From the Principal’s Desk…
Dear Parents and Students:
As I write this letter it is hard to believe that school will begin in less than a month. I hope you have found time to do the things you enjoy while on summer break. We have been busy getting things ready for your return to MHS. You will notice a few new faces, besides the freshmen, at MHS this year. In the math department we have two new teachers, Mr. Nathan Davis and Ms. Rachel Howell. Our new JMG instructor is Mr. Jason Pellerin and returning to teach Tech Trades is Mr. Bill Smith. Please join us in welcoming them to Messalonskee High School.
Last year we challenged our students to focus on creating a legacy that they wanted us to remember them by. All students rose to this challenge and they exceeded our expectations. Many volunteered throughout the high school community as well as the communities at large. Others shared their talents with us through the visual and performing art while others excelled in the athletic arena. All in all I would say that this was a successful challenge.
This year’s challenge is for our students to become engaged learners. We hope that they will do this by being S.M.A.R.T. (Strong, Mindful, Articulate, Reflective/Resourceful, Thinkers). It is our goal that all students will come to school each day with the mindset to challenge us to teach to our optimal capacity and in turn we would expect students to take ownership of their learning by being engaged, by being inquisitive, and by reaching out for support when needed.
The bell schedule for this year is outlined below. You will notice that we no longer have advisory first thing in the morning and that lunch is a little later in the day. We will continue to have monthly advisory activities. For those students who attend afternoon MMTC you will have lunch from 11:12 to approximately 11:25. This will give you enough time to eat as well as enough travel time to MMTC.
Period 1 8:00-9:02
Period 2 9:07-10:07
Period 3 10:12-11:12
Lunch A 11:16-11:46
Lunch B 11:50-12:20
Period 4 12:25-1:25
Period 5 1:30-2:30
Along with this letter you will find your emergency contact information form. Please take a few minutes to look it over and make any necessary corrections. Remember that you need to return the form even is there are no changes and that there are two places where parents/guardians need to sign.
We have also included your schedule in this mailing. Don’t worry if you lose it before school starts as we will have new ones printed for the first day of school. We will be handing them out in the main lobby beginning at 7:30. The school counselors will be in the week before school starts so if you need to make a change with your schedule you can call the guidance office directly at 465-4989 and schedule an appointment with your counselor.
For those of you who will be freshmen we have scheduled a Welcome Barbecue on August 29th from 5:00-6:30. We invite you and your parents to attend, have dinner and tour the school. You should receive within a week or so a postcard inviting you to this event and we ask that you RSVP so that we can plan on having enough food. You should also mark August 30th on your calendar, as that will be your first day of school.
Seniors, this will be an exciting yet busy year for you. Remember it is never too early to get those recommendations done and begin the college application process. If you have a study hall and are eligible for privileges we have included in this letter a Senior Privilege Form. Please take the time to complete it and return it to the main office at your earliest convenience.
Before things get too hectic for everyone we thought we would give you the following dates to mark on your calendar.
Important Dates:
August 29th Freshmen Barbecue
August 30th First Day for Freshmen
August 31st All Students
September 4th No School, Labor Day
September 11-15 HOMECOMING WEEK
September 19th Early Release Day, all students dismissed at noon
I, along with Mr. Bowers and Mr. Dunbar, look forward to seeing all students on August 31st. Enjoy the time that remains of your summer vacation.
Paula