The Ram Report

At Mt. Carmel, we take pride in honoring Women’s History Month—a time to recognize the groundbreaking contributions of women past and present while inspiring the future leaders within our own community. This celebration is more than just a history lesson; it’s an opportunity for our students to see themselves in the stories of trailblazers who have shaped society through courage, innovation, and perseverance.

Throughout March, we’ll engage in meaningful discussions, activities, and showcases that highlight the impact of women in various fields—from science and politics to the arts and activism. By learning about these influential figures, our students will be empowered to dream big, break barriers, and embrace their own potential to create change.

Women’s History Month at Mt. Carmel isn’t just about reflection; it’s about action. It’s a chance to foster leadership, amplify voices, and ensure that every student—regardless of gender—understands the value of equality and the power of their own story. Let’s celebrate, learn, and continue to uplift one another!

Parents and families, your voice matters! Please take a few minutes to complete the Douglas County Parent and Family Engagement Survey. Your feedback will help us plan for the 2025-2026 academic year and ensure we are meeting the needs of our students and families.

Click the link below to share your thoughts. Thank you for partnering with us to make our schools even better!

https://douglas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5cmgRFpWrNFsCPQ

We are incredibly proud of all our participants in this year’s Science Fair! Your hard work, creativity, and dedication to scientific discovery truly shined.

A special shoutout to our Honorable Mention recipients for their outstanding projects!

Third Place Winners – Skylin Woodard and Helena Morales Sousa-Congratulations on your impressive achievements!

Second Place Winner – Alexander Reeves-Well done on earning this prestigious spot!

First Place Winners – Jasiel Martinez and Ashai Massaquoi-Your exceptional work has set the bar high!

Jasiel and Ashai will move on to the District-level Elementary Science Fair, which will be held on March 25, 2025 at the Douglas County School Board of Education.

We want to again extend a huge congratulations to all of our students who participated in this event. Their passion for science and innovation inspires us all. Keep reaching for the stars!

Please begin to review key components of the Georgia Milestones with students in Grades 3-5. Link: https://wbte.drcedirect.com/GA/portals/ga This practice site is a chance for students to learn more about the structure and content of the Georgia Milestones Assessments, experience online testing, and practice using online tools.

Understanding the Georgia Milestones Presentations from the GADOE

ELA (Presentation)

Math (Presentation)

Science (Presentation)

END OF GRADE (EOG)

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

We are excited to announce that Career Week is just around the corner! This special week will give our students the opportunity to explore different career paths, hear from inspiring guest speakers, and participate in engaging activities that encourage them to dream big about their future.

Monday– “Hats Off to Careers!”

🎩🧢👷‍♂️ Wear a Hat That Represents a Career

• Students wear a hat related to a job (e.g., a chef’s hat, firefighter helmet, construction hard hat, nurse’s cap, cowboy hat for a farmer, pilot’s cap, etc.).
• If they don’t have a specific hat, they can create and decorate a paper hat representing their dream job!

Tuesday – “Uniform Day”

🦺 Dress Like a Community Helper

• Wear outfits representing police officers, nurses, construction workers, mail carriers, military personnel, etc.

Wednesday – “College & Career Readiness Day”

🎓 Wear College Gear or Career Colors

• Wear a T-shirt or hoodie from a college, or dress in colors that represent a specific career (e.g., white for doctors, blue for mechanics).

Thursday – “Business Professionals vs. Work Crew”

💼 Dress for Success or Wear Work Gear

• Option 1: Dress in business attire (button-up shirt, blazer, dress shoes).
• Option 2: Dress as a hands-on worker (hard hat, tool belt, apron, or scrubs).

Friday – “Dream Job Day”

👔 Dress as Your Future Career

• Students dress up as what they want to be when they grow up (doctor, firefighter, teacher, scientist, artist, etc.).

We are excited to invite our parents to participate in our upcoming Career Day! This is a wonderful opportunity to share your career journey, inspire students, and help them explore different professions.

