Murphy Middle School ENews
For the week of February 18 - 21, 2019
Traffic reminders
As we endure the cold, wet, weather please keep student safety your top priority!
· Remember NO dropping kids off in the left lane of the driveway. You are welcome to turn into the parking lot and drop off from a parking space, but we do not want children getting out and going between cars in the traffic lanes.
· Please be patient during inclement weather. It is best to leave home a little earlier, but we all understand weather can have a significant effect on your commute and drop off time. The school takes that into consideration when taking attendance for first period on bad weather days.
· Our crossing guard between Kimbrough and MMS is only there until 8:20. She has to get to class as well, so consider dropping your children off against the curb adjacent to the school instead of in the Kimbrough lot after 8:20.
Attendance Reminder
A reminder to parents that when you call in a student absent, it must be followed up with a doctor note or parent note.
Please make sure it has the student’s first and last name, the reason for the absence , the date of the absence, and a parent signature.
Thank you!
NEHS & NJHS Induction Ceremony Reminder!!!
There is some confusion over the Induction for NEHS and NJHS. Due to conflicts with other organizations' events, we had to move Induction to February 24th instead of our original date.
6th grade students being inducted into NEHS will have their ceremony at 6:00 in the Murphy Gym on 2/24/2020
7th and 8th grade students being inducted into NJHS will have their ceremony at 7:30 in the Murphy Gym on 2/24/2020
All inductees need to return their information paper (with locker number, ID #, etc.) to Mrs. Edenkrans (6th) or Mrs. Mullen (7th/8th) by Wednesday, February 19th. If forms are turned in after that date, certificates and programs will already have been printed and no changes can
be made to names.
Thank you so much and we apologize for any confusion you might have experienced
Mrs. Edenkrans and Mrs. Mullen
Congratulations to the 6th grade winners of the 2020 Regional Science & Engineering Fair!!
Standing L to R: Cooper Cornell (1st place & Grand Prize Physical Science) Mr. Conrad MMS Principal, Ayan Mishra (honorable mention Engineering)
Front row L to R: Crystal Phung (2nd place Physical Science) and
Javon Williams (honorable mention Earth Science)
*** Upcoming Events ***
Calling all Potential Poets
Poetry Slam Workshop on Revising for Impact
Tuesday, February 11 & 18
3:30 in the library
Bring a rough draft of your poetry slam poem.
Attention
Please turn in your Poetry Slam permission form and poem to Ms. Pearson by Friday, February 28.
Pennies for Patients is Calling all Heroes to Join our Squad!!!
Families, Murphy Middle School has decided to take on blood cancer and our mission is to help find a cure. The Pennies for Patients will begin on Monday, February 24 and will run through Tuesday, March 3. This will allow your child to participate in a rewarding event that emphasizes the importance of social and emotional learning, and gaining the experience of helping both children and adults in their fight against blood cancer. Student Council members will be accepting donations in the rotunda before school. Again, the dates are February 24, through Tuesday, March 3. The English class that brings in the most money will receive a prize!
You’re invited to our Scholastic Book Fair February 27 - March 5
Book Fair Home page at
https://www.scholastic.com/bf/murphymiddleschool
Book Fair eWallet
It gives students a secure, cash-free way to shop the fair.
Set up a free account and authorize a spending limit on your credit card for your child to spend at the Book Fair.
After the fair, any unused funds are released back to the card holder.
Sign up at the Book Fair Home Page.
Dazzlers Drill Team Tryout Packets
Do you love to dance, compete, and perform? Dazzlers Drill Team Tryout packets will be available in the front office of Armstrong, Murphy, and McMillen. All tryout paperwork is due by 4:15 pm on Friday, February 28. Tryouts are March 2-5. Please contact Cortney Davis, Dazzlers Director, at Cortney.davis@pisd.edu with any questions. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at tryouts!
*** Athletics ***
Cheer
Calling all cheerleaders & mascots for 2020-2021 school year! Packets are available to pick up in Mrs. Swanner’s room, H104, for those who are interested in being a cheerleader or mascot next year. An informational parent meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 27th at 6:30pm in the DLR. Come join us in this brief meeting for all of the details about being in cheer!
Track
Wednesday 2/19
· Boys Track practice/tryouts start. 7:30 am for all students not enrolled in athletics 8:00 am for all students enrolled in Athletics at the McMillen Track.
Thursday 2/20
· Girls Track practice/tryouts start. 3:00 – 4:15 pm for all students enrolled in athletics, 3:40 – 4:30 pm for all students not enrolled in Athletics at the McMillen Track.
