Marietta Families,

As we approach the end of the school year, allow me to re-share some information that will help support your child through Final Exams and the last week of the semester. Please keep in mind that the last day of the semester and school year is Thursday, May 26. Some information in this communication is applicable to seniors and underclassmen.

*Above is the Final Exam schedule for 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th grade students:

*Please note that each exam day will be a late arrival for all students. Students can enter the building at 11:00 am. Bus drivers will notify students of their pickup time during late arrival days. Additionally, you can review the times here: Late Arrival Bus Pick Up Times

Students who were eligible to exempt school-based final exams next week, received information that requires both teacher and parent/guardian signatures. To be clear, EOC, IB, AP and EOPA exams cannot be exempted. Only school-based, teacher designed exams next week can be exempted if eligible.

Students who are eligible and choose to exempt a school-based final, will not be subjected to any negative impact on their final grade. Additionally, students who exempt finals are not required to attend class. However, if a student attends school, he or she must report to his or her scheduled class. Students cannot go to the gym, Media Center, cafeteria or any other part of campus except in their scheduled classroom.

Attendance is taken every day, in every block in an effort to know who is on campus. If your student exempted and does not attend that class, there is no penalty but an absence will be recorded. Again, attendance is taken for safety and security reasons only. Please note that parents may receive an absence notification from school. That process is kept in place to make sure we are all on the same page.

Please note: MHS is not an “Open Campus”. Students are not permitted to come on campus, attend a class, leave and return to campus. The only appropriate way for a student to leave campus before the school day ends is through the proper parent/guardian checkout procedures in the attendance office. Only the parents, guardians and family members you listed in Aspen are authorized to check-out a student.

Any student caught leaving and coming back on campus will be subjected to the appropriate discipline action. For seniors this includes, sacrificing their participation in the commencement ceremony on May 27. For underclass students, this subjects them to being deemed ineligible to receive a parking pass for the fall and/or participate in Homecoming activities including, the Pep Rally, Parade, Game and Dance.

Grades for seniors will be finalized by Friday, May 20 in preparation for mandatory graduation practice on May 25 & May 26 (6:00 pm – Northcutt Stadium). Please check Aspen and follow up with your student’s teachers if you have any questions or concerns. Only seniors who have earned the 23 state required credits can participate in the commencement ceremony on May 27 at Northcutt Stadium. For more information please visit Commencement Handbook and Graduation FAQ.

Final grades for underclass students will be posted by May 31. If your student, senior or underclassmen, needs to recover a course credit due to a failure, please be sure to review the Summer School information below. To register in Summer School, please click HERE.

Thank you again for all of your support and patience this school year. Have a safe summer and see you in August!

Keith L. Ball

Principal

IB Head of School

Marietta Families,

As we approach the end of the school year, allow me to re-share some information that will help support your child through Final Exams and the last week of the semester. Please keep in mind that the last day of the semester and school year is Thursday, May 26. Some information in this communication is applicable to seniors and underclassmen.

*Below is the Final Exam schedule for 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th grade students:

*Please note that each exam day will be a late arrival for all students. Students can enter the building at 11:00 am. Bus drivers will notify students of their pickup time during late arrival days. Additionally, you can review the times here: Late Arrival Bus Pick Up Times

Students who were eligible to exempt school-based final exams next week, received information that requires both teacher and parent/guardian signatures. To be clear, EOC, IB, AP and EOPA exams cannot be exempted. Only school-based, teacher designed exams next week can be exempted if eligible.

Students who are eligible and choose to exempt a school-based final, will not be subjected to any negative impact on their final grade. Additionally, students who exempt finals are not required to attend class. However, if a student attends school, he or she must report to his or her scheduled class. Students cannot go to the gym, Media Center, cafeteria or any other part of campus except in their scheduled classroom.

Attendance is taken every day, in every block in an effort to know who is on campus. If your student exempted and does not attend that class, there is no penalty but an absence will be recorded. Again, attendance is taken for safety and security reasons only. Please note that parents may receive an absence notification from school. That process is kept in place to make sure we are all on the same page.

Please note: MHS is not an “Open Campus”. Students are not permitted to come on campus, attend a class, leave and return to campus. The only appropriate way for a student to leave campus before the school day ends is through the proper parent/guardian checkout procedures in the attendance office. Only the parents, guardians and family members you listed in Aspen are authorized to check-out a student.

Any student caught leaving and coming back on campus will be subjected to the appropriate discipline action. For seniors this includes, sacrificing their participation in the commencement ceremony on May 27. For underclass students, this subjects them to being deemed ineligible to receive a parking pass for the fall and/or participate in Homecoming activities including, the Pep Rally, Parade, Game and Dance.

