MCSD schools will no longer be able to charge meals in the cafeterias after May 1, 2018, for the duration of the school year. Please note the following important details:

• There are no charges allowed for adults.
• All outstanding charges must be paid to the cafeteria manager prior to the last day of school.
• If a child does not have money in his/her account, and does not have cash to purchase their meal, an alternative meal will be provided.
• Please respond promptly to messages that you receive regarding charges on your student’s account.

If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact your school cafeteria manager. Check your cafeteria balances or submit payment here.

Columbus, GA—The Muscogee County School District is pleased to announce Dr. Stefan Lawrence has been selected as a finalist for the 2019 Georgia Teacher of Year, as announced by State School Superintendent Richard Woods on April 17, 2018.

Lawrence, an English teacher at Carver High School, is one of ten finalists that were chosen from a pool of 150 applicants across the state. According to the Georgia Department of Education, all finalists were chosen based on the strength of their essay responses submitted to a panel of judges that included teachers, past Georgia Teacher of the Year winners and finalists, administrators, and community leaders.

“We are very excited by Dr. Lawrence’s selection as a top ten finalist, and congratulate him on this significant professional accomplishment. Having graduated from our school district and Columbus State University is certainly a point of pride for our community. I am confident that he will continue to represent our district well, and we wish him all the best as he competes to become Georgia’s Teacher of the Year,” said Superintendent Dr. David Lewis.

Each of the top ten finalists were previously selected as their school district’s Teacher of the Year. Lawrence was named as the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation’s (MEEF) Teacher of the Year in May 2016.

“You don’t get into teaching for recognition, but when it comes, it is humbling. It has been an honor to serve Muscogee County in this capacity for the last eight years. I have enjoyed serving my community and am grateful for the support I have received from our school district, MEEF, and the community at-large,” said Lawrence.

Lawrence has served as an English teacher and basketball coach at Carver High School for eight years. He has obtained an Educational Doctorate from the University of Georgia (2017), Master of Education from Columbus State University (2012), and Bachelor of Arts from Columbus State University (2009). He was also selected as a 2017 Harvard University Fellow by MEEF.

The Georgia Teacher of the Year will be announced by the Georgia Department of Education on May 19, 2018.

The mission of the Muscogee County School District is to inspire and equip all students to achieve unlimited potential. For more information, please contact the Office of Communications at 706.748.2034 or communications@muscogee.k12.ga.us.

Columbus, GA- The Georgia Movie Academy (GMA), an annual digital storytelling competition sponsored by the Educational Technology Center at Chattahoochee-Flint RESA, has announced its 2018 winners.There were 53 teams, in this year's competition, representing the work of more than 300 students throughout South Georgia. The Muscogee County School District was represented with 17 teams. Four of those teams placed in the competition.

Place	Project Name	School	Students	Sponsor(s)
Best Picture 6-8 Division	“A Case for More Drama in Middle School”	Midland Middle School	Cameron Dodson Riley Ellenburg Ashley Gardner Alexis Hearn Samantha Saxon Travis Torres Jeremy Veloza Joshua Wimberly	Katie Harrell, Jason Thorne, and Katti Waller
1st Runner Up 6-8 Division	“Connect For a Case”	Aaron Cohn Middle School	Kerwin Cannon Keaton Cudd Maggie Goodpaster Rihyona Robinson Kendall Simmons A’abia Soomro	Leah Cudd and Ginger Maness
2nd Runner Up 6-8 Division	“Connecting Without Connection”	Midland Middle School	Calvin Williams Carly Couldridge Bryan Davila Nathan Singh Synai Benning-Weeks Landan Rose Carsyn Williams Kymber McLendon	Lorrie Lix and Cynthia Henderson
2nd Runner Up 9-12 Division	“Lost Connection”	Shaw High School	Garrek Fuller Alexandra Hunter Marquise Jones Hannah London Carla Narvaez Matt Olson	Anna Miller

The GMA competition recognizes student work in the area of video production and storytelling. This project-based learning opportunity allows students to work in teams to produce a theme-based, standards-based, three minute video on a topic of their choice. The selection of winning movies can viewed online at: http://www.georgiamovieacademy.org/movies.html.

