Walker Pre-K

MJCL Receives King Foundation Grant to Support the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Magnolia Junior Charity League has been awarded a $1,000 grant from Arkansas Imagination Library and the Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation in Dallas, TX. Grant funds will be used to purchase Imagination Library books in Columbia County, which is one of 28 counties in east and south Arkansas where the King Foundation focuses its grant making. “We are very appreciative for the $1,000 grant from the King Foundation to the Magnolia Junior Charity League. Their support allows us to continue providing the children in our community the opportunity to participate in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and receive books month after month. Currently, 437 children receive books and that would not be possible without supporters and donors like the King Foundation.” -Anna Smith, MJCL 2020-2021 President Every child enrolled in the Imagination Library program receives high quality, age-appropriate books in the mail – one book per month until a child’s fifth birthday – at no cost to families. Parents or guardians of children under age five in Columbia County can enroll their child in Imagination Library by going to https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/find-my-program/ Currently, almost 40,000 books are mailed to Arkansas children each month through independent Imagination Library affiliates operating in all 75 counties in Arkansas. Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the world’s preeminent early childhood book gifting program. The Imagination Library mails more than 1.5 million high quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age five. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation has mailed well over 100 million free books in Australia, Canada, The Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom and the United States. The program’s impact has been widely researched, and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, visit https://imaginationlibrary.com/.

Dear Parents: Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this pandemic. We realize you have many questions, and we are trying to put together a plan for starting school back in August that is safe for our kids, follows guidance from Arkansas Department of Health and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and still provides our kids with some sense of normalcy. We have had over 60 teachers, parents, healthcare workers and other stakeholders developing this plan, and we are close to completing a document for release. There are a few questions we would like your input on prior to finalizing our plan and releasing the documents. We ask that you take a minute to complete the survey by Sunday, July 12, 2020. https://rb.gy/3jkhif Thank you!

Magnolia Junior Charity League Sponsors Summer Backpack Program

BAILEY COBURN RECOGNIZED AS DISTRICT TEACHER OF THE YEAR The Magnolia School Board recognized East Side Elementary School music teacher, Bailey Coburn as the 2020 District Teacher of the Year at their regular meeting on June 15. Superintendent, John Ward read Mrs. Coburn’s biography and then presented her with a plaque of recognition. Bailey will now represent the Magnolia School District in the Arkansas Teacher of the Year (ATOY) competition. Arkansas regional finalists will be announced the week of July 3-8. Regional finalists will also attend a reception ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock on July 31, where the four ATOY finalists will be announced. During the fall of 2020, the ATOY selection panel will visit the finalists’ schools for classroom observation and interviews. The 2021 Arkansas Teacher of the Year will then be announced sometime prior to December 20, 2020.

BAILEY COBURN RECOGNIZED AS DISTRICT TEACHER OF THE YEAR The Magnolia School Board recognized East Side Elementary School art teacher, Bailey Coburn as the 2020 District Teacher of the Year at their regular meeting on June 15. Superintendent, John Ward read Mrs. Coburn’s biography and then presented her with a plaque of recognition. Bailey will now represent the Magnolia School District in the Arkansas Teacher of the Year (ATOY) competition. Arkansas regional finalists will be announced the week of July 3-8. Regional finalists will also attend a reception ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock on July 31, where the four ATOY finalists will be announced. During the fall of 2020, the ATOY selection panel will visit the finalists’ schools for classroom observation and interviews. The 2021 Arkansas Teacher of the Year will then be announced sometime prior to December 20, 2020.

