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Maplewood Middle School Home and School Association
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MMS HSA News - Week 3

9/25/2016

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MMS HSA
MAPLEWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
************************************

Hello MMS! So, we said our tearful farewell to Mr. Gold, but he’s promised to return from time to time (including, among many other times, at our Dance-A-Thon -- more info on his attendance to come! Hope you’ve all saved the date Friday, October 28th! You & your students won’t want to miss it.) In the meantime, this week we’re so lucky to welcome our Interim Assistant Principal Mr. Healy. As Mr. Brown quipped, it will be magical! Here’s what else you need to know …

HELP OUT ON PICTURE DAY: Photo day for all students is Wednesday, September 28th. Click HERE for all the info you need. Also, we need parent volunteers to help the day go smoothly! Please see the Sign Up Genius HERE and lend a hand for a few hours. Want to know when your kid will be getting his/her photo taken? Click HERE for the day’s schedule.

PBIS MEETING: The next meeting of the PBIS committee (“Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support”) is Thursday, September 29th from 3:30pm-4:30pm in MMS room 291. Ms. Felder would like to invite parents to participate. Please consider joining the discussion! This group of MMS staff & administration brainstorms and implements so many worthwhile, enriching, and fun activities for our students. Contact Ms. Felder at jfelder@somsd.k12.nj.us with any questions or to let her know you’ll be there.

MMS MUSICAL: Registrations to audition for the MMS Musical are due by Friday, September 30th. All info can be found here https://sites.google.com/site/mmsmusical/. Contact Ms. O’Sullivan at mosulliv@somsd.k12.nj.us with any questions. Don’t let your student miss out on this extraordinary school-wide experience!

ASSEMBLY FOR 7TH & 8TH GRADES: Your MMS-HSA brings another great assembly -- on September 30th, Fairleigh Dickinson University students will perform the charming musical "Possibilities" for our 7th and 8th graders. “POSSIBILITIES” is a student-written tale about making dreams come true, and it features classic musical theater songs. The show focuses on a day in the life of a group of high school students attending a career fair. The students come face to face with their dreams, external pressures, and ultimately their own ability to choose what’s right for them. Thank you so much to Morgan Hillis and Sarah Morrison, your HSA Cultural Arts chairs, for organizing this event for our students.

PROOF OF IMMUNIZATION: Sixth grade families please click HERE to read an important message from our amazing Ms. Porter regarding the proof of immunization document required for each student.

GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT NEWSLETTER: Guidance counselors Ms. Battle and Ms. Dios asked us please to share with parents the September issue of the guidance department newsletter. Please click HERE to access this terrific resource.

 ****THE PRINCIPAL’S CORNER****
Please click HERE for this week’s message from Ms. Gronau.

​Thank you everyone! Have a wonderful week.
Your MMS HSA Co-Presidents,
Kathleen Bailie & Alan Stephenson
kbailie1@gmail.com
wunderdogny@aol.com
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Picture Day Info - 9/28

9/20/2016

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Picture Day Info
MMS HSA
MAPLEWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
***************************************
Hi all! Some info about school photos:
  • School picture day for all students will take place on Wednesday, September 28th. To pre-order online, visit www.lorsstudio.com, click on Undergrad Prepay, and use online login code 17-44MM. If you purchase online there is no need to send an order form or payment into school. Otherwise, you may complete the form that was sent home and have your student bring it to school on photo day. If you did not receive a photo form and/or you have any questions about placing your order, please contact Lors Photography at (908) 964-0847. To purchase pictures taken on September 28th, visit http://www.lorsstudio.com/undergrad.php.
  • The 8th grade group photo, all club photos, and the faculty group picture will take place on Tuesday, November 1st. The 8th grade photo is scheduled for 8:45am. To purchase any of these photos please visit https://lorsstudio.smugmug.com.
  • School picture retakes for all students will take place on Tuesday, November 15th. The procedure for the retakes is the same as that for the original Sept. 28th photos above.
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MMS HSA NEWS Week2

9/18/2016

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MMS HSA
MAPLEWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
************************************

Hello everyone! Here it is, your child’s first full week of middle school for 2016-17 -- no shortened weeks, no 4-hour days. Woo hoo! Here’s what you need to know …

 HSA NO-FRILLS FUNDRAISER: How did we do? Did we make our case at Back to School Night that every penny donated to the No-Frills Fundraiser is sorely needed and goes directly to specific, important programming and enrichment for our children? Do we need to knock on doors and bring our closed circuit tv schtick directly to you? Don’t tempt us! We just might do it! Or, you could spare yourselves and if you haven’t given yet, please do. The money is put to excellent use. And it only take a few minutes. Please? Here’s the link: http://www.mmshsa.org/no-frills-2.html

