MC Logo Georgia Milestones End of Grade Testing concludes this week with the final sections on Tuesday and Wednesday followed by any remaining make up tests this week.  Please make sure your your child is present and on time for school every day.  Remember to provide a light, nutritious breakfast, and make sure your student gets a good night's rest.

Some high school students have upcoming examinations.  Georgia End of Course (EOC) Tests are May 4-8.  Advanced Placement Tests are May 4-15.
Monroe Messages
A Newsletter of Monroe County Schools
MCBOE 2015-2016 Budget Update

The Board of Education has given guidance and direction on plans to include the following items for the 2015-2016 school year (FY 16 Budget.) The final approval of the FY16 Budget will take place later this year, most likely in July.   

 

  • Restore 2 work days to the 2015-2016 calendar (students at 180 days; faculty/staff at 190 days.)     

  • Increase local pay supplement for certified staff to 8% of state base (up from the current local pay supplement which is at 6.57%.)

  • Expand all classified pay scales to 21 steps- This will bring classified scales in line with certified pay scales; steps will be implemented on staggered basis.

  • Adding Teaching and Learning staff as necessary based on student population numbers.

  • Addition of Vocational/Agriculture teacher (position will be shared between Monroe County Middle School and Mary Persons High School.)

  • Initiation of plans to begin JROTC Program at Mary Persons High School (start up costs) in the fall of 2016-2017 school year.

Other budget items were discussed at the Board work sessions on April 14th and April 21st and these discussions will continue over the next few months until the final budget is approved.

 

During the work sessions, Jackson Daniel , Assistant Superintendent for Support Services, facilitated the training sessions that were focused on providing the Board and central office staff with information on how state and local funding affect budgeting and finance for Monroe County Schools.  

Mary Persons High School Graduation Parking

Due to construction on the Monroe County Board of Education campus, changes will be required in normal traffic and parking during 2015 Commencement Ceremonies on Friday, May 29. To accommodate the necessary changes, the administration of Mary Persons High School is working with local law enforcement agencies to make access to and from Dan Pitts Stadium safe and efficient.

The following are alterations which will be in place for the May 29 graduation services:

  • Seniors who will be graduating will be directed to park in the Senior and Faculty parking lots at the Mary Persons Main Campus.
  • Mary Persons High School Faculty and all other MCBOE Faculty members participating in the graduation ceremonies will park at the Monroe County Education Center (former Monroe Academy). Bus transportation will be provided to move faculty members to the stadium and back to their cars following graduation.
  • Parking for parents and the public attending graduation will be as follows:
    • Behind Dan Pitts Stadium
    • Adjacent to the Mary Persons 9th grade campus
    • Junior Parking Lot and Baseball parking lot at Mary Persons Main Campus -- bus shuttle to and from provided
    • Monroe County Medical Complex (Navicent Health - former Wal-Mart) parking area - bus shuttle to and from provided
    • Banks Stephens Middle School - bus shuttle to and from provided
    • Areas closest to the stadium will be designated for handicapped permitted vehicles.

Because parking on the BOE campus and around the stadium will be limited, law enforcement and school staff will be monitoring capacity.  When parking areas are full, the BOE campus will be closed to vehicle traffic.

All persons attending graduation are asked to cooperate with law enforcement and school system personnel. Monroe County Emergency Services will be providing the lighted directional signs to assist drivers and provide instruction.

Attendees are encouraged to carpool with others as much as possible to reduce the number of vehicles. Attendees also are reminded to be respectful of residential and commercial property in the area.

Mary Persons High School and Monroe County Board of Education appreciate the cooperation of all supporters as we plan for and conduct Commencement 2015. In spite of construction issues and limited parking, the goal is to make this a memorable night for the members of the MPHS Class of 2015, their families, and the community.

MPHS Band and Chorus Spring Recital

MP Boys Soccer Wins Region Championship
The MP varsity boys soccer team has won the region title for just the second time in school history. The Bulldogs (14-4, 10-2 in Region 2-AAAA) knocked off Perry 4-1 and followed that up with a 10-0 road trouncing of Baldwin last week. Then Tuesday they defeated Howard 2-1 on senior night. The victories wrapped up the region championship and secured a home playoff game next Wednesday at Billy Lancaster Field.  MP has won 10 of its last 11 games. James Davis scored the game winner against Howard, with Dawson Daniel recording the first goal of the match. Josh Hampton scored twice against Perry, including a first-half strike off an excellent assist from midfielder Shane King. The Bulldogs scored three more times in the second half to put the game away and easily defeat the defending region champs. Chance Barfield had a goal and Trea Atkins added another on a nicely timed corner-kick play to seal the win. The following night at Baldwin, MP was led by Hampton's three goals, as well as King and Grant Necastro scoring twice and senior Jacob Berkebile adding a goal in what were very sloppy conditions. Daniel recorded three assists on the night. Barfield, Hampton, Necastro, Ryan Shepard, and Will Walters all assisted also. The Bulldogs will host the No. 4 seed from Region 1-AAAA next Wednesday night (April 29) in the GHSA State Playoffs.
MCBOE Meeting on Tuesday, May 12
MC Logo The Monroe County Board of Education will meet for its regular monthly on Tuesday, May 12 at 6:30 p.m. for executive session.  The regular meeting will following beginning at 7:00 p.m.  For the agenda, see our eBoard website at https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/index.aspx?S=4117 .
KBS Fourth Grader Wins State Art Contest Celebrating National Agriculture Week
As part of National Agriculture Week, which was celebrated March 15 to March 21, the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Department of Agriculture held a series of contests for students.   Willow Waldrep, a fourth grader at KBSutton Elementary School, won first place for her grade at the state level.  Her coloring picture is at left.

