March 21, 2024

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Friday, March 22nd - Parent University: Middle School Transition for Rising Rams

As we move closer to the end of the school year, our current fifth grade families are beginning to look ahead to next year. To help these families prepare for their upcoming middle school transition, the MES PTA and the 5th Grade Social Chairs have organized a panel of current Howard Middle School parents and caregivers to share their experiences and answer questions. This Middle School Transition Parent University session will take place on Friday, March 22nd at 8am in the MES cafeteria. Please note that while this panel will focus primarily on Howard Middle School, the intent is for the discussion to cover topics relevant to the middle school transition generally; families of students in all grades are welcome to join!

In case you missed it, our friends at Howard Middle School hosted a virtual Curriculum Talk earlier this week where they shared more details about what Rising Rams families can expect next year. If you missed the talk, or just would like to view it again, you can watch the recording here and view the slide presentation here.

Finally, if you have a Rising Ram and would like to tour Howard Middle School, the next school tour will take place on Thursday, March 28th from 3:05 to 4:13pm. Please sign up in advance by completing this brief form.

Monday, March 25th through Friday, March 29th - Staff Appreciation Week at MES!

Save the dates! This year's MES Staff Appreciation Week will be taking place throughout the week of March 25th through the 29th!

The MES PTA's Staff Appreciation Committee will celebrate with larger scale activities school-wide to honor all of our dedicated MES staff while Room Parents will help coordinate their fellow parents so we can recognize teachers with classroom-based surprises from their students.

This year we are asking Room Parents to focus their plans on each teacher's favorite things (like snacks, drinks, and places to eat and shop), as well as wish list items, needed classroom supplies, and similar. Please be on the lookout for an email about signing up to assist with these efforts from your homeroom teacher's Room Parent!

Sweets for our Sweet Staff!

For the last day of Staff Appreciation Week, let's shower our awesome educators with sweets for being so sweet! Any and all sweets and treats (homemade or store bought) are welcome! Please sign up HERE, so we know what to expect!

Monday, March 25th - Wednesday, March 27th - In-Person Rising K Registration

If you will have an incoming Rising Kindergarten student next year and have not yet completed registration, you can do so at any time via the APS Rising Kindergarten Registration website. However, if you'd prefer to take care of this task with some in-person assistance, you can come by the school next Monday through Wednesday between 8am and 12pm and complete your registration in person. An MES staff member will be available in the Conference Room to assist you. Please sign in at the front desk when you arrive and they can direct you to the Conference Room. Please be sure to bring all required documentation with you!

Save the Date for Dolphin Splash!

Our Rising K families should also save the date for our annual Dolphin Splash event, which will take place in the morning on Thursday, April 18th. This event is a great opportunity for our future Dolphins and their families to visit the school, spend time with our Kindergarten teaching staff, and get to experience a taste of life at MES. Additional details about how to register for this event will be shared with families that have completed registration for Rising K, so don't delay - complete your registrations soon!

Join the Rising K Facebook Group for 2024!

If you have a Rising Kindergartener or other incoming MES students that will be joining us in August 2024, please consider joining our private Rising K Facebook Group. Within this group, dedicated PTA parents and fellow Rising K parents will be sharing information over the coming months to ensure that all of our new families feel well prepared for the new school year, including information on:

• Key dates and instructions for registering for the 2024/2025 school year
• Meetings and events that may be relevant to new/prospective parents
• Everything you need to prepare for the first day of school

And much more! We're looking forward to getting to know everyone more within this private group!

Tuesday, March 26th - Spring Orchestra/Drum Team and Chorus Concerts

Please join us for the 4th and 5th grade orchestra and chorus concerts, which will take place together in the MES Auditorium on Tuesday, March 26th. The orchestra will perform at 7pm followed by the chorus at 7:30pm.

Please check the Band App for specific instructions about dropping off instruments and arrival times. All performers should report to the music rooms upon arrival and should wear black bottoms with either a blue MES Musician shirt or a plain blue top.

Thursday, March 28th - Spring Band Concert

The 4th and 5th grade band concert will take place the same week, at 7pm on Thursday, March 28th, also in the MES Auditorium. As with the other groups, details about dropping off instruments and arrival times will be shared via the Band App. The attire for performers is the same as above.

Please join us on one or both nights to show your support for our young musicians!

Thursday, March 28th - MES Monthly Book Club Meeting

Please join us for the next monthly meeting of our amazing MES Book Club where we will be discussing the February Book of the Month "Stranded! A Mostly True Story from Iceland" by Ævar Þór Benediktsson. The MES Book Club will meet immediately after school on Thursday, March 28th from 2:45 - 3:15pm in the Amy Snowden Mather Library at MES. You can review the instructions for afterschool pick up and RSVP to attend this meeting here. Please note that if you have not RSVP'd in advance, your child will be unable to attend.

Limited copies of the book can be checked out from the school library, purchased from your favorite local book retailer, or borrowed from the public library. Additional details about the book club can be found on the MES Library webpage.

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

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 which will be posted to the MES website and in the front office soon.

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.

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.

Important Clarifications and Updates!

Since there's been a bit of back and forth on a couple of topics since our last Digital Dolphin, we wanted to provide two important clarifications to ensure 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.

What Happened with the Lost and Found?

In last week's Digital Dolphin, a reminder was shared about the planned Lost and Found Donation day that was to have taken place this Friday, March 22nd. However, the planned Lost and Found donation from February was never made, resulting in an absolutely overflowing Lost and Found situation. This overdue donation was ultimately made early last week. Given this, the PTA decided to forgo the planned donation day for March. The next Lost and Found Donation Day will now take place on Friday, May 3rd.

As a reminder, labeled items are NEVER donated with the rest of the Lost and Found items. We appreciate your understanding and your prompt recovery of personal treasures from the Lost and Found whenever they happen to go missing.

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.

Registration NOW for Howard Middle School!

Atlanta Public Schools and Howard Middle School are currently registering students for the 2024-2025 school year. The APS registration process requires parents or guardians to re-register (including providing proof of residency) their children when entering 6th grade. 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. 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.

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.