MVES Weekly News

Ms. Westbrook's Weekly Newsletter

November 20, 2025

To keep up with the latest news and photos of your favorite Jr. Trojans, follow us on Twitter!

To receive school-wide text alerts for special events, text @hc-mves to 81010.

mves.hallco.org

SUBMIT A SAFETY TIP

To send an anonymous tip of a text or photo please send text to 678-865-6282.

To submit an anonymous tip over a phone line call 770-503-3232, or call your school principal.

For immediate threats please call 911 or complete the form below.

https://schoolsafety.hallco.org/submit-a-tip/

TO VIEW THE DISTRICT'S SAFETY WEBSITE: https://schoolsafety.hallco.org/

Dear Parents,

We are excited for tonight's Museum Night showcases for 4th and 5th grade! 4th grade will begin at 5:30, and 5th grade will begin at 7:00. Congrats to all of our students and teachers on all of their hard work!

Tomorrow will be our One and Done Celebration for all grades during connections. Our school community exceeded the PTO's goal and raised $72,800.50! Congrats to grade level class winners: Chastain, Bixler, Holden, Stephens, DCrocker and Mott.

After today, feel free to pick up your child's One and Done yard sign while driving by the school. Signs can be picked up November 21-December 5.

Our class holiday parties will be the week of December 15. Homeroom teachers will send the RSVP links for families following Thanksgiving Break. Thank you for making sure you RSVP with your child's party visitor name/s. These visitors must have ID and be listed on the student's Infinite Campus approved contacts; however, they are not required to complete the volunteer application unless they plan to volunteer. Visitors and volunteers should not visit MVES if they do not feel well. The holiday party schedule is below. Our PTO Winter STEAM Wonderland Day will be Friday, December 19.

Please see below for information about Watch DOGS from Mrs. Nix.

I hope you all enjoy the Thanksgiving break with your families and loved ones!

Go Trojans!

Jennifer Westbrook

Principal

Click here to view the 25-26 HCSD Calendar

Click here to view the 25-26 MVES Handbook

Wear School Spirit Colors on Fridays

MVES Parent Connection Calendar

Important Dates to Remember:

November 20
- 5:30 - 4th Grade Museum Night
- 7:00 - 5th Grade Museum Night
November 21 - One and Done Celebration
November 24-28 - Thanksgiving Break
December 3 - MVES Spelling Bee
December 5
- Families
- Night at The Oaks 4:00-7:30 (free holiday event - see info below)
December 9 - Reading MAP Growth
December 10 - Math MAP Growth
Week of December 15 - Holiday Parties (schedule below)
December 19
- PJ Day
- Winter STEAM Wonderland Day

Click here for our November menu

December menu

Due to increased costs, purchasing milk for lunch from home will be $.75 (does not include lactose free milk). Students should have money available in their MyPaymentsPlus account to purchase. Students will need a parent note to purchase lactose free milk.

Congrats to our October Teacher and Staff Member of the Month,

Mrs. Betsy Waters and Mrs. Julianna Souther!

Thanks to our partners at Sullivan and Schlieman Wealth Management for sponsoring this monthly recognition for our team!

Medication Reminders from Nurse Devra Wood

Please contact Nurse Devra Wood regarding any student medical concerns or medications. Children should not deliver medications or have medications in their book bags.
Parent/Guardian must complete the HCSD medication permission form and deliver medication to the clinic in the original bottle.
For safety reasons, please do not send medications in with students.

2025-26 Watch DOGS (Dads of Great Students)!

We are changing things up a little bit this school year. We will have different dates available for different grade levels. Thursday dates will be for 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. Friday dates will be for Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades. If you have kids that overlap on two different date/grade level preferences - it's okay, just pick a date and you will still get to see all of your kids :). Before signing up to be a Watch DOG, you must complete the volunteer application by following this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yk7UX64rMYA_oLGUHUAphIV9Aed3XvhSPyMOQcS3Q3Q/edit?usp=sharing

Please reach out to Mrs. Nix with any questions at Bethany.nix@hallco.org

CONGRATS MATH MASTERS!

Three times this school year (Fall, Winter and Spring), we will be recognizing students for their growth in math fluency. Students who meet the mastery expectation for their grade level will receive a MVES Math Master T-Shirt designed by our very own Mrs. Green! The shirts are sponsored by some of our generous Partners in Education!

Grade Level Expectations:

Kindergarten: The student shows mastery with counting to 100 by 1s and 10s

1st Grade: The student shows mastery in addition AND subtraction within 10

2nd Grade: The student shows mastery in addition AND subtraction within 20

3rd Grade: The student shows mastery in addition within 20, subtraction within 20, AND single-digit multiplication

4th Grade: The student shows mastery in addition within 20, subtraction within 20, single-digit multiplication, AND division within 100

5th Grade: The student shows mastery in addition within 20, subtraction within 20, single-digit multiplication, AND division within 100

HCSD Technology Update:

Parent ProTech is the state-purchased digital citizenship program (SB351), and included in this purchase is free access for families to resources on online safety, social media use, etc. Please see below to create your free account.

