Immunization Information

Please read the following flyers concerning immunizations for rising 6th grade students and students new to Georgia's school system.

Back to school immunization information for kindergarten, sixth grade or new entrants to a Georgia school.

Immunization information for rising sixth grade students:

posted on: March 12, 2007

Bus Route Information

Bus route information is posted at the school for your child, or you can check for your route information on the Cobb County website.  Just enter your street address, grade level and press enter and your school information will be posted.  Click on the school code and bus route information will be displayed.  Maps and route information are also posted on the front windows of the school.

It is helpful for your student to ride the bus to school the first day to make sure they know their bus number and to become familiar with bus procedures.  Make sure your student knows their street address and bus number as noted on the site.

posted on: August 11, 2006

Send Us Your Money! :o)

As you do your back to school shopping, keep in mind that your purchases at Office Depot can send Mabry Middle School a percentage of your purchase total! It's easy, just tell the cashier when you are checking out that you want a percentage of the sales price to go to Mabry Middle School. The cashier then scans in our number, and Office Depot sends us a check! If you are extremely attentive to detail, the number for Mabry is 70026213.

Trust me, our students will benefit from your money!

posted on: June 27, 2006

Back to School Letter

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to the 2006 - 2007 school year at Mabry Middle School! In preparation for the new school year, I have some very important information to share with you. At the beginning of August, this letter is being mailed to all registered students.

MabryOnline.org
Our website has met with an overwhelming response, serving over 1,000,000 files each month to people all over the world. We have received emails as far away as New Delhi, India, Tasmania, and Australia. You will want to visit our new site frequently as it contains a great deal of important information, including all of our teachers' blogs. If you navigate to our old site on the Cobb County server, you will be directed to go to the new address: http://mabryonline.org

Secured Information
Additionally, we have also created a secured site to provide access to important information that I do not want to go beyond our immediate school community. I am providing you with this access information and am requesting several things of you:

• Save this information in a safe place.
• Please do not call the school to request this information as we will not give it out over the phone to anyone, at any time, for any reason.
• If you stop by the school to pick this information up, you will need to be prepared to provide picture ID to demonstrate you have a child currently enrolled at Mabry.
• Please do not share this access information with anyone, at any time, for any reason.

As you know, I take safety and security very seriously. [INFORMATION DELETED FROM THIS ONLINE POST]

Charger Day
Charger Day, your convenient one-stop shopping experience for most of your back to school needs, is scheduled for Thursday, August 10, 2006, from 10:30AM to 1:00PM. You will have the opportunity to conveniently take care of all of these back to school purchases:

• Join PTSA ($3.50 each)
• Donate to PTSA (Your $40.00 family donation sustains their not doing fundraising!)
• PTSA Membership Directory ($5.00 if available)
• Selected School Store items (at significant savings!)
• School Pictures (Package prices vary. Click the picture to download the flier. Have your student come with you dressed appropriately for school pictures!)
• School Agenda ($5.00)
• School Lunches
• School Yearbook ($25.00 now; $30.00 on January 1st; $35.00 on May 1st if available)
• Performing Arts donations

Additionally, we will:

• Post pod and homeroom assignments for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders
• Post bus routes
• Allow all students to quickly find their homeroom so they will know exactly where to go on the first day of school. Teachers will not be prepared to visit with parents or students as they will be extremely busy getting their classes ready for the first day of school. Therefore, we are asking that everyone end their Charger Day by quickly locating their new homeroom and then exiting the building.

Please keep in mind:

• Last year, for those who came at the very beginning of Charger Day, this was a very congested and busy event that at times had long lines at different stations. Those who came later had significantly less or even no wait time at all.
• We are "closing up shop" promptly at 1:00PM.
• All of our volunteers will be wearing red. If you don't want people to think you have the answer to the meaning of life, don't wear red on Charger Day!
• Parking will be an issue, so please carpool.
• Students must be accompanied by their parent. No students are to be dropped off or left unattended.
• Enter from the back of the school in the bus parking lot off of Steinhauer Road. The main entrance will be for registration only.
• You may enter the building from any of the 3 double doors under the back covered walkway in the bus parking lot. These doors will not open until 10:30AM.
• Read the important information related to Charger Day posted at MabryOnline.org.
• Download, print, and bring with you the color-coded Charger Day Checklist and the color-coded Charger Day Map [use the information you received in the mail]. We can only provide you with black and white copies at the doors. The color-coded maps will correspond with the color of the balloons located at each of the different stations. These two items will help minimize confusion and facilitate your getting in and out quickly.
• We do not take plastic (yet), only checks. We will not be prepared to provide change for cash.
• You will need to write several checks as money goes to different organizations as indicated on the Charger Day Checklist.
• When possible, having your checks already made out before you arrive will help speed up this process. The information you need to accomplish this is located on the Charger Day Checklist.

