Monroe Messages
A Newsletter of Monroe County Schools
Monroe County Schools Achieves 
2021 GSBA Exemplary School Board Status
November 10, 2021 – Monroe County Schools is proud to announce the achievement and status of the Georgia School Boards Association’s (GSBA) 2021 Exemplary School Board recognition. 
 
The recognition program is designed to showcase best practices in school governance and leadership. GSBA recognizes good school board governance to foster educational community cultures in order to advance student learning and achievement. 
 
The Monroe County Board of Education met and/or exceeded the criteria set forth by GSBA to earn the honor of a 2021 Exemplary Board. The criteria may be reviewed by clicking here for more information.
 
The GSBA Governance Team Recognition Program was developed by Georgia superintendents and board members based on the state board of education’s standards for effective governance to recognize exemplary leadership.
 
In 1998, the Georgia School Boards Association was one of the first school board associations in the nation to develop a program of standards for local boards of education.
 
The GSBA Board recognition program is a three-tiered program. For more information on the program you may visit the GSBA website for awards and recognition or to view the criteria for all tiers of the program.
 
“We are extremely proud of the work and training our Board has completed in order to earn this prestigious award from GSBA. This level of dedication and performance speaks to the importance of learning, growing, and succeeding at every level,” stated Superintendent Dr. Mike Hickman. 

Parent Media Reviews
Not sure if the video games, music and movies on your child's list are appropriate? Here is a link to find age-appropriate movies, books, apps, TV shows, video games, websites, and music that you and your kids will love!
Source: Common Sense Media
This is a such special time of year, and this year, we all have one more thing to be grateful for: Kids ages 5 to 11 are now eligible to get vaccinated. The vaccine is safe and effective, specifically formulated for young kids. And getting your child vaccinated is the best way to keep them safe from COVID, including the Delta variant. This is great news for parents and families. Please join the U.S. Department of Education and National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement for an informational webinar following the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech age 5-11 vaccine. During the webinar, esteemed panelists including United States Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten along with representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics will address common concerns and worries among parents and families about the COVID-19 vaccine for their child(ren) ages 5-11.


Parents are invited to submit questions about the vaccine on the registration form. Pre-submitted questions will help plan the content of the session. Time will also be reserved for live questions and answers at the end of the event.
MCS Radio

Students depend on technology both in the classroom and in their personal lives. To make sure they have working, updated equipment, Monroe County Schools employees a fantastic technology team. Hear from outgoing CTO Dr. Valerie Mercer and Instructional Technology Coach Ronnie Shipman on what it takes to keep thousands of devices in the hands of our students and staff. 

Plus, 'tis the season for holiday music. We'll share some of the Monroe County Middle School Chorus' Christmas Concert.
 
For more information on Monroe County Schools' COVID protocols & resources click here.
Click here to access the updated spreadsheet for COVID numbers. Browse through the tabs at the bottom of the sheet to get to the most recent data.