Middle School

Principal's Note

We are officially halfway through one of the busiest weeks of the year! As we navigate the excitement of finishing our MAP testing, preparing for our upcoming Christmas concert and the thrill of all of the snow this season, our focus this week is on finishing strong. With Christmas break on the horizon, it can be tempting for students to check out early; however, we encourage everyone to maintain their academic focus and give their best effort right up until the final bell rings next Friday. Let’s work together to ensure we head into the holidays with a sense of accomplishment.

Weekly Updates & Events

NWEA MAP Testing (In Progress) We are currently in the middle of our winter testing window. I have been proud to see students taking this seriously and putting in their best effort to demonstrate growth and the progress they have made so far this year. We will be mailing out score reports next week, so keep an eye on your mailbox for that update on your student's mid-year MAP growth.
Middle School Christmas Concert: Friday, December 19 @ 2:00–3:00 PM Next Friday is the big day! We invite all families to join us in the afternoon to celebrate our musicians. It will be a wonderful way to wrap up the week before we head into Christmas break.
Christmas Break: December 20 – January 4 Another reminder that our Christmas Break begins Saturday, December 20. We will see students back in class on Monday, January 5.

Blessings,

Allen Banks

Middle School Principal

Winter Testing Statement

We want to share a quick update regarding our winter NWEA MAP Growth assessments. While we have added an additional winter testing window to our calendar, we wanted to inform you that Science will not be part of winter testing. Students completed this assessment in the fall and will test Science again in the spring.

This adjustment allows us to protect valuable instructional time and gather the most meaningful science growth data at the end of the school year, when students have completed more of their science curriculum. Winter MAP testing will continue to include reading, language, and math, where mid-year data is essential for instructional planning.

Thank you for your partnership as we continue to make thoughtful, student-centered decisions that support academic excellence at Maranatha.

Recently, our 8th-grade students finished up their reading of Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. As part of their discussions and conversations around the book, they participated in a Celebration of Life for two main characters who passed away in the book. The class discussed the important things both characters should be remembered for, and then they wrote a eulogy for one of the characters, Johnny Cade. They were also able to enjoy some popcorn during their writing time.

Advent Chapel

This week, our chapel band prepared several songs for our Advent chapel. We emphasized worshiping together as we prepare our hearts for Christmas. We sang some Christmas hymns together, including "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," and "Silent Night." Our chapel band has been doing a phenomenal job this year, and many individuals have expressed to me that our chapel band demonstrates a genuine spirit of worship to the student body. A huge shoutout to Mrs. Clarke, who puts in a tremendous amount of effort into the chapel band program. We are so thankful for the students and staff who are passionate about worship and truly make chapel a special time of the week.

This Friday, December 12, is the last day to bring in toys for our schoolwide toy drive. Students are invited to bring in new toys to bless children in need this Christmas season. As a middle school, we’ll be working toward the following reward: