Manitou Springs Middle School
Tuesday, February 21st, 2023
Dear Middle School Families,
We are excited for a great week of learning and fun at MSMS!
8th grade families: students have the spring PSAT 8 assessment this Friday, February 24th. All 8th grade students will have an early release at 12:30. They do not need to bring a backpack to school this day.
6th & 7th grade families: students have a field trip on Friday! Please sign your child's permission slip that was sent home last week. There is a $2 fee per student to attend. Students can bring cash to the school, or parents can pay online with MySchoolBucks: www.myschoolbucks.com
Sincerely,
Mr. Cady
Principal, MSMS
Dates for your Calendar
February 21st: Wrestling vs. James Irwin
February 23rd: Wrestling vs. Ellicott
February 24th: PSAT 8, 12:30 release for 8th graders only
February 24th: 6th Grade Field Trip (Skate City), 7th Grade Field Trip (Cave of the Winds)
February 24th: Middle School Play Cooking Can Be Murder, 7:00 PM, Manitou Springs Elementary Auditorium
February 25th: Middle School Play Cooking Can Be Murder, 2:00 PM, Manitou Springs Elementary Auditorium
March 1st: Late Start Wednesday, 10:05 school start
March 2nd: Wrestling @ CSCS
March 3rd: 8th Graders visit MSHS during 1st period (informational event for students)
March 7th: Wrestling @ Ellicott
March 8th: Late Start Wednesday, 10:05 school start
March 8th, 9th: MSHS Counselors Meet w/ 8th Grade Students during Advisory
March 10th: End of Quarter 3, 8th Grade Promotion Pictures (formal attire encouraged)
March 10th: Matchwitz Competition at MSMS
March 11th: Wrestling League Tournament @ Ellicott
March 13th: Spring Sports Begin (Track, Girls Soccer, Girls Golf)
March 15th: Late Start Wednesday, 10:05 school start
March 22nd: Late Start Wednesday, 10:05 school start
March 23rd: 3rd Quarter Honor Roll Celebration
March 23rd: Spring Dance, 3:30 to 5:00 PM
March 27th - 31st: Spring Break
In the school
Cooking can be MURDER...
February 24th @ 7PM
February 25th @ 2PM
Tickets
$5 Adults
$4 Students
$2 Seniors
Manitou Students Free!
Cave Of The Winds
Hello 7th grade parents!
On Friday, February 24, the 7th grade class will go on a field trip to Cave of the Winds in the morning, and to the middle school play in the afternoon. The activities at Cave of the Winds are indoors but not insulated, so please be sure your student is dressed warmly and wears good walking shoes.
To attend the field trip, your student MUST submit a permission slip to the office no later than Thursday, February 23. Permission slips were sent home with your student on Tuesday, February 14. Also, each student needs to pay a small bus fee which can be paid at My School Bucks or by sending $2 cash with your permission slip.
Things to remember:
- Wear warm clothes, layers and sturdy shoes for hiking; we will be in an indoor, but not insulated, area for lunch.
- Sack lunch, unless your student signed up for a school lunch with Mrs. McQueeney.
- Water bottle
- A flashlight or headlamp is required for the Cave of the Winds tours.
- NO laptop or school supplies. Backpacks should only have what is needed for the day.
- NO cell phone. Please have your student keep them home. If you need to contact your student, please call the school office and they will be able to connect with us.
We will leave at 8:20; students who are late may miss the bus for the field trip.
If you have questions, please contact Shaunda McQueeney at smcqueeney@mssd14.org.
PSAT 8 Testing
Dear 8th Grade MSMS Families,
On February 24, 2023, your student will have the opportunity to take the PSAT 8 test. Only 8th grade students will be on campus. Standard testing rooms will be released for lunch at noon and dismissed from school at 12:20 p.m. Accommodation rooms will be dismissed to pick up a sack lunch and leave school at 12:33. Due to all the field trips, we are unable to provide transportation at the release times. Please arrange for your student to be picked up after testing. For those students who do not have transportation, an alternative activity will be provided until the regular 3:20 bus routes.
The PSAT 8 test is a baseline for your student in the SAT suite of assessments. It shows your student’s progress in the continuum of career and college readiness. The PSAT 8 is the first in the series and is not like any other assessment your child has taken before. We believe and research shows that taking practice tests like this decrease stress and increase readiness and scores for students. Students in Manitou Springs School District will continue to take these practice tests in the fall and spring until April of their junior year, when they will take the SAT. The SAT is used by colleges all over the country for college acceptance, and at times, placement into courses.
