Senior parents- please take note of important upcoming events included in the graphic below! We don't want you to miss a thing!
January 23, 2024- Financial Aid Information Session
Cap and Gown Delivery Dates: March 28, 2024 and April 29, 2024- Lunches
Graduation Practice- May 22, 2024- MANDATORY
Important Dates:
January 4 - 2nd Semester begins - Students Return
January 10 - Fundraiser - FBLA - Amici’s Spirit Night
January 12 - Swim Dogs -Home-5:00 meet start (Sonny Wood Memorial)
January 12 - Dive Meet War Eagle Invite TBD @Woodward Academy
January 16 - FFA - Meeting 3:20 Room # 445
January 18 - FFA - CDE- EMA Wiring-Walton EMC-Monroe
January 19 - Dive Meet 53rd Annual Metro Meet @Westminster Schools
January 22 - Field Trip - FBLA Region Leadership Conf @ Jasper County HS 3:10p-7:00p Colby Anderson
January 23 - NHS Meeting 7:15 FA Commons
January 23 - Financial Aid Info Session 6:00 Auditorium Multipurpose Bldg (Seniors, Juniors & their parents)
January 24 - PLC’s - TMIA, TMIL, TMIS, Registration…it begins
January 27 - Georgia 4-H Horse Quiz Bowl contest 8:00-3:00 Classrooms,Cafeteria, Cafe & Media Center
January 27 - Swim Dogs - UGA Ramsey Center -waiting on time
January 27 - Dive Meet UGA Ramsey Invite #2 @UGA (Ramsey Center)
January 30 - Dive Meet Last Chance Meet TBD @Marist
January 30 - Fine Arts - 6th Grade Band Concert 7:00 MCHS Auditorium
January 31 - FFA - CDE-Livestock Judging, Forestry-UGA Livestock Arena-Athens
We have SO many opportunities for students when it comes to club involvement. From FCA to Chess Club to TSA, there really is something for everyone! Click on the button below and you will find the club names, sponsors, and meeting times!
Manger's Message
Unplug and Reflect
Getting a smartphone is now a rite of passage for most teens. In a recent study conducted by Common Sense Media 88% to 95% of teens (ages 13 to 18) have their own smartphone. About half of U.S. children get their first smartphone by age 11.
Young people describe a range of supportive and stressful experiences with their smartphones - some wish they hadn’t gotten one so early, while also describing it as an appendage they cannot live without. (Moreno et al., 2019).
In a report completed by commonsense.org: 2023 Constant Companion: A Week in the Life of a Young Person’s Smartphone Use, researched several factors in regards to teens and cell phone use. Following are some of the key takeaways.
Takeaway #1:
For most teens, smartphones take up a large portion of their waking hours. Many students have a signature or pattern to their phone use, their main “thing” that they love doing (or feel obsessed with) on their phone. It is recommended for parents to help students reflect on how their particular personality influences their relationship with their phone. Some talking points parents can ask:
What is your favorite app? Do you feel stressed or excited by it? Or both?
Does it feel like a job or “work” to stay up to date on everything?
What does it feel like when you don’t have your phone or the room is too quiet? Are you worried about missing out on anything?
Do you ever get the sense that you’ve been on your phone too long? What are the signs for you?
Takeaway #2
Time on smartphones among teens is dominated by apps that provide social interaction, entertaining videos and games. Some talking points to have with your student:
Which apps take up most of your time? Why is this? (This is a good question to ask yourself as well)
What are some ways to be in control while using your phone, other than timers that don’t always work?
Are there ways to be conscious of the need to not use your phone at certain times of the day?
Are there places that you could keep your phone, some apps you could remove, or “do not disturb” settings that could help you feel more in control?
Takeaway #3
One of the main things caregivers and teachers can do is help young people reflect on how smartphone notifications affect their emotions, concentration, and habits of checking their device - then empower young users to manage their notifications and set “do not disturb” times that align with their needs. Some talking points:
Look at the settings for screen time and digital wellness on your phone and your child’s phone. Discuss which apps send you the most notifications.
Discuss how to intentionally update the settings to cut out all of the extra disruptions that people mention as their biggest annoyance.
