MHS Students in Grades 10-12 to Transition to Virtual Learning For Remainder of the Week
Beginning Wednesday, September 23, through Friday, September 25, Magnolia High School students in grades 10-12 only will switch to virtual instruction. Students should follow the Digital Learning Guide that has been emailed to them. The guide is also available on the school website.
This is a measure of extreme caution in response to three positive Covid-19 cases. Several students have also been quarantined due to close contact to positive cases or for exhibiting symptoms. During this closure, all classrooms will be disinfected in preparation for students to return to school on Monday, Sept. 28.
MAGNOLIA HIGH SCHOOL HOMCOMING GAME CANCELED
Due to COVID-19, the homecoming game between the Magnolia Panthers and the Arkansas High Razorbacks on September 25 has been canceled. The game has been ruled a “no contest.” All homecoming activities will be rescheduled at a date to be determined.
The status of the game between the Panthers and Hot Springs Lakeside on October 2 will also be determined at a later date.
MAGNOLIA SCHOOL DISTRICT RECEIVES LITERACY GRANT
The Magnolia School District was recently informed by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that East Side and Central Elementary Schools, and Magnolia Middle and High Schools were awarded the Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant from the US Department of Education. The total amount of the grant is $290,000, which will be divided over a two-year period.
The purpose of the CLSD is to award sub-grants that advance literacy skills and development. These skills include pre-literacy skills, reading, and writing for all children from birth through grade 12. The grant promotes the following objectives: to sharpen the focus and strengthen instruction, to create community collaboration, and to build a culture of reading.
MAGNOLIA SCHOOL DISTRICT RECEIVES FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PROGRAM GRANT
The Magnolia School District was recently informed by the Arkansas Department of Education Child Nutrition Unit that East Side and Central Elementary Schools received the United States Department of Agriculture Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grant for the 2020-2021 school year. East Side received $40,250.00 and Central received $33,250.00. The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is a federally assisted program providing free fresh fruits and vegetables to children at eligible elementary schools during the school day. The goal of the FFVP is to introduce children to fresh fruits and vegetables, to include new and different varieties, and to increase overall acceptance and consumption of fresh, unprocessed produce among children. The FFVP also encourages healthier school environments by promoting nutrition education.
The fresh fruits and vegetables are served to students twice per week in addition to daily breakfast and lunch.
Magnolia Public School District requests that students commit to either the virtual or on-campus option by Friday, September 25, 2020, to allow schools to finalize rosters. After that date, students will only be allowed to make changes at the end of a grading period.
Virtual students that wish to return to on-campus learning should notify the school counselor by September 25th. Students should not return to school without speaking with a counselor first.
Grading Periods:
End of 1st Quarter- October 16th
End of 2nd Quarter- December 18th
End of 3rd Quarter- March 12th
School Contact Information:
Kindergarten Center- 234-3511 (Judy Barham)
East Side Elementary- 234-5611 (Anissa Franks)
Central Elementary- 234-4911 (Kerri Ochs or Karnesia George)
Magnolia Middle School- 234-2206 (Kelly Ribble or Brandi Lewis)
Freshman Academy- 901-2595 (Tracy Card)
Magnolia High School- 234-2610 (Mary Heinze or Jill Callicott)
We would like to congratulate Brealyn Beasley and Carlin Whaley on being selected as the 2019-2020 Male and Female Athlete of the Year!
We look forward to seeing them play at the next level. The Panther family is very proud of them!
MAGNOLIA SCHOOL DISTRICT CONTINUES SEAMLESS SUMMER MEAL PROGRAM
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the extension of the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) through December 31, 2020. The SSO allows school districts to provide meals at no cost to children 18 and younger. The purpose of the extension is to assure that children have access to nutritious meals while the nation recovers from COVID-19. During the pandemic, USDA has continued to provide flexibilities for the purpose of assisting families and assuring that children are fed whether they attend school in a classroom environment or as virtual students.
