May 9, 2024

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Now through Friday, May 10th - Georgia Milestones Testing

We have almost reached the end of our annual Georgia Milestones End of Grade assessments, as our 4th grade students will wrap things up with their final section tomorrow (GMAS Math Section 2). We appreciate all of the support from our MES families throughout this important testing window, as these student-level results may be used by instructors to tailor instruction and provide intervention opportunities to better meet the needs of your child.

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.

Friday, May 10th - Last Day to Submit Class Assignment Input Forms for 2024-2025 (Extended Deadline)!

To date, we have received 197 parent/caregiver input forms from parents to help inform class assignments for our current K-4th graders for next year! While you can place your trust in your child's current teacher(s) to make careful choices about class placement for next year, the MES Admin team also values your input as part of this process, should you opt to share it.

To ensure that everyone who wishes to give us additional information regarding their current K-4th grade students has an opportunity to do so, we have extended the deadline for submitting these forms to the end of the day on Friday, May 10th. The class placement process will begin on Monday morning, so the school will be unable to accept any late forms.

All submitted forms come directly to Principal Sofianos, who reads every single entry and compiles the information for each homeroom teacher to consider. Note that requests for a specific teacher are not accepted as it discounts other important criteria and can affect overall classroom composition. There may also be unknown staff changes that make it impossible to honor these requests. 

Class Placement Input Forms for Rising Kindergarten

If you have a Rising Kindergarten student(s) who will start at Morningside next August, please use this Kindergarten Class Assignment Parent Input Form to provide any information that you feel is important for helping to place your child in the best possible class for their needs next year. As with the above linked form for returning older MES students, completing this form is completely optional and we cannot accept requests for specific teacher placements.

NOTE: Completing this form does NOT constitute registering for Kindergarten for next year. Please see below for information about completing Kindergarten registration through APS if you have not already done so.

Class Placement Input Forms for NEW Morningside Students (Grades 1-5)

If you have students that will be joining our Morningside school community next year as NEW students in Grades 1-5 (or know of someone for whom this is the case), please use this New MES Registered Students Parent Input Form to provide any information that you feel is important for helping to place your child in their new classes for next year.

As with the Rising Kindergarten form, completing this form does NOT constitute registering for school for next year. Information about how to complete New Student Registration through APS can be found here.

Student Withdrawal Forms

If you have students that are currently in grades K-4 and know that your family will not be returning to Morningside next year, please fill out the official APS Withdrawal Form as soon as possible (one for each student you are withdrawing!). The last day of school this year is May 24th, and that will be listed as your last attendance date. Completing this form helps our teachers create balanced classes for next year and helps them to be on the lookout for any of your school withdrawal needs. Thank you for taking this extra step and we wish you the best of luck in your new school, whether that be a new school here in Atalnta or in a new country, state, city, or neighborhood!

Tuesday, May 14th - School Tour for Rising Kindergarten Families

In order to ensure that all of our Rising Kindergarten families have a chance to tour the school before everyone leaves for the summer, we will be conducting an additional school tour on Tuesday, May 14th at 8:30am. If you have a child who will be joining MES for Kindergarten in August and would like to tour the school, please sign up for a slot via this SignUp Genius.

Friday, May 17th - 3rd Grade End of Year Playdate

Third grade families, please join your grade-level friends at Sunken Garden Park after school on Friday, May 17th for one last playdate before summer break! There will be an ice cream truck on site to provide tasty treats to our students. Please be sure to RSVP for this playdate here to help us with the expected head count, and please note that this event will be cancelled in the event of rain.

Monday, May 20th - Friday, May 24th

It's time to celebrate our graduating 5th graders, and this year, they are going out with bang! Our 5th Grade Social Chairs have planned a full week of fun, culminating with the annual Moving On Ceremony on Friday, May 24th. Here are all the details:

Monday, May 20th - Field Trip Walk to Noble Park

Students will leave MES around 10:30am and return around 1:30pm. Pizza lunch and Kona Ice will be provided, so no need to pack a lunch if your student(s) eat cheese pizza! If you'd like to help chaperone this event, please contact Denise Lippert or Vicky Clifton.

Tuesday, May 21st - End of Year Party at MES

Students will celebrate on the MES Front Field from 9:00am to noon, including an optional foam party from 9-10am. Students participating in the foam party should plan to bring water shoes, a towel, and a change of clothing. Caregivers are welcome to attend!

Wednesday, May 22nd - 5th Grade Awards Day

Awards will be handed out to our 5th grade students by homeroom teachers during a special pancake breakfast just for students. This will also be a great opportunity to get yearbooks signed, so please be sure to send your student in with their yearbook and a fun pen! Thank you to all of the parents and caregivers who have signed up to provide supplies for this special MES tradition.

Thursday, May 23rd - 5th Grade Variety Show

This 5th-grade only talent show performance is being organized by the Student Council.

Friday, May 24th - Moving On Ceremony

Our annual Moving On Ceremony will take place on the last day of school, Friday, May 24th, at 9am in the MES Gymnasium. The ceremony will be preceded by a final goodbye parade through the halls of MES and will be followed by a light reception at 10:15am on the MES Front Field. Students may check out from school after the ceremony with their adult(s). Please note that it is tradition for our 5th graders to "dress up" for the ceremony.

Current 4th grade parents and caregivers who are interested in volunteering during the Moving On Ceremony can sign up to do so here.

