Welcome Back to School

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer, enjoying the outdoors, spending time with family, and relaxing. We have been extremely busy at MDS is summer with continued work on the upkeep and maintenance of our buildings and grounds, upgrading science curriculum, reassigning rooms, and introducing MDS to several new faculty.I am pleased to introduce our new first grade teacher, Shelly Barnett. Ms Barnett comes to us from Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, MO. She has 14 years teaching/classroom experience. In addition to her education, Shelly holds Montessori certification, is Orton-Gillingham trained, and teaching reading is her passion.New in Middle School this year is Andrew Field most recently from Columbia, SC. He holds a Masters in English from University of South Carolina and a BA in English from University of New Mexico. He enjoys climbing, fencing, and spending time outdoors.Ms. Heidi Thompson will take the helm of our Art program. As an artist she has an extensive portfolio of commissioned works and has taught art both privately and in schools for over ten years. Currently, Heidi teaches art at Old Rock School in Valdese and is looking forward to beginning a new adventure with MDS.Upcoming MDS events Community is an important aspect of school life at MDS. Our first community event is our annual "Clean Up Day," scheduled for August 16th from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00. We have many tasks to accomplish both inside and out to prepare the building and grounds for the first day of school. Please plan to bring the family and join the school community for this fun event. Remember, many hands make light work.While you are marking your August calendar, please note our annual "Back to school family picnic" is set for Friday, August 29th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Collett St. pool. We ask that families bring a dish to pass. MDS will provide soda, water, cups, plates, napkins, and ice.We will begin a new tradition this year with our Back to School Convocation ceremony, Friday, August 29. Convocation will be deigned by members of our 8th grade graduating class and additional details will follow. We look forward to embarking on new traditions as we enter into our 36th year.MDS will once again participate in the Sunrise Run on the Greenway. For the past two years our participation has outshines all other schools in Burke County and received $700 for our PE program. We hope to do that again this year. The city requests forms be turned in the first week of school, so we have included the forms that you can fill out now and return with the other school forms. Lace up your shoes and let show our Titan pride in this great community event. Forms for the Sunrise RunMorganton Day School is an incredible learning community, made up of wonderful families, engaging students, and dedicated educators committed to superior education. I am proud to be an MDS Titan; together we will make this another great year!Mrs. Mikusa MA, NBPTHead of SchoolFORMS AND PAPERWORKAs we continue to work to streamline the paperwork process, we have attached all necessary forms electronically to this newsletter. Please take a minute to complete the forms and return them to school on or before August 21st. Having the forms before school begins allows us to start the year with our records up-to-date and organized. We have also attached a supply list for each class with materials needed for the school year.If you have any questions about the materials list or other forms and information, please call or stop by the school office.2014-2015 School calendarNew Parent - IB PYP InformationTech acceptable use policyStudent Directory informationMilk and Juice order formChild Pick-up authorizationEmergency Medical releaseVehicle registrationSchool activity permission formBirthday Book ClubMedia and IB ReleaseGrandparent InformationSunrise Run FormsLower School Supply Lists - look for your grade specific sectionMiddle School Supply List will be sent in a follow-up email this week.Additional JK specific forms will be sent in a follow-up email.