MIDDLE MATTERS
Everything in the Middle School that matters
Volume 8
PRINCIPAL'S CORNER
In this edition...
- Teacher Appreciation Week
- MADI Shoe Drive
- 8th Grade Awards Night
- MMS Dress Code Policy
- Painting Competition
- Bullying Questionnaire
- And Much More
Teacher Appreciation Week
This is my 16th year as Principal at Monticello Middle School. I continue to be impressed and truly grateful for the great teaching staff we have. Monticello Middle School is an exceptional middle school. Our curriculum, programming and sports activity, curricular offerings are second to none. What I'm most proud of here at MMS is our staff. They work very hard, have solid content knowledge and exceptional teaching skills. But perhaps the finest qualities this group of professionals has is the desire and the skill to build meaningful relationships with children. They acknowledge the key role they play in your children's lives and take every opportunity to inspire students to go beyond what they know they can do and accomplish something very special. Take time this week to thank a teacher. I know I will.
Programing for next year
Phy ED/ Health
Our Phy Ed/Health classes will be COED next year. This will allow us to better balance our classes and allow for more coverage of the Health Standards at each grade level. This will also provide for more continuity in our K-12 Phy Ed/Health curriculum. We may still run some non COED classes for specific classes (swimming).
Elective Programming
We will still be offering all of our Music options next year- Band, Choir or Orchestra for all middle school students. For those students in 7th and 8th grade who have opted not to take a Music option, we are considering alternative programming options. Students were asked to share their thoughts in a survey last month. We will be looking at that input as we look to provide an alternative to our current Music opportunities this next year and in the future.
Early Dismissals- May 31 and June 5th
The school board recently approved the schedule changes for the last weeks of school. Friday, May 31 will be an early dismissal. On that day we will have our 6-8 Talent Show.
The last day with students will be Wednesday, June 5th. That day we will also have an early dismissal schedule.
Monticello Middle School to begin Shoe Drive in early May
Each Magic Minutes group in seventh grade will begin collecting, sorting and bagging shoes for MADI during the two week stretch between May 6-17th. More information will become available prior to the start of the drive. The shoe drive is sponsored by seventh grade students but all grade levels can donate! The goal is to raise as many pairs as possible to help kids in Africa who often go without! So please spread the word and start saving those shoes!
Parent Information
8th GRADE AWARDS NIGHT
Wednesday, May 29 at 7:00 p.m. at the Monticello High School Auditorium.
A letter will be mailed out with details tomorrow. All students will be recognized for accomplishments in middle school.
Every student will be recognized.
Refreshments will follow on Main Street in the High School.
If you would be interested in helping please sign up at 8th Grade Awards Volunteer Sign-Up
Student of the Month Breakfast
Students and Parents of this year’s “Student of the Month” are invited to a breakfast honoring the selected students on Tuesday, May 28th from 7:00 - 7:40 a.m.
If you have not received your letter call 763-272-2104 or have not RSVP'd please do so today - we need your confirmation by Thursday, May 9th.
Yearbook Distribution & Sales:
All MMS Students will be receiving their yearbooks during M&M on Wednesday, May 29th.
A limited number of extra books were ordered and will be available to purchase during lunch beginning on Thursday, May 30th (until books are gone) for $30.00.
As school is starting to wind down, just a reminder to all families...
Starting on May 6th students will not be allowed to go negative on their lunch accounts for the remainder of the school year. I encourage all families to check their child's lunch account on School View/Parent Portal.
Please call our office if you have any questions or concerns.
Brittney Hirschauer, Food Service Director
MMS DRESS CODE POLICY (Warm Weather Dress Code Reminder)
- No Sagging or Low Slung Pants
- No Clothing That Exposes Cleavage
- No Exposed Midriffs
- No Visible Underwear
- No Holes in Jeans With Exposed Skin Above The Knee
- No Exposed Shoulders (No Tank Tops, Tube Tops, or Bra Straps Showing)
- All Shorts and Skirts Must BE No Shorter Than A 3" Post-it-Note Above The Knee
If your clothing does not meet the dress requirements you will be expected to change clothes. If you do not have clothing to change into that meets the dress code, you will be expected to wear PE clothing.