While a bit hectic, we hope that Charger Day will be a convenience for our school community, providing you with the opportunity to get most of the major school year purchases taken care of at one time while learning your team assignments and homeroom location. Be sure to save all of your receipts.

Take the time to introduce yourself to me. I will have 500 MabryOnline.org magnets, suitable for hanging (on your refrigerator) which I will be giving out as I walk around. I hope you join me in looking forward to a wonderful year full of academic success.

Sincerely,

Dr. Tim Tyson
Principal,
Mabry Middle School

posted on: June 27, 2006

Parent Meeting

Parents of 6th graders who are interested in having their child participate in Band or Orchestra need to attend an important informational meeting on Monday, August 22nd, 2005, at 6:30PM in the Mabry Theater. This meeting will be about band and orchestra instrument rentals and/or purchase. This will be your best opportunity to have all of your questions about the Band and Orchestra programs at Mabry Middle School answered. The directors look forward to seeing your Monday!

posted on: August 19, 2005

No Work Left Behind!

Everyone is at least somewhat familiar with the new federal education law commonly referred to as No Child Left Behind. Well, Mabry Middle School is introducing a new "law" of our own, No Work Left Behind!

Based in the deeply-held belief in our school community that homework completion is essential to our school goal, maximized student academic achievement, we are instituting a new homework policy at Mabry. And I must take a minute to brag on the extreme level of professionalism this represents in our certified staff! I have never heard of a group of teachers who were willing to give so much to their students as this policy represents! Your teachers at Mabry are unparalleled in their professional commitment to maximizing student academic achievement!

Having said that, let me take you through this new policy. All homework at Mabry must be completed on time as assigned by teachers. Period. We believe this is critical to our school goal. In most schools around the nation, when a child does not do their homework on time, they simply get a zero, or perhaps a greatly reduced grade when the assigned work is turned in late, irrespective of what they learn or do not learn.

When a child does not do his/her homework, that child fails to practice and master the educational objectives the teacher is expecting of all students. Our teachers are no longer willing to accept this lack of learning and initiative by dismissing this lack of commitment from students as a zero, which has been our standard practice. Teachers will require every child to complete all homework assignments. On the day a students fails to satisfactorily complete homework, s/he will stay with the teacher during PE and Connections time until the work is done satisfactorily. And while the student may not receive complete credit for the work, they will get partial credit as well as the practice the learning objective requires.

If a student fails to complete 3 homework assignments in a given 9 weeks for a teacher, the student will spend a day with the ISS teacher catching up on work and receiving an intensive help session with organizational skills and time management strategies. In fact, many of you are familiar with Stephen Covey's, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The help session these students will experience is based in that same work which he re-wrote for kids! Our goal is to facilitate work ethic, self-direction, and academic success. This will not be entered as an ISS assignment in your student's record.

At Mabry, we have excellent students who do what is expected of them. Becoming self-directed problem solvers is critical to their future success. We anticipate that once students understand that an integral part of Mabry's school culture is adequate and timely work completion, they will rise to this challenge and meet this expectation.

Since this is a new local school policy that initially requires more of the teachers' planning time, we will monitor it closely. Parents should never allow their child to fail to complete homework at home anticipating that they will be required to do it at school the next day. If we believe that the program is being abused or does not prove to be as successful as we anticipate, we may modify it or discontinue it altogether. And, this is a two-way street. If you feel you would prefer to not have your child participate, you may send in a note to that effect to the front office, and your child will receive zeros for homework not done. More detailed operational components of the plan are included in the student folder.

