Greetings Mustangs!
I hope you all managed to keep warm these past few days. Talk about it being cold?!?! Incredible! But just as incredible is how fast our school year continues to move right along, with just 10 school days remaining until the February break. Between now and then, we have a lot going on to include the following events taking place this week:
Eligibility Checks (between 02/06 and 02/07)
Senior Night for girls basketball on Monday (02/06)
CATC Shadow Day (44 MA students from grades 10 and 11 on Tuesday - 02/07)
Juniors to CMCC on Wednesday (02/08)
Senior Night for boys basketball on Wednesday (02/08)
Student and Staff Recognition Assembly (8:40am on Friday - 02/10)
Vex Robotics Tournament HOME (at MMS) on Saturday (02/11) from 9:00am - 5:00pm
Note: Students going on the field trip to CATC or CMCC this week are reminded that we need your permission forms returned to Guidance ASAP - no later than Monday (02/06). Also, Juniors and Seniors with privileges are reminded that you need to be at the assembly on Friday (02/10) at 8:40am - so please be at school by 8:30 if you have privileges during block 1 on Friday. Thanks!
Also on Friday (02/10), we will be saying goodbye and wishing Mrs. Hewitt (the Main Office Secretary) the best of luck as she is moving on to a new job outside the field of education. We want to thank her for giving 110% of herself to MA for the past two school years. She will be missed for sure, but we are happy for her and we want her to know that no matter what, she will always be a Mustang! Please feel free to stop by the office to wish her well or to send her an email if you prefer between Monday and Friday of this week. I’m sure she’d greatly appreciate that!
We are now in the hiring process for the Main Office Secretary’s position, so I ask for your patience as we go through this transition beginning 02/13 until our new secretary is in place. I thank you all in advance for your understanding.
1st Semester Honor Roll: The Honor Roll for the 1st semester should be available before the end of this week. Once the Honor Roll is sent out, if you have any questions about your status, please connect with Mrs. Knowlton.
Attention Senior Parents: We are ready to sell our ad space to recognize the members of the Senior class. We have four options available this year for families to honor their Senior: You can get a 1/8 of a page ad (about a business card) for $30, a 1/4 page ad for $50, a 1/2 page ad for $80, or a full page ad for $150. You are able to design your own ad, or send photos and messages in and we will design one for you. You can order through email, send an envelope in with your Senior, or go online to yearbookforever.com. Orders and payments are on a first come, first served basis for the space we have. Everything is due to Dr. Ross by February 14. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Ross at eross@kidsrsu.org. Thanks!
New Report/Update in IC: Beginning on Monday - 02/06, students and parents will be able to see an eligibility report score every two school weeks. Once you go into the student or parent portal, you can scroll down towards the bottom of your report for each class where you will find a line titled Monmouth Eligibility. There will be one of four letters that will be entered, and each letter stands for the following:
O: On pace
F: First time behind (below 2.5 or 70 for AP/College courses) for the past two weeks (may continue to participate in after school activities as normal, but should be completing a plan with the teacher to get that grade back up to at least a 2.5 or 70).
S: Second time behind in a row (below 2.5 or 70 for AP/College courses) or have not made progress on the previous 2 weeks (may practice; ineligible for games or other competitions until grade is up to at least a 2.5 or 70 for AP/College courses).
T: Third time behind in a row (below 2.5 or 70 for AP/College courses) or have not made progress on work from the previous 2 checks (no practices or games/competitions until grade is up to at least a 2.5 or 70).
If you have any questions about your eligibility score, please see your teacher(s) directly as they can best speak as to why your score is what it is. Please work with your teacher(s) to get yourself back on track (if you’re off track) so that you can participate in athletics and/or co-curricular activities.
Note: If you received an INC or a grade below a 2.5 on your report card, and you also had a grade below a 2.5 in one or more classes on the eligibility check before the report card, you will not be eligible to participate in any athletic or co-curricular activities beginning on 02/06 if you your grade(s) is still below a 2.5 as of 02/06. Once your grade is up to a 2.5, you may resume participation.
