Monroe Messages
Newsletter of Monroe County Schools
Mary Persons High School announces Graduation Parking Information
Mary Persons High School will once again work with local law enforcement and emergency management to organize parking and access to Dan Pitts Stadium at Mitchell Field for 2018 Commencement Ceremonies to take place on Friday, May 25, at 8 p.m.
With the completion of additional parking adjacent to the Monroe County Fine Arts Center, no bus shuttles will operate before and after graduation.  Adequate parking for parents and the public will be available as follows:
    • Behind Dan Pitts Stadium at the direction of BOE personnel
    • Adjacent to the Mary Persons 9th grade campus
    • New parking south of and behind Fine Arts Center
    • Junior Parking Lot and Baseball parking lot at Mary Persons Main Campus with walking access to the stadium
  • All parking located between the MPHS Field House and the Monroe County Board of Education Building has been designed for handicapped permitted vehicles only. These parking spots will be available on a first-come, first-served basis with law-enforcement personnel supervising.
  • Newton Memorial Drive between South Lee Street and the Stadium will be closed by the City of Forsyth to all vehicle traffic beginning at 5 p.m.  This access will be reopened at the conclusion of graduation for exit-only traffic.
  • Graduating seniors and MP Band members involved in the ceremony will be directed to park in the Senior and Faculty parking lots at the Mary Persons Main Campus, accessible only from Montpelier Avenue.
  • NO Parking is allowed in the City of Forsyth Cemetery nor on the sides or shoulders of U.S. 41 (Brooklyn Avenue). Vehicles violating this rule will be subject to tow or impound.
  • Once the BOE campus parking is full, the area will be closed to vehicle traffic.
  • No vehicle traffic will be allowed on the roadway between Mitchell Field and Mary Persons Main Campus.
Attendees are encouraged to carpool with others as much as possible to reduce the number of vehicles.  Attendees also are reminded to be respectful of residential and commercial property in the area.
In case of inclement weather on the night of graduation, the following will take place:
  • Graduation ceremonies will be delayed a reasonable period of time until weather clears.
  • If ceremonies cannot take place on Friday night, they will be rescheduled for Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
  • If rain continues on Saturday morning, the ceremony will be rescheduled that evening at 8 p.m.
  • If weather prevents holding graduation on Saturday, the final option will be 2 p.m. Sunday - either in the stadium if weather permits, or in the Fine Arts Center (with limited seating).
Mary Persons High School and Monroe County Board of Education appreciate the cooperation of all supporters as we plan for and conduct Commencement 2018.  The goal is to make this a memorable night for the members of the MPHS Class of 2018, their families, and the community.
Congratulations State Media Festival Winners!
Congratulations to the following individuals, groups, and class project producers!  These students produced work that was judged to be the best in the State of Georgia.  Individual and small group winners will be recognized at the August Board of Education meeting. 
School Sponsor Title Producer(s)
Hubbard Elementary Alexandra Lamping The Lettuce Family Camden Walker, Dion White, Jaylan Rutland, Quenterion Shannon, Tanner Pines, Zayden Meadows
Hubbard Elementary Tangi Smith Poems John Wyatt Sanders, Kaelen Heath, Zoey Hampton
Hubbard Elementary Tiffani Smith Creek & Cherokee Mrs. Smith's 2nd grade class
Hubbard Elementary Dr. Ayers Class The Bottle Buddy Project Dr. Ayers Class
Hubbard Elementary Ms. Marnai Boose Capillary Action Ms. Boose's 1st grade class
Hubbard Elementary Erin Carr The Adventures of Pink and Purple Gavin Gaylord, Annsley Robinson, Harrison Bell
Hubbard Elementary Erin Carr Attack of Space Girl Juniper Fisher
Mary Persons High School Elizabeth Holloway My Experience in Best Buddies Graicyn Lee
KB Sutton Elementary Turpin and Lewis Professional Musician Chyenne Chaney
KB Sutton Elementary Tammy White My Mom Damien Forbus
KB Sutton Elementary Kellie Eaton Landforms Dayson Fryar, Easton Causey, Dahlia Madison, Camila Gomez-Auceda
Monroe County Middle School Danyel Vance Monster Within Hunter Harrison
Monroe County Middle School Julie Willis Mutations: Autism Madelyn Causey
Monroe County Middle School Suzanne Smith Kaleidescope Kaitlyn Shields, Jozalyn McDaniel, Taylor Richardson
KB Sutton Elementary Cooley's Class Colors in the classroom Cooley's Class
KB Sutton Elementary Julie Spence At the pool Kenadie Stancill
KB Sutton Elementary Amest/Maddux Jupiter Tristan Sikes
TG Scott Elementary Kimberly Winters Behind the Little Red Door -- Winters Style Kimberly Winters' Class
TG Scott Elementary Amy Graham Dino Barrett Barrett Turner
You can see many of these projects posted on the Monroe County Schools Youtube Channel.
Proof of Residency Is Open and
Ready for Parents to Complete
Because of the upcoming remodel of Central Office beginning this summer, there will be very limited opportunity for face-to-face Proof of Residency.  Parents/Guardians are encouraged to complete the process online. Proof of residency documentati on will be collected via the Infinite Campus Online Registration (OLR) Application.  Parents are encouraged to upload proof of residency documents as soon as the window opens. To complete this process you will need to:
  • ensure you have an email address on file with your child's school.
  • activate an Infinite Campus Portal account.
Your child's school is prepared to assist you with any questions you may have regarding this process.  Below, you will find a link to the web page containing these instructions and a presentation providing step-by-step instructions regarding the use of OLR for this process.  You can navigate through the steps manually and pause the presentation, as needed. 
Click here to view presentation.
New students who enrolled during the 2018-2019 PreK and Kindergarten registration process will not be required to complete this process during the summer.
Parents without an active Infinite Campus Portal account should check their email for a message from " icmessenger@mcschools.org."  This email contains the activation link needed to create your Infinite Campus Portal account.
Please contact Cindy Seymour, System Registrar, at 478-994-2031 with any questions or concerns. 
Mary Persons High School Announces
Valedictorian and Salutatorian for Class of 2018
Madeline Copeland, Valedictorian
Mary Persons High School is proud to announce the Valedictorian and Salutatorian for the Class of 2018. 
The Valedictorian is Madeline Elizabeth Copeland, daughter of Clay and Charlotte Copeland.
She played tennis for Mary Persons, was president of the Student Council, vice-president of FBLA, is the 2018 STAR student, was in Spanish Honor Society.  She loves playing tennis, reading, and spending time with family and friends.  Madeline plans to attend the University of Georgia in the fall and major in business.  