More than 1,000 students from across the state participated, and a total of 12 winners have been selected."Through their essays and artwork, these students captured the rich history and vital importance of agriculture in our state," State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. "It's great to see students having fun while celebrating Georgia agriculture."  

MCMS Students to Present Peter Pan, Jr.

Congratulations to MP's Halie Brook Seitz on Being Recognized at the Vince Dooley Awards


Congratulations to Halie Brook Seitz for being recognized as an outstanding athlete and scholar at the recent Vincent J. Dooley Awards Ceremony.
MPHS Presented "Beauty and the Beast, Jr."
Mary Persons High School students presented "Beauty and the Beast" this past weekend.  The student performance was under the direction of MPHS Drama Director Lori Greenway and MPHS Choral Director Charles Hernandez.

We Celebrated Children of the Military on Friday
Thank you to all staff and students who honored the sacrifices that children of members of the military must make.  It was a purple Friday!
KBSutton Elementary Happenings This Week
KBSutton Elementary School teachers chalked messages of support for students in the entryway of the school this week so that students would enter the building reading encouraging messages on testing days. 

Congratulations to KBSutton Elementary School Media Specialist, Mrs. Misti Sikes!
She just received information that she was awarded a Donor's Choose grant for a Lego Wall for the KBS Media Center!  The title of her grant "Liven Up our Media Center with Legos" will surely be a HUGE hit next year!  Mrs. Sikes will be incorporating critical thinking and problem solving skills as students will be able to create settings, characters, and scenes from books read by students to display on the Lego Wall.  

 


Mrs. Jennifer Loftin's first graders celebrated Earth Day this week with special pictures and pledge to keep the Earth clean.
Free Access to Digital Books All Summer

myON Reader has partnered with the Get Georgia Reading Campaign to provide every child in Georgia with FREE access anytime, anywhere to a library of more than 8,000 enhanced digital books with multimedia supports - over the entire summer. Access the books and find more information at   

Go to: http://thefutureinreading.myon.com/GetGAREADING  

Login information is  School Name: Get Georgia Reading 

Username:  read  Password:  read   

Recognizing School Nurses and Their Service
National School Nurse Day is Wednesday, May 6.  If you think school nursing is all about flu shots, band-aids, and record keeping, then you haven't been inside of a school lately.  School health professionals juggle a complex array of medical and social issues, seeing thousands of students, and often moving from site to site throughout the district.  A typical schedule can encompass immunizations, health care screenings, hearing and vision screenings, dealing with home accidents, diseases such as diabetes and asthma, student obesity, and special needs like tube-feeding.  Nurses also work to prevent the spread of disease, and they work with their colleagues to address mental, social, emotional, and other problems of our students.  Nurses help arrange for disadvantaged students to receive food and clothing and even help students cope with being homeless or enduring the incarceration or long-term sickness of a parent.

For some students, the school nurse is the only health care professional they ever see.  According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, schools should have one nurse for every 750 students.  The national reality is a far cry from the recommendation.  Only about 59% of schools have this ratio or better for serving students with school nursing services.  Yet, school nurses rise to the challenge.  They are healers, comforters, educators, mentors, trainers, role models, and critically needed members of every school community. 
We Have a New Website:  See Our New Look
We have a new look at http://www.monroe.k12.ga.us.  All of our school sites and our system site have recently been remodeled.  Please visit often as we add more content to our school and system sites.
A Message from Monroe County Schools Counselors:  Digital Distractions
Technology isn't going away, and digital multitasking just keeps on becoming more and more a part of our children's lives.  Research shows that digital multitasking can have a negative impact on school performance.  Digital multitasking is described as doing two or more things via technology at once. For instance, your student might text while listening to music and also watching a movie on a laptop at the same time.

Encourage your student to take frequent breaks from technology.  Encourage your student to leave the cell phone in the other room or put it in a drawer while they are completing homework.  Try an experiment of having your student turn off sounds and vibrations and changing the phone to silent mode during homework or family time. Also encourage your student to take breaks from technology.  A few minutes of sunshine or a walk around the house may help them get centered back on their homework when they return.

There are a number of apps designed to help people focus.  Some cell phone apps let you block certain websites for a set amount of time.  Others let you remove an app from use for a certain amount of time.  Both the Apple iTunes Store and the Google Play store offer free apps that manage digital distractions.