MHS Family Update

Hello Mustang Nation,

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! We had a fantastic first few days of school kicking off the new academic year! We started off with a special first day dedicated to our freshmen. They began with a class meeting, walked through their class schedules, and finished the day with fun outdoor activities designed to help them connect with their teachers and peers. Plus, every freshman received a Class of 2030 t-shirt to show off their class pride!

On our second day, when all students returned, we held class meetings, went through schedules, hosted a school-wide door decorating contest to showcase our communities coming together as one, and capped everything off with an exciting, high-energy pep rally (see some pictures below!).

We hope all of our students are settling smoothly into their routines and schedules. If your child needs a schedule change, please have them notify their homeroom teacher. Homeroom teachers will submit all requests to the guidance department, and counselors will call students down individually to adjust their schedules. Students must follow their current schedule until the change is officially finalized.

Thank you for your support in making the start of this school year a great success! Don't forget, picture day is on Tuesday!

Warm wishes,

Mrs. Penney

Please note that Lifetouch will not accept late orders or payments. If you'd like to order school pictures, be sure to complete your order online or send in the paper order form that went home last week before Tuesday.

The intent of the law and our policy is to support a focused learning environment, minimize distractions, and promote student social and emotional well-being by setting expectations regarding the use of personally owned, Wi-Fi enabled devices including cell phones, smart watches, laptops and other personal electronic devices (PEDs) during the school day.

All students, from Pre-K to Grade 12, are prohibited from using, accessing, wearing (including in pockets), or displaying cell phones and other personal electronic devices with Internet or cellular network connectivity capabilities for the duration of the entire school day, from the start of school (7:30am) to dismissal (1:45pm).

Students are expected to leave their PEDs/cell phones either at home, in their vehicles, or in the hanging storage systems in their homerooms.

Massabesic High School juniors Cyric Grunhuvd and Brentley Werner recently completed the prestigious NJROTC Leadership Academy and Sail Training (LA/ST) at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island. Out of 126 top-performing cadets representing more than 60 high schools across the Northeast, Cyric and Brentley earned the coveted "silver cord" for their achievement. They are the first Massabesic cadets in two years to graduate from this intensive two-week summer program.

Both third-year cadets hold key leadership roles in Massabesic's NJROTC unit. Cyric serves as the Supply Officer, managing over $50,000 in uniform inventory, and leads the nationwide CyberPatriot cybersecurity team. Brentley serves as Operations Officer, Color Guard Commander, and second-in-command of the competitive drill team, overseeing unit schedules and event logistics.

As LA/ST graduates, Cyric and Brentley return to Massabesic prepared to apply their advanced leadership and training standards to elevate the entire unit. (Pictured below at their July 10th graduation outside Naval Station Newport).

One last request as we're currently at 94% completion. Thank you to everyone who has completed the process! We're hoping to get those final few submissions in soon.

In an ongoing effort to keep our student information as current and accurate as possible RSU 57 utilizes an annual verification process. This is for all returning students to RSU 57 from the previous school year. (Students new to RSU 57 must be registered via the “2026/2027 New Student Registration” portal in ParentVUE.)

Consistent attendance in high school is one of the single greatest predictors of student success, both academically and personal. When students attend school regularly, they build strong foundational skills, stay on track for graduation, and set themselves up for future career and college opportunities. By prioritizing daily attendance, students invest in their own futures and ensure they get the most out of their high school experience.

If your student needs to be out, communication is important so we can support your needs. Here are the reasons an absence can be considered excused per Maine State Law (Title 20-A Section 5001-A) and RSU#57 policy:

• personal illness.

• appointments with health professionals that cannot be made outside of the regular school day.

• observance of recognized religious holidays when the observance is required during a regular school day.

• emergency family situations.

• planned absences for personal or educational purposes which have been approved in advance. (please see planned absence form below).

• hardships resulting from homelessness, unplanned hospitalizations, foster care placement, or youth development center placement.

If your child needs to be out, here is how you can communicate this information with the school:

• Submit student absence in ParentVue. Please use this tool to for full day absences only at this time.

• Call the Main Office before 7:30am at 247-3141, press 1 and leave a message.
• Complete the planned absence form at least 3 days in advance.

Once we have the information, absences will be marked as excused or unexcused based on the information provided. Frequent unexcused absences may result in administrative action and/or contact by the school attendance team.

We are excited to share an opportunity for our 12th-grade students! The Rebecca Emery Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is sponsoring the 2026–2027 DAR Good Citizens Award and Scholarship Contest.

This program recognizes a graduating senior who demonstrates dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism in their school and community. The selected student will receive the DAR Good Citizen award and have the opportunity to participate in the optional scholarship essay contest.

• Eligibility: Graduating Seniors (Class of 2027)

• School Contact: Emily MacKinnon

• Learn More: Visit the DAR Youth Programs Page for general program details.

This SAT question is one many high school students and their parents are asking these days especially if the student will be a senior during this school year. Below are a few things to consider when deciding if a student should take the SAT this summer or early in the fall of senior year.

Is your child planning to apply to a 4-year or a 1 or 2-year college program?

If your child is applying to a 1 or 2-year college program, it is very unlikely that taking the SAT will be needed. They can take the SAT but likely will not need it for college admissions.

