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July 2021 Back to School Jag Blast


Message from Principal:

All Aboard, MAE! We are FULL STEAM AHEAD this year!

Dear Families, We are thrilled to introduce a STEAM Lab rotation for all our classes this year. This will allow all of our students to experience hands-on projects that integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). Students will participate in this rotation in addition to our “specials” rotations for music, art, computer, library and PE. I want to thank each


family in advance for your support of this STEAM Lab. The funds raised each year through our PTO fundraisers will be used to continue this lab. Only a few elementary schools in our state have a lab of this kind! It is going to be an amazing experience for all of our students, and I truly believe it will allow them to develop the 21st-century skills they need to be successful. We have many other exciting plans in the works for the 21-22 school year. This newsletter will provide a lot of information to help you prepare for our return to school. If at any point you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at 601-856-2951. Sincerely, Melissa Philley 2021-2022 Madison County Schools & Madison Avenue Elementary Re-entry Plans: The Madison County Schools Reentry Guidelines can be found on our district website at www.madison-schools.com. MAE will continue to promote a safe learning environment by asking that all staff and students monitor their health at home before they


arrive on our campus. Other safety measures will include optional face coverings and routine cleaning and sanitizing to prevent the spread of illness. Parents will be allowed on campus for scheduled visits such as parent-teacher conferences and classroom readers. In September, we also plan to allow parents in for lunch on certain days. Visitors will be asked to report directly to the front office and must be free on any symptoms of illness. We will return to normal operations such as lunch in the cafeteria and assemblies in the gymnasium. If Covid numbers necessitate alterations to these plans to keep our students and staff members safe and healthy, we will notify our families.


Classroom Placement Postcards will be mailed Friday, July 30

Meet the Teacher is Friday, August 6, 4:30-6:30.

Please plan to drop off your school supplies and meet your teacher. We will not assign certain names to certain time frames, but we would like to organize the event so that parents are coming in and leaving every 20 minutes. This will help with crowding and with parking. Please plan to meet the teacher during one of the following time frames.

4:30-4:50

4:50-5:10

5:10-5:30

5:30-5:50

5:50-6:10

The school supply lists can be found on our school website.


Summer Work Packets:

Summer Work Packets are due on Friday, August 13. All students that complete their entire work packet (including any reading and math logs) will be invited to a movie with popcorn event during school hours. Extra copies of the work packet are available at our front office. You can also download a copy from our school website.


Soft Start Information:

Madison County Schools will do a soft start for the week of August 9, 2021. This means only students with last names that begin with the letters A-L will attend on Monday, August 9 & Wednesday, August 11. Only students with last names that begin with the letters M-Z will attend school on Tuesday, August 10 & Thursday, August 12. All MAE students will attend for the first time together on Friday, August 13.

Morning arrival:

All students may begin entering our building at 7:00 a.m. Our tardy bell rings each morning at 7:30 a.m. Please arrive in plenty of time for your student to enter our building before that bell rings. Even the first few minutes of our school day matters to instruction. Students that are tardy even by a few minutes miss out on important classroom rituals and routines that set the stage for a great day of learning. Students that are tardy will need an adult to escort them into the front office and sign them in.


Dismissal:

Dismissal begins at 2:25. We begin dismissal procedures 10 minutes early each day for the first 2 weeks of school to give us plenty of time to practice procedures and ensure that each student is in the correct line.


Car Rider Procedures:

We have 2 car rider lines. The front of our building is for all students who do not have siblings at Madison Avenue Upper Elementary (MAUE). The MAUE car rider line is ONLY for those families with siblings at both schools. Please use the inside right lane of the MAUE car rider line when dropping off or picking up children at both schools. If you do not have siblings at both schools, please do not enter through the MAUE carpool line. Extra cars in that line cause traffic issues for both schools.


Car Rider ID cards:

MAE students will be issued the same car rider ID number as last year. Kindergartners and new families will be issued a new number to use. Each family is assigned a number and provided with 2 ID cards at our Meet the Teacher Event. These cards should be displayed in the front right car windshield and serve as identification for pick up. If a child is to be picked up by someone without an ID card, they must park and report to the front office and show proper identification. Please help your child learn their ID number so that our car rider lines can run as quickly as possible.

Transportation Changes:

Check-outs from the front office must be made prior to 2:00 each afternoon or before 11:00 on early dismissal days. If you have any last-minute transportation changes for afternoon pickup, please call the front office at 601-856-2951 before 1:30. You may also send a note in your child’s folder. Please do not depend on Remind 101 or email for last-minute transportation changes.


Medication:

Students are not allowed to transport any medication to and from school. Please contact Nurse Lizzie Brown with any information or questions regarding medications at school, specific health issues and/or allergies.

Fees:

The Activity Fee is $45.00 per student and can be paid on MySchoolBucks.com at the Meet the Teacher event or after. The Device Fee is $25.00 per student. Device Fees can be paid on MySchoolBucks.com beginning in July for returning students or at the Meet the Teacher event or after for new students. The Activity Fee covers Kingdom and Class T-shirts, workbooks and other consumables, Raz-Kids, Scholastic News, and supplies for holiday & grade-level events. This fee does not cover field trip expenses. The Device Fee covers the iPad for K and 1st grade students and the Chromebook for 2nd graders.

Lunch Money:

Students may bring a lunch from home or eat for free in our cafeteria each day.



Absences:

Please send a signed and dated excuse for any student absence. Also include the date of the absence in the excuse. Each day at MAE is important for your student’s success. Please have your student here each day unless they are ill or there is a family emergency.



PTO Membership:

Have you joined the PTO yet?

Benefits vary at each level. Top tier membership includes a directory, recognition in the JagBlast, JAG yard sign – new this year, MAE decal, raffle tickets for the Spring Fundraiser, and a Full STEAM ahead t-shirt! Discounts with Blue and Jaguar Memberships!

For more information and to join,


T-Shirts for Sale!!

Our Full STEAM Ahead shirts are now available for ordering! Order with a PTO Membership or separately! Visit our website to order for pickup at Meet the Teacher!




Yard Signs for Sale– New this year!!

Share your school spirit with the neighbors! JAG yard signs are available on the PTO website. Order with a PTO Membership or separately and pick up at Meet the Teacher!



Partners-In-Education Do you own a business or work for a company that desires to plug in to the local schools? Your business could be featured on signs, banners and newsletters! Visit the PTO website or email Mimi Arthur to learn more! Mimi.Arthur@formanwatkins.com Thank you for supporting our schools!











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