Grades for seniors will be finalized by Friday, May 20 in preparation for mandatory graduation practice on May 25 & May 26 (6:00 pm – Northcutt Stadium). Please check Aspen and follow up with your student’s teachers if you have any questions or concerns. Only seniors who have earned the 23 state required credits can participate in the commencement ceremony on May 27 at Northcutt Stadium. For more information please visit Commencement Handbook and Graduation FAQ.

Final grades for underclass students will be posted by May 31. If your student, senior or underclassmen, needs to recover a course credit due to a failure, please be sure to review the Summer School information below. To register in Summer School, please click HERE.

Thank you again for all of your support and patience this school year. Have a safe summer and see you in August!

Keith L. Ball

Principal

IB Head of School

Blue Devil Families –

I hope my message finds you and your family doing well. With Spring Break behind us, we are in the final stretch of the school year! My staff has worked exceptionally hard I am beyond grateful for all they have poured into our students. In that same spirit, below are some friendly reminders and changes to our academic support opportunities.

Please be mindful of the opportunities and changes. I strongly encourage your student to attend these additional supports in an effort to finish strong.

After School Tutoring: MHS Contact – Ms. Jennifer Williams, Assistant Principal JenniferWilliams@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

- Targeted academic support for students in grades 9 – 12 with at least a 60% in a core academic course (Math, English, Science, and Social Studies)

- Wednesdays/Thursdays - All core subjects 2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

- Transportation and a snack are provided

- Remaining Dates: Every Wednesday and Thursday through May 25

Virtual Tutoring: MHS Contact – Ms. Jennifer Williams, Assistant Principal JenniferWilliams@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

- All students are welcome to attend

- Tuesdays/Thursdays – ELA & Math 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (through 5/25)

- Wednesdays – Social Studies & Science 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (through 5/21)

- Saturdays – All core subjects 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.

- Zoom link

Saturday School: MHS Contact – Ms. Kelly Brangan, Lead Counselor kbrangan@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

- Woods-Wilkins Campus at Lemon Street (350 Lemon Street is on the Cobb Link Bus Line)

- 8 a.m. – NOON

- All students are welcome to attend

- ELA/Literature, Math, Science, and Social Studies teachers are available every Saturday

- Transportation must be provided by the student/family

- All students must be picked up by NOON

- Vending machines are available to students who wish to purchase snacks/drinks

- Remaining Saturdays: April 16, April 23, April 30, May 7, May 14, May 21

- Spanish translation is available

- Virtual Tutoring is available on Saturdays between 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

- All students completing courses via Edgenuity may come to work and take assessments

Please keep in mind that all grades will be final at the semester which ends on Thursday, May 26 (Friday, May 20 for Seniors). Students have 6 more weeks to put forth their best effort knowing their grades will be posted to a transcript.

Summer School: MHS Contact – Mr. Michael Brown, Teacher on Special Assignment michaelbrown@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

- Purpose: Summer school is an opportunity for students to recover credits, or accrue credits in an effort to graduate on time with their cohort and friends.

- Registration Window: May 2^nd – June 6^th

- Cost: No cost for students eligible to graduate at the end of Summer School and o cost for students who are recovering credit.

o Students taking class for credit accrual (initial credit) will be charged $220 per 0.5 credits

- When and Where: Woods-Wilkins Campus at 350 Lemon Street

• • 1. 1. 1. • June 6^th – July 14^th (Monday – Thursday) 20 total days

             • Excludes the week of July 5th (GHSA Dead Week, July 4^th – July 10^th)

- Instructional Delivery Model: Virtual, using Edgenuity as the content platform

- Teacher Office Hours:

o Virtual: Monday - Thursday: 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

o In-Person at the Woods-Wilkins Campus at Lemon Street: Monday – Thursday: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Marietta Student Life Center (MSLC): MHS Contact – Ms. Sarah Barbour, Director-MSLC sbarbour@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

- The Opportunity Room (OR) provides a quiet place for students to complete work during the school day. Teacher referral required; students may ask their teacher for a pass.

- Reset for Success provides students the skills of setting goals and staying motivated to achieve them. After school on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

- Staff and counselors are always available to support student social and emotional needs.

A few friendly reminders originally sent in my January 28, 2022 message:

- All state required Milestones, IB exams, End of Course Pathway Assessments (EOPA), AP exams and school-based final exams are scheduled to be administered in April and May (MHS Spring Testing Calendar - click here to read). This calendar outlines the testing windows we will experience.

