REMINDER: NO SCHOOL MONDAY! (3/17/25) - This is a professional learning day for staff!

POWER UP SUMMER SCHOOL 2025  

Invitations to attend Power Up Summer 2025 were sent directly from APS to families yesterday via Infinite Campus, Constant Contact, and text messaging. I understand there has been some confusion regarding the origin of the invitations. Please note that teachers did not inform this automated invitation for students, but rather the list for invitations was generated by APS based on the following Fall OR Winter MAP Assessments:

While summer school is optional, it does provide a great extension for students to work on standards and skills in preparation for the next grade level!

On that note, all APS traditional school students are welcome to register for Power Up Summer 2025:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DTGAYy-cBc_XYCqWot84WYer1Mj9J-3aX94bYk3cPZ0/viewform?edit_requested=true

Power Up Summer 2025 will be held at Virginia Highland Elementary from June 2nd - June 27th from 7:45 am - 2:15pm daily. There will be transportation provided by the APS Transportation Department.

And now a few highlights of our amazing Dolphins' accomplishments…
 

99 MATH FLUENCY CHALLENGE
Congratulations to Ms. Acton and Mrs. Morel's third grade class for winning the 99 Math Fluency Challenge! Today this class went head to head with Perkerson Elementary and were victorious!  Well done 3rd Grade Mathematicians!

DRONES FOR GOOD
This in from Mr. Richard Hatcher:
Last Saturday (3/8), 13 MES students competed in the "Drones for the Good" competition at Midtown High School. The day started with former MES student, Kate Berg, senior at Midtown and soon to be at GA Tech student, welcoming us to Midtown. She was the principal organizer of the event!  Our parents and teachers watched as the kids showed amazing tenacity in the face of many technical obstacles and ended up winning the "Broken Prop Award" for sportsmanship and perseverance. We had the most spectacular crash landing at the end of the day. Way to go Lucas! Mr. Hatcher, Mrs. Milam, and Mr. Shivani couldn't be prouder of this group of kids including Asa B, Nick C, Luca C, Francis C, Parker D, Paul K, Isaac K, Amar K, Adam L, Tristan M, Garrett M, Graeme L,  & Simon O.

SOCIAL STUDIES FAIR
Congratulations to Phillips M for presenting a top project at the APS Social Studies Fair! Her project that earned a top slop presented was called Anna Strong: Petticoats and Patriots. Great job!

Until Next Time…
Warmly,
Brian Baron
Interim Principal

Dear MES Families,

As part of the APS Human Resources principal hiring process, all staff, parents/guardians, and community members are invited to share their voices in a survey for the creation of the leadership qualities profile for the Morningside principal search. The survey has been extended until March 3rd. There will be a live opportunity for engagement on March 6th at the times listed below in the document linked for the Principal Search Flier. Thank you for sharing your voice in this process!  

Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MorningsidePrincipalSurvey

Click here to view the Principal Search Flier

Additionally, following is a brief outline of the HR principal hiring process:

Tier 1 involves candidates applying for the position and initial screening to determine those who meet minimal requirements regarding certification, references, degree requirement and experience. 

Tier 2 screening activities include a Hirevue assessment that is scored by cluster principals and the cluster superintendent.  In addition, the principal profile developed via the staff and community survey is used to further determine top candidates for consideration.  The HR strategic director, cluster superintendent and Go team chair and co-chair review candidates to identify the top 6 to advance to the tier 3 panel interviews.

Tier 3 panel interviews include all Go team members, two cluster principal representatives and a few other individuals as panel members.  The top 6 candidates will interview in front of the panel and the top three candidates will be determined and advance to tier 4 of the interview process.

Tier 4 is the final interview for each candidate as they individually meet with the cluster superintendent, chief of schools and superintendent.  The superintendent will select the top candidate for the role of principal at the school.

I hope that helps answer a few questions for you!

