MLK News: September 26 - 30, 2022

From Executive Principal, Dr. Angela McShepard-Ray

Know Someone Who No Longer Gets This Newsletter?

Please have them reach out to Julie Jones at julievm@hotmail.com and make her aware. Thank you.

Hands on MLK Day - Thank You!

A special Thank You goes out to everyone who came out today to help clean the interior of the building for Hands on MLK Day! Thank you for giving of yourself and of your time.
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Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15)

Schoology and Infinite Campus Grading Information

A Note about grades: Parents are encouraged to monitor their students' grades using Schoology or Infinite Campus. Schoology is the best place to look for grades because it is updated more often, and it is the only place where you can see materials and assignments. Teachers will transfer grades from Schoology to Campus at least twice a week. Grades for each quarter are finalized officially in Infinite Campus at the end of the nine weeks. Infinite Campus rounds grades using a different number of decimal places, so you might notice a discrepancy of 0.01% between Campus and Schoology. The final grade in Infinite Campus is the OFFICIAL grade.

Voter Registration Program for Juniors and Seniors During Royal Time, Wednesday, September 28th

Seniors will attend a Voter Registration program during Advisory/Royal Time on Wednesday, September 28th. Juniors and seniors who are not registered to vote will be able to do so.

Test Taking Strategies Session to Help You Prepare for the ACT

Seniors and juniors will take the ACT on Tuesday, October 4th. In order to help students prepare to take the ACT, we will offer a Test Taking Strategies Session to help you take the ACT on Tuesday, September 27th, from 3:15 pm until 4:15 pm in the auditorium. All seniors and juniors are welcome.


If you will attend the test strategies session, please complete the survey in the link below by Monday, September 26th, at 3:00 pm.


https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=V4KCxhBkfkC1V7XcchHeVfnI4ZMsBy1NiZp8x4WQDiJUQU0xNjFGR1pHMjhCTFExSk80MVVOQVc2Uy4u

The Middle School Chorus will hold their Fall Concert on Thursday, September 29th, at 6:00 pm in the auditorium. Please come out and support them.

WeGO - StrIDe Badges Required

WeGo is continuing to report that they are seeing large numbers of students who are not using their student IDs to ride the bus. WeGO has indicated that they cannot continue to let students without cards ride. They will be ramping up their communication directly with students over the next couple of weeks.


All students should have their student ID that also serves as your bus pass by October 1st.

Senior Baby Pictures - Deadline Sept. 30

Seniors - please make sure you’ve viewed this flyer, and you have a plan for senior pictures. ALL SENIORS need to submit a baby picture by September 30 using this link. To submit pictures, you will need to login with a student MNPS Microsoft account. If you’re planning to make an appointment with Prestige at their studio, you need to do so ASAP! Their appointments only go through the end of October. Questions? Contact Mrs. Spencer the yearbook teacher. (caroline.spencer@mnps.org)

Upcoming Standardized Testing

Tuesday, October 4th – ACT

12th Grade – Official ACT Retake (online)

11th Grade – Practice ACT (paper)

List of Approved Calculators


Tuesday, October 25th – PSAT

11th, 10th, 9th, & 8th Grades take the PSAT (paper)

Links to Purchase PSAT

12th grade – Nashville Zoo Field Trip

7th grade – SEL Day at MLK


Tuesday, March 7th – ACT

11th Grade – Official ACT (online)

10th grade – Practice ACT (paper)

9th grade – Practice ACT (paper)

Congratulations to the 2022-2023 Student Government Association Representatives

Announcing Middle School Student Council for 2022-2023

First MLK College Acceptance

Congratulations goes out to Natalia Del Pino. She has been accepted to the University of Memphis. She is first college acceptance at MLK!

Seniors Visit Tennessee Tech University

On Tuesday, September 20th, the senior class traveled to Tennessee Tech to learn about student life on a university campus. Our students were greeted by the president of Tennessee Tech, Dr. Phil Oldham. Our students attended a general information session, took a campus tour, had lunch on campus, and attended a Student Life session. We also saw several recent graduates that were able to share their experience thus far with the seniors. It is important to visit a college campus and see yourself on a college campus.


A special thank you goes out to Mrs. Constance Hensley, our College Counselor, for organizing this trip. Thanks also to our chaperones: Mr. Carter, Mrs. Holley, Ms. McKerley, Mrs. Montgomery, Mr. Selbrade, Mrs. Strickland, Ms. Freeman, Mrs. Murphy, Mrs. Nichols, Coach Anderson, Mrs. Desha, and Dr. McShepard-Ray.

