MESSMORE MESSENGER COMMUNICATION

Issue #6: September 18, 2026
Our mission in Utica Community Schools ignites a passion for learning in all students. We strengthen our community by welcoming all learners, honoring culture, and inspiring remarkable growth and achievement.
SCHOOL HOURS: 8:30-3:20 DAILY
HALF-DAY HOURS: 8:30-11:34
BREAKFAST OPENS @ 8:10-8:25
email: mailto:officemessmore@uticak12.org
website: https://messmore.uticak12.org
Location: 8742 Dill Drive, Sterling Heights, MI 48312
Phone: 586-797-5600
Attendance Line: 586-797-5699 (24 hours)
IMPORTANT CALENDAR DATES: FYI
SEPTEMBER DATES:
19: WELLNESS FAIR @ HFII!
24: MESSMORE FUN RUN EVENT!!
25: MMA Mum Fundraiser due
30: Mum order pickup @ Messmore
30: UCS Legacy of Excellence Awards
FUTURE DATES:
October 5: Buddy's Pizza Night
October 6: PICTURE DAY!
October 14: HALF-DAY
October 16: Trunk or Treat
IMPORTANT SCHOOL TIMES: FYI
MAVERICK MESSENGER UPDATE
Dear Montessori Families-
What a wonderful week at Messmore! We wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to our entire MMA community for the outstanding work, energy, and effort put into our Fun Run activities. Your enthusiasm and support make these community events so special!
Reminder: Fun Run is September 24! Please see the information below for further details.
Our building also celebrated International Dot Day, a day inspired by The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds that encourages children to “make their mark” through creativity, courage, and self-expression. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate each child’s unique contribution to our community.
Messmore Mavericks also recognized Constitution Day, observed each year on September 17, which commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution and provides an opportunity for students to learn about the foundations of our government and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Thank you to our Service and Safety Squad members and to Mrs. M. Papandreou and Mrs. D. Papandreou for helping to support this schedule and undertaking. We are beyond appreciative for the support this has provided for our entire Maverick population. Thanks for the smiles, the peaceful examples, and helping to assist all our Mavericks!
Lastly, we practiced one of our safety drills this week together and did an outstanding job. We will continue to practice the safety drills throughout the school year. Should you have any
As we move through these celebrations, we are reminded of the Montessori belief that peace begins with the child: through respect, independence, cooperation, and a deep appreciation for the community around us.
With gratitude and peace,
“The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.”
— Maria Montessori
Principal Ciacchella
Constitution Day at Messmore
Students at Messmore enjoyed Constitution Day on September 17th! Students learned about the Constitution on morning announcements, did special activities with their classmates, and even created their own classroom constitution!
Happy Dot Day!
International Dot Day was celebrated on September 15th. This is a special day that celebrates being creative, courageous, working together through collaboration, and is quite inspiring for all involved! Messmore students embraced International DOT Day and read the book The Dot. Check out these creative DOTS in Mrs. Witek's 1/2 class!!
Classroom Learning Fun!
FUN IN SPECIALS!
Our students have been enjoying their specials at Messmore. We are so fortunate to have some of the best Specials' teachers around! Our 5/6th grade students will begin doing the morning announcements during their Media Center special. We are so excited! Take a look at our students enjoying being Book Detectives below. We also have Ms. Chambers, one of our gym teachers, having fun with her classes!
We would like to welcome Ms. Sajil Watts to our team for PM MUSIC! Ms. Sajil Watts is a certified teacher in a degree in Music from CMU and started on Friday! Welcome to the Maverick team!
MAVERICKS, ASSEMBLE! Fun Run Sept. 24
FUN RUN IS SEPTEMBER 24th!
Just a reminder that our FUN RUN will be held next week Thursday! A very special thank you to all our families who were able to support this fundraiser already and a very special thank you to all our MMA and parent volunteers for helping to make this a special event. From the countless hours of participation to donations, to dressing up for our students-you do it all!! THANK YOU! Mavericks, ASSSEMBLE and defeat Dr. Dread!
