On behalf of the entire Mustang staff, we wish all of our families a happy new year! As we look forward to 2023 we are so excited to see our students and staff return on Tuesday, January 3rd. Here are a couple of reminders for the coming week:

COVID Test Kits- Please don't forget to have your student take their at-home COVID test Tuesday morning before going to school. Also, if your student is experiencing symptoms, please keep them home and monitor. Even though students may not want to miss their first day back, it's important we remain diligent about stopping the spread of illness. Please know that our staff will be understanding and flexible when it comes to illness. If you have any questions about what do in regards to symptoms or a positive test, feel free to email our Nursing and Wellness office (lmadariaga@sandi.net).

Semester 1 is almost over- Our first semester ends on Friday, January 20th. Students should communicate with their teachers about any work that is missing and double check the deadlines for any reassessments. If there are still any concepts that students are struggling with or don't understand, now is the time to reach out to teachers.

We hope everyone had a chance to reset and recharge this holiday break. We have an exciting Spring ahead of us and looking forward to making 2023 fantastic!

Josh Way, Ed.D

Back in December, the MMS Counseling Department presented high school planning information to 8th grade students and their parents/guardians. If you missed it, here's a copy of the presentation, as well as some additional resources:

4-Year Plan Presentation

High School vs UC-CSU Requirements.pdf

Math Pathways.pdf

CCTE- Course Sequence for Pathways.pdf

Don't forget! Information regarding the 8th grade matriculation will be routinely updated on the MMS counseling website.

MMS is excited to introduce you to English teacher, Mrs. Kat Parr. Mrs. Parr is in her 8th year teaching at Marshall Middle School and is currently teaching 8th grade ELA. Here's more about Mrs. Parr:

How many years in education?- I began substitute teaching after graduating from Central Washington University in 2004. My first full-time teaching position when I moved down to San Diego was teaching 6th grade English at PB Middle. I knew I wanted a change after six years, so I applied to MMS in 2014.

Why middle school?- I did not originally go to school to become an English teacher; however, overtime, middle school essentially "chose" me. I thought I would teach younger elementary grades, but after moving down to San Diego, I realized my passion was to teach the middle school level.

What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?- When I am not grading 160+ essays, I enjoy camping, playing board games, and hanging out with family and friends. Both of my girls are in club soccer, so we spend a lot of weekdays after school and weekends at various fields around San Diego.

What impact do you hope to make at Marshall?- I truly love teaching students how to write well. I enjoy sharing easy tips and tricks in order to elevate students' writing. I aim to help them feel more confident in their writing abilities before going on to high school.

Hello Marshall Middle Parents!

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

'Tis the season of new resolutions! With each new year, comes a fresh opportunity to set a new intention or goal. As a parent of young kids emerging from the craziness of the holidays and the daily emphasis on gratitude and gift giving, rather than gift receiving (which my children seem to so naturally connect with) it has become clear what our focus will be this coming year... Kindness in 2023! It may sound overly simplified, but this article from Scientific American has offered a new insight into why kindness seems to be lacking and hard to sustain. Researchers in this article found that when most people engage acts of kindness, the "doer" often underestimates the impact of the act on the recipient. Authors say that we often do not fully recognize the affect our behavior has on others. This insight isn't new, but confirms that we fail to see how much impact a positive act can have on others.