Medlock Bridge Mustang Message
We educate and inspire all students to be lifelong learners!
From the Principal's Desk
Medlock Bridge Community,
I am so excited to return to Medlock Bridge this week! The past few weeks at home with our new little one have been wonderful. Our little Cameron is doing very well and adjusting nicely to life as a family of four. Pictures below!
IOWA Testing
IOWA testing is complete. Thank you for your support during our testing period. Lunch visits can now return to normal.
Community Involvement Day
MBES is looking forward to hosting our very first Community Involvement Day! This experience will be similar to a career day, but in addition to careers our students will see the hobbies, interests, and passions of our community on display. The date is still TBD, but the time frame will likely be from 8am until 10:30am. Presenters will make several 20-30 minute presentations to rotations of students. If you are interested in being a part of this unique day of learning and community partnership, please submit your name and contact information at http://tinyurl.com/MBES1819CID. Hosting a Community Involvement Day is part of the initiatives that we laid our for ourselves in fulfilling our Strategic Plan 2022.
CCRPI Scores
Last week, the Georgia Department of Education released the 2018 College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI) for all schools in Georgia. The CCRPI is the way the Georgia Department of Education measures schools and school districts and gives them a rating on a 100-point scale. Medlock Bridge Elementary School’s CCRPI score has always been in the top tier of Elementary Schools in Fulton County and in the State of Georgia. I am proud to say that this trend continues in 2018 with our overall score of 88.0 and a 4-Star Climate Star Rating! We are thankful for the work students, staff, and parents put in on a daily basis to make our school so special. Please click here (and below) for an in-depth look at our CCRPI and Climate Star ratings.
Legacy of Excellence and Steel Drum Band
I'm excited to announce that on November 8th our unique and magnificent Steel Drum Band has been invited to perform at the Legacy of Excellence. This event celebrates the Teachers and Professionals of the Year from all Fulton County Schools. Performing at the Georgia World Congress Center will certainly be a memory for years to come for our Steel Drum Band members!
Thanksgiving
Our next Mustang Message will be released the Monday after Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving break with family and friends! Please travel safe if your Thanksgiving celebration takes you away from home.
I'm looking forward to my return to our outstanding school on Monday!
Your Proud Principal,
Matt Vance
Medlock Bridge 2018 CCRPI Results
Important Dates
Thursday, November 1st - Thursday, November 8th
PTO Silent Auction
Monday, November 5th
Picture Retake Day
Tuesday, November 6th
Changed to a Teacher Work Day in Fulton County. No school for students
Thursday, November 8th
Legacy of Excellence Awards - Fulton County event recognizing Teachers and Professionals of the year. Our Steel Drum Band Performs! - Georgia World Congress Center.
Friday, November 9th
Veterans Day Event at MBES
Tuesday, November 13th
School Governance Council Meeting @ 7am in Room 131
Wednesday, November 14th
Linda McCain Community Meeting @ 9:30am at Dolvin ES
Thursday and Friday November 15th and 16th
Wahsega Trip
5th Grade
November 19th - 23rd
Thanksgiving Holiday
Friday, March 8th
Changed to a regular school day in Fulton County. Was previously a teacher work day.
Picture Retakes
Media Center News
I’m so excited to announce our first parent video for Digital Citizenship this school year. Over the next 4 weeks, I’ll be producing a video for parents to learn more about Digital Citizenship. My first video focuses on our Digital Citizenship curriculum from Common Sense Media. Parents are encouraged to watch the video and complete their ‘homework.’ If you have any questions about our next video, feel free to contact Mrs. Fowler at fowlerk@fultonschools.org
News from the counselor
Hello Parents,
October’s classroom guidance focus was bullying, recognizing what bullying is, what to do if you experience bullying, and making sure we’re not practicing bully behavior. During my discussion with students regarding cyber bullying, I learned that many of our Mustangs, particularly in grades 3-5, are playing online video games and have access to or use the chat feature. The most popular games include Fortnite: Battle Royale and Roblox. Many students reported that they’ve seen aggressive language being used or used toward them while playing some of the online games when the chat feature is enabled. To learn more about Fortnite and how to keep our students safe, I found this website to be very informative https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/parents-ultimate-guide-to-fortnite. To learn more about Roblox you can visit https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/parents-ultimate-guide-to-roblox-0.
I shared with our students Tips for Dealing with Cyber Bullying in online games:
- Avoid people you don’t know online – Only chat with people online that you know offline. If you do talk to someone that you don’t know offline and they’re making you feel uncomfortable or asking you to do things you don’t want to do, it’s important to speak to your parents or guardians no matter how small it might seem.
- Block – If someone is being unkind to you via online chat in the game, you will always be able to block them. It’s important to look at the safety center on each game or network you’re using, as they will show you how to block and report. Once the person or people are blocked, it will stop them from contacting you.
- Mute – If someone is making unkind comments via your headset, remember you can mute them. This means they’re not able to communicate with you until you unmute them.
- Personal Information – Never share personal information online and remember that it can be difficult to delete things online so be careful what you share.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT MY CHILD IF THEY'RE BEING BULLIED ONLINE?
- Keep an open dialogue – Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s important that you keep an open dialogue and interest in what games your child is playing. By asking questions and showing that you’re interested it means your child will be comfortable to speak to you if they have any issues or worries.
- Report – If you overhear any conversations that make you worried or you feel that your child is being groomed online, it’s imperative that you report these concerns to the Police ASAP.
- Educate – Every gaming platform has a support center. Why not take 5 minutes to visit these with your child and learn about the safety features they have in place.
- Consider adding parental controls to your internet – Every internet service provider allows you to add under 18 filters. This ensure any sites that have adult content won’t be accessible via your home internet. However, this isn’t fool proof as most young people are able to find ways around filters. It’s better to use parental controls in conjunction with the rest of these tips.
Curriculum matters - Spelling Bee Update and Georgia Coach Book Update
By Patty Neumeister, MBES CST
Email: neumeisterp@fultonschools.org
Website: https://mbescurriculumsupport.weebly.com/
Twitter: @mbescst
Update!
2018-2019 Spelling Bee for Grades 1st – 5th
Classroom Spelling Bees
New this year … Grades 1 – 5 will take place in Medlock Bridge classroom spelling bees the week of November 12th. At the classroom level, the bee will consist only of spelling words (no vocabulary). Certificates will be awarded to each homeroom winner and runner-up!
How can my child prepare?
A list of spelling words to study can be found at the MBES Curriculum Support Website: https://mbescurriculumsupport.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/1/6/13160541/1st_-_8th_study_spelling_words.pdf.
School-wide Spelling Bee
The school-wide spelling bee will take place Wednesday, December 12th and will include the classroom winners from Grades 4 & 5. The school-wide bee will consist of both spelling AND vocabulary words. A study spelling and vocabulary list can be found at the MBES Curriculum Support Website: https://mbescurriculumsupport.weebly.com/spelling-bee.html by scrolling further down the page to School-wide Spelling Bee.
Update! Georgia Coach Book Orders
Coach book orders will be placed the week of November 5th. Upon receipt, books will be delivered directly to students in their homeroom classes.
Our apologies, but no late orders can be accepted. If you missed ordering for this year, please be on the lookout for the order information in the Fall of 2019!
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