Medlock Bridge Mustang Message
We educate and inspire all students to be lifelong learners!
January 14, 2019
From the Principal's Desk
Medlock Bridge Community,
Happy New Year! I hope this year brings you well deserved joy and prosperity. As always, January is a great time to be a Mustang!
Last Monday, we began our "100% Accountable" mindset in our 7 Mindsets Social/Emotional Curriculum. Students are learning to take ownership of their own happiness and their future! There is more information below along with activities that you can do in the home to help support this effort.
Last Friday, we debuted our "Saddle Up!" mural. When students are making progress in academics, behavior, attendance, or another individual goal, their teacher lets me know and they get to sign their name and become part of the mural! I'm excited to celebrate the progress of our students throughout the remainder of the year.
Our Heritage Night on January 24th is one of our school's best events. Our Johns Creek community features such rich heritage and culture. Heritage Night gives us a glimpse of the cultural backgrounds of our students and families. I am excited to see you there! There are more details below.
All these things and much more in the month of January! We look forward to experiencing this month with your child and your family!
Your Proud Principal,
Matt Vance
7 Mindsets - 100% Accountable
IOWA Test Results
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.
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.
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, January 15th
Linda McCain Community Meeting
9:30 At Wilson Creek ES
Monday, January 21st
MLK Holiday - SCHOOL CLOSED
Thursday, January 24th
Heritage Night
5th Grade Group Picture
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.
Media Center News
Congratulations to the following students for making the Medlock Bridge Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl team!
Abbey Hankinson
Carter Gooch
Caren Lee
Meghan Gulley
Jianni Cheng
Vyom Shah
Amy Liu
Skye Lee
Linbo Zhu
Olivia Suarez
Alternate: Ella Mo
All of these students had to read ten different chapter books from the Georgia Book Awards, and will compete on Saturday January 26th at Autrey Mill Middle School against other elementary schools throughout the county. They all have been working hard studying through their winter break. Good luck to our team!
STEM Night Save The Date
STEM NIGHT is coming February 28th from 4-6 pm
Join the MBES staff for an exciting afternoon of hands on family fun!
News From Ms. Holladay
Globetrotter Club Passport Check
Wednesday, Jan. 16th
1st- 5th graders! Ready to earn some more Mustang Money?! 1st-3rd grade, all you have to do is point to the countries listed on your itinerary when you meet with you flight attendant. 4th/5th grade, all you have to do is point to the country on your itinerary AND say the capital. We’re excited to see how many countries you have learned! Email holladaym@fultonschools.org if you need a copy of the latest itinerary.
Heritage Night
Thursday, Jan. 24th
6pm
Take a trip around the world! Our Medlock Bridge Elementary school families will have heritage tables on display for you to explore! Then, many of our talented students will be putting on some amazing performances reflecting their heritage. Come and celebrate all the amazing differences that make up the fabric of our school.
English Learners Parent Book Club
Next Meeting: Thursday, Jan. 17th 9AM
Where: Read It Again Books
3630 Peachtree Pkwy # 314, Suwanee, GA 30024
https://www.read-it-again.com/
The Book: The One and Only Ivan
Go to the book store to buy it. Tell them you are part of the book club and they will give you a discount.
You just read as much as you can until the meeting. Email holladaym@fultonschools.org with any questions.
Girls On The Run
Medlock Bridge will be hosting Girls on the Run!
Girls on the Run is an after-school program for girls that teaches life skills through exciting lessons and running games. The program culminates with girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goal of the program is to build confidence and give girls a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness.
Lottery registration for Girls on the Run will occur January 7 to 16 at 11:59 pm at https://www.girlsontherunatlanta.org/Program-Registration. Fifteen girls will be selected through the random lottery drawing.
GOTR meets twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:00-4:30pm, beginning the week of February 4 and ending the week of April 29 at Medlock Bridge Elementary School. The program is for 3rd -5th-grade girls.
Girls on the Run uses an income-based sliding scale so that every girl who wants to participate can. The program registration fee is available on a sliding scale from $10 to $185. For more information and to register, visit https://www.girlsontherunatlanta.org/Program-Registration
You may also contact Dr. Ingrid Parham for additional information at ParhamI@fultonschools.org
Clinic News
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) has reported experiencing high patient volumes at their Emergency Departments and Urgent Care Centers. Four out of five children who have received a flu diagnosis have not been fully immunized against the virus.
CHOA makes the following recommendations:
Everyone older than 6 months of age should receive a seasonal flu immunization. It’s never too late to get immunized. The flu vaccine protects against multiple flu strains that circulate at different times. The flu vaccine decreases the severity of a flu infection.
Practice good hand hygiene.
Students with fever should remain at home until they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
If you suspect that your child may have the flu, it is suggested that you visit your family’s pediatrician first. If the pediatrician is unavailable, visit a Children’s Urgent Care Center before coming to the Emergency Department. Consider driving and wait times when deciding which location to visit, as the closest location may have longer wait times.
In case of an urgent concern or emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department right away.
Source: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Curriculum Matters
What is i-Ready Reading & i-Ready Math and How Can I Help My Child at Home?
i-Ready is an interactive online learning program that helps students build essential skills in reading and mathematics. i-Ready starts with an online diagnostic test that students take in class to identify the specific skills each student needs to develop and measure academic growth through the school year. It also provides students with personalized online instruction and gives teachers guidance on how they can best support the needs of each and every student.
i-Ready encourages students to take ownership of their learning. Students get real-time feedback, see motivating messages, and earn credits after completing lessons that they can use to get rewards, such as games. i-Ready’s engaging environment draws students in right away and gets students of all ages excited about learning.
How can you help your child get the most out of i-Ready Reading & Math? Please click on the link below to the MBES Curriculum Support website below to learn more!
Patty Neumeister, MBES Curriculum Support Teacher (CST)
Email: neumeisterp@fultonschools.org
Website: https://mbescurriculumsupport.weebly.com/
Twitter: @mbescst
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