Prospective Incoming Kindergarten Students

If you have a child that will be entering Kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year, please fill out the provided Google Form. This will enable our staff to initiate preparations for incoming kindergarten students and upcoming activities. More details about registration will be forthcoming from the district about online registration. Also, Kinder-Camp is tentatively scheduled for July.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf_a4seGmbwDB1AuxapwHxlVuM5u2Qg1x8oOuD5G6bs1e36VQ/viewform?usp=sharing

Literacy Tip

When children dedicate more time to reading every day, they come across a larger variety of words, resulting in higher levels of achievement. Thus, take the opportunity to snuggle up with your child and share the joy of reading together with a good book.

Math Tip

Games are a great way to practice various operations so that they are mastered and remembered. These games can be online, board games or card games. For example, Monopoly is great for adding and subtracting larger numbers. Some card games can also help learn math facts. If you find the right games, kids may not even realize that they are having fun and learning!

Attendance

Thank you parents for consistently ensuring that your child attends school daily and on time. Did you know that the daily attendance rate affects our overall state score? Our Year to Date Average Daily Attendance is 95.24% which is great! Let's aim for a solid daily attendance to guarantee that our students receive the necessary instruction to achieve their personal goals and improve our overall rating as school.

Hello, Heart Heroes! Are you ready?! Kids Heart Challenge is coming to our school soon! We have exciting things planned this year to get us moving, helping others and having fun. Get a head start by signing up today and helping your student choose a daily health challenge. Visit the Kids Heart website to get started!

• February 3rd - Virtual Day: No School for Students

• February 5th - World Read Aloud Day

• February 10th - Mid-quarter Progress Reports Go Home

• February 11th - PTA Art From the Heart (See below for more info)

• February 14th - Valentine Snack/Exchange (Send with your child to school): Please see your child's class newsletter for more info
• February 18th - Kids Heart Challenge Kickoff
• February 25th - Spring Pictures
• March 3rd - 7th - Mardi Gras Break
• March 14th - Last Day of 3rd Quarter
• March 14th - All MCPSS Film Festival Entries Due
• March 17th - Teacher Work Day
• March 18th - ACAP State Testing Begins
• March 22nd - Campus Cleanup

For 15 years, World Read Aloud Day has called attention to the importance of sharing stories by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience, and read-aloud! The global effort, created by the non-profit LitWorld and sponsored by Scholastic, is celebrated annually in over 173 countries and is all about bringing people together through the shared connection of reading aloud in all of our communities.

You can join in by sitting down and reading a book to or with your child. You can even have them read aloud to you!

If you would like to read to your child's class during this week, please reach out to your child's teacher to schedule a day and time.

Click the flyer below for more information on ordering a yearbook. If you would like to place an ad in the yearbook, the last day is February 14th. The last day to place your order for a copy of the yearbook is February 28th. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Lambert.

You can also order your yearbook online using the link below.

What is a silent auction?

A silent auction is an event where items are displayed for attendees to place bids on and purchase. However, unlike most auctions, there is no auctioneer present, and participants place their bids silently and anonymously on a bid sheet using a bidding number—hence the name silent auction. Once the closing of the auction is announced, bid sheets are pulled, and the highest bidder wins the item. They then provide their bidder number at checkout to pay for any items won and pick items up to take home. Some examples of silent auction items are pie a teacher in the face, a teacher for a day, gift certificates, and art.

What is a live auction?

A live auction is a type of charity auction where an auctioneer runs the bidding by introducing each item and guiding bid amounts. Guests place bids by calling out amounts, raising their hands, or otherwise catching the auctioneer's attention. Some examples of live auction items are carpool queen, spending the day with a PE teacher, and lunch with the principal.

What should I expect?

Free libations, entertainment, food, and FUN! Your child will also have a special art project on display that you can purchase and take home.

If your child is in need of cold weather gear (sweatshirts,/jackets/long sleeve shirts), make sure to visit the PTA store to place an order.

We’re excited to introduce the Peer Helpers Program at Mary B. Austin! Beginning in February, teachers will nominate 3rd-5th grade students who demonstrate kindness, leadership, and a willingness to help others. Selected students will then complete an application process to become Peer Helpers. Once chosen, these students will serve as peer mentors and tutors, promote kindness and inclusion, and help build a stronger school community. Stay tuned for more details as we launch this exciting opportunity for our Innovators!

In accordance with Erin’s Law, the state of Alabama requires that all public schools provide age-appropriate instruction on child abuse prevention. As part of our school counseling program, I will be teaching these important lessons to all Mary B. Austin students during their classroom counseling time in the month of February.

We will use the PATH Curriculum from ThriveWay, which is the Mobile County Public Schools district-approved curriculum for this topic. These lessons will help students recognize safe and unsafe situations, identify trusted adults, and learn how to seek help if needed. The content is developmentally appropriate and focuses on personal safety in a way that is informative and reassuring.

To support follow-up conversations at home, I will be providing parent resources after the lessons. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at sbradford@mcpss.com or 251-221-1015.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Bradford, M.Ed, NCC, ACSC

School Counselor

Learning standard units of measure and how to read data charts and graphs are very important skills that our students at Mary B. Austin are learning daily. We understand that they are not only skills that are needed for test mastery, but for success in daily life tasks as well. Below are resources to help practice measurement and data at home with your student.

My PowerHub

Follow these steps to access your child's grades, attendance, assignments and more at https://mcpss.guardian.powerschool.com. If you try these steps and still cannot log on, contact the front office to make sure your information is set up correctly. If they cannot help you, they will give you information on how to contact our IT help desk.

Email: rterry@mcpss.com
Website: marybaustinelementary.com
Location: 150 Provident Lane, Mobile, AL, USA
Phone: 251-221-1015
Twitter: @MaryBAustin