- Questions specific to IB Testing can be shared with our IB Coordinator, Ms. Manwell bmanwell@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

- Questions specific to AP testing can be shared with our College Board AP Coordinator, Dr. Mann bmann@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

- Questions specific to EOC testing can be shared with our MHS State Testing Coordinator, Ms. Brangan kbrangan@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

- Questions specific to EOPA testing can be shared with our EOPA Testing Coordinator, Ms. Nakeesha Wilson nwilson@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

- Feel free to reach out to your student’s teacher or counselor if you have questions regarding any other exams.

School-Based Final Exam Exemptions (click here to read):

- Exam exemptions have been a popular and effective strategy at MHS for years that took a hiatus during the last two springs due to the pandemic.

- Our goal this spring is to not over test or under assess our students. Therefore, students not taking high stakes exams (EOPA, AP, IB, Milestones) and who are not in a digital course delivered by GAVS or in our DLL will be eligible to exempt school-based exams.

- Please review the attached letter for specifics as the criteria has been revised from previous years.

- More information will be shared with your student over the next few weeks specific to this process and eligibility.

Thank you all for your support and patience during this very busy time of the year. I am looking forward to a strong finish! Keith

Keith L. Ball

Principal

IB Head of School

Class of 2022 Families –

Congratulations! We are just about a month away the Class of 2022 Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 27, 2022 at 7:30 pm (Northcutt Stadium).

Our Commencement Handbook and Graduation FAQ will be your guide during this exciting time. Please take your time to review both documents with your graduate and feel free to share it with guests.

Please note that each graduate can invite up to 10 guests to the commencement ceremony on May 27. The commencement ceremony is a ticketed only event. We are anticipating up to 600 graduates participating which, would be the largest class in the history of MHS.

For your convenience, the official graduation program will serve as the guests' ticket to the ceremony. The official graduation program (guest ticket) will be distributed to each graduate during practice on May 25 and May 26. Both graduation practices on May 25 and May 26 are mandatory for all graduates who want to participate in the commencement ceremony.

Looking forward to celebrating our seniors on May 27 with you and your loved ones.

Kindest regards – MHS PrinciPAL: Keith

Keith L. Ball

Principal

IB Head of School

Dear Blue Devil Families,

I hope my message finds you and your family doing well. We are entering the final 9 weeks of the school year and Spring Break is a week away. As the final two months fly by, please be sure to review the MHS Spring Testing Calendar and our MHS Master Calendar. There is a lot to prepare for and to celebrate this spring and we want you to be well-informed and ready to join us in finishing one of our most successful years during one of the most challenging times in our 130-year history. I am exceptionally grateful for your support!

Senior-Junior Prom:

This annual spring event and long-standing tradition is Saturday, April 23. Eligibility criteria has been communicated since January including being posted weekly in the Devil’s Advocate HERE. Friendly reminder, these are the eligibility requirements to attend:

• No Out of School Suspensions (OSS)

• Less than 4 days of In-School Suspension (ISS)/Opportunity Room (OR)

• Less than 6 Tardies to School (effective February 2)

• No school debts or fines

Tardies to School & Class:

The tardy bell at MHS rings every day at 7:45 am. Students must be in class by 7:45 am (not just at school) to avoid receiving a tardy slip. Based on the data pulled this week, 90% of the discipline infractions we deal with at MHS are tardies. Since instituting the revised tardy policy that went into effect on February 2, 2022, tardies to school and to class have significantly decreased. For your convenience, our doors open to students as early as 7:15 AM. We have the best transportation department on planet Earth, helping our bus riders arrive safe and on-time every day. If you drive your student or they drive themselves, traffic and weather can be unpredictable, please plan accordingly so our students can start their day on a positive note and are able to enjoy spring privileges like Prom.

Dress Code:

Moving through spring, it is our expectation that the MHS Dress Code is honored. We need your help and support as we continue to provide a positive and productive environment for teaching and learning. Please remember that gaiters and ski masks are not permitted. KN-95 masks and surgical masks are available every day, at no cost, to all students and staff.

May Commencement Ceremony:

On Friday, May 27 under the lights at Northcutt Stadium, we will conduct our Class of 2022 Graduation Ceremony. This special class has persevered through it all over the past two years. I am honored to hand them their diploma after four years together. The Class 2022 is in position to be the largest and one of the most successful classes ever at Marietta. An impressive resume filled with championships, honors and recognition at the state and national levels.

If you cannot join us at Northcutt on Friday, May 27, 2022, you are invited to view the ceremony via our LIVE stream at www.bluedevilnews.com.