MAGNOLIA JUNIOR CHARITY LEAGUE SPONSORS SUMMER BACKPACK PROGRAM

BAILEY COBURN SELECTED MAGNOLIA SCHOOL DISTRICT TEACHER OF THE YEAR Magnolia School District personnel recently selected Bailey Coburn as the 2020 District Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Coburn is the music teacher at East Side Elementary School where she instructs approximately six hundred students in grades 1-3. Bailey is a graduate of Ashdown High School and Henderson State University. She began her career in Magnolia when she did her student teaching in the fall of 2014. She assisted with the band program and with East Side’s music program. After earning her Bachelors of Music in Education, Bailey taught in the El Dorado and Spring Hill school districts. However, she was always drawn back to Magnolia, working as the high school receptionist and finally returning to East Side as the elementary music teacher. At East Side, Bailey teaches approximately 600 students per week. She incorporates music from many cultures and time periods. She leads five music programs each year, including last year’s first-ever East Side Veterans Day program. She also includes self-regulation exercises in music class and began a weekly yoga program for students with behavioral and/or sensory issues. Bailey is married to Russell Coburn, a former Magnolia band director. They have one son, Henry, who will be three in June. They also have their rescue dog, Molly. Bailey’s hobbies include playing piano and ukulele, learning new technology, and taking naps. She loves to uplift her coworkers and come up with innovative ideas for the classroom. She can often be found with a to-do list in one hand and a Dr. Pepper in the other. Bailey is also an advocate for mental health and pushes her students to do their best. Mrs. Bailey is now eligible for the 2020 Arkansas Teacher of the Year competition.

Magnolia School District has been approved to join forces with Baylor University to offer the Meals-To-You program. What does this mean? It means that meals for your student(s) will be delivered to your home! Each household, with children ages 1-18 who qualify for free or reduced school meals, will need to go to the website www.mealstoyou.org and sign up by Monday, May 11th. PLEASE help share this to get the word out. This program will be replacing the food service delivery we have been doing since mid-March. Magnolia School District will not deliver meals after this Friday, 05/08. This is a great opportunity for our community!

The 2020 Census is here…I count, you count.. Please respond

Magnolia School District Supports April as Month of the Military Child

Magnolia Schools Superintendent Mr. John Ward gives an update on COVID-19 and our District. Click the link below to view the update video: https://youtu.be/moEmPtyDNis

Some clarification on AMI Information for this week: AMI assignments are made available online at www.magnoliaschools.net under the News section. Links to each campus are provided. AMI assignment packets may also be picked up on the individual campuses from 1:00-3:00 today. For anyone who is unable to access the online assignments or pick them up on the campuses, the AMI assignment packets will be available at the following lunch pick-up locations Tuesday-Friday, March 17-20: o Central Elementary Cafeteria Drive Through- 11:00-1:00 o West Side Park-12:00-12:30 o South Side Park-12:00-12:30 o McNeil Old School-12:00-12:30 o Waldo Old Fire Station-12:00-12:30 o Village Old School-12:00-12:30

Walker Pre-K students have been learning about insects this week. Parents, please ask your children to tell you some of the things they have learned! Please visit our Facebook fan page to see additional photos!

The Magnolia School District will close all campuses and office buildings on Friday, March 13, 2020 in order that faculty, staff, and students may attend the State 4A Basketball Tournament in Hot Springs. The Magnolia High School Panthers will be defending their state championship title when they take on the Mills University Studies Comets at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Game time is set for 7:45 pm. A make-up day will be determined and announced on a later date.

The Walker Pre-Kindergarten Center celebrated Dr. Seuss Week! Please visit our Facebook fan page to see additional photos!

Public Schools Week - February 24-28

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What a wonderful time we had at our parties today! Please visit our Facebook fan page to see additional photos!

Everyone's talking about the new Magnolia Schools Mobile App. Are you wondering what it's all about? Check out this video! It will answer any questions you may have, and then some! https://youtu.be/YJ25s03oPUs Download the free app using the links below using the link that's right for your device! Android: http://bit.ly/3aO03J4 or iPhone: https://apple.co/2tRYTeO.

We are loving our new app! Access sports, cafeteria menus, news updates, and even emergency notifications, right from your pocket. Download the app on Android: http://bit.ly/3aO03J4 or iPhone: https://apple.co/2tRYTeO. Watch this short, informative video for details!