Mooresville Middle School
Community Newsletter -- March 15th, 2024
A Message from Mr. Kosal:
MMS is All Heart!
At MMS, we're holding some deep discussions about next year's middle school bell schedule. Staff members have met to outline their priorities for next year: namely to keep core teacher teams, provide all teachers with uninterrupted planning periods, have high standards for students & teacher accountability, and move to a school-wide Imp Time for interventions / clubs / team-building.
Rising 7th & 8th grade students in the building also provided their feedback via a February survey. Those results also showed students also liking teacher teams (data showed a preference for two-person over four-person teams), current 7th graders needing more breaks than 6th grade, and current 6th graders stating more frequently they have time in class to get their work done and learn the content.
As we continue to work as a team to MMS forward into having better academic proficiency, growth, and a better school culture -- all which are student-focused and essential -- these conversations based around actual facts and data are so important to have. I want to thank all the staff and students who participated so MMS can become a better place to work so every individual can grown, thrive, and succeed. Thanks for reading!
Here are some of the topics in this week's newsletter:
- NC Check Ins - next week
- PTSO partnership with London Crafted
- Panorama student surveys about their classes
- 8th grade field trip payment information
- Spring sporting events next week
- 2024-25 MGSD Kindergarten registration is open!
- CTE summer camp sign-ups
- Yearbook order form (QR code)
- MMS Tardy Policy reminder
- most recent episode of ImpTV News
- and more!
Mr. Kosal, MMS principal / 6th grade (pkosal@mgsd.k12.nc.us)
Dr. Browning, assistant principal / 7th grade (mbrowning@mgsd.k12.nc.us)
Ms. Richardson, assistant principal / 8th grade (tabitharichardson@mgsd.k12.nc.us)
Ms. Miller, athletic director (dedramiller@mgsd.k12.nc.us)
Next week is NC Check In benchmark testing
Parents: next week, MMS students will be taking their final round of NC Check In benchmark assessments in reading, math, and 8th grade science. These Check Ins provide valuable information for teachers and school leaders about what content our students have mastered and what topics still need some reteaching before End of Grade testing time in May. Here's when each subject is testing:
- Tuesday, March 19 - ELA 6, 7, 8
- Wednesday, March 20 - Math 6, 7, 8 & NC Math 1
- Thursday, March 21 - Science 8
All students (even 8th grade students) should report to their Core 1 class at 7:55am on Tue / Wed / Thur for testing. Please encourage your Red Imp to eat breakfast each morning, get plenty of rest the night before, and try their best! We want them to truly show what they know! Thank you for your support, parents!
Thursday, 3/21 is World Down Syndrome Day
Next Thursday (March 21st) is World Down Syndrome Day! Each year, to recognize and support those with Down Syndrome, the United Nations General Assembly designates March 21st as that day. For more information, click here.
We encourage all students & staff to wear Wacky Socks to show your support for those with Down Syndrome on 3/21/24.
Parents: here is the latest edition of the ImpTV news!!
Course registration news for 2024-25 school year
Parents: here is some information on when / how your current MMS student will enroll for next year's classes:
Rising 9th graders (to MHS) – MHS parent night was held on Thursday, March 14 @ 6:30pm in PAC. MHS counselors will register current 8th grade students for MHS classes during their Social Studies class on Monday, March 18th.
Rising 7th / 8th graders (staying at MMS) - paper copies of Elective course descriptions will be provided to students in Social Studies classes on March 25 (7th) and March 26 (6th). Course descriptions will also be sent to families via Parent Square message(s).
Students will rank choices #1 - 5 on paper (i.e. 4 electives + 1 alternate) & mark which open-enrollment (i.e. Honors / non-Honors) courses they’d like.
*Note: one elective MUST be Health / PE for a whole semester, per state guidelines. Parent signature needed.
Current 6th & 7th graders will meet in Media Center with MMS staff on April 5 & 8 to officially register during Social Studies classes. Students should return their ranked choices / open-enrollment sheets to their Social Studies teacher ASAP so it can be ready for 4/5 and 4/8.
Questions? Contact Ms. White or Ms. Buff (school counselors) or your child's grade-level administrator.
