Scarborough Middle School
Family Newsletter for 11.06.26
Hello Scarborough Middle School Families,
Please take a close look at this week’s Friday Family News. There are lots of important pieces of information included this week.
Respectfully,
Kathy Tirrell, Principal
Chris Murphy, Assistant Principal
NOVEMBER
SMS Penny Wars Fundraiser- See below for more information
- Now -November 20
No School
- Wednesday, November 11 Veterans' Day
Fall Parent Teacher Conferences
- November 12- November 20
SMS Scholastic Book Fair
- November 16-November 20
Early Release Day
- November 18
Thanksgiving Break- No School
- Wednesday, November 25- Friday, November 27
Looking Ahead
MAY
6th Grade Dance
- Friday, May 7 from 5:00pm-7:00pm
7th Grade Dance-
- Friday, May 21 from 5:00pm-7:00pm
JUNE
8th Grade Celebration and Dance
- Friday, June 11
Your child’s final Q1 grades will be viewable on PowerSchool on Monday, November 9, 2026. Below are instructions on how to access PowerSchool, and we encourage you to view your child’s progress on a regular basis.
How to use PowerSchool:
PowerSchool login page:
Where to view grades:
- Once in your child’s portal, click on Grades and Attendance, see grades in Q1 column under Course Information
Grading and Reporting Guide:
Student Recognition:
Students will be recognized in a variety of ways at Scarborough Middle School, both on a regular basis as members of their grade-level teams and learning community, as well as at the end of each semester individually. Students who earn an 85 to 92 for each of their courses will meet the criteria for “Academic Achievement”. Those who earn a 93 to 100 for each course will meet criteria for “Academic Excellence”.
Band, chorus and music grades close on the Semester instead of on the Quarter, therefore families should not expect to see final grades for these classes until Semester 1 ends in January 2027.
Parent conferences will be held from Thursday, November 12 to Friday, November 20, with all teachers being available until 7 pm on either Tuesday, November 17 or Thursday, November 19. This time is another way for you to get feedback about your child’s learning, aside from PowerSchool, and any individual communications that you might have with teachers throughout the school year. Scarborough Schools use an online format, Conference Manager, to schedule conferences.
Key points in regards to conferences:
Conferences are set for 15 minutes each.
Students are expected to attend with parents, as they are critical participants in their learning.
Conferences will be held in person. If you need an alternative accommodation, please reach out directly to the teacher.
Time constraints allow for families to sign up with one core subject teacher (Mathematics, ELA, Social Studies, Science) from your team. All teams work together in advance to collect feedback to share with you from all core classes.
You may also sign up with Allied Arts (Health, PE, Art, Music, Chorus, Band, Technology) or World Language teachers.
Special education teachers, counselors/social workers, and support teachers are also available to meet during this time.
I strongly encourage you to reach out to school personnel ANYTIME, not just at conferences. Staff are always available by email, and would be happy to talk via phone call or meet in person at a mutually agreed upon time as well. We are committed to partnering with you towards your child’s benefit.
Sincerely,
Kathy Tirrell,
Principal
6th Grade families when trying to sign up for a fall conference, you first need to make sure you go into your Conference Manager account under the "my profile" section and change the school from Wentworth to Scarborough Middle School.
We are very excited our SMS Penny Wars Battle of the Tribes is underway!! Please talk to your children tonight!!
CREWs have been sorted into tribes and are trying to Outwit, Outlast and Outplay their competitors. Please ask your child if they are playing in the offense (adding pennies and dollars to their container), or defense (adding silver to the opponents)..... or both!
Students were sent home today with a donations pledge form. Check it out here! We have a fundraising goal of $15,000 (That's only $21 per student!). This money will help: class funds, grade level activities, end of year events, 8th Grade Celebration and SMS Wellness Day.
Thank you to all of our volunteers who have signed up to be our bankers! There are still a couple spots remaining. If you are able to help Volunteer sign ups can be found here.
Students will have an opportunity to shop at the book fair before school, during rise and also classes will bring students throughout the week to visit the book fair!
Can't make it to the SMS book fair on November 17th or 19th? You can shop online here from November 16th to November 29th to support our school!
Safety Support for Those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
What is ALRM?
ALRM is a free smartphone app designed to recognize certain emergency sounds — such as fire alarms, sirens, and even gunshots — and turn them into unique visual and vibration alerts on the user's own phone or tablet. It was built to make emergency sound awareness accessible to people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. ALRM uses geofencing technology to connect to the app at each of our school sites.
Key Information
ALRM Zone signs with QR codes will be
posted across our school buildings.
Anyone (staff, students, families, visitors to
our schools) can learn more and download
the app at getalrm.com or by access from this QR code.
Sound recognition occurs on-device; no audio
is recorded, stored, or transmitted.
Important Details for Staff & Community
Entirely voluntary: The family of a student
with a documented need can choose whether they agree their child would benefit from this support.
Staff and visitors to our schools for events and performances can also access this app as they choose, at no cost.
No personal data is collected or stored.
Supplementary tool: ALRM is an addition, not a replacement for school alarms or emergency procedures. Our established emergency protocols at each of our schools remain exactly the same.
Why This Matters
ALRM was started in Maine after the 2023 Lewiston shooting, where Deaf community members were among those killed, raising a hard question: who hears alarms, and who doesn't? ALRM is built for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community, guided by the principle "Nothing About Us Without Us." Scarborough joins a growing set of Maine ALRM Zones that includes Hadlock Field, the State Theatre and Thompson's Point in Portland, Cape Elizabeth Schools, and the Maine Turnpike's Kennebunk service plazas.
It's only October but our lost and found is already growing! Please have your student take a peek to see if any of their missing items are in there.
2026-27 Yearbooks now on sale!
Visit our SMS Yearbook site for details on how to order through Jostens. The current base price for a Yearbook is $30 until January 1st, at which time it will increase to $35.
Last year we officially RAN OUT of extra Yearbooks in June! Order now to avoid missing out!
For 8th Grade Families Only: Yearbook is Now Accepting Baby Pictures!
For families of 8th grade students: See the 8th Grade Info page on the SMS Yearbook site for details on submitting baby pictures and recognition ads.
Baby pictures are due Due by Wednesday, December 9th, 2026
Families should report their middle school student's absence from school by calling the SMS main office at 207-730-4800 or by email at msoffice@scarboroughschools.org. A reason for the absence must be stated, otherwise SMS office staff will reach out to determine the reason for the absence.
Excusable reasons for an absence:
- illness
- appointment
- religious holiday
- family emergency
- planned absence
For Planned Absences (a day out of school which is not illness or medical appointment related), families should fill out the Scarborough Middle School Planned Absence for which is found here.
For questions about attendance, please contact the Scarborough Middle School main office at 207-730-4800 or email us at msoffice@scarboroughschools.org
Scarborough Middle School
Email: msoffice@scarboroughschools.org
Website: https://sms.scarboroughschools.org/
Location: 21 Quentin Drive, Scarborough, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 730-4800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scarbmeschools/
Twitter: @scarbmeschools