Weekly Wrap Up Week #1

Good Morning, Maple Place,

Can you believe we are Back to School already! It was a great fist week back at Maple Place. The week began with two days of professional development for our faculty and staff, followed by our first two days back together with our students. It was great to have the halls of Maple Place bustling with student activity again. It is certainly quiet here without them during the summer months.

As the first weeks of middle school get under way, there is already A LOT happening at Maple Place. The fall sports season is getting started with sports try-outs taking place this coming week. Please be sure to read on in this newsletter for more information about sports, clubs, and extracurricular activities offered at Maple Place. There is also a survey for the students to complete with you regarding club offerings for the 24-25 school year. We want to hear from you!

The Maple Place Back to School Night is coming up this Thursday. The evening will run from 5:00-6:30pm, and you will have the opportunity to meet with all of your child's teachers during the event.

As the year gets started, please know that I encourage you to reach out to the school directly with any questions or concerns. We are here to help in any way that we can and strive to strengthen the home-school partnership!

Wishing you all a wonderful school year!

Have a great weekend,

Melissa Keiser

The Maple Place Back to School Night, 2024, is happening this coming Thursday, September 12th from 5:00-6:30pm. More information will be coming out early this week regarding the schedule for each grade level. Please keep in mind that this event is intended to be a parent only session. We are looking forward to seeing you!

As we prepare to get our Maple Place Clubs up and running, we want to gauge our students' interests to ensure that we are offering clubs that meet the varying needs and interests of our middle school students. The goal of Maple Place Enrichment Clubs is to provide ALL of our students with opportunities to express their creativity, find their passion, and participate in an activity that they enjoy.

Each year Maple Place offers a variety of Sports and Club activities. Many of these offerings are available every year, while others are offered based on interest.

The annual offerings include:

Competitive Sports for Grades 6-8:

Fall - Field Hockey, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer

Winter - Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Cheerleading

Spring - Boys Baseball, Girls Softball

Club Sports for Grades 5-8:

Fall - Running Club

Spring - Volleyball Club

Clubs:

Art Club - Grades 5-8

Student Council - Grades 5-8

National Junior Honor Society - Grades 7-8 (must apply & be accepted)

Yearbook - Grade 8

Music / Performance for Grades 5-8:

Band (Cadet & Charger) - beginning October 1st

Chorus

Chimes

Spring Musical

Enrichment Clubs for Grades 5-8:

In addition to the offerings mentioned above, each year we have numerous enrichment clubs which are offered by our teachers and which are designed around students' interests. This year, we are asking for student input on the prospective club offerings. Please work with your Maple Place student(s) to complete the survey below. You can complete one survey for each of your MP students so that their interests are calculated in our survey results.

Thank you for your anticipated assistance with choosing clubs for Maple Place! Please click on the button below to complete the survey!

Thank you to all those who completed the Google Form for Fall Sports sign-ups. This definitely helped us to streamline the process, especially since the time between the start of school and the first games of the season is minimal. We also conducted sign-ups for fall sports during the first two days of school. Students who had not signed up previously were given their sports physical paperwork.

Please be aware that students are not permitted to try-out for a sport without having an approved sports physical and all required accompanying paperwork submitted. Additionally, please understand that turning the physical paperwork into the school is not the end of the process. All sports physicals then need to be approved by the school physician. This process takes multiple days, so it is important to have the physical paperwork in on time.

Fall Sports Meetings and Try-outs Schedule:

Field Hockey:

Try-Outs - Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday - September 9th through 11th - 3:00-4:30 - Maple Place

Boys & Girls Soccer:

Interest Meeting - Tuesday, September 10th - 2:45-3:15pm - Maple Place Gym

Try-Outs - Thursday, Friday, & Monday - September 12th, 13th & 16th - 3:00-4:30pm - Blackberry Bay Park

** Running Club will begin after fall sports try-outs have been completed.

The 2024-2025 Student Handbook & Code of Conduct is available for students and parents. I will be meeting with all students on Monday to go through the Student Handbook / Code of Conduct to ensure there is a clear understanding of the expectations for the year. Both students and parents will be required to sign the signature page acknowledging that they have read and discussed the content of the Handbook and Code of Conduct.

The Maple Place Student Handbook & Code of Conduct can be found on our website and is linked below. Important excerpts from the handbook have also been included in students' agenda which they received on the first day of school.

• The regular school day will run from 8:00AM - 2:45PM for all students.
  