We would love for you to join us and present to our students about your career, daily responsibilities, and the skills required for your field. If you're interested in participating, please complete the form linked below to provide your contact information and presentation details.

Career Day Speaker Information Form

Thank you for your support in making this event a success! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Join us for the JR Beta Club Induction Ceremony on Thursday, March 27th, at 6:00 PM at Beulah Baptist Church. This special evening will celebrate the achievements of our newest members as they commit to the principles of leadership, service, and academic excellence. Family and friends are invited to attend and support these outstanding students as they embark on their JR Beta journey. We look forward to honoring their dedication and hard work!

Mount Carmel Elementary is excited to celebrate Read Across America Week from March 3rd-7th with a fun-filled Spirit Week to promote the love of reading! Each day, students can participate in themed dress-up days inspired by popular children's books.

📚 Monday - Goofy Day! Dress in your most quirky outfit, inspired by Dork Diaries by Rachel Russell.
🦸‍♂️ Tuesday - Super Hero Day! Dress as your favorite superhero, just like the adventures in Dogman by Dav Pilkey.
😴 Wednesday - Pajama Day! Wear school-appropriate pajamas, perfect for reading Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems.
👑 Thursday - Royalty Day! Dress like a king or queen, inspired by Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neil.
🎨 Friday - Color Your World! Wear bright, colorful clothes and shoes, just like Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Kim Dean.

This week is all about celebrating literacy, creativity, and the joy of books! We encourage all students to join in the fun and make this Read Across America Week a memorable one! 📖✨

Spring Fling Attendance Party - Thursday, March 6

The Spring Fling Dance will be held in the MCES gym on Thursday, March 6th. Concessions will be sold (from $1 to $3 in cost).

8:15-9:15 4th/5th Grade

9:30-10:30 Kinder/First Grade

12:30-1:30 2nd/3rd Grade

As part of our commitment to academic excellence, we are engaging in a cyclical review of standards to ensure our students are mastering key concepts and skills. This process helps reinforce learning, identify areas for growth, and set students up for success.

Each Friday, we will have Power Hour, a dedicated time for focused review and enrichment. It is crucial that students are present each day and arrive on time so they can fully benefit from these learning opportunities. Every minute in the classroom matters, and consistent attendance plays a vital role in student achievement.

To encourage and celebrate strong attendance, we will be holding a special incentive each Friday in March! Students with no tardies or absences for that week will have their names entered into a drawing for prizes. Let’s work together to build great habits and set our students up for success!

We have shifted our use of iReady and will now be using iReady data to target specific grade-level standards for all students in K-5. This helps us better support each child's learning needs in Reading and Math. Students ae still expected to work on their platform for a minimum of 30 minutes and try to earn an 80% or higher. The lessons that they are working on this week are grade level appropriate.

We encourage you to have a conversation with your child about their iReady performance. You can access their progress by logging into their student portal, which can be found with one click on our school website.

Each week, we will share our school-wide iReady results in Reading and Math. This week, we noticed that our scholars performed better in Math than in Reading. We ask for your support in encouraging your child to read at home daily to strengthen their skills.

We are excited to announce that our Awards Day will take place on Thursday, March 27, 2025! This special event will celebrate students for their hard work and achievements.

Students who meet the following criteria will receive a personal invitation to attend:
✅ All A’s
✅ A/B Honor Roll

8:00 AM 3rd-5th Grade

9:15 AM 1st and 2nd Grade

It's time to order your 24-25 yearbook! This year all orders will be taken through the Pictavo website: https://www.buytheyearbook.com/en/ (School Id: 722925)

The yearbook will be $35 until April 1st. After that, all yearbooks will be $50. Get yours while supplies last.

To ensure that you have all the important dates for this year, be sure to visit our school website to access our year-at-a-glance calendar. Click here to access our school calendar.

Important Dates

March 4-Beacon Assessments

March 10-Teacher Workday (No School for Students)

March 19-Report Cards

March 27-Awards Day

March 27-JR Beta Club

March 28-Career Day

April 4-Fresh Air Friday

April 7-11-Spring Break

What is character education? Character Education is a learning process that enables students and adults in a school setting to understand, care about, and act on core ethical values such as honesty, respect, and responsibility for self and others. Below are the weekly character traits for the month.

