Murdock Elementary School

Welcome to Murdock Elementary

Principal: Lynn Hamblett Asst. Principal: Wanda Shue

Murdock Elementary's Vision Statement: Murdock Elementary School will provide students with the foundational skills necessary to engage in Collaborative Conversations: Sharing ideas by understanding, listening, and speaking. Cobb County School District offers emergency alerts via text messaging. Please text CCSD to 84700. Messaging and data rate apply.

The Media Center’s Mitten Tree is a tradition that offers an opportunity for Murdock students to celebrate a spirit of giving during the month of December. Students may bring a hat, scarf, mittens, or gloves to decorate the tree. All items collected will be donated to our sister school, making a difference in another child’s life. Students should bring their donations by Monday, December 16th. Let’s Spread Some Warmth	Coats for Cobb Coat Drive Coats for Cobb is an initiative designed to collect coats and distribute them to those in need – right in our own backyard! All donations will be given to residents of Cobb County through MUST Ministries. The coat drive will run through December 10. Please look through your closet, and drop off new or gently used coats and other warm outerwear in the Coats for Cobb boxes near the white bin in the Murdock lobby. All sizes welcome! Just a few minutes of your time will make a huge difference in the life of someone in our community. Please share this information with your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers to maximize the benefits of this worthy cause. Let’s keep Cobb warm this holiday season!

Science Fair! It’s coming right around the corner! Murdock Elementary’s 3rd annual Science Fair! On Thursday, January 16^th from 6:30-8:00 we will showcase all the entries and award medals to the top 3 projects in each grade. This is open to ALL students and everyone is encouraged to participate and attend. You will be amazed at the amazing minds and creative spirit our students have! The 2^nd grade performance and art show is also that evening, so this is a night at Murdock not to be missed! All the details can be found on the Science Lab Blog. Click on the pages on the left “Science Fair” and “Science Fair Extras” for all the details and information on how to enter. If you can volunteer to help please email Mrs Kauffman at: Deborah.kauffman@cobbk12.org Everyone who enters will get a reward for their hard work and effort. The top 3 projects from each 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade will go on to compete in the County Science Fair at Walton High School on Saturday, March 1st at Walton High School. Last year 2 students from Murdock won awards at county; 1^st place in 5^th grade, and the Grand Prize Winner! So start dreaming now. And dream big!! http://murdock10.typepad.com/murdockscience/	Please take this survey about our school. It can effect your property value. Please take a moment to answer a short Georgia Parent Survey for the 2013 - 2014 school year. This is the first year that the Georgia Parent Survey is being administered. Data from the Georgia Parent Survey will be used to calculate the School Climate Star Rating. Parents you can access the 20 question survey (5 -10 minutes) at the Georgia Parent Survey by clicking on the link below. After you click on the link, a drop-down menu will appear. Please use the drop-down menu to select our school district and our school. Thank you. Georgia Parent Survey link
Cobb County 4^th and 5^th grade teachers have a new tool for teacher gradebooks and parent information. Our new system, Synergy, has a ParentVUE that allows parents to view student gradebook information. In order to access this system, the following steps are required by the enrolling parent: -Complete the Acceptable Use Policy and User Agreement form in person at the school. Only the enrolling parent may complete this form. Photo identification must be provided. -Receive your individualized Activation Key -Pick up your copy of the ParentVUE Getting Started Guide

Fire Lane Changes for Schools On March 13, 2012, the Cobb County Fire Lane Ordinance was amended to include a provision for student pick-up at schools. The ordinance now allows a vehicle to be located in a fire lane for 30 minutes prior to the afternoon school end time and 30 minutes after the school end time, as long as a driver is behind the wheel. Stopping or parking a vehicle in a fire lane at any other time is prohibited, unless passengers are actively loading or unloading. Fire lanes can be identified by “No Parking Fire Lane” signage and/or curbing that is red in color. Fire lane violations currently result in a fine of $135.00.	Lunch Visitor Policy Changes To better ensure the safety of our children we have revised our lunch visitor policy. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) must send a note in the morning if their child is expecting a lunch visitor that day. Please specify the visitor’s name and relationship to your child in the letter. Lunch visitor notes will be forwarded to the front office for reference when the visitor checks in. We will apologetically deny any visitor for whom a letter has not been sent. Enrolling parent(s)/guardian(s) are always welcome to visit at lunch without a note. Parents or visitors can ONLY take their child to visitor table, no extra students. Thank you for your help and understanding as we implement this policy to better protect our children.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION! As of Wednesday, May 1^st the general public will have to present a photo ID to gain access to the building through the Main Entrance. A button on the entry pad, located to the left of the front door, will have to be pushed to gain entry into the building. Click here to read more about this new policy.	A Resolution for 2014: Become a better typist using Type to Learn 4! MESF has generously purchased a wonderful typing program called Type to Learn 4. Students can practice their typing skills in a personalized and interactive manner at school and at home! With just a little practice every day, you will be on your way to typing success in 2014! Download the attachment below for instructions on downloading Type to Learn 4 at home! Download TypetoLearn4HomeDownloadInstructions If you have any questions about downloading the program, please feel free to email Heather Smith at heather.cassidy@cobbk12.org

RAD DADS If you are interested in getting involved with our RAD DAD program, please either complete the very short form at the link below. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform? By filling out the form, it will automatically input the information into a spreadsheet and we can better reach the fathers of Murdock.	Online prepayment is now available for parents to pay their student’s ASP daily fees and registration fee! You can pay for Murdock's After School Program online with a credit card through the MealPayPlus service. Register for your free account at www.mealpayplus.com if you're not already registered to pay for your student’s lunches. You'll need your student's school ID number to sign up. Please contact Murdock's After School Program with any questions at (770) 509-5071.

Support MESF by becoming a Friend of the Foundation! To download the MESF Patron Drive donation form please click here. MESF is now able to accept PayPal and Credit Card payments online at our website: www.mesf.org. If you have any questions regarding donations to the Patron Program please e-mail Laura Ring at mesfpresident@gmail.com . We look forward to a great 2013-2014 school year ahead and appreciate your support! You can also visit us at www.mesf.org and on facebook!	2013 - 2014 Click here to download a PTA Membership Form

Lunch Prices for 2013 - 2014 Lunch ES Student - $2.15 Lunch MS Student - $2.30 Lunch HS Student - $2.40 Lunch Adult All Schools - $3.25 Lunch Reduced Price All Schools - $0.40 Milk and Fruit Juice - $0.60	Murdock is holding a class competition to see which class can collect the most "Box Tops for Education." You can also go to www.boxtops4education.com to check Murdock's earnings status, to sign up for valuable coupons for BOXTOP products, to enter sweepstakes to win bonus BOXTOPS for Murdock and to earn BOXTOPS by shopping online through the BOXTOPS Marketplace for products from some of your favorite retailers, such as GAP, Lands End, Target, Walmart and many more. The submission deadlines are as follows: November 30, January 30, and April 15. Questions??? leslielandau@yahoo.com

Click here for your Absence/Tardy Note or Change in Transportation Form ___________	Click here to order your yearbook --------
Carpool Procedures	For only $35 (payable to MESF) your child's name and special message will be displayed on the Murdock School Sign for one whole school week! Typical message is "Happy ___th B-day First Name, Last Initial." Please contact Angela Sanchez at MESFbirthdaymarquee@gmail.com to check availability. Thanks for your support of MESF!