MMS News & Notes

MMS Parents and Guardians,

Greetings and welcome to the 2024-25 school year. I am hopeful everyone had a wonderful summer and your child is ready to embrace a new year with the most positive attitude. We have been planning diligently to create a school environment that is most safe academically, socially and emotionally so learning can occur without disruptions. We thank you in advance for your ongoing support and reinforcing our school expectations with your child at the beginning and throughout the year.

This Monday, August 26, marks the first day of the school year and the teachers and staff are more than excited to meet their new students. Many of you had the opportunity last week to attend your child's grade level building visitation to receive his/her schedule. For those of you who could not attend, schedules were mailed last Friday. Please review with your son and/or daughter their homeroom number to help ease any nerves they may be feeling for their first day. There will be many adults visible greeting the students as they enter the building on Monday to be sure all students get to their homerooms successfully. Every student will be given a hard copy of their schedule in homeroom on Monday. We do apologize for the inconvenience of the Sapphire portal not be accessible and we will be in communication when you can access the portal.

Please note that all students will be issued all of their needed school supplies on Monday with the exception of a calculator, bookbag and water bottle. We would appreciate if you would please remind your child that his/her cell phone must be turned off before entering the building. Additionally, it would be much appreciated if you would take a few minutes to review the District "Dress Code" policy #221 prior to Monday.

Please refer to the District and MMS websites for general information such as "Bus Routes". Also, it is important for you to be aware of the parent pick-up and drop off procedures which are different from the last several years. Refer to the map below that explains the traffic patterns for buses, cars and school vans for both the AM drop off and PM pick up.

Again, we are more than excited for the start to what I believe is going to be a fantastic school year. Please do not hesitate to call your child's grade level counselor or assistant principal for any questions you may have. Take care and have a great weekend!

Joel Yohn

MMS Principal

• August 26 - First Day of School
• August 30 through September 2 - Labor Day Recess (School is Closed)
• September 4 - Back to School Night (More information will be shared)

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.

We’re excited to announce the launch of our brand-new Mechanicsburg Area School District Facebook page – www.facebook.com/MASDwildcats. Like and follow the page to stay updated on the latest celebrations, news, and updates from across the district.

Message from Dr. Bitz... The Fall athletic season is always an exciting time of year in Mechanicsburg. From the student athletes on the field of play to our cheerleaders and marching band, our football games are community events that fill us with pride and showcase our school spirit. We are thankful for the passion that our MASD families and fans bring to support our students.

As we prepare for our first game at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 23, at Memorial Park Stadium, I thought it would be important to take a moment to remind you of the security measures and admittance requirements we have in place for all home varsity football games:

1. Elementary and middle school students must be accompanied and supervised by an adult upon entry and at all times throughout the game.
2. The expectation is that ALL students watch the game with the supervising adult. Students will not be permitted to gather in groups in areas that include, but are not limited to, the ticket gates, bathrooms, concession area, and other grassy areas. Students congregating will be directed to return to their supervising adult.

In addition, we kindly ask that you please remind your children that MASD athletic events are school functions and student behavioral expectations are the same as when they are in school. Those joining us at Memorial Park Stadium should be there to watch the game and to support the athletes, color guard, and marching band.

Thank you for taking these safety measures seriously and for partnering with us to provide a safe and respectful environment for all members of our school community. We appreciate everyone’s assistance and cooperation to keep these events safe for everyone.

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