MMS Update

Looking Forward to Seeing You!

Greetings MMS Families,

It was another fun week at MMS, highlighted by our Pink Out Day in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It was great to see our students and staff come together and show their support while bringing some extra energy and school spirit to the week. This week marks the first of two days of parent conferences, and we look forward to meeting with families and connecting about your child’s progress. Please see below for registration information and details. As a reminder, Friday, October 9th will be an early release day, with dismissal beginning at 11:00 AM. There will also be no school on Monday, October 12th. We look forward to seeing everyone back at MMS on Tuesday, October 13th!

We hope everyone has a nice long weekend!

Shout-out to our students and staff for participating in our "pink-out" in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Important Dates

Calendar Submission - Our final 8th Grade Calendar Fundraiser turn-in date is September 30th.

Early Release Day - Dismissal will begin for our students at 11:00 on October 9th.

DC Paperwork - Registration and paperwork for DC is due to MMS by October 9th. Please see below for more information.

Parent/Teacher Conferences - This year's parent/teacher conferences will take place on October 9th and 13th. See more information below, sign-up information will be forthcoming.

No School - There will be no school on October 12th in observe of Indigenous Peoples' Day

Fall Dance - Mark your calendars for our Halloween Dance on Friday, October 23rd! More details to come....

Learning mixed fractions with the help of Mickey Mouse

Parent Conferences

Save the date for our upcoming Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences! We will be hosting virtual conferences on our early release day, Friday, October 9th, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., followed by in-person conferences on Tuesday, October 13th, from 2:45 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

Shout out to Payton, Kyla, and Aubrey for reciting our Pledge of Allegiance for us on the morning announcements!

A.S.A.P

Click HERE to register for the ASAP program! ASAP runs on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

School Safety Update

Last week, our students participated in school bus emergency evacuation drills.

This week, we will begin our practice and preparation for a potential intruder emergency. Students will receive age appropriate education and training during their advisory classes and will participate in lockdown drills, as well as our off site evacuation drills to Bishop Field.

Thank you for your continued commitment to maintaining a safe and secure learning environment for all of our students and staff.

Practicing sewing skills by creating "Ugly Dolls"

Career Fair Volunteers

Merrimack Middle School is excited to host a College & Career Fair for our 7th and 8th grade students in the weeks following winter break. We are looking for parents, guardians, and family members willing to share about their career, college experience, trade, training program, or other pathway.

No formal presentation is needed—just come ready to engage with students, answer questions, and help them explore their interests and future possibilities. Plus, students will vote for the Most Engaging Booth, and the winning volunteer will receive a prize!

Interested presenters can register HERE

Our special guest judges helped to crown the best cookie in FACS!

Washinton, DC Fundraiser

Students who are earning shirt incentives, please use the sizing requests HERE

The fundraising campaign is off to a great start! Extra calendars can be picked up in the main office. Please remember that trip registration and the first payment are due by October 9th. If you have any questions, please contact Jill Petrillo at jill.petrillo@sau26.org or Jill Smith at jill.smith@sau26.org.

DC Experience Paperwork

Parent Chaperone Registration

Translated DC Paperwork

Learning about imagery and sensory details in Mrs. Roper’s class with a holiday treat!

School Pictures

School pictures are now available!

To see if your child's pictures are available to view, please log in to your account at mylifetouch.com. If you don’t have an account yet, you can create one using your email address.

To locate your child's photos, you'll need their Student ID or Portrait ID and Access Code. If you don't have this information, you can:

Check your inbox for an email from Lifetouch that may contain your access credentials and a direct link to your child's images.
Contact the Lifetouch Help Center for assistance

Please note that pictures may not become available for all students at the same time, so check back later if you don't see your child's images yet.

Eighth graders learned about the Pop artist, Wayne Thiebaud. Wayne Thiebaud was an American artist known for his colorful works of common place objects and desserts. His artwork always contains well defined shadows in bold colors. Like Thiebaud, students created works of art with strong values and bright colors. They used chalk pastel to render realistic drawings of their desserts.

MMS Athletics

Monday

Field Hockey at Mt. View, 3:45 PM
Volleyball vs. Timberlane, 4:00 PM
Cross Country at West Running Brook, 4:00 PM (Girls start)

Tuesday

Field Hockey vs. Hillside at Livingston Park, 4:00 PM

Wednesday

Boys Soccer vs. Londonderry, 4:00 PM
Girls Soccer at Londonderry, 4:00 PM, High School Track Complex
Volleyball vs. Hillside, 4:00 PM
Field Hockey at McLaughlin, 4:00 PM

Thursday

Girls "A" Soccer at Hillside, 4:00 PM, Padden Field, Robinson St.
Boys Soccer vs. Hillside, 4:00 PM
Girls "B" Soccer at Timberlane, 4:00 PM

Practicing 7th grade science lab skills.

