Mustang News for February 14, 2021
We hope you are staying warm and dry and enjoying an extended weekend. Martin will be closed to students on Monday for Presidents’ Day and Tuesday for a Teacher Workday. Classes will resume on Wednesday morning.
For those on Plan A/B/C, Cohort 2/Cohort B will return to in-person learning on Wednesday. Below are a few reminders about in-person learning:
- Students should stay home if they are not feeling well and follow the Guidelines for Returning to School.
- All students will be screened prior to entering the building.
- Students riding school transportation must have a Bus Attestation form completed.
- All members of the school community must practice the 3 Ws at all times; Wear a mask, Wait 6ft. apart, Wash hands frequently.
- While eating lunch, students will be seated 6ft. apart, face the same direction, and refrain from socializing while they are not wearing a mask. Additionally, masks are to be put back on as soon as they are done eating.
- Student Accountability and Health Protocols are to be reviewed and completed and submitted.
On behalf of the entire Martin staff, I would like to thank our community for “stocking the lounge” and providing much appreciated snacks to the staff. It was a nice way to welcome our staff back to campus as they both taught and readied the building for the return to in-learning.
Books To Go: Have you run out of good books to read? Try your Martin Library Media Center! We have a wide variety of fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, and ebooks to choose from. How do you access all this library goodness? Go to the Follett Destiny icon in your Wake ID portal. You can reserve books online and pick them up from school, or you can check out ebooks from the comfort of your couch. See the library media center's Books to Go webpage for details: https://bit.ly/BookstoGo
Black History Month Resources: February is Black History Month. Teachers will be discussing elements of black history in their daily lessons. This week, we will highlight Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We have included information detailing the history and impact of HBCUs.
Student Council News: Student Council is now hosting Yoga and Meditation Sessions. They will be in lunch, enrichment, or other times of the day on Wednesdays(Only asynchronous) or on Friday(During 6th grade lunch or enrichment). You are not required to do yoga or meditation; you may just talk. We do encourage you to come to the sessions and if even more possible do yoga and meditation! We are also encouraging teachers to come and support our sessions! Any further questions? Please email ajaligama@students.wcpss.net (Abhinav Jaligama) for more information on this.
Yoga Form Link: https://forms.gle/WdpCKrxPTxSxFNU77
Student Council Website link: https://sites.google.com/wcpss.net/martinstudentcouncil/home
8th Grade Students: We will hold a Registration Meeting for our 8th grade families (rising
9th graders) on February 18th. Please mark your calendar for one of the two sessions.
Morning session: 8-9am meet.google.com/dga-nhct-gru
Afternoon session: 5-6pm meet.google.com/ycu-pxbc-hru
Career Connections for 8th Graders: Calling all 8th graders! Don't miss Career Connections on Wednesday, 2/24 (a remote learning day.) Students will be able to choose from a variety of career related workshops for the first session. Then, at 11:00, they will meet virtually with industry professionals to learn more about what they do. Registration is required via your student's WakeID account. Get more info on the Career Connections event here.
German Day Competition: Congratulations to Karina Byzek and Savannah Lesser, students in Ms. Bartley’s German class, for placing 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in the T-Shirt Design contest during the virtual German Day competition.
Athletics: The registration window for participation in athletics is now open. The first season begins on February 22nd. Please contact Mr. Basaldu, jbasaldu@wcpss.net, or visit the Martin Athletics Website, for more details or any questions.
Community Circles: Community circles are social emotional tools used throughout Wake County. If you are interested in learning more about community circles, check out this flyer for more information.
Registration: Elective registration is right around the corner! In an effort to help to prepare for registration, we will be highlighting new and exciting elective opportunities for our students. This is a great time to begin looking through the course catalogue so that you are aware of everything that we offer at Martin!
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:
Love Your Library ends Today! Don't forget to show your love for the Martin media center! Love Your Library ends this today (February 14, 2021) and we’ve still got dozens of books on the wish list. Donate books by visiting the Media Center's Amazon Wish List.
PTA Parent Chat: Dr. Emily King, March 4th @ 8am: Dr. Emily King, a licensed school psychologist with a private practice in Raleigh, will join us again on March 4th to answer parent questions. It’s a great opportunity to get your questions answered and hear from other parents about their concerns and solutions. Register for the meeting link here.
Have a wonderful Sunday evening.