If you child is considering a 4-year program, does your child have several colleges in mind to which they plan to apply?

If your child knows the colleges to which they want to apply, checking out those colleges' admission requirements on each college's webpage is advised. Many colleges do not currently require standardized testing for admissions. Thus, many high school students today do not need to take the SAT.

If a student does not know where they plan to apply for college, is the student looking at

more "selective" colleges?

If the student is looking at colleges that are more selective (in other words, colleges that have a lower acceptance rate such as MIT, Cornell, and Dartmouth) more than likely (although not guaranteed) some college the student applies to will want to see an SAT test score.

If the student is looking at colleges that are less selective (for example, University of Maine or Husson), the student will likely not need an SAT score when applying. But checking admission requirements is always a good idea!

If you are interested in taking the SAT, please note the test dates and registration deadlines below. For more information, please reach out to your guidance counselor.

Are you thinking about your future after graduation? Now is the time to connect with college representatives to learn about admission requirements, diverse majors, campus life, and financial aid opportunities. These sessions provide a unique opportunity to ask questions directly to those who review your applications.

1. Check the Schedule: Review the dates above and identify schools of interest.

2. Sign Up: Visit the Guidance Office to sign up for a session.

3. Get Your Pass: You must have a physical pass to attend the meeting. Passes will be provided upon sign-up.

4. Prepare: Bring questions! Think about asking about questions like course options, average class sizes, internship opportunities, or intermural sports.

Are you considering NCAA athletics in college?

If so, you need to register with the NCAA and meet the high school academic requirements that the NCAA sets forth. This can mean carefully planning your high school academic schedule starting in Grade 9.

Please visit the NCAA Eligibility Center for more information about eligibility process, requirements, and account registration for NCAA college bound athletes.

ALFRED SHAKER MUSEUM - 118 Shaker Hill Rd., Alfred, ME. 04002

• Friday, Sept. 18, 2026 (1PM - 7PM) - 8 volunteers needed to help with set-up
• Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 (9AM - 4PM) - 8 volunteers needed for various activities including face painting and children's activities
• Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026 (9AM - 3PM) - 8 volunteers needed for various activities including face painting and children's activities
• Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026 (Starting at 3PM) -6 Volunteers needed to help with break-down and clean-up

Whether you can volunteer for a few hours or an entire shift, your support would make a tremendous difference and help create a memorable experience for the Shaker Hill Apple Festival visitors. Please note that some of the volunteer positions will involve physical activity and could involve putting up/taking down equipment, moving items around the festival grounds, etc. For additional details, scheduling information, and volunteer sign-up please contact the Volunteer Coordinator for the event, Tabatha Bola, at tbola@partners.bank

We are excited to partner with Mainely Teeth to bring accessible, high-quality dental care directly to our school community! Mainely Teeth is dedicated to breaking down barriers to oral health, offering compassionate preventive, basic restorative, and emergency dental care for all students regardless of ability to pay.

We are currently looking ahead to November/December for our initial visits but this will be based on registrations. To help Mainely Teeth schedule their clinic dates, please complete the registration process using the Mainely Teeth Sign Up Link to reserve a spot for your child.

Maine School Management Association Student Insurance plan offers $25,000 for Student Accident Medical Insurance protection through AXIS and administered by ALIVE Risk.

Who can enroll:

• full time registered students K-12
• teachers
• administrative and other personnel

Coverage options include:

• 24 Hour Accident Coverage - $52.00
• School Time Coverage (includes interscholastic sports – NOT including football) - $12.00
• Football – Grade 9 - $155.00
• Football – Grades 10-12 - $258.00
• Optional Dental - $9.00

Click here to find AXIS brochure and learn more about:

• highlights, terms and conditions
• enrollment starts August 17, 2026
• online enrollment process at www.aliverisk.com/StudentAccidentEnrollment
• payment process

For questions, inquiries, and information contact:

ALIVE Risk

contact@aliverisk.com
800.366.5810 X52128

September 7th, 2026

No School - Labor Day

September 8th, 2026

School Picture Day

NJROTC Family Night @ Auditorium (6:00-8:30pm)

September 9th, 2026

Merrimack College Visit

St. Anselm College Visit

Early Release Day (dismissal @ 11:55am)

September 18th, 2026

Final Day for Add/Drop

You are always welcome to call our Maine Office at (207) 247-3141, schedule a meeting, or email members of our administrative team members directly (emails listed below):

Mrs. Marisa Penney, Principal - marisapenney@rsu57.org

Mrs. Liane Renaud, Administrative Assistant to the Principal - lianerenaud@rsu57.org

Mr. Scott Lavertu, Assistant Principal - scottlavertu@rsu57.org

Mr. Jim Fryzlewicz, Assistant Principal - jamesfryzlewicz@rsu57.org

Ms. Kaitlyn Ouellette, Main Office Administrative Assistant - kaitlinouelette@rsu57.org

Mrs. Allison Ellis, Dean of Academics - allisonellis@rsu57.org

Mr. Alex McCormack-Kuhman, Althetic Director - alexmccormackkuhman@rsu57.org

Mr. Zach Picard, Athletic Department Administrative Assistant - zacharypicard@rsu57.org

Mrs. Kayla Pazmany-Kinney, School Nurse - kaylapazmany-kinney@rsu57.org