MMS Update

Greetings MMS Families,

Congratulations to the entire cast and crew of "Puffs (or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic)" for an outstanding production. Your commitment, creativity, and teamwork shone through in every scene, bringing energy, humor, and heart to the stage. We are incredibly proud of your dedication and the memorable performance you shared with our school community. Well done!

Thank you to all of our families for your continued support, partnership, and involvement in our school community. We are grateful for everything you do to help our students thrive. We wish you and your loved ones a warm, joyful, and restful Thanksgiving.

Have a wonderful break everyone!

Thanksgiving Break - There will be no school November 26th through 28th, enjoy the holiday break!

Early Release - There will be an early release on Wednesday, December 10th. Dismissal will begin at 11:00.

Winter Concert - We are looking forward to hearing our musicians on December 16th at 6:30 in the MMS gym.

Holiday Break - There will be no school December 22nd through January 2nd for our holiday break.

Congratulations to the cast and crew of “Puffs (or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic)” for two wonderful performances! We are so proud of your commitment and talent!

Congratulations to all the students who earned honor roll this quarter! Your hard work and commitment are truly commendable. We are incredibly proud of this achievement and celebrate your success. We look forward to adding even more names to our list during Quarter 2!

HIGH HONORS

GRADE 7: Avery Alumbaugh, Shayla Carmody, Adam Cirillo, Duke Dillon, Marina Doskocil, Avery Geer, Bode Goldstein, John Haran, Gabriel Harrison, Anna Jamiola, Anderson Libert, Parker Mackey, Quinn Moore, Hailey Muskiewicz, Theodore Pelletier, Landon Piccolo, Annelise Pieroni, Kathryn Pippenger, Brooke Reid, Aubrey Rodrigue, Greyson Sellers, Emily Sharp, Charlotte Viglione

GRADE 8: Alana Ash, Kian Azarpour, Grace Bassett, Landyn Beers, Amelia Befort, Brianna Boisvert, Ella Bruner, Jordan Burns, Wyatt Byers, Grace Carls, Owen Cheyne, Kylie Clancy, Emma Clement, Caitlin Clifford, Brianna Collins, Robert Denis, Michael Desmarais, Braden Dos Santos, Scott Dulac, Eleni Fasquelle, Ryka Ferguson, Aidan Fournier, Grace Gilchrist, Christian Gonsalves, Ana Clara Gouvea, Kaylee Haerinck, Annika Hart, Mila Hart, Sophie Hartmann, Mina Harwood, Dakota Heath, Thomas Hill, Haley Hughes, William Jaffe, Jacob Kleczkowski, Bailey Landry, Kyleigh Lowther, Jackson Malone, Makenzie McVey, Donovan Merrill, Sadie Merrill, Brynn Mikolajczuk, Andrew Moncrieff, Sarah Moran, Hrishabh Nevatia, Jack Paepke, William Parker, Fiona Parsons, Sophie Pelletier, Lola Peterson, Lucas Pfingston, Trista Poplar, Noah Roe, Reece Romano, Leah Schucart, Erika Sebastian, Owen Sekela, Madeleine Sousa, Mya Stewart, Whitney Stubbs, Liam Tafe, Hollis Thomson, Salvatore Tomaselli, Jack Trudel, Kamry Wadsworth, Benjamin Weldon, Sydney Winkler

HONORS

GRADE 7: Natalia Albano, Austin Ash, Olivia Basmaji, Leah Boissonneault-Brackett, Aubrey Boutin, Adrianna Bracero, Ayla Bradley, Josephina Burgess, Joshua Burnham, Oliver Chase, Audrey Chasse, Leah Cirillo, Aubree Clough, Benjamin Collins, Jacob Colon, Grace Comolli, Paige Condon, Kylie Cooke, Braelynn Crabtree, Jayce Curren, Lucy Curtis, Isabell Del Vicario, Rachael Delyani, Nathan Dodge, Austin Dulac, Christopher Duval, Mason Duval, Piper Estabrook, Walker Evensen, Mia Ferreira, Natalie Fluet, Ashlynn Foley, Logan Franck, Julia Francoeur, Caelyn Friel, Lydia Gagnon, Ryan Gagnon, Connor Gill, Brynn Goldstein, Allie Goodridge, James Goodridge, Will Grady, Kamryn Grant, Nadine Guidish, Teana Hackenberg, Cara Hamel, Pierce Hammond, Piper Hardy, James Harris, Ella Hartmann, Brooklynn Hastings, Graeme Hendrzak, Jenna Hilliard, James Humphrey, Bradley Hyatt, Benjamin Jacques, Jamila Jallow, Lauren Jamiola, Malachi Jensen, Amaya Johnson, Avery Kwasniuk, Ava Levesque, Maeve Lister, Madden Logsdon, Caitlyn Lozier, Connor MacIsaac, Jacob Marone, Caleb Martel, Dafne Martinez Lopez, Grace Mayer-Cox, Nora McCrum, Ramsel Melendez Maldonado, Leiland Miller, Owen Montminy, Kaitlyn Mortimer, Natalia Muise, Millie Mungovan, Harper Nault, Jude Nichols, Peyton Page, Olivia Pelletier, Nathan Perkins, James Port, Caden Principe, Skye Remy, Lorelei Roberts, Axle Salinas, Isaac Santos, Samantha Shuman, Benjamin Smith, Samantha Sonntag, Abbigail Stern, Noelle Swenson, Peyton Taylor, Bryan Townsend III, Abigail-Olivia Trant, Gabriella Venezia, Josephine Walker, Tuesday Wenzel, Aria Whalen, Alexandria Whittaker, Gavin Williams, Dominic Yakuboff

