Massabesic Middle School

March 6, 2026

Greetings MMS Families,

Snow is falling steadily outside our windows and our school community is enjoying an unexpected snow day. These winter days always bring a mix of excitement, flexibility, and a chance to pause for a moment. We hope your family is able to enjoy a little extra time together—whether that means building a snowman, reading a good book, or simply slowing down for the day.

Even with the snowy start to March, our school is full of energy and momentum. The weeks ahead will be busy with learning, activities, and opportunities for students to grow both academically and socially. Our teachers continue to plan engaging lessons, and our students are showing curiosity, perseverance, and kindness in their classrooms each day.

March is always an exciting time in schools. As the days gradually grow longer, we see students gaining confidence in their learning and preparing for the final stretch of the school year. You will find important updates, upcoming events, and highlights from around the school throughout this newsletter.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. The strong connection between our school and families makes a meaningful difference in the experiences we create for our students every day. We hope you stay warm, safe, and enjoy this (hopefully) last bit of winter today.

Sincerely,

Kelly Grantham, Principal

Amy Troiano, Assistant Principal

March 10: 6th Grade Field Trip to Maine Mariners game, NAEP testing (select 8th graders only)

March 11: Early Release Day

March 13: No School for Students (teacher in service day)

March 25: Early Release Day

March 25: MHS Academic Showcase and 8th Grade Step Up Night (see below for more information)

April 3: End of Quarter 3 Reporting

Yearbook Club has been hard at work submitting our first 30 pages to Jostens! Online ordering is temporarily paused while we finalize our numbers, but expect them to be back up and running by the end of next week. It's not too late to order a book for your student, don't worry! Please see the flyer below for more information on how to order a book. For more information, please reach out to Ms. Abby Logan (abigaillogan@rsu57.org).

We recently concluded an Advisory lesson series about the vagus nerve. All students learned what the vagus nerve is, how it gets activated, and how to calm it.

We are also gearing up for 2026-2027 course scheduling. We are excited to launch a new process that will allow students to share their preferences for Allied Arts courses. In an upcoming advisory lesson 6th and 7th grade students will be sharing their Allied Arts preferences for the 2026-2027 school year through their StudentVUE accounts.

Our 8th grade students will be treated to a showcase by the MHS NJROTC to promote their program and opportunities that 8th grade students will have as future MHS students. Our 8th grade students will also be starting their high school course selection process soon!

As always, please contact our School Counseling Office with any questions or if you or your family are in need of support.

We are proud to recognize the MMS students who were selected to attend and perform at the MMEA District 1 Honors Festival on February 27th and 28th. . This is a highly competitive, auditioned festival, presented by the Maine Music Educators Association. Just 78 students were selected from 225 auditionees across southern Maine.

Our students represented MMS exceptionally well—arriving thoroughly prepared and demonstrating outstanding musicianship, professionalism, and decorum. Their preparedness and conduct set a strong example for peers from other schools. The final performance was very well received, and Mr. Holbrook heard many positive comments praising our students and the quality of their work. Congratulations to these outstanding representatives of our music program!

Students from left to right:

Back Row: Colby Cox, Lincoln Posten-Walbrek, Carson Erickson, Gavin Price, Jaaden Thompson, Tyler Noyes, Riley Sperry, Scott Bernier, Charise Reader, Saydee Libby

Front: Cole Sanders, Izaiah Kelly

Our 8th grade scientists are putting their knowledge of thermal energy to the test with a hands-on engineering challenge: designing and building homes to keep their “ice penguins” from melting. As part of their study of energy transfer, students are learning about insulators, conductors, and how heat moves through different materials.

Working in teams, students begin by developing a plan for their penguin house. Each group is given a set budget and must “purchase” building materials, encouraging them to think carefully about which materials will best reduce heat transfer. Once their plans are finalized, teams construct their penguin homes and prepare them for testing.

The real challenge comes during the experiment, when students place their ice penguins inside their structures and observe how well their designs slow the melting process. They will collect and analyze data to determine which design features were most effective and reflect on how their understanding of thermal energy influenced their results.

This project combines science, engineering, creativity, and problem-solving—and it’s been exciting to see students test ideas, make improvements, and learn from the results of their designs!

Do you have the ParentVUE app? Please be sure to download the Parent VUE app or access the site online to view your student's gradebook, assignments, schedule and more. Student gradebooks are updated frequently and we ask that you regularly check your student's account. Please contact our main office for assistance if you have trouble activating or accessing your account.

Be sure to read the MMS Family Handbook

Website: https://middleschool.rsu57.org/
Location: Massabesic Middle School, Old Alfred Road, East Waterboro, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 247-6121