The mission of the Muscogee County School District is to inspire and equip all students to achieve unlimited potential. For more information, please contact the Office of Communications at 706.748.2034 or communications@muscogee.k12.ga.us.

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Columbus, GA- The Muscogee County School District has developed the official high school graduation schedule for the 2017-2018 school year as listed below. All ceremonies will be held at the Civic Center at the listed times. Each ceremony will be made available for live-stream viewing, courtesy of WTVM-9.Each school will provide graduates with the scheduled time to line up, walk in, and walk out of the facility.

During the ceremony, the District asks attendees and participants to observe the following rules:

• Supporters are asked to clap only after each row has been called (named) to allow for the families and guests to hear each student’s name. Those who do not comply may be escorted out of the facility.
• Pictures should be taken from an individual’s seat without interfering with others’ viewing of the ceremony.
• No one is allowed on the floor where graduates are seated.
• No noisemaking devices, balloons, flowers or any item that would distract from the ceremony are allowed inside the facility.
• Gifts and/or exchange of items to graduates should be handled outside the facility, following the graduation ceremony, but not in the hallways as the hallways need to be cleared for other guests and graduates to enter for the next graduation.

The mission of the Muscogee County School District is to inspire and equip all students to achieve unlimited potential. For more information, please contact the Office of Communications at 706.748.2034 or communications@muscogee.k12.ga.us.

Columbus, GA- The winners of the state-wide Governor’s Honors Program were announced this week. The Muscogee County School District is pleased to announce that 13 students from our district have been named as finalists and will participate in the summer residential program on the campus of Berry College, June 17-July 14, 2018.

The Governor’s Honors Program is a four-week intensive study featuring undergraduate, graduate, and professional-level coursework as well as hands-on experience in one of twenty areas of study. Students will spend 27 hours per week in highly-advanced level classes in their respective fields. Nearly 1,700 students across the state participated in this year’s state interview and selection process. 670 of those students were accepted into the program.

The Governor’s Honors Program is fully funded by the Georgia General Assembly, which affords student participation at no charge. The program is in its 55th year of operation, making it the longest continually running program of its kind in the nation.

Nominee First Name	Nominee Last Name	Stage	Nomination Area:	Concentration	School:
Aidan	Anderson	Finalist	Social Studies		Columbus High
Patrick	Chappel	Finalist	Social Studies		Columbus High
Seok Hee	Hong	Finalist	Engineering	Computer & Software Engineering	Columbus High
James	Jadus	Finalist	Communicative Arts		Columbus High
Sophie	Murtey	Finalist	Social Studies		Columbus High
Piero	Orderique	Finalist	Mathematics		Columbus High
Jaijun	Park	Finalist	Mathematics		Columbus High
Akshat	Patel	Finalist	Mathematics		Columbus High
Sierra	Reis	Finalist	Music	Music Voice: Treble	Columbus High
Logan	Sands	Finalist	Communicative Arts		Columbus High
Ashlyn	Simmons	Finalist	Theatre	Theatre Technical	Columbus High
Aryaman	Singh	Finalist	Mathematics		Columbus High
Avery	Smith	Finalist	Music	Music Voice: Treble	Columbus High

The mission of the Muscogee County School District is to inspire and equip all students to achieve unlimited potential. For more information, please contact the Office of Communications at 706.748.2034 or communications@muscogee.k12.ga.us.

Statewide testing for schools in the state of Georgia begins this month. The purpose of Georgia Milestones testing is to provide insight regarding how well students are mastering and retaining the state-adopted content standards in the core areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. It also allows students to test their own readiness for the next grade level, course or next educational endeavor.

It is imperative that students perform their best when taking these tests, and you can help! According to the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), “Students who are prepared, calm and rested perform better on tests.”

GaDOE recommends the following practices to use at home to help your student test successfully:

• Encourage your student to employ good study and testing skills. These include following directions carefully, avoiding careless errors and reviewing their work.

