We hope each of you had a wonderful Winter Break. Looking back on 2020, I am in awe of the work our entire community did to support learning for all students in an unprecedented time. I am grateful for the support of our families for both students and teachers through remote and blended learning. I love the energy students bring to the classroom, both in person and virtually. I am proud of the flexibility and creativity of the teachers in developing engaging instructional activities for each student.  I am thankful to be part of the Mustang Family and am looking forward to all that 2021 has to offer. May the new year bring health, happiness and growth for all.

As a reminder, Martin will operate in remote learning for the last two weeks of the quarter and all students will learn from home. Live instruction will happen each day and students are expected to login to each teacher’s Meet as well as check Google Classroom and Canvas for assignments, etc. Wednesday, January 6th, will be an asynchronous learning day for all students. The semester does end on January 15th and students should check their PowerSchool account for current grades as well as communicate with their teachers about the final day to submit assignments.

We will have our 3rd Quarter Supply Pick Up on January 13th. This is a change from what was communicated prior to Winter Break. The change was necessary to allow ELA materials to be distributed to students. 

Mustangs Unite: We are excited to announce a schoolwide Cultural Arts project, Mustangs Unite Mural. All students will be given the supplies necessary to create a portion of the mural along with the instructions for the project at the supply pick up on January 13th. Additionally, the artists we are partnering with will host Google Meets to discuss the project with all students. Be on the lookout for more information in the coming days.

Cohort Assignments: Cohort assignments for students who are moving from Virtual Academy to Plan A/B/C have been made and families will receive their assignment letters by Friday via email and text. If you do not receive the assignment notification by the end of the week, please let us know.

January Family Coffee: We will have a Family Coffee on Thursday, January 7th, at 8am and 4pm. The Meet link will be posted on the website on Wednesday.

Semester 2 Changes: Counselors are working on adjusting schedules for students moving to or from Plan A/B/C and the administrators are assigning cohorts to students moving to Plan A/B/C. While we will minimize the movement to the extent possible, students should anticipate some changes to their schedules. We will notify you when both are finalized.

All P.E. classes will be titled Sports Variety for Spring Semester. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions on physical education classes, we have had to adjust our offerings to include only classes that encompass a variety of sport skills, as well as some fitness/wellness aspects. This is to ensure every student receives the most comprehensive experience from their P.E. electives.  

To provide the best experience possible while maintaining safety protocols we will be unable to provide our typical “one-sport specific” classes, such as skating or archery, etc. for the 2020-21 school year. Instead we will be covering a wide variety of activities in all of the P.E. electives for the Spring Semester.

All visual arts courses will be titled Foundations of Art for Spring Semester. This class provides an opportunity for students to explore a variety of art-making experiences.  Students use the Elements of Art and Principles of Design to create meaningful, personal art.  They will examine the works of artists and the value of developing and understanding their own creative process.  They will have the opportunity to work with a variety of different materials, processes and tools.  A fresh take on learning the basics with all new projects each quarter.  A great foundation for any future art course! 

From CASS: Are you receiving weekly family communication from our CASS team? If you are not, please contact your student’s grade level counselor to be certain you are on their listserv. 

From the PTA:

Choose MMS for Amazon Smile

When you choose to support Martin PTA through Amazon Smile, a portion of every purchase you make benefits our staff and students. So far this year, that total is over $240! Click here to make MMS PTA your beneficiary. 

Have a wonderful Sunday evening.