• Students can enter the building beginning at 7:50AM each morning. Homeroom starts promptly at 8:00AM.
• Students arriving to school after 8:00 AM must enter through the main entrance and sign in to receive a late pass. Entering after 8:00am will result in the student being marked tardy.
• Please do not drop students off prior to 7:50am. There are no staff members on duty until that time, and we do not want students to be unattended outside the building.
• Walkers, bikers, and car riders will enter and leave the building through Door #2 or Door #3 in the bus loop.
• Parents are reminded to pull all the way up when in the bus loop. This will help us to minimize the traffic on the surrounding streets during drop-off and pick-up.
• For safety reasons, you must pick your students up in the bus loop. Students will not be permitted to cross the street to come to your vehicle.
• Please be aware that there is often significantly more traffic in the drop-off / pick-up line during inclement weather. Please be patient!

Maple Place students are permitted to walk or ride their bikes to and from school each day. Parents must fill out a Walking / Biking Permission Slip and return it to school for each student who will be walking or riding a bike. Please fill out the form and return to the main office as soon as possible. Bike riders must wear a helmet as required by law. Students were reminded this week of the helmet requirement as there were numerous students arriving and departing on bikes without wearing a helmet. Additionally, please remind your student(s) to adhere to all traffic and safety rules and to pay attention to the crossing guards.

Please be sure to update your information within the Parent Portal. This will help to ensure timely communication. Please see the link below for an informational video with directions for updating the portal. I encourage all parents to log into the portal to check that your information is up to date.

Parent Portal Link

Just a reminder that all summer assignments are due by Wednesday, September 11th. Students who complete both their summer ELA and Math will be able to participate in a visit from the Kona Ice Truck courtesy of the Oceanport PTO.

Here is a direct link to the summer assignments for your convenience if you need it.

Please review the board approved 2024-2025 school calendar. Slight changes were made at the August BOE meeting. The calendar contains all of the important dates for Back to School Night, Parent / Teacher Conferences, Early Dismissal Days, and School Closures.

If you are a parent of a 7th or 8th grade student, please save the date! This year Maple Place will be sponsoring our first High School Showcase. The goal is to provide our 7th and 8th grade students and parents with the opportunity to explore the various options for high school. The showcase will include Shore Regional High School, local private schools such as Trinity Hall, CBA, and St. John Vianney, as well as Monmouth County Vocational School and the Academy programs that our students are able to apply for. We hope you will save the date to join your child at this event!

More information will be distributed to students and parents shortly!

Please be aware that the nurses at both Wolf Hill and Maple Place schools will no longer be providing students with medication for headaches, cramps, and other minor ailments. If your child requires medication for an injury, illness, or allergies, your physician will need to complete the "Permission to Medicate" form found on Nurse Dora's webpage and linked HERE. In addition to providing the form signed by the doctor, you also need to provide the nurse with the required medication. If you have any questions regarding the change in this procedure, please reach out to Nurse Dora directly at jdora@oceanportschools.org.

Please be sure to join the PTO this year. The Oceanport PTO does amazing things for our students and staff, none of which will be possible without your membership. Currently the PTO has two summer sales running from now until September 1st. Please see the flyers below for Bagel Half Days.

If you are looking to join the PTO or discover any additional PTO information, please check out the PTO Membership Toolkit. Bagels can be purchased through the Membership Toolkit as well. The first PTO meeting will be held at Tuesday, September 10th at 7:00pm in the Maple Place Media Center. We hope you can join us!

• Tuesday, September 10th - PTO Meeting - Maple Place Media Center - 7:00pm

• Wednesday, September 11th - Summer Reading & Math Assignments DUE!

• Thursday, September 12th - Back to School Night - Maple Place - 5:00pm

• Wednesday, September 18th - Board of Education Meeting - Wolf Hill School - 6:00pm

• Thursday, September 19th - Back to School Night - Wolf Hill - 5:00pm

• Tuesday - Thursday, September 24-26th - Scholastic Book Fair - MP Media Center

• Wednesday, September 25th - High School Showcase - MP Cafeteria - 8:30-10:30am

• Thursday & Friday, October 3rd & 4th - Schools Closed - Rosh Hashanah

• Monday, October 7th - Advocates for Diverse Learners Meeting - Maple Place Media Center - 7:00pm

• Tuesday, October 8th - Picture Day!

In remembrance of the events of September 11th, 2001, and in honor of Patriot Day, we will be wearing Red, White & Blue this coming Wednesday. Please encourage your student(s) to join in remembrance by wearing patriotic colors!

Be sure to follow Maple Place on our social media outlets. We can be found on Twitter at @MaplePlaceMS. You can also check us out on Instagram at @mapleplaceop.

Email: mkeiser@oceanportschools.org
Website: https://www.oceanportschools.org/Domain/8
Location: 2 Maple Place, Oceanport, NJ, USA
Phone: (732) 229-0267
Twitter: @MaplePlaceMS

Instagram: @MaplePlaceOP