Greetings Mustangs!
Just like that, October is gone and November is here! Did you remember to set your clocks back one hour (Daylight Savings Time)? We have a lot going on this month, so please stay informed through any/all communications that we send often so you don’t miss out!
Mid-semester Progress Reports: Grades closed on Friday (11/04). Teachers have until Tuesday afternoon (11/08) to post their grades. Our goal is to produce the mid-semester progress reports between 11/09 & 11/10 and to mail them mailed out no later than 11/15 (keeping in mind the three-day holiday weekend).
Parent/Teacher Conferences: MA will be hosting the Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences on Thursday (11/17) between 4:00pm - 8:00pm. Please use the following registration link to schedule your conferences: https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Monmouth_Academy_1
Instructions for parents who need help signing up can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/ma_ptc
Note: We are looking at putting on a spaghetti supper for parents during the Parent/Teacher Conferences (between 5:00pm - 6:00pm) in the Cafeteria. More information about this event will be emailed to all just prior to our P/T Conferences date.
Remote Day Reminder: Just a friendly reminder that MA will be having a remote day on Tuesday (11/08) since it is Election Day and our school is a designated voting site. All students and parents should have received a communication from me last week outlining our expectations for this remote day. All students had the opportunity to request lunch for Tuesday. Those who requested a lunch will receive it before leaving school at the end of the day on Monday (11/07).
Veterans Day - 11/11: There is no school on Friday (11/11) in observance of Veterans Day. To all fellow Veterans, I thank you for your service!
Athletics: The Fall Sports Recognition Night is set for Wednesday evening (11/09) beginning at 5:30pm in the Gym. All are welcome to attend!
Two weeks ago, Mr. Bell sent out a survey to all students to gather information about the upcoming Winter Sports season. That link is still open for any student interested in playing a winter sport. Practices for our winter sports will begin on Monday - November 21st. Girls Hockey begins on Monday - November 7th. Coaches should be reaching out soon to those students who have already signed up.
Guidance Update: Cony/CATC is hosting a college/career fair and we would LOVE to bring a group of students to check it out. Please email Ms. Knowlton directly NO LATER THAN THURSDAY (11/10) if you are interested in attending and we will see if we have enough interest to put together a bus for this event!
Scholarships for Seniors: Mrs. Knowlton has added a few scholarships to the list, some of them are pretty big! Check out the document attached and let her know if you have any questions!
Civil Rights Team: 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 don’t put others down, they lift them up.” - Michael P.Watson
FYI: In case a student was out on Friday (11/04), the following was shared during advisory as a friendly reminder to all MA students:
Please remind students that they should not be using their cell phones or laptops to take pictures or videos without the consent of the other student(s). During the school day, they shouldn't be using their phones during class time.
Laptops should only be used for educational purposes. Students may want to review the Acceptable Use Policy so as to avoid any misunderstanding and/or consequences that could be given as a result of a student not following the policy.
Students are reminded to PLEASE keep their hands to themselves! Even if they are "just playing," a poke could lead to a push, then a shove, and then an out-right fight. No one has the right to put their hands on anyone else as that is considered unwanted physical contact. If a student engages in this type of behavior, they will be dealt with appropriately.
Privileges: Seniors have had Senior Privileges since the end of September. Juniors are eligible for Junior Privileges beginning on Monday (11/07) assuming they have completed and returned the appropriate paperwork AND that they are meeting all eligibility requirements. Any Junior or Senior with privileges who choose to leave campus are reminded that it is their responsibility to sign-out/sign-in at the Main Office.
Senior Parking: The MASG President (Kenna Cote) made the request that I approve parking spots for Seniors that could be decorated (school appropriate with materials provided by the Senior and approved in advance by the Asst. Facilities Director - Randy Larochelle). I spoke with the Director of Facilities (Glen Reynolds) and received his permission. I then met in person with Kenna (as the MASG President) and Randy Larochelle and I gave my approval with the understanding that we would have up to 30 identified parking spots that we would allow to be decorated by Seniors. Any Senior interested had the opportunity to let us know and we marked each spot with a letter (A - Z and then AA, BB, CC, and DD). Seniors who wanted a spot had their name announced and a letter assigned to a designated parking spot was pulled from a bucket. Seniors also had the opportunity to switch their space with another Senior who was willing to change spots. To be clear, only those Seniors who wanted to decorate a parking spot were assigned to a designated spot. All other Seniors can park in any other student parking spot either in front of the tennis courts or in the lower level student/staff parking area. Again, Seniors are responsible for providing their own environmentally friendly materials to decorate and must get those materials approved in advance by Randy Larochelle before they can decorate their spot; and all decorating/designs must be school appropriate.
Co-Curricular Update: Students from FBLA, MASG, NHS & Civil Rights Team attended the Maine Youth Leadership Day held at Hyde School in Bath on Thursday offered through Maine State Leadership Alliance. The theme was "The Courage to Lead". This theme carried through the keynote address by L.L.Bean Executive Chairman Shawn Gorman, and the 40+ workshops offered to the student leaders. They were able to network with students from more than 60 schools around the state. As always, our students carry themselves with maturity and are amazing representatives of our school community and the community of Monmouth.
On Friday, Mrs. Neal, Ms. Sirois, and 28 members of Monmouth Academy's Future Business Leaders of America chapter, joined chapters from Oak Hill HS, Nokomis High School, and Telsar to participate in the state service project at The Pine Tree Camp in Rome. The camp offers individuals with special needs and their families the opportunity to participate in a traditional summer camp experience. Our students helped close up camp for the winter: sorted and stored craft supplies, cleaned cabins, raked around the property, stored docks and picnic tables. Our students talked about the feeling of giving back and how amazing it is that there is a place like this right here in Maine. Once again, this group of students makes me proud to be a Mustang!
Assembly: Our next recognition assembly (to recognize the October Students of the Month; the October Support Staff Member of the Month; and the October Teacher of the Month) will take place on Thursday (11/10) at 8:40am in the gym.
That concludes this week’s edition of The MA Express! Take care and stay well.
Respectfully,
Mr. Ted Finn, Principal