Medlock Bridge Mustang Message
We educate and inspire all students to be lifelong learners!
December 17, 2018
From the Principal's Desk
Medlock Bridge Community,
As we near the end of 1st semester and enter the holiday season, I am reminded of all that I am thankful for. In today's newsletter, I want to recap a few of our highlights from this semester and at the same time share my gratitude for all things Medlock Bridge.
Thank you to our teachers who spend countless hours preparing engaging lessons for students, assessing them, adjusting instruction, reteaching, reassessing, etc. Your efforts allow our students to learn at levels appropriate for them. You engage and inspire students with our Genius Hour: Connections classes and intervene with research based instructional strategies when students demonstrate that they need support. You make our school a place where students want to learn and succeed!
Thank you to our support staff who make sure we have a safe and effective school so students can focus on learning and get the most out of their instructional day. You provide a safe, welcoming, and positive environment that strengthens our school and supports our community.
Thank you to our PTO parent and community volunteers who help our school events run efficiently and effectively. Your efforts make it possible to have events like Runapalooza, Veterans Day Memorial, winter class celebrations, Book Fair, ...and these are just a few of the events from 1st semester. Volunteers make a difference!
Thank you to our PTO, and their endless operational and financial support. Our PTO continues expanding our capabilities in instructional technology, recently adding another 30 computers to our mobile labs. The Outreach Committee quietly supports the needs of Medlock Bridge families met with challenges. PTO continually celebrates our staff and makes this school environment like no other. We are in your debt!
Thank you to our School Governance Council. This group challenges us to innovate and at the same time keeps us on course toward our strategic plan goals. Thank you for partnership!
And of course, thank you to our students! Your smiling faces make all the work worthwhile!
As we teach your students from the 7 Mindsets Curriculum, We Are Connected. Our community is strong and our collective support of our school creates an educational experience that empowers and inspires students to be lifelong learners. Thank you for being part of our community!
Happy Holidays!
Your Proud Principal,
Matt Vance
We regularly see school closings in January and February for weather. The school system has several options available to respond to severe weather. School may be closed outright throughout the county or closings might be localized to the portion of the county impacted. School may be delayed by two hours to allow ice on roads to thaw. There is also a chance that schools may need to close early once students are already in the building. In all cases, you will receive a phone call and email from Fulton County Schools and in some cases a follow up communication from Medlock Bridge.
Parents, please be reminded that you have communicated on your child's green card how they will go home in the case of an early closing. We will accept changes on the day of an early closing when necessary, but we would love to know in advance if possible. If you feel you need to update your child's green card for this or another purpose, please communicate with your child's teacher.
Carpool
As the weather gets colder, there are more parents dropping off their children through carpool. We are happy to offer carpool drop-off and enjoy seeing you all in the morning! Please remember that due to the increased volume during cold weather, the carpool line will be long and there will be delays. Consider arriving closer to 7:10am to avoid the rush that occurs at 7:40am. In the interest of safety and efficiency, here are a few reminders of how our carpool works.
1. Carpool is open from 7:10am until 7:40am. Parents who arrive before 7:10am should keep children in their cars until the 7:10am bell. At 7:40am, carpool must close to allow staff to return to duties with children inside building. You will notice that the "horseshoe" closes and parents are able to drive through to the top parking lot.
2. When dropping off, please pull all the way through the "horseshoe." Doing so will allow more cars to pull into the "horseshoe," maximizing the space we have available to accept drop-offs and avoid dangerous traffic back-ups.
3. For the safety of all children involved, please only drop your child off once your car is on the "horseshoe." This prevents students from walking dangerously close to traffic. There should also be a staff member close by to assist your children as they exit your car.
4. When making a left turn into the school, please wait until there is space to pull your car all the way on to campus. Doing so allows Medlock Bridge neighborhood cars to drive through the carpool line when necessary.
5. School begins at 7:40am. If you arrive after the 7:40am bell, please walk your child in to the front office to sign in.
For attendance purposes, a student is counted tardy if they enter the building after the 7:40am bell. Students entering the building after the 7:40am bell will be issued a blue pass from the front office. Students riding the bus in the morning are never counted tardy, so if you are concerned about tardies please consider having your student ride the bus.
Thank you for your assistance! Other procedural reminders are posted in the Parent Handbook available on the Medlock Bridge website.
Digital Learning Days
Fulton County is exploring the use of Digital Learning Days when inclement weather prevents students from physically going to school. Most grade levels already have their tentative Digital Learning Day plans posted to their websites. If a cancelled school day is to be a Digital Learning Day, you will receive an email from me advising as such. Students will be provided adequate time to complete the assigned work in case power outages or any other circumstances prevent them from completing the work on the actual Digital Learning Day. More information to come as Digital Learning Days become a reality in Fulton County.
Important Dates
Tuesday, December 18th
Winter Party - Grades 3rd - 5th - 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Wednesday, December 19th
Winter Party - Grades PK - 2nd - 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Thursday, December 20th
Last Day of 1st Semester
Friday, December 21st - Friday, January 4th
Winter Break
Thursday, January 3rd
Teacher Workday - No Students
Friday, January 4th
Professional Development Day For Teachers - No Students
Monday, January 7th
First Day of Second Semester
Friday, January 11th
All Pro Dads - 7:00 am - Cafeteria
Monday, January 21st
MLK Holiday
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Release Day for Students - Only for Medlock Bridge students. Other Fulton County Schools will be in session.
Friday, March 8th, 2019
Changed to a regular school day in Fulton County. Was previously a teacher work day.
Holiday Safety Tips From the Clinic
Best of the Holiday Season from the Clinic – Here are some Holiday Safety Tips from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Curriculum Matters
Patty Neumeister, MBES Curriculum Support Teacher (CST)
Email: neumeisterp@fultonschools.org
Website: https://mbescurriculumsupport.weebly.com/
Twitter: @mbescst
Technology Fair Winners
Congratulations to the following students who won in the Medlock Bridge Technology Fair. The following students will go on to compete in the Fulton County Technology Fair.
Thamizhvani Maruthavanan
Grade 3/4 Animation
John Michael Sengbusch
Grade 3/4 Digital Game Designe
Sowrish Sithanathan
Grade 3/4 Digital Photo Production
Kumuran Maruthalanan
Grade 5/6 Digital Photo Production
Akhilesh Ravikumar
Grade 3/4 Internet Applications
Dhaniskhaa Muthukumaran
Grade 3/4 Multimedia Applications
Hayden Qi
Grade 5/6 Project Programming
Spelling Bee Winners
1st Place: Linbo Z (5th Grade)
2nd Place: Aarav B. (4th Grade)
Continuious Achievement
Per district guidelines, all students are screened every 18 weeks to determine if their current Continuous Achievement level (on, advanced, accelerated) continues to meet each student’s learning needs. Our 18 week review is currently underway. Any student who meets the initial screening criteria will be assessed for potential advancement or acceleration prior to the winter break. Parents will be contacted with any student who qualifies for a level change.
Fun With Robots In Connections!
Medlock Bridge Elementary School
Email: vancem@fultonschools.org
Website: http://school.fultonschools.org/es/medlockbridge/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 10215 Medlock Bridge Parkway, Johns Creek, GA, United States
Phone: 4702542980
Twitter: @MBESPrincipal