VISION:

Marshall Public Schools provides each learner a safe, equitable, and respectful learning environment that inspires excellence, confidence, and a sense of belonging.

MISSION:

Our mission is to educate, support, and prepare all learners for success.

As we kick off Quarter 3, it's amazing to think that the year is already halfway through! As we move into the second half, please continue to support your child by checking in on their classes, encouraging them to complete their homework in a timely manner, and ensuring they arrive at school on time.

Mark your calendars for parent-teacher conferences on Thursday, February 13. Signups will be available soon. February is also "I Love to Read" month, so inspire your child to discover a new book to enjoy.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to support your student.

Peggy Reynolds, Principal

peggy.reynolds@marshall.k12.mn.us

Bennett Appel, Assistant Principal

bennett.appel@marshall.k12.mn.us

FEBRUARY

5 - 2:20 dismissal

12 – 2:20 dismissal

13 – MS Parent/Teacher Conferences

14 – No School - Staff Workshop Day

17 – No School

19 – 2:20 dismissal

26 – 2:20 dismissal

• Please drop off and pick up your child at the front main entrance. Do not use the back of the building (Door 14) for drop off or pick up.
• Please do not drop off your child in the parking lot. With the traffic from the drop off or pick up lane, it is unsafe for your child to cross to the sidewalk. We want to ensure the safety of all.
  
• When dropping off and picking up, please stay in the lanes.
• Please do not park behind the Middle School. With deliveries truck and maintenance vehicles going back and forth, that area is for authorized vehicles only. Also, students should not be using the service road as a sidewalk as there is a designated sidewalk between buildings. We are asking all of this for the safety of the students and parents.

We invite you to our Parent/Teacher Conferences on Thursday, February 13th. This is a valuable opportunity to receive feedback on your child's learning progress and to hear about the wonderful things happening at Marshall Middle School.

Why Attend Parent/Teacher Conferences?

• Insight into Your Child's Progress: Conferences provide a dedicated time to discuss your child's academic achievements, areas for improvement, and overall development.

• Strengthen Home-School Connection: Engaging with teachers helps build a strong partnership between home and school, ensuring that we work together to support your child's education.

• Celebrate Successes: Learn about the positive strides your child is making and the exciting projects and activities they are involved in.

• Address Concerns: If there are any concerns or challenges, conferences offer a platform to address them early and collaboratively find solutions.

Conference Schedule:

• 3:45 PM - 5:30 PM: Scheduled appointments (sign up using the Sign-Up Genius link)

• 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM: Teacher dinner break

• 6:00 PM - 7:45 PM: Open house style

Your participation is an important part of supporting your child's education and staying informed about their academic journey. We look forward to seeing you there!

NOTE: The Kindness Closet will be open during conferences!

Did you know that regular school attendance is one of the most important factors in your child’s academic success? Missing even a few days can add up quickly and impact your child's learning. Help your child succeed by:

• Setting a regular bedtime and morning routine.
• Preparing school items the night before to avoid morning rush.
• Scheduling appointments and vacations outside of school hours whenever possible.

Every day in class builds on the previous one, so consistent attendance helps your child stay on track academically and socially. Let’s work together to ensure every day counts!

Social media can significantly impact the mental health of teens, both positively and negatively. Here are some key points to consider:

Negative Effects

Comparison and Self-Esteem: Teens often compare themselves to others on social media, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Seeing idealized images and lifestyles can make them feel like they don't measure up.

Anxiety and Depression: Excessive use of social media has been linked to higher levels of anxiety and depression in teens. The constant need to stay connected and the fear of missing out (FOMO) can be mentally exhausting.

Cyberbullying: Social media can be a platform for cyberbullying, which can have severe emotional and psychological effects on teens.

Sleep Disruption: Using social media, especially before bed, can interfere with sleep patterns, affecting overall mental health

Positive Effects

Connection and Support: Social media can help teens stay connected with friends and family, providing a sense of community and support, especially for those who might feel isolated.

Self-Expression: Platforms allow teens to express themselves creatively and share their achievements, which can boost self-esteem and provide a sense of accomplishment.

Access to Information: Social media can be a valuable source of information and resources, including mental health support and awareness campaigns.

Tips For Parents Helping Encourage Healthier Use

Set Boundaries: Encourage teens to limit their screen time and take regular breaks from social media.

Curate Their Feed: Help them follow accounts that inspire and uplift them and unfollow or mute those that make them feel negative.

Open Communication: Maintain an open dialogue about their social media use and how it makes them feel.

Promote Offline Activities: Encourage hobbies and activities that don't involve screens to ensure a balanced lifestyle.

Mnemonic devices are an exciting, research-based, learning tool which can be used to help students study information more effectively and later recall chunks of complex information more easily. For this reason, mnemonic devices are often referred to as ‘memory devices.’

In our Reading Enrichment and Intervention classroom, students have been successfully using music mnemonics to learn a list of 23 Helping Verbs to the tune of a familiar song. As a result, they not only learned to recognize the most common helping verbs in minutes, but they can now also recall them in seconds for further use when completing assignments or taking tests. Our next challenge will be working with a new mnemonic device to learn a variety of conjunction words in our grammar for writing lessons. Altogether, mnemonic devices help students expand their knowledge of words, thereby making future reading and writing activities a whole lot more exciting!

For more information about this interesting and easy-to-use learning strategy, feel free to read the following article: 9-Types-of-Mnemonics-for-Better-Memorya4b4.pdf (seattleu.edu)

We are thrilled to congratulate Janessa M., a talented 5th grader, and Charles M. T., an accomplished 8th grader, on their outstanding achievements in this year’s school spelling bee! Janessa earned 1st place in the 5th & 6th grade competition, with Lydia S. W. landing as the runner up, demonstrating her impressive vocabulary and poise. Charles claimed 1st place following a hard-fought 20-rounds while Bryant S. claimed runner-up honors in the 7th & 8th grade bee, showcasing their exceptional spelling skills and focus. Janessa and Charles will represent our school at the regional competition in Redwood Falls on February 18th. We wish them the best of luck as they continue their journey of academic excellence—our entire school community is cheering for you! Additionally, all of this year's spelling bee participant were dedicated spellers and showed outstanding sportsmanship.

We have a number of students involved in various activities at the middle school this year. In addition to athletics, we have academic activities as well. Over the past four weeks, our activities at MMS have been incredibly successful! Our four MS Knowledge Bowl Teams excelled, placing within the top 10 out of 42 teams at sub-regionals in December. They continued their impressive performance at the Super-Regional tournament on January 9, securing 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 10th places.

Our MS Math Team also shone brightly, with three teams placing 4th, 6th, and 11th overall in December. At their latest competition on January 13, they achieved 3rd, 4th, and 9th out of 14 teams from Minnesota. Some of our Mathletes will be attending the Southwest Chapter of MathCounts at SMSU on February 6, which is really exciting! We also held our spelling bee in early January (more info above) and our students did an amazing job!

Congratulations to all our students for their hard work and outstanding achievements!