Lori Ellen Smith, Salutatorian
The Salutatorian is Lori Ellen Smith, daughter of Keith and Gina Smith. Lori played softball and soccer for MP, was a member of Spanish Honors Society and Beta Club. She will be attending Georgia Tech in the fall. Her plan is to study chemistry. 
"We are very proud of the accomplishments of both Madeline and Lori", said Mary Persons principal, Dr. Jim Finch.  "Attaining the top two ranks in the senior class is a testament to their hard work and perseverance. We congratulate Madeline and Lori and wish them the best of luck in college next year." 


Message from Monroe County Schools Nurses: Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why has Debuted 
From the Georgia Department of Education: 
Talking with Students about Suicide and Resources for Students and their Families
Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why debuted on Netflix last week. The fictional series, based on Jay Asher's book of the same title, explores suicide of a teen.  As with other Netflix series, all episodes are released at once with viewers frequently watching a season from beginning to end in the same day.
 
After the Season 1 release of 13 Reasons Why last year, the web-search phrase "how to commit suicide" rose 26% above what would normally have been expected for that time according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA Internal Medicine). The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) sent a notice to their members across the country on how to talk about the show and posted Considerations for Educators online.

The Georgia Department of Education encourages families to speak with their students regarding this show and its contents. Netflix parental controls may help some families control Netflix content, but your student may see this show at a friend's house or in the months to come through other online services.  Some mental health professionals are encouraging that if students do watch this television series that they watch it in the company of a parent/guardian so that questions and issues that arise may be addressed.  The National Association of School Psychologists shared Information Regarding the Upcoming Release of 13 Reasons Why, Season 2.
  
As 13 Reasons Why Returns, Schools Try to Help Students Who Are Thinking Of Suicide School Officials Issuing Warnings Ahead of 2nd Season of ’13 Reasons Why

Guidance for Families
  1. Ask your child if they have heard or seen the series 13 Reasons Why. Talk about the show with your child.  Set up Netflix controls if you don't want them to view it.  Set up a time for you to watch the show with your student if you all decide as a family to view the show.
  2. If they exhibit any warning signs, don't be afraid to ask if they have thought about suicide or if someone is hurting them. Raising the issue of suicide does not increase the risk or plant the idea. On the contrary, it creates the opportunity to offer help.
  3. Ask your child if they think any of their friends or classmates exhibit warning signs. Talk with them about how to seek help for their friend or classmate. Guide them on how to respond when they see or hear any of the warning signs.
  4. Listen to your children's comments without judgment. Doing so requires that you fully concentrate, understand, respond, and then remember what is being said. Put your own agenda aside.
  5. Get help from a school-employed or community-based mental health professional if you are concerned for your child's safety or the safety of one of their peers.
The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities offers the Georgia Crisis and Access Line to students and their families which is available 24/7 for any type of mental health emergency: 1-800-715-4225. Students who are feeling hopeless can call 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text "START" to 741741. For a video of Georgia students sharing their feelings and their coping strategies, see https://vimeo.com/254621215 
 
 

Summer Time is Reading Time:  Literacy Resources for Our Students and Families
Monroe County Schools Summer Literacy Website is open!  Find book lists, resources, and suggested activities at our site at https://sites.google.com/mcschools.org/mcssummer2018l/home. 

Public Notice:  Destruction of Old Special Education Records Scheduled
The Monroe County Public School will be destroying old Special Education records in July 2018. The records scheduled to be destroyed are for persons who were served in special education and born in 1996. If you desire to have your records, please contact the Department of Instructional Student Support 478-994-2031 x1604 or x1605.  Records not picked up by August 1, 2018 will be destroyed.
Monroe County School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or sex in its employment practices, student programs and dealings with the public. It is the policy of the Board of Education to comply fully with the requirements of Title VI, Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act and all accompanying regulations. As a result, the following people have been appointed to oversee specific areas. Title II, Adult 504, Adult Title IX   Dr. Mike Hickman   25 Brooklyn Avenue, Forsyth, GA 31029   478-994-2031  Student and Athletic Title IX Jackson Daniel  25 Brooklyn Avenue, Forsyth, GA 31029  Student 504 Jenny Rooks 25 Brooklyn Avenue Forsyth, GA 31029 Copyright 2018. All Rights Reserved.