Monroe Messages
A Newsletter of Monroe County Schools
In need of summer activities for your child? Check out the Monroe County Summer Camps & Activities Guide!
Monroe County Schools, through federal CARES Act funds, will provide FREE school supplies to all students in grades PK-12 for the 2021-2022 school year. Through a cooperative effort with Wal-Mart, each student’s supply list will be fulfilled. Parents and students will receive these supplies at open house or at a designated schedule pick up time at Mary Persons High School or Monroe County Achievement Center. Approximately $180,000 of federal CARES Act funds have been designated for this project.  
Superintendent Dr. Mike Hickman stated that this effort will be a financial relief to many families affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. “This is just one way that we can use CARES Act funds effectively to help families have what their students need for school in the 2021-2022 school year.”  
Each level’s school supply list will be distributed and available through the Monroe County Schools system and school websites; however, each supply list is clearly marked that the parent/guardian can see that these are not required to be purchased. 
Wishlist items such as hand sanitizer, tissues, and wipes will be solicited through partnerships and other entities which can provide these through donations.
Parents and guardians are welcome to contact their student’s school for more clarification. For more information on Monroe County Schools, see http://www.monroe.k12.ga.us. 
MCS Radio
In the first half of the episode, Mr. Jay Johnston (retiring HES Principal) is interviewed and introduces Dr. Mequanta McCord (incoming HES Principal). In the second half, MCS Schools Radio speaks with Dr. Richard Bazemore (retiring TGS Principal) who then introduces Mr. Chad Sanders (incoming TGS Principal).
Updated 2021 - 2022 School Year Calendar
For more information on the program and to see if you qualify, click here.
Summer for Georgia Readers Starts on May 3
Get Georgia Reading partner Renaissance is again delivering thousands of free books—plus engaging daily news articles—to computer and mobile devices. Young readers can search from several different categories and genres, including books for struggling readers and Spanish and bilingual titles. We’re challenging Georgians to read for 1.5 million minutes from May 3 – July 31.
 
Families in Georgia can register to join Renaissance myON’s digital reading platform beginning on May 3 and already have access to Get Georgia Reading at Home, a comprehensive online catalog that offers early learning resources for children from birth through age 5 and helps develop skills for students in grades K – 3.
 
Our partners will again launch GeorgiaSummer.org in May to give every family in Georgia access to this online toolkit.
Monroe County Schools Transportation Team offers two resources for parents/guardians. E-Link provides zone information. MyStop provides real-time tracking of your student's bus. Download MyStop today!
SmartBus Wifi Provided by Monroe County Schools and Southern Rivers Energy:
Available 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Look for the SMARTBUS sign in the window of the bus.
Supporting Online Learning
Click here for a list of community locations which are providing wifi services to students and SmartBus locations. Please contact the community organization if you have questions.