Monroe Messages
A Newsletter of Monroe County Schools
Monroe County Schools Earns Re-Accreditation
 
March 11, 2022 - Monroe County Schools has once again earned accreditation. Accreditation signals a school district’s quality and standing among educational institutions. Accreditation, among other things, allows students’ credits to transfer to other schools and colleges, and permits students to apply for certain federal and state scholarships and grants. 
 
Earlier this year, Monroe County Schools underwent an evaluation process by Cognia, an outside agency that reviews and evaluates school systems around the world. The Cognia Accreditation Process examines the whole school system, including the programs, cultural context, and the community of stakeholders, to see how well the system works together to meet the needs of its students. Administrators and staff worked together for more than a year, pulling documentation to show the review team examples of three key components in the evaluation process: Leadership Capacity, Learning Capacity and Resource Capacity.  
 
The Cognia Engagement Review Team conducted a virtual visit to Monroe County Schools from January 30, 2022 - February 2, 2022. In addition to examining the documents provided by the system, the team conducted interviews with 136 administrators, staff, students and community members. After the visit, the review team compiled a report for the district highlighting its findings and recommendations. The report consisted of a numerical score based on the practices of Monroe County Schools as well as feedback to help MCS continue to learn, grow, and succeed.
 
The Cognia review team awarded Monroe County Schools an Index of Educational Quality score of 372.90 out of a possible 400. The average score for Cognia reviewed schools over the past five years falls between 278.34 and 283.33. 
In its report, the team wrote “Preserving and protecting the high level of quality assurance that defines Monroe County Schools became the team’s focus in this accreditation review. The system’s capacity for continuous improvement is indeed its educational hallmark. The team applauds the many accomplishments from the past and those in the future.” The school system will use the results and analysis of data to develop action steps to improve student achievement moving forward. 
 
“Congratulations to the students, staff, board members, parents, and community on their dedication and hard work helping to ensure Monroe County Schools remains a top school system in the state of Georgia,” said Dr. Mike Hickman, Monroe County Schools Superintendent.

Click here to read the full report from the Cognia Engagement Review Team.
JROTC Presentation of Colors at National Guard
The National Guard Unit in Forsyth asked the MPHS JROTC to present the Colors for their Change Of Command Ceremony. A big thank you to Cadet Charlie Thigpen, Cadet Samiya Norris, Cadet QuaNesha Brown, and Devin McLendon who conducted the detail.
This week the K.B, Sutton Knights get their moment in the spotlight. The cast of Annie Junior will take the stage Thursday and Friday night at the Fine Arts Center. MPTV’s Kayla Montgomery spoke with director Sandy Watson to get a preview of the show.

Next month, our Monroe County students will face their annual standardized tests. It’s a stressful time for teachers and students, and this year there’s a new woman in charge of testing. For more on that, MPTV’s Adam Simmons sat down with Dr. Becky Brown.

Also, soccer season is here. MPTV’s Caroline Buffington spoke with the coaches to learn more about this year’s teams.
Parents' Ultimate Guide to Livestreaming
Video clips? That's old school. Today, it's all about livestreaming -- capturing or watching video of an event as it's happening. Whether it's a shared moment between friends, or a public feed with millions of followers, livestreaming entertains and enlightens with on-the-fly video that's not always age-appropriate. Click here to read the article.

Source: Common Sense Media