Week of March 3, 2025 | Courage: Meeting a challenge without giving in to fear

Week of March 10, 2025| Sportsmanship: Respect for and polite behavior by someone who is competing in a sport or competition toward opponents

Week of March 17, 2025 | Resourceful: Having the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties

Week of March 24, 2025 | Acceptance: Willing to tolerate a difficult or unpleasant situation, or consenting

It takes a team to help a school function effectively, and all employees play an important role in the lives of young adults, families, and the community. Each month, we recognize outstanding teachers and staff members who are making a positive impact at Mt. Carmel Elementary School. Those receiving awards are nominated by the students, parents, administrators, teachers, and staff members for excellence in their classroom and positive contributions to our school community.

Teacher of the Month Award
This award has been established to recognize our outstanding educators for their dedication, professionalism, and excellence in instruction.

Selection Criteria: Each month, we will recognize a different educator based on their contribution to the school, excellence in the classroom, leadership abilities, citizenship, community involvement, and going above-and-beyond for students. Teachers will be nominated and selected based on the following criteria:

• Excellence in the Classroom – Consistently advancing students to higher levels of thinking and academic achievement.
• Motivation – Having the ability to motivate and encourage students to advance beyond their expectations both academically and socially.
• Leadership – Serving as a leader not only in the classroom, but also throughout the school.
• Community Service – Demonstrating the importance of civic responsibility by being active in community or other service organizations.
• Creativity and Imagination – Utilizing teaching methods that inspire students to learn. For staff, this means demonstrating creativity and imagination in carrying out their job duties in such a way that they motivate and inspire others in the school community to grow.
• Dedication – Showing excellent attendance, punctuality, and a desire to see their students advance academically and personally; participating in programs and activities outside of the school day in support of the community, campus, and students.
• Professionalism – Showing respect for peers and interacting in a positive manner with staff and students; acts in a responsible, ethical manner.

Staff Member of the Month Award
This was established to recognize our outstanding staff members for their dedication, professionalism, and excellence in their positions. Those receiving these awards can be nominated by the students, parents, administrators, teachers, and staff members for excellence in their position and positive contributions to Mt. Carmel Elementary.

Selection Criteria: Each month, we recognize a different staff member and on their contributions to the school, leadership abilities, citizenship, community involvement, and going above and beyond for students, staff, and school. Staff members will be nominated and selected based on the following criteria:

• Makes a difference to Mt. Carmel Elementary School
• Goes above and beyond expectations
• Excels as a team player
• Demonstrates a positive attitude, professionalism, dedication, and respect for others
• Represents “RAM PRIDE” and is committed to the mission of MCES and the Douglas County School System.

Click here to make your nomination.

Student handbooks are updated and distributed to families electronically at the beginning of each school year. For questions or information concerning the handbooks, please contact Dr. Boone.

MCES 24-25 Handbook

DCSS 24-25 Handbook (English | Spanish)

Parents, grandparents, guardians, and other family members are always invited to eat lunch with their children. Prior to arriving for lunch, you will have to notify the teachers with a 24 hour notice that you would like to join your child/children for lunch. This will help us to streamline the process and be sure that we have adequate space for visitors.

When planning to eat lunch with your child, please DO NOT bring any food from outside vendors, fast food lunches or carbonated drinks to cafeteria. Be sure to bring proper identification and sign into the front office before going to the cafeteria.

Also, please adhere to our café expectations & procedures as follows:

a. Everyone is to stay in his/her seat.
b. No talking when the music is playing.
c. Clean up your area when you are finished eating.

Grade Level Lunch Times

10:15-10:50 Kindergarten

10:35-11:15 2nd Grade

10:55-11:30 3rd Grade

11:15-11:55 1st Grade

11:35-12:10 4th Grade

11:50-12:30 5th Grade

School Lunch Menu

Click here for the school breakfast and lunch menu.