- - - - English Parent ProTech Flyer
      - Spanish Parent ProTech Flyer

Hall County Schools Bus App for Parents

Reminder from HCSD Transportation Dept: Nonresident students including HB251, Magnet and Tuition students, are not allowed to ride the bus to or from school unless it is a school day field trip experience. Nonresident families are required to provide transportation (car rider or MVES approved afternoon day care). Please contact the MVES front office with questions.

Car Rider Reminders

For morning drop-off, please have your student gather belongings, water bottle, etc. so he/she is prepared to exit the car quickly with all belongings READY when your car arrives at the sidewalk for drop-off.
Please remain in your car when unloading AND loading students. If you need to buckle students into car seats, please pull into the spaces next to the hill after you exit the loading area.
Please have students load/unload from the PASSENGER SIDE if possible. This saves time and is safer than having students cross between cars.
Please pull up as far as possible in the car rider line. The unloading/loading area is the entire length of the sidewalk.
A current car rider tag is required for pick up in the car rider line.
Our campus (including the car rider line) is a drug free/tobacco free campus.
It is unsafe for children to hang out of car windows or stand up through the sun roof while in line.

Save the Date for your 2025-26 Calendars:

February 26 - K & 3rd Grade Museum Night
March 12 - 1st & 2nd Grade Museum Night
March 16 - Harlem Wizards at NHHS

Frequently Asked Questions about Birthdays:

If you would like your child's class to celebrate his/her birthday at school, please communicate in advance with the teacher. Buying the class ice cream or sending in store-bought birthday treats (ex. cupcakes, donuts) can be planned ahead with the teacher. The teacher will distribute the treats at the appropriate time. We are unable to distribute invitations at school.

VISITORS & VOLUNTEERS:

Hall County Schools and MVES encourage family involvement in our schools. Parents will be invited to participate in special school and PTO events during and after school.
School visitors must have ID and be listed on the student's Infinite Campus approved contacts.
Visitors should not take/post pictures of other students.
A schedule for lunch visits will be available after Labor Day. Visitor seating will be scheduled on a limited basis due to space.
- no outside food will be permitted in the MVES cafeteria
- only 2 guests per student (unable to bring siblings from another grade)
- must have ID and be listed on IC approved contacts
- sit with their student at visitor tables
School and field trip volunteers must complete the HCSD application with volunteer modules through Checkmate (KEYWORD: HallVolunteers). https://campus.hallco.org/campus/checkMate/volunteerSignUp.jsp?appName=hall
The application will be available online and at the front office between 8:30-1:00 and 3:00-3:30. Due to district guidelines, volunteer applications and modules will be required each school year.
Following the first day of school, students arriving by car should come through the car rider line off Odum Smallwood Road. The front and front lower parking lots should only be used by buses and staff during arrival and dismissal times.
If you need to check out your child from school (we ask that you limit check-outs as much as possible), please notify the child's teacher and the front office staff in advance from a parent/guardian email address and call 770-983-1759 to confirm:
- missy.odom@hallco.org

AND

- marisa.chester@hallco.org

LUNCH VISITOR SCHEDULE (see *visitor guidelines above) - October 16 - December 19

*Volunteer applications are not required for lunch visitors.

Please review the available slots below, and click on the button to sign up.

Here is the link to the lunch visitor schedule for October 16 - December 19.

MVES is excited to welcome our parents/guardians for lunch with your students! ALL lunch visitors will be required to have a reservation due to very limited seating. Visitors are limited to signing up for only 1 time during the dates below.

For the safety of students, please note the following:

· For your child’s lunch visit, 1 or 2 adults (must have ID and be on student IC contact list) may join the same reservation (no school-age siblings; younger children should be in lap or stroller to help with limited seating).

· Siblings from other grade levels cannot be combined into the same reservation, but a parent can sign up 1 time during these dates for each child.

· Outside food will not be allowed to be brought into the MVES cafeteria (HCSD guideline).

· Lunch visitors will eat in the visitor seating area located outside the office, across from the learning commons.

· Lunch visitors will meet their child in the hall as his/her class goes to lunch and sign-out in the office after the lunch period ends (student will rejoin his/her class at the end of the lunch time).

· Visitors may purchase lunch in the cafeteria for $5.10 each (cash or check).

· Lunch visitors may have lunch with your child only. Other students cannot join your lunch visit.

Exact lunch times for each homeroom class may be viewed HERE.

Please contact our front office with questions. We look forward to seeing you at MVES!

We appreciate our 2025-26 MVES Partners in Education!

1st Response Roofing

American Family Homes

Anchor Real Estate Advisors

BCI

BGW Dental Group

Big Peach Running Co - Braselton

Causey Orthodontics