NHS Update: During the month of February, our National Honor Society has put together a replacement for No Shave November. Some teachers in our school will be participating in Facial Hair February. These teachers will grow out their facial hair throughout the month. As they do this, you will notice that there are containers in the Main Office with a certain facial hair style next to it. If you want our teachers to shave that style into their facial hair at the end of the month, all you need to do is put some money into the container. The style (container) that has the most money by the end of the month, that style will be shaved into your teacher's facial hair! All the money that is raised from this will go to families in our community that need help with heating their homes. In advance, the NHS thanks you for your support!
Guidance Update:
Class of 2023 - New Acceptances - Congratulations!
Madison Desrosiers: University of Maine at Augusta
Grace Levesque: University of Maine at Orono
John Gray: Central Maine Community College
Matt Marquis: University of Maine at Orono, University of Maine at Farmington, Franklin Pierce University, and the University of Southern Maine
Seniors are reminded to please let Mrs. Knowlton know just as soon as you receive an acceptance notification whether it be from a two or four year college, trade school, other training program, or the military so that we can recognize you!
FYI:
Make sure you check out the scholarship document. There are a variety of scholarships listed there and you can find them here.
Senior grades will close for the purpose of determining Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and Summa Cum Laude for graduation purposes and the honors banquet on Friday, April 7, 2023. Teachers will have until Wednesday, April 12, 2023, to finalize and post grades for seniors, and seniors will be notified of their standing on Thursday, April 13, 2023. If you have more questions see Mrs. Knowlton.
On 2/7/23 any student interested in grade 10 or 11 that is interested in learning more about two programs at CATC will take a field trip to CATC to shadow those programs. See Mrs. Knowlton in the guidance office for more information.
On 2/8/23 all juniors will attend a college visit at Central Maine Community College. Students will leave at 9:15 and return around 12:00 PM. All students on this trip will have lunch in the dining hall.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Volunteers are needed to help with the Annual Friends Winter Nature Day Camp for 3rd through 5th graders this February 20th -23rd! Individuals with environmental, science, education, and/or outdoor experience would be greatly appreciated! (Individuals with First Aid or outdoor responder training are an added bonus!) Please contact the Friends Education Director, Cami Wilbert, at 395-5239 or cami@watershedfriends.com for more details or to express interest in this opportunity.
If you need to see Mrs. Knowlton, please remember you have the following options to make an appointment if you stop by and she isn’t available:
Send her an email. She will respond within 24 hours.
Fill out a yellow form. These can be found in the guidance office and in the main office. She will respond within 24 hours.
Fill out the referral form here. You identify how quickly you need a response, and Mrs. Knowlton will respond appropriately.
Civil Rights Team: Our school 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: ““Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself.” – Harvey S. Firestone
Athletics: (subject to change)
Mon (02/06): HS girls basketball HOME vs. NYA. 6:00pm start (Senior game). HS boys basketball @ NYA 5:00/6:30 starts.
Tue (02/07): Boys ice hockey @ Old Town 6:30pm start.
Wed (02/08): HS boys basketball HOME vs Hall-Dale (Senior game) 5:00/6:30 starts.
HS girls basketball @ Hall-Dale 6:30 start. Alpine Skiing MVC/KVAC Championships GS @ Saddleback 10:00am start. Boys ice hockey @ Gardiner 4:00pm start.
Thurs (02/09): HS girls basketball @ Mt. Valley 6:00pm start.
Fri (02/10): Boys ice hockey HOME vs. Presque Isle 6:00pm start.
Sat (02/11): Boys ice hockey @ Camden 8:00pm start. Alpine Skiing MVC/KVAC Championships @ Titcomb SL (TBD). HS Wrestling Regional Championships @ Fryeburg 9am weigh-in.
That’s it for this week’s newsletter. Take care and stay well.
Respectfully,
Mr. Ted Finn, Principal