MARTIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

🎨 SPEAKING OUT ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH🎨 Our Doodle for Google grand prize winner, Sophie Araque-Liu of Martin County High School, was featured on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt this week. Sophie spoke with Lester about the important meaning of the drawing she submitted to the annual contest, which led to her earning a $30,000 college scholarship and $50,000 for her school! Watch the video: https://youtu.be/67GBBl_pTTM #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud #MCSDTheRippleEffect

📣🎉SHOWING THAT MCSD TEAM SPIRIT📣🎉 The work of our Exceptional Student Education and Instructional Services departments ripples through each and every Martin County School District student every day. 💧Every day, IS team members strive to impact the students of Martin County by ensuring each student has access to high quality curriculum, instruction, and materials. Their ripple extends to all schools, students, and instructional staff and they appreciate the partnerships they have made throughout the District and community. 💧MCSD has awesome team members who are excited to make caring mental health ripple effects for our students by becoming Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructors! They help educators throughout our district identify risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems and how to address a student in need of support. 💧Today, ESE Program Specialists and IPS Coaches worked together at the Stuart Learning Center to create a positive “ripple” for our staff and students. #ALLINMartin👊

💧THE MCSD RIPPLE EFFECT💧 Spirit Day continues! From the very first staff interaction of the day to midday lunch time to the last person our students see before saying goodbye for the day, every single Martin County School District team members creates a ripple effect in each student's life. 💧Transportation: The first RIPPLE of the wave to a productive and positive school day. 💧💧Custodians keep our schools clean and clear the trail for learning. 💧💧💧Food Service Associates FUEL our students bodies with nutrition, so our teachers can FUEL their brains with knowledge. Healthy choices=healthy day. 💧💧💧💧Facilities staff help build the foundation, maintain the grounds where our students learn and can repair just about anything. #ALLINMartin👊 #TheMCSDRippleEffect

🎉📣TEAM MCSD SPIRIT DAY📣🎉 Today, Martin County School District staff are showing their team spirit with their #MCSDTheRippleEffect shirts! Throughout the day, check out the inspirational and educational ripples our educators and staff hope to create for our students all year. First up, Warfield Elementary School! "Mrs. Wright and Mrs. Roberts and our paras are creating the #RippleEffect in our classroom at Warfield Elementary by making sure students know how valued they are and teaching them to let their light shine." #ALLINMartin👊

✅ ON THE BALLOT ✅ Did you know?! Homeowners with a homestead exemption on last year's property tax bill (and continued for this year's bill) will see a DECREASE in school property taxes this year, even though property values have increased! This fact remains true even when factoring in the renewal of the "up to" one half-mill on August 23. View examples: https://bit.ly/3c6fx0q. 🗳Early voting is underway! Learn more about voting in Martin County: https://www.martinvotes.gov/. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🍎WELCOME MESSAGE FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD🍎 The Martin County School Board Members would like to welcome students, families and staff back to the Martin County School District for the 2022-2023 school year. 👀 Take a few minutes to watch this video as each school board member highlights what educators and staff can look forward to for the upcoming school year: -New math materials made by teachers and for teachers, keeping simplicity in mind -High teacher salaries and increased substitute pay -Expansion of mental health support -Opening of two brand-new elementary schools (Palm City Elementary School & Jensen Beach Elementary School) -Prioritizing and constantly improving school safety We hope every student and staff member has a wonderful school year full of learning and growth! https://youtu.be/4NwmwkczH0M #ALLINMartin #PublicSchoolProud #MCSDTheRippleEffect

✅ ON THE BALLOT: MILLAGE REFERENDUM RENEWAL✅ The Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors has endorsed the renewal of the millage referendum. The Martin County School District's need for a millage rate increase referendum comes down to the way schools are funded in Florida. At the state level, the Florida legislature determines the maximum amount of total K-12 spending in the state. The legislature sets statewide millage rates for local property taxes, along with the portion of local taxes each district must collect. Many residents are surprised to learn that due to our higher property values, Martin County does not receive as much state funding as other school districts. The state's funding formula attempts to create a level playing field for all of Florida's students, whether or not they reside in a county with high property tax values. The state allocates funds to local districts based on enrollment. A millage referendum is the only way a school district can secure additional funding for operational needs (salaries, academic initiatives, safety personnel) that cannot be covered using the funds allocated by the state. The existing millage referendum, which was generously approved by Martin County voters in 2018, provided an additional revenue of $47 million to fund key operational programs and services. One hundred percent (100%) of funds generated by the existing millage have stayed in Martin County. 🗳Early voting is underway! Visit martinvotes.gov to learn more. Election Day is August 23. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🍎ON THE AGENDA🍎 Today's School Board meeting will begin at 4:00 p.m. View the agenda: https://bit.ly/3SIJa8w Watch the livestream: https://youtu.be/eQ_mvs-3XYw #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

Rise and shine with our Doodle for Google CHAMPION on your mind! Visit Google.com today and check out the featured art to see for yourself! 💻 🎨 🏆 Thanks in part to our generous Martin County community members, who went #ALLINMartin👊 with their voting, Martin County High School senior Sophie Araque-Liu has been named the winner of Google’s annual student art competition. Sophie has earned a $30,000 college scholarship for herself and $50,000 for the establishment or improvement of a tech lab at MCHS! Read more: https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/doodle-for-google-winner-cares-for-herself-by-not-going-it-alone/ #MCSDTheRippleEffect #PublicSchoolProud