We appreciate your support in making certain that your child achieves to the best of his/her ability. And in that regard, we appreciate your support in making certain that your child does his/her homework. And I appreciate our teacher's professionalism in providing this opportunity to increase student success through accountability for timely and adequate homework completion. Managed appropriately, the No Work Left Behind policy at Mabry will greatly benefit your child!

posted on: August 10, 2005

Important Correction

Parents received a letter from Dr. Tyson which included access information to the secured site. Regrettably, in about half of the letters, the printer dropped an underline between the two words that make up the User Name. There should be no space between the two words, just an underline between the two words. The access is denied if you do not use the underline between the two words with no spaces.

We apologize for not noticing this printing error.

posted on: August 01, 2005

Dropping Off & Picking Up Students

Dr. Tyson asked that all of the parking along the very front of the school be eliminated to increase the space where students may be dropped off or picked up. Again, our goal, for your convenience, is to safely speed up this process before and after school. You will see the new Student Drop Off and Pick Up Lane. If you click on the picture, a larger version will appear.

For safety, we need everyone to abide by the following:

• If you are dropping off or picking up students, drive into the Student Drop Off and Pick Up Lane.
• Proceed as far down as possible to the stop sign by 7th grade (pictured below) before stopping to drop off or pick up a student. The temptation is to stop at the front entrance, which may cause cars to back up all the way down Jim's Road when large numbers of parents are attempting to drop off students. Please, pull as close to the stop sign as possible.
• Never attempt to exit the Student Drop Off and Pick Up Lane at the half way point. Traffic cones will be placed to prevent this during high traffic times.
• Never drop off a student to the left of the Student Drop Off and Pick Up Lane as students then face the danger of crossing through oncoming vehicles.
• Always drive slowly and cautiously on the campus. Children may thoughtlessly and unexpectedly dart out in front of you from anywhere!

This is the stop sign down by the 7th grade entrance. When possible, please pull all of the way down to this sign, or at least as close as possible, when picking up or dropping off students. Never park in this area as doing so will significantly impede the flow of traffic and increase the risk of students being hurt .

We believe this will facilitate faster access for everyone and keep cars from drifting out onto Jim's Road. Clicking on the picture enlarges it.

posted on: July 31, 2005

Improved Parking Lot Exit

The entrance/exit to the school property has been improved--made significantly wider. Notice the new left turn only and the new right turn only lanes when leaving the school parking lot. Clicking on the picture will enlarge it.

To help improve traffic flow when leaving the property, we are asking that parents divide the upper lot into two exit lanes. If you are turning right when you leave the property, please move to the right (closest to the street) of the upper parking lot as you leave so you will automatically be in the right turn only lane when you get to the exit.

If you are turning left when you leave the property, please move to the left side (furthest from the street) of the upper parking lot as you leave so you will automatically be in the left turn only lane when you get to the exit. This simple strategy will help keep traffic flowing more easily and make dropping off students before school or picking up students after school faster for everyone!

posted on: July 31, 2005

Parents' Homework Assignment!

Can you believe it?! Your principal is giving all of the parents a homework assignment! The deadline for completing your homework is the night of Parent Open House, which, by the way, is for parents only. Therefore, if you are a parent of a 6th grader, your assignment is due on Tuesday, August 23rd at 6:30PM. If you are a parent of a 7th or 8th grader, your assignment is due on Thursday, August 25th at 6:30PM.

Click here to read the details of your homework assignment! In all seriousness, if you follow through with this recommended reading, you will have a deeper understanding of Dr. Tyson's remarks during Open House. We look forward to seeing you then!

posted on: July 31, 2005

Important Dates for Your Calendar

Make certain you are reserving the following dates on your calendar so you can attend our Open House events.

6th Grade Open House, August 23rd, 6:30PM
This important meeting is for all 6th grade parents only. Because of space constraints, this meeting is not for students. Parents will hear from Dr. Tyson and the PTSA and will then meet each of their child's teachers as they go through their child's schedule. You will not want to miss this important meeting.

