Mamie Lou Gross Elementary

We are excited to announce that we will be having our Grandparent's Day Breakfast on Friday, September 5th at 9am. The fliers will be coming home with students. Please RSVP by Monday, 8/25.

Attention all families:

Welcome to another year at Mamie Lou Gross Elementary! As we move forward into another exciting and productive school year, we want to take a moment to remind you just how important consistent school attendance is for your child’s academic success.

Each day of learning builds on the last, and when students are absent or regularly picked up early, they miss valuable instructional time that can be difficult to make up. Frequent absences or early check-outs—even when they seem small—can add up quickly and impact your child’s ability to reach their full potential. For example: Leaving 30 minutes early each day equates to almost 12 school days missed.

In addition to supporting student success, attendance plays a key role in how schools are measured across the state. Georgia evaluates schools using the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI). Last year, our school received a CCRPI student attendance score of 75.22 out of 100—a score that was directly affected by the number of students who missed more than 10% of their enrolled days. We plan to post monthly updates about school-wide attendance on our website and Facebook page. This is how families will be informed of how we are progressing overall. Specifically impacted families will be contacted directly through our school attendance protocol.

This year, we are working hard to ensure our students receive the high-quality education they deserve and improve that attendance score. But we can’t do it without your support. Please help us by:

• Making daily attendance a top priority
• Avoiding non-essential tardies or early checkouts (excessive tardies/checkouts may be referred to the CCS attendance panel, social worker, and School Resource Deputy)
• Scheduling appointments or travel/vacations outside of school hours when possible

Together, we can make a real difference in your child’s learning and in our school’s success. Thank you for being a vital part of our school community!

Our PreK and Kindergarten color week begins tomorrow. We invite students of all ages to dress up according to the following schedule:
Monday 8/11 - wear red
Tuesday 8/12 - wear orange
Wednesday 8/13 - wear yellow
Thursday 8/14 - wear green
Friday 8/15 - wear blue

Wow! What a great first week of school! We are so happy to be back with our students and cannot wait to see what they accomplish this year. Proud to be....MLG!

🚌BACK TO SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION UPDATE 📚

Dear Camden Families,

As we kick off the new school year, please note that our transportation schedule may need some adjustments during the first week of school.

What to expect:
• Buses may experience delays as routes are optimized
• Phone lines are experiencing high volume - thank you for your patience
• Route changes will be addressed once all student schedules are finalized
• Additional route adjustments may be needed to address overcrowding
• Schools may hold students inside during unsafe weather conditions

We appreciate your understanding as our transportation team works diligently to ensure the safe and efficient transport of all students to and from school.

Your patience during this transition period helps us provide the best service for our school community!

#BElieveinCAMDEN #WeAreCamden #SchoolTransportation #SafetyFirst

Would you like to get more involved at Mamie Lou Gross? Our parent/teacher group PAWS (Parents Always Willing to Support) will have its first meeting on August 18th at 4:00pm in the cafeteria. Watch for more information to come home with your child.

We are excited for our second day of school! Please see the calendar below for information about our August special events. PreK and Kindergarten color week begins on Monday, August 11.

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰: School buses are the most regulated vehicles on the road. They’re designed to be safer than passenger vehicles in preventing crashes and injuries, and in every state, stop-arm laws exist to protect children from other motorists.
If you are driving, remember these simple rules:
– 𝐘𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 — don’t speed up — because the bus is preparing to stop. There are - likely students waiting to get on the bus or parents waiting nearby to pick up children.
– 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 — and wait at least 20 feet behind the bus — because children are getting on or off the school bus. Stay stopped until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving.
– 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧, particularly in the morning or mid-afternoon, around school arrival and dismissal times. Be alert as you back out of a driveway, or drive through a neighborhood, school zone or bus stop.
𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 - 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐛𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧:
Your child should arrive at the bus stop at least 10 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. Teach them to play it SAFE:
– 𝐒tay five steps away from the curb.
– 𝐀lways wait until the bus comes to a complete stop and the bus driver signals for you to board.
– 𝐅ace forward after finding a seat on the bus.
– 𝐄xit the bus after it stops and look left-right-left for cars before crossing a street.

#BElieveinCAMDEN #WeAreCamden

If you have questions about the bus, please call transportation at 912-729-8374.

We are excited for our first day of school! This image shows the flow of traffic for PM car pick-up. You should have received a green car rider sheet with your child's name on it during Open House. Please have this displayed in your window during car pick-up. If you need a green car rider sheet, please contact the front office. Also, please keep in mind that during the first few weeks of school, we will have additional car riders, so the line may be a bit longer than usual.

Camden Families:

If you are not seeing a bus route for your child in the My Ride K-12 app, please log in to Infinite Campus to verify that the Transportation question was completed during your child’s registration.

We’ve found that many parents unintentionally skipped this step, which prevents the bus route from being assigned and displayed in the app.

Once you have confirmed that the Transportation question has been completed, please allow 24 hours during the work week before checking the My Ride K-12 app. If your child’s bus route still isn’t showing after that time, please contact the Transportation Department at (912) 729-8374 for assistance.

Thank you for helping us ensure a smooth start to the school year!

We hope everyone had a great summer! We are so excited to welcome our students back to school! Here are our school supply lists for each grade level.

📢 Hey Camden Families!

Have you received your email from Infinite Campus yet regarding Returning Student Enrollment? Be sure to check your inbox for a message containing your activation key. Once you’re logged in, take a moment to review and verify all student information to ensure everything is accurate and complete.

If you have not received an email for your returning student, please contact your child’s school.

For New Student Enrollment, visit: https://www.camden.k12.ga.us/o/ccsd/page/enrollment

Thank you for helping us keep our records up to date!

#BElieveinCAMDEN #WeAreCamden