Graduates & Families: Specific details regarding logistics and tickets will be shared in a detailed handbook shortly.

Finish strong Blue Devils!

Keith L. Ball

Principal

IB Head of School

Marietta High School

Blue Devil Families –

I hope my note finds you and your family doing well. My staff and I continue to navigate all that COVID-19 brings in an effort to provide a safe and vibrant experience for our students and community. Thank you again for your patience and support.

It is my pleasure to announce that MHS successfully completed our Federal Office of Civil Rights (OCR) review. Additionally, MHS successfully completed our state required Monitoring and Risk Assessment Review. MHS passed with flying colors and remains the only public school in the state of Georgia to have all 20 career pathways industry certified. A special thanks to all who helped support these very extensive reviews, especially Ms. Julie O’Meara, our CTAE Director and CEO of the College and Career Academy.

With just over 70 days remaining in this school year, I want to provide some timely and important information so you can plan for a very busy spring. As of now, all state required Milestones, IB exams, End of Course Pathway Assessments (EOPA), AP exams and school-based final exams are scheduled to be administered in April and May (MHS Spring Testing Calendar). The calendar I am providing outlines the testing windows we will experience. Detailed information on each exam will be sent out over the next few weeks by staff and teachers directly responsible for the test or exam administration. Feel free to reach out to your student’s teacher or counselor if you have any questions.

Additionally, I want to remind all stakeholders that our School Improvement Plan has two primary goals: Improve the 4-year graduation rate and improve student and staff attendance. Since becoming Principal in 2018, Marietta has made significant improvements in these areas including finally beating the state graduation average in 2021 and increasing graduation rates for all students. Even in a pandemic, local, state and federal mandates still hold MHS accountable for earning the required 23 credits and on-time graduation. I am so proud of my students, staff and community for persevering through all of the adversity to help make great things happen! This semester will be tough as we continue to build the stamina and endurance necessary to meet the challenges ahead. I wholeheartedly believe we will rise to the moment and thrive!

In an ongoing effort to hold our students accountable and meet our goals, we have revised and are reinstituting intentional policies to address behavior, including tardies. These policies have been adjusted knowing we are actively in a pandemic. Specifically, we are addressing tardies to school, tardies to class and other disruptive behavior. Please take some time to sit down with your student to discuss the expectations and privileges that are at stake. We want every student to feel informed so they can make good decisions that benefit them and help improve our school.

School-Based Final Exam Exemptions:

• Exam exemptions have been a popular and effective strategy at MHS for years that took a hiatus during the last two springs due to the pandemic.

• Our goal this spring is to not over test or under assess our students. Therefore, students not taking high stakes exams (EOPA, AP, IB, Milestones) and who are not in a digital course delivered by GAVS or in our DLL will be eligible to exempt school-based exams.

• Please review the attached letter for specifics as the criteria has been revised.

• More information will be shared with your student over the next few weeks specific to this process and eligibility.

Class AWOL/Tardy:

• Our students have significant room to improve relative to getting to school and class on time.

• In an effort to reward students who are doing the right thing, please note the privileges that will remain in place when students show up on time to school and class.

• For students who are still struggling to get to school and class on time, there are consequences that must be served to clear the tardy.

• Additionally, please note the privileges that will be lost if students are tardy to school and/or class.

• The data that will be recorded to issue consequences and/or remove privileges will start on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. This gives every student an opportunity to meet the expectation and retain their privileges.

• All absences and tardies accumulated prior to February 2, 2022 will remain part of the student’s attendance record but do not count negatively towards the revised tardy consequences and privileges.

• Please reinforce that students are not permitted to be out of class during the first 10 minutes and last 10 minutes. This allows my staff to clear the halls and issues tardies and AWOL slips.

• Additionally, students are not permitted to get a pass out of class during the 3^rd block instructional time. Students can use the restroom and access vending machines during the transition to 3^rd block, after 3^rd block and during the lunch period built into 3^rd block.

• Students that are tardy or AWOL (out of area) will receive the revised Tardy/AWOL slip and are required to execute the consequence during the allotted time frame.

• Please review the attached document to review the criteria and consequences including the loss of privileges.

Spring 2022 School Tardy Matrix:

• This revised matrix is specifically designed to address tardies to school.

• The data that will be recorded and impact privileges will start on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. This gives every student an opportunity to meet the expectation and retain their privileges.

• Please review the attached document.

Thank you again for your support! We will continue to prepare every Blue Devil to learn, earn and serve.

Kindest Regards -

Keith L. Ball, PrinciPAL