Greetings Mustangs!
BIG WEEK - ‘22 has come to pass. Overall, I believe the vast majority of our students who participated in their class activities last week had a great time; and I want to thank our faculty and staff who went above and beyond to create these on and off campus educational experiences and opportunities for our students! I also want to take this opportunity to thank our coaches; our student athletes; our parents and community members; our Sports Boosters; our grounds crew; and our Athletic Director - Mr. Bell, for putting together a great Homecoming Weekend! Lastly, I want to thank our Student Government, led by Mr. Pascarella and Ms. Menince, for hosting the Homecoming Dance this past Friday evening. A special thank you to the following staff who volunteered their time with me to supervise the dance: Mr. Pascarella, Ms. Menice, Dr. Ross, Ms. McCabe, and Mr. Bell.
Student Government: MASG will be hosting a Halloween Block Party on Friday 10/28 from 5-8pm. We will be putting on a haunted house on the lower level of the building and FBLA will be hosting a Trunk or Treat in the student parking lot. Any club is welcome to join in with their own Halloween activity. Please see Ms. Menice or Mr. Pascarella if you are interested in participating.
Civil Rights Team: Our Civil Rights is back up and running; picking up where they left off last school year! Our team is part of the Maine Civil Rights Team Project (CRTP) whose mission is to increase the safety of elementary, middle, and high school students by reducing bias-motivated behaviors and harassment in our schools. ALL students are invited and encouraged to be part of this team! For more information, please connect with Ms. Darrell and/or Mr. Shain.
Say NO to Bullying! Bullying is NEVER OK, and has NO place at MA. If you or someone you know is experiencing any type of bullying or harassment (directly or indirectly), please let a teacher, staff member, or administrator know immediately. We take great pride in maintaining a school environment in which ALL students and staff can feel safe and secure. As it’s been said before, “If you ignore it, you approve it.” Please join me in making our school a bully-free zone. Thank you!
Anti-Bullying Quote of the Week: “You will never reach higher ground if you are always pushing others down.” – Jeffrey Benjamin
Eligibility Checks: Just a reminder that we will be doing academic eligibility checks for ALL students (9 - 12) - whether or not they are participating in athletics or other co-curricular activities - on Friday (09/30). All students are expected to maintain a minimum of a 2.5 in each course they are enrolled in (which indicates that they are making progress towards proficiency for a given course). If a student has a grade below a 2.5, they will be expected to create an academic support plan with their teacher(s) and will have two weeks to get their score(s) up to at least a 2.5 before other consequences/conditions kick in (based on the individual student plan). If you have any questions or concerns about your student’s academic performance at any time, please don’t hesitate to connect with their teacher(s) directly.
Infinite Campus Update: Please take note: The parent meeting on Infinite Campus that was scheduled for Monday (09/26) has been moved to Tuesday (10/11) beginning at 5:30 at Monmouth Academy in the Gym. At this meeting, parents will receive their usernames and passwords to access Infinite Campus (IC) which will give them access to their student’s demographics, attendance, lunch account, and academic information. Between now and then, feel free to connect with your student’s teachers directly with any questions or concerns.
Athletics:
Monday (09/26) = HS girls soccer at Buckfield (3:30; varsity only)
Tuesday (09/27) = HS boys soccer HOME vs. Telstar (3:30; varsity only) HS golf playoffs (TBD); HS XC at Spruce (3:15 walkthrough)
Wednesday (09/28) = HS girls soccer HOME vs. Hall-Dale (3:30)
Thursday (09/29) = HS boys soccer HOME vs. Buckfield (3:30/5:00pm); HS golf MVC shootout (TBD)
Friday (09/30) = HS girls soccer at Madison (3:30). Football vs. Winslow at Winthrop (7:00pm)
Saturday (10/01) = HS boys soccer at Mt. Valley (11:00/1230); HS girls soccer at Oak Hill (10:00am); HS XC at Belfast (Festival of Champions) TBD
From the Nurse: Permission forms were sent home this past week for students to participate in the Maine School Oral Health Program. This is a free service that offers dental screenings and fluoride treatments twice a year. Previously it was only available through grade 6, but starting this year the service is extended through grade 12. Sherry Laliberte, RDH, will be the hygienist doing the screening and fluoride here at MA (and MMS). Permission forms were also sent home last week for Covid testing. If your student becomes ill with Covid symptoms while at school and you would like a Binax Now Covid test done, we need to have the permission form on file. If your student is sick, the student should stay home and if you need Covid Kits (5 tests per box) please contact the school and I will be happy to supply you with some test kits. Reminder: flu vaccine permission forms were given to students and should be returned as soon as possible, preferably by Monday, September 26th. Thanks!
Junior/Senior Privileges: Seniors will be eligible for privileges beginning Monday (09/26) assuming the permission form has been completed & turned in. Juniors will be eligible for privileges beginning Monday (11/07) assuming the permission form has been completed & turned in AND that they have met the privilege eligibility guidelines. Juniors may pick up their permission form on Monday (10/31).
Movie in the Park: The United Way is pleased to share that they will be hosting their annual Movie in the Park on Friday, September 30th at 6:00pm in Mill Park in Augusta. They will be showing the film Encanto! This is a free and outdoor event open to the public. Donations will be accepted throughout the event and concessions will be available for purchase. They hope to see you there!
Yearbook: Yearbooks went on sale Thursday (09/01). Take advantage of the lowest price of the year ($50) and order by the end of September. Bring your payment or a $15 deposit to Dr. Ross to reserve your copy. Senior Pictures are due to Dr. Ross by Halloween.
Day of Caring: Monmouth Academy has once again joined forces with the United Way and will be participating in the Day of Caring, scheduled to take place on Thursday (10/06) with a rain date of Friday (10/14). Although we have a few projects we are in the process of planning to complete for the Day of Caring, if you know of anyone in our community who may need some volunteer work that can be done in the course of a few hours on 10/06, please contact the MA Main Office Secretary (Deb Hewitt) at (207)933-4416 or at dhewitt@kidsrsu.org and she will gather your information and we’ll see what we can do to help. Thanks!
Picture Day: On Tuesday (09/27), Lifetouch will be in to take school pictures. Students should have received picture information from their homeroom advisor last week. If they didn’t, they should connect with their homeroom advisor this week for this picture information.
Junior Firefighter Program: We are excited to announce that members of the Monmouth Fire Department will be here on Wednesday (10/05) from 10:30am - 1:00pm to share information with any interested student about the Junior Firefighter Program. They will be set-up in the Library, and any interested student can see Mrs. Hewitt on 10/04 or 10/05 to get a pass to meet with them.
For Planning Purposes: Friday (10/07) is a staff workshop day (no school for students); and Monday (10/11) is Indigenous Peoples Day (no school for students or staff).
That concludes this week’s edition of The MA Express! Take care and stay well.
Respectfully,
Mr. Ted Finn, Principal