Cubs Newsletter

We will have a modified A Day schedule with a Home Room at the end of the day on Monday and Tuesday. The last day of school is...well...controlled craziness. It is a short day - students will be released to summer break at 1:30 PM. The bell schedules for each of the last three days is attached below.

• Monday is the last normal-ish day for all students. They will have all their classes. Some teachers have tests on Monday, others have assignments or projects due, and for most this is the last chance kids will have to get work turned in to be graded.
• Chromebooks and chargers will be handed in at the end of day. Please make sure your student takes all their school technology to school on Monday. They will need to turn it all in at the end of the day to their home room teachers. This is a good time to get anything and everything back to school - library books, text books, uniforms, etc.
• There is an event at MMS on Monday evening for some students, but not all. Folks that need to attend have received phone calls. If you don't know what I'm talking about...you haven't talked to our secretary Trish about Monday evening...then you don't need to worry. Your student is not required at the event.

• Tuesday will be the very last normal-ish day for 6th and 7th grade students. They will have all their classes and finish up with any work, assignments, movies they've been watching, etc. 😊
• Tuesday is NOT a normal day 8th graders. Tuesday is what we call Eighth Grade Get-Away Day.
• 8th graders will go to class to start the day, but not for long. Busses will come pick them up and take them to the WSU Rec Center for the entire morning. After that, they will take busses back to Moscow and eat lunch at Rotary Park a.k.a the water tower park. They have requested pizza, and the student council is paying for it. They will eat and play there for an hour. Then, at approximately 1:35 they will all walk balk to Moscow Middle School and should arrive back on campus at about 1:40 or 1:45 PM.
• The Parent Support Team is hosting an 8th grade parent gathering in the MPR. All 8th grade parents are invited to attend this informal event. The PST will decorate the space - make it feel special - and would love some help, so if you can arrive a bit early, they will put you to work. Then, when I give them word that the kids are on the move...the parents will form an arch...a welcome back/let's celebrate/I'm going to embarrass you in public for fun type greeting for the kids as they enter the MPR. Refreshments will be served. The video that the Yearbook kids make - the one you sent pictures in for - will be shown. This will be a great time to take some pictures, give lots of hugs and high-fives, and chat with other parents. It is sometimes a bit of an emotional time - be prepared for a mixture of smiles and tears...and some sweat. (They sweat when they are laughing and when they are crying). When you are ready, you are welcome to take your 8th grader home with you. Please. Please take them home with you. You can even take an extra one or two...if you want. (I'm just kidding! Please don't plan on taking other people's children home with you...kidnapping is a federal offense). I hope it will be a fun, rewarding, and special day for the kids and for parents too. Note - the kids deserve to have a good day. Any misbehavior or other shenanigans that would mess that up for anyone will not be tolerated. Parents will be called to pick up students that are causing issues or problems for others. This is such a great group of kids that I'm not worried, but I am serious about kids being on their best behavior. 🤨
• Mr. Roberts is in charge of all the Eighth Grade Get Away events and will be going along to the WSU Rec Center, the park, etc. We also have a bunch of teacher chaperones that are going along as well. The students will be well supervised.
• Kids don't need a ton of stuff, but can carry a small bag with their phone, some snacks, and a water bottle.
• If you cannot attend the parent gathering in the afternoon, that is o.k. Your 8th grader will get to have refreshments, watch the video, and then will return to class until the end of the day. They will go home as usual when school is out.

• Kids will report to their Home Room class to start the day.
• When everything is ready, I'll release the kids to make their way to the gym for the last day assembly. We will celebrate the end of the year with Cubby Games, cheers, and the whole school will watch the 8th grade Goodbye Video.
• Then it is time for Fun Day. (I am going to pause here and encourage you to say a prayer in your heart for an exhausted middle school teacher...any one of them...or all of them...worn out from teaching more than a hundred young teenagers all year...having just gone through testing season...and the spring teen-ager "twiterpated" period...and is going to spend the last 3 hours hours of the school year with all 500 or so teens and pre-teens supervising Fun Day. May the odds be ever in their favor.)
• Fun Day is fun for kids. It really is. Teachers have signed up to do a variety of fun things in their classrooms: karaoke, arts and crafts, games, movies, etc. There will be fun activities going on outside - extra special stuff the kids don't usually get to do. Kids can go from place to place as they wish. They can hang out with friends outside, or inside, and participate in any of the Fun Day activities in any of the classrooms.
• Lunch is served outside. We will have the Bear BBQ here and our staff grills hotdogs for school lunch. The Cub Cafe will be open for business, so kids can buy snacks.
• This year - as a fundraiser for children in Haiti - many of our teachers will get a pie in the face at the end of the day.
• At 1:30 the school day, and school year, is officially over. We will sending all the kids home. Tag! You're it!

