MMS Update

Greetings Merrimack Middle School Families,

Our students and staff continue to build strong connections while engaging in meaningful projects and experiences at MMS. It has been a joy working with your students this year. This week we are opening registration for parent teacher conferences. Please see the information below for details on how to register beginning Tuesday, September 30. We look forward to meeting with you and sharing more about the wonderful learning taking place at MMS.

Thank you for all your support, have a great week!

Our 8th grade engineers work to design their bridges in Technology Education

Parent Conferences Registration - See below for information on how to register for parent conferences on September 30th.

Parent Conferences - Parent conferences are scheduled for October 9th and October 14th.

Early Release - Mark you calendars for an early release day on October 10th. Dismissal will begin at 11:00.

Mack came by to hang out this week and got some extra love from our Field Hockey team!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We’re excited to welcome you to this year’s in-person fall parent-teacher conferences!

Conference Dates (In-Person Only):

• Thursday, October 9 from 2:45 - 5:45 p.m.
  

• Tuesday, October 14 from 2:45 - 5:45 p.m.

As in the past, we’re using PowerPTC for online scheduling, which you can access through your PowerSchool account. You’ll need your PowerSchool parent username and password to sign in.

• Scheduling opens: Tuesday, September 30 at 5:00 p.m.

• Scheduling closes: Monday, October 6 at 11:59 p.m.

For a step-by-step guide on how to sign up, please click on this link.

👉A few important notes:

• Each grade-level team will hold conferences in pairs, with two core academic teachers co-hosting together. sign up for only one pair on your child’s team so all families have a chance to attend.

• Parents are welcome to meet with unified arts teachers without restriction.

• School staff without student rosters (such as the nurse, and school counselors) are also available for conferences.

Tip: If you aren’t able to attend on the scheduled dates or can’t find a time that works, you’re always welcome to contact your child’s teacher directly to set up another meeting time.

Questions about scheduling or PowerSchool login? Contact Linna (7-12 Tech Coordinator) at na.lin@sau26.org.

We look forward to meeting with you in person and partnering together to support your child’s growth and success.

8th grade artists have their 3-D projects on exhibit in our library.

School pictures are ready!

To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account using your student's student ID number.

All families can also log on and order a FREE Digital SmileSafe card.

More about the Smilesafe program here.

7th grade musicians explore music theory.

Congratulations to Avery for reading over 7000 pages this summer!

Our 8th grade wind section sounds better and better every day!

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

to register.

Mixed Media Art Club - Come learn about printmaking, collage and other mixed media techniques! Mrs. BC is offering an after school, Mixed Media Art club in September and October.

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!

Check out our new team pages on our Athletics Website!

Monday

• Field Hockey at Woodbury, 3:45

• Boys Soccer Blue vs. Rundlett, 4:00 (Bishop Field)

• Boys Soccer White vs. Rundlett, 4:00 (MMS Game Field)

• Girls Soccer at Rundlett, 4:00

• Volleyball A vs. Pennichuck, 4:00

Tuesday

• Home Cross Country Race #2 with Boynton, McCarthy, ASD, and Milford

• Volleyball B vs. Amherst, 4:00

Wednesday

• Boys Soccer at Woodbury, 3:45

• Girls Soccer vs. Woodbury, 3:45

Thursday

• Cross Country at Hood, boys run first at 3:30

• Volleyball A at Windham, 3:30

• Field Hockey vs. Windham, 3:30

Interested in volunteering? See the information below and click the image for your online trainings.

MMS Spirit Store

Orders are expected to ship by Tues, 9/30 and should arrive at your mailbox shortly thereafter. If you have any questions, please reach out to Rachel at treasurer@mmsptg.com.

Calling all Volunteers!

Are you interested in volunteering this school year? If so, please complete the below steps to ensure you are cleared to volunteer throughout the school year (this includes parents that are considering/plan to chaperone the 8th Grade Washington, DC, culminating experience). All Vector training is due no later than Fri, 10/31, per MSD administration. Thank you for your commitment to our schools!

Ice Cream Volunteers Needed (Friday lunch time opportunities)

Ice cream will be sold starting this Friday, 10/3 during lunch period and is $1/ea.

Would you love to spend some time volunteering at MMS? The PTG needs volunteers on Fridays to sell ice cream from 10:30AM - 12:15PM. If you would like to volunteer, please visit the SUG below to sign up. As always, thank you for volunteering. We sincerely appreciate your time! (Note that all MSD volunteer requirements MUST BE COMPLETED before volunteering)

https://bit.ly/mms-icecream25-26

PTG General Info:

Come join us for our next general meeting on Mon, 10/6 @6pm. We look forward to seeing you there!

September/October Important Dates:

• Weekly Ice Cream Sales: Fri, 10/3 (during lunch periods)
• PTG General Meeting: Mon, 10/6@6PM
• Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences: Thurs, 10/9 [2:45 pm - 5:45 pm]
• Early Release: Fri, 10/10@11am
• No school (Columbus/Indigenous People's Day): Mon, 10/13
• Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences: Tues, 10/14 [2:45 - 5:45pm]
• Give n' Go Campaign: Tues, 10/14 - Mon, 10/27
• Volunteer Background Check/Vector Course completion: no later than Fri, 10/31

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]

ELA Families,

This year, both our 7th and 8th grade classes will be using Wit & Wisdom, a rich curriculum that helps students grow as readers and writers while also building their background knowledge in history, art, and culture.

Attached you'll find the Family Tip Sheet for Module 1 in each grade. These sheets give you a preview of the texts, artwork, and music your student will engage with in this first unit. They also suggest great conversation starters and questions you can use at home, along with recommendations for additional books that connect to the module. As we wrap up each module, we'll send home the next Tip Sheet so you’ll always know what’s coming up in class.

We're excited to begin Module 1 and to partner with you in supporting your student’s learning journey!

September Challenge:

September is the perfect time for fresh starts—and that includes reading! This month, we're encouraging students to explore something new: a book in a different genre, a story set in a new place, or an author they haven't tried before.

How the challenge works:

• Students choose and read books of their own choice.

• For each book they finish, they complete a simple entry form.

• Each entry gives them a chance to win prizes in our September Reading Contest!

We hope you'll encourage your child to discover new stories, reflect on what they read, and take part in the fun. Every book is a chance to start a new chapter—both in reading and in learning!

Grade 8 Module 1 Tip Sheet

Grade 7 Module 1 Tip Sheet

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.