MESSMORE MESSENGER COMMUNICATION

Our mission in Utica Community Schools ignites a passion for learning in all students. We strengthen our community by welcoming all learners, honoring culture, and inspiring remarkable growth and achievement.

SCHOOL HOURS: 8:30-3:20 DAILY

HALF-DAY HOURS: 8:30-11:34

BREAKFAST OPENS @ 8:10-8:25

email: mailto:officemessmore@uticak12.org

website: https://messmore.uticak12.org

Location: 8742 Dill Drive, Sterling Heights, MI 48312

Phone: 586-797-5600

Attendance Line: 586-797-5699 (24 hours)

OCTOBER:

October 29: 5th Grade DIA Field Trip

October 29: 3/4 WAX MUSEUM

October 30: Half-Day of School HALLOWEEN Celebration! Dismissal at 11:34

October 30: Parties (communicated by Teachers) PARADE @ 11:07 outside. Line the playground near the grass and our students will be parading from door 5 around the front of the building.

October 30: SCIENCE OLYMPIAD APPLICATIONS DEADLINE, grades 3-6

NOVEMBER:

3: NO SCHOOL Due to Election Day Professional Development

18: PICTURE RETAKE DAY

25-27: NO SCHOOL THANKSGIVING BREAK

Messmore Families-

A very special thank you, once again, to our outstanding parent/community and the MMA for hosting a wonderful Trunk or Treat last week! We also wanted to say thank you to all those families who have been donating their time in classrooms and/or volunteering to chaperone on field trips. Your time and commitment to our school never goes unnoticed. THANK YOU!

WEEK AHEAD REMINDERS:

• October 29th: DIA FIELD TRIP 5th graders

• October 30th: HALF DAY OF SCHOOL, Dismissal at 11:34

• October 30th: Halloween Parade at 11:07 OUTSIDE. If it is raining, we will parade through the gym. You do not need to sign in with Raptor if you are viewing our parade outside.

• October 30th: Halloween parties-see teachers for communications. Volunteer background check must be completed. Thank you.

With gratitude and peace,

Principal Ciacchella

Students in Mrs. Baker's class and Mrs. Papadelis' loved learning with Mr. Bones during their ELA-CKLA unit that taught them all about their bodies: from their heads to their toes!

Next week, we will be celebrating Halloween at Messmore! Thank you to our families for helping to keep this a Messmore Peaceful celebration. As a reminder, party times will be communicated from classroom teachers. We do have specials in the morning on this very special half-day! Just a reminder, dismissal is at 11:34.

DISMISSAL is AT 11:34:

• Should our parade end early, we are asking our families to please wait until the dismissal time at 11:34, to avoid any early dismissals, if possible. Thank you for your help with this matter!

PARADE ROUTE: 11:05 START TIME

• The parade route will be OUTSIDE.
• We will begin by exiting the building outside door 5 AFTER 11:05.
• Please stand on the edge of the blacktop around back, leaving space between the brick building and yourselves for the parade to walk through. Thank you.

PARTY INFORMATION: Please look to your child's classroom teacher regarding information on this.

• If you are here to volunteer for the party, you will need to sign in with RAPTOR.

COSTUME INFORMATION: Thank you for keeping this peaceful and friendly and school appropriate!

• No fake blood
• No fake/real weapons
• Scary masks are not permitted.
• DRESS CODE APPLIES-(please be mindful of school appropriate clothing). Thank you!

Dear Messmore Families,

At Messmore Elementary, we believe that every day is an opportunity for growth, connection, and learning. Consistent school attendance and arriving on time help our students feel prepared, connected to their classroom communities, and ready to begin their day successfully. We appreciate your partnership in supporting these important routines.

Arriving on Time: A Peaceful Start to the Day

Our school day officially begins at 8:30 a.m. We encourage all families to make every effort to arrive by 8:25 a.m. so students can settle in, connect with their classroom community, and participate fully in the learning opportunities that begin at the start of the school day. Establishing consistent morning routines helps foster independence, responsibility, and a peaceful transition into learning.

Student Wellness: When to Keep Your Child Home (see page 48 of handbook)

The health and well-being of our students and staff remain a priority. If your child is ill, please keep them home to rest and recover. As a reminder:

• Fever: Students must be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning to school.

• Vomiting: Students should remain home until they have gone 24 hours without vomiting, without medication masking symptoms, and are well enough to participate in the school day.

We appreciate your help in preventing the spread of illness and maintaining a healthy learning environment for everyone.

Medical Documentation and Absences

If your child has an illness or medical appointment and you provide documentation from their healthcare provider, please submit the doctor's note to the school office. Qualifying absences may be reviewed and reclassified from excused absences to medical absences in accordance with district procedures. Medical absences documented and classified according to district policy are not counted toward the 10-day absence allowance. Please contact the office if you have questions about documentation or how an absence will be recorded.