Important things to know:

• We strongly discourage kids from bringing their backpacks to school on Wednesday. They don't need them. Years ago a group of kids thought it would be funny to "prank" the school on the last day. It was pretty awful, and since then, middle school staff check bags before kids enter the building on the last day of school. We don't allow fireworks, stink bombs, silly string, slime, swords - fake or real, balloons, ect. into the building on that day.
• Kids can bring a small bag with them for their phone and lip gloss. They can bring their lunch bag. If they really need to carry something in their pockets I just ask them to please be honest about it. I realize that some kids don't have or want to carry a small bag, and might want their phone in their pocket. It is the last day - I'm a reasonable person - but I would like them to show it to staff when asked, and put it away if/when asked. Students are NOT allowed to take pictures and video at school. Phones will be kept in the office if needed.
• School lunch is NOT FREE. We cook and serve lunch outside, and sometimes kids get this idea in their head that eating outside means that school lunch is free. All students that eat a school lunch on that day will be charged their usual amount. Some families qualify for free or reduced price school lunch - that still applies. Some kids always eat school lunch and will on Fun Day too. Some kids usually bring a lunch from home, but eat school lunch on Fun Day because its...well..fun. Some kids eat a lunch from home, as usual. Some kids - mostly 8th grade boys - will eat BOTH. They will eat all the food they brought from home and then also get the school lunch. Kids will also be able to buy things from the Cub Cafe, which is a school lunch program, if they have cash or a positive balance on their lunch account.

Please encourage your student to check the lost and found for any of their belongings. You are welcome to stop in and check it out too. All items in the lost and found will be donated to charity once students leave for the summer. I've been asking kids to check lost and found every morning in my announcements, but you might know that there is a sweatshirt missing, or tupperware container, and if you do, it could be in our lost and found.

This will be the last saturday, weekly, newsletter of the school year. You can expect a summer update in July, and then again in August. We will start sending email and snail mail information to parents in August and I'll make sure you know about all the start-up activities. Then, once school starts for kids, I'll start sending weekly newsletters again.

You will get report cards in the mail in a couple of weeks, and should also be getting official ISAT results as well.

Unlike teachers, I'm here at the school for a lot of the summer. Please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns. Depending on when you try, you might be able to get a hold of me by calling our school phone number, 208-882-3577. If you can't get through, you can call the district office at 208-882-1120 Monday through Thursday. There is always someone there during the summer months and they can get a message to me. I plan to visit my family in Wyoming during July, and will be off-grid for most of that visit, but I'll come out of the mountains and check my email and voicemail from time to time. I'll be back at work at the end of July.

Hello and Congratulations to all the (almost!!) 9th graders and their families!! We are SO PROUD of you all and we're looking forward to celebrating with many members of the Class of 2030 up at Silverwood on Thursday! Thanks so much for all the donations -- we are able to take all 127 students that submitted permission slips thanks to your support! We will also have 19 awesome parents volunteering as chaperones for the trip. See below for all the details!.

--The MMS PST

This email has all the details for the trip to Silverwood on Thursday, June 4, organized by the MMS PST. Read through it carefully and contact Jen Hohenlohe (jhohenlohe@gmail.com) with any questions.

Contact on June 4 -- PLEASE text or call Jen by 8:30am if your student is not able to attend so buses can leave on time. We are happy to refund the cost or accept a donation. You can also reach out during the day if you need help contacting your student.

Jen Hohenlohe -- 541-231-6934

Silverwood Theme Park Overview

https://www.silverwoodthemepark.com

Silverwood is about 2 hours north of Moscow in the town of Athol, ID. Check out their website for a map, info about the rides, FAQS, etc.

