Monroe County Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, March 12 at 7 p.m.
To review the agenda for the meeting, click here.
Quick Links

Samuel L. Hubbard Elementary School

TGScott Elementary School

KBSutton Elementary School
Monroe County Middle School

Mary Persons High School

Monroe County Achievement Center

Board of Education Eboards Solution Site
Menus and School Nutrition Information

You can help Hubbard Elementary School win the Follett Challenge!
Vote every day from now until March 15th for the Hubbard Elementary School video entry for the Follett Challenge. The entry is called "The Merry Media Center: A Recipe for Student Success." You will need to enter your e-mail address to vote each day. 
 
Check out the latest Hubbard Elementary School art exhibit at the school's online art gallery.
Special Olympics to be Friday, March 8

The Monroe County Special Olympics Local Games will be held on March 8, 2013 at the Mary Persons High School Track, beginning at 9am.

Thomaston-Upson Arts Council Presents The Dixie Swim Club at the Lamar County Fine Arts Center
For details on this regional arts performance, click here.
Have you visited the Parent Portal for PowerSchool Access?Parents can check grades and attendance through the Parent Portal for PowerSchool   or download the PowerSchool App via GooglePlay or the Apple AppStore to your mobile device.  For assistance with access, please contact your school's registrar.
PreK Registration is Thursday, March 14  8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monroe County Board of Ed Auditorium  

Children four years of age on or before September 1, 2013 are eligible to enroll. Placement is made on a first come, first served basis with COMPLETED enrollment. School assignments will be determined at enrollment. For full details of PreK registration, see http://www.monroe.k12.ga.us.

Happenings
  
March 14 
End of the Third Nine Weeks
  
March 15
Teacher In-Service
(Student Holiday)
  
March 18
1st Day of Fourth Nine Weeks
  
March 21
Third Nine Weeks Report Cards
  
April 8-12
Spring Holidays (No School)
  
April 25
Fourth Nine Weeks Progress Reports
  

 
MONROE MESSAGES
A Publication of Monroe County Schools
MCBOE Seeks Your Input
The Monroe County Board of Education desires to meet the academic, emotional, social, and physical developmental needs of our students.  After a review of the current Vision, Mission, and Guiding Principles that were established more than ten years ago, it is time for an update.  As such, your input is needed.  Please take a few minutes to complete the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/26XG5SR.
 
MP Girls Basketball Program has a great 2012-2013 season

The Mary Persons Girls Basketball team  ended a great season with a trip to the Final Four of AAAA State Play-offs.  They played Sandy Creek High School on Saturday March 2, 2013 at Fort Valley State University.   

 

Mary Persons High School Choirs

present their

  

Mid-Semester

Concert

  

Directed by Charles M. Hernandez

 

Accompanied by Terry Clopton

With guest musician Nestor Jaenz

  

Monday, March 11th, 2013 at 7 p.m.

  Offices at Tift College-Roberts Chapel 

Free Admission

What school teachers make is more than money
By Dick Yarbrough

My recent observations on the lack of respect given public school teachers in Georgia engendered a lot of responses but none better than this story sent to me by my friend, David Egan, co-director of the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island and a former educator himself.

I recommend it to those members of the General Assembly who seem to spend more time and effort these days trying to starve public schools to death financially and promoting private school scholarship schemes with no public accountability and with all sorts of opportunity for abuse, rather than giving public school teachers the tools and support they need to succeed.

It should provide also some perspective to all those who aren't in the public school arena and who have no idea what school teachers go through; who think teachers can close the door on all of society's problems and blithely manage the bureaucratic and uncoordinated red tape at all levels of government from Washington to the local school board. Meanwhile, the rest of us are free to stand on the sidelines and second-guess them even though we couldn't do what they do under the same circumstances.

 It is also a reminder to the four public school teachers in my family of the potential they have to change young lives for the better and forever; something most of us have neither the ability nor the interest in doing.

Here goes: A group of dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

"I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.

"I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for five without an IPod, Game Cube or movie rental.

"You want to know what I make? (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)

"I make kids wonder.

"I make them question.

"I make them apologize and mean it.

"I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

"I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.

"I make them read, read, read.

"I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

"I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

"I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

"I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America.

"Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.

"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make?

"I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make, Mr. CEO?"

Not much I can add to that except to say that members of the General Assembly should put down the ideological anti-public school Kool-Aid they are slurping and paste her remarks on their foreheads with Super Glue. To them and to the rest of us: Walk a mile or two in a school teacher's shoes and see what they have to deal with before you start throwing stones at them.

Finally, to public school teachers: The story David Egan shared may be the stuff of legends but the facts are not. What you make is a difference -- a big difference. Never forget that.

(Dick Yarbrough is the most widely-syndicated weekly columnist in Georgia. This column is reprinted with his permission. You can reach him at [email protected] or P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, GA 31139.)

Help make the AP Exam Possible for 
Mary Persons High School Students

AP (Advanced Placement) is a rigorous academic program that challenges and prepares students for post-secondary education.  AP provides college curriculum to students with the potential to earn college credit, while they are still in high school.  Research has shown that students who take AP courses had better graduation rates from college than those who did not take AP.   Students who take AP exams with a score of 3 or higher, could potentially earn college credit.  Each college and university has their own policy in regards to awarding college credit.  To find out more about colleges and universities with AP credit policy information click here. 

 

Given the cost of college credits, success on AP exams could save parents a lot of money on college tuition.  Mary Persons High School currently offers 10 AP courses to our students. Many of our students are choosing to take more than one AP exam.  In the past, state budget has allowed for one test to be funded for each student. However, due to educational budget cuts this is no longer an available option. With the changes in today's economy, a lot of our students are not able to afford to pay for their exams, resulting in a missed opportunity for many strong academic students to miss earning college credit.  We want to continue to provide a rigorous curriculum that prepares our students for post-secondary education, while also giving them the opportunity to earn credit for college.  Exam fees are $90 per exam. 

 

If you would like to make a donation online or sponsor a scholarship for a student to participate in an AP exam, please click on the link below and proceed to a payment page where you can pay by credit card or PayPal account. If you would like to make a donation by check, please send the check for $90 made payable to the Monroe County Board of Education, Attention:  Business Office.   AP exam registration deadline is March 20, 2013.  Thanks in advance for your help and assistance.

 

Donate

The Monroe County School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or sex in its employment practices, student programs and dealings with the public.

It is the policy of the Board of Education to comply fully with the requirements of Title VI, Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act and all accompanying regulations. As a result, the following people have been appointed to oversee specific areas.

Title II, Adult 504, Adult Title IX  Dr. Mike Hickman  25 Brooklyn Avenue, Forsyth, GA 31029  478-994-2031
Student and Athletic Title IX  Tommie Walker  25 Brooklyn Avenue, Forsyth, GA 31029  478-994-2031  
Student 504  Lisa Allred  433 Highway 41 South, Forsyth, GA 31029  478-994-2031

Any employee, student, applicant for employment, parent or other person who believes he or she has been discriminated against or harassed in violation of the above areas must make a complaint in accordance with the procedures outlined in Board Policy GAAA. 

Copyright � 2012. All Rights Reserved.