MAMS Monthly
March 2022
Mr. Wells' Principal's Message
I would like to take a moment to recognize and thank the cast & crew of the MAMS Spring Musical, The SpongeBob Musical. Students and staff have been hard at work the past couple of months and it was great to see them live in action once again doing what they love to do. Thank you to all that came out to support the show, your continued support is greatly appreciated.
Social Emotional Learning Week
This week, we will be celebrating SEL Week at MAMS! SEL stands for Social & Emotional Learning and can be defined as: the process of learning that allows people to gain the skills and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve goals, feel empathy, maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.
This week, we will be highlighting positive behaviors in school, classrooms, in the hallways and in the cafeteria. If a teacher “catches” you making positive choices, you may receive an Honorable Husky ticket. We will have daily drawings at the end of every school day and a grand prize drawing on Friday afternoon. Some examples of positive choices include: cleaning your own space in the classroom or cafeteria, helping a friend in need, making responsible decisions, speaking kindly to a peer, or engaging in meaningful conversation.
We will culminate the week on Friday with an ice cream social during each lunch period. We are hoping to use this time to disconnect from our phones and chromebooks, and reconnect with our friends and peers!
2022-2023 Course Requests
On Tuesday, March 8th, the Course Requests section of the Parent Portal will open for current 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students. Families will be able to review teacher placement recommendations and select their electives for the 2022-2023 school on the Parent Portal. This window will close on Tuesday, March 15th. Please review the 2022-2023 Course Request Parent Letter for additional information including a description of the elective courses that will be offered next year.
McTeacher Night
Please join us in supporting the Matawan Aberdeen Relay For Life by stopping by for our annual:
Matawan Aberdeen Middle School McTeacher’s Night
Wednesday, March 9 2022 from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM - Aberdeen McDonald’s, 1108 Rt. 34
Click Here for additional information.
Upcoming Dates
- Friday, March 4- Half day for students
- Friday, March 4- Sunday, March 6- "Spongebob the Musical!" Click to purchase tickets
- Wednesday, March 9- McTeacher Night at McDonald's on Rt 34 from 4:30pm-7:30pm
- Monday, March 14- MAMS PTSO Meeting @10:00am
- Tuesday, March 15- Documentary Screening of "Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America" presented by the Student Equity Team @6pm in the MAMS Auditorium
- Saturday, March 19- MAMS PTSO Tricky Tray 6pm-10pm Click to purchase tickets
- Monday, March 21- Friday, March 25- Scholastic Book Fair
- Monday, March 21- Principal's Roundtable Meeting
- Friday, march 25- Student | Faculty Volleyball Game
Save the Dates:
- Friday, May 20- Minding Your Mind - Mental Health Awareness Assembly for all grades
- Saturday, May 21- Sunday, May 22 Relay for Life @MRHS
Women's History Month
Did you know? The celebration of Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by a school district in California in 1978. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week with a presidential proclamation. The next year, Congress made it a national celebration. Six years later, Congress expanded the event to the entire month of March after a petition from the National Women’s History Project. Women’s History Month has been observed in the month of March in the United States since 1987.
The month of March celebrates the history of women who changed the future for the better. In July 1848, around 240 men and women in New York gathered to talk over the rights of women and other social conflicts. 68 women and 32 men signed the Declaration of Sentiments which changed the future of women’s rights.
One example of a woman who changed the future in a positive way is Margaret Sanger. She was born in 1879 and was a nurse and women’s rights activist who opened the first American birth control clinic located in Brownsville, Brooklyn in 1916. Another woman who changed history for the better is Sandra Day O’Connor, who was confirmed to the Supreme Court in 1981. She didn’t have much experience when she first started; she had never served on a federal court and only been a judge for a few years, but soon she became well known as one of the court’s most attentive centrists.She retired in 2006.
Club Connection
Each week during the month of February, an AASU member delivered a brief presentation following morning announcements highlighting African Americans in sports, literature, history/politics, and entertainment. On Friday, February 25th, the AASU presented their Virtual Black History Month Assembly. The 30 minute video featured presentations, speeches, poetry readings, vocals, song performances, and entertainment from the MAMS AASU as well as the MAMS Chorus and MAMS Student Equity Team. After each video viewing, AASU members spoke to the various grade levels about Black History Month and answered questions from their peers.
Principal's Roundtable Meeting
On Monday, February 21st, members of Peer Leadership, Safe Space, and the Student Equity Team met with their advisors and Mr. Wells to discuss their thoughts on the betterment of the school. Students shared ideas such as having some free time during lunch to socialize or run around a bit and reset their minds for the rest of the day. The Roundtable will meet monthly to brainstorm and plan together.
National Junior Honors Society
The "Puppy Love" fundraiser is currently underway. NJHS is asking students and families to donate supplies and/or food to local animal shelters. Collections bags can be found in each homeroom.
Student Equity Team
Watch our podcast here
New episode coming next week! Look for it on our social media sites!
Community Screening & Courageous Conversations
The MAMS Administration and Student Equity Team is excited to announce that, through the generosity of the MAMS PTSO, we have secured a license to show the new documentary "Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America" at the Matawan Aberdeen Middle School on Tuesday, March 15th at 6pm in the MAMS Auditorium.
This film was recently released in select theaters for a limited run. The Student Equity Team invites all District stakeholders and community members to join us for a community screening followed by courageous and collaborative conversations led by members of the MAMS Student Equity Team. We hope to see you there!!!
National African American Read-In
Mrs. Stevens' Class
Mrs. O. Nilsen's Class
Ms. Raiola's Class
Mrs. Crawford's Class
Ms. Pattwell's Class
Mr. Gross' Library Cart
Counselor's Corner by Ms. LoStocco, Ms. Leach, and Ms. Lyttle
March is here and that means that Spring is just around the corner!! Nicer weather brings more time outside, and longer days. It also means that focusing on your schoolwork can be more difficult. Use the tips below to help stay on track!
- If you get distracted easily…Put your phone somewhere not easily accessible when you are trying to focus on schoolwork! There’s a good chance that you are checking your phone more often than you realize when you are trying to get other things done. Leaving your phone in a space far away from where you are completing your schoolwork can help improve your focus, and you might even be able to finish up your work faster.
- Try downloading the Mindful Browsing extension for google chrome! This lets you add in websites you know you can get easily distracted by, and will ask you if you really want to visit them. It also reminds you every 10 minutes that there might be something more important than scrolling through your favorite sites or playing games online. You can try the SelfControl app if you have a Mac or Apple computer.
- Set limits for screentime on your phone, so that you can keep track of how much time you spend on there. Make note of how much time you spend each week and try to decrease it the next week!