First Fri-YAY Email! Welcome Back! 

Hello Monroe Families,

We are officially less than two weeks away from welcoming our Mustangs back to school, and the excitement is building!

Yesterday was a great reminder of just how special the Monroe community is. We had more than 300 students and families join us in person to kick off the new school year. The positive energy was in the air! It was wonderful to connect face-to-face, give high fives, joke around with students, meet new families, and reconnect with so many familiar faces. If you missed it our office is open M-F, 9am-12, 1-3pm to help with questions you might have or if you need to come by to update any relevant information. 

As we head into this school year, I also want to acknowledge the challenges we faced with budget cuts and staffing changes. We know these changes have created uncertainty and stress for our students, families, and staff. At the same time, we are optimistic about the year ahead. We have new opportunities in front of us, a dedicated staff, and a clear focus on what matters most for our students: Attendance, Belonging, and Learning.

For us as a staff, that focus connects directly to our Monroe mantra: SHOW UP. WORK HARD. BE KIND.

We are excited about the possibilities this year brings and look forward to building another great year together with our students, families, and community.

If you missed our summer newsletter—or just need a refresher—it has lots of important information to help families get ready for the first day, including:

• Key dates and important events

• School supply list

• Bell schedules

• Transportation information and links

• Registration and enrollment information

• And more!

Please take a few minutes to look it over as we get ready for the year (attached). 

Most importantly, thank you for being part of the Monroe Community. We can't wait to welcome everyone back and get this year started!

Have a wonderful Fri-YAY and enjoy these final days of summer! 

See below for a few other key reminders: 

Schedule Request Change Form: see HERE for the link and details. 

First Day of School:

• Tuesday, Sept. 8: First day of school for grades 6 (9 am-3:35 pm). ALL 6th graders students will receive new schedules in the morning out front. 

• Wednesday, Sept. 9: First day of school for all other grades- Early Release Wed (9 am-2:35 pm). ALL students will receive new schedules in the morning out front. 

Reporting Absences Electronically: Families will be able to excuse their students' unplanned absences electronically as the district is moving attendance notifications to ParentSquare for the coming school year.

To excuse an absence, families can leave a message on the school's attendance phone line or submit an online attendance note using the ParentSquare platform or its app. Please note: You cannot reply directly to a notification email or text to excuse an absence. Family members must be registered in ParentSquare to send electronic attendance notes. To register, visit www.parentsquare.com/signin, and register using the email address or mobile phone number you provided at your student's school.

When excusing an absence, please specify in the note the date(s) or period(s) you're excusing and the reason for excusing the absence. Accepted reasons for a student's absence typically are illness; medical appointment; family emergency, including an illness or death; and court proceeding.

Parents and guardians will receive emails and text messages notifying them of their students' unexcused absences each school day. Families have 48 hours, or two school days, after the student’s return to request that an absence is excused. They cannot opt out of attendance notifications as state law requires schools to notify parents and guardians of students' unplanned absences, both for safety and academic reasons.