Millbrook Elementary

📚 A Big Thank You to Public Education Partners (PEP)! 🎉 We are so grateful to Public Education Partners for their generous donation of $15 vouchers for each of our 3rd-grade students! Thanks to their support, our young readers had the opportunity to select books that will fuel their love for reading and help them grow as learners. 📖✨ Your commitment to fostering a love of reading and supporting our students is truly appreciated. Thank you for making this Book Fair experience extra special!

The 2025 Millbrook Battle of the Books Champions are the Reading Witches (Emma Branney, Layla McKie, Harper Robinson - not pictured, Angela Le, Abigail Hammond, and Emily Williams)! They will face off against our winning faculty team at STEAM Night on March 13 and then represent our school at the Aiken County Elementary Battle of the Books competition on Monday, March 24. Congratulations, Reading Witches! We are so proud of you and all our participants this year!

Please join us in congratulating the teams who have made it to the semi-finals of this year's Battle of the Books! The competition has been fierce, and we're excited to reveal the teams moving on to the next round. Our semi-finalists are: On Point Readers, Reading Witches, The Super 6, and Book Warriors. The final battle will take place tomorrow afternoon, where the top two teams will go head-to-head for the title of 2025 Millbrook Battle of the Books Champions! Who will take the title? Only time will tell! Good luck to all teams!

We are excited to announce the teams advancing to Round 2 of the Battle of the Books competition at Millbrook Elementary! Congratulations to all the teams for their hard work and dedication! After a thrilling first round of battles, these teams have earned their place in the next phase of competition: Kittens of Books On Point Readers The Smart Cookies Reading Witches The Super 6 The Vicious 5 The Big 6 Book Warriors We cannot wait to see the incredible knowledge and teamwork in Round 2 today.

ACPSD fifth graders are invited to submit an application for the Aiken County Career and Technology Center’s CTE Techno Camp being held on Saturday, March 15, from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Interested students must submit an application by next Wednesday, February 26, at 5 p.m. to be considered. As part of the application, students will select their choice of two CTE programs to explore such as Under the Hood, Team Fashion Design, Photo Pea: Introduction to Photoshop, Code-A-Bot: Robotics, Digital Art and Media: Photography, Cosmetology 101, Barber Shop 101, Aiken Culinary Chefs, Nail Tech 101, An EMT to the Rescue!, The Life of a Biomedical Scientist, and Hair Braiding 101. For more information, please visit the Aiken County Career and Technology Center’s website. Techno Camp Information is available under “Resources,” or call (803) 593-7300. Application Link: tinyurl.com/CTEtechnoCamp

We are excited to announce the results of SC Book Award voting at Millbrook Elementary! A total of 318 students participated in voting for their favorite picture book! The winning book at Millbrook Elementary with forty-one votes is Chester Van Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme. Nineteen students voted for their favorite children's book nominee, and the winning title was Just Harriet. The state winners will be revealed in March, so be sure to stay tuned to see which books come out on top across South Carolina! Thank you to all the students who voted and made this process so much fun. We can't wait to see which book will win the state awards!

🎉📚 Millbrook Colts are voting for their favorites in the SC Picture Book and Children's Book Awards! 🗳️✨ It’s an exciting time to see which books will come out on top! Get ready to discover the next big read that everyone will be talking about! 🏆 Which book are you hoping to win? Let us know!

Our Scholastic Book Fair is coming March 3-7! Don't forget to set up your student's eWallet account for cashless, stress-less shopping. Friends and family can even contribute funds! Set one up here: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/millbrookelementaryschool2.

We can't do it without you! Please consider volunteering to help at the Book Fair, March 3-7. Volunteer sign ups are available through our Millbrook Elementary PTO page (https://millbrookpto.ptboard.com/sgnvw). The story starts with you!

Mark Your Calendars and Join Us for Literacy Quest – A Family Fun Event! We’re excited to invite you to Literacy Quest, a fun and engaging family literacy event sponsored by Kennedy Middle School, Aiken Intermediate, East Aiken School of the Arts, Chukker Creek, Millbrook, and Oakwood-Windsor Elementary Schools. Date: February 13, 2025 Time: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Location: Kennedy Middle School Gymnasium Come explore exciting reading and literacy activities for all ages, enjoy delicious food from on-site food trucks, and be entered for a chance to win door prizes! This event is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the joy of reading with your family and community. We can’t wait to see you there! Let’s make literacy fun together!

MILLBROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL'S TERRA VAN DER LINDEN NAMED TO 2025-26 ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR HONOR COURT Congratulations to Millbrook Elementary Assistant Principal Terra Van Der Linden on being named to the 2025-26 STARS of Public Education Assistant Principal of the Year Honor Court! District leaders surprised Assistant Principal of the Year Honor Court members, who are the top three winners in the school district, at their schools earlier this month. The District will host all school winners, recognize top nominees, and announce District winners during the STARS of Public Education Banquet at Aiken High School on March 20, 2025. Congratulations, Mrs. Van Der Linden! We are thankful for you!! Stay tuned to our district website and social media as we continue to celebrate our Honor Court Members for Assistant Principal of the Year, Principal of the Year, First Year Teacher of the Year, and Teacher of the Year over the coming week!✨ #ACPSDcelebrates #STARSOfPublicEducation

Aiken County Public Schools will return to in-person learning and work tomorrow, Friday, January 24; in an abundance of caution, all schools and offices will begin the day on a two-hour delayed start. In preparation for a decision on tomorrow’s operations, our leaders have driven hundreds of miles across the county. Daytime temperatures are beginning to increase, melting snow and drying most roadways. However, it would not be possible to investigate each and every road that families and employees may travel tomorrow, and there are possibly secondary roads and well-shaded dirt roads that may remain unsuitable for travel. Please use additional caution when traveling to school and work tomorrow, avoiding less-travelled secondary routes, where possible. The safety of our students, staff, and families is of most importance; please reach out to school leadership with any concerns. Families in our more rural areas, please stay tuned for possible school bus pickup location changes that may be necessary. Important Details for tomorrow: • Student Meals: With the delayed start schedule, only lunch will be served tomorrow in our cafeterias. • Half-Day & Partial-Day Programs: Students on half-day and partial-day schedules, including Early Learning Special Education students, are encouraged to attend school if possible, however school bus transportation will not be available as buses will be unable to run mid-day routes. • No Before-School Activities: No activities will be permitted before school starts on the two-hour delay. • After-School Activities: Afterschool care through QuestZone will be held tomorrow, as well as other activities planned for after school hours if scheduled by event organizers, club sponsors, coaches, etc. • Aiken County Career and Technology Center: Morning session students should report to their high schools. The afternoon session will continue as planned. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in-person tomorrow. Thank you for your patience and flexibility!

Dear Parents, This is a friendly reminder that there’s only ONE day left to shop our Double Good Popcorn fundraiser, and the shop will close tomorrow at 5:00 PM! 50% of all proceeds go directly to supporting our PTO’s goal of purchasing additional shade options for the playground, ensuring a cooler and more comfortable recess for all students and teachers. It’s a simple and delicious way to help improve our playground! If you haven’t already, please consider setting up your student’s Popcorn Shop and share it with friends and family. Every purchase helps us get one step closer to our goal! Thank you so much for your support!

ACPSD E-Learning/Remote Workday Thursday, January 23 We hope you’ve had an opportunity to enjoy the snow and that the assignments for e-learning today have been worthwhile practice. In collaboration with local Emergency Management officials, district administration is monitoring the impact of Winter Storm Enzo. Based on current conditions of significant snowfall accumulation in many areas and predicted freezing temperatures overnight, Aiken County Public Schools will continue in an e-learning format tomorrow, Thursday, January 23. With travel concerns for students and families, as well as teachers and staff, tomorrow will also be a remote workday for employees. Just like today, teachers will be available for student questions and support with e-learning assignments. We apologize for the disruption that continued e-learning tomorrow may cause, and appreciate your support and understanding. The safety of travel conditions will be reevaluated mid-day tomorrow with the hopes that conditions will allow for a safe return to in-person learning for Friday. An update on our district’s operations for Friday, January 24, will be announced no later than 4 p.m. tomorrow. Thank you again for your flexibility.

MILLBROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL’S BROOKE KIRKLAND NAMED TO 2025-26 GEM (GIVING EVEN MORE) HONOR COURT Congratulations to Millbrook Elementary Secretary Brooke Kirkland on being named to the 2025-26 STARS of Public Education GEM Honor Court! District leaders surprised GEM Honor Court members, who are the top five winners in the school district, at their schools last week. The District will host all school winners, recognize top nominees, and announce District winners during the STARS of Public Education Banquet at Aiken High School on March 20, 2025. Congratulations, Mrs. Kirkland! We are so thankful for you! Stay tuned to our district website and social media as we celebrate our Honor Court Members for GEM of the Year, Professional Staff Member of the Year, District Level Administrator of the Year, Assistant Principal of the Year, Principal of the Year, First Year Teacher of the Year, and Teacher of the Year over the coming week! ✨ #ACPSDcelebrates #STARSOfPublicEducation

With snow expected across our county today and into tomorrow morning, all Aiken County Public Schools will transition to e-learning and a remote workday tomorrow, Wednesday, January 22. Student e-learning will be available online, and our teachers are available for support. Should your student have any questions, difficulty, or need assistance with their e-learning assignments, please reach out. While snowfall is not expected to continue beyond tomorrow morning, temperatures are predicted to remain well below freezing. Accumulating snowfall may impact our district’s operations for Thursday. A decision on operations for Thursday will be announced by 4 p.m. tomorrow, and will be made with the safety of all students, families, and employees at heart. As always, we are grateful for the flexibility of our school community. Please be safe, and stay warm and tuned in to any further updates that Winter Storm Enzo may cause for our operations this week.

