Cubs Newsletter

Last week Ms. Golightly and Ms. Scripter hosted Publishing Parties in their classrooms to show off the amazing work students have been doing in their English classes. It was a great opportunity for share what they have been learning and we appreciate everyone who was able to attend. Thank you also, to Ms. Scripter and Ms. Golightly for organizing and hosting the event. We love celebrating our kids and their work!

A special congratulations to Ada Shaver and Quinten Rowley, who won the middle school level award for the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay and Art contest. Great job, Cubs!

Happy February MMS Families!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend between watching the Superbowl and the Olympics!

We are one week away from our monthly meeting!

Our wonderful MMS principal, Teri Summers will be talking about electives, what's new and upcoming as well as changes to the current electives. Students will soon be looking to select their electives for next fall 2027. Now is the time to see what is available for your student/s to take and ask questions you might have.

Please join us next Wednesday, February 18th at 5:30pm in the MMS library.

Have a wonderful week and hope to see you at the meeting!

Cheers,

Melissa Snow and Brooke Lowry (MMS, PST Co-chairs)

Our MMS staff had some fun this week with our Underground Spirit Week. We planned a staff only spirit week and surprised the students every morning this week by dressing up in some crazy outfits. On Monday we were dressed as Secret Service Agents - many of the kids guessed "Men in Black" which was almost correct! On Tuesday we were Lumberjacks, on Wednesday we were Tacky Tourists, on Thursday we all sported "Canadian Tuxedos" which is denim with denim with more denim. Friday was our favorite, dress like a Middle Schooler. Although it felt way too casual, we wore hoodies, sweat pants, and very comfortable shoes to school. I was chatting with a couple of girls during lunch on Friday and they asked, "why did you do it?" and I said, "Because we are fun!!" People often tell me that I must be a little bit crazy for wanting to work with over 500 middle school age kids all day, and maybe I am...but we all love our job and we hope the kids feel it.

A quick heads up about some exciting projects we are working on that you will start hearing more about soon:

• MMS Arts program fundraiser - this year I've been working with our Music, Art, and Drama teachers as well as our Community Schools Coordinator to plan our first ever Cubs Arts Fundraiser. My hope is to create something that will feel special to the students, highlight their talent, and serve as a fundraiser for our arts programs. New violins aren't cheap. New Tubas aren't cheap. We will need a new kiln for our art room in the next few years - those are certainly not cheap. Updating our stage lights and mics is always a need. We want our students to be able to benefit from all of these classes for years and years to come, and so we hope to build an annual event that allows us to continue to keep the Arts in our school.
• Homework Club - we have tried, over the years, to host an after-school homework and tutoring program here at MMS. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't work as well...the big problem has always been transportation. Our middle school kids can't drive, and many students that need after school support rely on school busses to get them home. When I would request an "activity bus" that would transport kids home from after-school activities I was always told that we couldn't afford one - the state doesn't pay for activity busses and there is no room in the district budget for it. But now...our Community Schools Program is stepping in to help. They will use their funds to pay for an activity bus and also a staff member to oversee the program. Our goal is to also use High School and College students as volunteers. We are working out the final details but will get the program started as soon as we can.
• Common Read - Ms. Mangini, our librarian, and our student Library Advisors group, have been working on an exciting project all year. We are doing a common read - where folks all over the school and community read the same book and then meet to discuss it, kind of like a really big book club! We have been working to get grants and donations to buy enough copies of the book for anyone who wants to read it to get a copy in their hands. We are working with the Latah County Historical Society as part of the America 250 project, the University of Idaho, and many others. Our students have produced a podcast with the theme "Heroes without Headlines" and have done a great job with that. Other students have been assigned to lead discussion round tables in an event that will take place later in May...it is all coming together. You are welcome to join our Common Read! We are reading the book "The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History from The Founding to the Civil Rights Movement" by Sharon McMahon.

It is time to start thinking about spring sports. We will open up registration for Swimming and Track & Field soon, with both scheduled to start in March. Keep and eye out for more information and encourage your student to listen closely to the daily announcements about signing up. You can always reach out to our new Activities Supervisor, Matthew Leituala, by calling our office or by email: leitualam@msd281.org. Go Cubs!

Next Week

Monday – No School for President’s Day

Tuesday – Girls Basketball A team home game at MHS vs Lapwai

Wednesday - PST meeting @ 5:30 in the library

Wednesday – Girls Basketball B team home game in the Bear Den

Thursday – Girls Basketball A team away game vs All Saints

On the Calendar

2/23 – B team Girls Basketball away at Pullman

2/24 – A team Girls Basketball at Home at MHS vs LMS

2/25 – Boys Wrestling at home – Cub Invitational Tournament - Bear Den

3/4 – Solo & Ensemble Festival for band, choir, and orchestra

3/7 - Boys Wrestling Bi-State Championship Tournament in Lewiston

3/12 – Fire Drill at 2:00

3/16 – Spring Break

3/23 - 8th grade students start High School registration process

3/25 - 9th grade Orientation Night for current 8th graders going to MHS

3/26 – STEAM Showcase in the Bear Den

4/3 - No School for Kids - Teacher Work Day

Below is a link to MMS Events on our webpage where you can stay up to date with all the goings on at Moscow Middle School. Go Cubs!