7th & 8th Grade Open House, August 25th, 6:30PM
This important meeting is for all 7th & 8th grade parents only. Because of space constraints, this meeting is not for students. Parents will hear from Dr. Tyson and the PTSA and will then meet each of their child's teachers as they go through their child's schedule. You will not want to miss this important meeting.

posted on: July 20, 2005

Charger Day

We believe that Charger Day will go ahead as scheduled for August 8, 2005, from 11:00AM until 1:00PM. The construction forman said that the construction and renovation project is on target for our obtaining the certificate of occupancy in time to hold this important event. Please be sure you have read the information provided at this link. We look forward to seeing you at Charger Day!

posted on: July 20, 2005

Attention Parents of All Rising 6th Graders & New Students!

If you will have a sixth grader at Mabry Middle School, or if you will have a new student to Mabry, you will want them to read Sixceed!, a website written by students (8th graders) for our new students. It is designed to help them know everything there is to know about our school from a student's perspective.

Mrs. Hartnett, one of our 8th grade teachers, came up with the idea back in 2003. Why not have all of the 8th grade students, at the end of their 8th grade year, tell our new students all about Mabry Middle School?! Brilliant! So, her students, as part of working on their expository writing, created this entire website.

This adventure was our first experience with having students post to a blog. I appreciate Mrs. Hartnett's pioneer spirit, her extreme patience in working through the many issues and glitches involved in this innovative (and at times problematic) process, and her caring about her students' writing skills as well as all of the new students to Mabry.

Much of the information the students have written may be a little out of date because of all of the new construction this summer. For example, the students wrote about the commons areas in each grade level. Well, those no longer exist. They mention where people's offices are located. Well, a lot of that has changed. So the good news is, if you have a student who will be new to Mabry, since so much will have changed, s/he will be learning where everything is located along with all of the returning students too!

And, naturally, you will want to read the students' work as well. I always find seeing the school through the eyes of students very interesting, even revealing. So, want a good read? Check out Sixceed!

posted on: June 18, 2005

Mabry Dress Code

Plans for a wonderful 2005-2006 school year are already in the works. As you and your students relax over the summer and then begin back-to-school shopping, the following information should assist you in our efforts to promote the most effective learning environment for our middle school students.

In middle school, students are making the transition from childhood to young adulthood. Hair styles and clothing should not draw undue attention so as to distract from learning. We want to have a dress code that is conducive to the formality of the school learning environment. Our primary focus is maximizing student academic achievement.

Unacceptable attire:

• Sheer or see-through garments
• Clothing or ornamentation displaying or advertising substances illegal for minors
• Clothing or ornamentation displaying suggestive phrases, designs, markings or profanities
• Mini-skirts or short-shorts
• Midriff shirts or any blouses or tops that expose the stomach or waistline
• Any clothing that exposes cleavage
• Halter tops or spaghetti-strap tops
• Loose-fitting pants or shorts that ride low showing underwear, "pajama pants"
• Chains. They may not be worn as ornamentation or used to secure wallets, etc. Studded bracelets are not to be worn in school or on school grounds (JCDAC). Jewelry that is distracting, unsafe, or symbolic of inappropriate school behavior.
• Caps and hats. They are not to be worn during the school day unless there is a special activity during which they are deemed appropriate by the administration. This applies to both boys and girls.
• Flip flops are not to be worn. Shoes must be worn at all times. We encourage closed toe and heeled shoes.
• While we will allow sleeveless tops for girls only, the sleeve must cover the entire shoulder and not be loose so as to be revealing.

I appreciate your cooperation and support of the Mabry Middle School dress code. Again, middle school students can so easily be distracted from learning. Our focus in every regard must be academic performance.

posted on: June 12, 2005

For Rising 6th Grade Parents

Last Monday we had the Rising 6th Grade Open House for parents. I always enjoy meeting and talking with the parents of our rising sixth graders. We had several important things to share which I will include summarized in this post. Additionally, I am presenting a few other items for you.

Safety
As your principal, I consider safety as my foremost responsibility. I want to be certain that every child and staff member is safe at all times so that all of their attention can be focused on maximizing academic achievement. In this regard, I ask that every adult always sign in when arriving at the building. Please do not be offended if you are stopped in the building and asked to identify yourself and return to the front office if you inadvertently enter the building without signing in.

