August 2022
Dear Parents and Guardians of 6th Graders:
We are excited to have the Class of 2028 join the Middle School! Our sixth-grade team teachers and the rest of our faculty and staff look forward to welcoming our new students on Wednesday, September 1, 2021. On Friday, August 26, 2021, you will have access to your PowerSchool Parent Portal and your child’s team and class schedule.
Each sixth-grade team is balanced considering elementary schools, Washington School homerooms, ability levels, gender, world language selection, and support services. As indicated in the spring, we cannot accommodate requests for friends to be together on teams and /or specific teachers. All student team placements and class schedules are final.
Mrs. Bach will be the sixth-grade guidance counselor and will continue to serve as your child’s guidance counselor throughout their seventh and eighth-grade years. Parents may reach counselors by calling the guidance office using the Middle School extension 20012 or by email at [email protected]. As a reminder, our Guidance counselors return from summer recess on August 30, 2022.
A Note from Mrs. Bach: I look forward to getting to know each student in the 6th-grade class and working with your family over the next three years! As a way to get to know students and to familiarize them with the middle school guidance office, when I return from maternity leave, I will invite students to meet with me in a group setting during study hall and individually in the guidance office for a brief get-to-know-you meeting. While on maternity leave, Ms. Danielle Maxwell is my replacement and is available to meet with students and speak with parents to help with the transition to middle school. Please feel free to reach out to Ms. Danielle Maxwell or me with any questions or concerns about your child, and please encourage your child to stop by the guidance office if they need anything!
Contact information for Mrs. Lauren Bach [email protected] and Ms. Danielle Maxwell: [email protected] (09-01-2022)
Immunizations for 6th Graders:
Students who are eleven years old must have Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccination before the start of school. Students who turn eleven after the first day of school must have the Tdap within fourteen days of their birthday.
Sixth graders must also have a meningococcal vaccine. If it was given before his/her tenth birthday, the physician must provide documentation that the child will receive the meningococcal booster within five years. Please email the school nurse, Ms. Ana Ruzic at [email protected] with any questions.
Please review the full 6th Grade Immunization letter sent out previously. For other Nurse/Health Office-related questions, please visit the MMS Nurse’s Webpage or email Ms. Ana Ruzic, our new School Nurse, at [email protected] .
6th Grade Building Tours August 23-25, 2022 - By appointment,
The Middle School will be open only from August 23rd through August 25th, between 10:15 am and 2:00 pm. Peer Leaders will be available to tour the building to 6th-grade students. Please sign-up for a tour using this Registration Form. Students are encouraged to practice opening and closing their lockers after their tour using their locker combinations. The building will also be open Monday, 8/29/2022; however, we will not have Peer Leader Tours on those days. The Middle School will be closed to students and parents on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, for teacher meetings and preparation and Thursday, August 30, for the 6th Grade Transition Day and teacher preparation. The district is closed on Friday, August 31, 2018.
6th Grade Transition Day - August 31, 2022, 8:30 am - 10:30 am
The MMS 6th Grade Transition Day is an opportunity for 6th-grade teachers to welcome our incoming 6th graders to MMS. It also provides an opportunity for our incoming 6th Graders to run through their academic schedule and place teachers’ faces with their names on their academic schedule. We believe this will help calm the student’s stress and anxiety about starting in a new school and allow students to create a “mental map” of their daily schedule and their new school and academic schedule. Please review the attached 6th Grade Transition Day Information ~ August 31, 2022.
Helpful Hints for Lockers: To open your locker, turn to the right and stop at the first number. Now go left and pass the first number until you reach the second number. Turn to the right again to locate the third number and push up hard on the lever.
Please remember that lockers are the school's property, and students are expected to follow all rules regarding their care and use. It is never a good idea to share your locker combination with anyone, including your friends.
If you need to have a cell phone, it must be turned off and stored in the locker at all times.
If you need help at any time, ask a teacher, custodian, or administrator, or come to the main office.
6th Grade Teams
The sixth-grade teams are broken down and staffed by the following teachers for the 2022-23 school year
(* Team Leaders):
Please note that all core subject teachers are teamed except for World Language teachers, who are shared across teams to provide instruction for all students. Our 6th-grade Special Education teachers are Ms. Doring, Mrs. Wasserman, Ms. Regan, Mrs. Dachille, Mrs. Mormak, and Ms. McQuaide.
