Mooresville Middle School
Community Newsletter -- October 20th, 2023
A Message from Mr. Kosal:
MMS is All Heart!
The first NC Check-In tests are coming up next week (October 24 - 26) for all MMS students. NC Check-Ins are interim assessments aligned to the NC grade-level content standards (for reading and mathematics) and North Carolina Essential Standards (for science 8).
The main purpose of NC Check-Ins is to provide students, teachers, and parents with immediate in-depth action data and a reliable estimate of studentsโ current performance on selected subsets of content standards. The end-of-grade (EOG) tests share a common question bank with the NC Check-Ins, which then exposes NC Check-In students to similar question types and rigor found on the EOGs.
The NC Check-In administration dates are as follows:
ELA 6, 7, 8 - Tuesday, October 24th
Math 6, 7, 8 - Wednesday, October 25th (not Honors Math 1)
Science 8 - Thursday, October 26th
MMS will run a modified testing bell schedule on Tues - Thurs of next week to provide students with enough time to complete their assessments. Please remind your Red Imp student to get quality sleep before a test, eat breakfast that morning, bring a fully charged laptop to school, and (of course) try their best! :)
If you have any questions or concerns about the NC Check-Ins, please contact Ms. Richardson (tabitharichardson@mgsd.k12.nc.us).
Here are some of the topics in this week's newsletter:
- MMS school dance - next Friday 10/27
- Parent-teacher conferences (week of 10/30) - sign up today!
- Chick-fil-A night for MMS - next Monday 10/23
- Boo Grams for sale starting next week (PTSO)
- PTSO needs volunteers for October events!
- Parents & Canvas observer accounts
- Staff Celebrations for October
- Science Club & Field Trip info - limited spots
- JV basketball tryouts - 11/3
- Yearbook order form (QR code)
- Free peer tutoring for Math 1 students
- Christmas Angel program, sponsored by The Christian Mission
- Car-rider reminders for parents
- Panorama Parent Surveys - please fill out to help MMS improve!
- Charlotte Hornets night, sponsored by MMS PTSO
- and more!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read and know what's going on at MMS. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Mr. Kosal, MMS principal / 6th grade (pkosal@mgsd.k12.nc.us)
Dr. Browning, assistant principal / 7th grade (mbrowning@mgsd.k12.nc.us)
Ms. Richardson, assistant principal / 8th grade (tabitharichardson@mgsd.k12.nc.us)
Ms. Miller, athletic director (dedramiller@mgsd.k12.nc.us)
Q1 report cards distributed on Tuesday, October 31
School Dance - next Friday, 10/27
Students must have Mooresville Middle ID cards to enter. $5 admission at the door, and concessions will be on sale all night also! Be sure soft soles (i.e. sneakers) are worn to protect our gym floor, please.
Parents: the dance ends promptly at 8:00pm. All students MUST be picked up by 8:15pm or they could wind up on the Loss of Privilege list for quarter #2. Thanks in advance!
More details are found in the flyer below! We hope to see lots of Red Imps at the dance!
MMS Tardy Policy - reminder
1st Tardy- Verbal warning from Teacher and document minor in Ed Handbook
2nd Tardy - Verbal warning from Teacher and document minor in Ed Handbook
3rd Tardy- Teacher-Student Conference with Teacher call to parent
4th Tardy- Lunch Detention with Teacher call to parent
5th Tardy and Beyond- Office Referral
(Tardies to class reset to zero at the beginning of each quarter.)
Students tardy to school, since they are late to class, will be subject to this tardy policy also. After 7:55am, student tardies will be logged and parents will be contacted for warnings. Parents will be notified by Ms. Joy Miller, behavior interventionist, via Parent Square message when their child is late to school. Consequences may follow after the fact.
* Note: bus-riders on late buses are exempt from these consequences; that tardiness is an MGSD issue. If you need a bus route set up for your student, please click here to get more info about the MGSD Transportation department.
Parents: please be mindful of our 7:55am start time and help our Red Imps get to school on time each day so we can take advantage of every moment for learning!
Car Rider Reminders
a) pull all the way up to the end of the car rider line. Please follow directions from the staff members helping to guide traffic.
b) drop off / load students from the passenger side of the car -- our staff has noticed drivers-side doors swinging out when traffic is moving and that can result in unsafe situations.
Thanks for your help in these two areas!
Red Imp Staff Celebrations (October)
Thank you, Ms. Durham!
Thank you, Ms. Miller!
Thank you, Ms. Young!
10/27 spirit day
Friday, October 27th is the next MMS spirit day. The theme is... Grade Level Color War!
6th grade = wear Black
7th grade = wear Red
8th grade = wear White
Please encourage your Red Imps to participate to show their MMS spirit!
MMS Chick-fil-A night - next Monday!
Come visit us at the restaurant located at 457 River Highway (hwy 150) between 4 - 7:00pm.
Our school earns a portion of the proceeds, so if you need dinner plans on Monday night & want to support Red Imps, EaT mOrE cHiKeN!