Panorama student surveys
Starting next Friday, MMS students will take their final rounds of Panorama surveys about their experiences in each teacher's classroom. On Friday, March 22, they'll submit their feedback about Elective classes (7th & 8th grades only), then on Monday 3/25 & Tuesday 3/26, they'll share their thoughts about Core classes (ELA, math, science, social studies). Each survey will take approximately 10 minutes, but the feedback is important to help our Red Imp teachers hear from students about how to improve MMS and their classes. Thank you, students, for your honest feedback!
The MMS PTSO has an exclusive event with London Crafted:
Here's the link to shop
https://www.londoncrafted.com/collections/mooresville-middle-school-fundraiser
C'mon out to support Red Imp spring sports!
Mooresville Middle School's spring sports season gets underway right after spring break! Here are some things all parents and spectators need to know:
- When attending any MMS athletic event (home or away) you will only be admitted with a clear bag, including diaper bags.
- MMS is a tobacco-free, vape-free, alcohol-free, and drug-free school. Spectators that cannot follow those guidelines will be asked to leave our campus.
- Admission to all sporting events (home and away) will be $5.00 for adults and students this year.
Sporting events begin at 4:30pm this season. Upcoming home events at MMS are:
- Monday, March 18 - Boys & girls soccer vs. South Davie
Tuesday, March 19 - Track vs. South Davie, North Davie, Selma Burke, Faith Christian
Thursday, March 21 - Baseball & Volleyball vs. West Rowan
Thank you for your support of Red Imp athletics!
8th grade Field Trip to Carowinds
When: Friday, May 17th
MMS has begun to collect money for this 8th grade trip and will continue to do so until Wednesday, April 17th. 8th grade students can bring in their payment to the MMS cafeteria each morning between 7:35 - 7:55am so Ms. Mentzer can receipt the money.
Information was sent home with students on Monday, January 8th. Please ask your child for the paper flyer with cost, expectations, and volunteer opportunities. *Note: students on the Loss of Privilege list (LoP) on 5/17/24 are not allowed to attend the trip. *
Link to informational flyer & volunteer information
Link to pay online
MMS tardy policy -- help your Red Imp get to school on time!
** All student tardies are reset to zero at the beginning of each quarter. **
1st Tardy - Parent Square notification from school to parents
2nd Tardy - Parent Square notification from school to parents
3rd Tardy - Parent Square notification from school to parents
4th Tardy - Lunch Detention assigned with notification from school
6th Tardy - Office Referral (likely in-school-suspension OR after-school detention** assigned)
(7th tardy+ resets to warnings --> lunch detentions --> office referrals)
Students must be in the building when the tardy bell rings at 7:55am to begin their school day. After 7:55am, student tardies will be logged and parents will be contacted for warnings. Parents will be notified by Ms. Joy Miller, behavior interventionist, via Parent Square message when their child is late to school. Consequences will likely follow after the fact.
* Note: bus-riders on late buses are exempt from these consequences; that tardiness is an MGSD issue. If you need a bus route set up for your student, please click here to get more info about the MGSD Transportation department.
Parents: please be mindful of our 7:55am start time and help our Red Imps get to school on time each day so we can take advantage of every moment for learning!
How to alert MMS of a student absence:
The email address for parents to alert MMS about student absences is: MMSAttendance@MGSD.k12.nc.us
Parents can upload doctor's notes as well. We hope this process will be easier on everyone instead of sending a note with the student that can get lost easily!
MMS Social Media Handles - follow us!
Facebook: @mooresvillems
Instagram: mooresvillems
Twitter: @mooresvillems
Website: https://mms.mgsd.k12.nc.us/
It's been a great week back at MMS!
This past week has been a GREAT return to school for our students & staff. We're all reenergized for the final nine weeks of school and are here to partner with parents on concerns / questions for next year.
As always, if you have questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to your student's grade-level administrator OR contact the MMS front office. Thank you!
Email: pkosal@mgsd.k12.nc.us
Website: https://mms.mgsd.k12.nc.us/
Location: 233 Kistler Farm Road, Mooresville, NC, USA
Phone: (704) 658-2720