Good Evening Mustang Families,

I hope everyone had a safe and restful weekend. Just a reminder that next week, we don't have school on Friday (2/17) and Monday (2/20) in honor of President's Holiday Weekend.

MATTERS THAT MATTER AT MARSHALL

As part of our Matters That Matter at Marshall series and in honor of Black History Month, our students have been learning about the legacies and contributions of African-Americans. This past week and into next week, our students are watching a video with a brief explanation of Black History Month and the legacy of Thurgood Marshall then had the opportunity to reflect with their classmates. Students have been encouraged to also engage in conversations at home. You can see the reflection questions that were shared in our classrooms here. Please take a moment and engage in these conversations with your middle school student.

Together, we can work towards making Marshall Middle School a more welcoming and inclusive place for all students.

Have a great week!

Josh Way, Ed.D

High School course selection process is here.

On January 23rd, students watched an articulation video in their English classes about how to select and register/request for next year’s classes in their Student Portal. Students also received a hard copy of the Articulation Card and Support Document to use while choosing classes. The video, PDF copies of the handouts and additional information for the articulation process have also been uploaded onto the 8th Grade Student/Parent Info page on the SRHS Counseling website. Electronic submissions of course requests in the Student Portal and the Articulation Card submitted to their English teacher were both due by Friday, February 3.

On March 7th and 8th, SRHS Counselors are visiting Marshall to meet one-on-one with students during P.E. class to confirm class choices and answer any scheduling questions students have. Please make sure to review all the materials posted, read the course descriptions on the counseling website and attend the zoom meeting if you have follow up questions, to assist in the decision making process.

4-Year Plan Presentation

High School vs UC-CSU Requirements.pdf

Math Pathways.pdf

CCTE- Course Sequence for Pathways.pdf

The Scripps Ranch Schools Committee will meet next Wednesday, February 15th at 4:30 pm. The meeting topic is standards-based grading at the middle and high school. SDUSD office leaders and principals from Marshall and Scripps will be presenting. Interested community members should complete this Google Form to receive a zoom invitation to attend the meeting. https://forms.gle/qoYSjMMQczfaGXH76

The SR Schools Committee is made up of representatives from all six Scripps Ranch schools and the Scripps Ranch Civic Association and works with families, teachers, and school personnel on school-related issues. Its goal is to foster cohesion and collaboration between the six SR public schools. Contact srschoolscommittee@gmail.com with any questions.

There is a bi-annual National Math contest called the Noetic Math Contest that is designed to inspire kids to excel in math. It consists of 20 challenging problems solved within 45 minutes. In Fall 2022, MMS 6th grade students participated in this contest and did extremely well. They earned a Team Achievement Plaque for scoring in the top 10% of teams in their grade nationally! More importantly, the participants had fun tackling these challenging problems and were proud of their individual and team achievements.

This Spring 2023, we would like to invite 6th graders from Marshall Middle School to participate. The MMS team consists of up to 30 6th grade students. (We have the ability to form a second 6th grade team if there are 40-60 students interested.) This test will be taken at MMS MPR Room on April 14th. If your child is in 6th grade, LOVES MATH, and would like to participate, please email me directly at cforbes1@yahoo.com. Registration is due March 13th, and the contest will take place on April 14th. Please see the attached flyer and website for more details.

https://www.noetic-learning.com/mathcontest/documents/yearly/nlmc_2023S.pdf?34

https://www.noetic-learning.com/mathcontest/

Lastly, for those of you with older siblings, I will likely add 7th and 8th grade teams in Fall 2023.

Marshall Middle is excited to share a great opportunity with our 8th-grade families. In partnership with Miramar College and USD, the company 21iQInnovation is offering a great experience for students to learn about developing their entrepreneurship, innovation, and start-up skills. Click on this flyer to visit an information session.

Did you know there are 39 languages spoken at MMS? Let’s celebrate all the many different countries and cultures represented at MMS at our first ever FESTIVAL OF CULTURES! It will be on Wednesday, May 10 at lunch. We are looking for students who would like to host a country table, perform a cultural dance or song, or make a video sharing their culture. If you’d like to participate, fill out this Google Form and more information will be sent to you!

The San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is hosting a screening of a new documentary called, "Sextortion: The hidden pandemic" on Thursday, Feb. 23rd, 6-8pm. This event was shared with schools by the SD Unified School Police. If you're interested, you can open the flyer here

MMS is excited to introduce you to our Associate Principal, Lauryn Edwards. Mrs. Edwards has stepped in this year and made a great impact on our administrative team. She has not only worked to keep our current systems and practices going, but has brought a wonderful energy and spirit to our Health Wellness Committee, starting the Teens Make Health Happen Club. Here's more about Mrs. Edwards:

How many years in education?- Over a total of 13 years, I have taught almost all grades from Preschool through 6th grade. I have been a Multiple-subject Classroom Teacher, a Health and Wellness Teacher and a Physical Education Teacher.

Why middle school?- I was ready for a new challenge and wanted to increase my breadth of experience within varied educational settings.

What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?- I love to ski in the winter, hike in the spring, stand up paddleboard in the summer and cook and watch football in the fall. Go New Orleans Saints!

What impact do you hope to make at Marshall?- I hope to utilize my management and community building skills to develop and nurture positive relationships with staff, students and community stakeholders.

Marshall Middle Parents!

Here is a quick reminder of our special events coming up:

• Next week Tuesday, February 14 is Spirit Day. Have your kids wear red, white, or pink to show Valentine's Spirit!

• A Spirit Week is coming up in March, so watch out for details!

• Save the Date: ASB is organizing a Spring Dance with a red carpet theme on Friday, April 28th from 5:00-7:00.

Be sure to check out our 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

Recently, the Australian government opened a formal inquiry titled, "The issue of increasing disruption in Australian school classrooms". We've known about the nationwide student disengagement crisis, but had no idea it's being felt across the globe...and it's not just middle school (Phew!). This article in EdSurge describes how student disengagement has spread to colleges and universities. The article shares this is not a new issue, student distraction and lack of engagement have accelerated since the pandemic.