Until Next Time…
Warmly,
Brian Baron
Interim Principal

• Dear Families,
  
  FEBRUARY WINTER BREAK: As February Winter Break approaches, we want to provide students an option to continue exploring and learning while enjoying time away from school. To support this, our amazing grade levels have compiled continued learning activities for our Dolphins to remain engaged during the break. These activities are organized for each grade level below:
  
  Kindergarten
  1st Grade
  2nd Grade
  3rd Grade
  4th Grade
  5th Grade - work is posted in the 5th Grade Rocks Google Classroom

  **These activities are not mandatory, but rather an opportunity to help engage students!

  In addition, students can access APS created self-paced activities on the new Tech-Tivities website. Options include activities suitable for all grade levels across a wide range of subjects. The Tech-Tivities website can be accessed at the following link:  http://tinyAPS.com/?tech-tivities

• ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: The next Caffeine Conversation will be Thursday 2/27/25 at 4:30 PM on Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent in a message prior to that date.
  
  Additionally, there will be another upcoming Dialogue Den with Mr. Baron scheduled and announced in the 2/27/25 Digital Dolphin. Stay tuned.

  Wishing you and your family a safe and wonderful winter break!
  
  Until Next Time…
  Warmly,
  Brian Baron
  Interim Principal

National School Counseling Week - Please join me in celebrating our amazing counselor, Mr. Oseni! Mr. Oseni is a true exemplar of a school counselor who builds supportive relationships with students and staff at MES. He provides classroom guidance lessons on a variety of SEL topics, and fosters a high level of inclusivity for all members of our MES community. Thank you Mr. Oseni for all of your work and dedication to MES!

Today is Global Day of Play Day! So you ask yourself - what does that mean? Global Day of play began in 2015 and was created to allow students ample time for free play without the use of screens, structured games, or adult direction on activity (of course there is adult supervision :). The idea is to let children explore their creativity, problem-solving skills, and social interactions in an unstructured and spontaneous environment. We have coupled this day over the last few years with an annual school-wide service project. Thanks to countless parent volunteers and our PTA's Dolphins Do Good program, all students put together "comfort bags" filled with essential hygiene items for individuals in need. Today has been an amazing day of service learning! Big thank you to all who volunteered to make this a reality and huge success.

APS Science Fair Results
All of our incredible kids who participated (see the blog entry from 12/19/24) were recognized for their hard work!  Following the district fair from this past weekend, 1st place finishers move on to the state Science Fair competition. Thank you Ms. Felton for organizing, and to the parent volunteers who made this happen. We are so proud of our Dolphins and the hard work that went into achieving these results! 

1st place moving to the state competition: Charlie D.
2nd-Catherine T.
3rd-Sohan S.
Honorable Mention- Amar K. & Francis C.

Adoption of ELA materials
Georgia House Bill 538 was adopted in April 2023, a bill whose goal is to increase literacy outcomes for all students. One of the components of this bill is to provide high quality instructional materials that are aligned to the Science of Reading and to Georgia’s new K-12 English Language Arts standards. In the Fall, a state committee reviewed K-3 core reading programs and created an advisory list of the recommended curriculum sets. 5 of those curriculum sets from the list are available for you to review on February 4 - 6 and February 11 - 13, 2025 from 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM at Virginia Highlands Elementary. For those parents that can not attend, a link will be sent for you to view the curriculum sets online. 

Another component of HB 538 is providing training for teachers in the science of reading, structured literacy, and foundational literacy skills. The state of Georgia launched the Georgia Literacy Academy which all APS teachers have been required to complete. In addition, our MES Foundation has supported Orton Gillingham training for several years. Members of our staff are trained at the Classroom Educator, Associate, Certified, and Fellow levels. We also have many staff that have completed or are working on practicums. 

If you like additional information regarding upcoming ELA standards as well as the House and Senate bills, please visit: https://gadoe.org/learning/literacy/

We're in the winter sickness season!
Please keep in mind these guidelines for keeping kids home when they are sick. This is coming home in Wednesday folders as well!

GO Team Elections
It's GO Team candidacy declaration time!  (information below is from the GO Team website - https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/domain/15150)

Each school in APS has a governance team—a GO Team. This team is composed of parents, teachers, and community members, and its job is to develop a school's strategic plan, set priorities, monitor progress, and approve a budget that is in alignment with the plan. 

For the upcoming FY26, we have a parent seat and a staff seat up for election!  Declare Your Candidacy Today at http://tinyAPS.com/?2025GOTeamDeclaration

• Declarations: Now - Feb. 28th
• Voting: April 16th - 25th 

• The Voting Process: Households and staff will receive their voting credentials through email, text message, or household mailer, based on information in Infinite Campus.
• Update Infinite Campus: Please update your information in Infinite Campus to ensure they receive their voting credentials.
  

