the school district MUST have current, accurate contact information for all families so that they contact you quickly when needed. This information is maintained with the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Therefore, all MES families with students who will remain at MES next year MUST complete the Contact Information Update Form to verify that their contact information in the Parent Portal is up to date.

If you need to make updates to your students' contact information in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, please select the More Tab within the app to complete Online Registration for Existing Students. Parent Portal accounts can be accessed by clicking here (or using the button below!). The APS Parent Portal Help Page can be found here, just in case you need it.

Please complete either re-registration in the Parent Portal (if your address has changed) or verify your contact information is up to date via the above linked form by March 29th, 2024.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Student Assignment at 404-802-2233 or [email protected] for additional assistance.

Now through Friday, March 29th - Staff Appreciation Week at MES!

This year's MES Staff Appreciation Week has been a tremendous success! Under the leadership of our tireless Room Parents, our Dolphin families have been showering our classroom teachers with small gifts and gestures of appreciation throughout the week. Meanwhile, the PTA's Staff Appreciation Committee has held several events to honor all of our dedicated MES staff throughout the school, including a coffee truck on Monday morning and lunch courtesy of the Blaxican Mexican Soul Food Truck on Wednesday.

The committee has another big celebration planned for Friday - Sweets for our Sweet Staff - and they are looking for volunteers to help pull it off. If you are interested in contributing baked goods to this effort (store bought or homemade!), please sign up HERE, so we know what to expect. Baked goods should be brought to the school on Friday morning, so please act quickly!

Thursday, March 28th - Spring Band Concert

The 4th and 5th grade band concert will take place in the MES Auditorium TONIGHT, Thursday, March 28th, beginning at 7pm. Details about dropping off instruments and arrival times have been shared via the Band App. Performers should wear black bottoms with either a blue MES Musician shirt or a plain blue top.



Please join us to show your support for our young musicians!

Monday, April 1st through Friday, April 5th - Spring Break!

Please note that school will be closed during the first week in April for spring break! We hope that all of our Dolphin families enjoy a safe and fun-filled break from school during this time. Don't forget your sunscreen!

Thursday, April 11th - FINAL PTA General Meeting of the 2023-2024 School Year!

Mark your calendars for the PTA’s final General Meeting of the 2023-2024 school year on Thursday, April 11th at 8am in the Auditorium! During this meeting, we will be voting on the new slate of PTA Executive Officers for the 2024-2025 school year. The PTA Nomination Committee is proud to recommend the following candidates for your 2024-2025 MES PTA Executive Board:

• PTA Co-Presidents: Zach Juno and Lori Brown
• Vice President - Communications: Sally Woods
• Vice President - Community: Mallory Rahman
• Vice President - Enrichment: Emily Jordan
• Vice President - Fundraising: Dayna Detro
• Vice-President - Operations: Erika Hall
• Vice-President - SWAG: Caroline Limehouse
• Secretary: Jane Myung Park
• Treasurer: Effie Antonakakis



Please join us in person to take part in this important process! Thank you for your ongoing support of the MES PTA!

Friday, April 12th - Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?! Game Show Night!

The MES 5th grade class is getting ready for an epic game show night that puts kids and caregivers to the test! If you have a 5th grader, you won't want to miss your chance to finally prove that you're Smarter than an MES 5th Grader!!

Friday April 12th

5:30pm-7:30pm

Dinner will be available in the MES cafeteria at 5:30pm, provided by Willy's Mexican

while the game show starts at 6:30pm in the MES auditorium!

Come join in the fun and RSVP for the event HERE!

Please note that this event is for MES 5th grade students AND their caregivers. Unaccompanied students must be promptly picked up at 7:30pm.

Sunday, April 14th - Kinder, 1st and 2nd Grade Social!

Join us for our last social event of the school year at Sidney Marcus Park!

This event is for all students in grades K through 2nd and their families. Come ready to dance with DJ Oppy and bring your pennies to purchase sweet treats from the ice cream truck. Don’t miss it!

Monday, April 15th - Final MES GO Team Meeting of the 2023-2024 School Year!

The final MES GO Team meeting for the 2023-2024 school year will take place on Monday, April 15th at 5pm for their regular monthly meeting. This meeting will be held virtually as well as livestreamed on the MES YouTube page for those who would like to watch. Recordings from past meetings can also be viewed on the YouTube page at any time.

The agendas for these meetings, as well as past meeting materials and the protocol for signing up to speak during the public comment period can be found on the MES GO Team webpage.

Please note that online voting for new members for next year's GO Team will open on Tuesday, April 16th and ends on Thursday, April 25th. Households will receive unique voting links via text, email, and/or US postal service ahead of the voting period.

Solar Eclipse Plans!

As you may know, on Monday, April 8th between 1:40 and 4:30pm, a spectacular astronomical event will occur as the moon passes in front of the sun causing a total solar eclipse. APS has provided eclipse glasses for each student and staff member. When viewing a solar eclipse, these glasses can be used whenever any part of the sun's bright face is visible. At approximately 2pm, MES students will go to areas of our campus where they can see the eclipse before being dismissed at the normal time. As the solar eclipse will take place during dismissal, and will last until 4:30pm, please remind your students to NOT look at the sun without special eye protection.

If you would like your child to OPT OUT of viewing the eclipse at school, please complete this form. For more information about Solar Eclipses and Safety, please visit https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/safety.

MES Field Day 2024 is Coming Soon!

