MCES Family Updates
News from Principal Miller
October 4, 2021
Acceso a versiones traducidas de nuestro boletín
Important Dates
October 5 - School Spirit Night at Culver's in Fuquay Varina
October 15 - PTA Reflections Entries Due
October 22 - Track 3 Tracks Out
October 25 - Track 4 Tracks In
October 21-29 - SPIRIT WEEK! See details below.
October is National Bullying Awareness Month
We are celebrating at MCES through learning about integrity! All students will learn about integrity in their SEAL (guidance) special along with working together in their classrooms. There will be challenges shared each week to inspire students to show integrity. We will finish our month-long celebration with Spirit Week! This will be October 21st-29th so all tracks will have an opportunity to participate!
Thursday, October 21st: Orange Day- wear orange to celebrate unity!!
Friday, October 22nd: Crazy about Integrity- wear crazy hair and socks!
Monday, October 25th: Team up for Integrity- wear your favorite team's shirt!
Tuesday October 26th: Integrity through the decades- Decades day, dress in your favorite decade!
Wednesday, October 27th: MCES has Integrity- Spirit Wear!!
Thursday, October 28th: Don't Sleep on Integrity- Pajama Day!
Friday, October 29th: Dress like an Integrity Hero- dress up like someone you know that shows Integrity!
NC Math Check-Ins
NC Check-Ins are interim assessments that are aligned to North Carolina grade-level content standards (for reading and mathematics) and North Carolina Essential Standards (for science). Our 3rd-5th grade students will be taking the NC Check-In for mathematics during the month of October.
The main purpose of NC Check-Ins is to provide students, teachers, and parents with immediate in-depth action data and a reliable estimate of students’ current performance on selected subsets of content standards. Both the end-of-grade (EOG) and end-of course (EOC) tests share a common question bank with the NC Check-Ins, which then exposes NC Check-In students to similar question types and rigor found on the EOGs and EOCs.
You will receive information from your child's classroom teacher regarding the date of the NC Check-In for your child. If you have questions or concerns about the NC Check-Ins, please contact your child's classroom teacher.
Resources from the Salvation Army
Resources For Families
The Student Services Team (SST) is looking to support our students and families in removing barriers to student learning and academic success. Some of these needs may include mental health and/or emotional, medical, social, or other basic life needs. Our goal is to connect you with appropriate community resources for assistance. Please contact the school at (919) 773-9555 if you have any questions or need more information. Please ask to speak with Lis Fillard or Thelma Cherry.
BREAKFAST & LUNCH MENU WITH MEAL-VIEWER
Monthly breakfast and lunch menu PDFs will no longer be posted on our district website.
Menus will now be available on our interactive website, MealViewer.
On the MealViewer website, families can:
- Set up multiple profiles at the schools of your choice
- See any menu changes posted by the manager at each site
- Choose menu items based on allergens
- View nutrients for each menu item
- Add nutrients for meals eaten, even partial meals
- Submit ratings on your favorite items
- Print menus
Covid-19 Updates/Protocols
To minimize the spread of COVID-19, our school follows all COVID-19 health measures required by the NC Department of Health and Human Services. Review our Safe Return To School Plan before the first day of school. Remember, all students must stay home when sick, wear a face covering in school and should maintain as much physical distance as possible on campus. Please notify your student’s teacher or me as soon as possible if your student is diagnosed with COVID-19, so we can work with health officials for confidential contact tracing. Together, we can keep our students, staff, and community healthy in a safe and welcoming environment at school.
You can access the WCPSS site for the return to school guidelines that include the information above and more by clicking here: COVID-19 / COVID-19 That webpage also includes a link to a spreadsheet where you can view COVID cases reported on WCPSS campuses. That website can be accessed here: WCPSS COVID metrics. WCPSS is no longer sending out emails about positive cases unless a cluster is reported, however you can find reports on the spreadsheet for all schools in the district.
- Face Coverings: All students and staff are required to wear a face-covering when inside the school, unless a face covering exemption has been approved. Face coverings are optional when outside.
