Midway Mustang Memo
December 2021
Dear Midway Families,
It is hard to believe it is the beginning of December. This first semester has gone by so quickly. We celebrated a beautiful Veteran’s Day Ceremony in November. It was such a pleasure to honor the service of the many brave men and women who have and continue to serve our county.
We hope each of you enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving break and spent quality time with your families. We are especially grateful for you as you have partnered with us throughout this first semester to ensure our students get the supports they need every day.
We want to give a huge thank you to our amazing PTO for the incredible job they did in planning and hosting our Midway Fall Festival at Fowler Park recently! It was a great event which included activities & games for the students, food, a performance by our Midway Choir, spirit wear, a raffle, petting zoo, and music by a local duet. The venue allowed us to spread out along with providing ample seating and parking to accommodate our families. A fun time was had by all. PTO, we appreciate all you did to make this a tremendous success!!
With the steady decline of COVID cases, the district is allowing us to move toward more normal operating procedures. Please know safety will continue to be a top priority for us. If you have not already seen some of the details this includes, please see the information sent out earlier. Click the letter. We also look forward to welcoming volunteers into the building. As always, please reach out if you have any questions as we are here to serve our families.
In January, we will be welcoming back a majority of our virtual students to the face to face environment for Semester 2. We will be hosting an Open House for these returning students during the afternoon of January 4th to meet their teachers and see their classrooms. Stay tuned for more details.
From our Midway Family to each of you, we wish you a warm and safe holiday season filled with love, joy, and time for making precious memories with your friends and families.
Daphne Rogers, Principal
Jennifer Brown, Assistant Principal
Tennille Walsh, Assistant Principal
Important Dates
December 22nd-January 5th: No School - Winter Holidays
January 6th: Students return to school
January 17th: No School
Midway PTO
Upcoming Midway PTO events:
- Fun with your Son : January 22, 2022
- Dance with your Daughter : Feb 5, 2022
Do you want to be on the Midway PTO Board or Volunteer for an event? If so, please email MidwaySchoolPTO@gmail.com. The Midway PTO wishes all our Midway families a wonderful holiday season.
2022 Technology Fair
This year's regional Technology Competition will be held virtually from January 15-21. The vision of the Georgia Technology Competition, through a statewide technology competition, is to challenge and empower students to become leaders in the digital age. The Forsyth County regional Tech Competition participation is open to all students in grades 3-12 who reside within Forsyth County, Dawson County, Lumpkin County and Union County.
More information-https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/Page/50113
TIMELINE INFORMATION
December 5 - January 14 - Student Registration
January 15 -January 21- Project Submission Window
January 28 - February 11 - Judging Window
Counselor's Corner
We had a wonderful turnout for our November Coffee With the Counselors. Thank you to all were able to attend. Recordings of the events are posted on our Midway Counselor’s Webpage and in the School Counselor Corner’s ItsLearning page. Our next one is tentatively scheduled for January 20th. More information will be coming soon.
Don’t forget we are also currently participating in The Place Holiday House. We will continue to collect toys and gift cards through December 7th. For more ideas of what you can donate, please click this link.
The holidays are a wonderful time to catch up with family and friends. Usually, many families travel over the holiday break as well. We know this year will look different. Eight in ten Americans report that the holidays are a time of increased stress. The good news is nearly 9 in 10 believe that holidays should be more about family and caring for others, not giving and receiving gifts.
Some ways to help reduce stress over the holidays are:
· Read a good book together.
· Draw and color or paint a holiday scene.
· Bake some goodies or make some tea. The scent will be wonderful and calm your nerves.
· Play or exercise.
· Sing and laugh.
· Watch a favorite holiday movie.
By doing these things together you can reduce the holiday stress and have some special time together as a family.
May you have a safe and relaxing holiday break,
Dr. Collins & Mrs. Hodges
Leader in Me
The 7 Habits are principles that help people to be leaders of themselves and others. At Midway Elementary, we think of the 7 Habits like a tree. During the months of September, October, and November, we learned about the roots of the tree and they are called The Private Victory. The first three habits are the roots of the tree and only you change them. If you try to change other people before changing yourself, it won’t work. It’s an inside-out approach.