CHECK OUT OUR LOST & FOUND
ATTENDANCE LINE - 763-272-2110
Thank you!
STUDENT FOCUS
Painting Competition
The students and staff would like to congratulate the following winners:
1st Place: Evie Lamb
2nd Place: Presley Stanton
3rd Place: Shalyn Adams
Spring Orchestra Concert
The 6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Spring Orchestra Concert will be on Tuesday, May 7th at 7 p.m. in the Monticello High School Auditorium. Please make sure your calendars are marked!
Students need to arrive at 6 p.m. sharp to begin tuning and warm ups so that everyone’s instrument is ready to go in time for the start of the concert.
Concert Attire:
· ALL BLACK
· Nice black dress pants, dress shirt, black socks, black dress shoes
· No dresses/skirts
· Please let Mrs. Schettler-Stein know ASAP if you need to borrow clothing.
OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS: *Cello/Bass players will need to bring their own instruments from home.
*Parent volunteers are needed & appreciated! Let Mrs. Schettler-Stein know if you are willing & able!
**Please do your best to schedule family trips and ortho appointments around this special date to avoid a conflict. Each person plays an important part and we need 100% participation.**
UPCOMING BAND CONCERT DATE REMINDERS:
Tuesday, May 14th at 7:00 p.m. - 8A & 7/8A Band Concert, Middle School Auditorium
Tuesday, May 21st at 7:00 p.m. - 7B & 7/8B Band Concert, Middle School Auditorium
Tuesday, May 21st at 8:00 p.m. - 7-12 grade Jazz Band Concert, Middle School Auditorium
Thursday, May 23rd at 7:00 p.m. - 6th grade Band Concert, Middle School Auditorium
Friday Focus
We will be offering our last Thursday FOCUS session
for the year on May 23, 2019, from 2:30—5:00 p.m.
The Thursday Focus session will be supervised by teachers and administration.
We at the middle school see this as a great opportunity to give extra help to those students who have fallen behind. It also gives students help who need to complete work in order to be promoted to the next grade and avoid retention.
We will be contacting the parents of students who need the extra time to get caught up. We expect those students with failing grades from any of our first three quarters to attend the Thursday Focus session. If you receive a call from administration or staff members, we strongly suggest that your student attends.
You must RSVP to Ms. Bekius, Targeted Services Coordinator @ 272-2208 by Tuesday, May 21. Teachers need time to prepare lists and resources for missing work.
All students who RSVP will be expected to be at the Thursday Focus School on May 23.
Ms. Bekius and Mr. Coalwell
Students of the Month
6th-Grade
“Failure will never overtake you if you are determined to succeed.”
6-2: Summer Derby
"Don't compare yourself to others when they do better than you. Instead, use their success to push you to try harder next time."
7th-Grade
A positive times a negative equals a negative so don't be a negative. A positive times a positive equals another positive so do that and be positive!"
7-2: Ella Basol
"No matter the obstacle, keep pushing through."
8th-Grade
"Nothing is accomplishable if you don't try."
8-2 Mason Bauer
"The hardest choices require the strongest wills."
-Thanos
Photo Use Authorization
NOTES FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE
Greeting from the Health Office!
With the end of the school year around the corner, we wanted to remind you of a couple of items.
If your child has Tylenol or Ibuprofen in the health office, we will send this over the counter pain med home with your child during the week of May 20th. If your child has an EpiPen or Inhaler in the health office, we will wait until the last day of school to send home those home.
Please send immunization &/or Sports Physicals to the office over the summer.
MS Fax is (763) 272-2109.
Remember at the start of each school year, we need new Medication Orders with MD & parent authorization. We also need new Allergy & Asthma Action plans each year.
We appreciate your assistance with this process.
Thank you & have a safe and healthy summer!
Monica Schwickerath, RN, LSN & Heather Barta, RN, Health Para
New research shows that 1 in 5 high school students across the country are vaping.
PARENTS: Please see information below regarding this public health threat & e-cigarette use among youth! This Information was taken from the MN Dept. of Health. PLEASE SEE LINK FOR A Parent Tip Sheet on Talking to your child about e-cigarettes.