Weblog
Naturally, since you are reading this, you are aware of my blog, From the Desk of Dr. Tyson. I will post to this blog throughout the summer and the school year to keep you informed of various important matters. Additionally, next year, all teachers at Mabry will have a blog to facilitate communication with parents and students.

At the beginning of the year I will host an evening meeting at Mabry to teach parents how to set up what is called an RSS feed for all of your student's teachers' blogs. Using RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, you will be able to have any new information posted on a teacher's blog come to you. This should prove to be a convenient and effective way to remain "in touch."

Summer Camp
Because we will have a significant amount of demolition and renovation in our building throughout the entire summer, we will not be able to have our summer camp for rising 6th grade students. Hopefully, if funding allows, this wonderful program, which we started 2 years ago, will return next summer.

Construction Information
Once the construction project is completed at Mabry (about $8.8 million in work), our school's physical plant will have increased from 100,000 square feet to 150,000 square feet. The construction company has really done a very good job of minimizing disruption to the learning environment. They delayed doing all of the interior work until this summer. Additionally, this summer the back parking lot will be repaved and the front entrance and parking area will be completely redone. I am hopeful everything will be completed by the time teachers return from summer vacation.

Please visit my blog from time to time as I will keep you posted as to how things are progressing.

Charger Day
Last year, just before school started, we held Charger Day, a time for parents to bring their student(s) to Mabry to have their school pictures taken, purchase their school picture package, a yearbook, school lunches, school supplies, etc. We wanted it to be as much of a back-to-school, one-stop-shopping event as possible. Aside from having to manage in a large crowd of people, we received tremendously favorable responses to this event.

We plan to have this shop-till-you-drop event again just before school starts. I will share the date with you here on my blog, on the school website, and on the front sign (if it is still there) once we feel more confident that the construction completion dates will actually be met.

I also want to let you know that the school supplies made available to you for purchase from our PTSA during Charger Day are typically substantially less expensive than you will find in the stores. The PTSA purchases them in bulk quantities and passes that savings directly on to our school community. We know having children in school is expensive and want to help you in every way that we can. Several parents commented to me last year that they wished they had not already purchased their school supplies before Charger Day as they paid more for them.

Challenging Students
Before school starts parents of 6th graders often express a concern to me that they fear our 6th grade teachers will not adequately challenge their child. Let me allay your concerns. The transition to 6th grade is significant. The new 6th grade curriculum is rigorous, and the math curriculum is substantive. (See my previous post on the math curriculum.)

Our teachers will work diligently to help your son or daughter successfully transition into 6th grade. In the meantime, I hope you will join me in emphasizing to your child the need for him or her to do their best work. I will stress to our students on the very first day of school that each of them needs to do their personal best, needs to see how far they can go, and needs to attain more than they think is possible. Working together elicits the success we all want to see at Mabry Middle School.

Our mission here is simple and direct: maximize student achievement in a culture of caring.

No Child Left Behind
By now I think everyone is familiar with some aspects of this federal legislation. I want to be certain you are aware of some very important information related to the law. The federal government requires all schools in the nation to be labeled as passing or failing. Each state was required to enact legislation that met the federal criteria. In the state of Georgia every school must meet the following criteria or will be labeled a failing school:

• Less than 15% of the school population can be absent from school 15 days or more. Mabry comes much too close to not meeting this criteria! When children are truly sick, they need to be at home. Otherwise, students must be at school. Research supports what common sense indicates: Attendance is the single most significant factor associated with academic success in school.
• Every subgroup (based on ethnicity, disability, English language proficiency, and regular education) must improve the percentage of students who are on grade level every year in Math and in Reading/Language Arts by an amount designated by the state of Georgia until such time as 100% of the school population is on grade level statewide. In the next few years other subjects will be added to this requirement as well. This part of the law has significant long-term implications.

Stealth Parenting the Adolescent
When students reach middle school they want mom and dad to give them more freedom and responsibility. In other words, they want you to "back off." What their peers think tends to become more important to them than what the adults in their lives think. If you don't believe me, just suggest to your child that you will be having lunch with him or her in the cafeteria one day. Most would rather die. Since we want children to grow into responsible adults, this is not necessarily a bad thing--as long as their peer relationships are positive, supportive, and deeply rooted in your families values.