Family Vacations and Extended Absences

We understand that family time and travel can be meaningful experiences. However, regular school attendance is essential to maintaining academic progress, classroom connections, and continuity of learning. We encourage families to plan vacations and extended trips around the school calendar whenever possible.

Before scheduling an extended absence, please review Utica Community Schools Board Policy 5115 and the Student Code of Conduct, Attendance section beginning on page 65. These resources outline district expectations and procedures related to attendance, extended absences, and family vacations. Families are encouraged to communicate with the school office in advance regarding any anticipated extended absence and to understand how it may affect their child's attendance record and educational progress.

Please see the district policy and Student Code of Conduct for additional information and guidance.

Thank you for your continued partnership, understanding, and commitment to our Messmore Mavericks. Together, we can help every student develop the habits of responsibility, independence, and lifelong learning that support success both inside and outside the classroom.

With appreciation,

Messmore Elementary

Please see an important message for our families from our Science Olympiad Head Coach.

Dear Parents,

We are in the process of forming our 2027 Messmore Science Olympiad team and if you are interested in learning more about this event please fill out this form 2027 Messmore Science Olympiad Team Application – Fill out form or scan the QR code attached. Please submit your form by Friday, October 30th.

The 2027 tournament will be held on Saturday, May 15th (a whole-day event) at Macomb Community College (South Campus) in Warren.

Visit the Science Olympiad website for more details: https://macombso.org/index.php/about-us.

MESSMORE APPLICATION: 2027 Messmore Science Olympiad Team Application

Sincerely,

Sanjay Oommen

Raffael Oommen

Messmore Science Olympiad Head Coach

The Multilingual Learner Program will host an ONLINE informational parent meeting on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 beginning at 5:00pm. Please see the attached information.

This week, our Mavericks will be focusing on Peaceful expectations following Community Awareness and Cultural Awareness. Keep up the graceful and peaceful work, Mavericks!

Safety remains a priority for our school. Elementary is once again providing training to our students on our safety protocols. The protocols identify actions that students may be asked to take in the event of a potential incident: hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate and shelter.

The training is provided through a short, animated video. In the video, the teacher – Mrs. Appleton – and her students walk through the different responses in a very relaxed and engaging way for younger children. The script was written by our staff.

The protocols will continue to be part of the training while practicing our regular school safety drills, such as fire drills, security drills, tornado drills, evacuation procedures, etc.

The video is available for you to review at this link: UCS School Safety: Standard Response Protocol - Elementary - YouTube If you have any questions, please contact our office.

We are asking for your support to help keep our students safe.

• All visitors to the classroom areas of our school are now being asked to swipe their driver’s license or government issued ID before entering the main part of our building. This swipe will quickly provide an updated check against national sex offender registries. This process is for anyone who is going past our school office for any reason.

• If you are planning to volunteer in our classrooms or work directly with a student, you will need to have a volunteer background form on file. The form is located at this link. The background check involves multiple state and federal law enforcement data bases.

· apps.raptortech.com/Apply/OTQ4Mjplbi1VUw==

We greatly appreciate the involvement of our families and the difference you make at Messmore Elementary. Thank you for your partnership with this extra step that will improve safety in our school.

From UCS:

"Meals for the 2026-27 School Year are Free for All UCS Students!

All UCS families are asked to complete the Education Benefits form Here - enter "Utica Community Schools" and follow the prompts. These forms help maintain our Title 1 funding as well as other essential funding for our schools. It can also help reduce fees for pay-to-play sports, lower internet costs, reduced AP/college application fees and more!

Most online forms are processed within two (2) working days compared to 10 using paper applications. Paper copies of these forms are distributed to all student households or are available at your child’s school.

Complete the forms and return them to your child’s school or mail them to: Utica Community Schools, Food & Nutrition Services, 11303 Greendale, Sterling Heights, MI 48312."

MEAL MAGIC ACCOUNT:

Families that wish to put money in their students’ Meal Magic account(s) via credit card will need to create a Family Portal account. Please go to https://utica.familyportal.cloud to create the account. This is also where parents can fill out the Educational Benefit Forms (EBF). Menus can still be found online at https://uticak12.nutrislice.com .

1. August 14, 2026 Messmore Messenger
2. August 21, 2026 Messmore Messenger
3. August 28, 2026 Messmore Messenger
4. September 4, 2026 Messmore Messenger
5. September 11, 2026 Messmore Messenger
6. September 18, 2026 Messmore Messenger
7. September 25, 2026 Messmore Messenger
8. October 2, 2026 Messmore Messenger
9. October 9, 2026 Messmore Messenger
10. October 16, 2026 Messmore Messenger

Principal of Messmore Elementary School

Email: messmorequestions@uticak12.org
Website: https://www.uticak12.org/Messmore
Location: 8742 Dill Drive, Sterling Heights, MI, 48312 USA
Phone: (586)797-5600
Facebook: facebook.com/Messmore