New MMS school paper (Red Imp Heart Beat)
The MMS Journalism Club is proud to announce that the first edition of Red Imp Heat Beat, our new school newspaper, was published on Wednesday, October 18.
The newspaper includes MMS news & events, interviews, sports team rosters, and Fall sports reports. Our next edition will be published on Tuesday, November 28.
Copies are 50ยข each and the money will be used toward printing costs and/or a journalism project chosen by the staff and it is sold in the Imp Cafe during lunches.
Let your student know if you would like to purchase a copy!
Parents & Canvas observer accounts
Parents, if you'd like to follow your student's progress and grades via Canvas (the MGSD Learning Management System), all directions are on this page. This includes how to set up an Observer Account (and getting the Pairing Code) so parents can check their student's progress in any course. Parents can also request time with our MMS Instructional Coach (Ms. McComas) using this link for additional help.
MMS Science Club & Field Trip Opportunity
This year, our Science Club field trip is to the Sound to Sea Environmental Education Program held at Trinity Center and the NC Aquarium. Both facilities are located in Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina. This barrier island is located south of Atlantic Beach.
We will be staying at the camp from February 7-9 and will stop at the Aquarium on the way home on Feb. 9th. The cost of the trip is $300. This includes food, housing and transportation. Please visit the camp website for more information regarding this program: http://www.trinityctr.com/soundtosea/
** Only the first 24 boys and 24 girls will be able to attend this trip. First payment is due by Friday, November 3rd or your seat may be vacated.
Click here to view the interest letter sent home with students last week for more information. Because of limitations on spots available, it's important that permission slips and first deposits are submitted ASAP. Contact Ms. Pendleton, 7th grade science teacher, with questions (jenniferpendleton@mgsd.k12.nc.us).
Christmas Angel program - info from The Christian Mission
All children must reside in the same household and registration must be submitted by October 31. Once you have registered, a staff person from the Christian Mission will be in touch with you to confirm receipt of your registration and to confirm a time to pick up the gifts at the Mission on Saturday, December 9 between 9am-12noon. (No bicycles will be available this year) If you need more information, call the Christian Mission at 704-664-2357 or email rdearman@thechristianmission.org.
Parent Panorama Survey - please help us improve!
Another reminder was sent today (Friday) to parents via ParentSquare. Please help Red Imps get better, parents! Thank you for your time and support.
For 8th grade students taking NC Math 1 class (honors), read below for a peer tutoring opportunity from CCTL:
Boo Grams for sale - starting next week!
PTSO Boo-Grams will be on sale at MMS starting next Monday, 10/23/23. If you're able to help sell during the school day, here is the link for volunteers to help sell grams with other PTSO members: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E4CA4A623A57-45367687-boogram#/ See the flyer below for more details!
October Staff Luncheon: our PTSO is also still collecting donations for our October staff lunch to show our appreciation to the MMS staff! The theme is Walking Taco Bar. If you can bring a dish OR donate funds for the effort, use this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E4CA4A623A57-45280716-october#/
PTSO event - Red Imps go see the Hornets play!
Our next MMS PTSO fundraising event for families is a Red Imp & Charlotte Hornets collaboration! On Saturday, January 27th, the Charlotte Hornets welcome all students, faculty, and families of Mooresville Middle School as we take on the Utah Jazz! Game time is 7:00pm. Discounted tickets are exclusively available through the link below for all members of the Mooresville Middle School community. A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit MMS with every purchase!
*All MMS attendees will receive one Hornets' T-shirt per person at the game to picked up outside of Section 112 in the Lower Level at our Designated Group Sales table. Pickup window to receive your shirt is from Doors Open - End of the 3rd Quarter. Smaller sizes tend to be popular, so please arrive early if needed.
**Everyone who purchases through this link will be included in a V.I.P experience to watch warmups from the Lower Bowl prior too doors opening once we reach 50 attendees! Instructions for participation will be sent via email used in purchase once secured.
You must purchase through this link to be considered part of any MMS group benefits. We hope to see our Red Imps at the Spectrum Center in CLT on January 27th!
How to alert MMS of a student absence:
The email address for parents to alert MMS about student absences is: MMSAttendance@MGSD.k12.nc.us
Parents can upload doctor's notes as well. We hope this process will be easier on everyone instead of sending a note with the student that can get lost easily!
MMS Social Media Handles - follow us!
Facebook: @mooresvillems
Instagram: mooresvillems
Twitter: @mooresvillems
Website: https://mms.mgsd.k12.nc.us/
Rest up for a busy next week, Red Imps!
A s..c...a...r...y... good week is coming! Get ready for Check In testing starting on Tuesday, Red Imps.
I hope everyone enjoys their weekend and does something *spooky* as we prep for Halloween!
Email: pkosal@mgsd.k12.nc.us
Website: https://mms.mgsd.k12.nc.us/
Location: 233 Kistler Farm Road, Mooresville, NC, USA
Phone: (704) 658-2720