Monroe Messages
Newsletter of Monroe County Schools
The   @MaryPersonsHigh Bulldogs defeated the Lovett Lions 58-21 at the Pitt Friday night. Awesome team and awesome fans delivered another win! The band and cheerleaders rocked it out as well! Dogs move to 4-0 on the season.  They travel to Peach County this week.

September is School Attendance Awareness Month:  It's Important to be Present Every Day!

We look forward to seeing our students every day, and we are so proud of the efforts our families make to have students in class and ready to learn on time every school day.

  • Students who are chronically absent in any year of high school are 7.4 times more likely to drop out.   
Competition Cheer Starts Season with First Place
MP Competition Cheer Squad took first place in their first contest of the season!  Congratulations and best wishes for the season!
Leadership Monroe Visits MCS Classrooms
Monroe County Schools welcomed the 2018 Class of Leadership Monroe this past week.  The group toured KB Sutton Elementary, Monroe County Middle School, the Fine Arts Center, and Mary Persons High School, and they learned about our school system's strategic planning and protocols.  They are pictured above at KB Sutton with Principal Becky Brown and Assistant Principal Joanne Binns.
JROTC Presents Colors at Military Academy Day
On Saturday morning, the Mary Persons JROTC Color Guard presented the colors at Congressman Austin Scott's Military Academy Day in Warner Robins.  The Museum of Aviation event was held to introduce high school students to the military academy opportunities.  

Use Infinite Campus Portal to Check Grades and Attendance for Your Student
Monroe County Schools offers parents and guardians the opportunity to track grades and attendance through Infinite Campus.  You can learn more about the Infinite Campus Portal for Parents here. 
 
Students may also login to the portal using their own credentials to track their own progress.   
 
The Infinite Campus app is available for download through the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.  Download the app to your smartphone, and make sure you turn on notifications within the app so you get push notifications immediately if your child is marked tardy or absent. Contact your student's school for assistance.
Bulldog Distance Classic: MP Cross Country
In their own backyard, Bulldog Cross Country had a strong showing at the Bulldog Distance Classic.  See video from Saturday's Bulldog Distance Classic on the @MaryPersonsHigh twitter feed.  Some highlights were:  Logan O'Neill placed third; Ava McKallip placed sixth, and Justin Wachtel placed first.  Congratulations runners!
Monroe County Schools
2018-2019 Student Flu Vaccination Schedule
Look for information to come home soon regarding your student's opportunity to get the flu vaccination at school in October. 

Monday, October 22, 2018
9:00-9:30- Monroe County Achievement Center (at MCSEC)
9:30-11:30- KB Sutton Elementary
11:45-12:30 - Lunch
12:45-3:00- Monroe County Middle School
 
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
9:00-10:30- Mary Persons High School (Freshman Campus)
10:45-11:30- Mary Persons High School (Main Campus)
11:45-12:45 - Lunch
1:00-3:00- TG Scott Elementary
 
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
9:00-11:00- Hubbard Elementary
11:15-12:15 - Lunch
12:30-1:30- Student Make-Ups MPHS (Main Campus/Freshman Campus)
1:45-2:45- Student Make-Ups Monroe County Middle    



Message from Monroe County Schools Nurses: 
How to Know If Your Child Needs Glasses
Undetected vision problems can impact your child's performance both in and out of the classroom. It's important to understand eye health so you can recognize signs your child may have a vision problem and possibly need glasses.
"The visual system in a child is still developing during the first seven to eight years of life. In some cases, glasses may be necessary to help normal visual development," says Johns Hopkins ophthalmologist Megan Collins, M.D. 
Why Children Wear Eyeglasses
According to Collins, children often wear glasses for several reasons, such as:
  • Improving vision
  • Strengthening vision in a weak or amblyopic (lazy) eye
  • Improving the position of their eyes (crossed eyes or misaligned eyes)
  • Providing protection if they have poor vision in one eye
Signs Your Child Might Need Glasses
Here are a few signs that indicate your child may be experiencing vision problems and need glasses:
  • Squinting. Squinting may be a sign your child has refractive error , which affects how well eyes focus on an image. By squinting, your child may be able to temporarily improve focus and clarity of objects.
  • Tilting head or covering one eye. Your child might cover one eye or tilt his or her head to adjust angle of vision in attempt to increase clarity. This might be  indication eyes are misaligned or your child has amblyopia , also known as lazy eye, which is one of the most common eye disorders in children.
  • Sitting too close to the television or holding hand-held devices too close to eyes. Sitting too close to the television, holding hand-held devices too close to eyes or lowering head while reading are possible signs of poor vision. People who have myopia, or nearsightedness, have clear vision at close range and poorer vision at a distance. Bringing an object closer makes an image bigger and clearer.
  • Rubbing eyes excessively. Excessive eye rubbing may indicate a child is experiencing eye fatigue or strain. This could be a sign of many types of vision problems and conditions, including allergic conjunctivitis .
  • Complaining of headaches or eye pain. If your child complains about eye pain or headaches at the end of the day, he or she may be overexerting eyes in effort to increase focus of blurred vision.
  • Having difficulty concentrating on school work. Because children need to quickly and accurately adapt visual focus from distant to near and on a number of different objects ranging from whiteboards and computers to textbooks and tablets, vision problems may manifest as a lack of focus on schoolwork.
What to Do If Your Child Fails a Vision Screening
Normally, vision screenings are conducted by your child's pediatrician or school. "If your child fails a vision screening, the most import thing to do is be seen by an eye care provider for a comprehensive eye exam," Collins says.
A comprehensive exam assesses visual acuity, or the clarity and sharpness of vision, and may also check for:
  • Strabismus (crossed eyes) and eye alignment
  • Depth perception
  • Overall health of the inside and outside of the eye
  • Indications of more serious eye conditions
If your child already has glasses, it's important to get eyes checked by an eye care provider every year.
Optimal vision is essential to the learning process. Many people don't realize how many problems poor vision can cause for school-aged children. Therefore, it is important to be aware of your child's overall eye health and what you can do to safeguard it.


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.