Monroe County Schools Families:

Welcome back to Monroe County Schools for another exciting year!!!  So many of our dedicated educators have spent many hours in preparation of the boys and girls returning on August 7, 2014.  Even though the majority of faculty and staff are off during the summer, many of them have worked on system, school, and/or individual classroom projects to get ready for the new school year.  As a result of everyone's efforts, we cannot wait for our students to return.

Although the summer seems like a long time, it has been short when you consider the work going on behind the scenes to prepare for students to return.  Here is a sampling of some of the work that has gone on this summer:

• MCS Leading Learner Summit was July 28-30 at KBSES with many faculty and staff taking part in professional learning, curriculum framework revisions, Student Learner Objectives development, and much more.
• Over 34 new instructional staff were hired throughout the summer and attended the MCS New Teacher Induction program.  What an awesome group of new folks to work with our students!!!
• The Monore County Middle School - Banks Stephens Campus for 7th and 8th graders has that "new" smell inside the building.  The classrooms, hallways, gymnasium, and cafeteria all look amazing with the brand new paint, tile, and carpet.  Mr. Onstott's crew emptied the building, contractors worked all summer, and the crew put everything back in rooms for teachers to prepare for students.
• The Energy Pathway Classroom at the Monroe County Schools Education Center was completed.  This is the second year for this course offering but its first year in the new space.  MCS will have a ribbon cutting for the Energy Pathway Classroom with Ms. Sandy Colwell, Director of CTAE Programs, and Mr. Bob Meacham, the Energy Pathways Instructor.  The ribbon cutting will be held at the Energy Pathway Classroom at MCS Education Center at 5:00 PM on August 12, 2014.
• Students will experience new Language Arts Textbooks/Curriculum Materials this year.  Even more exciting is the fact that this is MCS first Hybrid Textbook Adoption.  Using ESPLOST funds, we have purchased more than 900 Chromebooks for students to use with the new curriculum.
• The transportation department has been working to establish the new routes for elementary schools as well as inspect and repair every bus in the fleet.
• The technology department has been extremely busy with all of the work going on in every building but specifically with the MCMS BSC renovations.  They have been instrumental in preparing the Chromebooks for student use.

As I enter my seventh year as your Superintendent and 25th year as an educator, I continue to be just excited as my first day of teaching in August of 1990.  It continues to be my pleasure to serve this community in our pursuit of providing the finest educational system possible for the children of Monroe County.

Respectfully submitted,

Mr. Anthony D. Pack, Ed. S.,  

Superintendent of Schools

On Twitter - @adpack67 

Final planning for the Monroe County Schools Fine Arts Center is quickly nearing completion. Construction is expected to start within the next six to seven months.

The new 1,200-seat Fine Arts Center will be constructed on the current Monroe County Board of Education campus located on Brooklyn Avenue (US Highway 41 South). The Fine Arts Center will sit within the current parking lot to the east of the BOE building (old Mary Persons High School). Construction will require reconfiguration of the roadways and parking on the BOE campus.

"The Fine Arts Center has been a long-time coming, but this is a building that the students and their growing arts programs need. It's exciting to know this will soon be a reality," said Dr. J. Ray Grant, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Education.

Once completed, the Fine Arts Center will deliver to Monroe County Schools a state-of-the-art venue for school musical and drama performances and a "gallery" area for display of student visual art. In addition, the Center will be available for large community performing and visual arts events.

Disruption of traffic flow and parking will be an inconvenience for a while, but the benefits of having the Fine Arts Center in a central location for the schools and community far outweighs the trouble, said Dr. Grant. Construction is expected to last 18 to 20 months with an anticipated completion and grand opening in the fall of 2016.

The following guidelines are for all Monroe County Schools Extracurricular events held at any venue.  The guidelines are not just for football games or the football stadium.

1.  If patrons wish to bring in stadium seats to a school system venue, the seats are to be no wider than 17.5 inches and a seat depth of no more than 14".  Fans are asked to remember those individuals sitting behind them by not reclining back in their seats imposing on those behind them.  Seats with armrests are not allowed.  (Seats will be checked upon entering the venue.  If the seats are larger than the established guidelines, the individual will be asked to take the seat back to their vehicle before entering the event.)

2.  Children in grades 5 and below should be with a parent or guardian at all times.  They should not be walking around the venue without adult supervision.

3.  In order to ensure a safe environment, children will not be allowed in the end zone of the football stadium without proper adult supervision.  If on the grassy area in the end zone, spectators are to be seated.

4 Tips for Better Sleep Heading Back to School

The transition from summer sleepovers, staying up past bedtime and sleeping late to getting up early for school will require a few tweaks to your summer schedule. You can create the perfect environment for well-rested kids on the first day of school will a little planning ahead.

• Ease into a modified schedule before summer vacation ends.

Create a schedule of going to bed earlier and getting up earlier. Move bedtime and getting up by 15-30 minutes each day or two. It will take at least two weeks to reset your child's internal clock to the new school routine.

• Develop a relaxing nighttime routine.

The best way to wake up on the right side of the bed is to start at night. Try a warm bath, reading a book or listening to soothing quiet music to help your child relax before going to sleep.

• Power down.

The hour before bed should be a no-electronics zone. Studies show that light from electronic screens can disrupt our ability to fall and stay asleep.

• Get up and get outside.

Source: http://www.Strong4life.com .