Martinsville Middle School

MCPS will host a meningococcal vaccine clinic for rising 7th and 12th grade students on April 20 and 21 at Martinsville Middle School. This vaccine is required by the Virginia Department of Health, Virginia Department of Education, and is state-mandated. Consent forms should have been mailed to parents and must be returned no later than Friday, March 17. Forms can be turned in at MHS to Tristan Sarver, RN, and at MMS to Toya Johnson, LPN. If the student has insurance, please bring a copy of their insurance card on the day of the clinic. If you have any questions, contact: Tristan Sarver at (276) 403-5788 or tristan.sarver@martinsville.k12.va.us Toya Johnson at (276) 403-5735 or tjjohnson@martinsville.k12.va.us

Congratulations to all the talented performers who took part in the Martinsville Middle School PBIS talent show yesterday! From amazing songs and dances to impressive displays of karate and gymnastics, the show was packed with fantastic performances. We also can't forget to mention the incredible faculty band who rocked the house! What an amazing showcase of talent. We can't wait to see what you'll do next! Congratulations to the talent show winners: 🏆 1st: Ben Pickett for his karate performance 🏆 2nd: Abbi & Olivia Campbell for their tumble routine 🏆 3rd: KeAndrius Beal & KyKira Johnson for their duet

Yesterday, on Pi Day, MMS recognized those students who placed at the Virginia Military Institute's Middle School Math Day, hosted by VMI's Department of Applied Mathematics. The competition, focusing on mathematical modeling, challenged students to answer one question: how many people are streaming video right now? Students were given data about world populations, time zones, internet access, and more and judged on the process of determining their answer. The presentation by Amyah Richardson, Sherman Dillard, and Trinitee Prunty was determined to be the best from MMS. The judges praised their use of assumptions to simplify the problem and the clarity of their reasoning. The team of Jaden Ayoub, Pedro Niccesio, and Tyson Hairston was judged the most creative of all presentations submitted during the competition. Judges were impressed with their use of background images and how they fit text to images, as well as their methodology in solving the problem. In addition to certificates from VMI, this team also won socks and sunglasses from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics and some math-themed temporary tattoos! Congratulations to these awesome mathematicians and to their math teacher, Mr. Tanner Sweitzer!

Happy Pi Day from the staff and students at MMS!

Please remember that MCPS will dismiss students 2 hours early on Tuesday, March 14.

Due to current weather conditions, MCPS will operate on a 2 hour delay Monday, March 13.

🌪️ On Tuesday, MCPS participated in the Virginia Statewide Tornado Drill. The drill is held each year during Severe Weather Awareness Week, organized in partnership with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service. Click the link to learn more: https://www.vaemergency.gov/severe-weather-awareness/

📚 "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go." -Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!" Last week, MCPS celebrated Read Across America Week! Teachers welcomed special guest readers from our community including school board members, school administrators, city council members, firefighters, police officers, high school student athletes, and many more, all of whom took time out of their busy schedules to come read to our students. Thank you to all those who came to share their love of reading with our students!

Yesterday, every single student at MMS received a free book thanks to Toys for Tots! 📖 What an amazing gift for our students during Read Across America Week! #keepcalmandreadon

Our MMS 7th grade students visited the Virginia Museum of Natural History yesterday! During the field trip, which was focused on the predator/prey relationships they have been learning about in science class, students toured the museum's galleries to identify real-world examples of those relationships. They also utilized the museum's microscopy and student training lab to get an up-close look at an owl feather and mouse skull and identified features of an owl that helped make it a successful predator.

We're thrilled to announce the new app for MCPS! It's everything MCPS, in your pocket. Our MCPS app will allow you to access events, news, updates, and even emergency notifications right from your phone. To download, search "Martinsville City Schools, VA" in the App or Play store or just follow the appropriate link below! Download for Android: https://bit.ly/3RGotdb
 Download for iPhone: https://apple.co/3jETdyA

Today is Bus Driver Appreciation Day and our schools prepared some gifts and sweet treats to let our transportation team know we wheelie appreciate you! 🚌

The doors at MMS are decked out for Black History Month!

Today, seventh graders at MMS were delighted to welcome Martinsville Mayor L.C. Jones! Jones spoke about his role in our local government, discussed how to become a member of city council, and answered questions for students as they prepare for the annual "If I Were Mayor" essay contest. Jones emphasized the importance of empathy, listening, and responsibility and asked students to think about the qualities they expect to see in a good leader. He told students to think about "How can I help? What would I do? How could this be different?" as they write their essays for the contest. Thank you, Mayor Jones, for taking the time to talk with our young learners! What a great opportunity for these students to connect what they are learning in the classroom back to their own community!

Congratulations to MMS Principal Ama Waller for being recognized by the Virginia Department of Education's Office of School Quality for her leadership in the field of chronic absenteeism! "Mrs. Waller and her team at MMS take a restorative approach to absenteeism," said Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Dr. Angilee Downing, who nominated Waller for the recognition. "They work with students and their families to determine the root causes of any absenteeism issues and connect them with school and community resources to help resolve the issues." Congratulations, Mrs. Waller!

⚙️ MCPS is celebrating Engineering Month! Students across our division are participating in a wide variety of projects and lessons that showcase the diverse world of engineering and technology. This week, some of our middle school students have been hard at work creating their own rockets 🚀 and building robots 🤖!

At tonight's school board meeting, we celebrated our school board members! This month is School Board Appreciation Month, and in recognition of their diligence and service to our schools, our students, and our community, board members were presented with gifts from each of our schools and certificates from Superintendent Dr. Zebedee Talley. Our schools and board also recognized our school board clerks with gifts in honor of School Board Clerk Appreciation Week. Thank you, board members and clerks, for all you do for our schools and your commitment to our mission of empowering success one learner at a time.

MCPS families, Normal processes for enrolling in Medicaid will begin soon. If you are currently enrolled in Medicaid, please see the attached flyer and make sure your contact information is up to date so you do not miss important communications. For more information, visit https://coverva.org/en/phe-planning

MCPS parents, guardians, and students, As we approach Valentine's Day, please remember MCPS policy regarding gifts and deliveries: 💌 Schools cannot accept deliveries of Valentine's Day gifts as we do not have staff available to receive the deliveries. 🎈 Students are not allowed bring balloons to school, as they can obstruct staff's ability to see on buses, in hallways, and in classrooms. 💐 Glass vases are not permitted in schools as they can pose a danger if dropped and broken. Thank you for your understanding and your cooperation!

MCPS families, Please remember that MCPS will dismiss students 2 hours early on Wednesday, Feb. 1 for parent-teacher conferences. Thank you!