SCHEDULE: Students in grades 8-12 will return to their regular daily attendance schedule starting Tuesday, January 19. Monday the 18th is a student holiday. NEXT WEEK: NO STAGGERING

MASK MANDATE: Students in grades 8-12 will remain under a mask mandate next week and for the foreseeable future. We will share any changes to this policy in our District Updates.

SCHEDULE: All students at MRIS and CGIS will continue on their regular schedule next week. Keep in mind that Monday, January 18 is a holiday.

MASK EXPECTATIONS: Both intermediate schools will continue to expect students to voluntarily wear masks when social distancing cannot occur.

SCHEDULE: No schedule change for students in grades K-3 next week. Keep in mind that Monday, January 18, is a holiday.

MASK EXPECTATIONS: All elementary students will continue with current building practices.

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the 2021 MLK Day Celebration, but Blount Countians will have opportunities to remember Dr. King’s life and legacy during the weekend of Jan. 16-18.

The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Celebration and March in Blount County both have been cancelled, but a virtual program will be shared online that will include the announcement of the MLK Scholarship winner and a reading of the winning essay by the scholarship recipient. The video can be viewed January 18 on the Blount County MLK Celebration Facebook page, facebook.com/mlkblount.

NAACP also celebrates virtually

The Alcoa-Blount County NAACP Chapter will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King with an education forum and children/youth program, both held over the Zoom video conferencing platform.

• “Building the Beloved Community: Facing History and Ourselves” will be held Sat., Jan. 16, from 9:45 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and will focus on the importance of diversity in education. To register, people should complete the Google form posted at https://forms.gle/S3jWKeUhUeWUHuZU6. Registrants will receive the Zoom link via email.
• “Sharing of Stories Related to Beloved Community/Diversity,” the program for children and youth, will be held from 2-3 p.m., Sat., Jan. 16. To register, people should complete the Google form posted at https://forms.gle/yeSDPrG6vHrEGYB26. Registrants will receive the Zoom link via email.

As announced in our District Update on 1/4/21, we are beginning to roll out a variety of surveys to stakeholders. Earlier this week we opened the MCS Diversity Survey to students in grades 8-12. This optional survey is part of the Diversity Team's process of collecting data to help inform their understanding of our culture across the district, as well as the individual experiences and opinions of stakeholders. In addition to High School and Jr. High students, staff, alumni, the community, and current parents will be invited to participate. Parents and guardians of current students in grades 1-12 will receive an email invitation later this week. Thanks in advance for completing this survey for each currently enrolled MCS student (grades 1-12) in your family.