Maxwell Elementary School offers grades 7-8

  • Published
  • By Kelly Deichert
  • Air University Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  Starting Aug. 5, Maxwell Elementary School will open its doors to seventh- and eighth-graders.

"We are in the process of putting together a dynamic middle school program right now," said Lois Rapp, superintendent of the Georgia/Alabama district. "Col. [Brian] Killough, base commander, and Melissa Hayes, Maxwell school principal, have been working diligently to make this happen."

She said this is an exciting opportunity for Maxwell.

"We are in the midst of hiring excellent staff and preparing the classrooms with furniture and textbooks for these additional grade levels," Rapp said.

This development is a positive step for students, said Randy Stokes, the Maxwell school liaison officer. "I think it's absolutely fantastic," he said.

He noted the benefits to having the Maxwell Elementary sixth-graders continue at the same school.

"It gives them a chance to mature before they go on to high school," he said.

Another benefit is a shorter distance to school, especially this year due to rezoning in the Montgomery Public Schools, Stokes said. Students who would have attended McIntyre Middle School near base are being transferred to Southlawn Middle School, twice the distance from Maxwell.

The seventh- and eighth-grade students at Maxwell Elementary will be on the same time schedule as the rest of the school, 7:55 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. daily, except for a 1:55 p.m. Thursday dismissal. For bus transportation, students will be separated according to grade.

Registration for pre-kindergarten through grade eight is available from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Hayes encourages early enrollment to meet staffing and supply demands.

According to the Department of Defense Education Activity website, the entrance eligibility birth date is Sept. 1. That means a child must be 4 years old by Sept. 1 to attend pre-kindergarten, 5 years old by Sept. 1 to enroll in kindergarten and 6 years old by Sept. 1 to attend first grade.

Because Maxwell Elementary School is a Department of Defense Education Activity school, enrollment is open only to children living in permanent base housing.

For information on registration requirements, such as immunization records and sponsors' orders, visit http://www.am.dodea.edu/maxwell/ or call the school at 953-7804.