We had a wonderful week on The Ranch last week, even if we had to leave early one day because of the rain! Schools have a different level of energy when students are in the building. 

 

This week, we welcome back to in-person learning our Mustangs who are in Cohort A/1. CohortB/2 and Cohort C/3 will remain in remote learning this week. All students will learn remotely on November 23rd and 24th. School will be closed November 25th through 27th for the Thanksgiving holiday. Cohort B/2 returns on November 30th.

 

Spring Virtual Academy: Email confirmation letters were sent to families on Friday who changed their 2nd semester plan to Virtual Academy. Only families who were Plan A/B/C or were registered for fall only Virtual Academy and opted for Virtual Academy for the spring semester received a letter. Please contact Mr. Kimbro if you have questions about 2nd semester placement.

 

School Pictures: We have additional opportunities for students to have their pictures taken for the yearbook. All students in Plan A/B/C will have their pictures taken while in school. All students in Virtual Academy will have their pictures taken on a Remote Learning Day. The schedule is as follows:

December 3rd Cohort B/3

December 10th Cohort C/1

December 16th Virtual Academy Students

December 17th Cohort A/1

For questions, please contact Ms. Thomas, our yearbook advisor.

 

November is National Career Development Month: Start your career development journey by asking other adults about their careers: Best job ever? Worst job ever? Best thing about my current job? Worst thing about my current job? What would their dream job be and why? Click here for information about an art contest from Ms. Baxley, our Career Development Coordinator. Questions? You can email Ms. Baxley at sbaxley@wcpss.net

 

Reminders for In-Person Learning: Students should remain at home if they are not feeling well. Please do not send your student to school if he/she is not feeling well. Students who are sent home from school due to illness will need to remain at home for 14 days or unless they  receive confirmation of an alternate diagnosis or a negative PCR/Molecular test. Additionally, all students in the household will be required to remain home for the same duration. Students who are at home can continue to engage in learning remotely.

 

All students who are riding WCPSS transportation must complete the Bus Attestation Form, either electronically or hard copy prior to riding WCPSS transportation. The link to the form can be found here. Families are encouraged to continue to review the Return to Campus Checklist and  Return to Campus Guide for Families. This document is updated routinely.

 

All students will be screened prior to entering the building. Carpool students will remain in their cars until successfully completing the screening process. Families, please do not drop your student off near campus to walk to the building. You must drive them through the carpool lane. 

 

As a reminder, while in the cafeteria for breakfast and lunch, students will sit socially distanced and facing the same direction. Students will not be allowed to talk while their masks are off and they are eating. Students eating breakfast will be dismissed from the cafeteria to 1st period when they are done eating. Students will not stay in the cafeteria once they are done eating breakfast.

 

Students are encouraged to bring either their WCPSS Chromebook or personal device and powerchord to use during the day. Additionally, students should bring a water bottle, their ELA novel and math and ELA workbooks, paper, pens/pencils and agenda. Because we will not issue lockers this year, students will want to have a backpack to carry their belongings. Clothes for physical education and dance classes will not be needed as locker rooms are closed.

 

All staff and students are required to wear a face covering while on campus and WCPSS transportation. Students are encouraged to have a spare face covering if theirs become damp or falls to the ground.

 

Frequent hand washing and/or hand sanitizing is expected, as is maintaining a safe distance from others. 

 

Reminder - Revised Daily Schedule: Please take a moment to review the Revised Daily Bell Schedule and make adjustments to at home routines. All students, those in Virtual Academy and those in Plan A/B/C will follow this schedule.

 

District Asynchronous Learning Days: Wednesday, November 18th, is a District Asynchronous Learning Day. This is an instructional day, attendance will be taken in each class and students will have instructional activities to complete. To be counted present, students should login to Google Classroom and complete the assignment posted for the day. The time of day for logging in is flexible and students do not have to follow the bell schedule. If you are unclear on the assignment that is posted, please reach out to the teacher for clarification. Again, Wednesday is an instructional day for all students.

 

 

From WCPSS: Effective immediately, if a WCPSS student or employee does not pass the health screening or if they stay home or are sent home because they are experiencing a symptom of illness, their household members must also stay home. This means that any WCPSS student or employee living in the same house must quarantine for 14 days. The household members may return sooner than 14 days if the person experiencing a symptom of illness receives confirmation of an alternate diagnosis or a negative PCR/Molecular test.

 

 

FYI: Funding available for families impacted by remote learning

To help support families impacted by remote learning, Wake County Government has launched a new assistance program called WakeSUPPORTS.  WakeSUPPORTS provides funding to working parents, so they can afford to pay for their K-8th grade student to attend virtual school at a safe location with reliable oversight, or receive before and after school care. It also can pay for fees that accompany subsidized childcare for families who meet specific income criteria.

 

 

From the PTA: PTA Parent Chat: Internet and Social Media Safety for Teens - December 3rd @ 7:30am

Concerned about keeping your student safe on cell phones and online? Join us for our next virtual PTA Parent Chat on December 3rd from 7:30-8:30am. Natalie Wood, from NC DOJ, will join us to talk about Internet and Tech safety for teens. Register now for the Zoom link!

 

Attention Amazon Shoppers: Support Martin PTA through Amazon Smile!

This is one of those super easy ways to give back! When you choose to support Martin PTA through Amazon Smile, a portion of every purchase you make benefits our staff and students. Click here to make MMS PTA your beneficiary. 

 

 

Follow Martin PTA on socials!

Instagram:@martinmiddleschoolpta

Facebook: Martin Magnet Middle School PTA

Twitter: @MartinMiddleSchoolPTA

PTA website www.MartinMiddleSchoolPTA.org

 

Thank you, Martin families, for helping us maintain a safe learning environment for all our Mustangs! Have a wonderful Sunday evening.