Student Code of Conduct Reminders
Students had their student code of conduct reminder meetings this week and were able to discuss with their teachers and classmates. Additionally, students reviewed their Peacemaker Promise with a presentation on what Peace looks like in specific areas of the building. Thanks for a great and PEACEFUL week, Mavericks!
UCS 2026 Legacy of Excellence Awards
***OLD BUSINESS ITEMS***
School Safety Update 2026-2027
Safety remains a priority for our school. Elementary is once again providing training to our students on our safety protocols. The protocols identify actions that students may be asked to take in the event of a potential incident: hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate and shelter.
The training is provided through a short, animated video. In the video, the teacher – Mrs. Appleton – and her students walk through the different responses in a very relaxed and engaging way for younger children. The script was written by our staff.
The protocols will continue to be part of the training while practicing our regular school safety drills, such as fire drills, security drills, tornado drills, evacuation procedures, etc.
The video is available for you to review at this link: UCS School Safety: Standard Response Protocol - Elementary - YouTube If you have any questions, please contact our office.
RAPTOR VOLUNTEER INFO.
Districtwide Initiative-NEW RAPTOR BACKGROUND CHECK!
We are asking for your support to help keep our students safe.
- All visitors to the classroom areas of our school are now being asked to swipe their driver’s license or government issued ID before entering the main part of our building. This swipe will quickly provide an updated check against national sex offender registries. This process is for anyone who is going past our school office for any reason.
- If you are planning to volunteer in our classrooms or work directly with a student, you will need to have a volunteer background form on file. The form is located at this link. The background check involves multiple state and federal law enforcement data bases.
· apps.raptortech.com/Apply/OTQ4Mjplbi1VUw==
We greatly appreciate the involvement of our families and the difference you make at Messmore Elementary. Thank you for your partnership with this extra step that will improve safety in our school.
HEALTH INFORMATION
Reminder! Follow Us on Social Media
PICTURE DAY @ MESSMORE October 6th!
MESSMORE VACATION PLANNER-FYI
UCS DISTRICT 2026-2027 CALENDAR
EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT FORM 26-27
From UCS:
"Meals for the 2026-27 School Year are Free for All UCS Students!
All UCS families are asked to complete the Education Benefits form Here - enter "Utica Community Schools" and follow the prompts. These forms help maintain our Title 1 funding as well as other essential funding for our schools. It can also help reduce fees for pay-to-play sports, lower internet costs, reduced AP/college application fees and more!
Most online forms are processed within two (2) working days compared to 10 using paper applications. Paper copies of these forms are distributed to all student households or are available at your child’s school.
Complete the forms and return them to your child’s school or mail them to: Utica Community Schools, Food & Nutrition Services, 11303 Greendale, Sterling Heights, MI 48312."
MEAL MAGIC ACCOUNT:
Families that wish to put money in their students’ Meal Magic account(s) via credit card will need to create a Family Portal account. Please go to https://utica.familyportal.cloud to create the account. This is also where parents can fill out the Educational Benefit Forms (EBF). Menus can still be found online at https://uticak12.nutrislice.com .
Family Wellness Fair September 19@ HFII Highschool
MMA UPDATES
24: FUN RUN!!
25: Last day for Mum Orders
30: Pickup Mum Orders
OCTOBER MMA DATES:
5: Buddy's Pizza Nigh
16: TRUNK OR TREAT
PREVIOUS MESSMORE MESSENGER NEWSLETTERS
Messmore Elementary
Principal of Messmore Elementary School
Email: messmorequestions@uticak12.org
Website: https://www.uticak12.org/Messmore
Location: 8742 Dill Drive, Sterling Heights, MI, 48312 USA
Phone: (586)797-5600
Facebook: facebook.com/Messmore