Seniors Honored at Girls' Soccer Senior Night

MLK Students Win Trophy in Chess Tournament

9th grader, Taron Polborn, and 8th grader, John Yarbro, represented MLK at a chess tournament this weekend and placed first in the high school section. Congratulations!
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Youth Poet Laureate Application Now Available

The 2023 Nashville Youth Poet Laureate applications are now available. The Youth Poet Laureate program aims to identify young student writers who are committed to civic and community engagement, diversity and inclusion, and youth voice across Nashville. Students ages 13-19 who attend or attended high school in Nashville are eligible for consideration.


Applications are due Friday, October 21 11:59 PM CT. Applicants who advance will be invited to perform at a semifinal round on Thursday, November 17 at 4:00pm. The top three finalists will perform at the State of the Word in December, where one youth will be honored with the title of Nashville Youth Poet Laureate.

The Nashville Youth Poet Laureate is a joint program of the Office of the Mayor, Metro Human Relations Commission, Nashville Public Library, Metro Nashville Arts Commission, Southern Word in partnership with Urban Word, and supported by the PEN Center USA, the Academy of American Poets, and the Nashville Public Library Foundation.


2023 Youth Poet Laureate Application Available - Southern Word

School Pictures

School picture day for 7-11th grade students was Friday, September 9. If your student missed picture day, there will be a make-up picture day Friday, October 21. In 3-4 weeks, you should receive an email from Lifetouch with a proof of your picture. If you would like to purchase pictures online, go to mylifetouch.com, and use the event code EVTD6TJ84. Questions? Contact Mrs. Spencer, the yearbook teacher. (caroline.spencer@mnps.org)

News from the MLK College Center

Tuesday, Sept. 27

    • ACT Strategies Workshop (3:15 - 4:30; location to be announced) - Mr. Tom Occhipinti, former MNPS teacher and trained ACT tutor, will present a session focusing on effective strategies for taking the ACT (which is coming up on October 4).


    Wednesday, Sept. 28

    • College Center Extended Hours (3:00 - 5:00 pm) - Stay the entire time to work on anything college-related, or stay only as long as you wish.
    • Self-paced ACT Practice Using On-Line Platform (3:00 - 5:00 pm; College Center) - Join us for a quiet time and place to practice for taking the electronic version of the ACT. Choose which subtest(s) you want to work on - stay until 5:00 or just as long as you wish.


    Thursday, Sept. 29

    • Self-paced ACT Practice Using the On-Line Platform (3:00 - 5:00 pm; College Center) - Join us for a quiet time and place to practice for taking the electronic version of the ACT. Choose which subtest(s) you want to work on - stay until 5:00 or just as long as you wish.


    College Visitors This Week

    Thursday - Washington and Lee University (nationally-ranked, small, private, liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia) - Visit their information table outside the Internet Cafe.


    Friday - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT - nationally-ranked, medium-size, private research institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts) This event will consist of a formal presentation and question-and-answer session held in the College Center during both "A" and "C" lunches. Senior and Junior families - watch for an email from Mrs. Hensley with a link to register.

High School Students - Sign up for the American Mathematics Competition.

Ms. Agee would like to invite you to sign up for the American Mathematics Competition. It is a 75 minute math test that tests problem solving skills especially. It will be given on November 16th during the school day. It costs $5 to take and is due by November 1st. You can either pay Ms. Agee in Room 2108, or there is a school cash online group set up to take payments that you may use. I hope many of you take advantage of the opportunity to test yourself and your growing skills. Here is a link for you that includes some practice problems so you can see what the test is like. https://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/2017_AMC1012_Practice_Questions.pdf

INVEST - We have REACHED our Goal!!

Thanks to your generous support we have reached our $60,000 INVEST goal in donations & pledges!


Because of you, MLK students and teachers will have the resources and tools to be the best school in MNPS! 🎓

If you've been putting off giving, we still need your support to help fund additional projects and unexpected needs. Please make your gift TODAY at https://investmlk.evrits.com As encouragement, one lucky NEW donor (donations received after 9/20) will receive a $25 gift card to the MLK Spirit Store each week until Fall Break!

As a reminder, ALL donors to the INVEST campaign will receive an MLK sticker or magnet, and $200+ donors will receive an MLK WHITE OUT T-SHIRT while supplies last.👕 Merch will be available for pickup this Friday 9/23 at lunch! 👕
AND two lucky winners from all donations will continue to receive a $25 gift card to the MLK Spirit Store each week until Fall Break! This week's lucky winners are: Maggie Warren and Marlee Martin.

Please help us keep the momentum going! If you have already made your pledge or donation, THANK YOU! I am so grateful for every dollar we raise that supports this amazing school. 🍎


*Note: if you get a "Whoops! We could not find that Student" message, try entering the first and last name in all lowercase letters.

Be a LOYAL ROYAL and DONATE TODAY!

