MMS News & Notes

MMS Parents and Guardians,

I hope you are all having a good week. The Fall season is upon us and I am loving every moment I can spend outdoors. We even noticed on our trip to Slippery Rock University to see our son, the leaves are starting to change colors a bit. Fall also means the days are getting shorter. Please encourage your kids to spend as much time as possible outside after school and on the weekends while they still can.

As our first 5-day week is coming to a close tomorrow, I continue to be impressed with how well the students are doing in the building. We are all working diligently teaching and reinforcing the CATs' Code which emphasizes the following words: Respectful, Responsible, Resilient and Safe. These words apply in each classroom along with locations such as the hallways, cafeteria, restrooms and on the bus. We would love for you to be using these words with your child outside of school for them to see the connection with what they learn in school with real world application.

Joel Yohn

MMS Principal

At the beginning of the year it is required that one parent log on to the Sapphire portal and update your child's beginning of year information. There is no hard copy to complete it must be done electronically. This will ensure we have the most up to date information for your child. Email address and phone numbers can be updated through Sapphire at any time throughout the year. Thank you in advance for completing this by Friday, September 20, 2024. http://sapphire.mbgsd.org

Here are some important points to remember:

• It is important to avoid blindly sharing rumors and posts online that refer to school safety threats. Even if the threats are not credible, they can still cause a great deal of stress and anxiety for our students, families, and staff. We ask our families to monitor their children’s social media activity and speak with them about appropriate online behaviors.

• We all play a vital role in school safety. We ask that our families, staff, and students continue to remain vigilant and report any concerning behavior or messaging. The best method to report an issue is to notify your child’s teacher or administrator. If the concern occurs after hours and is of an emergent nature or you wish to remain anonymous, then you can report a concern through the Safe2Say program (through the Safe2Say app, www.safe2saypa.org or by calling 1-844-723-2729).

• Remain confident that we will reach out to you should there ever be a cause for concern. Be sure to keep your information updated within the Sapphire Parent Portal to ensure you get school and district messages.

• October 11 - Act 80 Day (K-12) No School for Students
• October 14 - Fall Recess Schools Closed
• October 31 - School is in Session at MMS (Act 80 day for Elmwood Academy Gr 4/5 ONLY)

Please view the flyer below for more information about the Mechanicsburg Activities Program (MAPS). Registration is open through September 20. MAPS runs October 15-November 19, 2024.

Picture Day Volunteers Needed:

Picture Day at MMS is Friday September 27th, We need a few volunteers to help keep things moving smoothly during the event. Half-day or full-day volunteers are welcome. Sign up here and thank you in advance for your support!

Student Activity Fundraising Drive:

The 24-25 MMS Student Activity Fundraising Drive is underway! Please see the attached flyer for more information or click here to submit your donation to help offset the cost of school-wide events such as field trips, JA YES! Day and much more.

Follow us on Facebook:

Mechanicsburg Middle School PTO @ facebook.com/MbgsdMMSPTO for updates, information, and volunteer opportunities at MMS.

If your student is missing required vaccines for school, Sadler Health Center will be coming to the Wildcat Activity Center (located behind the high school, next to the track) to provide required vaccines for students in grades K-8 on October 11, 2024, from 8:30-3:30. Please contact the school nurse to register and complete consent forms.

Medications in school: If your student needs to take any prescription medication during the school day, we will need a written physician order and the medication in the original bottle with the pharmacy label attached. If your student has emergency medication for seizures, asthma or allergies, the required forms can be found here, along with the medication policy: https://www.mbgsd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=838633&type=d&pREC_ID=1820507

Physical/Dental exams: 6th grade is required to have a physical and 7th grade is required to have a dental exam and immunizations for TDAP and Meningitis. Exams completed in the past year can be accepted. Here is the link for all of the district health forms. It can also be found on the district home page, under District Services – Health Services – Health Forms.

https://www.mbgsd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=838633&type=d&pREC_ID=1820507

If you have any questions or concerns about your student’s health, please contact the health room at (717) 691-2454, or email Mrs. Kessler skessler@mbgsd.org, or Mrs. Kresge jkresge@mbgsd.org . Thank you for helping us to keep everyone safe and healthy.

Mechanicsburg Area School District is privileged to offer a weekend food distribution program free of charge for those who may need or want it. Weekly non-perishable and easy to prepare foods are made available to middle school students and their families who pre-register with The MMS Marketplace and students are reminded that they should not open their food packs until arriving home. Students or their parent/guardian may register for a weekend Food Pack by scanning this QR Code, emailing Mrs. Coffman at mcoffman@mbgsd.org, or by contacting the school counselor to be included in the program.

MMS conducts evacuation drills, relocation drills, and assorted other safety drills monthly. Also, once per semester, we conduct lockdown drills. All drills are conducted in accordance with MASD safety protocols. Additionally, the Upper Allen Police Department often attend to monitor and provide feedback.

In an effort to ensure that we are providing our students with a safe and orderly parent/guardian drop-off and pick-up area at MMS, we would like to send out the following changes regarding our process as the school year begins.

Traffic:

• To drop off or pick up students, enter MMS Campus at the light near Upper Allen Elementary School. The entrance off Market Street near Lindenwood is closed to vehicles and will be used solely for the school buses.
• Drivers of vehicles picking up or dropping off students are to use the Counseling entrance driveway and students will enter the building at this entrance.
• This area will be coned off into two lanes in order to allow vehicles to serpentine to the drop off point. (Figure A)
• Drivers of vehicles picking up or dropping off students must pull up as far as possible in the driveway towards Upper Allen Elementary School before stopping to ensure that our traffic does not interfere with bus patterns and Market Street traffic.
• Drivers of vehicles picking up or dropping off students should use extreme care and caution when attempting to pass another vehicle in our driveway and when crossing over the designated pedestrian crosswalk.
• Students are to exit vehicles to the right side of the vehicle onto the sidewalk and walk directly to the Counseling Office entrance.

Find us on Facebook and Instagram:

Instagram(New): @mmsprincipals

Facebook: Mechanicsburg Middle School PTO

Mechanicsburg Middle School

1750 S. Market Street

Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Phone: (717)691-4560

Fax: (717-791-7977