✅ ON THE BALLOT: ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY✅ The Martin County School District's Millage Oversight Committee has carefully monitored the spending of millage funds for the past four years to ensure complete alignment with what was promised to voters in 2018. Ms. Jessica Ville, a Martin County parent and taxpayer, serves as the Vice Chair of the Committee. She spoke in favor of renewing the millage during the Martin County School Board meeting on July 19, 2022. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/PIhJZ5GHlqg 🗳Early voting is underway now through August 20. Election Day is August 23. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

💻 FOCUS ON ACCESSIBILITY💻 Don't forget, families! You may complete your child's emergency card and your #BacktoSchool parental consent forms electronically in the FOCUS Parent Portal. Click here to access the FOCUS Parent Portal: https://martin.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus/ If you do not currently have access to the FOCUS Parent Portal, click here to view instructions for claiming your account: https://martin.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus/auth/ 📲Have questions about accessing FOCUS? Contact the data entry registrar at your child's school. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🌞 RISE & SHINE🌞 We're #ALLINMartin👊 and ready for our first full week of learning! See you soon, students! #PublicSchoolProud #MCSDTheRippleEffect

🍎MONDAY MORNINGS WITH MILLAY🍎 Tune in to the WSTU 1450 AM Morning Show at 8 tomorrow! Superintendent John D. Millay will discuss the excitement felt throughout the District at the start of the new school year. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud #MCSDTheRippleEffect

💜Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care💜 Port Salerno Elementary School staff took a different approach when it came to preparing for the new school year. Teachers went on a field trip throughout the Golden Gate and Port Salerno communities to see where their students come from and what kind of resources are available after kids leave their class. Administration set up this field trip in hopes to give their staff a new perspective and create stronger connections with their students. Some of the stops along the tour include the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County--Port Salerno site, the Lamar Howard Park Cassidy Center (managed by Martin County Parks and Recreation) and Elev8hope. WATCH: https://youtu.be/xQgtOlgAYpU #ALLINMartin #PublicSchoolProud #MCSDTheRippleEffect

🍎FIRST DAY RECAP🍎 Icebreakers, campus guides, setting goals and lots of emotions...there's a little bit of everything on the first day of school. This year is the year of the #MCSDRippleEffect. It's the opportunity we each have daily to go #ALLINMartin👊 within the Martin County School District and make a difference in the lives of our students. It could be as small (and adorable) as South Fork High School football players guiding Crystal Lake Elementary School kindergartners to their classroom, or as big as helping every child reach their educational goals this year. Let's make the 2022-2023 school year amazing together! Watch the video: https://youtu.be/MqtXxz4PPZo #ALLINMartin👊 PublicSchoolProud

✅ON THE BALLOT✅ The TCPalm Editorial Board has recommended that Martin County voters approve the millage referendum renewal on their ballots this month: "In a perfect world, there would be a better way for Florida school districts to adequately fund their operations without seeking voter approval every four years. Unfortunately, though, the state's formula for funding schools sets limits on how much districts can spend on their own without these types of referendums. If approved by the voters, the bulk of the money raised through the millage levy would supplement compensation for teachers and school support staff members. Smaller amounts would fund school resource officers and mental health counseling programs. Recruiting and retaining teachers is an issue in Martin County and elsewhere. School districts are using whatever methods they can, including millage referendums, to keep their classrooms staffed by qualified workers. If voters approve this referendum, it will essentially keep in place a funding structure comparable to the one voters approved four years ago. If the referendum is rejected, it might force the Martin County School Board to take actions that would effectively reduce take-home pay for teachers and support staff. It could also result in cutbacks to school safety and mental health programs at a time when school shootings, bullying, and other problems are all too frequent. A "yes" vote is recommended to provide a short-term solution to address these issues." Read via TCPalm: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/opinion/2022/08/10/tcpalm-recommendations-martin-school-tax-st-lucie-tax-abatements/10240082002/ Get answers to frequently asked questions about the millage renewal here: https://www.martinschools.org/page/referendum ✅Election Day is August 23. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🍎🍼BEGININNG WITH THE END IN MIND🍼🍎 Talk about a cuteness overload! 💕 Warfield Elementary School welcomed its first "Future Warrior" of the 2022-2023 school year today! This handsome little guy's big sisters are enrolled in 3rd and 4th grades at the school. Are you or someone you know the parent of an infant who will one day be a student in the Martin County School District? Visit the school nearest your home to pick up your own Future Graduate t-shirt! 🎓🎓 #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

📸 FIRST DAY VIBES📸 The Martin County School District's #FirstDayofSchool was filled with excitement, anticipation, positivity and happiness! Our faculty, staff and administrators are looking forward to an outstanding year filled with new opportunities to educate all students for success. Please continue sharing your photos with us using #MCSDTheRippleEffect. 🍎📚🍎📚 #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

💧 THE RIPPLE EFFECT💧 📸We love seeing all of your #FirstDayofSchool photos, families!📸 Please continue to tag us in your memories on social media using #MCSDTheRippleEffect. The Ripple Effect is the opportunity we each have daily to go #ALLINMartin👊 and make a difference in the lives of our students. We love seeing our community get into the spirit with us! 💕💕

🍎FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL READY🍎 It's the first day back to school for many students, teachers and staff, and it's also a brand new start for more than 100 Martin County School District employees! Although these educators might be in a new career, educational role or school building, our Professional Development team made sure they were ready to begin the year on the right foot and with a lot of support. Our annual three-day New Educator Orientation is a great way for new staff to learn the in's and out's of the Martin County School District and what it means to be #ALLINMartin👊! Check out some of the new faces you'll see around the district 👀 👀 https://youtu.be/ZLehM_DoEJg