· FCA meeting Thursday morning in the small gym at 7:45 am.
Everyone wanting to participate in Track must be cleared through Rank One (Physical, Medical History, Online forms) to participate, no exceptions will be made. If you have any questions please contact Coach Woodyard.
Bags are for STUDENTS ONLY.
Reminder: Plano ISD Stadium Bag Policy
The Plano ISD stadium bag policy remains in effect for the second semester sports season. Spectators coming to track and soccer events are encouraged to review the guidelines at www.pisd.edu/bagpolicy. (en español)
*** Clubs and Organizations ***
Murphy Soccer Club
Reminders:
Games are played on the Murphy football field
Bye teams do not play on that date
Teams playing at 3:45 need to be dressed and ready to play by game time.
All players are required to wear shin guards.
Players are encouraged to bring their own water.
Players need to bring all items (backpacks, instruments, etc.) out to the field since they will not be allowed back into the building.
All players need a ride to pick them up no later than 5:00.
2/21
3:45 - The Boyzzz vs. Free Agents
4:20 - Math Class vs. FC Potatoes
Bye - Simple Sweats, Texas Thunder, Arsenal
*** Social and Emotional Well Being ***
SEL competency of the month:
Self Awareness
Family Circle Questions
These questions can be used to connect with one another while riding in the car, during dinner, before bedtime or anytime.
· What color describes how you are feeling?
· What is your favorite store to visit in-person or online?
· What makes you feel loved?
*** PTA News ***
NEW TO MMS?
Here is a welcome from our PTA President: mmspta.org/president.
SUBMIT A PICTURE FOR THE YEARBOOK
Photos needed! Yearbook staff is looking for photos of your student to publish in the yearbook. Did you capture a proud moment of your student, or of a group of Murphy Mavericks at a school event, or even perhaps a group of Murphy Mavericks outside of school doing something fun and full of spirit? Email those photos for publication consideration to yearbook@mmspta.org. This email will automatically forward to the MMS Yearbook Advisor, Mrs. Lewis.
For your convenience, we have a link to this email on mmspta.org > Our School > Submit a Picture for the Yearbook.
In the body of the email, please let us know the name(s) of the student(s) in the photo and the event name. Thank you for your time and your photos.
WANT TO ADD THE MMS PTA OR MMS ATHLETICS CALENDARS TO YOUR PHONE?
1. Go to mmspta.org/Calendar and click the blue Sign up... button.
2 The Subscribe buttons will allow you to subscribe to our calendars. If you are running Outlook, Mac OS X Calendar, or another calendaring program that recognizes iCalendar (ICS) format subscriptions, you can click the Subscribe buttons to automatically subscribe to the calendars. If your calendar doesn't automatically accept subscriptions, you can right-click on the calendar icon and choose Copy link and paste it into your calendar application.
NOTE: You may have to enable the calendar in your phone's Calendar settings.SHOP AMAZON SMILE TO SUPPORT MMS PTA
PTA EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION NOMINATION & APPLICATION
@HEB Excellence in Education Awards are designed to honor outstanding public school professionals and to thank them for their dedication and commitment. Nominate a teacher, principal, or school district today!
Want to Volunteer?
Re-Link Your Kroger Community Rewards, Beginning August 1st
If you shop at Kroger grocery stores, and you have a Kroger Plus Rewards card, you can benefit the families of Murphy Middle.
You must link your card every year, starting August 1st to support Murphy Middle School PTA.
Learn how at Kroger Community Rewards.
*** Informational Links ***
Lost and Found
Download the PISD Mobile App
Do you have the Plano ISD App on your phone or device?
The Plano ISD App is a great way to see information about the Plano calendar, news and alerts, the anonymous tip line, and much more.
• Personalize newsfeeds for your school
• View student grades and attendance
• Access school and staff info
• View news stories
• Receive important alerts
• View calendar info
PISD RESOLVING STUDENT AND PARENT CONCERNS
Plano ISD encourages students and parents to attempt to resolve their concerns with the appropriate teacher, principal, other campus administrator, department or employee. The district believes it is in the best interest of everyone involved to informally resolve concerns, if at all possible. Concerns should be expressed as soon as possible to allow early resolution at the lowest possible administrative level.
Details at https://www.pisd.edu/page/20314.
*************************************
Murphy Middle School
Twitter: @MurphyMiddle
Murphy Middle PTA Site: