Midway Mustang Memo
August 2017
Dear Parents,
How incredible it is to welcome our students and families back to school! The children give us joy every day as they enter the building with smiles and are eager to learn! We ended the school year in May with 509 students and are beginning this new year with 630 learners. Yes, we are growing quickly and are thankful that we still fit within the building!
Teacher are getting to know their learners and are beginning to personalize their instruction to meet the individual needs. Our student-centered environment encourages students to take an active part in their learning as they are self-aware and set goals. You will learn more about learner goal setting at our Curriculum Nights on August 29 and 31st. Grades K, 2nd, and 4th will meet on August 29th, and Grades 1st, 3rd, and 5th will meet on August 31st. Hopefully, the split nights will help alleviate the parking challenges. PTO will meet with us briefly in the Midway Cafe before we report to classrooms to share important information on how this organization is supporting Midway!
This is our second year as a Leader in Me school. The Seven Habits that we live by, based on Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, help us become more self-aware, develop skills for self-monitoring, and encourage us to become better decision-makers.
Forsyth County schools announced that August 21st will be a delayed release day due to the solar eclipse that is projected to occur between 2:30-2:50 p.m. on that day. School will dismiss 40 minutes later--at 3:40 p.m. Please fill out, sign, and return the form regarding the solar eclipse that was sent home on Friday, August 11th. Children with a signed permission form will have ISO approved glasses to view the eclipse. Any student without permission will watch the event inside through video streaming. In case of rain or overcast conditions on Monday, August 21, students will view the solar eclipse through video streaming indoors.
With kind regards,
Jan Munroe, Principal
Daphne Rogers, Assistant Principal
Ashley Starr, Administrative Assistant
Important Dates
August 22-25: Pre-Interim for 2nd-5th Grades
August 29: Curriculum Night & PTO @ 6:30pm
- Grades K, 2, and 4
August 31: Curriculum Night & PTO @ 6:30pm
- Grades 1, 3, and 5
Science News
Big News! The Total Solar Eclipse is coming on August 21, 2017! Parents, please make sure to sign the Solar Eclipse Viewing permission slip so that we will know if your child is allowed to go outside and view the Solar Eclipse wearing the ISO approved Solar Eclipse glasses, if you would prefer your child to stay inside and see the Solar Eclipse through the NASA.gov site, if you will be checking your child out early before 1:00 PM. Or if your child will be absent on the 21st. This will help the Staff of Midway prepare for the safety of everyone on August 21st.
We have been talking about the Solar Eclipse in the Science Lab with all grade levels—K-5! We will begin to go out into the gardens and work on cleaning them out and getting them ready to plant for the Fall season. What we grow in the Science Gardens will be used by our lunchroom as Midway Elementary is a part of Farm to Table. We will be planting vegetables and herbs that we will harvest and share in our Cafeteria so that the students can eat and try new foods that they have actually grown in their own gardens at school! Also, University of North Georgia is presenting a Planetarium Show on the Incredible Sun and Solar Super storms plus the Solar Eclipse on Sunday, August 2oth from 1-5. It is on their website at www.ung.edu.
We are having a great time in the Science Lab and please make sure that your child has a spiral bound or composition book with their name on it and their teacher’s name on it to bring to the Science Lab as they see me weekly!
Thanks for your support,
Libby Romig
Counselor's Corner
Welcome to the new school year. I am currently meeting all our new students and beginning my lessons in classes. I am working on many things with our students such as goal-setting, problem solving, uniqueness, and following directions. Not only do I teach lessons in the classrooms, I also offer small groups and individual support. I work closely with teachers and staff to meet the needs of our children. Here are a few tips to help your student be successful in school by healthychildren.org:
· Create healthy habits: make sure your child gets enough sleep, eats a healthy breakfast, and doesn’t spend too much time on TV or devices.
· Stick to a routine
· Have a place where their back pack and other school items are stored so nothing gets lost in the morning rush.
· Have a “work” spot where your child can do their academic work and read.
· Read, read, read
· Look for learning opportunities throughout the day. For example, when cooking have your child help with measuring out the ingredients, find the colored cars while you’re driving, count the number of school busses they see, or solve riddles.
I look forward to working with our Midway families this year.
Dr. Collins
Tech Tips: itslearning
1. What is itslearning?
itslearning, is Forsyth County Schools’ personalized online learning management system, which allows teachers to post digital content & resources that parallel curriculum presented in the classroom.
2. What can I do as a parent?
In itslearning parents monitor student progress and view content assigned to their child. Parents have one login to view multiple children. Examples of what is available to parents in itslearning include a list of student tasks with due dates, a report showing how well their student is keeping up with class work, a view of the teacher’s planner, and a secure messaging system to communicate with their child’s teacher.
3. How do I get there?
Go to https://forsyth.itslearning.com or visit your school’s web site for the link. Parents login with their ParentPortal username and password. If you do not have a ParentPortal account, visit Darlene Marionneaux in the front office to setup your account. Please bring a photo ID for activation.
4. Do I still need to go to ParentPortal?
Yes, parents will access ParentPortal to view grades and attendance for their child.
5. Where can I find more information?
Here is a Parent Guide to Review.
Also, visit http://vimeo.com/71456463 to watch a three minute video tour of itslearning designed for parents.
From the Midway Café
Mustangs Café would like to welcome everyone to a brand new school year! We’re off to a great start and have lots of exciting things planned for this year. Our Harvest of the Month for August is melons. We’ve already served sweet watermelon and cantaloupe with more to come, throughout this menu cycle. Our Strong 4 Life Focus this month is “Eat More Veggies”. The Strong 4 Life Team sponsored by Children’s Healthcare will be visiting our school a couple of times this year. They are a fun, energetic group that will help encourage us all to live healthier lifestyles.
Lastly, we want to let everyone know about a new website and app this year. It’s called Meal Viewer. You can download the app and have instant access to our menu for each day. You also can create a profile for each of your children and flag any allergies. It will cross off any menu items that have allergens in them, for that particular child. We hope this will be helpful to parents.
We are so excited to be here and serving the families of Midway. We are looking forward to a wonderful 2017-2018 school year. If you ever have questions or need me at, please feel free to contact me at any time.
Chris Pruitt
Midway Elementary Cafeteria Manager
(770)475-6670 Ext. 760146
Midway PTO
On behalf of the PTO, we hope your children have had great first days at Midway!
The year ahead promises to be fantastic with our amazing teachers, staff, and parents working together as we continue to grow and learn.
For those that have joined Midway PTO here are just some of the way’s your contributions will help make our school even better! Improvement in the media center with shelving, tables and chairs, improvement in playground shade, Reading Horizon’s Phonics program in classrooms, microphone head-sets for use in drama and music, new Breakout EDU boxes for inquiry-based learning, and tablets for Kindergarten classrooms.
Look for exciting news about our first PTO meeting at the end of the month and the Annual Fall Festival in September! It’s not to late to JOIN the PTO, ask for information @ midwayschoolpto@gmail.com and LIKE our FB page for info on spirit wear and special events!
For all of us, THANK YOU.
Your, MIDWAY PTO
News from Nurse Echols
Sickness is here! Stomachaches, bad headaches, sore throats, strep, fever, and vomiting! Please remember to keep your child home if they exhibit any of the symptoms listed above.
We are approaching week 3 of school already! I am trying to gather my paperwork for ALL students having chronic illnesses such as asthma and food allergies, etc. Please get those into the clinic as soon as possible. If you should receive any paperwork from the nurse regarding a chronic illness that your student may not have, please write me a note and send in with your student.
I will be screening hearing and vision with all 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade students, beginning next week. Your student will ONLY bring home paperwork from this IF he/she should experience problems with the testing.
Sincerely,
Lisa Echols LPN
Midway Nurse
General Reminders
We already have a growing collection of items in the lost and found. Please write your child's name inside their jackets, sweaters, lunch boxes, water bottles, etc!
Also, Kindergarten and 1st grade parents, please store an extra set of clothes in your child's book bag (labeled with your child's name)! You never know when an accident will occur. This could be bathroom related or something like spilled milk at lunch time.
Get up to date info from Midway on your phone!
Want to be the first to know about school notices & reminders? You can receive a text message right on your phone by texting @midwayfam to the number 81010.
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: jemmert@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