Children at this age begin to search out their identity and form a sense of self. Often this is a time of experimentation. There are times when mom and dad need to say and mean "No." I can not suggest strongly enough to our moms and dads that you must be far more involved in your child's life, knowing who s/he is associating with, where s/he is, and what s/he is doing, than you ever have before. Simply give the appearance that you are giving them more "space," allowing them to make more decisions. I call this stealth parenting. Be especially attentive to the music they have playing through those headphones! Listen carefully to the words. Are they consistent with your values?

Research tells us that what (and who) they are listening to literally will affect how their little brains wire up--the neural connections that are formed. Years ago we called it: "Garbage in, garbage out." What they listen to and whom they associate with will affect how they think, what they do, and who they become. Adolescence is a critically important time in their lives.

Recently a mom said something I thought was really significant, "We need to remember that cell phones will only tell us one thing: they're alive--not where they are, who they are with, and what they are doing. These cell phones are giving us parents a false sense of security." Appropriate supervision, especially after school, is essential. Too often my heart gets broken when I hear parents say to me, "Dr. Tyson, I just didn't see this coming."

OK, I'll get off of my soap box. I just want every single child at Mabry to have every opportunity for success. I want them to really be the bright hope of tomorrow. This necessitates more time and attention be spent with them today than ever before--from all of us. As the expression goes: "The future just isn't what it used to be." We accomplish our best work when we are all working together for these children.

If you would like more information on effective parenting strategies for adolescents, study skills parents can use with students, or have some specific concerns related to your child, I would encourage you to contact Mrs. Cindy Jackson, your 6th grade counselor for next year. She is wise and wonderful.

Dress Code
You should receive a copy of the Mabry dress code from your elementary school at the end of the year. We will also post it on the website. I involve students, parents, teachers, and administrators in providing me with input for the dress code. I want students to be comfortable at school, but our school dress code must reflect our commitment to maximizing student achievement, which requires a level of formality consistent with a learning environment that promotes attention to learning and academics. We enforce the dress code at Mabry Middle School.

You will want to carefully review the dress code, but here are just two items of note as you purchase for school next year: no flip flops at school, and no tummies showing. With hormones raging we want to focus on textbooks, not tummies, etc.

PTSA
Join! Volunteer!! Make a difference at your child's school.

As I Close: School Mission Gains Increasing Recognition
I want to reiterate our school mission: maximize student academic achievement in a culture of caring. We are doing wonderful things here with students. Children are finding success, and people around the metro area, the state, and the nation are taking note of what we do.

From the over 3,300 schools who applied, Mabry is one of 60 finalists nationwide for the significant National Schools of Distinction Model Schools Award. I encourage you to read my post about the recent site visit. This is a significant accomplishment and recognizes the wonderful things our students and teachers accomplish.

The Georgia Movie Academy, a statewide competition for students and teachers, designed to promote technology and information literacy, was started because of and patterned after the Mabry Film Festival. They recently presented our students' work in the Best Picture Category at their statewide event.

This year we had a team of teachers and academic leaders from one of the most prestigious private schools in the metro area spend a day with us. They want to replicate in their school setting some of the innovative, highly engaging and effective programs we have in place here at Mabry.

And, finally, last week we were invited to be featured in the National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Conference next year.

The recognition is wonderful. But what really matters to me is that we keep our focus on what makes Mabry worthy of the recognition, working together every day as a team to achieve our mission: maximizing student achievement in a culture of caring.

I am delighted that you and your child will be joining us next year.

posted on: June 12, 2005

School Hours

Parents will want to know the following important information:

In this time of severe budget constraints (the "austerity budget" from the state), Mabry's resources have been significantly constrained. In the past, parents have been able to drop students off as early as 7:45, which was 1.5 hours before school started. Funding will no longer allow us to provide this service for this length of time. We regret the inconvenience this may cause some of our families.