Transportation

We are expecting all students and most chaperones to ride the reserved buses unless we heard from you about specific needs. We will be reaching out to confirm all pick up/drop off details for any families that listed extenuating circumstances. Please contact Jen Hohenlohe if you have questions about this.

Weather

Silverwood will be open rain or shine!

Clothing

Bring a hat, sunscreen, and maybe a change of clothes. The water park is not open so you won't need a swimsuit, BUT some of the rides WILL get you wet even if it's not raining!

Food and Drink

Kids often bring their own food and eat on the way up and back so they can just enjoy the rides while at the park. This is fine, but PLEASE KEEP THE BUSES CLEAN! They may also bring a bag with their own food into the park -- any beverages must be factory-sealed. Reusable water bottles are allowed but must be empty and can be filled in the park. NO GLASS OF ANY KIND is allowed. There is also food available to purchase at Silverwood. The Park is cashless -- Credit, debit, Apple Pay, and Google Pay are accepted or a reloadable cash card may be purchased (with cash or card) at the Park.

Timeline -- Our return time is approximate, students will contact families when we leave Silverwood

· 8:30am -- Students and chaperones arrive behind the Bear Den at MMS to check in with the PST and load buses

· 9am -- buses depart MMS

· 11am -- Buses arrive at Silverwood

· 11-4pmish -- Silverwood fun!

· Approx 4pm -- buses depart Silverwood

· Approx 6pm -- buses arrive back to MMS

Please reach out with any questions about the trip!

Jen Hohenlohe

jhohenlohe@gmail.com

541-231-6934

Chromebooks: When Covid hit, back in 2020, public schools were required to purchase Learning Management Systems like Canvas, and Chromebooks so that students could learn remotely. There was an influx of federal money when the pandemic hit to help schools pay for all that technology. It was then that kids at Moscow Middle School started carrying Chromebooks around with them all day, and taking them home at night. Next year, we will return to our pre-pandemic practice of keeping Chromebooks here at school in classrooms. Students will NOT be issued their own Chromebook to take home next year - if a device is needed during class, students will use one from a set in the classroom. Students will still have access to Canvas and PowerSchool at home - they will just need to log in with a family owned device. There will be a small number of chromebooks that a student may be allowed to check-out from the library for one night, but they must have a note from a teacher in order to do so. They will be responsible for paying for any and all damage that is done to the Chromebook and/or pay to replace it if it is not returned to school. If a student checks out a CB, and doesn't return it the next day, they will not be allowed to check out CB's for overnight use in the future. This system worked really well for years before the pandemic, but it will take some getting used to for these kids, and maybe for families too. The cost of these devices has skyrocketed in recent years and there is no more state or federal funds to continue to pay for these devices. Our kids are not bad kids...but they are kids. They don't necessarily mean to break the chromebooks, lose the chargers, and/or leave them at the HIRC...but they do. We simply can't afford to replace them at current rate, and quite honestly, it hasn't really been good for kids to have the CB's with them night and day.

lockers: As you might remember, I tortured the 7th graders by asking them to try using lockers again. They thought I was a crazy lady! Lockers? Like...ew! But, at the end of the experiment they had changed their mind, well, most of them had. I meant it when I said I wanted their opinion, and I sent them all a survey. Taking the locks off the lockers was a huge hit - more than 95% of the kids really liked that, and it made using their lockers much easier. And, in the end, 75% of kids who responded to the survey said they actually liked using their lockers, or at least didn't hate it. I provided the opportunity for them to write specific thoughts and ideas and many of the kids reported that it was weird at first, one said they didn't like "that light feeling," but that they got used to it and liked some things about it - chatting with friends, and having a home base, for example. Others didn't like it, and made it clear that I didn't change their mind. That's o.k. My favorite quote of the bunch was this: "It lowkey spiked my cortisol levels."

I don't want to spike anyone's cortisol levels, so I'm letting y'all know now that I've asked for the locks to be taken off ALL the lockers next year, and students will be expected to keep their backpacks, lunchboxes, etc. in their lockers during class and NOT tote all their belongings around with them all day. Backpacks will not be allowed in the locker rooms. Teachers will have their own unique rules for their classrooms, but most will not be allowing backpacks anymore. Again, this will be new for the kids, and we will need to teach them how the lockers work and the rules about lockers, but we will do that and within a few years they won't remember it was ever any other way.