With gratitude,

Michele Harrell

Invest Co-Chair

MLK 2022-2023 Yearbook Update

Order your 2022-2023 yearbook today! Yearbooks will be $75 until October 20. After October 20, the price goes up to $85. You can go to jostensyearbooks.com today to order your yearbook! Questions about the yearbook? Contact our yearbook teacher, Mrs. Spencer. Caroline.Spencer@Mnps.org

ACT Corner

Welcome to week 7 of the 2022-2023 ACT Corner!

This week’s practice passage comes from the English section of the ACT. English_passage_8_Sept_22_2022.pdf

Correct answers to last week’s Science passage are also included. Science_passage_7_Sept_15_2022 (1).pdf

PSAT Testing Information

Dear 8th – 11th Grade Students/Families,


On Tuesday, October 25th, the PSAT will be administered at MLK to every 8th-11th grade student. The PSAT is a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT and gives students access to college and career planning tools. Taking the PSAT as a junior allows students a chance to become National Merit Scholars, which often translates to scholarships at highly selective universities. MLK had 8 National Merit semi-finalists in the class of 2021, 5 semi-finalists in the class of 2022, and 7 semi-finalists in the class of 2023!

MNPS is using a new payment platform this school year (School Cash Online) and payment for the PSAT can be made online by clicking the grade-level specific links below. Please be sure to enter your child’s name in the box that asks “who are you purchasing this for?” If you haven’t already created an account, the system will direct you to register for an account or check-out as a guest. You will also be able to “select more items” and add additional payments for multiple children (if applicable).


11th Grade PSAT Purchase

10th Grade PSAT Purchase

9th Grade PSAT Purchase

8th Grade PSAT Purchase


For additional information on the PSAT, please visit the College Board’s Website:

https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt.


MLK requires each 8th-11th grade student to take the PSAT. All payments must be made by Friday, October 21st. If online payment is not an option for your family or you need financial assistance to pay for the PSAT, please reply to this email.


We want to ensure our students have every advantage available to them. Thanks for your immediate attention and support!

After School Tutoring - Monday Through Thursday

For high school students it occurs Monday-Thursday from 3:15 - 4:15 p.m. in room 2206.


For middle school the schedule is from 3:15-4:15, Monday-Thursday.

  • 8th Grade - Monday (Poston)and Tuesday (Boleyjack),
  • 7th Grade - Wednesday (Taylor) and Thursday (Ellis).


More information

MLK Spirit Store Information

MLK Spirit Store

2022-2023

Our MLK Spirit Store will OPEN Monday, August 15


Operating Guidelines

The details for shopping MLK apparel online, payment options, and

picking up your order are below. Click on the link below to order.

MemberHub


Apparel:

• New apparel will be added to the website on a regular basis. We will also

be restocking popular items; however, not all items will be restocked so

please do not delay in purchasing your items. If you do not see your size or

the color you want, please continue to check the website for updates.

• You will NOT have the opportunity to try on apparel prior to purchasing.

• NO RETURNS will be allowed on any purchased items. Most of our spirit

wear is printed on Gildan apparel (100% cotton) and fits true to size. Please

pay careful attention to the size that you choose prior to placing your

online order.

Online Payment Options:

• All major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX) are accepted. You will also

be charged a nominal credit card processing fee (based on your subtotal)

for all online purchases.

Picking Up Your Order:

• Parents/students will be able to pick up online orders in the front office.

MLK parent volunteers will be processing orders for pick up on Wednesdays

and Fridays of every week. You will be required to sign for your paid online

order upon pick up. There are no alternative payment options at pick up.

Need Help with Homework?

Use the Homework Hotline! Call 615.298.6636.
Teachers are available to answer questions Mondays through Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. This is a free service to students in TN.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and is now active across the United States.


When you call, text, or chat 988, you will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting you, provide support, and connect you to resources if necessary.

The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis.


The Lifeline’s network of over 200 crisis centers has been in operation since 2005, and has been proven to be effective. It’s the counselors at these local crisis centers who answer the contacts the Lifeline receives every day. Numerous studies have shown that callers feel less suicidal, less depressed, less overwhelmed and more hopeful after speaking with a Lifeline counselor.


Answer the call! These centers are looking to bring on new volunteers and paid employees. You will receive training, so if you are a caring person who wants to help those in crisis, apply today. Find your opportunity: samhsa.gov/988-jobs

  • For ways to support your local Lifeline network crisis center, visit our Crisis Centers page here.
  • To learn about the impact of the Lifeline, visit our new By the Numbers page.
  • To learn about what happens when you call, text, or chat with the Lifeline, click here.
  • To learn more about the history of 988, visit here.
  • To learn how Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit administrator of the Lifeline, has been supporting states’ implementation planning for 988 through grants, check here.


If you’re a Veteran, Service Member or loved one and want to know more about how 988 will affect the Veterans Crisis Line, click here.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Magnet High School for Health Sciences and Engineering