 HSA COMMUNICATIONS: We’re working really hard to make sure communications among central office, school administration, faculty & staff, and families is clear and transparent and frequent. The best ways to stay informed are to make sure you’re receiving this eblast to your email (if not, sign up HERE), visit your HSA website at http://www.mmshsa.org/, and join our two Facebook pages: Maplewood Middle School Families at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mmshsa/ and MMS HSA at https://www.facebook.com/MaplewoodMiddleHSA/. Ms. Gronau also has information about following MMS on Twitter in her letter below in The Principal’s Corner. Last, if there are questions you feel aren’t being addressed, in addition of course to the District’s Let’s Talk vehicle, please reach out and ask us! We are here to help.

 WIN PERIOD: Programming for the WIN Period for 6th & 7th grades begins the week of October 12th. For information on scheduling, advisory periods, and conference periods, among other things, please click HERE.

 YOUTHNET: YouthNet registration is up and running! YouthNet offers so many exciting and varied clubs and activities, as well as after school care and tutoring for students. Visit the YouthNet website at http://somayouthnet.org/ for more information and click HERE for the YouthNet permission slip. Classes begin September 26th and run for 6 weeks. Any questions? Contact our MMS YouthNet coordinator, Colleen Miller, at cmiller@somsd.k12.nj.us.

 TALKING ABOUT RACE & CULTURE: On Monday, September 19th, at 7pm in the SOMS library, the Community Coalition on Race is hosting a lecture titled “Talking about Race & Culture: The Construction of Race.” Please click HERE for more information on this important community event.


MMS MUSICAL: Don’t let your students miss the incredible opportunity to get involved with the always-amazing MMS Musical! Information on cast & crew auditions, as well as important dates, can all be found on the Musical’s website: https://sites.google.com/site/mmsmusical/. The first important date is an interest meeting to be held at school on Friday, September 23rd. Any questions? Contact the inimitable Ms. O’Sullivan at mosulliv@somsd.k12.nj.us.
 MMS DANCE-A-THON: MMS is hosting our first ever Dance-A-Thon! Your HSA is co-sponsoring this fun community event that will take place in the MMS gym on Friday, October 28th. All the info, plus the registration form, can be found HERE. Save the date and start getting your kids excited about this fun night! We’ll also need parent volunteers for this event. Please contact Val Frost at vfrost3656@gmail.com to help out.

 MESSAGE FROM SOMSD SUPERVISOR OF FINE ARTS:James Manno, our SOMSD Supervisor of Fine Arts, asked us please to make the MMS community aware of two exciting fine arts opportunities. Please click HERE for his message and the information.

 ****THE PRINCIPAL’S CORNER**** 
Please click HERE for this week’s message from Ms. Gronau.

 That’s it from us for now. Thanks, all!
 
​Your MMS HSA Co-Presidents,
Kathleen Bailie & Alan Stephenson
kbailie1@gmail.com
wunderdogny@aol.com

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YouthNet Fall Flyer and Permission Slip

9/14/2016

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Click here to print the YouthNet Fall Program Schedule.
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Click here to print the YouthNet Permission Slip.
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September 11th, 2016

9/11/2016

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MMS HSA
MAPLEWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
​
***************************************

​Hey MMS! As always we have a lot to tell you about. And this evening we’re also announcing a new feature to your weekly HSA eblast: the Principal’s Corner. Each week Ms. Gronau will send a message to the school community thru this eblast. Please take note!  

 BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT: Click HERE for all the info from Ms. Gronau on Back to School Night, which is this week on Thursday, September 15th from 7pm-9pm. Don’t miss this chance to see the school from the inside, meet our wonderful new principal, get to know your child’s teachers, and much more!

 STUDENT COUNCIL: There is a meeting for all children interested in learning more about Student Council tomorrow after school, Monday, September 12th, from 3:05pm-3:25pm in Ms. O’Sullivan’s classroom 130 (across from the library). Any questions about Student Council should be directed to its incredible and dedicated faculty liaisons, Ms. O’Sullivan (mosulliv@somsd.k12.nj.us) and Mr. Kaplan (bkaplan@somsd.k12.nj.us).

 SCHOOL PLAY: The MMS Musical for 2017 has been announced and it will be (insert drumroll ….) The Addams Family! We know you can’t stop singing the theme song and snapping your fingers now, right? More info on try-outs and how your students can get involved in this amazing school-wide production to come at Back to School Night.

