Parents:  We Appreciate Your Responses to the GADOE School Climate Survey
The Georgia Department of Education Parent Survey is now open for responses. 
The Georgia Parent Survey contains 24 questions. Parents may complete the survey using a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet. Data from the survey will be used as part of calculations of School Climate Star Rating for your student's school. Survey responses are anonymous and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis. The Georgia Parent Survey is also available in Spanish. Parents may select the Spanish version within the survey .
 
Monroe Messages
Newsletter of Monroe County Schools
MP Bulldogs Defeat Perry: 9-0 Season
@MaryPersonsHigh Bulldogs defeated the Perry Panthers 40-3 at Homecoming Friday night! Our Dogs move to 9-0 on the season. The Bulldogs play Howard for their last regular home game of the season this Friday night.
Congratulations to MPHS's 2018 Homecoming King and Queen - Kendall Gantt and Destiny Middleton. 
Congratulations to the MCMS REACH Scholars
Three Monroe County School students were awarded a unique scholarship opportunity last week. Jayliah Johnson, Trilok Patel, and Austin Vaughn are this year's REACH Scholars for Monroe County.  Through community support, corporate sponsorship, and the Georgia Student Finance Commission, REACH Georgia provides scholarships to each student pending good grades, excellent attendance, and outstanding behavior. REACH Georgia is the State of Georgia's first needs-based mentorship and college scholarship program. The mission is to ensure Georgia's academically promising students have the academic, social, and financial support needed to graduate from high school, access college, and achieve postsecondary success. The students are pictured above with Superintendent Dr. Mike Hickman, MCMS Principal Dr. Efrem Yarber, Assistant Superintendent Alicia Elder, and Assistant Superintendent Jackson Daniel.  
Competition Cheer : First Place AGAIN!
Congratulations to Mary Persons Competition Cheer Squad and the C-Team Competition Cheer Squad!  Both placed first AGAIN in Saturday's event.

Homecoming Week and Red Ribbon Week Highlights 2018
 

Click the image at right to see highlights of last week's Homecoming Week and Red Ribbon Week activities.   

Cross Country Teams are Region Champs!
Congratulations to both Mary Persons High Cross Country Teams!  They are Region Champs! 


MP Places Second in One Act Play Competition
 
 
 
 
 
MP's Sunny DeVane holds 2-AAAA 2nd place trophy & her Best Actress Award at last week's One-Act Competition hosted at the Monroe County Fine Arts Center. In addition, MP's Stephanie Nix was best supporting actress. Haley Thompson, James Wright, and  Liam Spence were among the region's all-Star Cast members. Well Done!!!


Central Georgia EMC Foundation Awards Grant to Mary Persons High Access Program
Congratulations to the Mary Persons High Access Program.  They were awarded a $744 grant from the Central Georgia Foundation last week.  You can learn more about Central Georgia EMC's Operation Roundup at https://www.cgemc.com/.
Macedonia Baptist Church to Host Scholarship Workshop Saturday, November 17
High school students and their families are invited to a free scholarship workshop. The event will be held at Macedonia Baptist Church located at 600 Eisenhower Parkway in Macon on Saturday, November 17 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  Marianne Ragins, winner of over $400,000 in scholarship funds, will be sharing scholarship strategies. Ragins will provide a two-hour interactive seminar designed to help students conduct successful scholarship search as well as a step-by-step process for finding and winning money for college. For more information, visit http://www.scholarshipworkshop.com/georgia.  Call 478-750-0040 for more information or to register by the deadline of November 14.

Meet Holli Shipman, System ESOL Teacher
Mrs. Holli Shipman is the system ESOL teacher. She's in her 17th year of education.  She meets with new ESOL students and their families, she prescribes learning activities for ESOL students, and she co-teaches and supports ESOL students in classrooms at all of our schools.  Mrs. Shipman is pictured with her family at right.  She recently answered a series of questions regarding her work in Monroe County Schools.

"This is my first year as the county's ESOL teacher. The ESOL program is a standards-based curriculum emphasizing academic and social language development. I work with the students and classroom teachers to integrate ELD standards with the Georgia Performance Standards to enable ELs to both communicate in English and demonstrate their academic, social, and cultural proficiency."

What do you think makes Monroe County Schools such a special place for students and staff?
I think our community is what makes our school system so special. We have a large population of employees who graduated from MP and returned to teach here because our community is so wonderful. MC is a small community that supports one another.

What is your favorite part of your job?
Working with students and helping them feel successful in the classroom is a wonderful feeling. This career is constantly changing which can be difficult. However, at the same time enjoyable because I like learning and finding new ways to teach the students. Plus, where can you work at and receive as many hugs as teachers do?

Please share a little about your family.
Ronnie and I have been married for 18 years. We have two children who attend MPHS. Katelyn is a 10th grader, and Tripp is a 9th grader. They keep us busy with their sports schedules, but we love every minute of it. Katelyn plays softball while Tripp plays soccer and basketball. This year was the first time he was a kicker for the football team.

What are your hobbies?
My number one hobby is teaching Zumba classes at the local gym. I have been enjoying Zumba for eight years and teaching it for six years. I also love to read, but unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to do it.

What's one item on your "life bucket list" that you would like to accomplish? What is a goal of yours?
When Ronnie and I retire, I would love for us to travel to many different places. My number one goal is to raise my children to be successful, productive citizens.

What's something that you would like to share about working in Monroe County Schools?
I feel proud to be a teacher in MC on a daily basis. We work hard as a school system to help our students be successful. My most memorable student was a young boy I had the pleasure of teaching two years in a row. He taught me as much as I taught him. He had special needs that required me to learn to be creative in how I taught. I am a better teacher because of him.
Educators Helping Educators: 
Giving Aid to Schools in Southwest Georgia
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) has opened a multi-county donation warehouse to coordinate the distribution of donated goods.  
If Monroe County Schools' employees or our families want to provide assistance, please send donations to the warehouse address below. If you have questions about shipping donations to the warehouse, please contact Terry Haight (423-505-3185 -  dbhaight@netzero.net) or Catherine Howden (404-606-2928).
 
Address of Donation Warehouse:
Disaster Relief Donations
Cloverleaf Gin Warehouse #5
Donalsonville, GA 39845
  
The disaster counties listed the following as their greatest needs:
  • Paper products
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Diapers and Pull-Ups
  • Baby formula
  • Nonperishable food
This is not an all-inclusive list. If you're able to provide other products, please contact GEMA's External Affairs Team at 404-635-7000 or ExternalAffairs@gema.ga.gov to coordinate the donations.
Message from Monroe County Schools Nurses: 
Is that Really a Stye in Your Eye?




Save the Date! You've got time to train for Monroe County Achievement Center's Fit to Achieve 5K. Proceeds from the run go to enhance educational experiences of MCAC students. Contact Grady Caldwell at grady.caldwell@mcschools.org if you would like to be a race sponsor.

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.