After the students have tested, they will receive a test brochure that will give insight into how they scored against the benchmarks designed by the College Board for College Readiness based on a particular grade level’s standards. If they meet the benchmark they need to continue to take rigorous coursework in order to maintain that as the test gets more rigorous.
The PSAT 8/9 is unique in the math section. The math section on the PSAT 8 includes only two sections while the PSAT 10 and above include three. As your student moves through the SAT suite of assessments, this math portion will change in both depth of knowledge as well as depth of application. While the Evidence Based Reading and Writing will also change, it is most noticeable in the math section.
What can my student do to improve his/her college readiness?
*The first thing is to take college readiness classes.
*College Board, the maker of the SAT, recommends students READ, READ, READ.
*Go to the College Board website and look at their tips, to include the free test prep offered through College Board and The Khan Academy website. Your student needs to sign into their College Board account and link it to Khan Academy. Khan academy will then tailor a test review program for them based on their scores. Directions for how to do this are located on the College Board website.
*Once in high school your student can engage in the following courses to increase their skill and knowledge:
Enrolling in honors classes
Enrolling in AP (advanced placement classes)
Enrolling in Chemistry in 11th grade
Taking an advanced math in 11th grade
Enrolling in elective social science classes such as AP Psychology and Sociology
Enrolling in multiple years of World Language
Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I can be reached at 719-685-2127 or abartlett@mssd14.org.
Areashera Bartlett
Assistant Principal
Music Jam!
Music Jam is happening on Tuesdays after school until 5 in the middle school basement. Students are encouraged to bring their own instruments,
but we have 4 guitars, two keyboards, drums, percussion, and multiple amps available. At jam, we go around in a circle taking turns suggesting
songs, and Mr. J helps the group arrange the song and is prepared to give students resources to help them practice their instrument at home.
You are not required to sign up or stay for the entire jam-hope to see you there :)
Extra! Extra! Read All About it!:
Get the hot scoop with the Mustang Newspaper!
A Virtual Tour:
Want to tour Manitou Springs Middle School? Check it out below!
Upcoming Events
Yearbooks
Scholarships for Middle School Students
Did you know that scholarships are available for all grade levels? There are scholarships that you can apply for in middle school. Check out this website: Scholarships for Middle School Students
6th Grade Snack Sign-up:
6th graders eat lunch early, at 10:05am, so they tend to be hungry towards the end of the day. PAC is helping organize snacks for the 6th graders so they can focus on their afternoon classes. The big boxes of snacks they sell at Costco or Sam's are perfect. Please consider signing up HERE.
Employment Opportunities
Community
Mustang Tech Tips!
Online Safety for LGBTQ Communities
How you conduct yourself online can reveal a lot about you. Sometimes, more than you’d be comfortable sharing. One of the biggest concerns for LGBTQ individuals is
the amount of information across multiple social platforms that could easily expose their sexual orientation or gender identity. As a result, your online interactions on social networks to the mobile apps you download can lead to real-life unintended consequences.
Your Online Presence
If you are not open about your LGBTQ identity, scrutinize every click with great care, from Likes to posting photos and retweeting.
- Review privacy settings: Learn about the privacy/security settings on social networks and tailor them to your comfort level for information sharing.
- Enable instant notifications: Activate text or email notifications so you can decide which posts and photos involving you are posted publicly.
- Search for yourself: Perform routine Internet searches of your name and any words with which you wouldn’t want to be associated. Find something you don’t like? Contact the website administrator immediately to have that content altered or removed.
Protecting Your Personal Info
Studies indicate that LGBTQ communities rely on the Internet and mobile apps for dating in significantly higher proportions than heterosexual singles, but sharing too much information can backfire.
- Think before you act: Be wary of communications that push you for immediate action or ask for personal information. People online aren’t always as they appear.
- Once posted, always posted: Think twice before sending or posting pictures or comments you would not want your parents, co-workers or other friends to see.
- Think before you app: Before you download apps, review privacy policies and understand what data – location, access to your social networks, photos, etc. – is accessed and shared.
Be A Good Digital Citizen
Practicing good online habits benefits the global digital community.
- Post like you would: If you or someone you know is a victim of
online harassment, ignore the abuser, but not the abuse. Tell a trusted adult, block the abuser and maintain digital and hard copy records of online activity to give authorities, if contacted.
- Safety = Security: What you do online has the potential to affect everyone – at home, at work and around the world. Your responsible behavior online helps keep others safe, too.