Hello Families,

Reflecting on the last couple of years, our country has gone through tremendous change and uncertainty. Whether it’s COVID, climate change, economic uncertainty, or civil unrest our staff works hard to make sure our classrooms are a place where students feel safe and all perspectives are welcome. This year, one of the ways we are working to reinforce this is by lifting up the experiences of different parts of our school community in a new activity called “Matters That Matter at Marshall”. Each month, we will send out a short 2-3 minute video highlighting the experience of various parts of our school community. For example, this week I sent a message to students celebrating the passage of the Americans with Disability Act in 1990. The goal is for students to watch the video and reflect on questions that students can discuss in class and at home. Here’s a sample of the video and reflection questions. Please take a moment to discuss these reflection questions with your student. Next week, we will be learning about Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month which lasts until October 15th. I want to thank our parent advisory team, the MMS DEI advisory committee for their hard work in putting together this experience for our students. I’m excited to see what new outcomes this new partnership between our site and families will bring. If you’re interested in participating in this group and working with our site to make MMS a more welcoming and inclusive place for all of our students, please fill out this google form and come to our next meeting.

Go Mustangs!

Josh Way, Ed.D

Principal

Each year the district is responsible for collecting information from our students’ families to

support the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) process. The LCFF is hallmark legislation that fundamentally changed how all local educational agencies (LEAs) in the state are funded, how they are measured for results, and the services and supports they receive to allow all students to succeed to their greatest potential. This year, the California Department of Education is allowing districts to collect information in May 2022 and it will be applied to the 2022 – 23 school year. We believe that starting now will reduce the burden of collecting information during the busy time of opening school in the fall and will potentially yield more complete information that will increase the amount of funding that schools and the district receive from the state. To support the state’s process, San Diego Unified utilizes an online system accessed through the Parent Portal in Power School. In the portal, we ask parents and families to complete a very short questionnaire that increases the district’s opportunity to receive funds from the state. The information is only collected for this process and will not be used for any other purpose. We ask that you sign-up for Parent Portal as soon as possible, if your school offers this option and you’ve not already done so and complete the short survey before the end of this school year. Paper survey forms will be available in October. By completing the survey, you will not only be supporting the district’s efforts, but increasing the chances of your child’s school receiving more of this valuable funding.

We have 52% of LCFF submissions, thank you for your prompt action!

But we still need the other 48%!! Deadline is October, we can do better: 100% is the goal

Sign in to PowerSchool Portal with your parent account (not your student account!)

On the navigation bar, select “LCFF Data Collection"

The California State Library provides free online tutoring for California K-12 students, available through public libraries. Through HelpNow, live real-time homework assistance is available 24 hours a day by laptop, tablet, or phone from qualified tutors using state curriculum and standards.

24/7 assistance is available in English and Spanish for Language Arts and Mathematics.

Every day between 10:00 am and 10:00 pm, assistance is available in core K-12 subjects in the following languages:

• English
• Spanish
• Mandarin
• Cantonese
• Vietnamese
• Tagalog

MMS is excited to introduce you to PE Teacher, Mr. Dave Hodapp. Mr. Hodapp is a Mustang through and through. As one of the first group of teachers to open Marshall, Mr. Hodapp has a wealth of knowledge about the history and tradition of MMS. Here's more about Mr. Hodapp:

How many years in education? I have spent my entire 31 year career teaching Physical Education and helping kids to appreciate and gain a love for physical activity. I began at the elementary level working in City Heights, moving to Challenger Middle School in 1996 for two years, and ultimately joining the Marshall Middle School staff and opening its doors in 1998. It took me about two weeks to realize that Marshall was a special place that I could see myself spending the rest of my teaching career doing what I love. I currently hold a Bachelors degree in Physical Education from San Diego State University and my Masters degree in PE from Azusa Pacific University.

What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend? My first love is the game of soccer in which I played from 5 years old until I hung my boots about 5 years ago. I have since become an avid road cyclist, spinning my wheels throughout San Diego County and beyond. I love being outside with nature, paddling my kayak, messing around with woodworking and spending time in my yard. RESCUED dogs are my favorite breed and I love and support all people who love dogs! Finally, I love all sports, enjoy collecting sports memorabilia and truly find joy in helping students find their passion.

What impact do you hope to make at Marshall? Health and fitness are a lifelong process. I hope to have an impact in helping kids find their passion and love for physical activity.

MMS is so excited to host our 6th Grade Overnight Camp at YMCA Camp Marston in Julian. For those attending, don't forget to watch the Camp Marston Orientation Video and read the Parent Guide. The parent guide has important information about what to pack.

Important Reminders:

• Camp 1 is scheduled for 10/10-10/14. The ELA classes that will be attending this camp are Custer, Lacson (Ethridge-Fan), Kole, and Wright (per. 2).
• Camp 2 is scheduled for 10/17-10/21. The ELA classes that will be attending this camp are Ingles, Karch, McDaniel, and Wright (per. 4)
• Both groups of students will leave MMS on Monday at 9:00am and return on Friday at 12:00pm.
• The required forms:
• Camp 1- SDUSD Permission Slip; Health History Form
  
• Camp 2- SDUSD Permission Slip; Health History Form
  
• Once filled out, bring signed copies to their ELA teacher. Forms must be turned in before departure
• *Important- Please note on the Health History Form that any student who is currently under regular doctor’s care for asthma, a heart condition, seizures, diabetes, or recent hospitalization must have a doctor’s authorization prior to departure. The doctor’s authorization form is on the back of the Health History Form posted above.

Also, remember to remind your student to try out a new lunch club this year. You can find active ones on the ASB website's Clubs page.

Lunchtime clubs have started for students to join. Clubs that have started so far include:

• FCA, Drama club, Improv Club, Dungeons and Dragons Club, JMUN, and GSA Club.

Be sure to check out our ASB Webpage and new posts on social media. Follow us on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

Stay tuned for our first Spirit Week, coming in October!

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 50 minutes. In Spring 2022, EBS 5th graders and Dingeman 4th and 5th grade students participated in this contest and did extremely well. Both schools 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 Fall 2022, we would like to have 6th graders from Marshall Middle School participate. Currently not a school-based club, but an off campus parent-led team made up of up to 30 6th grade students from MMS. (There is a chance to form more than one 6th grade team if there is a lot of interest.) This test will be taken online at home. If your child is in 6th grade, LOVES MATH, and would like to participate, please email cforbes1@yahoo.com. Registration is due October 20th, and the contest will take place at your convenience between November 10-23. Please see the attached flyer and website for more details.

Marshall parent Chelsea Clapp has stepped forward to get this team off the ground. If you are interested in helping Mrs. Clapp, email her at cforbes1@yahoo.com. If there is a MMS parent who would like to help coordinate and lead MMS teams for 7th and 8th grade, contact Mrs. Clapp to include these grades for this contest.

Last week, I shared an article about how teachers that are implementing standards based learning in their classroom. The article alluded to the inefficiency of the 100-point scale in communicating student progress in a fair and unbiased manner. If that is the case, then why has the 100-point scale become the standard in middle and high school classrooms? Ever wonder about its origins? This week I'm sharing some research on the 100-point scale, its history, and why it became so prominent in secondary schools. This research article does not necessarily advocate for a standards-based learning system, but speaks directly to the dichotomy between the 100-point scale and 4 point scale.