The Magnolia School District will continue this program starting Tuesday, September 8. This program allows the District to provide meals at no cost regardless of the student’s eligibility status and outside the typically-required group settings and meal times.
Parents and guardians may pick up meals at the East Side Elementary cafeteria from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. starting September 8.
Although students will receive meals at no charge through December 31, 2020, it is imperative that parents continue to work with the Magnolia Food Service Department in completing and submitting free and reduced meal applications. Families who have not completed a meal application are strongly encouraged to do so. Families are also encouraged to check their email regularly for updates and announcements from the food service department.
For questions, please call 870-234-2677.
UPDATE: Walker Pre-K will be open tomorrow.
At this time Magnolia Public Schools will be open tomorrow with the exception of Walker Pre-K. We will provide updates on Walker Pre-K as they are available and will announce when power is restored.
Currently, the transportation garage is without power. This could cause a few delays if this remains the case through Friday.
The National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm warning for our area. Hurricane Laura is expected to bring rain and high winds to Magnolia tomorrow. Out of caution, the Magnolia School District will not hold fact-to-face classes tomorrow, Thursday, August 27, 2020. All classes will be virtual. We are aware that some of our onsite students do not yet have a device at home.
Any student who does not have access to a device, or the internet, will not be penalized and will have opportunities to complete their assignments. Decisions about Friday will be announced tomorrow. We realize this is a late announcement and apologize for any inconvenience.
Boys and Girls Club Fall Sports Registration is underway!
Please see schedule below!
Attention MHS Virtual Students and Parents
The final day to pick up laptops for virtual learning will be tomorrow, August 25th, at 9:00a.m. in the MHS cafeteria for grades 9-12. If you missed the previous scheduled meetings please make sure you attend this make up day.
Thank you!
Tickets for the AWAY football game Vs Harrison Friday, August 28, can be bought in the athletic director’s office at the high school for all all ages at $5 each.
Tickets will be on sale until Friday August 28 until 12:00 noon. You will NOT be able to purchase a ticket at the gate. Thanks
-Coach Long
It is good to see kids back on our campuses!
Please see the photo which shows the Fall High School Campus Traffic Flow. We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!
Students/Parents:
Please help us mitigate the spread of infectious disease by using the self-screening health questionnaire prior to coming to school each day. If a student shows unexplained symptoms (i.e. cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell) or has a fever of 100.4 or higher, they should not come to school. Completing this screening prior to coming to school is more effective and efficient than screening upon arrival to school and will allow our teachers and staff to focus time on instruction and provide a more normalized educational experience.
It will take all of us doing our part to limit the spread of COVID-19. This survey can easily be saved to your home screen on your phone and will take only a few seconds to complete each morning. We appreciate your willingness to help.
The link for the screener is as follows:
https://bit.ly/34iSqta
For those planning on going to the scrimmage game Friday night in Gurdon at 7PM:
You will need to go by Coach Long’s office in the annex building at the high school to pick up a voucher. This will allow you to buy a ticket at the game. You can not buy a ticket without a voucher per Gurdon rules. We have two hundred available on first come first serve basis.
Below is the link for students grades 9-12 to request schedule changes. Please complete the form and the appropriate counselor will contact you.
Again, this is for grades 9-12 of Freshman Academy and High School campuses.
Schedule Change Form:
https://bit.ly/2DLei5b
Please see the link below for updated information regarding this year’s Magnolia Schools Virtual learning option. The enrollment deadline has been extended until August 9th at midnight.
**Note** If you have already applied for the Magnolia Schools virtual option, please do not sign up again. We simply are extending the deadline after posting updates information.
https://www.magnoliaschools.net/o/msd/page/district-re-entry-plan
All items with updates are as follows:
Virtual Options Revised and Updated
2020-2021 School Calendar Updated
MMS Arrival-Dismissal/Breakfast-Lunch Updated
Eastside Arrival-Dismissal/Breakfast-Lunch Updated
Congratulations, Mrs. Coburn! Arkansas Teacher of the Year Regional Finalist!!