Sixth graders study English/Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science, and Spanish or French. Students have been assigned to two periods of related arts classes in seventh grade consisting of four of the following related arts courses: Art-6, Game Design-6, Leadership-6, Shark Tank-6, and Music-6. Students will also take Physical Education daily with one marking period for Health Education. Students electing to participate in Band, Chorus, or Orchestra ensembles will have one of their related arts periods replaced with their Band, Chorus, and Orchestra selection.
On Friday, August 26, 2021, the PowerSchool Parent Portal will open at 3:00 pm to allow you access to your child’s academic schedule for the 2022-2023 school year.
Our school day will begin at 8:00 am. On the first day of school, students should go directly to their 1st-period class. Students should arrive at their 1st-period class by 7:55 am. Please review your child’s academic schedule in advance to prepare for the first day of school. Our school day will end at 2:50 pm.
* Please note any information that may have been seen in PowerSchool before August 26th was preliminary and was not official. Information in PowerSchool changed daily as the master schedule was being built and thus was not finalized. Schedules and team assignments released on August 26th are the official placements for the 2022-23 school year. All student team placements and class schedules are final. Unfortunately, requests for team changes will not be honored.
Required Chromebook Insurance
Millburn Township Public Schools utilize Chromebooks as an integral part of the student instructional toolkit. At the start of the 2022-23 school year, students will receive a school-issued Chromebook.
The district is providing an affordable insurance program for school-issued student devices. Insurance is required for all students in grades PreK-12. The annual cost for the insurance plan is $50 for each device.
Please review the attached document for more information on how to register for your child(ren)’s Chromebook Insurance: Chromebook Insurance Information.
Lunch Service/Food Service Provider:
Pomtonian is our Food Service Provider for Millburn Township Public Schools. Students will have the opportunity to purchase lunch or bring their lunch daily. Parents and students can preview the menu using Pomptonian's website. Please see the information below regarding Pay Schools Central and how to set up your account. Also, please review the Allergy Statement Letter to Parent linked to this email and Why pre-order information was provided to us from Pomptonian.
Pay School Central
As we have done in the past, we will continue to use Pay Schools Central, a secure online system for parents to set up a lunch account for their children so they can purchase lunch in the cafeteria. For parents that have set up lunch accounts using Pay Schools Central, your child will have the ability to pay for lunch using that account. Students will need to know their 5-digit ID number, which can be found at the top of their schedule begins with the letters “LID” or their student ID (which will be provided to them on the first day), which can be found at the top of their schedule beginning with the letters “LID.” It is essential that your child keep their 5-digit ID number confidential and not share it with even the closest friends. This number can not be changed and will remain with your child throughout their time in the Millburn Township Public Schools.
We will also be providing students with student IDs that will have a bar code. That ID can also be used to pay for their lunch instead of the 5-digit student ID number. Using the student ID card with the bar code is the preferred payment method when purchasing lunch.
Pay School Central Information
New Schedule at MMS: Rotate & Drop Bell Schedule 2.0, 4-Day Rotate, and Drop
This fall, we will start with our revised Rotate & Drop Bell Schedule 2.0, 4-Day Rotate, and Drop. Each period will drop out of the schedule once every four days. Please see the template below.
Student Schedule Maker Tutorial
For more information, please visit the MMS page of the Millburn School District website to learn more about the schedule. To access the resources we have put together to help parents and students understand the schedule (see the Parent/Student Tab -> New 4-Day Rotate & Drop Schedule Information Center)
Back-to-School Night (BTSN): Tuesday, September 20, 2022, at 7:00 pm
Please mark your calendars for the 6th Grade MMS Back to School Night on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, at 7:00 pm. We look forward to meeting everyone that night.
More details to follow as we get closer to the MMS Back to School Nights in September.
Finally, I would like to extend an invitation to all of you to join our MMS Pre-Back To School Presentation on Thursday evening, August 25, 2022, at 7:00 pm. This virtual presentation will be hosted via a Google Meet Live Stream.
MMS Pre-Back To School Presentation with Principal John Connolly
Live Stream Information for "MMS Pre-Back To School Presentation with Principal John Connolly”
Next Thursday, August 25 at 7 pm
Live Stream Link: https://stream.meet.google.com/stream/1c273a52-a40a-41a9-b44a-0963e40f9f0c
TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR MR. CONNOLLY TO ADDRESS DURING THE PRESENTATION:
Please submit any questions by 11:30 am on August 23 to the MMS-PTO Presidents' Email using this email address: [email protected]
Mrs. Ward, Mrs. Estevez-Young, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer recess with family and friends!
Be sure to have completed your summer reading for your language arts class. Enjoy the rest of the summer!
See you on September 1, 2022!
Warm regards,
Mr. John Connolly
Principal
Millburn Middle School