MMES Buzz...

School Photo Day

Recently, MMES had its annual school photo day.  Outdoor, natural shots were taken near the back playground and group class photos followed.  It was great to see everyone in their "Sunday best!"  A special thank you goes out to all of the parents who helped organize this busy day.

MCAS Results are IN!

MMES received the parent reports for MCAS this week, and they were mailed out to families today.  Check your mailbox for the results and remember to keep things in perspective should your child ask about their results.  Encourage them and focus on all of the positive growth they have made over the past few years.  If you have questions about the results, our teachers and adjustment counselor are happy to sit with you and review your child's performance.  

Here is a shot from school photo day...a student getting a little help with the necktie!

MERHS FALL FESTIVAL

MERHS Fall Festival:

Come support the MERHS Hornets on September 27^th and 28^th at Fall Festival.  Enjoy watching several varsity sports compete, free halftime giveaways, meet the Hornet mascot, face painting, food and more!  This is a great family event sponsored by the HS student council!

               

Friday 9/27                         Football vs. Georgetown             7 p.m.

Saturday 9/28                    JV Field Hockey vs Triton             9:45 a.m.

                                                V Field Hockey vs Triton               11:30 a.m.

                                                V Girls Soccer vs. Newburyport 2:00 p.m.

                                                V Boys Soccer vs. Newburyport 4:00 p.m.

And...we have a winner!

I want to congratulate all of our students who participated in the Summer Reading Program.  In the end, we had over 140 students participate.  62 of them read over 800 minutes this summer...astonishing!  Well done, everyone!  Thank you to Ms. Sarah from the Manchester Public Library and Ms. Silag for working with me to organize the program.  A special thank you goes out to our friend, Mr. Ken Davis of Cape Ann Savings Bank for donating the bicycle that was raffled off.

And the winner is....

Congratulations buddy!  Safe riding :)

Open House Tonight!

My loyal blog followers get a sneak peek at tonight's Scavenger Hunt!  See you all tonight with your children from 6:00-6:45 PM :)

-Mr. Willis

Student Name:______________________________________________

Grade/Class:_______________________________________

Complete the following scavenger hunt to win lunch with Mr. Willis!  The winner will be posted on Mr. Willis’ blog (http://mister-willis.blogspot.com/).  Lunch will be ordered out from your favorite delivery restaurant.

MMES Open House Scavenger Hunt

2013-2014

1. How many puffer fish can be found in our new murals?  Hint:  Look closelyJ

2. What color are the hallways now?  What was the old color?
• BONUS:  How was the color selected?

3. Name 3 upgrades to our building that took place over the summer (other than the murals).

4. Who is Mr. Boria and what is his favorite form of exercise?

5. How many fish in our aquarium are also featured in our new mural?

6. Name one way parents can get involved to support the education at MMES

7. Find the favorite book of 2 new staff members.  List their name, position, and book title below.

8. Name 3 places that you can find our core values posted in the building.

9. Who is Mrs. Carlson and what is her FAVORITE core value?

10.   When is the handbook slip due back to your child’s teacher?

11. Roughly how wide is the new asphalt path that leads to Brook Street?

12. Place your completed scavenger hunt in the box on the bench near the rear playground.  Good Luck!

Thank you MMPTO!

A HUGE thank you to the MMPTO for helping us "make our space a better place!"  The PTO donated funds last year to improve the aesthetics of the building for our students and staff.  One big component of this interior revamp is a mural project that began this summer.  Artist Tina Lamond, of Rockport, began in the main lobby with an ocean-themed mural that will stretch throughout the school hallways.  Currently, the mural project is about 30-40% complete with much, much more to come.

 Another aspect to the project are new classroom door signs that hang outside of each room of the building.  This will help our students and guests find the right classroom or office space.  In the photo at the left, we feature everyone's favorite school nurse, Mrs. Seaman!









All of this would not be possible without the support of our parents and my two administrative interns, Mr. Gugino and Mrs. Egan.  Mr. Gugino has worked on the signage project throughout the building and grounds and Mrs. Egan spearheaded the mural aspect of the project.  I am looking forward to the next phase of the project!

New Lunch and Recess Format

This year, we will be following a new lunch and recess format.  Instead of having two grades (roughly 160) students go out to recess together followed by two grades in the cafeteria for lunch, we are having one grade go out to recess while another grade eats lunch.  After the first period of time, the two grades switch places.  This means that only 80 students (roughly) are at recess or at lunch at a time.  There are a number of benefits to this new model including:

• There is more room in the cafeteria for students and staff to spread out.
• Students are able to purchase their lunch quicker since half of the typical number of students are buying lunch at once.
• The noise level in the cafeteria is much lower leading to a much calmer environment for the students.
• There are less students to supervise at recess leading to fewer (we hope) injuries and misbehaviors.
• Transitions from one location to another have been smoother and more efficient.
• Students with medical needs (allergies, etc.) can be more closely monitored. 

The staff and I have been VERY pleased with the smaller feel to the lunch periods and recess sessions. In talking with some students today, it appears that the new setup is making the children feel more at ease with the relaxed environment.  To quote one young lady, "It is so great this year...finally it is not so loud in here!"

Open House

Just a reminder that Open House will be next Tuesday from 6:00-6:45.  The teachers are all planning for a great evening, and I am working on another scavenger hunt for the students to partake in this year.  Hope to see you all then!