Scarborough Middle School

Hello Scarborough Middle School Families,

Please take a close look at this week’s Friday Family News. There are lots of important pieces of information included this week.

Respectfully,

Kathy Tirrell, Principal

Chris Murphy, Assistant Principal

During CREW, students developed the Scarborough Middle School Charter. In October during Monday CREWs, students will engage in activities in order to build a deeper understanding of our charter words. Next week we will be kicking off with the word Happy and exploring what makes us happy. As a community, we will be creating a school wide mural.

On September 24, the entire 6th grade made its way to Higgins Beach to enjoy a day of team-building activities and to engage in an invasive crab study. Working with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and their Citizen Science Initiative, student scientists gathered data pertaining to numbers and details about invasive crabs found in specific quadrats set along the low-tide line in the Higgins tide pools. This data will be analyzed by GMRI scientists and incorporated into a larger study about invasive crabs along the Maine coast. The summer curriculum work to plan our new local ecology unit & this hands-on field trip was funded by the Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative (MOLI), and the supplies for our trip were funded by a SEF grant for 6th grade outdoor experiential learning. We are extremely grateful to MOLI and the SEF for helping to get our students outside and learning about the science issues happening in our own (beautiful!) backyard.

What's the buzz on energy drinks? While we all know that energy drinks are not recommended for adolescents and teens, we have noticed an increase of them in our students' hands. Students are coming to school and sometimes sharing with their friends things like Celcius, Rockstar, Monster and Alani. While students may enjoy the “boost of energy” they feel from these drinks, there are more harmful side effects to worry about. Consuming energy drinks can lead to dehydration, increased blood pressure, increase in anxiety, insomnia and heart problems such as irregular and fast heart rates just to name a few! We encourage you to talk with your children about skipping the energy drink all together.

As a reminder, we discourage the sharing of snacks and drinks with classmates. This is an issue of safety not only from a food allergy standpoint but infection control. With infections and viruses such as the flu, COVID, mono and strep it is best to keep food and drink to ourselves.

We appreciate your help and support on this matter.

Amanda Eason BSN RN

Laurel Rothermel BSN RN

Scarborough Middle School will be having an influenza vaccination clinic on Thursday 10/24/24. We will be partnering with Northern Light Home Care & Hospice to provide this clinic to our students.

Please click on the link below and complete the consent form by Thursday 10/17/24. You must complete all starred fields. Although the vaccine is provided at no charge, there is a cost to administer the vaccine. We appreciate it if you include accurate insurance information. There is no out of pocket cost and those without insurance will be vaccinated with the appropriate form completed. Children presenting with an incomplete form will not receive their vaccine.

Scarborough Middle School

• You will be notified if there is a change in the planned dates of school flu clinics.

• The Vaccine Information Sheets are included in the link after the consent form. Please take a minute to read these.

• If you need a translated form or are unable to complete an electronic form, please let the school nurse know and we will send a paper form home.

All clinics will have injectable vaccines. In addition, FluMist (nasal spray) may be available at some clinics. We cannot guarantee it for all clinics. Unless you clearly mark which type of vaccine you prefer, and there is no contraindication to either type of vaccine, the nurse at the clinic will determine which type of vaccine to use for your child.

For information about flu and the vaccine Click Here

For questions about the flu vaccine, call Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention (Maine CDC) at 1-800-867-4775, Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5 pm.

For questions about the vaccine clinics at Scarborough Middle School, please reach out to one of our nurses.

SMS Clinic Contact Information:

Amanda Eason RN 207-730-4811

Laurel Rothermel RN 207-730-4810

msnurse@scarboroughschools.org

Please be sure to complete and return the Health Screen & Permission form!

Picture retake day here at SMS will be on Thursday, October 17.

Pictures can be ordered through MyLifetouch.

Coming to Wentworth on October 15, 2024

Our school is partnering with Tooth Protectors, Inc. to offer free, preventative dental care for Students and Staff WITH or WITHOUT dental insurance. Services are FREE to those with MaineCare (age 1-100). Fees are included on this attached flyer for those who are self-pay. Tooth Protectors can bill other Dental Insurance, but currently DO NOT accept: Harvard, Pilgrim, Humana, or Martin's Point.

Sign your child up Today!

Fill out this form (print or request a paper copy) or fill out the Electronic Permission form at this link: https://www.toothprotectors.org/permission-form/

Once signed up and appointment times are assigned students from SMS will be escorted to Wentworth for their appointment times.

Families should report their middle school student's absence from school by calling the SMS main office at 207-730-4800 or by email at msoffice@scarboroughschools.org. A reason for the absence must be stated, otherwise SMS office staff will reach out to determine the reason for the absence.

Excusable reasons for an absence:

• illness
• appointment
• religious holiday
• family emergency
• planned absence

For Planned Absences (a day out of school which is not illness or medical appointment related), families should fill out the Scarborough Middle School Planned Absence form, which is found here.

For questions about attendance, please contact the Scarborough Middle School main office at 207-730-4800 or email us at msoffice@scarboroughschools.org

2024-25 Scarborough School Calendar

OCTOBER:

No School

• Friday, October 11- STAFF ONLY DAY no school for students

• Monday, October 14- Indigenous People Day

Early Release - Wednesday, October 16

• Dismissal at 12:55pm

Tooth Protectors

• October 15

Picture Retake Day

• Thursday, October 17

SMS Flu Shot Clinic

• Thursday, October 24 in am

NOVEMBER:

Quarter 1 Ends

• Friday, November 1

Fall Parent Teacher Conferences

• November 4 to November 15: More information will be shared closer to the date

Voting Day at SHS

• November 5

No School

• Monday, November 11 Veterans Day

SMS Scholastic Book Fair: More Information will be shared closer to event

• November 11 to November 15

Early Release Day- Wednesday, November 20

• Dismissal at 12:55pm

Thanksgiving Break- No School

• Wednesday, November 27- Friday, November 29

Looking Ahead:

MAY

6th Grade Dance-

• Friday, May 2 from 5:00pm-7:00pm

7th Grade Dance-

• Friday, May 16 from 5:00pm-7:00pm

JUNE

8th Grade Celebration and Dance

• Friday, June 6

Email: msoffice@scarboroughschools.org
Website: https://sms.scarboroughschools.org/
Location: 21 Quentin Drive, Scarborough, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 730-4800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scarbmeschools/
Twitter: @scarbmeschools