Mustangs Newsletter - Nov. 16
Hello Mustang Families!
With support from PACT, MGMS WEB Leaders are supporting CEAP by hosting a Fall Food Drive from November 13th to November 30th. CEAP is our local food shelf and safety net; this winter they'll be providing toys, gift cards, holiday meal essentials, baking items, and other needed resources to our community. CEAP is a nonprofit organization that provided 1.5 million pounds of food to thousands of our neighbors over the last year. We need everyone's help in order to reach our school wide goal of at least 3200 items donated!
Food items can be brought to school and dropped off in students’ Advisory class or the main office, or you can make a donation on the fundraising page by clicking the link or scanning the QR code below:
https://givebutter.com/Maple-Grove-Middle-School-Season-of-Sharing
Good day MGMS families,
At MGMS we practice the Positive Behavior Intervention Systems (PBIS) to support the teaching and learning of positive school behavior. Students have the opportunity to earn Mustang Pride Tickets. Beginning November 13, we will have weekly drawings of these tickets where students can come and pick out a treat if their name is drawn. This is where we are asking for parent support by way of donation. If you feel so inclined to donate non-perishable items (think variety box of chips or candy bars, some cool pens, fidgets, etc.) or anything you can think of that a middle schooler would be excited about, we would appreciate your generosity. Donations can be brought to the front office and we will stock for our "store". Thank you so much for considering to support our efforts to reward our students for being amazing humans!
Best,
Jennifer Hinker, Assistant Principal
I want to take this moment to say THANK YOU for supporting Maple Grove Middle School and our entire school district with the passage of the bond levy! I am excited to see the benefits that will come over time with updating our learning environment across the school. Our school environment plays a critical role in our students’ lived experience and I am happy we can continue to update our site to meet student needs.
Thank you!
Patrick Smith
Principal, Maple Grove Middle School Mustangs
Dream Big!
Students performed in the Fall Play: "Sherlock Holmes and the First Baker Street Irregular" the first weekend of November! With great support from our audience and friends and family they worked hard to put on a good show and solve the mysteries plaguing London. About 65 students were involved in the cast and tech crew. Maple Grove Middle School Theater will start production for the Spring Musical in January, after winter break. The show will be announced soon. Check out the website for more information. https://sites.google.com/apps.district279.org/mgmstheater/home AND make sure you check out our Facebook Page "Maple Grove Middle School Theater" for easy updates, and our Instagram account @mgmstheater to follow along with the Spring Musical Reveal!
Similar to elementary school PTOs, PACT (Parents and Community Together) works to build a strong, inclusive community at MGMS. Every MGMS parent, caregiver and staff is a member.
Primary ways to make an impact include donations, volunteering and advocacy.
Donations
Thank you again for your generosity with our Annual Fundraiser!
Volunteer Opportunities
The three student leadership groups at MGMS (Student Council, Fuel Up Team and WEB Leaders) will help define and host social and service events for the school community throughout the year.
Watch for details and volunteer opportunities related to these events. Email mgmspact@district279.org to get involved.
Advocacy
Thank you for voting on Nov 7th! Voters approved Phase II of Building a Better Future, which will support stability in our classrooms as well as assist in the growth of our communities. The passing of both phases of the referendum will bring benefits to students, families, staff and the community for years to come. Learn more at https://www.district279.org/betterfuture.
PACT Meetings
Join us to hear an update from Principal Smith and learn about positive MGMS initiatives.
Mark your calendar for these upcoming meetings from 7:00-8:00 PM:
Jan 22 (online)
Feb 26 (online)
April 15 (online)
May 20 (in person and online)
PACT website: https://mgms.district279.org/families/pact
Facebook: Maple Grove Middle School - ISD 279
Submit a baby picture of yourself to be included in the 2023-2024 yearbook! Take a photo of your favorite baby picture and upload it to share with your peers.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT BABY PICTURE
Submission deadline is Friday, January 19th, 2024.
Maple Grove Middle School is fortunate to have the "Closet". We have received donations of clothing items, hygiene products, school supplies, shoes and more. As winter approaches we do have winter outerwear that families in need may have. If you are in need of this service, please reach out to your grade level counselor.
We are also in need of donations. As you are looking through your own winter gear (or if you have family/friends with growing middle schoolers of their own that may be willing to donate), please drop them off in the main office. We are looking for warm winter jackets, winter hats, scarves, gloves & mittens.
Thank you.
ABSENCES
If your child is going to be late or absent from school, please call the school with the reason for the absence. The telephone call eliminates the need to send a note with your student when he/she returns to school. Excused absences consist of illness, medical appointments, and family emergency situations such as a funeral. Oversleeping, missing the bus, or skipping school are not excused and are considered truancy.
MGMS 24 Hour Attendance Line: 763-315-7603.
APPOINTMENTS/EARLY RELEASE - HERE IS WHAT YOU DO
1. Send a note with your student in the morning
2. When the student gets to school they go to Student Services to get a white pass
3. At the stated time on the pass, your student leaves class and comes to the office with the white pass and signs out in the main office
4. The person picking up can wait in the car (very helpful on cold winter days)
If you didn't send a note, you will need to come in with your driver's license and we will call your student down when you arrive. This procedure is in place to ensure student safety.
ATTENDANCE
If you received a call saying your child was absent one or more periods, please check your ParentVue account for the period your student was absent. Have your child talk to the teacher for the class that they were marked absent. The teacher will then communicate with our attendance person.
We have three accounts parents should have; ParentVue, Schoology and EduTrak. ParentVue allows you to see attendance, testing scores and report cards (we do not mail them out). Schoology allows you to see assignments and communicate with the teachers. EduTrak is how you add money to your student's lunch account, pay fees for sports, or other fines. Attached below is a document that will help you set up accounts and answer any questions you may have.