 YOUTHNET AT MMS: As you may know, YouthNet offers an Extended Enrichment Program for all MMS students. The program runs until 6pm at MMS and follows the school calendar. MMS teachers offer individual homework help to students in extended enrichment. In addition to tutoring and after-school care, MMS has a robust offering of after-school clubs and classes through YouthNet. The catalogue for Fall 2016 is coming soon. Meanwhile, please visit the YouthNet website www.somayouthnet.org for more information or contact our MMS YouthNet coordinator, Colleen Miller, at cmiller@somsd.k12.nj.us. No student is ever denied access to YouthNet programming for financial reasons. This is really an incredible organization and we are so lucky to have it in our community. Please consider supporting YouthNet and getting your students involved! More info on YouthNet will also be available at Back to School Night.

 ACHIEVE FOUNDATION NEWSTEAD 5K: The 14th Annual Achieve Newstead 5K is this Saturday, September 17th! The race starts at 9am at the South Mountain School Annex, 112 Glenview Road in South Orange.  Click HERE for more info!
Register here (https://4elbows.formstack.com/forms/newstead_5k) to join hundreds of runners and walkers of all ages. Powered again by D&I Fitness, and featuring timing by Compuscore, the 5K will be followed by a free Fun Run for young children and is also the kick-off event for South Orange’s Stay and Play Weekend (http://www.sovillagecenter.org/pub/gen/news/543/fulltext).   
 Want some guidance to train for the race? Click here (http://achievefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/N5K-2016-training-plan.pdf) for a program prepared by D&I and recommended by SO/M Schools Physical Education Supervisor, Judy LoBianco.

Proceeds support Teacher Grants, volunteer tutors, STEAM education and more. Click here (http://achievefoundation.org/newstead5k/) for more information or contact newstead5k@achievefoundation.org or 973-378-2055.

 MMS ONLINE DIRECTORY: Registration in the MMS Online Directory is ongoing. Families new to MMS or who were not in the directory last year, use the link www.join.myschoolanywhere.com to enter your family data and use the join code MMSdirectory. If you were in last year’s directory and want to be included again, please confirm your information as per the email you should have received from your HSA. If you have any questions please contact our directory coordinator, Jenny Winters, at winters.jenny@gmail.com.

 WHITE ENVELOPES/EMERGENCY FORMS: If you haven’t already, please make sure to return all emergency forms to the school and any other mandatory info from those white envelopes. There was lots of great info in there from your HSA as well, including the Co-Presidents’ welcome letter HERE, our HSA membership form is HERE, and our No-Frills Fundraiser Flyer HERE. Thank you!

 ****THE PRINCIPAL’S CORNER****
Please click HERE for this week’s message from Ms. Gronau.
​
 Thank you! We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at Back to School Night on Thursday.

 Until then,
Kathleen Bailie & Alan Stephenson
MMS HSA co-presidents
kbailie1@gmail.com
wunderdogny@aol.com

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The 14th Annual Achieve Newstead 5K

9/9/2016

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The 14th Annual Achieve Newstead 5K is Saturday, September 17th! The race starts at 9 am at the South Mountain School Annex, 112 Glenview Road in South Orange.
 
Register HERE (https://4elbows.formstack.com/forms/newstead_5k)  to join hundreds of runners and walkers of all ages. Powered again by D&I Fitness, and featuring timing by Compuscore, the 5K will be followed by a free Fun Run for young children and is also the kick-off event for South Orange’s Stay and Play Weekend (http://www.sovillagecenter.org/pub/gen/news/543/fulltext).   

Want some guidance to train for the race? Click HERE  for a program prepared by D&I and recommended by SO/M Schools Physical Education Supervisor, Judy LoBianco.
 
Proceeds support Teacher Grants, volunteer tutors, STEAM education and more. Click HERE for more information call 973-378-2055 or contactnewstead5k@achievefoundation.org
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YouthNet Info

9/9/2016

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 Click HERE to go the YouthNet website.
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Celebrate Maplewood's Own Olympic Medalist!

9/8/2016

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Back to School Night September 15th 7pm

9/8/2016

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Click HERE to print a copy.

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Welcome To The 2016-2017 School Year!

9/4/2016

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Hello MMS! Welcome to the 2016-17 academic year. We have a new Principal. We have a new paint job. We have lots of info to share. Let’s do this!

