MMS Parent Newsletter

R-Responsible

E-Engaged

A-Accepting

L-Leading

We are so excited to celebrate our students of the month! These students were chosen based on their embodiment of one of the four REAL character traits. Responsible students show up to class and activities on time and use effective strategies to manage their responsibilities at school. Students who were chosen for engagement demonstrated the ability to focus in class and apply themselves to their assignments and/or activities. Our accepting students displayed kindness and treating others the way they wished to be treated. Our student leaders were chosen for setting positive examples for their classmates in all areas of Mustang Middle School! We are so proud of all our students and look forward to the continued celebration of our amazing scholars this school year!

Our STAR benchmark testing window opens this Wednesday, March 27, and continues through Thursday, April 11th. STAR testing gives us a glimpse of where our students are starting and allows us to track their progress and mastery of skills throughout the year.

The state testing window is approaching. It will be open from April 18th and to May 10th of 2024. The required tests will be English and Math for 7th grade and English, Math, Science, and Writing for 8th grade students. The state tests will be given in the morning. When making appointments, checking out students, etc. please try to keep those in the afternoon. Thank you for your support!

Below are links to resources for state testing. Please feel free to explore them with your students.

Parent & Student Guide OSTP 7th Grade

Parent & Student Guide OSTP 8th Grade

Mustang Families,

We need your help! State testing is quickly approaching. It is incredibly important that chromebooks are fully charged everyday! Please remind your students to charge their chromebooks each night in order to be fully prepared. Thank you for your support!

As of Thursday, April 25, 2024, charging will not be allowed in the cafeteria for the remainder of the school year and charges must be paid. Please have money in the account, pay at the register, pay online or bring food from home from this date through the end of school.

Thank you,

Mustang South Middle School Cafeteria

Mustang families, we are in need of tissue. We gratefully accept donations! They be dropped off in the front office with Miss Sharonda or Miss Shiella. Thank you!

We are so fortunate to have access to Varsity Tutors this semester! All students at MMS have access to free, unlimited, 24/7 tutoring through Varsity Tutors. This is a great resource for students. The steps to login are listed below.

Library books checked out from Mustang Middle School will be due on May 1st. Please remind your students to return their books. Thank you for your help!

May 1-3 Volleyball Tryouts 3:45-6:00

May 6 & 8-Cheer Clinic 4:30-7:30

May 11-Cheer Tryouts 10:00-4:00

May 7-9 Softball Tryouts 3:45-6:00

May 14 & 15 Spring Cross Country 7:00 am-7:45 am

May 6-10 and May 13-15 7th & 8th grade spring football prep 3:45-4:45

Cheer Clinic and all tryouts will be at Mustang Middle School's gym

If you have questions contact our athletic director Mr. Sawyer at sawyerch@mustangps.org

Before and after school Academic Recovery is ramping up. If your student is struggling to keep pace or needs extra help, we may be calling to assign them that extra time. If you believe that your student would benefit from this opportunity, feel free to give us a shout!

Classes are 8:40 a.m. - 3:35 p.m.

The building is open 8:10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. each day

Please do not drop off your student(s) prior to 8:10am. Students will not be allowed to enter prior to that time regardless of weather conditions, and there is no supervision.

If you are coming to MMS, please come through the Front (West) Doors and check-in at the office.

Support Groups will be starting in the second semester. We offer 3 different types, Calm Waters, Journey of Hope, and Chance to Succeed.

Contact the Counseling office at 405-376-7985 for details if you are interested.

Go to ybpay.com to order your Mustang Middle School 2023-2024 yearbook.

Use yearbook ID Code: 15094124

$45 from March 15, 2024 until sold out

We have been given six extra yearbooks from last year from the yearbook company. They are for sale for $10. If you would like to purchase one, you may pay Miss Shiella cash or check in the office. First come, first serve!

Parents, if you are having trouble accessing PowerSchool, please see us in the office during parent/teacher conferences or contact the front office during the school day.

Please review the district-wide expectations regarding student conduct on buses. In order to provide safe transportation to and from school, it is very important that all students adhere to the following expectations.

STUDENT CONDUCT ON BUSES

Riding a school bus is a privilege and students must maintain safe and respectful conduct to ensure safe travel to and from school. Student safety is our main priority and rules that are enforced at school also apply on the bus. Our bus drivers have the same authority over pupils while riding buses as the teachers have while in school.

The following rules and regulations shall govern the conduct of school bus passengers:

• Students must be respectful of the driver and other passengers at all times;

• All students must stay in their seats from the time they load the bus to the time they exit the bus;

• Students must keep their hands and feet to themselves;

• Students must avoid tampering with the windows or the emergency door of the bus unless instructed by the driver to do so.

Disruptive behaviors, which potentially jeopardize the safety of all passengers, will not be tolerated. The following are some examples of disruptive behaviors which may bypass the warning and result in the loss of bus-riding privileges:

• Fighting, shouting, profanity, horseplay, using tobacco or electronic cigarettes, extending any part of the body through an open window, throwing objects, refusing to obey the bus driver, *vandalism.

*Students who deface or vandalize a school bus in any way may have bus riding privileges suspended and will not be permitted to resume bus privileges until all damages are paid.

The following items will not be permitted on the bus:

• Balloons

• Glass containers

• Trash from snacks and drinks

WRITTEN CONDUCT REPORT

A written report about a student’s unsatisfactory conduct will be issued by the bus driver and delivered to the school principal for disciplinary action. The action taken by the principal may include short-term or permanent suspension from bus riding privileges and/or suspension from school- depending on the severity of the behavior.

W.I.N. Time is now a regular part of our weekly schedule at MMS. W.I.N. stands for "What I Need."

The goal of W.I.N. Time is to provide students 30 minutes a day twice a week (Tuesday/Thursday) for intervention or extension in areas of need. Students are assigned to a teacher or class for extra help, reteaching, or enrichment activities. The schedule on WIN days is listed below.

Please See the picture below for the traffic flow of student drop-off and pick-up. Please note that students should never cross the parking lot and should always use the crosswalks on the East and West sides of the lot when making their way North of the school.

Please do not park in the north parking lot when picking up students. This requires students to cross through the pickup line and through several lanes of traffic. We are also getting reports of parents turning left from the right lane or right from the left lane from the pickup lanes onto Dowden. Please follow the arrows on the pavement for the safety of everyone.

Thank you to Mr. Peter Bostwick! We are very fortunate to have him at MMS to assist with student safety in the parking lot and on the west crosswalk in the mornings and afternoons.

Just a friendly reminder to encourage your kiddos to have their chromebooks charged and with them every day. These chromebooks are an essential tool to facilitate learning each and every day!

Using Canvas From Home:

To access Canvas from home, students will need to go to: https://mustangps.instructure.com/login/canvas

When they log on, they will need to select log in with google.

More helpful canvas information is located on our canvas for students and parents link:

https://www.mustangps.org/canvasforstudentsandparents8957.aspx