Bell Schedule This summer, the state legislature passed a new law requiring public schools to have a "moment of silence" every morning. Also, the school district is taking a serious look at bus routes, drop-off times, bussing protocol in general. I am already making adjustments to our bell schedule to accommodate the mandatory moment of silence, and anticipate needing to make changes because of bussing. Please note - I'm not making BIG changes, just minor ones. We will continue to have our A, A, B, C, D day schedule, but the times will almost certainly change. The school day might start a bit earlier and/or get out a bit later. Lunch times might change by a minute or two. I'll have the new schedule out to everyone before the school year starts, I promise.

Staffing: We will have a few new faces here at MMS next year.

Ms. Trish Borchers, our front office secretary, is retiring this year and moving to the Washington coast with her husband. We will miss her so much, but wish her and Brian the best retirement ever! Ms. Rachel Lambert will be joining our team of "office ladies" and we are excited to get to work with her.

Ms. Sell, our 8th grade science teacher, is moving to the opposite coast...she is moving to New Jersey. Her significant other, Ian, has a position at Princeton and she is moving there to join him. We are sad to see her leave, but we wish her nothing but the best. We have a new science teacher, Mr. Brandon Hoyt. Mr. Hoyt lives here in Moscow, but has been driving to Lewiston to teach 8th grade science at Jenifer Middle School. I felt a little bit bad about stealing him...for a second...but then I got over it. 😁I feel lucky to have found an experienced and kid-centered teacher right here in Moscow, and he is excited to be joining us and to be working in the same district where his kids will be going to school.

Ms. Beiker, who has been working here for a couple of years as our intervention and typing teacher, was hired as the new director at Moscow Charter School. We are currently in the process of hiring her replacement and wish her well on her new adventures in administration!

Mr. Thorsteinson, our orchestra teacher, has accepted a full-time orchestra teaching position in Minnesota and will be moving there this summer. Our current band and choir teacher, Ms. Yenne, will be taking on the Orchestra class, so there won't be a new face in the music room...but the orchestra students will have a new teacher. Ms. Yenne is a fabulous music teacher and our orchestra program, is in good hands!

Ms. Headtke is leaving us and returning to the elementary level to teach 5th grade at McDonald Elementary. We have shuffled some things around in our English Department and will be moving forward with five teachers - Ms. Golightly, Ms. Faircloth, Ms. Scripter, Ms. Bird, and Ms. Van Arsdel.

Get ready for an awesome summer opportunity!

The Moscow School District Community Schools program is excited to offer a free summer camp for students entering Grades 6–9 during the 2026–2027 school year. In partnership with Idaho Digital Learning Alliance (IDLA), Everyone Can Create Camp will give students the chance to combine creativity, technology, and the outdoors in a fun and engaging way.

Throughout the camp, students will explore digital drawing, digital photography, digital music creation, and digital filmmaking while using a variety of technology tools in nature-based settings. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to create, collaborate, and try new forms of digital expression!

The camp will take place July 21–23 from 8:00–11:00 a.m. in the Moscow High School cafeteria as well as East City Park. Space is limited to just 40 students, so registration will be first come, first served. Students will also have the opportunity to walk to the free summer lunch program at Lena Whitmore after each camp day.

We cannot wait to see students create amazing things this summer! Please use the link below or the QR code on the flyer to register!

Everyone Can Create Summer Camp Registration

Join the Coding the Future summer day-camp hosted by the University of Idaho College of Engineering in Moscow! This summer, middle school camps will incorporate hands-on programming, NASA coding projects, and aerospace flight activities for the participants to learn coding skills, physics, math, and problem solving through fun, interactive projects. Participants will learn visual coding languages through MIT's easy-to-use Scratch program. Join our 9:00am-3:00pm Monday-Thursday day camp June 15-18, 2026!

And here is a link to register:

https://futurevandals.uidaho.edu/register/moscow-middlecodingthefuture

Next Week

Tuesday -8th Grade Get Away Day

Wednesday - End of Year Assembly and Fun Day

Wednesday - last day of school - release time 1:30 PM

Thursday - Silverwood trip for 8th graders sponsored by the PST