PRIDE News

Murray Avenue School Newsletter 1-11-22

Martin Luther King Day of Service

For our annual service activity, we are collecting toiletries for the Valley Youth House as well as making fleece blankets to donate. This is to support an organization that helps homeless teens. We are looking for toiletry donations as well as no-sew fleece throw kits. These are available on Amazon, in Walmart, or at Joann’s, to name a few options.

Collection boxes are in the lobby of Murray Avenue.

Students can participate in a number of ways:

1) Students and families can donate toiletry items or no sew fleece blanket kits.

2) Students can sign up to come tie blankets on Monday, January 17th from 9 to 10:30 am. Students must sign up in advance to attend. Here is the link to the form to sign up: MLK Day of Service Sign Up (Friday, 1/14/22 is the last day to sign up)

3) Students can tie a blanket at home and drop it off at the school to donate.

Hope to see you there!

Deadline for Grade 8 Ski, Board, and Tubing Trip is Thursday, 1/1/3

Thursday, 1/13, is the deadline to register for our Grade 8 Ski, Board, and Tubing trip.

Here is a link to the permission forms: Grade 8 Ski Trip

Students must also fill out the electronic registration information: MA Ski Trip

News from the MA Library

This January we've opened up the MakerSpace for exploration with socially distanced Maker Stations. Students can code our Dot and Dash robots (now with catapult and xylophone attachments), explore our augmented reality Merge cubes, make something that does something with our littleBits circuitry kits, build a Makeway marble run, or get an introduction to machine sewing. Sign up to visit at lunch on the library's website.

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Community Outreach Continues

8th Grade Band, Chorus, and Orchestra continued the tradition of our community outreach to retirement communities by live streaming a performance to Holy Redeemer Village to spread some holiday cheer. Our Chamber Strings ensemble also live streamed to the Artists Senior Center.

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Science Lab Experience

Grade 7 students explore owl pellets in science class.

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Science STEM Projects

Eighth grade science students participated in an optional winter STEM project this year. This year's winners were Adele Streletsky, Gabriel Madackel, and Teresa Sacco. Congrats!

Update from Ms. Dilks

As a part of the District's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) work, each school is forming a Community Engagement Team (CET). This team will support the work of our MA DEI Council, made up of students and staff members. Students had the opportunity to apply to be a member of the MA DEI Council by emailing me about their interest. This was presented in a recent town hall meeting to all students.

For parents/guardians: If you are interested in participating in the MA Community Engagement Team (CET), please email me at jdilks@lmtsd.org. Our first meeting will be in January.

For more information about the work of the District DEI Council, click HERE.

Reminders from the Office

Arrival and Early Dismissals

-Please allow enough time for your child to arrive at school and to class on time. Instruction begins at 8 am and students are visiting their lockers at the beginning of the school day. Arriving too close to 8:00 am is not enough time for students to come into the building and arrive to class on time.

-The building opens for student arrival at 7:30 am. Please do not drop off your child earlier than 7:30 am.

-If your child has an early dismissal, please allow enough time for your pick up. Students will stop at their locker and then sign out for dismissal.

Attendance and Virtual Learning

-Please report your child's absence from school. Please use the MA Attendance Form to do this in a timely fashion. Unreported/undocumented absences become unlawful absences.

-If your child has is an approved virtual learner through our nurse's office, you do not need to continue to report his or her absence daily unless your child is too ill to participate virtually.

Chromebooks

-Students should charge their devices at home every night and are encouraged to keep their chargers at home or in their lockers. There is a fee for lost Chromebook charger.