GRADE 8: Carter Bennett, Lilah Bisbo, Emma Bouley, Mackenzie Carlson, Heidi Caron, Miranda Chenoweth, Owen Columbus, Myles Conley, Leland Cruz, Thomas Dacey IV, Asher Despres, Mia Diamond, Evan Duval, Devan Edgecomb, Gavin Finnegan, Ella Fisher, Mia Flynn, Daniel Foley, Jackson Gauthier, Keely Gwinn, Addison Hall, Madeline Hammond, Maya Harrison, Julia Henson, Sylas Hill, Sarah La Ragione, Mason Lacroix, Coleton Lafond, Kirby LaFortune, Evan Langlois, Brooke Lazzaro, Julia Lazzaro, Miles Lazzaro, Benedict Lipinski, Jannik Lippmann, Greyson Lyden, Ethan Marsella, Benjamin Mastromatteo, Payson Matte, Charlotte Matthews, Alyssa Melendy, Colton Miller, Issam Montacer, Devin Moore, Anthony Pagan, Zoey Pederzani, Jacob Pouliot, Emily Quezada, Lyla Rosol, Marshall Ruyffelaert, John Saad, Isabella Saulnier, Addison Shea, Braden Sheil, Kaitlyn Smith, Maddox St. Laurent, Molly Sullivan, Nolan Tansey, Yohaan Tiwari, Bruno Uwaje, Anthony Vail-Naylor, Benjamin VanDeusen, Kylee Walker, Camdon Wentworth, Jacob Wetherbee, Garret Wilson

Dear Merrimack Middle School Families, the Student Council is once again sponsoring a "Giving Tree Project" to support the Nashua Children's Home this holiday season. Students are invited to pick an unwrapped gift tag in the main office starting Monday, November 24th to purchase a requested item for a child in need. Please ensure all gifts are returned to Mrs. Donahoe or Mrs. Peterson with the tag attached by Tuesday, December 16th. If you have any questions or are interested in helping, please reach out to Mrs. Donahoe (alice.donahoe@sau26.org) or Mrs. Peterson (kristen.peterson@sau26.org).

Click HERE to register for the giving tree

Great Friends at MMS!

As a token of appreciation, Lifetouch is offering discounts on school photography!

• 50% off a purchase of $50+ with code 50THANKS
• 40% off a purchase of $40+ with code 40THANKS
• 30% off a purchase of $30+ with code 30THANKS

Valid through 12/01/25

To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account, find your student and order using your student's student ID number (if available at your school). Don’t forget to order your FREE Digital SmileSafe card!

More about the Smilesafe program here.

Thank you!

7th Grade: Identity & Storytelling in the Middle Ages

Our 7th graders are continuing their exploration of the essential question: How does society both support and limit the development of identity?

Students are soon beginning their End-of-Module writing task: an explosive narrative set in medieval times. In this piece, students will craft a protagonist whose identity is shaped by the social structures, expectations, and limitations of the Middle Ages. This is a chance for them to blend historical understanding with creative writing skills.

Within the next few weeks, 7th grade will transition to their next module, which explores the power of language. Students will consider how words influence, persuade, and shape the world around them.
(See the attached family handout HERE for more details.)

8th Grade: The Power of Storytelling in The Crossover

8th graders are deeply engaged in Kwame Alexander’s novel The Crossover, a dynamic story told through verse. Their guiding question is: What is the power of storytelling?

In class, students are examining how poetry and narrative techniques work together to reveal character, emotion, and theme. They're also beginning to apply these techniques to their own writing, experimenting with voice, rhythm, and personal storytelling.

7th grade FACS students measure up...

Click HERE for the Ending 68 Hours Of Hunger permission slip.

Check out our new family resources page HERE

Please complete this confidential form HERE if your family is in need of additional support.

All we need is some ice...

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!

Happy Thanksgiving

The MMS PTG would like to wish all of our staff and families a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday weekend. We are grateful for all of you!

Staff Holiday Dessert Bar: Wed, 12/10 https://bit.ly/mms-dessertbar-2025

The MMS PTG is hosting a holiday dessert bar for our wonderful MMS staff on Wed, 12/10 (an early release day). If you have been wondering what you might do for your child's teachers this holiday season, please consider sending in your family's favorite (homemade or store bought) sweet treat! Drop off all sweet treats in the MMS main office vestibule on Wed, 12/10, between 7-9AM. Thank you for helping spread some holiday cheer!

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

Volunteer slots to sell ice cream are updated through February 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.

November/December Important Dates:

• Weekly Ice Cream Sales: Fridays (during lunch periods)
• No School (Thanksgiving Break): Wed, 11/26 - Fri, 11/28
• 8th Grade 3rd Payment Due: Fri, 12/5
• Drop off desserts/sweet treats for Staff Holiday Dessert Bar: Wed, 12/10 between 7-9AM
• Early Release: Wed, 12/10
• MMS Winter Concert: Tues, 12/16 [Snow Date: Thurs, 12/18]
• No School (Winter Break): Mon, 12/22 - Fri, 1/2/26
• 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!

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.