MES Field Day is always one of the best days of the year - a day for all of our students to get outside and enjoy a full day of sun, fun, and friendly competition. This year's Field Day will take place on Friday, April 19th, with a back up rain date of Monday, April 22nd. While Field Day is first and foremost about giving our students a day to remember, all parents and caregivers are encouraged to come out and cheer on our Dolphins throughout the day!

Coach Corso and the Field Day Committee have been hard at work pulling together ambitious plans for this super heroic day. On the day of the event, all MES students will rotate with their classes and grade levels through three activity stations as well as lunch. Each zone will feature a different type of activity designed around this year's theme: "Kindness is My Superpower"! You can get a sneak peek at all the fun to come in Coach Corso's MES Field Day Guide. We'll share more details as the event gets closer, but please prepare for students to wear athletic clothing to school on this day and to be outside for most of the day.

Sounds Fun! How Can I Help?

As you can imagine, pulling off an event this size requires A LOT of volunteer support. If you are willing and able to help on Field Day, you can sign for a time slot via the Field Day SignUp Genius. Additional details about what volunteers can expect are included in the MES Field Day Guide linked above.

We can't wait to spend the day out on the field with our Dolphin community! If you would like to learn more about this event, please contact Jackie Townley or Matt Fox.

Save the Date for Dolphin Splash!

Rising K families, please save the date for MES's annual Dolphin Splash - the first opportunity for our future MES Dolphins to see what life is like swimming with our pod! Join your fellow incoming Kindergarten classmates and parents on Thursday, April 18th as we introduce you all to Morningside Elementary!

Please note that advance registration for this event is required. The event registration link will be shared with Rising K parents as they complete their kindergarten registration with APS (see details about how to register at the top of this newsletter). Families eligible to participate in Splash will have the opportunity to select a morning session time (between 9:30am and 12:30pm) to attend the Kindergarten Splash at MES. During your scheduled session time, Rising K students will meet with our Kindergarten teachers to complete a brief assessment to help with classroom planning, while parents will meet with school administrators and MES PTA and Foundation leadership to learn more about our MES community.

Updated APS Visitor & Sign In System Goes Fully Live April 8th, 2024

At MES and across APS, the safety of our students and staff is of utmost importance. To improve school security at MES (and across the district), APS has installed a new visitor sign-in system to provide for a safer school entry for any visitors to our schools system-wide. Please remember to bring in your state issued ID when visiting Morningside. Our upgraded system will screen each visitor’s information against the sex offender registry and other custom databases. This new visitor management system will provide an electronic check-in with a visitor’s state issued ID. Thank you for your cooperation as we fully transition to our new sign in system. 

Important Clarifications and Updates!

Since there was a bit of back and forth on this topic recently, we wanted to make sure that all of our MES families are up to date:

Another Asynchronous Day?! NOPE!

On Monday, March 18th, a message was sent out to all Midtown Cluster school families indicating that Thursday, May 23rd was to be an asynchronous learning day in order to accommodate the Midtown High School graduation ceremony taking place that same day. However, APS received strong feedback against this planned change and subsequently reversed this decision. As a result, Thursday, May 23rd will remain an in-person school day for all elementary and middle school students in the Midtown cluster, while Midtown High School will have an asynchronous learning day as announced on Monday. This decision was shared with families via the Infinite Campus Parent Portal on Wednesday, March 20th. Thank you for your patience and understanding as APS worked to find a solution that would work for as many families as possible across the cluster.

Summer School Open to All MES Students, June 3 – June 28

APS recently announced that registration for Power Up Summer, the APS summer school program, is now open! The Power Up Summer program for the Midtown Cluster elementary schools, including Morningside, will be at SPARK Elementary School from June 3rd – June 28th. The program will run from 7:45am to 2:45pm - a full school day program. Power Up Summer is open to all students, with APS sending special invites through the US Mail to students whose participation this summer is strongly recommended. 

Additional details about Power Up Summer can be found on the APS website. If you would like more information, K-2 families can contact Dr. Sinclair and 3-5 families can contact Mr. Baron. 

Morning Carpool Drop Off Reminder!

Thank you to our carpool families who arrive early and create a space for our staff to enter the parking garage located underneath the main school building! Many of our MES staff members arrive between 7 and 7:15am and we very much appreciate the mindfulness of our carpool families in leaving the garage drive open.

As a reminder, please remember that even if you are running late, there is no drop off allowed on East Rock Springs Road as it is extremely unsafe.

You can find the carpool route on the MES website Transportation page. Please note that there should be no "cut through turns" in the middle of the Barclay Median. Please drive to the end of Barclay and make the turn around there to avoid creating unnecessary traffic back ups and dangerous merging situations. Thank you!

MES Principal Blog

Posts on Principal Sofiano's Principal's Blog highlight the latest happenings at Morningside, including an inside view of the work of our amazing students and wonderful staff. Reminders about blog posts will continue to be sent through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal straight to your phones and email inboxes, but you can also bookmark the Principal's Blog and check it out at any time! If you are not getting blog notices on your email or phone, contact Charlette Jackson in the front office to update your information.

Atlanta Board of Education Meeting - Tuesday, April 9th

The next monthly APS Board of Education meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 9th 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.

APS Adult Education Classes Available for FREE

Discover APS's free Adult Education Program, where we support individuals in navigating the official Georgia High School Equivalency (HSE) Program, formerly known as the GED Testing Program. From selecting a high school equivalency pathway to test preparation, class enrollment, and short-term training opportunities, APS is dedicated to guiding adults through every step.

Additionally, our program extends beyond HSE with English as a Second Language and citizenship classes held at multiple Atlanta/Fulton County locations.



To learn more and enroll, click HERE and share the information with those who can benefit.

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 2024 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.