April 18, 2024

Ver esto en español

用中文（简体）查看

Friday, April 19th - MES Field Day

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.

Because active participation is strongly encouraged, ALL MES students should plan to wear athletic clothing and t-shirts for Field Day. Students will be outside for most of the day, so please be sure to have them wear sunscreen and bring their water bottles and morning snacks. Please note that unlike in recent years, we will *not* be assigning each class their own color for the day this year. In order to highlight that we are ONE Morningside where EVERYONE belongs, we are instead asking for students to wear either MES spirit wear or our school colors of green and blue. Super hero tees are also encouraged!



As there will be many parents visiting the school on Friday, please be mindful of our neighbors when parking on the streets near our campus. 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.

Saturday, April 20th - MES Night Out at Atlanta United

On Saturday, April 20th, MES alumnus Caleb Wiley and his Atlanta United teammates will take on FC Cincinnati in what is sure to be a great game! The MES PTA sold tickets to this event back in February, and now the game is finally upon us! If you purchased tickets for this game through the PTA, your tickets will be sent electronically to the ticket purchaser's email address by Thursday, April 18th.



MES students selected to participate in the pregame "High Five Tunnel" or post-game "On Field Penalty Kicks' were notified via email from Justin Hubbarth earlier this week.

Finally, if you are interested in sponsoring the ticket of an MES Atlanta United fan who would not otherwise be able to go (chosen by Mr. LaSalle, our school social worker), you may do so on the MES Square Site by selecting "Scholarship Ticket". Please note that the MES Night with Atlanta United block of tickets are completely sold out and that the scholarship tickets still on sale have already been promised select students chosen by Mr LaSalle. This option is simply to help cover the costs of these tickets.

Saturday, April 20th - Friday, April 26th

This year, Earth Week will be celebrated from April 20-26 and we can't wait! Our SWAG team (that's Sustainability, Wellness, and Garden!) has been hard at work preparing a week of STEAM activities to celebrate the amazing Earth that we all share. Please mark your calendars for these fun events, with more details to come soon:

• Saturday, April 20th at 10am - Guided Nature Walk in Hebert Taylor Park! All MES families are invited to participate in an "Underfoot Walk" to explore the mosses, lichen, fungi, and molds. There is so much to see and learn, right in our wonderful neighborhood! Please RSVP to Jackie Townley to help with planning.
• Tuesday, April 23rd - Walk to School Day! Make a plan to travel to school on Tuesday in the most Earth-friendly way possible - on foot (bikes, scooters, and roller skates also welcome, of course!)
• Thursday, April 25th - Solar Beads with Georgia Power! During the day on Thursday, all of our MES students will have the opportunity to make their own solar bead bracelets, courtesy of Georgia Power. If you would like to assist with this activity, please sign up here.

And of course, tons of great classroom STEAM activities and time spent in our bountiful school garden area!

Thursday, April 25t - Last Day for MES GO Team Voting!

Online voting for new members for next year's GO Team is open NOW and will end on Thursday, April 25th. Households should have received unique voting links via text, email, and/or US postal service ahead of the voting period. For more information about the GO Team election process, please click here.

Also, please save the date for the final MES GO Team meeting for the 2023-2024 school year, which will take place on Monday, May 6th at 5pm. 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. Please note that this meeting has been rescheduled from the original April meeting date.

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.

Friday, April 26th - Final Principal Coffee Talk of the Year!

The final Principal Coffee Talk for the 2023-2024 school year will be held on Friday, April 26th at 8am in the MES Library - please join us as we wrap up the school year and start to look ahead to next year! Please note that all coffee talks will also be live streamed to our YouTube channel if you cannot attend in person.

Monday, April 29th - Friday, May 10th - Georgia Milestones Testing

Beginning on Monday, April 29th and continuing through Friday, May 10th, our students in grades 3-5 will be taking their annual Georgia Milestones assessments (sometimes referred to as GMAS). The 2024 testing schedule will be as follows:

Grades 3 and 5

• Monday, April 29th - GMAS ELA Section 1
• Tuesday, April 30th - GMAS ELA Section 2
• Wednesday, May 1st - GMAS ELA Section 3
• Thursday, May 2nd - GMAS Math Section 1
• Friday, May 3rd - GMAS Math Section 2
• Monday, May 6th - GMAS Science Sections 1 & 2 (**5th Grade ONLY)

Grade 4

• Monday, May 6th - GMAS ELA Section 1
• Tuesday, May 7th - GMAS ELA Section 2
• Wednesday, May 8th - GMAS ELA Section 3
• Thursday, May 9th - GMAS Math Section 1
• Friday, May 10th - GMAS Math Section 2

Please note that it is very important for all students to participate in the Georgia Milestones End of Grade assessments. Student-level results may be used by instructors to tailor instruction and provide intervention opportunities to better meet the needs of your child. Our Dolphins have worked so hard this, and it's time for them to show what they know!

