Marion School District

Celebrate emancipation. Celebrate freedom. #juneteenth

We are excited to welcome Coach Lance Clark to the Patriot community as our new head football coach! Coach Clark comes to us with extensive experience as an assistant coach at Little Rock Christian and some of the top high schools in Alabama. To read more about Coach Clark and his plans for the Patriot program, click here: https://www.msd3.org/article/481747

The Marion School District is seeking critical feedback from parents, staff, students, and other community stakeholders who have significant insight into the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on teaching and learning. Feedback will be used to inform the district's plan for the use of ARP ESSER (Covid Relief Funding) funds received. ARP ESSER is part of the American Rescue Plan Act signed into law on March 11, 2021. ARP ESSER stands for “American Rescue Plan Act: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief.” The funding is designed to help schools return safely to in-person instruction, maximize in-person instruction time, sustain the safe operations of schools, and address the academic, social, emotional, and mental health impact of COVID-19. As the Marion School District develops its plan for the use of this federal funding, we are seeking feedback from stakeholders throughout the community. To share your feedback, please follow this link: https://forms.gle/j5QVzSKop35ynR5u7 We thank you for your input and your continued support.

We are currently experiencing problems with our phone system, district-wide. We apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing for our families and other stakeholders. We are working on the problem and hope to have it fixed quickly. Thank you for your patience!

Congratulations for MHS Band Director Monty Hill for being selected as a National Quarter-Finalist for the Grammy Music Educator Award. To read more about this awesome recognition, click here: https://www.msd3.org/article/477568

HEALTH NEWS: The director of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention is stepping up calls for teenagers to get vaccinated after new data from the agency shows a third of all teens hospitalized for Covid-19 this year required ICU care. To read more, click here: https://www.msd3.org/article/477547

REMINDER: The Marion School District's summer meal program is underway. The district is providing breakfast and lunch to anyone 18 and under through the program. Meals can be picked up daily from MST, located at 100 L.H. Polk. Adults can pick meals up for any child 18 and under. This is pick-up only -- children cannot be dropped off at the school for meal service. An adult must accompany children while picking up meals. Please enter at the main entrance of the school through the office. Breakfast will be available from 8-9 a.m., and lunch will be available from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Additionally, Marion School District will also be distributing meals at selected sites in the community. These routes will run each Monday and Thursday providing three days’ worth of meals at each distribution site. Items will be distributed via a white minivan with the Marion Schools logo on the doors. Employees with blue shirts and a Taher Food Service logo will be distributing meals.. The distribution locations and times in Marion are as follows: - 35 Windsor, 11:00 a.m. - 120 Chestnut Dr., 11:25 a.m. - Hickory & Sycamore, 11:30 a.m. - Hickory & Lori, 11:35 a.m. - Hickory & Cottonwood, 11:40 a.m. - Hickory & Sherwood, 11:45 a.m. - Hickory & Willow, 11:50 a.m. - Sycamore & Willow, 11:55 a.m. Meal service will end Friday, July 16 for pickup at MST and Thursday, July 15 for the meals delivered into the community.

School may be out, but our teachers are still hard at work, preparing for the months ahead. This week, MSD staff members gathered at the Marion Performing Arts Center to receive training for both special education services in the district and RISE (Reading Initiative for Student Excellence). There were 2 different trainings: The one in the lobby was Mr. Greg Hodges working with his special education staff. The one in the auditorium was Mary Inman and Straley Owen presenting facilitated RISE day 3 for district employees who are on the awareness pathway in RISE. If you want me to give more detail, I'm happy to do that. You might reach out to Mr. Hodges if you want more detail about his training. Thanks! Sandra

We were thrilled to see the Marion School District featured in the latest issue of "Instructional Leader," the statewide publication of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators. It's a great look at our vision for growth for our district, our students, and our community. You can check out the article here: https://www.msd3.org/article/476720

Beginning Monday, June 7, 2021, the Marion School District and Taher Food Service will be distributing meals at selected sites in the community. These routes will run each Monday and Thursday providing three days’ worth of meals at each distribution site. Items will be distributed via a white minivan with the Marion Schools logo on the doors. The distribution locations and times are as follows: - 35 Windsor, 11:00 a.m. - 120 Chestnut Dr., 11:25 a.m. - Hickory & Sycamore, 11:30 a.m. - Hickory & Lori, 11:35 a.m. - Hickory & Cottonwood, 11:40 a.m. - Hickory & Sherwood, 11:45 a.m. - Hickory & Willow, 11:50 a.m. - Sycamore & Willow, 11:55 a.m.