Thursday, May 23rd - 4th Grade End of Year Party

The 4th Grade End of Year Party will take place on Thursday, May 23rd from 10:30am to 12pm on the MES Front Field. Parents and Caregivers are welcome to join! If you'd like to volunteer to assist with this party, please contact your class party planner: Alyssa Nolan (Hatcher and Hamilton), Shalini Sampat (Ahmed), Emily Cooper (Hood), and Britanny McMullen or Gina Buntin (Khalili).

Our 4th Grade families are also starting to look ahead to next year, when our students will be the "big kids on campus"! Please check out this Special Edition Digital Dolphin that was sent out to 4th grade families yesterday for more details and sign up to get involved in the planning via this Google form.

Friday, May 24th - Final Lost and Found Donation Day of the Year!

This is it - time to claim any lost belongings from the Lost and Found before school is out for the summer! The Lost and Found is located near the cafeteria, along the hallway to the library - simply check in at the front office before swinging by to reclaim your treasures. Any remaining unlabeled items will be donated on Friday, May 24th.

3rd Grade Music Selection for 2024-2025!

Starting in 4th grade, our students are able to choose a music specialty: Band, Orchestra, Chorus, or General Music. That means that it's time for our current 3rd graders to submit their choices for which music class they'd like to take next year! To see a brief description of each class and make your selections, current 3rd grade families ONLY should complete this Google form before the end of the school year.

Please note that changes mid-year are not possible, so please take your time in deciding which program is right for you and your child. For questions, please contact Ms. Relyea.

Visit the MES Story Walk Now through May 23rd!

In what is quickly becoming a favorite year-end tradition at Morningside, our librarian Mr. Rawls has set up a new Story Walk along the Morningside Nature Trail for our students, families, friends, and neighbors to enjoy! While you walk immersed in nature, you'll be able to read this year's featured book What Makes Us Human by Victor D. O. Santos and Anna Forlati. The Story Walk will remain set up until Thursday, May 23rd.

Not sure what a Story Walk is? Well, it's a new way to encourage people to read, courtesy of the creative mind of Mr. Rawls! Mr. Rawls has carefully separated the pages and drawings from this year's chosen book and mounted them (in order!) on weather-proof signs along the Morningside Nature Trail. Simply start at the beginning, reading each page as you walk along!

The entrance to the trail can be found at 990 Plymouth Road NE. At the beginning of the trail, you'll see a sign marked "START HERE". On this same sign, you'll find a QR code to scan with your smart phone or other device to open a set of questions to use with your child after reading the book. Make it a family outing or a playdate with a classmate! And be sure to spread the word to neigbors, classmates, and friends - Story Walks are for EVERYONE to enjoy!

Volunteer with the MES PTA for the 2024-2025 School Year!

A PTA like ours cannot do all of the awesome things we do without a lot of support from our parents and community members. The 2023-2024 school year brought back the return of a lot of favorite MES traditions and activites, and we're looking to do even more next year! However, in order to do that, we need to build up our roster of volunteers across all of our PTA committees. If you are interested in getting involved next year, please complete the 2024-2025 MES PTA Volunteer Interest Form linked below to let us know where you might want to help and what skills, talents, and secret connections you may be bringing to the table. Over the summer, our new PTA Exec Committee will begin reaching out to folks based on this information to fill out all of our committees. 

As always, we value ANY contribution you are able to make. Thanks for being part of our MES Dolphin pod and for being willing to help make our school as great as it can be!

MES GO Team Updates!

Congratulations to our newly elected Morningside GO Team members for the 2024-2025 school year! MES Parents Kristen Cincotta and Chappelle Washington Freer as well as MES teachers Kristina Davis and Allison Espelosin will all start their two-year terms on July 1st, 2024. Principal Sofianos is very excited to work with this team! Their unique perspectives and contributions are so important in helping our school be the best it can be for each child. Thank you to each of our new members for volunteering to dedicate their time to our kids and school!

MES GO Team Seeking New Community Member

If you know of anyone in our community who might consider being on our GO Team, Principal Sofianos is vetting possibilities to recommend to the GO Team for a vote at the start of next school year. This is for a two-year community seat. She is looking for someone who cares about kids and wants to lend their expertise to their local public school.  Please send names and contact information to Principal Sofianos at audrey.sofianos@atlanta.k12.ga.us.

Even MORE New Campus Projects Happening at MES!

This week, we're shining the spotlight on two more exciting MES PTA and MES Foundation-supported projects designed to create a new musical-themed portion of our outdoor campus. Music teacher Ms. Relyea and MES parent Lindsey Checker (who happens to be a professional woodworker & artist) are collaborating to create a 'musical fence' on the hill above the school amphitheater. Fifth grade general music students contributed to this effort by using the design-thinking process to propose musical elements for a section of the fence. Using the student designs as inspiration, Ms. Relyea and Lindsey are bringing their vision to life thanks to support from the PTA! If you're on campus this month, look up to see the work in progress.

Speaking of the amphitheater, MES is ALSO getting a new outdoors mural thanks to support from the MES Foundation. Local artist Muhammad Yungai will be onsite for the next two weeks painting an amazing original mural showcasing global music elements - many of which MES students study! Our students even studied Yungai's work during the school's Black History Month art projects earlier this year. A video will be played on the morning announcements introducing all of our Dolphins to Yungai as they watch the mural take shape.

Meet Muhammad Yungai in the video created for MES here & check out more of his work on his website at https://www.artofyungai.com/.

Muhammad Yungai preparing for the amphitheater for the new mural

Lindsey Checker hard at work on the new fence installation

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.

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.

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.