As we settle in for the weeklong holiday, I want to wish everyone a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving Break. Whether you're staying in town or traveling, planning a busy week of activities or hoping for some simple down-time, I hope that everyone has a chance to recharge and take a few moments to reflect on the things and people that we are grateful for. For me, I am grateful for how much our school community has accomplished this Fall. I am grateful for the staff who've been flexible and patient as we tackle the fundamental shifts in grading and staffing, to our parents for their continued support and trust, and most importantly for our kids who show up everyday with smiles as they navigate the ups and downs of middle school. It's the small successes that bring us together.

Regardless of your plans this week, I invite you to find small moments of gratitude in your day. UC Davis Professor Robert Emmons reminds us that gratitude has two parts: taking note of the good things we've received and acknowledge the role others play in the goodness we receive in our lives. As the hustle and bustle of our lives can make it hard to take stock in anything but "the struggle", these small moments of gratitude make our relationships stronger. It doesn't always come naturally, but requires intentional efforts to find and elevate. These bonds are what will help us face the challenges that lie ahead. On behalf of the Mustang family, we thank you for your support and wish everyone a safe and restful Thanksgiving Break.

The Way Family

On behalf of the entire Marshall Staff, I want to thank our MMO and Pacific for hosting an amazing "spa-day" on our campus for our staff. This fall stretch can be a grueling one but our MMO team helped our staff by coordinating with Pacific College of Health and Sciences to provide our staff with a 30-minute massage or acupuncture. We also had yogurt parfaits staff could enjoy in the lounge. Special thank you to Gail Faber who coordinated the event along with, Debra Toth, Saori Massey, Sarah Kelly, Rejhane Adams, Kelly Melancon, and Julianne Super. Also, shout out to Valerie Razutis for connecting us with Pacific College and all of their wonderful therapists!

This Friday, at-home COVID test kits were distributed to students. We encourage students and staff to test on the last Friday (November 25) of the break and on Monday morning (November 28) before returning to campus. Testing before returning to school is recommended but not required. Additional test kits for students and staff are available at the Ed Center COVID-19 testing facility. If you test positive for COVID-19, please do not attend school and report your illness here.

As a reminder, please do not send your child to school if they are feeling sick or experiencing symptoms of any cold-like virus, until those symptoms start to improve and there is no fever for 24 hours (without use of fever-reducing medication). Keeping your sick child home will be a great benefit for the health and wellness of our students and staff.

What Symptoms to Look For

• The flu and COVID-19 are both spread from person-to-person, especially indoors and in crowded places. Symptoms for both viruses can include fever, headache, and muscle and joint pain, as well as a sore throat and coughing.
• RSV is a respiratory virus that has been detected in previous cold and flu seasons. Symptoms of RSV include cough, runny nose, and fever. Treatment consists of managing symptoms.

Tips to Avoid Getting Sick
San Diego County health officials offer these tips to prevent getting sick:

• Consider wearing a well-fitting, good-quality mask, especially indoors or in crowded spaces
• Wash hands thoroughly and often
• Use hand sanitizers, if unable to wash hands
• Stay away from sick people
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Clean commonly touched surfaces and/or wash/sanitize your hands after using them.
• Stay up to date on COVID-19 and flu vaccines

To be or not to be. Marshall Middle School’s Fall Play, ROSHAMBO (a.k.a. Rock, Paper, Scissors) will be Tuesday, November 29th through Friday, December 2nd. Showtime is 6:30pm. Tickets are available on the link below for $5. They can also be bought at the door on the day of the show for the same price, but if you prefer to reserve seats in advance, you'll want to get them sooner. Click on the Roshambo photo below for tickets.

In addition to supporting our students, the Marshall Mustang Organization is dedicated to year round teacher and staff appreciation.

This week, the MMO hosted a Spa/Relaxation Day. Open classrooms were converted to Relaxation Rooms. Instructors and interns from the Pacific College of Health and Science provided MMS Teachers and Staff massage therapy and/or acupuncture. Yogurt parfaits were available throughout the day in the lounge. This was one of the many appreciation events planned for this school year.

The MMO is an all volunteer organization funded by generous donations from our community. To learn how to get involved, email Kelly Melancon at marshallmustangpresident@gmail.com.

Donations can be made online at https://mmsfoundation.com/donate. All levels of support are welcome and much appreciated!

The Marshall Mustang Organization is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization (Tax ID #82-1487473). Your donation qualifies as a tax-deductible charitable gift. Receipts provided upon request. Email marshalldonation@gmail.com for more information.