- Habit 1: Be Proactive – Take responsibility of your life.
- Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind - Define your mission and goals in life.
- Habit 3: Put First Things First – Prioritize, and do the most important things first.
During the month of December, we will review The Private Victory habits. Be sure to ask your student about them!
We are learning to become Strong in Mind, Body, & Spirit!
Literacy Coach
Greetings, Parents!
At Midway, we are continuing to develop your child's love and passion for reading. Students are engaged in reading both books of choice, and books on their level, for 30 minutes of their school day. Students then record 2 Steps in their reading log to capture the volume of reading they are doing. Also within this timeframe, students conference with their teacher in either a 1:1 or small group setting to practice their Power Goal at their independent level.
As parents, you are a vital component for helping your child maintain their love and passion for reading. Thank you for partnering with your child to ensure they are continuing to practice reading for their power goal at home daily for 30 minutes (2 Steps) , and for 15 minutes ( 1 Step) each day on the weekend. They should be recording their Steps at home, daily, in their reading log. Students may read any book of choice, including books from MyOn or Epic. Thank you for working with your child to help them flourish!
Sarah LeBlanc
Instructional Coach K-5
Math at Midway
The winter break is just around the corner! As teachers conclude their instruction for the 2021 year, students have the opportunity to continue their learning over the 2 week break. Learning does not have to stop when they are home!
You can show your child the practical application of math outside of school while enjoying the many fun and exciting holiday activities. I encourage you to keep your child’s math skills sharp and prevent learning loss by practicing a few of these tips from Mathnasium.com.
- Cooking and baking: Bring your child into the kitchen with you and whip up your family’s favorite holiday treats! Read recipes out loud together and familiarize young learners with fractions and units of measurement.
- Playing games: Playing games is a great way to experience math in a fun and low pressure environment and practice a variety of math skills and strategy. Set up family game nights, play mental math games in the car, and grab an extra controller when your kids sit down to play video games!
- Gift shopping: Set a shopping budget and ask your child to help you find gifts that maximize the budget. Holiday sales and discounts present great opportunities to explore percentages and demonstrate how math can help you make smart consumer decisions and make every penny count!
- Planning travel: Heading off to visit the relatives tops the list of many family holiday activities, so include your child in the planning. Have them help make a schedule, plan a route on a map, and even get involved in bus, train or other public transportation decision making if they’re older!
- Decorating and holiday crafts: Introduce younger kids to geometry by exploring basic shapes found in seasonal decorations. Make beautiful paper snowflakes together and explore symmetry. Use measurement and estimation to get a sense of how many decorations you need for the perfect touch of holiday flair!
And don’t forget about reinforcing math standards through DreamBox which is accessible through ClassLink. The recommended usage is 5+ lessons a week completed without assistance from others, such as parents or siblings. Find out more here: DreamBox Family Dashboard and Parent Access Setup
Please email if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. I’m here to support you and your child in their math journey!
Mary Catherine Adam
Math Instructional Coach
Winter News from the Nurse
Holiday Season is upon us! Remember to keep up with your healthy habits by making good food choices, washing your hands, blowing your nose properly and getting a good night sleep.
If your child suffers from asthma or food allergies, please have your pediatrician complete the appropriate action plan and bring any rescue medication to school clinic. The action plan paperwork can be found on school nurse page on the school website. If you are not sure if your child needs to have action plan or any questions, please contact me.
With the Flu season, Covid 19 and lots of stomach bugs in full swing, it is more important than ever to keep your child home if they are feeling ill. Students with ,congestion, cough, diarrhea, vomiting and fever over 100.4 need to stay home and not return to school until symptom free for 24 hours. If your child is exposed to anyone with Covid 19, please contact me so we can go over the quarantine procedures or questions you may have. There are several links on my school page with helpful information on Covid 19 and other common illnesses.
If you need to keep medication at school to help with cold symptoms, headache, or any other ailments , please drop it off to the clinic directly as Students are not allowed to transport any medication to school. This includes over the counter items like cough drops too!
We have very limited extra pants/shirts in the clinic. If your student may need a change of clothing at school, please send extra clothing in their backpack.
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