Mustang News for February 7, 2021
It was great to see so many families at our Family Coffee on Thursday. Our counseling team shared a lot of information about registration. If you were unable to join us on Thursday, you can review the presentation information here: Registration Information Sessions. They will be working with students in the coming weeks to complete the registration process. The counseling team will hold a meeting specifically for 8th grade families on February 18th.
All students will continue with remote learning this week and it will be a full week of live classes. Martin students will return to in person learning on Wednesday, February 17th, with Cohort 2/B and our Regional Program students coming to the building for learning. All other students will be remote. There are no live meets on Monday, February 15 and Tuesday, February 16th.
From the Counselors: Last week marked National School Counselor Week. Please see this thank you from Ms. Leech, Ms. Hicks and Ms. Rowell.
Students will participate in Second Step lessons this week. Students are encouraged to check in with their enrichment teachers to receive specifics. All 6th grade students will have their lesson on Thursday. Topics and potential dinner conversation questions are:
- 6th grade: Managing Your Emotions. Family table conversations: What are some tools our family uses to calm down or cool off when we are upset.
- 7th grade: Reframing Unhelpful Thoughts. Family table conversations: How do we know if our thoughts are helping or hurting our decision making? Can we reframe our thoughts?
- 8th grade: Strategies for Managing Stress. Family table conversations: What strategies does our family use to manage our stress?
Love Your Library: Love is in the air! And LOVE YOUR LIBRARY is right around the corner. From February 8th - 14th Martin families can help grow our school library's collection by donating popular fiction and nonfiction titles for youth and young adults. Choose a book or two from the Media Center's Amazon Wishlist and have the books delivered directly to school. It couldn’t be easier to show your love for MMS!
Black History Month Resources: February is Black History Month. Teachers will be discussing elements of black history in their daily lessons. We also have some unique opportunities for our Martin students.
- Arts students will be learning about black artists and composers. The final product of this study will be released in March.
We will share weekly celebrations and ideas through our parent updates this month. This week, our Careers teacher, Ms. Baxley has researched some of our locally owned black businesses.
Mural Update: Work on our Mustangs Unite Mural has started! We need more artwork! See the attached slideshow for examples and start sending in those mural pieces!
National Junior Honor Society: Are you interested in being a member of the National Junior Honor Society? This organization focuses on academic excellence, service and leadership. If you are interested, complete the interest form. For questions, email Ms. Bonham West, rwest2@wcpss.net.
Wake Forest University Summer Exploration Program: The WFU Summer Exploration Program provides current 6th- 8th graders with the opportunity to explore the world of STEM while learning more about Wake Forest University. Middle School students can explore on-campus (pending future public health guidance) or online in one of our five new and exciting STEM-themed Adventures while receiving mentorship from Wake Forest staff and undergraduate students.
Our Adventure Options Include:
WFU is currently accepting applications for Summer 2021. Students can apply online here. Please reach out to Lizzy Randolph, Program Manager, with any questions. She can be reached at (980) 224-9281 or via email at randole@wfu.edu.
Meal Benefits Registration: Please consider applying for meal benefits by Feb 26. For every student that turns in the free and reduced lunch application and qualifies, the school receives federal funds that benefit the student and teachers at the school. These funds provide additional teachers and staff for the school which means more services for students, especially students that are struggling in reading or math. These funds also are used for materials and supplies for students and teachers. These are valuable resources that teachers can use to improve student achievement.
Yes, meals will still be free for all students through June 2021 but we still need you to complete a meal benefits application so our school can be eligible for this extra funding next year. Information about applying for Meal Benefits for the 2020-21 school year can be found at www.wcpss.net/Page/1849. Help our school continue to receive this funding by completing an application online at MySchoolApps.com. Paper applications can be requested by calling 919-588-3535.
From the PTA:
Join Us for our Next PTA Parent Chat with Dr. Emily King:
Building Resilience amid Emotional Fatigue - Thursday, 2/11 at 8:00am
We're dealing with a lot right now, and so are our students... COVID, current events, the absence of normal routines. Thankfully, there are skills for coping with these trying times. Dr. Emily King, a local child and adolescent psychologist who joined us in the fall, is coming back to lead our next PTA Parent Chat: Building Resilience in the Midst of Emotional Fatigue. Register for the Zoom meeting here.
Last Call for Mural Tiles: We would love to have every student's handiwork represented in our Mustangs Unite mural. If you haven't done so already, please mail your student's painted paper tile in the envelope that was provided at supply pickup. We need those ASAP! This is such a fun project, and we can't wait to see it come together!
Have a wonderful Sunday evening.