Nutritional Analysis

Click here for the nutritional analysis of the items that are on the menu.

Cost for meals for guests is $2.00 for breakfast and $4.00 for lunch (be sure to have exact change).

This year, all students (K-5) will use agendas in conjunction with AVID Elementary. Through the implementation of AVID Elementary, students develop the academic habits they will need to be successful in middle school, high school, and college, in an age-appropriate and challenging way. Children learn about organization, study skills, communication, and self-advocacy. AVID Elementary students take structured notes and answer and ask high-level questions that go beyond routine answers.

AVID states that “ When students effectively manage their time, it helps them to meet classroom deadlines, increase the quality of their work, reduce their stress, and accomplish their goals, while also helping to ensure that they have time for other interests and passions.”

All agendas are $7. To purchase your child's student agenda, please use the link below

https://mces.revtrak.net/student-fees/#/list

Parents are required to complete a Free and Reduced Meal Application in order to qualify for free or reduced meals. Meals will no longer be free. Parents will be required to send money for breakfast and lunch until the free/reduced meal application is approved. You can use schoolcafe.com to load money to your child's account or send cash for meals.

Note: If you receive notice that your child has a negative balance, please contact Mrs. Muhammad at 770-651-4216. She will be able to provide you more information on the balance.

Note: If your child has a negative lunch balance, they will not be accepted into any MCES extracurricular activities until that balance is cleared.

We do not allow whole birthday cakes or any birthday treats that are not individually wrapped. We enjoy

honoring our students on their birthday. We announce the birthday child’s name on the morning announcements and allow families to bring in treats within the guidelines below.

▪ Snacks must be store bought AND prepackaged/individually wrapped. [No exceptions!]

▪ Cupcakes must be individually packaged in container or prepackaged wrapping. [No exceptions!]

▪ Any treat should be served during recess.

▪ No invitations to birthday parties should be sent to school unless an invitation is available for every student in the class. A list of student names will not be permitted to be sent home.

When buying treats, please be sure to speak with your child's teachers. Some students have food allergies. Also, you may want to think about non-food items. The items listed below will still make your child feel special and they will last a lot longer than a food item.

• A game for the classroom
• A classroom book (A nice touch would be having your child pick it out, sign it, and date it.)
• A classroom set of items for each child to keep such as pencils, pens, erasers, markers, etc.

Above is an image of what is defined as individually wrapped cupcakes.

All afternoon dismissal and transportation changes must be made in writing. Also, if there is someone other than yourself picking your child up from car riders, please email the name of the person AND provide them with either your child's car rider number or the car rider tag. If he or she does not have the car rider hang tag, please let them know that we will ask to see their license prior to releasing any student. This is to protect the safety of your child. Please make all transportation changes no later than 1:30 PM.

Click here to make a transportation change.

There are some days that your child's bus may be late due to busses being combined or a substitute bus driver driving a new route. If you would like to know if your child's bus will be late, you may locate that information here. This information is updated each morning and each afternoon.

Here Comes the Bus is available for parents and students to download now. The highly-rated free app currently has over a million users. To sign up, visit the Apple or Android store, or visit www.herecomesthebus.com. The code needed to complete the registration process is 79003. Students are still encouraged to arrive at their stop five minutes early and to follow any additional instructions given by drivers.

As your children board the bus each morning, please help us and remind them of our bus rules. Students should stay seated in assigned seat, there is to be no eating or drinking on the bus and students should use their inside voices. Students should also keep their hands and other objects to themselves while riding the bus.

School bus transportation is a privilege afforded pupils by the Board of Education. It is not a right. To protect the safety and well-being of all involved, pupils must adhere to established bus conduct rules. Bus transportation privilege may be revoked if the pupil does not observe bus conduct expectations.

Ms. Lizzy Kilgore is our District Bilingual Liaison. Please contact her if you need help with translating or interpreting.

Phone: 770.651.2223

Email: lizzy.kilgore@dcssga.org