Talk with Your Teen About E-Cigarettes: A Tip Sheet for Parents (PDF)
E-cigarettes are not safe for youth.
Please call the health office with any questions or concerns.
Middle School Health Office Phone: (763) 272-2120 or Fax (763)272-2109
If your child is going to be absent, please call our 24/7 MS Attendance Line: (763) 272-2110. Thank you, Monica Schwickerath, Licensed School Nurse
STUDENT CENTER SPOTLIGHT
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Spring can be a tough time for many students. There are many resources available for both adults and children. Please check our Student Center web page for all the school and county help that is available.
Bullying Questionnaire
This month MMS students will be completing an anonymous, confidential questionnaire on bullying to provide data on the extent of bullying behavior in school. This information will be used for future programming. To preview the survey, you may do so by going to http://www.obqsurvey.org and enter the following: Username: eSampleSurvey Password: Olweus.
If you prefer your student not participate, please contact Therese Olson - 763-272-2105 with your child's name and grade.
ATHLETICS & ACTIVITIES
Reminder with Middle School sports schedules and changes:
Mississippi 8 website has a feature that will NOTIFY REGISTERED MEMBERS of schedule changes to events immediately?
Go to www.mississippi8.org
Select Monticello High School
Click on Notify Me from the Menu on the right side of the home page (under the calendar)
Complete Step 1 - enter Mississippi 8 login or create a log in
Complete Step 2: Choose Activities - select school and events you wish to be notified of schedule changes and Continue to Next Step
Complete Step 3: Set Up Notifications Preferences - select Reminders and or Schedule Change Notifications and Save My Settings
In addition, MS will post up-to-date information regarding schedule changes to our Middle School website under the MS Sports Update section.
Parent-Child Communication:
When coming back from away events, every coach and advisor has access to a school phone. Students are able to use these to call home for rides.
Viewing the Middle School Sports Schedules
Have you accessed the Mississippi8 website yet? There is a lot of valuable information on this website. You will find up-to-date schedules for Middle School and High School sports and activities.
Up-to-date information on this website includes game times, which team plays first, and bus departure times. You can also sign-up to receive emails regarding any schedule changes, which become a common occurrence in the spring.
Go to www.mississippi8.org
Select Monticello High School on the right.
Find the section titled, View Schedules under the calendar. Click on the sport of your choice and click on view.
To receive emails for any schedule changes or event reminders, follow these directions:
Go to www.mississippi8.org
Select Monticello High School on the right.
Find the section titled, Notify Me under the calendar. Follow the instructions provided.
Make sure that your computer does not have a SPAM blocker or you will not be able to receive the email.
Parent Involvement
8th Grade BBQ
On Tuesday, June 4th the 8th graders will be celebrating the end of the year with a BBQ!
We will be grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. There will be music, a tug-o-war contest, and other fun activities. Parents can help by donating $5 toward the cost of the BBQ as explained in a letter that was sent home to 8th grade families.
Please send your $5.00 donation by 5/17/18. If you would like to volunteer for this event please sign up here: 8th Grade BBQ Volunteer Sign-Up
Box Tops/Milk Moola/Printer Cartridges
We are still collecting box tops, Milk Moola, & printer cartridges. Please remember to collect these throughout the summer months too. We will have another contest in the fall. Thank you for your donations. Every donation helps toward our MS activities.
The parent involvement group would like to thank all the volunteers that helped make this year a success!
Parent Involvement Meeting
Monday, May 13, 2019, 06:00 PM
Monticello Middle School, Broadway Street East, Monticello, MN, USA
Transportation Changes
Please remember Hoglund transportation needs any transportation changes submitted 24 hours before any anticipated changes. This will help ensure all students have a seat on the bus. Last minute requests to have your child ride a different bus home cannot be honored.
Monticello Middle School
Website: https://www.monticello.k12.mn.us/Domain/9
Location: 800 Broadway Street East, Monticello, MN, USA
Phone: 763-272-2000
Twitter: @MMS_Leader