In the event that we have snowy weather and an e-learning day tomorrow, Wednesday, January 22, the Millbrook Specials team is excited to offer a special Snow Day E-Learning Choice Board for our students. This digital choice board includes a variety of engaging activities that students can complete from home, ensuring that they stay connected with their learning while enjoying the snow day. These are in addition to the activities and assignments sent home by your child's teacher. The activities are designed to be flexible and can be completed at your child's own pace throughout the day. Please encourage your child to explore the different options on the choice board and select the ones that interest him/her the most. The goal is to provide a mix of fun and educational activities that support continued learning. You can find the Snow Day E-Learning Choice Board at https://messpecialssnowdayelearning.my.canva.site/ If you have any questions or need additional information, please email Ms. Barber at fbarber@acpsd.net.

Our school district administrators are continuing to monitor Winter Storm Enzo alongside Emergency Management Officials. With the possibility of snow forecasted late tomorrow afternoon and into the evening hours, Aiken County Public Schools will operate on an Early Dismissal Schedule Tuesday, January 21, 2025. Just as on Early Dismissal Days, elementary school students will dismiss at 11:30 a.m., middle school students at 12:10 p.m., and high school students at 12:30 p.m. Breakfast and lunch will be served prior to dismissal. Early dismissal times are slightly different for Aiken Scholars Academy, as well as our schools in the Wagener and Ridge-Spring areas. Ridge Spring-Monetta and Busbee Elementary dismissal is at 11:55 a.m., A.L. Corbett Middle, Wagener-Salley High, and Aiken Scholars Academy dismiss at noon, and Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle and High dismissal is at 12:15 and 12:20 p.m., respectively. The Center for Innovative Learning (CIL) will dismiss at 1:30 p.m. Students on half-day schedules who require bus transportation, including Early Learning Special Education students and others, will not come to school tomorrow as buses will be unable to make mid-day routes. Afternoon classes at the Aiken County Career and Technology Center will not be held. Students enrolled in an afternoon class at the Career Center will remain at their high school. There will be no after-school care tomorrow through QuestZone and no events to include athletics, arts, clubs, etc. will be held tomorrow afternoon or evening. All schools and offices will also close early tomorrow. The district’s offices will close no later than 2 p.m. with the Operations Center closing at 1:00 p.m. While snowfall is not expected to continue into the day on Wednesday, temperatures are predicted to remain well below freezing during the morning and evening hours. Any accumulating snowfall may impact our district’s operations for Wednesday. A decision regarding Wednesday will be announced by Tuesday evening. Thank you for your flexibility and cooperation as we adjust our operations when weather conditions require as part of our efforts to ensure safety. Please be safe, bundle up, and tune in for any further changes to our regular operations that Winter Storm Enzo may cause. We look forward to seeing our students and staff tomorrow morning.

As we approach the MLK Jr. Holiday Weekend, please note that district administration alongside local Emergency Management officials is monitoring the winter weather system that may impact our county next week. On Monday, January 20, all schools and offices will be closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Due to a threat of potential inclement weather next week, students will come home from school with their laptop and charger tomorrow. South Carolina school districts are limited to five e-learning days each school year. We used the first of those e-learning days last Monday (January 6), making up for the closure September 27 due to Hurricane Helene. Friday, January 10’s school closure will be made up on the March 14 Weather Makeup Day as designated on our district’s 2024-25 school year calendar. Notice will be shared at a later date regarding the format of March 14’s Weather Makeup Day. The format of the March 14 Weather Makeup Day, more specifically, if the day will be made up in person or through e-learning, is contingent upon the number of e-learning days that remain available for our district to use as we near the end of this very cold winter. A final decision regarding school operations for Tuesday, January 21, will be announced by 3 p.m. on Monday, January 20. As always, we appreciate your continued support. We look forward to seeing students at school tomorrow and wish your family a wonderful long weekend.

AIKEN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT HIRING EVENT | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Our District's Spring Hiring Event for teachers and certified staff is just a few weeks away! Applicants will have the opportunity for onsite interviews and on the spot job offers! The event will take place at Aiken High School located at 449 Rutland Drive in Aiken, SC from 8 a.m. until noon. All schools and locations will be represented, and we will be hiring for certified positions to include immediate vacancies and future 2025-26 positions. Visit www.acpsd.net and select "Join our Team" or scan the QR code. Select "Job Postings" for External Applicants and search "Hiring Event" to apply for your area of certification. Register now to secure an interview at the event! Pre-registration is highly encouraged! Walk-ins are also welcome. Please reach out to our Human Resources Team at (803) 641-2428 for more information. We look forward to welcoming many new teachers and certified staff members to Aiken County in February!