Testing will begin promptly at 8:00 AM on all testing days. Our school schedule will shift slightly to accommodate all test takers. Teachers will communicate the shift in schedule via email.

For a refresher about GMAS, please check out the recording and slide presentation from Mr. Baron during our Testing at MES Parent University session earlier this year. Additional details can be found on the MES Georgia Milestones webpage. For additional questions, please contact Mr. Baron.

Thursday, May 2nd - 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 May Book of the Month "Art Club" by Rashad Doucet. The MES Book Club will meet immediately after school on Thursday, May 2nd 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.

Friday, May 3rd - Lost and Found Donation Day

Are you missing a water bottle or coat? Please be sure to look for it before the next donation day on Friday, May 3rd! The Lost and Found is now located near the cafeteria, along the hallway to the library - simply check in the office before swinging by to claim your items. Please note that we will NOT donate any items that are labeled, as the front office staff will work to reunite all labeled items with their owners.

Please see opportunities to volunteer to help with Lost and Found HERE.

Registration Reminders for Next Year!

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!

Rising 6th Grade Registration

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. If you have a Rising 6th grader and have not yet done so, please log into your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account and select "More" followed by "Online Registration for Existing Students" to complete the registration process. If you are having difficulty completing online registration, please contact Howard Middle School at 404-802-3200 or by emailing DTHRegistration@atlanta.k12.ga.us 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.

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.

Rising Rams families should also join the Howard Class of 2027 Facebook Group to keep with all of the latest information.

Rising Kindergarten Registration

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 aquilla.jones@atlanta.k12.ga.us.

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

Register Now for Dolphin Dive In Camp (Rising K ONLY)

It's back! Morningside Elementary will again host a summer camp for our Rising K students this summer during the week of June 3-7. Our 'Under the Sea"-themed camp will run from 9am to 12pm each day, with arrival starting at 8:45am. Tuition is $275 for the week. Dolphin Dive-In camp is taught be MES Kindergarten teachers and is a great opportunity for our newest Dolphins to test the waters at MES before they start kindergarten in August!

To register your Rising K students for Dolphin Dive-In camp, please click here. Please note that your child MUST be registered for Kindergarten at MES for the 2024-2025 school year before registering for camp and that you will need to create an account with our partner My AfterSchool Program as part of the registration process.

A flyer with additional details can be viewed by clicking here. For camp-specific questions, please email Becky Georges and for registration or payment information, please contact Beth Geurin.

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.

Council of Intown Neighborhoods and Schools (CINS) Annual Data Dig: April 25th

Please join The Council of Intown Neighborhoods and Schools (CINS) and APS from 12-1pm on Thursday, April 25th for their Annual Data Dig as Dr. Monique O'Bryant (APS Director, Research and Evaluation) goes over Midtown Cluster Data. This event will be virtual and free to all who are interested! 

Please register in advance here. A zoom link will be provided via email for all those who registered.

For questions, please reach out to Lisa Olmsted (D. T. Howard CINS Parent Representative) as MES does not currently have a CINS representative.

The Council of Intown Neighborhoods & Schools (CINS) supports Atlanta’s Midtown cluster of schools through education, advocacy, and community engagement. 

You're Invited to the Rising Rams Fun on the Field: Friday, April 26th!

On Friday, April 26th, Howard Middle School will host their spring Fun on the Field event from 5:00 - 7:00pm. This event is open to all 5th graders and their families and is a great opportunity for our Rising Rams to come to Howard, play on the field, and meet their future classmates from other elementary schools in the Midtown Cluster.

If you are interested in attending this event, please RSVP via this Google form. Families can also pre-order dinner from Sweet Auburn BBQ now in order to have food at the event. You can view the menu here and place your order here if you choose. Families can also bring their own food and picnic at the event if they prefer.

Finally, if you'd like to contribute some yard games to this fun night, please let the Howard organizers know via this SignUp Genius.

Join the Howard Middle School PTO Executive Board!

At Howard, the process for selecting PTO members is unique. Instead of directly voting for specific positions, members vote for candidates for the Executive Board. The Executive Board then internally decides on the allocation of positions among its members. And unlike elementary school where you are there for up to six years, you are only in middle school for THREE years so we'd love to have our rising 6th grade parents join the board!

You can find more information about the Howard Middle School on their webpage. Please email alisonmassa@gmail.com with any questions.

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.