Mustangs Newsletter - Sept. 15
Similar to elementary school PTOs, PACT (Parents and Community Together) works to build a strong, inclusive community at MGMS. Every MGMS parent, caregiver and staff is a member.
First meeting: Sept 18 @ 7-8 PM
You will hear an update from Principal Smith and learn about positive initiatives happening at MGMS. Join us on Monday September 18th from 7:00-8:00 PM in the MGMS Media Center or online.
Google Meet link for meeting on:
PACT website: https://mgms.district279.org/families/pact
Facebook: Maple Grove Middle School - ISD 279
We are seeking representatives from Maple Grove Middle School community to serve on the district Planning Advisory Council (DPAC).
DPAC is looking for parents / guardians to serve a one-year term. Membership is based on interest, not educational expertise. Members include up to two representatives from each elementary building and up to three representatives from each secondary building, up to six non-parents from the community, one School Board member, ISD 279 teachers and administrators, and senior high students. Additional information about DPAC is available on the website at https://www.district279.org/life-279/advisory-groups/dpac
The Meeting schedule is also on the website or the following:
- 6:30-8:00 October 9, 2023 (TBD)
- 6:30-8:00 November 13, 2023 (TBD)
- 6:30-8:00 December 11, 2023 (TBD)
- 6:30-8:00 January 8, 2024-Virtual
- 6:30-8:00 February 12, 2024- Virtual
- 6:30-8:00 March 11, 2023 (TBD)
- 6:30-8:00 April 8, 2023 (TBD)
- 6:30-8:00 May 13, 2023 (TBD)
- 6:30-8:30 May 20- ESC Board Room
- May 21 School Board Presentation - ESC Board Room
Staff and parents can sign up on the district website, just search DPAC and click on the Membership link there or follow this link
Jennifer Hairrell Receives Fulbright Award
The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board are pleased to announce that Jennifer Hairrell of Maple Grove Middle School in Minnesota has received a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program award.
As a Fulbright recipient, Hairrell will share knowledge and foster meaningful connections across communities in the United States and abroad. Fulbrighters engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their classrooms in the United States, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars and educators to their school or campus and encouraging their colleagues and students to go abroad. As Fulbright alumni, their careers are enriched by joining a network of thousands of esteemed scholars, many of whom are leaders in their fields. Fulbright alumni include 60 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients, and 40
who have served as a head of state or government.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program.
For over 75 years, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants - chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential - with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit
http://eca.state.gov/fulbright or contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Press Office by e-mail ECAPress@state.gov.
Maple Grove Middle School partners with Every Meal to provide weekend meal bags for families. Families may choose from five options structured around the USDA MyPlate standards. All bag types contain 4-5 pounds of nutritious, non-perishable food, including a variety of fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, and soups/entrees. Click here to enroll your student.
ABSENCES
If your child is going to be late or absent from school, please call the school with the reason for the absence. The telephone call eliminates the need to send a note with your student when he/she returns to school. Excused absences consist of illness, medical appointments, and family emergency situations such as a funeral. Oversleeping, missing the bus, or skipping school are not excused and are considered truancy.
MGMS 24 Hour Attendance Line: 763-315-7603.
ATTENDANCE
If you received a call saying your child was absent one or more periods, please check your ParentVue account for the period your student was absent. Have your child talk to the teacher for the class that they were marked absent. The teacher will then communicate with our attendance person.
APPOINTMENTS/EARLY RELEASE - HERE IS WHAT YOU DO
1. Send a note with your student in the morning
2. When the student gets to school they go to Student Services to get a white pass
3. At the stated time on the pass, your student leaves class and comes to the office with the white pass and signs out in the main office
4. The person picking up can wait in the car (very helpful on cold winter days)
If you didn't send a note, you will need to come in with your driver's license and we will call your student down when you arrive.
This procedure is in place to ensure student safety.
