Midway Mustang Memo
February 2023
Dear Midway Families,
Welcome February! This is a busy month for our Mustangs, and we are intentionally focusing on KINDNESS as a school. Kindness is truly a gift of the heart. It may come in the form of words, deeds, or actions. How will your family practice routine kindness this month?
Please consider supporting our community by participating in our Kids Heart Challenge. In addition, we are supporting The Place of Forsyth with a stock the pantry drive during our Kindness Week Challenge. See the Counselor’s Corner below for items needed.
Speaking of kindness, we are so thankful for our PTO! Their partnership provides many resources and special events for students, staff, and families. If you have not joined PTO, please consider doing so...it’s never too late. The Midway PTO will be sponsoring several upcoming events including: Spirit Night at Moe’s Southwest Grill on February 8th, Fun with your Son on February 24th, and Dance with your Daughter on February 25th. These are great ways to connect with other Mustangs and spend quality time as a family. The funds raised go directly back to support your children and the school.
We need the help of our Mustang Families regarding student attendance and lunch visitors. Attendance is important to academic performance and student development. When our students miss school, they miss out. We realize illnesses will arise and there will be times students need to see a doctor. As much as possible, we strongly encourage consistent, daily attendance. Please let the school know when your child is out due to illness using this link. In addition, please see the Midway page for additional information on our FCS Attendance Policies.
Due to the size of our cafeteria, we are limited in the number of visitors that can eat with their children during lunch. We ask that parents sign up only one time per month during your child’s assigned lunch visitor weeks. We want to ensure other parents are given the opportunity to have lunch with their child. Sign-up link can be found on our Midway website.
Just a reminder, we have an extra-long weekend/student holiday this month. There will be no school Friday, February 17 thru Tuesday, February 21st. Be safe and enjoy this time with your family! Students return on Wednesday, February 22nd.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Let us know if you ever need anything.
With kind regards,
Daphne Rogers, Principal
Jennifer Brown, Assistant Principal
Davis Barlow, Assistant Administrator
Technology Competition Participants
Think Win Win Elm Awards
Field Trip-Alice in Wonderland at Denmark HS
Coffee with Counselor session-A Grown Up’s Guide To Kid’s Wiring
100 Days of School
Clay Project 5th Grade
Important Dates
February 17th: No School
February 20-21st No School
February 24th: PTO Fun with Son Event 6:30-8:30pm
February 25th: PTO Dance with Daughter Event 5-7pm
March 9th: Early Release
March 10th: No School
April 14th: Denmark Community of Schools Spring Fling
Leader in Me
The 7 Habits are principles that help people to be leaders of themselves and others. The 7 habits are divided into the Private Victory, which means mastering self, and the Public Victory, mastering relationships with others. The important note is that private victory always precedes the public victory. This is also called the Inside-Out approach to life.
At Midway Elementary, we think of the 7 Habits like a tree. During the months of January, February, and March, we will learn about the tree, the branches and its leaves which is called The Public Victory.
· Habit 4: Think Win-Win – Everyone Can Win!
· Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood – Listen First Then Talk.
· Habit 6: Synergize – Work Together To Do Better.
Be sure to ask your student about Habits 4, 5 and 6! We are learning to become Strong in Mind, Body, & Spirit!
Literacy Coach
Happy New Year, Mustang Families!
Literacy is such an important part of everyday life, which is why it's essential to foster love and passion for reading at school and at home. As "Home Coaches," please continue to encourage your child to share what books they're reading with you. Students should be reading 30 minutes each night during the week, and an additional 15 minutes each day both Saturday and Sunday.
Want to know what your child's power goal is? Simply ask your child. All students should know their power goal and how they practice. Many students will have Skills Cards to share with you as well. Practice asking them questions about what they are reading and challenge them to find a new and exciting word you can talk about together. Whether they find a comfy spot and read silently for 30 minutes, or they sit with you as you're making dinner and read to you aloud, encouraging your child to read on a daily basis has research-based, positive effects on their literacy lifestyle. Thank you for all you do to support your child! I am happy to partner with you if you need any additional tips, tricks or strategies!
Sincerely, Sarah LeBlanc, Literacy Coach
Math Coach
Family Connection Ideas ~ Math
Do you ever find yourself wanting to play with your child, but also review missed skills on a worksheet your child brought home? Now you can do both with these engaging, fun math games to play with your child!
Addition and Subtraction Games to Play at Home (K-2nd Grade)
Use addition or subtraction flashcards to play. These are found at local stores, like Dollar Tree, Target, Walmart, etc.
· Use a manipulative (macaroni, beads, buttons) to show each math fact.
· Play “Memory” by using 2 sets of cards and putting them face down. Keep the matches you find.
· Play “Compare” by splitting 1 set of fact cards into two piles. Each player flips a card over, and the player with the greater sum or difference keeps both cards.
· Have an adult say a math fact and leave out one of the numbers. Fill in the missing number. (Example: 2 + ? = 5)
· Write a word problem to go with a fact. Solve your problem drawing a picture to solve it. (Example: 3 + 2, "There were 3 brown dogs and 2 white dogs. How many dogs were there?")
· Tape fact cards on different doors in your house. Have your child give the sum/difference for the fact card before being able to open the door.
· Put one set of cards face down. Each player takes turns flipping 2 cards. When you find a related addition and subtraction fact, you keep the pair. (Example: 2 + 3 = 5 and 5 - 3 = 2)
· Choose a fact and try to find a domino that represents that fact. (Example: 4 + 2 would be represented by a domino with 4 dots in one box and 2 dots in the other)
Adapted from Howard County Public School System
Multiplication and Division Games to Play at Home (3rd-5th Grade)
Use multiplication or division flashcards to play. These are found at local stores, like Dollar Tree, Target, Walmart, etc.
