It's a Great Day to be a Brave!
Principal’s Message
Dear MMS Families,
Winter Break gives us a chance to reflect on past events, appreciate what we have in front of us, and make plans for an even better future. Our teachers have worked incredibly hard to move our students along the Pathway to Progress in order to prepare them for their bright futures. We sincerely appreciate the support and words of encouragement for our community as we meet the challenges of educating our students. The efforts of our families, our staff, and our students will lead to an even better Mascoutah community for all of our families.
When we return in January, we will do so with our batteries charged and with the hopes of positive changes that make our lives safer and healthier. Celebrations are so important. Please remember to celebrate all the good things you have in your lives. Sending you warm holiday wishes from our families to yours!
Remember it's always a great day to be a BRAVE!
Sincerely,
Travis Klein, Principal
IMPACT AID FORMS due by December 3 (only 193 more to go!) Each student needs to return a form.
We ask that you complete the form by December 3, 2021, and return it per the directions provided by your child’s building administration. The data collected from this form will be used in the District’s Impact Aid Funding application as a substantial portion of our yearly funding comes from impact aid. We ask that all families complete this form so we can have accurate representation for the District.
MMS Upcoming Events
12/3 - St. Clair County Judges Cyber Safety Assembly- Letter to Parents
12/6 - 12/10 - Students will be taking their Star Winter Tests (Please do not schedule appointments this week)
12/9 - Chorus Concert at 7pm (Mascoutah High School)
12/10 - Band Concert at 7pm (Mascoutah Middle School)
12/17 - End of the Quarter, Talent Show (1/2 Day for Students - dismiss at 10:45am)
12/17 (PM) - 12/31 - WINTER BREAK
1/3/2022 - 3rd Quarter Begins
Winter STAR Testing
MMS will be administering our Winter STAR 360, having already administered the Fall this past September, the week of December 6th. Please have students here on their test days. Additionally we offer the following test taking tips to ensure the greatest success on this STAR 360 assessment:
Go to bed early and get a good night’s sleep the day before the assessment
Eat a good and nutritious breakfast
Bring a fully charged Chromebook to school
While testing:
Stay focused but relaxed
Pace yourself and do not rush
Reread and review your answers
Practice the skills you have been taught
Do your best!
Students and families will receive their scores once all testing is complete and prior to the Winter Break. Thank you for your support in our assessment efforts. We are very excited to see our students demonstrate their academic excellence and proficiency.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your student’s Math or ELA teacher, or contact me directly at dulcamarap@msd19.org
Office News
Thank you for your support with the Fall fundraiser. With your help, we raised over $9,600 to help fund our PBIS program!
Attendance and Absences
Please contact the office beckerl@msd19.org or call 618-566-2305 if your child will be absent. Please call by 8:30 AM.
When it comes to being at school - every day matters. Please make sure your child comes to school each day that school is in session unless they are truly ill, quarantined or there is a legitimate family emergency / medical appointment. Please see the Student Handbook for more information (pgs 5-7). Both excused and unexcused absences have a negative impact on student learning and health.
Being tardy to school adds up and has a cumulative impact on a loss of learning time, as does being late for class. If your student is having difficulty making it to school on time or the morning is stressful trying to rush out the door, try having your child get up five or ten minutes earlier. Also, keep in mind that students can eat breakfast at school for free. Don’t let breakfast at home impact your student arriving on time. Being tardy not only impacts your child’s learning but it can be an interruption to instruction when students enter class tardy after instruction has begun.
We are continuing to have an increase in students coming to school late and we need parental assistance.
First half of the First Quarter - 96% of students came to school on time
Second half of the first quarter that dropped to 94>#/p###
Now at the end of the first half of the Second Quarter only 89>#/b### of students are making it to school on time
We must all work together to lower the numbers of students who have an issued with Chronic Absenteeism (being absent 10% of the time - both excused and unexcused absences), Truancy (being absent 5% of the time - unexcused absences only) or being Tardy to school and/or class.
Please help your child make it to school on time. After the first phone call home, usually at the 3rd unexcused tardy to school, a 3 Day Lunch Detention is assigned. After that students receive an After School Detention per unexcused tardy to school.
December Word of the Month
Each month we introduce a different character trait to students. The December word of the month is Service: Extending time & effort to help others
PTO
We currently have spirit wear items available for purchase in the office. Hoodies are $25 and t-shirts are $10.
Next PTO meeting is Wednesday, December 1st, at 7pm in the library. All are welcome! Babysitting will be available.
Looking to volunteer with the PTO? Email us at haasml@msd19.org
Wear your purple every Friday to show your school spirit!
Homework Lab
Homework lab takes place from 2:45 to 3:30 every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and is open to any student in need of a quiet, supervised place to complete school work. Students wishing to stay for Homework Lab should report to the homework lab classroom for their team at 2:45. Once in the homework lab classroom, students will not be dismissed until 3:30. Students staying for Homework Lab must be picked up promptly at 3:30. Transportation after Homework Lab is not provided by the district. Questions about homework lab should be directed to assistant principal, Karen Mulvihillor your child’s homeroom teacher.
Chromebooks
Students need to bring their Chromebooks to school fully charged. There are opportunities to charge at breakfast and lunch but students are asked to charge each night at home so it comes to school fully charged.
