Superintendent Rivera provides back-to-school information to families

Marietta, GA – As Marietta City Schools gears up for the first day of school on August 1, Superintendent Dr. Grant Rivera has shared a message with families to help them prepare for a successful start to the 2025–2026 school year. His email is included below.

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Dear MCS Families,

This email pertains to the following district-level information for all Pre-K-12 families: 

1. Family Contact Information (Aspen)
2. Schoology
3. Curriculum
4. School Bus Schedule/App
5. School Nutrition Application/Menu App
6. Family Communication Protocols

I can appreciate your email inbox has been busy with emails from teachers and principals. I intentionally waited to send this email as nothing here is urgent; however, we do believe the information below is helpful as you seek to stay connected and informed.

Family Contact Information (Aspen)

Yesterday, you received an MCS email with information about your Aspen account. As a reminder, the Aspen Family Portal is our Student Information System. It is used to access your student’s attendance, grades, report cards, test scores, and other important information, such as your preferred email address for district communications. 

That same email also included a request to complete your student’s annual information update (such as address, emergency contacts, and health alerts). MCS uses the Aspen Online Registration System to update student and family information and to provide important district policies. This process takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. We ask that each family update their information at the start of the school year, as it is obviously important that your child’s teacher(s) and others be able to reach you. If you have questions about the student update form, please email our support team at aspenhelp@marietta-city.org. 

Schoology

The Schoology Family Portal is our Learning Management System, where you will view teacher communication, instructional resources, and other important classroom information. Questions about your accounts may be sent to schoologysupport@marietta-city.org. 

Curriculum

MCS is committed to ensuring that all students receive a high-quality education that is aligned with rigorous curriculum standards. On our district website, you can find detailed information about the curriculum standards, instructional activities, and assessment tasks for select classes at our middle and high schools, including English, math, science, social studies, and PE/health. 

Additionally, we have included the reviewed and approved novel list for middle and high school English Language Arts courses. This website is regularly updated to reflect any changes or additions. Should you have specific questions about the curriculum or instructional materials in your child’s course, please reach out directly to the teacher for more information.

School Bus Schedule/App

If your student is a bus rider, we encourage you to download the My Ride K-12 app to follow your student’s bus route and learn about any schedule updates. To download the app and see the full list of bus routes and schedules, please visit our Transportation website.

School Nutrition Application/Menu App

Our School Nutrition Department uses LINQ Connect to manage student meal accounts, menus, and Free and Reduced Meal applications. If you believe your student is eligible for Free and Reduced Meals at school, please submit an online application. Any funds left in your student’s meal account from last year will automatically roll over to this year. School menus can be viewed online or by downloading the LINQ Connect app through the App Store or Google Play.

Family Communication Protocols

Whether in a kindergarten class for 5-year-olds or a college-level course for MHS students, there are times when questions or concerns may arise – we are here to help. As we look ahead, we want to ensure clear and consistent communication protocols between our staff and your family. To that end, we have a simple protocol that directs all families to the individual closest to your source of need or concern. 

For example, if you have a question about the curriculum or instructional approach in your child’s classroom – contact the teacher, who is the obvious person who leads that classroom. If your concern is more school-wide, please refer to your child’s principal. For district vision, direction, and policy, our central office staff and I are here to assist. Whether by phone, email, or in person, we are all here to support the success of your child. Please click here for more details on MCS communication protocols. 

Going forward, you can expect your child’s principal (and me) to ask the question when contacted about a classroom need or concern: “Have you talked with your child’s teacher?” This relationship matters – we encourage you to build a transparent relationship with the person who will spend so much time with your child.

In closing, I hope you and your child have a wonderful start to the school year. 

Sincerely,
Grant

Grant Rivera, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Marietta City Schools