· Use a manipulative (macaroni, beads, buttons) to show each math fact.
· Play “Memory” by using 2 sets of cards and putting them face down. Keep the matches you find.
· Play “Compare” by splitting the fact cards into two piles. Each player flips a card over, and the player with the greater product or quotient keeps both cards.
· Have an adult say a math fact leaving out one of the numbers. Fill in the missing number. (Example: 2 x ? = 6)
· Put one set of cards face down. Each player takes turns flipping 2 cards. When you find a related multiplication and division fact, you keep the pair. (Example: 2 x 10 = 20 and 20 ÷ 10 = 2)
· Write a word problem to go with a fact. Solve your problem drawing a picture to solve it. (Example: 3 x 2, "There are 3 snack bags with 2 cookies in each bag. How many cookies are in the snack bags?")
· Tape fact cards on different doors in your house. Have your child give the product/quotient for the fact card before being able to open the door.
Adapted from Howard County Public School System
Grade Level Strategy Brochures
As always, reach out to your child’s teacher, or to me, for additional support or questions.
Mary Catherine Adam
Math Instructional Coach
Counselor's Corner
February is Kindness Month! It's a celebration of all the ways we can become a positive influence in each other's lives. Even one small act of kindness can mean a great deal to somebody. We hope you will do something kind for someone else!
Midway will be celebrating Routine Acts of Kindness during the week of February 13-16. As an act of routine kindness, Midway will be hosting a food drive to support The Place of Forsyth.
They are in need of the following items:
· Peanut butter
· Jelly
· Spaghetti O’s (canned pasta with or without meat)
· Diapers (all sizes)
· Shelf stable dry milk
· Brownie mix
· Shampoo
· Conditioner
· Tuna
· Canned fruit
We would appreciate any donations you are willing to contribute, and there is a collection box in Midway’s front lobby.
During Kindness Week we will be showcasing our Zones of Regulation program by wearing each of the four Zones colors throughout the week.
Monday – Blue
Tuesday - Red
Wednesday – Yellow
Thursday – Green
In our most recent classroom lessons, Mrs. Hodges and Mrs. Malcolm have taught students in K-5 the Zones of Regulation framework, as well as tools and strategies for emotion regulation. Each class was provided with a “Calm Down Kit” to give students choices of regulation tools/strategies to use. We encourage you to ask your child about the Zones and to utilize these regulation strategies at home, as well. Click for here for a copy of a Zones poster for your use.
We hope you will join us for our February 23rd Coffee with Counselors (9-10am) to learn more about the Zones of Regulation.
What is the ZONES OF REGULATION?
The Zones of Regulation is the original framework and curriculum (Kuypers, 2011) that develops awareness of feelings, energy and alertness levels while exploring a variety of tools and strategies for regulation, prosocial skills, self-care, and overall wellness. This curriculum provides us an easy way to think and talk about how we feel on the inside and sort these feelings into four colored Zones, all of which are expected in life. Once we understand our feelings and zones, we can learn to use tools/strategies to manage our different Zones in order to meet goals like doing schoolwork or other tasks, managing big feelings, and healthy relationships with others. The simple, common language and visual structure of The Zones of Regulation helps make the complex skill of regulation more concrete for learners and those who support them.
As always, please reach out to us if we can be of assistance to you or your child.
Warm regards,
Mandy Malcolm and Stacy Hodges
News from the Nurse
February is National Children's Dental Health Month. There will be a dental program presented by Smile Doctors to Kindergarten and 1st grade on 02/10/2023. They hope to return next month and present to 2nd grade.
- Tooth decay is the number one most common chronic disease in children.
- 51 million school hours are lost each year to dental problems.
- Research shows that if a child’s tooth decay goes untreated, it can lead to tooth loss, speech problems and even loss of self-esteem.
Cases of Strep throat and stomach bug are going around. PLEASE do not send your child to school if they have or had a fever over 100.5. They need to be fever free for 24 hours WITHOUT medication. Your child might feel better after taking fever reducing medication, but they still need to stay home until the fever free. If their temperature is under 100 and they feel better, and no other symptoms, send them to school. If you are ever unsure about sending your child to school with a mild illness, there is lots of useful information on my school web page or feel free to reach out to me for guidance.
If your child test positive to Covid or has an exposure, please notify the clinic. In addition to illnesses, we have a few cases of head lice. Students with lice need to be treated before returning to school. Please reach out for guidance.
With all the rain we are having, the playground can be wet and muddy. We have very limited extra pants/shirts in the clinic. It is always a good idea to place a change of clothing in their book bag.
If your child suffers from asthma or food allergies, please have your pediatrician complete the appropriate action plan and bring any rescue medication to the school clinic. The action plan paperwork can be found on the school nurse page on the school website. If you are not sure if your child needs to have an action plan or if you have any questions, please contact me.
Keri Berry, LPN
770-475-6670 EXT-760121
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Policies & Regulations tab: https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/domain/893
Forsyth County Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or gender in employment decisions or educational programs and activities.
Midway Elementary School
Email: jlundstrum@forsyth.k12.ga.us
Website: www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/midway
Location: 4805 Atlanta Highway, Alpharetta, GA, United States
Phone: 770-475-6670
Facebook: facebook.com/midwayes
Twitter: @MidwayES