• Explain to your child that the purpose of these tests is to give them an opportunity to show what they have learned in school and to give teachers information that helps them plan instruction and curriculum.

• Point out to them that some of the items may be more difficult than others.

• Be sure that your student gets adequate sleep and has a healthy breakfast and lunch. For many students, testing requires a lot of energy.

• Be certain that your student arrives to school on time. Rushing and worrying about being late could affect their performance on the tests.

• Ask your student about testing at the end of the day.

You play an important role in determining your child’s success. Take advantage of these simple tips to help your student during test-taking.

Columbus, GA- Parents and legal guardians may now apply for a hardship or open seat transfer request, for the 2018-2019 school year, online at https://www.muscogee.k12.ga.us/Families. The deadline to submit a hardship or open seat transfer request is Monday, April 30, 2018, 5:00 p.m. Exceptions to the deadline include parents or legal guardians of students who are new to the district. Approval and/or denial statuses will be sent, by email, to the parent or legal guardian by the end of June.

Requests for transfers to another school are only approved under certain conditions based on available space at the requested school and the validity of the reason stated in the request for a hardship or open seat transfer request. No appeals for hardship or open seat transfer decisions will be granted if documentation does not support the basis for the hardship or if class sizes, at the requested school, have reached maximum capacity. It is important to note that the Muscogee County School District does not provide transportation for approved transfers. In addition, any student who display continuous disruptive behavior and/or excessive tardiness and absences might be subject to reassignment to his/her home school.

Eligibility for Georgia High School Association governed activities such as athletics or literary events, could be lost by a student granted a hardship, especially where a high school student has already attended another high school within the District. Parents are encouraged to discuss eligibility with the school principal before applying for a hardship or open transfer request.

Hardship requests are automatically denied for the following reasons:

1.Inadequate documentation to support hardship being submitted prior to the application deadline

2.No available seats due to class size restrictions at requested school

3.The inability to accommodate all siblings

4.The request is based on the following:

a.You are unhappy with or dislike your student’s currently assigned school.

b.The request is for the older sibling of a Pre-K student. The school system provides transportation within the feeder patterns of the Early Success Center locations.

c.The requested school would be more convenient due to its location.

d.School performance or state assessment scores.

e.Your student would like to play sports or extracurricular activities for the requested school.

Hardship or open seat transfer requests may not be submitted for the following schools:

• Britt David Elementary Magnet Academy
• Clubview Elementary School
• Columbus High School
• Rainey McCullers School of the Arts

The Muscogee County School District maintains attendance zones for school assignments. Parents are encouraged to register students at the school of assignment based on the legal residence. For more information related to transfer requests are assignments, parents and guardians should contact the zoned school of assignment or Central Registration at centralregistration@muscogee.k12.ga.us.

• Student's birth certificate
• Student's Social Security Card
• Parent/legal guardians' state issued photo I.D. (e.g. Driver's license, passport, military I.D.)
• Two proofs of residency: lease or mortgage and current utility bill
• Form 3231 – Current Georgia Certificate of Immunization
• Form 3300 – Certificate of Ear, Eye, Dental, and Nutrition Examination
• If applicable, proof of benefits for: Food Stamps, SSI, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Child and Parent Services (CAPS) program, or Peach Care for Kids.

Join us for the MCSD Certified Teacher Recruitment Fair!

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Important details:

• PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED
• Access this link to register: https://mcs.tedk12.com/hire/
• Confirmation, location and details will be sent upon receiving registration
• Bring several copies of your resume**

Columbus, GA- The Muscogee County School District, in consideration of the severe weather patterns predicted for this afternoon, has cancelled all after-school activities. On-site after-school care programs, hosted by Columbus Parks and Recreation, have not been cancelled at this time. Parents should contact their children’s school for further information related to after-school care programs.

The School Board meeting scheduled for today, Monday March 19, will continue at 6:00 p.m. in the Public Education Center.

The mission of the Muscogee County School District is to inspire and equip all students to achieve unlimited potential. For more information, please contact the Office of Communications at 706.748.2034 or communications@muscogee.k12.ga.us.