Hello Mustang families. This is Marla Mondora with our weekly update.

Thursday and Friday presented us all with a great deal of information regarding the next steps for Martin and for all Wake County Public Schools. On Thursday, guidelines surrounding grading were presented by the State Board of Education. The district will review those guidelines and provide directions for the schools. Once we have more information for what the guidelines mean for Martin, we will share them and their implications with our families.

Friday brought the announcement by Governor Cooper that school buildings would remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. Martin students and teachers will continue to learn and teach as we have since the start of school closure. We encourage all students to make up any assignments that were due prior to the start of closure. The focus of remote learning will continue to be engagement and feedback while providing the flexibility families need. While students may not be able to attend the live sessions, the pre-recorded instruction and the learning tasks are and will continue to be available throughout the rest of the school year. Students are encouraged to engage in all instructional activities.

A couple of reminders about Remote Learning. The Martin website has a warehouse of information to support remote learning, beyond just the daily schedule. The page is linked in the announcement banner near the top of the website. We update and add to this information on a regular basis. Students need to use their Wake ID Portal and their WCPSS email to connect with learning and teachers. Not using the Wake ID Portal prevents students from accessing all parts of Remote Learning. Please ask your student to see the work being completed and the feedback being shared. As always, email your student’s teachers, counselor, or administrator if you have questions.

We know that the building being closed for the remainder of the year has left all of us wondering if we will be able to pick up what we left in lockers and classrooms as well as how to turn in uniforms and books. I do not have answers to those questions yet, but we will develop and share a plan with you as soon as possible.

North Carolina approved the distribution of additional resources to families receiving free or reduced-price lunch. The additional benefits will be through the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (P-EBT) to help families buy food during the COVID-19 school closure. Learn more about the P-EBT program on the NC DHHS website.

We realize that many families’ economic and employment situations have changed during this pandemic. Families can apply at any time for free or reduced-price lunch, which may also qualify them for other state and federal benefits. Visit www.wcpss.net/meals to apply.

A note from the PTA: Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is right around the corner and the PTA needs your help! Please take a moment to share your appreciation by completing the statement, “I wish the staff at Martin knew…” Maybe it is “… how much I miss the pizza in the cafeteria.” Or “…that I love the weekly challenge!” Jot your response on notebook paper, construction paper, or a post-it (anything will work, it does not have to be fancy) and snap a picture. Feel free to jump in the shot (staff misses seeing all those friendly faces). Or include only the note. We would love to hear from parents and students! When you’re ready, upload the pictures through this link: https://bit.ly/MMSStaff.

Finally, I was holding out hope that we would be back to school this year so I could collaborate with the PTA on hosting a Parent Coffee to introduce myself and get to know families in a face to face setting. While that will not be possible before the end of the academic year, I would still like to introduce myself to families in a virtual setting. Please complete the linked if you would be interested in participating in a Virtual Parent Coffee.

Have a wonderful afternoon and a fantastic week.