HSA Communications: If you did not receive this eblast via email, please sign up now: http://mmshsa.us8.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=3c8e8ab0ad7757cda55f12155&id=07645dabe3. We work hard to facilitate communication between families and the school, but that doesn’t work if you’re not in the system! Thanks.
First Week Information:
  • Sixth Graders: All 6th graders start school on Tuesday, September 6th and enter the school through the main doors. Doors open at 8:12am. Once inside the building, 6th graders report to the auditorium. There they will receive their schedules and learn who their team leaders are and all that good stuff. The first day is a gentle, relaxed intro to the school -- meeting their teachers, touring the building, getting acquainted with their lockers, etc. On their second day of school (Sept. 7th) all 6th graders will enter the school on the Baker Street side and report to their first period classrooms.
  • Seventh Graders: All 7th graders start school on Tuesday, September 6th, entering the building on Maple Ave. in the courtyard and reporting to their first period classrooms as per the letter mailed home from the school this week. 7th graders also enter the school on Maple Ave. on their second day of school.
  • Eighth Graders: All 8th graders start school on Wednesday, September 7th, entering the building through the main doors and reporting to their first period classrooms as per the letter mailed home from the school this week.
  • Students who never received letters from the school: If your students didn’t get a letter, tell them not to panic! 6th graders all report to the auditorium on the first day, so no questions there. For 7th and 8th graders who don’t know their first period classroom assignment, we have been told there will be tons of staff available at the doors upon arrival to answer any questions and direct them where to go. And please reassure your students that everyone will be very understanding and helpful if kids are late or lost or needing assistance. Finally, if you didn’t get a letter home please call the main office and confirm the school has your correct information.
  • Emergency Forms: For the vast majority of students who did receive a mailing from the school this week, please make sure you send your kids to school on their first day with the two completed emergency forms enclosed in that letter.
  • Practicing Opening a Combination Lock: How fun is this? Mr. Gold made this short, informative, handy tutorial to help students learn to open and lock their locker. Show it to your kids and have them practice! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUtJgeOXlaM
  • White Envelopes: On the first day of school your student will receive a white envelope with many important notices (including lots of good info from your HSA!). The school asks that you please complete all enclosed forms and have your child return the envelope to his/her first period teacher the next day.
 Back to School Night: Mark your calendars: Thursday, September 15th is MMS Back to School Night. 7pm-9pm at the school. Get to know your student’s schedule, meet the teachers, welcome our new principal, check out the awesome new paint job, learn about extracurricular and after-school activities, etc. Oh, and as per usual it’s a 4-hour school day -- dismissal at 12:30pm.
 The HUB at MMS: The HUB is a free, school-based, youth services program, run by Family Connections and located at MMS. The HUB provides free enrichment, recreation, and counseling services for all MMS students. The program will run daily starting after school until 5:30pm. All students who wish to participate must have a signed parental consent form on file with the HUB staff after their first visit. Please click HERE for the HUB’s September calendar and HERE for an invitation to Parent Orientation Night at the HUB, a pasta dinner to be held at MMS on Wednesday, September 21st.
 The MMS Online Directory: A message from Jenny Winters, MMS parent, HSA member, and directory-creator extraordinaire:

Join the MMS online Student/Family Directory!
Families new to MMS or who were not in the directory last year, use this link to enter your family data: join.myschoolanywhere.com and use the join code MMSdirectory
In order to have access to the directory you must enter your student(s) name, at least one parent/guardian, and an active email address. You can opt out of having any or all of your personal information in the directory, but you still need to enter the data to have online access. The HSA does not print the directory, but you will have online access throughout the school year and you can print a copy from home.

Once you have entered your data you will receive a confirmation email with log in instructions and a unique password within 24-48 hours.

The information included in the directory is private and should not be shared outside our school community.

In the directory last year? You were sent an email on behalf of the HSA inviting you to update your information for 2016-17. Please confirm your data ASAP. If you do not confirm your data it will appear as it did last year. Your user name(email address) and password have not changed and you continue to have uninterrupted access to the online directory. If you do not remember your password please contact our directory coordinator, Jenny Winters at winters.jenny@gmail.com

The first few informational pages of the directory are available here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aylz0dacdkpbck5/MMS%20DIRECTORY%202016-2017FINAL.pdf?dl=0

Ok everyone! You’ll hear lots more from us in that famous white envelope, on Facebook, and at Back to School Night, so we’re signing off for now. Here’s to a terrific year for our kids!

Cheers,Kathleen Bailie & Alan Stephenson
MMS HSA co-presidents
kbailie1@gmail.com
wunderdogny@aol.com
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