MESSMORE MESSENGER COMMUNICATION

Issue #5: September 11, 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:
4: LAST DAY TO PURCHASE TECHNOLOGY!!!
4-7: NO SCHOOL LABOR DAY WEEKEND
8: Service Squad/Safety Squad Permission Slips DUE
9: MMA Pre-K Meet and Greet 8:35 AM in GYMNASIUM
10: MMA Parent Meeting in Gym @ 8:45 after drop off!
11: MMA Fun RUN KICK OFF ASSEMBLY!
16: NO SCHOOL DPPD
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 16: Trunk or Treat
IMPORTANT SCHOOL TIMES: FYI
MAVERICK MESSENGER UPDATE
Dear Montessori Families-
What a wonderful week it has been! Thank you all for making it such a positive and joyful week at Messmore Montessori.
A special shout-out to our MMA team for putting together such an outstanding and very special FUN RUN assembly on Friday! A very special thank you to our teaching staff that took part in the assembly skit as well. The excitement and energy were both contagious, and we are all very excited for all that is ahead over the next few weeks.
Students received their first challenge today: to log in and get started in order to earn their FUN RUN T-shirts! We can’t wait to see the enthusiasm, teamwork, and school spirit continue to grow as we make our way toward the big event for our school's fundraiser.
We also want to give a very special thank you to Ms. Rowe for creating a THIRD beautiful balloon arch for our Superhero event and previous welcome banners that we all enjoyed for picture props throughout our school. What a treat! Your creativity and thoughtful touch made our school feel extra festive and welcoming, and we truly appreciate the time and care you put into making our community so special.
Thank you, families, students, and staff, for another great week together. We hope you all have a wonderful, relaxing weekend filled with time to enjoy one another.
A Montessori thought to carry with you this weekend:
“The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.”
— Maria Montessori
May we continue to nurture that hope and promise in every child we have the privilege of serving.
With gratitude and warm wishes for a wonderful weekend,
Principal Ciacchella
FUN RUN KICK-OFF!
FUN RUN IS SEPTEMBER 24th!
A very special thank you to our MMA and all the support staff and teachers that helped to make our Superhero Fun Run Assembly a success! We could not have done it without you all and we are excited to see what our FUN RUN festivities bring over the next few weeks.
Staff participated in a fun-filled sketch involving Dr. Dread (Mrs. O'Brien), Mission Control (Mrs. Sonneberg), Super Speed (Mrs. M. Papandreou), and Captain Maverick (Principal Ciacchella). Our Mavericks "Assembled" and are ready to tackle their Special Mission!!
Student Code of Conduct Reminders
UCS School Safety Reminders
Students participated in a few drills recently (fire and tornado) and will continue to have a few drills for practice over the course of the school year. They did an outstanding job with their drills! Should you have any questions about safety information, please feel free to see the district communication below.
RAPTOR SIGN-IN SYSTEM UPDATES
Parents and families-
Please see a few updates for our Raptor Volunteer Sign-In system districtwide below. We encourage all families to download the Raptor App!! It expedites the process. :)
Eisenhower HOCO Parade!
❗REMINDER! NO School Wed. 9-16-26
UCS 2026 Legacy of Excellence Awards
❗Parking Lot Reminders!!
THANK YOU FOR A PEACEFUL WEEK!
Just a few additional parking lot reminders as we have welcomed our preschoolers back to Messmore.
STUDENT DROP OFF LANE REMINDER:
- Students should exit from the RIGHT SIDE only for safety purposes.
- No parking and leaving the vehicle in the DROP OFF LANE as this can lead to back-ups in the neighborhood. Thank you for helping us continue to keep the traffic flowing.
CROSS WALK CROSSING:
- Please cross at the designated white-lined crosswalk only.
- We appreciate your attention to this matter this week! Safety is our priority.
***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
9: Pre-K Meet and Greet in Gym 8:35 AM
10: MMA MEETING in GYM 8:45 AM
11: Fun RUN KICKOFF ASSSEMBLY IN AM
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

