Massabesic Middle School

March 4, 2025

Dear MMS Families,

As we enter the month of March, we are excited to share all the amazing things happening at our middle school. From classroom projects to extracurricular activities, our students continue to grow, learn, and thrive. March is filled with opportunities to celebrate progress, hard work, and creativity, and we’re proud to highlight the achievements and upcoming events that make this school year so memorable. Whether it’s our Winter II sports or our students collaborating on projects, there’s a lot to look forward to. Thank you for your ongoing support and involvement—together, we’re making this a fantastic year.

Sincerely,

Kelly Grantham, Principal

Amy Troiano, Assistant Principal

March 11: Grade 6 Trip to Maine Mariners Game

March 12: Early Release Day

March 14: 7th Grade Climate Change Solutions Summit (see invitation below)

March 18: Middle School Chorus Spring Concert, 7 pm

March 26: Early Release Day

March 26: 8th Grade Step Up Night at MHS (see flyer below)

March 28: End of Quarter 3 (midway through Semester 2)

March 29: ACDA State Chorus Festival

March 31-April 4: MMS Wellness Week and also Maine BioLab will be visiting 7th grade science classes

You're Invited!

Please join us in celebrating our 7th grade Climate Change Solutions projects. This summit will take place on March 14th in the Massabesic Middle School Gymnasium from 11:45 AM to 1:15 PM.

Over the past two months, our students have conducted research into global climate challenges and their implications. Through their innovative thinking and collaborative efforts, they have developed solutions aimed at mitigating these environmental impacts. Each project demonstrates not only their understanding of complex environmental issues but also their commitment to creating meaningful change for our planet's future.

This open-house style event welcomes all families and members of the community to explore the students' work at their convenience. Please drop in any time between 11:45-1:25. We look forward to seeing you there!

The MMS Drama Club would like to announce their spring play, The Internet Is a Distract -- OH LOOK A KITTEN! Micah only has twenty minutes to finish his paper on The Great Gatsby. He just needs to check a few facts on the internet first. Unfortunately, the web is a nefariously wacky place where boxing cats, Facebook lurkers, and baby-throwing games threaten to take over Micah's schoolwork, or worse. Will he finish his paper and escape with his life before the school bell rings? Come find out on April 11, 12, and 13 at MMS!

Attention Drama Parents: Look for an email in the next two weeks seeking volunteers to help with props, costumes, cast/crew dinners, tickets, and concessions. Thank you, Mrs. Johns and Mr. Daigle

MMS is Raising Awareness and Funds for Artisans in Central America

From March 5th - March 14th, Massabesic Middle School’s Spanish Club will be selling hand-woven bracelets, or “pulseras” in Spanish, to empower the artisans who make them in Guatemala and Nicaragua. The pulsera sale was organized through The Pulsera Project, a Fair Trade nonprofit organization that empowers and educates people in the U.S. and Central America.

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The Pulsera Project provides fair trade employment for over 200 artisans and then uses the funds from pulsera sales in U.S. schools to support programs that benefit the artisans, their families, their communities, and other social impact organizations working to create lasting change in Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Since the project’s founding in 2009, nearly 4,000 school communities in all 50 states have hosted pulsera sales, providing students with a unique cultural education experience that allows them to bring the beauty of Latin American culture to life in their schools while creating real-world impact abroad.

Student and teacher volunteers raise funds that benefit fair trade jobs, environmental initiatives, housing programs, disability advocacy, workers’ rights, university scholarships, secondary education programs, community development initiatives, and more, all while learning about the culture, lives, and struggles of Central Americans.

Each pulsera takes about an hour to make, comes tagged with the picture and signature of the artist, and is woven with the rich personal history of the person who made it.

We look forward to the community’s support over the next few weeks as we bring this unique service opportunity to life in our school!

Each bracelet is $5.00, and each handmade bag is $15.00. 100% of the proceeds go to the communities in Central America.

Our Winter Special Olympians, Abby, Eli and Izaiah, gave an outstanding performance up at the Winter snowshoe games!

• Abby brought home third place Bronze medals in both the 25 meter and 50 meter races
• Eli brought home second place Silver medals in his 50 meter and 100 meter races
• Izaiah brought home second place silver medals in his division for 50 meter and 100 meter races.

A huge thanks to our supporting staff Kristy Lagrassa and Kathy Gerry for making this an excellent day of fun and athletic competition!

In April RSU 57 will again be partnering with YouthTruth.org to gather student feedback about their school experience. This is an anonymous survey that provides us feedback on student engagement and academic experience. We use our data to set school goals towards continuous improvement. For more information and to read survey questions, visit YouthTruth.org

In 8th Grade Social Studies classes Mr. Ricker introduced a national competition to his students from Junior Scholastic titled "Where's Mapman?", in which students answer questions to discover where "Mapman" might be located that year. They are then tasked with creating a map of the specified region that represents his believed location. This year the location was Quebec, Canada. The maps are then judged on creativity, clarity and originality. Congratulations to MMS 8th grader Maddison Suba who is in the running for this national award. See her amazing work of art here!

Our 6th grade interdisciplinary studies classes recently participated in the Iron Giraffe Challenge and raised $1,137 to give to the Water for South Sudan foundation while learning about the importance of access to clean and sanitary water in countries around the world. Students also read the book A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park as part of this unit. Our MMS classes are an official sponsor of hygiene education program in South Sudan!

Click here to access the RSU 57 Athletics and Activities page to find out about events happening within the district, get out there and show your Mustang Pride!

Please note that middle school students are encouraged to attend high school sporting events, but must be accompanied by a supervising adult.

Do you have the ParentVUE app? Please be sure to download the Parent VUE app or access the site online to view your student's gradebook, assignments, schedule and more. Student gradebooks are updated frequently and we ask that you regularly check your student's account. Please contact our main office for assistance if you have trouble activating or accessing your account.

MMS Family Handbook

Website: https://middleschool.rsu57.org/
Location: Massabesic Middle School, Old Alfred Road, East Waterboro, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 247-6121