Times and Locations for Early Morning Student Arrival

Morning Study Hall

• Students may not arrive for morning study hall until 8:15AM.
• Parents should drop students off at the front entrance of the school for Study Hall.
• Students who come to morning study hall can not enter the building until 8:15AM.
• Morning Study Hall is a time for silent reading or silent study.
• Students are not to be on school property before 8:15AM unless prior arrangements were made with a specific teacher for a specific event.
• Other than the specific situations listed below, Mabry does not provide for student supervision before 8:15AM and can assume no liability should a student be at school prior to 8:15AM.

Intramurals

• Students participating in Intramurals may arrive between 8:00AM and 8:10AM in the circular drive entrance nearest the gym doors.
• Parents should enter the front parking lot and proceed down to the circular drive nearest the gym doors when dropping students off for Intramurals.
• This entrance is locked promptly at 8:10AM.
• Students arriving after 8:10AM may not participate in Intramurals that day.

Band, Orchestra, and Chorus Rehearsals or Passoffs

• These students may arrive between 8:00AM and 8:15AM in the back bus lanes.
• These students will receive detailed information about this new procedure from their Band, Orchestra, or Chorus teachers.
• We believe this will reduce congestion in the front of the school as well as reducing the time it takes to drop your student off.
• This entrance is locked promptly at 8:15AM.
• Students arriving after 8:15 must come in through the front entrance to the school.
• Parents should drop their students off from the front parking lot after 8:15AM.
• For safety reasons, no cars are allowed in the back bus lanes area after 8:15AM.

Early Morning Study Sessions with Teachers

• These students may arrive between 8:00AM and 8:15AM at the front entrance to the school.
• These students can not be admitted into the building until the teacher with whom they are working arrives or until 8:15AM, which ever happens first.
• The teacher will pick the student up from Study Hall, after 8:15AM, or at the front door, from 8:00AM until 8:15AM.
• These study sessions must be arranged in advance with the teacher.

School Hours: 1st period begins promptly at 9:15. School ends at 4:15.

posted on: June 11, 2005

Charger Day

What Is Charger Day?
Charger Day is our effort to provide you the convenience of getting many of your beginning of school tasks done in one place at one time. During Charger Day at Mabry, you may:

• Locate your homeroom and pod assignment
• See where your homeroom is located so you will know where to report on the 1st day of school (6th grade and new students only)
• Find out your bus stop information
• Have your school picture taken
• Purchase your school picture package
• Pick up your child's individual CRCT report
• Join PTSA
• Purchase a PTSA school directory
• Sign up to be a PTSA volunteer
• Purchase your yearbook
• Purchase school lunches
• Purchase school supplies
• Purchase your school agenda

When Is Charger Day?
We have tentatively scheduled Charger Day for Monday, August 8, 2005, from 11:00AM until 1:00PM. We coordinated the time so it will not conflict with elementary or high school events. Please note that this is tentative--pending completion of construction. Please continue to check this blog throughout the summer for confirmation of the date and time.

Where Is Charger Day?
Currently, we plan to host Charger Day in the Mabry Covered Play Area and the new Mabry Cafeteria. Parking is always an issue for school-wide events. Parking is available behind the building (entrance from Steinhauer Road) and limited parking will be available in the front of the building (Jims Road). I would suggest carpooling.

What Should I Expect on Charger Day?
The doors will not be opened until 11:00AM. Last year there was a long line to get into the building for those who came early. Toward the beginning of Charger Day there were long lines at each station (PTSA, Pictures, etc.). Those who came later had shorter lines or no lines at all.

The PTSA will have a checklist for each parent when s/he arrives with his/her student. The checklist will also be posted on this blog for download. The checklist will assist you in making certain you get everything done that is available to you. It will also help you find where things are located as we plan to spread stations out to avoid congestion and confusion.

The checklist will contain a list of the supplies you can purchase in the school store, which will be open during Charger Day. Additionally, information as to whom checks should be made payable and for what amounts will be on this sheet. Using the downloadable sheet as your guide, you may have your checks prepared in advance--made out to the correct organization (LifeTouch, Mabry Middle School, Mabry PTSA, etc.) for the correct amounts. Pre-prepared checks will speed up the lines and reduce wait time significantly.

Volunteers will be "labeled" so you can seek them out to ask for assistance if needed.

