PTA VP of Community: Aisha Stith

Morningside Elementary strives to be an inclusive community that actively cultivates and supports respectful relationships among our students, parents, caregivers, teachers, staff and administration. Throughout the year, we focus on building and strengthening our school's culture through engagement, collaboration and activism - both within our local neighborhoods and across the APS district. 

Ongoing Community Initiatives

Community Service/Dolphins Do Good

Throughout the year, the PTA organizes service projects with the goal of giving back to our Morningside Elementary community and our larger Atlanta Public School community. These activities are often coordinated through our dedicated public service committee, Dolphins Do Good. We are always looking for opportunities to build relationships among homeroom classrooms and grade-level groups. Please visit the Community Service webpage for details about upcoming community service opportunities!

For questions about Community Service, please contact Lorraine Hatch and Ashley Tucker.

No Place for Hate

No Place for Hate is an APS district-wide initiative designed to rally our school (and all others in the district) around the goal of creating a welcoming community committed to stopping all forms of bias and bullying. Through initiatives like Hands Across a Community, where Yehimi Cambron, a local artist, worked with all elementary kids across the Midtown Cluster to create a mural representing each child with their handprint to live in all 5 elementary schools, No Place For Hate, brings students together in a meaningful way. While this is a school counselor-lead initiative, the PTA supports No Place For Hate through multiple initiatives throughout the year.

For questions about No Place for Hate, please contact Robin Edwards and Halley Blythe.

Room Parents and Social Chairs

Continuing efforts to support our teachers in the classroom, Room Parents and Social Chairs assist with the instructional needs of an individual class and act as liaison between the teacher and parents within a class. They support and help recognize your child’s teacher in a variety of ways, including filling class-based needs/roles as determined by the teacher, coordinating teacher birthday celebrations and holiday/end-of-year gift collections, participating Teacher Appreciation Week, and more. Room Parents also help communicate information to parents on behalf of the teacher and/or the PTA. Typically, there is one Room Parent and one Social Chair per class. They can share and divide the role in any way that works best for them. In addition to teacher support and communication, they will plan activities within the class that provide students and parents the opportunity to connect, get to know each other better, learn from each other, and celebrate together (e.g., winter break and end-of-year parties). You can learn more about Room Parents and Social Chairs on the Room Parents and Social Chairs webpage. 

For questions about Room Parents, please contact Marla Johnson and Toeda Yasuko. For questions about Social Chairs, please contact Tiffany Torbert.

Teacher Appreciation

The Teacher Appreciation committee works throughout the year to celebrate and support our teachers. Typically, they would provide monthly breakfasts and/or lunches at school during the year. Their efforts culminate in Teacher Appreciation week, usually celebrated in April, with a host of ways to recognize all the exceptional work our teachers have done this year. You can read more about our Teacher Appreciation efforts on the Teacher Appreciation webpage.

For questions about Teacher Appreciation, please contact Denise Lippert and Stephanie Mayfield. 

Lost and Found

With a busy school like ours, belongings are sure to go missing now and then. Our PTA helps manage the school Lost and Found, including sorting out labeled items to be returned to their owners and donating unclaimed unlabeled items on a monthly basis. Please visit the Lost and Found webpage for more details about upcoming Lost and Found donation days and how you can help with this effort.  

For questions about Lost and Found, please contact Tiffany Torbert. 

Parent University

The MES PTA wants to empower all of our families to make the most of their elementary school experience. Parent University sessions are PTA-organized opportunities to learn more about the ins and outs of our school, both for our newer families AND our veteran families who just need a refresher. Please visit the Parent University webpage to learn more about our upcoming sessions and to view materials from our past presentations.

For questions about Parent University, please contact Dawn Rutherford.

Community-Building Events

While our PTA primarily focuses on activities and events within our school, we also like to celebrate with our larger Morningside community as well! Throughout the year, we plan events that are open to everyone, like our annual Monster Bash Halloween carnival. Keep an eye on our public communications channels, including this website, for more details as events are planned!

***Note: We are currently looking for a Monster Bash Committee Chair for the 2023-2024 school year!***