Greetings Mustangs!
The leaves have been changing; the temps have been dropping; and just like that, we are out of September and into October! Can you believe we’ve finished the first month of school and are about to start month #2? Crazy for sure!
Grades closed on Friday (09/30) for the first round of eligibility checks. Parents are strongly encouraged to reach out to any of your student’s teachers if you have any questions or concerns about their academic progress. Until we have IC ready for parents to access, teachers have been asked to reach out to any parent of any student they may have who may be struggling in their class. Mr. Bell and I will be meeting with any student who has a grade below a 2.5 in any class between Monday and Tuesday of this week. Those students will be given two weeks to work with their teacher(s) to get their grade(s) up to at least a 2.5 indicating that they are making progress towards meeting proficiency in a given class. Passing at MA is a 3.0 or better, which means a student has met the standards and/or learning targets for a given class.
Infinite Campus Update: As you’ve been made aware from previous communications, parents/guardians will be getting access to their student’s Infinite Campus (IC) account through the IC Parent Portal just as soon as we are ready to roll it out. Teachers, Administrators, and our Tech Department have been working hard to verify/review the standards that have been entered into IC for accuracy; as well as being trained on how to use the next level of IC as our student information/reporting system. As with any new system, it is going to take time and patience, but we are confident that as time goes along, this will be a great informational and communication tool for students, parents, and the school.
Through the Parent Portal, parents will have access to their student’s attendance for each class; access to their student’s lunch account; access to the demographics page; and access to their student’s academic page. The goal is to provide parents with the opportunity to access their student’s information at any time while maintaining an open line of communication between home and school rather than just waiting for the end of a quarter for a progress report or the end of a semester for a report card.
The original plan was to have an IC Informational Night on 10/11. However, since parents wouldn’t be able to access their portal until it is officially opened, we believe it makes more sense to provide a brief training video along with your username and password just as soon as the portal is ready to be opened. We would encourage you to go through this training video and to access your student’s account with the understanding that if you needed assistance or had any questions or concerns, we will have our Tech Department here to address your individual questions/concerns. We want to respect your individual time and schedules, and felt that a drop-in/support session after you have had the chance to access your Parent Portal would be more beneficial for our parents/guardians.
Please check the email you gave us (when you filled out the back-to-school paperwork) for this training video and your username & password (once we send it out); and if you need any assistance accessing your account, we will be happy to meet with you in person (date/time TBD).
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).
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.
Guidance Update: Cony/CATC is hosting a college/career fair and we would LOVE to bring a group of students to check it out. We have 50 seats available for this trip. Preference goes to juniors and seniors, and if we don't have enough interest we will bring sophomores. This trip takes place on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. Please email me directly if you are interested in attending and we will see if we have enough interest to put together a bus for this event!
Colleges Confirmed:
Bowdoin College CMCC/EMCC
Husson University/KVCC/Lincoln Technical Institute
Maine College of Art/NMCC/Maine Maritime Academy
Northeast Technical Institute/UMA/UMF
Saint Michael’s College-VT/UMFK/UMO
St. Joseph’s College/UMPI/UNE
The Landing School/UNH/Unity College
Thomas College/WCCC/Vermont State University
Maine Army National Guard/US Army/Army ROTC/US Naval Academy
Wentworth Institute of Technology/Lasell College/Merrimack College
St. Thomas University –Canada
Technical Institute of Environmental Professions (Unity College)
Employers Confirmed
ABM Mechanical Augusta Electrical (IBEW)
Bath Iron Works/Cianbro
Connected Credit Union/Crooker Construction
EJ Prescott/Finance Authority of Maine
Job Corps/Kennebec County Sheriff's Office
Central Maine Power/Kenway Composites
Maine Staffing Group/Maine Veterans Group
NorDx/Northern Light Health
NRF Distributes/Reed & Reed
Wyman & Simpson/Sargeant Construction
Maine Health
(Guidance Cont.): I have added a few scholarships to the list, some of them are pretty big! Check out the document I have attached and let me know if you have any questions!
Lead Tests: RSU #2 has received the results for lead tests done in DES, HDES, HDMHS, and MA. Each school had faucets with elevated lead levels and faucets within the acceptable range. Faucets with elevated levels are no longer in use and will remain closed until fixed. The faucets with results within the acceptable range are available to use for drinking, cleaning and cooking. There will be lead testing conducted at RMSHS, MBES and MMS this fall. RSU #2 is following all state guidelines related to lead testing and water quality. If you have any questions, please contact our Facilities and Grounds Director, Mr. Glen Reynolds, at greynolds@kidsrsu.org. Thanks!
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.
Day of Caring: MA has teamed up with the United Way and will be participating in the Day of Caring, scheduled for Thursday (10/06; rain date Friday - 10/14). An informational letter/permission form was given to all students at MA during advisory on Friday (09/30), and they have until 9:00am on Wednesday (10/05) to return the permission form so that we can finalize the logistics for the Day of Caring. We are looking forward to having our students give back to the school/community from 8:00 - 11:30; followed by a school BBQ; then our first Student & Staff Recognition Assembly of the 2022-23 school year; and then activities/competitions between the classes from 1:00 - 2:20. It’s going to be a GREAT day!
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: “Strong people stand up from themselves. But the strongest people stand up for others.”
Athletics:
Monday (10/03) = HS boys soccer @ Lisbon 3:30 start (No JV); HS golf MVC Qualifier
Tuesday (10/04) = HS girls soccer @ Mt. Valley 3:30 start
Wednesday (10/05) = HS boys soccer @ Hall-Dale 3:30/5pm
Thursday (10/06) = HS girls soccer HOME vs. Oak Hill 3:30 start
Friday (10/07) = HS boys soccer @ Mt. Abram 6:30(JV) 8:30 Varsity; HS XC @ Lisbon 3:45 start
Saturday (10/8) = HS boys JV soccer @ Richmond 3:00pm start; HS girls JV soccer @ Wiscasset 6:00pm; HS Golf States 9:30 Reg; 11:00am start.
Yearbook: Senior Pictures are due to Dr. Ross by Halloween.
From the Nurse: Reminder that the annual flu clinic will take place on October 5th. If you would like your student to receive the flu vaccine, you must complete a permission form and return to school ASAP. Families can obtain Free Covid Tests monthly by completing the online form at https://www.accesscovidtests.org
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!
That concludes this week’s edition of The MA Express! Take care and stay well.
Respectfully,
Mr. Ted Finn, Principal