  Until Next Time…
  Warmly,
  Brian Baron
  Interim Principal

  
  
  

Dear MES Families,

Sharing some important updates for the week!

RECENT CHANGES IN FEDERAL POLICY: Please click HERE for a statement regarding the recent changes in federal policy around immigration and school protections.

CULTURAL PERFORMANCES: Thanks to PTA support, we were able to bring back the Chinese Dance Company to perform for all students this past Monday to help celebrate Lunar New Year (which is today!). We are also looking forward to celebrating Black History Month in February with performances for all Dolphins from the Manga African Dance Company.

UPCOMING NEXT WEEK: Family Science Night is next week (2/4 and 2/6)! Please join us for this incredibly engaging tradition of STEAM related programming. Click HERE for more information. On Wednesday 2/5, all students will be participating in our annual Homeless at Heart Community Service Project, led by our Dolphins Do Good. Please see the Special Edition Digital Dolphin that was sent yesterday for information on how to volunteer.

PARKING ON FORDHAM CT: As we know, parking at MES is scarce! As we have upcoming events this spring, I do want to bring forth a concern that has been lifted multiple times from our neighbors on Fordham Ct. There are no parking signs that line the side of the street adjacent to the front turf field (left side of Fordham as you exit the MES driveway). As Fordham Ct. is city jurisdiction, we unfortunately have no leverage from APD towing cars if they are parked illegally along the fence. There will be additional "no parking" signs going up soon along that side of the street. Thank you!!!

ABSENCE NOTES: We have transitioned to fully digital submissions of absence notes! Please attach a scanned document to an email sent to MESNotes@atlanta.k12.ga.us. This system will help us ensure more accurate coding of absences!

GEORGIA SCHOOL CLIMATE SURVEY: The 2024-2025 Georgia School Climate Surveys (GSCS) provides actionable data to help create safer, more engaging schools! Please help us earn the stars we deserve by completing the survey before March 14.  before March 14. 

APS UNIVERSITY FOR PARENTS: APS is announcing the launch of the University for Parents 2025 Spring Semester Courses running virtually from February 4 to April 18. These free 10-week courses are specifically designed to equip parents with valuable skills and knowledge to improve their lives, families, and careers—all while accommodating busy schedules. Click HERE for a flier.

ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: I will be holding open office hour Friday, February 7th from 10:00am - 10:30am. The Zoom link will be found in the February 6th Digital Dolphin. Additionally, the February 27th Caffeine Connection (formerly coffee talk) will move from 8:00am to 4:30pm and will be held in a virtual format in hopes of engaging more families. The link for the Caffeine Conversation will be shared as we get closer to the 27th.

Until Next Time…
Warmly,
Brian Baron
Interim Principal

Dear MES Families,

It has been wonderful return to Semester 2 with smiles, hugs, and excitement!  

A short blog today with some important pieces of information:

1) SCHOOL CLOSURE: CLARIFICATION: School will NOT be asynchronous tomorrow, meaning it will not be counted as a school day. Packets that are coming home - use optionally. Go play in the snow and have fun.  School will resume Monday, 1/13/25. 

2) REPORT CARDS: I know that communication went out yesterday from APS regarding report cards. The message did not indicate however that many schools mailed report cards vs. sending them home. Our report cards were mailed out today rather than sending home in bags. Parent portal is open so you can view grades ahead of the mail arriving!

3) WINTER MAP: Scores will be sent home in Wednesday folders next week!

4) EXCUSE NOTES: Moving forward, any absent notes should only be sent to MESNotes@atlanta.k12.ga.us (copy the teacher). We will no longer be accepting paper copies.  Thank you so much!

Please be safe with the winter weather tomorrow and Saturday!!!!

Until Next Time…
Warmly,
Brian Baron
Interim Principal

Dear MES,

The last blog of 2024 and it is hard to believe that we are at the end of the first semester! Grateful does not even begin to explain how I feel as we are in the final stretch to 2025. I am  beyond thankful for our amazing students, our incredible staff, and for our parents who entrust us with your children each and every day. 

More amazing things to report in today’s blog that our Dolphins (and staff) are continuing to accomplish! 