Arrival and Dismissal
Regular Day | Weds Early Release | Half Day | Late start |
Bus drop off time at 7:25 am | Drop off time at 7:25 am | Same | Drop off at 8:25 am |
Breakfast begins at 7:25 am | Breakfast begins at 7:25 am | Same | Breakfast begins at 8:25 am |
Doors open at 7:40 am | Doors open at 7:40 am | Same | Doors open at 8:40 am |
School starts at 7: 45am | School starts at 7:45 am | Same | School starts at 8:45 am |
Dismissal - 2:40 pm | Dismissal - 1:40 pm | Dismissal -10:45 am | Dismissal - 2:40 pm |
Click here for all bell schedules
Click here for Drop-Off/Pick-Up Procedure Map
Clubs and Activities
Most Clubs still have openings, please click the link to get an idea of what we all have to offer here at MMS.
Click here for the activities listing!
Sports
Mascoutah Middle School Athletic Information
Wrestling will Start on Dec. 6
Bowling will Start on Dec. 13th-14th will be boys tryouts. Dec. 15-16 will be girls tryouts.
Health/Wellness
We will continue to update you in all matters concerning Covid mitigation, exclusion protocols, or any masking regulations. Mascoutah Middle School staff are committed to keeping all students safe and following all district safety/wellness policies. Please visit our webpage.
If your child has received the covid vaccination series, please submit a copy of the immunization card to the school nurse. In the event that we need to have an exclusion due to exposure to a positive covid case, your child would be allowed to stay in school with the following stipulations:
Must wear a mask at all times (classes, PE, sports, etc).
Will eat lunch in the lunch room alcove area to allow mask removal with 6 ft social distancing
UPDATE As of 9/23/2021 - The Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) has updated some of the Covid-19 exclusion guidelines. Students who are either called in ill with covid symptoms or go home with covid symptoms, will need to submit proof of having obtained a lab collected COVID-19 test within 24 hours of absence. If the student has siblings in the district, those students do not necessarily have to be excluded immediately on the first day of the ill student's absence. If the ill student does not submit proof of having obtained the lab COVID test by the end of school the next day, then the siblings will be excluded for the remainder of the *14-day COVID-19 illness exposure exclusion.
8th Grade Parents: Just a reminder that now is a good time to call your 8th grader’s healthcare provider to schedule an appointment for a school physical for next school year. Physical examination dates are valid within one year of entry into high school. All students promoted to the 9th grade are required to have a new physical examination. Just a reminder that only the State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination form will be accepted for this requirement.
6th Grade Dental Exams: All current 6th grade students are required by the state of Illinois to have a dental exam on file with the school by May 15, 2021. You may submit the completed dental form anytime as long as the exam was done after November 15, 2019. If your child receives regular dental exams at least yearly, there is a good chance that this requirement has been completed. Dental exam forms are available through the link in blue. These can be printed and taken to your dental care provider. Please be aware that if the required dental exam is not on file with the school nurse by May 15, 2021, your child may be excluded from the end of the year activities, including field day participation. Please contact Mrs. Henson, MMS school nurse, if you are unsure whether your child has completed this requirement or not.
Also as a reminder, Mascoutah Middle School will be hosting an event in March to have Dental Safari available to provide dental exams at no cost to those students who need to have this completed. To take advantage of this event, simply go to the Dental Safari website to complete the online consent forms. If you have any further questions about this, contact Mrs. Henson.
Counseling & Social-Emotional Support
Please visit our Counseling Office Website and MSD19 Health Center for further resources.
School social workers and counselors are available to answer questions and provide guidance to students and families who may need additional support as they transition back to school.
MFLC-This is a reminder that we have a Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) at Mascoutah Middle School. The MFLC can help with the day-to-day stressors of military life, the impact of deployment and reintegration along with other issues such as adjustment to a new school, communication, shift in family dynamics, grief and loss, and social skills/peer interactions. These services are free of charge and are confidential to active duty service members and their families. The MFLC is a mandated reporter regarding situations where there is potential danger or threat to self or others, spousal abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, and possible criminal behavior or intent. All services are otherwise confidential and anonymous and there are no written records kept. Signed parental consent is required in order for the MFLC to work with a student. This parental consent form is available in the Middle School Office. For questions or a copy of the consent form, please call our MFLC at 618-666-3490 (work cell phone) or the school office and ask to speak with the MFLC.
Coping with Stress During the Holidays
Keep Expectations Manageable
Be realistic about what you can and cannot do
Leave the past in the past & look toward the future
Do something for someone else
Enjoy outdoor activities or take a break to enjoy
Spend time with loving and supportive people
Save time for yourself
Cafeteria: Lunch and Breakfast
We will continue to offer free lunch for all students throughout the 2021-2022 school year, just as we had the previous year. If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, please fill out the Household Eligibility Form linked here. These forms and the numbers they generate have a huge impact on our funding.
Breakfast is served from 7:25 am to 7:40 am each day. Students must arrive prior to 7:35 am in order to have time to eat their breakfast. After 7:40 am the breakfast serving line is closed, and the cafeteria doors are locked.
Employment Opportunities
Mascoutah School District 19 has open positions in various fields. We would love for our community members to become a part of our MSD19 Faculty & Staff Family. If you are interested in employment possibilities in our District, please visit our Employment Opportunities page on our District website.
Mascoutah Middle School.
846 N 6th Street, Mascoutah, IL, 62258
618-566-2305 / Fax: 618-566-2307
Remember to checkout the MMS website for News, Events and our Live Feed. Follow us on Twitter and follow the District’s Facebook page for even more information.