Reflect on how your phone tries to get your attention. This can lead to a great discussion in your family and classroom. It can give users a feeling of control over how much they use their smartphone
Takeaway #4
Phone use at night serves several purposes for teens, primarily to try to unwind at the end of the day. Some video content is both relaxing and sleep-displacing, and can become a procrastination strategy. Some things to talk about in regards to this:
Is your child getting enough time to relax and unwind?
Are they overscheduled or having difficulty finishing homework?
Strategize on how to help de-stress the other parts of their day first.
If your child finds it hard to separate from their phone at night, talk about what types of apps or content “wake their brain up” versus help them let go and calm down, and try to use only the calmer apps before bed.
Experiment a few nights of using the “do not disturb” settings, or putting the phone in another room overnight (this is for parents too!). Reflect with your child the next day about how it felt.
Recommendations for parents from Takeaways:
Rather than jump to judgment or frustration, adults should be curious about their experiences to meet students where they are
Students often worry that parents will take their phones if they reveal negative experiences. Let your child know that they can tell you about anything that happens on their phone and you'll help them through it.
We as parents use smartphones several hours per day. Use this as a way to reflect, exchange experiences, or experiment with changes in phone use to consider how it changes your mood, concentration, and sleep.
Understanding and accepting your child’s unique way of living in the world is a big part of understanding and communicating about their phone use.
And finally, have regular conversations to understand how your student feels about their life online.
Final thoughts:
Help kids reflect on their phone habits by having open, nonjudgmental conversations. Then give them a tool like a Family Tech Planner to suggest changes and set goals for themselves.
Help them find space for face-to-face conversations. Put phones down during key conversation times such as mealtimes, car rides, or on public transportation.
Model the manners and behavior you want to see. Avoid texting in the car. Consider describing your phone use ("I'm looking up directions to the party") so younger kids understand why you're using it. Make sure to excuse yourself if you have to interrupt a family moment to attend to your phone.
Charge kids' phones in a common area at night. Removing their phones can give kids a needed break.
Establish consequences for problematic phone use. If your kids are having trouble putting the phone away when you ask or are having other behavior problems with their phones, consider temporary time or location limits.
Understand the underlying reasons your child might be on their phone a lot. They may have a friend who is distressed and texting them, a game or app that's pinging for their attention, or they may be avoiding what they see as stressful interactions with others at home. Talking about it can help clarify what drives your child's phone use.
Article from: commonsense.org
Common Sense Media offers the largest, most trusted library of independent age-based ratings and reviews. Our timely parenting advice supports families as they navigate the challenges and possibilities of raising kids in the digital age.
Ms.Corrias' classes are finishing up their semester-long overarching theme of "Discovering Identity through Literature" by creating self-portraits and writing essays. The self-portraits consist of one side being students' interpretations of their looks and the other side a cacophony of all the things that make up students' real identities.
All classes earned their MAP incentive. We had an average of 54% increase in all classes and an average of a 7-point increase!
Message from Doug Connelly
Last month, The Georgia High School Association (GHSA), which is the governing body for over 400 member high schools in the state of Georgia, announced reclassification and region alignments for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years. The reclassification and region realignment process is undertaken every two years as means to ensure schools with similar enrollments are grouped together for competition at the region and state levels.
There are two major items to note from this year's reclassification process. First, the latest cycle reduced the number of classifications from seven to six. The immediate impact on Morgan County High School was a move from class AAA to class AA. Morgan County's athletic teams last competed in class AA during the 2011-2012 school year. Second, private schools in class A through AAA will compete in a separate bracket for state championships. This means that each public school in classes A-AAA will compete for state championships only against other public schools in their respective classification.
In terms of region assignment, Morgan County High School will be competing as a member of region 2 in class AA. For the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, the Bulldogs' region opponents will be as follows: Callaway, Jackson, Pike County, Rutland, and Westside (Macon). By the end of February, each Morgan County High School head coach will have met with head coaches from the other region schools to create region schedules for the next two school years. By all accounts, region 2-AA should provide increased competition at the region level in all sports. Non-region games will continue to account for half, if not more, of each sport's contests. Outside of the region, Morgan County High School's athletic teams will seek to schedule games against schools in relative proximity to Madison as well as those that help prepare our student-athletes and teams for the state playoffs.