We want to congratulate Coach Keith Houston on his new coaching job at Chisholm Trail High School in Fort Worth, Texas. Though we are sad to see him leave Marion, we wish him nothing but the best in his new endeavor. In his 3 years at Marion, Houston put up an 18-13 record, taking the Patriots to the state playoffs all three years. Last season, Marion reached the 5A semifinals – the school’s best finish since 2006. From Superintendent Glen Fenter: “We have been proud to have Coach Houston in the Patriot family. We are sad to see him go, but we are also happy for him with his new opportunity. Replacing him will not be easy, but we have already initiated a search for an appropriate replacement and are preparing an operational plan for the transition.” To read more, click here: https://www.msd3.org/article/474946

Parents: If your child has medication in the nurse's office, it will need to be picked up from the nurse by 3:30 on June 2nd. Medications not picked up by a parent are not saved over the summer for next school year and will be disposed of after June 2nd. Also, please remember that medications must be picked up by a parent and they cannot be sent home with students. If you have any questions, please contact the nurse on your child's campus.

Memorial Day is a great day to enjoy time with friends and family, but the holiday has a deeper meaning. We remember and honor those who gave their lives for our freedom.

Class of 2022: Information regarding your senior photos below! 1. July 12-15 are the photo dates 2. $20 sitting fee is required to get the photos taken. This fee will go toward the purchase of your photos for up to 60 days (you will have a coupon code). After 60 days, the full price will be charged. 3. Boys: Please wear a white button-down with a black bow tie and/or black tie. A jacket will be provided for you. 4. Girls: Please wear a black tank top or spaghetti strap. No flashy jewelry. 5. You do NOT get to retake your photos on the make-up day The photographer will make sure you approve your photos before you leave your session in the summer. Make-up day will be for those who did not take photos during the summer. Also, only the Tux/Drape photos will be taken on the make-up day. If you have questions, contact Ms. Westerman at awesterman@msd3.org

Parents: If your child has medication in the nurse's office, it will need to be picked up from the nurse by 3:30 on June 2nd. Medications not picked up by a parent are not saved over the summer for next school year and will be disposed of after June 2nd. Also, please remember that medications must be picked up by a parent and they cannot be sent home with students. If you have any questions, please contact the nurse on your child's campus.

We're almost ready for graduation! As a reminder, our graduation ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 27, at Patriot Stadium. (In the event of inclement weather, the event will be moved to Friday, May 28.) Capacity will be limited, with each graduate receiving 6 tickets for family and friends. For those unable to attend the event, the ceremony will also be live-streamed at marionpatriots.com and through the Marion Patriots Mascot Media app.

ATTENTION FAMILIES: Starting Friday, May 28, meals will no longer be delivered to virtual students. The 7 days of meals provided the week of May 25 will cover students through the end of the school year. If you have any questions, please contact our child nutrition department at 870-739-5100, ext. 10112.

Congratulations to MHS art students Dixie Buie, Amelia Johnson, Anna Roberts, and John Williams for being selected as finalists in the 2021 Congressional Art Competition! Their work was selected from among more than 200 entries from 30 schools in east Arkansas. To read more, click here: https://www.msd3.org/article/469730

Weekly COVID update 5/17-5/21 Staff reported positive for COVID-19 : 0 Staff quarantined due to exposure to COVID-19 : 1 Students reported positive for COVID-19 this week: 2 Students quarantined due to exposure to COVID-19 this week: 16 Total staff positive for COVID-19 since 7/24/20: 102 Total staff quarantined due to exposure since 7/24/20: 291 Total students positive for COVID-19 since 7/15/20: 265 Total students quarantined due to exposure since 7/15/20: 2640

The Marion School District will not offer a virtual instruction program for grades K-12 for the 2021-22 academic year. Marion School Board members voted 7-0 Thursday, May 20, to approve a recommendation from Superintendent Glen Fenter to end its current version of virtual programming at the conclusion of the current school year. “We have learned many things during the past year,” Fenter said, “and one of the most important lessons is that a virtual-based educational model does not work well for the majority of our students. We are committed to providing the most-effective learning environment possible, and we know that our students learn best when they are physically present in a classroom, with a dedicated, talented teacher leading the effort.” To read more, click here: https://www.msd3.org/article/467358