- Handwashing: Students will use hand sanitizer/wash their hands numerous times a days. Required times include: upon entering the classroom, before/after eating, before/after recess, and before/after sharing community materials.
- Eating/Drinking Guidelines: The NC Department of Health and Human Services does not provide health guidance about students eating in schools. To best meet their nutritional and social-emotional needs, students may talk during meal times. *Updated 8/16/21 - Students will now sit facing the same direction to minimize the opportunity for exposure to Covid-19 when in the cafeteria.
- Recess: Students are not required to wear a face-covering at recess. Currently, classes do not mix for recess.
Stay home when sick.
All students should have their temperature taken every day at home before coming to school. You may not enter a WCPSS facility if you are:
- Diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 10 days
- Exposed to COVID-19 within the last 14 days and not fully vaccinated
- Instructed to quarantine
- Sick or experiencing any of these symptoms of illness
- 100.4° fever or higher
- Sore throat
- New cough
- New shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- New loss of taste or smell
- Diarrhea or vomiting
- New severe headache
In addition, students must be free of any symptoms of illness unless the student has a confirmed diagnosis from a healthcare professional attributing the symptoms to something other than COVID-19.
News from our Specialists
Music News:
In Music, students on tracks 4, 3, and 2 have learned how to access their QuaverEd student account from their WakeID Portal. I will work to help students on Track 1 access their QuaverEd student account when I return from my track out. The QuaverEd code for October is MonsterGroove21. I received the entire order of ukuleles this week! Thank you again for supporting our fundraiser last school year through Donors Choose. I look forward to teaching students how to play the ukulele during Quarters 3 and 4.
Art News:
We will be doing a lot of amazing projects this year and donations would be GREATLY appreciated. I am currently accepting donations of magazines, markers, acrylic paint, play-doh, and glue sticks.
Media News:
- This year I am looking forward to serving your students as the Media Specialist at Middle Creek. Each week you can look forward to your child bringing home a book or two. Talk with your child about properly caring for their library book. In addition, the book is given as a loan. If they are not finished reading, they may return it to renew their book, but every book must be returned each week. Thank you for helping us keep our books safe.
Stem:
- It has been so wonderful working with the classes who have signed up to use our new Makerspace! Our Makerspace provides an opportunity for students to build their critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they work collaboratively on innovative projects that align with the classroom curriculum. As it gains popularity we will need more donations of supplies to keep it going. Here is a list of Common Makerspace Supplies that we will gladly accept at any time. Please consider donating these and any other supplies you might have. Not sure if what you have will work? Please reach out to me at mknox-ingle@wcpss.net. Thank you for all your generous support! ~ Ms. Knox-Ingle, Tech/STEM teacher
Has Your Phone Number/Email Changed?
Please email Roxanne Carter, Data Manager, rcarter@wcpss.net if your email address(es) or phone number(s) have changed. We rely on the information in PowerSchool to contact you for emergency situations and to send you school messages.
STAR Math Assessment
Visitors on Campus
Only essential visitors will be allowed on school campuses in an effort to protect the health and safety of our students.
We will have staff on hand to ensure all students get to their classroom on the 1st day of school!
For our Kindergarten families - Parents will be permitted to walk their kindergarten students to their classroom on their staggered entry day.
!Technology Updates!
Any problems with Chromebooks that are currently checked out must be reported to your school or the WCPSS Technology Help Desk as soon as possible. Please send reports to mknox-ingle@wcpss.net. Student devices that are not functioning because of a defect in the device will be repaired or replaced as needed. Devices that are damaged or lost will be replaced once during the device loan period. Students who experience a second incident of damage or loss will be limited to in-school use of a device only. All families will be expected to sign an agreement at the beginning of the school year acknowledging this and other student expectations. Find the agreement and additional information. Schools will provide a copy to students at the beginning of the school year.
Contact Us At
Email: cmiller6@wcpss.net
Website: https://www.wcpss.net/middlecreekes
Location: 110 Middle Creek Park Avenue, Apex, NC, USA
Phone: 919-773-9555
Facebook: facebook.com/MiddleCreekElementaryPTA
Twitter: @middlecreekes