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MMS is excited to introduce you to science teacher, Erin Schumacher. Not only one of the most popular teachers on campus, Mrs. Schumacher is also one of Marshall's instructional leaders who has led the science department for many years. Here's a little more about Mrs. Schumacher:

How many years in education? I have taught science at Marshall for my entire career; 16 years. I studied physiology and neuroscience at UCSD, believing I wanted to attend medical school and become a doctor. Following graduation, I worked for a cardiologist and discovered that I did not like working in the medical field! Throughout, however, I worked with kids as a tutor, counselor, and nanny, so knew that my actual passion was working with kids. I received my teaching credential from SDSU and have been at Marshall ever since.

Why middle school?- Middle schoolers are the best! Old enough to be responsible for themselves and to dive into good learning and scientific content, but young enough to be silly and not take themselves too seriously. Middle schoolers are also figuring out who they are and who they want to be, and it's an honor and joy (most of the time...) to be a part of that transition.

What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?I spend time with my family (husband, dog, two children) and friends. We play soccer, go to the Loyal games, watch sports, hang with friends, go to the beach, hike, and try to be outside as much as possible. Personally, I spend my free time reading, practicing yoga, jogging, and cooking.

What impact do you hope to make at Marshall? I really hope that all of my students continue to find the mystery and beauty of our planet! I want them to stay curious and ask good questions. I hope they find confidence in themselves as learners and community members. And of course, I hope they live happy, fulfilling lives as forever-Mustangs.

Hello Marshall Middle Parents!

ASB is planning lots of exciting activities after the break.

LUNCHTIME ACTIVITIES! ASB is hosting a game of Freeze Dance on Wednesday, November 30th, and Red Light Green Light on Wednesday, December 7th. Please sign up to participate. Only 20 spots are available for each activity!

Sign up below to participate :

Freeze Dance: https://forms.gle/ZHNfVuoA5xBqcezj7

Red Light Green Light: https://forms.gle/NwnjbxKUXNQ2bXUa6.

Remember, ASB collects school email addresses. Be sure to check your school email for confirmation. Also coming in December: Winter Grams and Winter Spirit Week!

We just added new logos to our ApparelNow shop, so there are more options for customizing your Marshall Spirit Wear! All proceeds help fund ASB activities on campus, so be sure to check it out! Show your school spirit all year!

Website: https://sites.google.com/sandi.net/marshallmiddleasb/home

ApparelNow: https://apparelnow.com/marshall-middle-school-spiritwear

TikTok: @theactualmarshallasb

Instagram: @asb.marshall

Facebook: @Marshall ASB

Each month, we send out a short 2-3 minute video to students highlighting the experience of various parts of our school community in an activity we call "Matters That Matter at Marshall." This week I sent a message to students commemorating Native American Heritage Month. In 1990 President George H. W. Bush designated November, 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Every year since then similar proclamations have been issued.

This is a time to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of Native people. It is also a time to educate ourselves about tribes and the unique challenges Native people have faced - both historically and present - as well as the important contributions of native people. This is also a time to honor Tribal sovereignty, promote Tribal self-determinations, and think about how the United States can uphold the trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations.

The United States officially recognizes 574 Indian Tribes in the contiguous 48 states and Alaska. Each of these tribes is recognized as a distinct government with, primarily, the same powers as federal and state governments to regulate their internal affairs. Each tribe has the right to establish their own form of government, determine membership requirements, enact legislation and establish their own law enforcement and court systems. This position of tribal nations as “domestic dependent nations” stems from treaties that were developed in response to western expansion and political pressure to remove Native people from their ancestral lands. Today, we can consider an acknowledgment of the land on which we live, work, or play as a way to connect ourselves to the history of the land. We can learn more about the diverse culture of those that lived on our neighborhood lands at the Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center. Approximately 2,000 years ago, the Kumeyaay-Ipai lived throughout what is now San Diego County and Baja California. Right next door, in Poway (or Pauwai), you can visit the Interpretive Center for docent-led and self-guided tours on the third Saturday of each month.

As we spend time with our families this Thanksgiving Break, we invite students and families to engage in discussion around these reflection questions in honor of Native American Heritage Month

The benefits of mindfulness have been widely shared and discussed in schools in recent years, especially since the pandemic. However, the application in our setting has been varied and unpredictable. New research shows that the benefits of meditation have proven comparable to medication in dealing with anxiety. This article shares results recently published in JAMA Psychiatry and offers hope for future initiatives for schools and workplaces looking to create environments that are proactive in addressing issues surrounding mental health.