Friday, December 9 - SWAG Playground Clean Up

Join the SWAG beautification team for the final MES clean up of 2022. Meet at the walker pad after school and help keep MES @ Inman beautiful! Gloves, bags and snacks provided. Hope to see you there!

If it is raining, we will pick a day the following week to meet.

Tuesday, December 13 - Show some holiday ❤ to the MES Staff and Specials Teachers!

As we do every year, the PTA is collecting donations now through Tuesday, December 13 to fund holiday gifts for all of the MES employees that don’t have homerooms. This school-wide holiday collection covers custodial staff, administrative and office staff, teachers of specials (PE, Art, Music) and super specials (STEM, Library and Spanish), GATE, EIP, ESOL and Special Education teachers, and our social worker, psychologist and nurse and bus drivers. Please know that no amount is too small, and giving is completely optional.

Click HERE to make your donation!

Friday, December 16 - Teacher Appreciation Holiday Cookie Swap

Calling All Bakers & Treat-Makers - the Teacher Appreciation Committee would love your help making the holiday season special for our MES teachers and staff!

We are hosting a Holiday Cookie Swap on Friday, December 16. If you are interested in baking up some holiday cheer for the amazing teachers and staff, please sign-up HERE.

If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Mayfield.

*If you are baking, please include either a recipe or an ingredient list in case there are any allergens!*

Monday, December 5 - Friday, December 16 - APS Equity Survey

The Amp Up APS! Districtwide Equity Survey will be administered to Atlanta Public Schools students, teachers, and school staff Monday, December 5, through Friday, December 16, 2022. This first-of-its-kind survey is designed to advance educational equity in APS. APS leaders are genuinely committed to amplifying the voices of students, staff, and families in an effort to be more equity-guided and data-informed when making district decisions.

Please click HERE to complete the family survey by December 16^th!

Friday, December 16 - 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, 12/16! Lost and Found has been moved to the main hall for more visibility, so please try to obtain lost items today!

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

Saturday, March 11 - SAVE THE DATE! Spring Parent Social-Casino Night and Raffle benefitting Morningside Elementary PTA

When: Saturday, March 11th, 2023

6pm-7pm: VIP reception for Family and Business Sponsors

7pm-11pm: Casino Night! 7:15pm-10:15pm-Casino floor gaming open and raffle to follow!

Enjoy a night filled with food, drinks, music, and mingling with fellow Morningside Elementary parents!

Where: Emory Miller Ward Alumni House

815 Houston Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30329

Interested in volunteering?

Please contact Justin Hubbarth or Rafael Morales we are building our team and would love to have you.

Raffle Prizes

Work or know someone in the entertainment, sports, or travel industry? Does grandma have a beach house? If you have an experience or item that you would like to offer for our raffle, please contact Lori Brown or Stuart Lake.

New MES Spirit Squad

Calling all Dolphins who are full of School Spirit! Is your child dreaming of dolphins at night?!Do they insist on painting their face blue for Sunday dinner?! Do they sing the MES alma mater before bedtime every night?! They might be the perfect addition to the new MES SPIRIT SQUAD!

We’re looking for a group of 3rd-5th graders interested in being the “hype team” for Spirit Days and other select school events. Requirements include the following:



• Ability to attend a Spirit Squad meeting one morning per month at 7:15 AM
• Attendance on Spirit Days at morning carpool line and bus drop-off (first Fridays of every month)
• A highly energetic personality
• Interest in possibly donning a Dolphin costume and dancing like only a Morningside Dolphin can

If interested, please complete Google Form below by December 16th. For more information, please contact Jeanie Joye.

PTA General Meeting Save the Date and Nominations Committee

Mark your calendars for the PTA’s next general meeting on Thursday, January 26 at 8am!

We are sure to have lots of exciting agenda items, including the election of a Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is charged with preparing the slate of PTA Executive Committee Officers for the 2023-24 school year. The Nominating Committee is composed of five members and one alternate. Committee meetings will run from February through early April and will be scheduled per the committee members’ availability. You must be a member of the PTA to serve on the Nominating Committee. Please contact Emily Cooper before the January 26th PTA meeting if you are interested in serving on the Nominating Committee.

Donate Prizes to the MES Go B.L.U.E. Weekly Raffle!

Every Friday, we celebrate two of our amazing students for upholding the school code of conduct by holding a raffle for prizes donated by our community. Your prize donations can help motivate our learners to Go B.L.U.E! (Be respectful, Listen and Learn, Use self-control, and Embrace diversity).

If you would like to donate prizes to the MES Go B.L.U.E. weekly raffle, please do so by selecting an item (or items) from our Wish List, and have the item(s) sent to the school address: Behavior Committee 774 VIRGINIA AVE NE. ATLANTA, GA 30306-3631.

Principal's Blog

Catch up on Everything MES from Principal Sofianos.

To see the full schedule of Principal Coffee Talks for the year and to read about recent events at the school, please click HERE to view Principal Sofianos' blog posts!

Howard Middle School Principal Search

APS recently released information about the process that will be followed to identify the new principal for Howard Middle School. They recognize that engaging with community and staff is essential for finding the best leader for Howard Middle School. Please review the timeline below for planned engagement related to this search so that you can provide your valuable input into this important process:

December 5 - 9: School Level Tier 3 Interviews

December 12 - 16: Superintendent Tier 4 Interviews

January 2 - 6: Communicate finalist selection to school staff and community

January 9: APS Board of Education Meeting

Stay Up to Date with the APS Midtown Cluster

Click HERE for resources directly related to our cluster.

Stay Up to Date with the 2022-2023 APS Calendar 

Click HERE to view the district calendar and start planning for all the breaks.

Click HERE to view the Atlanta BOE 2022 Meeting Schedule.

Introducing: Virginia-Highland Elementary School!

On Monday evening, the APS Board of Education unanimously approved the name of the new Midtown Cluster elementary school, Virginia-Highland Elementary School. Thank you to Melissa Gamble Clark, Leah Kelly Matthews, Kelley Coleman Nduom, Ryan Reynolds Valduga, Margaret Allgood, and board member Michelle Olympiadis for serving on the naming committee!

Legacy/Grandfathering Intent Form Reminder

In late October, rezoning notification letters were sent to families impacted by the rezoning for the new Virginia-Highland Elementary School. If you are impacted but are interested in having your rising 4th and 5th graders (and their siblings) remain at Morningside Elementary, please note that the window to apply to stay is now OPEN.

If this applies to you, please note that you have until December 16th to submit the Rezoning Intent Form, which can be found HERE.

Additional information about rezoning and legacy/grandfathering, including information for non-sibling rising K-3 students, can be found on the APS website, here.

Saturday, December 10 - Parent/Guardian Tours of the Inman Building

If you are interested in learning more about the new Virginia-Highland Elementary School, please come talk with Mr. Terry Harness (Principal of the new Elementary School) & Mrs. Denise Bringslid (Assistant Principal of the new Elementary School) during a tour of the Inman Building! 

Building tours are a wonderful opportunity to get to know Mr. Harness & Mrs. Bringslid, and to ask them questions about the school as they take you through the Inman building. There are tour times available specifically for Morningside families on Saturday, December 10th. You can sign up for a tour time HERE. Please note that sign ups are by family, not by person (so if you have a family of four, please only sign up for ONE slot).

Upcoming Community Meetings

Tuesday, December 13th at 6:30pm - Town Hall for All Re-Zoned Families at Inman Auditorium

Wednesday, December 14th at 8am - Virtual Coffee Talk with Principal Harness for families who were unable to make the Town Hall the previous night.

APS has created a distribution list for families about the New Midtown Elementary including recaps from past meetings which you can sign up for HERE.

As always, please visit the temporary website for the new Virginia-Highland Elementary School to view materials from previous community meetings, to submit questions and feedback related to the new school, and to learn more about the overall process, the newly formed PTA, and more!

Thank you to our Diamond Dolphin, Dolphin, and Platinum-level sponsors for supporting our school!

For more information about Dolphin Donors, please click HERE.