Club Updates

Watercolor Club - Are you looking for a fun and creative way to spend your Tuesday afternoons? Then come play with paint! The brand-new Watercolor Club is starting up on Tuesday, September 29th, from 2:30 to 3:30 PM in Room 238. Whether you are a master artist or have never picked up a paintbrush before, everyone is welcome to join the fun. Space is limited, so make sure to stop by Room 238 to grab a permission slip and sign up with Mrs. Blondin today. See you there!

Ink-Tober - Mrs. Roy is running an Ink-tober art club. This club will run each Thursday and Friday in October. Club members will be creating drawings with their peers in ink and sharpie marker. They can choose to draw from prompts or create their own characters or illustrations. These drawings will be hung around the school and be used on empty lockers for mini pop-up art displays. Find permission forms in the Main Office.

Rock Climbing Club - Our Rock Climbing Club is back for its 7th year! Open to middle and high school students ages 13+, the club is a great way to stay active, get outside your comfort zone, and have some indoor fun during the winter months. Students will meet for 8 Mondays beginning in January, from 2:30–5:30 p.m., with make-up days for inclement weather.

The club fee includes transportation to/from Vertical Dreams, a 3-month climbing membership, gear rentals, and a lesson on the first trip.

Sign-ups begin in November—a registration link and more details will be shared soon!

PTG Information

Give 'n Go Fundraising Campaign Kickoff
The MMS PTG is excited to announce the Give 'N Go, the only major PTG fundraiser of the school year, designed to support students and staff. The goal is to raise $6,000+ by the end of October, with each academic team having a goal to raise $1,000, to earn a special team-wide incentive! Be on the lookout for details of the campaign in the Smores, School Messenger emails, and Facebook/Instagram posts. Thank you in advance for your support & commitment to our school community. Please contact Tara, fundraising@mmsptg.com, with any questions.

Scholarship Sales 8th Grade Culminating Experience:
If you would like to make a donation to the MMS on the Move Scholarship Fund, please visit https://bit.ly/MMS-On-The-Move-26. All proceeds will go directly to our MMS Scholarship Fund to benefit students attending their 8th grade culminating experience.

Calling all Volunteers!

Are you interested in volunteering this school year? If so, please complete the steps above to ensure you are cleared to volunteer throughout the school year (this includes parents who are considering/planning to chaperone the 8th Grade Washington, DC, culminating experience). All Vector training is due no later than Sat, 10/31, per MSD administration. Thank you for your commitment to our schools! Vector Training, K-12 Edition Training :: Login

VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENT UPDATE! PLEASE READ!

There are now two additional Vector courses that must be completed. Please see the graphic above for details. Returning Volunteers have until 12/31/2026 to complete these courses, provided the original three courses are up to date. New Volunteers must complete all MSD volunteer requirements before volunteering.

Ice Cream Volunteers Needed (Friday lunch time opportunities)

Would you love to spend some time volunteering at MMS? The PTG needs volunteers on Fridays to sell ice cream from 10:30 AM - 12:15 PM. 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-icecream26-27

September/October Important Dates:

Ice cream sales begin: Fri, 10/2
DATE CHANGE - PTG General Meeting: Wed, 10/7 | 6-7 PM in the MMS library
Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences: Fri, 10/9
Early Release: Fri, 10/09 @ 11 AM
Give n' Go Campaign Begins: Fri, 10/9
No school (Columbus/Indigenous People's Day): Mon, 10/12
Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences: Tues, 10/13
Early Release: Wed, 10/28 @ 11 AM
Volunteer Background Check/Vector Course completion: no later than Sat, 10/31

PTG Contact Info:
Abby Hammond, President [president@mmsptg.com]
Tara Foley, Fundraising [Fundraising@mmsptg.com]
Stephanie Ruiz, Treasurer [Treasurer@mmsptg.com]
Heather Robitaille, Secretary [secretary@mmsptg.com]
Annette Chaput, Volunteer Coordinator [volunteer@mmsptg.com]
open position, Member-at-Large [member@mmsptg.com]

Reporting an Absence Online

Instructions:

Log in to the Parent Portal.
Scroll down the left-hand menu to find and click Attendance Monitor.
Click Report New Attendance.
Fill in the details for your child's absence.
Click Submit.

Document with instructions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MlE2uLs04F4dl1Bzjfi2Z4DbS3eVx4U_6w_I-GaFVLc/preview

Dismissal/Visiting Procedures

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.