Virginia Highlands Winterfest Parade (thank you Ms. Roetger for being a key contributor to this week’s blog)

• Our 5^th graders represented MES so incredibly well at the Virginia Highlands Winterfest Parade - our first time participating!  Our band students led the group with their music and marching (Thank you Ms. Relyea and Mr. Gillot!!) and they represented impressively with support from so many parents walking alongside the bunch.  5^th grade student STEAM projects had such an impactful presence as the students have worked hard designing, planning, and creating "Under the Sea" costumes and floats to spread the MES Dolphin spirit.  This was such a fun event for our 5th graders and their families.  We are looking forward to see what next year's 5^th graders do! A big thank you also to Mrs. Luckmann and Mrs. Lieb for joining us as well as Mrs. Espelosin for all of the help preparing that day!
  
  

.       

Also in STEAM news (from Mrs. Roetger…)

• MES 2^nd graders are designing, planning, and building Fairy Houses! Their first creation is on display along the Enchanted Woodland Trail at the Chattahoochee Nature Center December 15, 2024 - February 28, 2025.  If you go to the Chattahoochee Nature Center, see if you can spot our cozy Fairy House and Gnome Home.  It is included with general admission (free to CNC Members). Following in January, our 2^nd graders will work in small groups to design and build fairy houses based on books and stories to display in our very own MES garden.  We will let you know when they are ready for visitors.
  
  And now from the Family Science Night Committee...
  CALLING ALL STEAM ENTHUSIASTS!

• Presenters are now being scheduled for Family Science Night 2025, and MES parents are often some of our best and most passionate presenters! If you are a professional scientist or a passionate hobbyist, please share your knowledge with our students by volunteering to be a presenter. Please also help us spread the word to others in the community who may be interested in presenting.
• So you want to present, but what's it like? Get all the details here. To get a feel for the types of sessions we've had in the past, take a peek at Last Year's Session Lineup. Here are a few new topics that we think would round out our list of presenters, but we're open to anything you can think of!
• Astronomer
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Aerospace
• Wearable computing
• Software developer
• Sustainability
• Biotech
• Engineering/Design/ 3D Printing Genealogy

Questions, recommendations or offers to present, contact the FSN Committee today!

In other news…

As mentioned in last week’s blog, we had an incredible list of students in grades 3-5 who participated in this year’s One Fair in the areas of Science, Engineering, Technology and Social Studies. The lists participants and category winners are now available to view here: https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/Page/72669

Additionally as mentioned in last week’s blog, the list of students who participated in the school wide spelling bee (as well as our school winner and runner-up are now available to view here: https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/Page/73138

I would like to wish the entire MES Community a heartfelt Happy Holidays and Happy New Year as we leap into even more greatness in 2025!

Until Next Time…

Warmly,

Brian Baron
Interim Principal

DOLPHIN DASH
Happy December to All! Since we returned from Thanksgiving Break, we have had an action packed two weeks!  Our Dolphin Dash on 12/3 was a highly successful event (as was the fundraiser itself!!) Due to the cold temperatures, we held an indoor Glow Run in the gym and it was a fantastic event!  Kids had a blast and it was adorable seeing them so excited as well as having so many adults join in the festivities. An enormous THANK YOU to all who had a part in making this school wide fundraiser a huge success. You are absolutely invaluable! 

PARENT UNIVERSITY
A Parent University was held on December 4th in conjunction with Counselor Oseni, APS Counseling Coordinator Jennifer Wilson, AP Sinclair and myself titled “Supporting a Culture of Kindness & Navigating Peer Conflict as an APS Elementary Parent”. In this session, we discussed the nuances of bullying and teasing and what role parents can play to help get ahead of conflicts between students they arise. Sustaining and promoting the Culture of Kindness at MES requires conversations both at school and at home!  A huge thank you to everyone who helped coordinate this collaborative session. Please take a look at the presentation and informational flier here: https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/Page/69062

ONE FAIR
The Annual One Fair took place last week with 45 entries including 14 in Science & Engineering, 15 in Social Studies, and 19 in the Technology category. Students worked super hard on projects and were showcased in the auditorium last week. I will share the names of students who are proceeding to the district level in next week’s blog.

SPELLING BEE
Also coming up this Thursday (12/12) is the MES School Spelling Bee. We have 22 students in 4th and 5th grade who will be competing for a slot in the district Spelling Bee. Stay tuned for those names next week as well!

