MMS Update

Greetings MMS Families,

We hope you all enjoyed a restful and joyful holiday vacation filled with meaningful time with the people you care about. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to school and feeling the renewed energy throughout our halls. The final week of 2025 was a memorable one at MMS, highlighted by outstanding concerts, fun games, and spirited theme days that brought our community together and gave students many reasons to smile. Those moments of connection and celebration helped us head into the break on a positive note.

As we begin 2026, we are excited for a year grounded in commitment, empathy, optimism, and plenty of fun. Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to support our students’ growth, learning, and success in the months ahead.

Happy 2026!

MLK Day - There will be no school on January 19th to celebrate Matin Luther King Jr. Day.

End of Q2 - Our second marking period ends on January 23rd.

NAEP Assessment - Our 8th graders will participate in the national NAEP assessment on January 29th.

Please keep Mr. Hansen and his family in your thoughts. We will send information about services as soon as possible.

The Parent Information Center (PIC), in partnership with the NHED Bureau of Special Education Support and the Bridging the Gap in the 603: Pathways to Literacy Proficiency initiative, has launched new family literacy resources to strengthen family–school partnerships and support children’s reading development. Please review the letter HERE for additional information.

Our Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Chorus delighted our school and community last week during the Winter Concert. Our student musicians delivered an outstanding performance that reflected their commitment, optimism, and fun! Congratulations to Mrs. Levine and Mr. Caron for leading such a memorable and moving week of music.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

• D-V Basketball vs. Woodbury (Home) — 3:45 PM

• D-I Basketball at Hillside — 4:00 PM

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

• Wrestling at Merrimack High School — 3:30 PM

Rock Climbing - Register for January's club HERE.

Robotics - Students interested in joining our famous robotics club should email mmsftc@gmail.com to register.

Beading and Crafting Club - Starting November 17th Mrs. Richards will be holding a beading and craft club for the holiday season. Feel free to come and make gifts for your friends and loved ones. Stop by the office to pick up a permission slip. We will meet in room 105.

8th Grade Reading Ambassadors - Attention 8th grade Book Ambassadors, our first meeting is after school on Tuesday, September 9. Please stop by room 208 for a permission slip. If any other 8th grade readers would like to join, please also stop in for a permission slip!

Something Else? - If your student is interested in creating a club at MMS, simply confirm an adult advisor and the club is yours!

Welcome Back & January General Meeting

Happy New Year! The MMS PTG hopes that everyone has had a great start to 2026! We invite everyone to join us at the January General Meeting on Mon, 1/12 at 6PM in the MMS Library.

MSD School Calendar Survey for the 26-27 School Year

The Merrimack School District emailed the school calendar survey on 12/23 for the upcoming 26-27 school year. This survey should take no more than a few minutes to complete and is our chance to let our voices be heard! Please be sure to complete your school calendar survey no later than Fri, Jan 9 @5pm (be mindful of how each question is worded). Click here for survey

Friday Ice Cream Day ($1/treat) https://bit.ly/mms-icecream25-26

Ice Cream sales will resume on Fri, Jan 9. We only have a few more volunteer ice cream slots available through Feb 2026. We kindly request that you do not sign-up for more than two slots in order to share the volunteer opportunities. Thank you for your support! If you have any questions, please contact Annette at volunteer@mmsptg.com.

January Important Dates:

• 8th grade Culminating Experience Payment #4 Due: Fri, 1/9
• PTG General Meeting: Mon, 1/12 @6pm
• No School (MLK Jr Day), Mon, Jan 19
• MMS Quarter 2 ends: Fri, Jan 23
• Weekly Ice Cream Sales: Fridays (during lunch periods)
• On-going: Give 'n Go Fundraiser, donations accepted online or cash/check (payable to MMS PTG) sent to MMS main office

PTG Contact Info:

Kim Desmarais, President [president@mmsptg.com]

Liz Thomson, Fundraising [Fundraising@mmsptg.com]

Rachel Paepke, Treasurer [Treasurer@mmsptg.com]

Michelle Bouley, Secretary [secretary@mmsptg.com]

Annette Chaput, Volunteer Coordinator [volunteer@mmsptg.com]

Chrissy Drew, Member-at-Large [member@mmsptg.com]

Click HERE to Register for ASAP!

Instructions:

• Log in to the Parent Portal.

• Scroll down the left-hand menu to find and click Attendance Monitor.

• Click Report New Attendance.

• Fill in the details for your child's absence.

• Click Submit.

Document with instructions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MlE2uLs04F4dl1Bzjfi2Z4DbS3eVx4U_6w_I-GaFVLc/preview

In our ongoing effort to increase school security, we have the following procedures when parents/guardians come to our school during school hours. Thank you all for your understanding.

Dismissal - If dismissing a student, we ask that an authorized dismissing parent/guardian show their ID in the foyer, and then wait in that location for the dismissed student to meet you.

Dropping off items - If a parent/guardian is dropping off an item for a student, we ask that they leave it in the designated area in the foyer.

Visiting the school - If parents/guardians are arriving for a scheduled meeting, we ask that they show their ID in the foyer and then sign in at the main office to receive a visitor pass.