Students are not to be dropped off at school or left unattended. You will want your child to be dressed appropriately for school pictures. Only sixth grade students and students who are new to Mabry will have the opportunity to find their homeroom in the building.

Why Is the Date for Charger Day Tentative?
We are hopeful the construction inside of the building will be completed on time. If it is, Charger Day will be held as scheduled. Otherwise an alternate plan will be implemented.

posted on: June 11, 2005

Creating a New iParent Account

iParent Instructions for Creating a NEW Account

If you have had an account in the past, continue to use that account. All of your students will be listed for access. Accounts are established for families, not individual students

1. Type in the web address: www.cobbk12.org (site best viewed using Internet Explorer)
2. Click on “PICASSO”
3. Click on “login” under iParent (you may want to bookmark this site for future access)Choose “I haven’t registered yet”
4. Enter district # 0633
5. Enter access key exactly as written with NO SPACES
6. Enter birth date of your oldest child currently enrolled in the school district
7. Create your own user name (at least 6 characters)
8. Create your password
9. Answer password hint questions
10. Log in

You should see a screen with all of your students listed. You will have the option to view attendance information, grade information, and the current schedule. These choices are listed on the LEFT of the screen. Information is available only for middle and high school students.

Be sure to always log out! (on the left)

After the above steps have been completed, you will need to do the following when you log in again:

Enter web address
Click on “PICASSO” then “iParent”
At log in screen, enter district # (0633), user name and password
Click log in

If you need assistance, you may contact the Cobb County School District’s Technology Customer Care Center via e-mail at techhelp@cobbk12.org

8/20/2004

posted on: June 11, 2005

Tips for Helping Your Child Succeed in Middle School

From our counselors...

Middle School is a time of growth and transition, a time when students move from childhood to adolescence and toward a greater level of independence and self-reliance. They want their parent’s help, support, and approval, but may not want to be seen in public with them. They want to be different from their parents, but not too different from their friends. In this time of life that often seems like controlled chaos, there are many things you can do to assist your child with his or her success in school.

• Make sure they attend regularly and arrive on time. Dealing with make-up work is stressful, and they will miss valuable instruction.
• Have all the basic supplies ready for school and home the day school starts. You don't want your child scrambling when the first assignment is given.
• Check your student’s agenda every day at the beginning of the year. Once they have proven that they are using it responsibly, you can use your best judgment about spot-checking. However, the agenda may well be the best tool you have for monitoring your child’s understanding of his or her class work and homework.
• Encourage your child to get phone numbers of friends in their classes. Having someone to check with when confused, or to use as a study buddy is a good thing.
• Register for iParent if you have not already done so. Check it frequently, but remember that teachers do not post grades daily. Some assignments take a great deal of time to grade and to assess thoughtfully.
• Use the Mabry website, teacher blogs, homework hotline and agenda planners to keep up with the expectations for your child. If you have concerns or questions, contact your child’s teacher.
• Have a regular place and time for your child to do homework. Often the kitchen is a good place since it allows for easy supervision of the other distractions (phones, TVs, iPods, instant messaging, etc). Leaving a child alone in a bedroom with a computer does not always lead to productive use of time. If you hear “but I don’t have any homework”, then require at least 30 minutes of reading. Good readers also make better writers. (Math homework is is almost always given; ask to see it.)
• Allow your child to struggle occasionally and to face logical consequences. They are learning to accept responsibility for their own work and actions--not an easy process. The sense of pride that comes with a job well done is often greatest when the success is hard-earned. Failure is not a bad thing, either, if it provides a lesson learned and helps your child avoid a repeated mistake.
• Adolescence is the time for students to take more responsibility, which is a gradual learning process through middle school, but they should check on missed assignments, keep a calendar of test and quiz dates, plan ahead for projects, keep track of homework deadlines, and ask teachers for help and guidance when necessary. You are their backup, but make them the front line. This is easier for some students than others as we all know, but it is not an unreasonable expectation.
• Listen to your children. Laugh with them. Know their friends. Know their friends’ parents. Know what music they listen to and what TV shows they watch. Know what they are doing on the computer.
• They are still listening to you, even though they will go out of their way to tell you otherwise. You are their most available role model, so use that power in the best way you know how.

posted on: June 11, 2005