Lastly, a quick reminder that temperatures have dropped in the mornings. If you partake in carpool in the mornings, please wait until 7:20 to have students exit the cars as the front doors do not open until 7:20am for carpool!  Thank you so much for your cooperation!  

Until Next Time...
Warmly,
Brian Baron
Interim Principal

Dolphin Dash Fun Run Rescheduled - A message was sent yesterday school wide regarding the rescheduled Fun Run!  New date: Tuesday, December 3rd. All times will remain the same! Find the Fun Run Schedule HERE!

Morningside Elementary School STEAM Day
The Great Cereal Box Domino Challenge was a HUGE success!!! During MES's STEAM Day on Friday, November 15th, the school community collected 1,068 boxes of cereal for an astounding, school-wide STEAM challenge. All students lined the halls of the school and witnessed the domino-effect while cheering on the process. The cereal boxes traveled all the way through the school building, down a staircase, through the auditorium and across a breezeway! After the spectacle, the cereal (766 lbs worth!) was donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank serving food insecure families in Atlanta and WCM Trial Lawyers made a generous donation to the school's STEAM program. Thank you to ALL who made this possible!  Watch the video of the fun here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qz_ttQk_IQYx33MTxsml4QTReU0ZDq5n/view?usp=sharing

MES will be in the Virginia Highlands Winterfest Parade!
It's our inaugural representation in the VaHi Winterfest Parade on Saturday morning, 12/14/24 at 10AM!  The parade will travel down Lanier Blvd, between University Ave and Los Angeles Ave. This year will be an opportunity for 5th Grade to showcase our Culture of Kindness through Student Council, our STEAM focus with student created lanterns, and our appreciation of fine arts with our 5th grade musicians. It is going to be a great day! Come and find a great spot on the route to cheer on MES. Find more information here: https://www.virginiahighlanddistrict.com/winterfest

MES and Cell Phones and Watches
Just a brief reminder about the APS policy for phones and watches! Student devices such as phones and watches are expected to be away during the entire instructional day. Please refrain from contacting your students via any devices during the school day as watches and phones should be in school mode at all times at MES. Instead, please call the front office if an important message needs to be delivered to a student in an emergency situation.

December to Remember
Lastly, it is our second annual December to Remember that is full of fun events and activities. Have our Dolphins join the fun with some of our themed dress days! (Do none, one, or all!)
12/4 - Winter White Wednesday
12/5 - Wear Navy for Inclusive Schools Week
12/9 - Fantastic Flannel Day
12/12 - Ugly Shirt or Sweater Day
12/16 - Hat and Scarf Day
12/17 - New Years Eve Glitz and Glam Day
12/20 - PJ / Comfy Clothes Day

Wishing everyone a restful Thanksgiving week, and a time to reflect on the goodness that enriches our lives as individuals and as a community!

Until Next Time...
Warmly,
Brian Baron
Interim Principal

There is no better way to start a week off right than with our incredible 1st Grade Veteran's Day Program that took place yesterday morning. Our Dolphins sang their hearts out with patriotic songs and had a chance to listen to some inspiring words from Rear Admiral Richard Ginman (grandpa of 2 of our Dolphins). The auditorium was packed and the program was a huge success! Special thanks to Ms. Relyea for the musical direction, and of course to our entire 1st Grade Team (Ms. Davis, Ms. Dickerson, Mrs. Sayers, Mrs. Oglesby, Ms. Warren and Mrs. Westwood) for their dedication to keeping this annual program strong!

Also this week...

Today is the kickoff for the annual Dolphin Dash fundraiser! We are super excited for the culminating Fun Run event which will take place a week from tomorrow (11/20). Visitors are welcome to the front field to watch the festivities!  

Here is the schedule for the Fun Run:

We also have our STEAM Day coming up this Friday. The school wide Cereal Box Challenge will kick off the day! All classes will partake in this "domino style challenge" and pics will be shared in a subsequent blog post! In addition to the challenge event, students will also engage in STEAM activities in their classrooms during the day. Stay tuned!

Upcoming Engagement Opportunities:
Thursday 11/14 – Dialogue Den with Mr. Baron - Open Office Hours, 12:00-12:30 (Zoom link is in Digital Dolphin)

Monday 11/18 – Caffeine Conversations with MES Leadership, 8:00am in cafeteria. Will be streamed on Youtube link (also in Digital Dolphin).

Until Next Time!