The eNews is the official electronic newsletter of Mahtomedi Middle School. |
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| January 30: Cake Day
February 3: MAEF Townie Tuesday at Lift Bridge Stillwater Taproom, 5-9pm
February 6: Grades updated in Infinite Campus
February 12: Conferences
February 13: No School - Conferences/Teacher Professional Day
February 16: No School - President's Day
February 17: No School - Teacher Professional Day
February 18: School Bus Appreciation Day
February 19: Conferences
February 25: Midquarter of Quarter 3
February 26: MMS Musical Performance, Frozen Jr., 7pm
February 27: Grades updated in Infinite Campus
February 27: MMS Musical Performance, Frozen, Jr., 7pm
February 27: Deadline to Apply for the Carole Fargo Summer Enrichment Scholarship for Visual Arts Students
February 28: MMS Musical Performance, Frozen, Jr., 2pm
March 1: MMS Musical Performance, Frozen, Jr., 2pm |
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This Issue's Top Highlights |
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Parents are not allowed to park in the middle school or high school parking lots to wait for their children during pick-up time. All parents must wait in the pick-up line. Please see below for details and information. |
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Conferences are coming up on February 12th and 19th. Information to sign up for time slots with teachers will be coming out shortly. Keep an eye on your inbox! |
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Parent volunteers are needed for the Teacher appreciation dinner before conferences on Feb. 19th. See the "Get Involved" section below for details. |
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Each month, Principal Jackie Collins spotlights learning happening at Mahtomedi Middle School. This month the Principal's Spotlight focuses on Passions and Interests. |
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Celebrating Passions While Building Strong Learners |
Middle school is a remarkable season of growth. Students are discovering who they are, what excites them, and how they want to show up in the world. Whether your child is passionate about art, athletics, music, gaming, science, or helping others, these interests are more than hobbies—they are powerful entry points into learning, motivation, and confidence.
At this age, students begin to understand that school is not something that simply happens to them. Instead, it’s something they actively shape. When students connect their passions to their academic lives, they’re more likely to take ownership of their learning and develop the skills they need for long-term success.
Grades as Feedback, Not Labels: Grades in middle school are an important tool—but not a definition of a student’s potential. We encourage students to view grades as feedback that helps them understand what’s working and where they can grow. When students regularly check their grades, reflect on patterns, and ask questions, they build self-awareness and resilience. Parents can support this mindset by asking reflective questions like:
“What are you most proud of in this class?”
“What’s one goal you’re working toward right now?”
“What do you think your grade is telling you?”
These conversations help students focus on growth, not perfection.
Goals That Matter to Them: Goal-setting is most powerful when students care about the outcome. In middle school, we guide students to set both academic and personal goals—short-term and long-term. Whether it’s improving organization, turning in assignments on time, or balancing schoolwork with extracurricular passions, goals give students direction and purpose.
Encouraging students to write down their goals, revisit them regularly, and adjust as needed builds an essential life skill: self-direction.
Building Agency and Self-Awareness: Ultimately, our goal is to help students become self-aware, self-directed learners who understand their strengths, challenges, and interests. When students feel seen, supported, and empowered, they are more likely to engage deeply in their education—and enjoy the journey along the way.
Thank you for partnering with us as we support your middle schooler in discovering their passions, setting meaningful goals, and taking ownership of their learning. Together, we’re helping them build skills that will last far beyond middle school. |
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| Go Zephyrs! Jackie Collins,
Principal, Mahtomedi Middle School |
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Last week, 20 middle school students participated in the Scripps Spelling Bee in the Media Center. They did an incredible job spelling some very difficult words and displayed impressive poise under pressure! Our three winners were, in first place, Liam Anderson - 8th grade, in second place, Faith Wyse - 8th grade, and in third place, Sean Unger - 7th grade. Liam will go on to compete in the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee in March. |
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MMS had two teams compete in the Future Cities competition last weekend at Metro State University. Both teams worked very hard to research how cities work, develop a paper about their discoveries, build a model of a city, and give a presentation about their work. Both competing teams (Clovers: Lydia Jalonack, Olive Meinen, Vivi Schlagel, and Hayden Walmar & Hemstad's Little Engineers: Nora Abraham, Nora Barry, Aubrey Boex, and Faith Moua) won well-deserved awards. |
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No Parking During Pick-up |
It has come to our attention that there are a significant number of parents parking in both the high school and middle school lots to wait for their children during pick-up. Please note that this is not allowed as it creates problems for staff and families trying to find parking to get to work or to attend meetings at our schools.
All parents who are picking children up from school must wait in the pick up line.
District parking attendants and/or representatives from the Washington County Sheriff's Department will have an increased presence in the parking lots to help parents find their way back to the pick up line. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. |
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Ski Club has made two of their four outings to Trollhaugen this year and it sure looks like they're having a great time and making some fun memories! |
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Students modeled the core extraction process in their 6th grade Science classes to understand the strata of the Grand Canyon. This is a great hands-on group activity that took place over the course of a week in class. |
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Nordic Ski Club has been meeting for just over a week and they're enjoying getting out in the Winter weather! |
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There are always reasons to celebrate! If you know of a staff member who has gone above and beyond, or have heard of a particularly excellent experience that your student had at school, we would love to hear about it! Click here to submit a celebration form and we'll make sure to take note and celebrate along with you!
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FCA stands for Fellowship of Christian Athletes and it is a time for any students (athlete or not) to come together for a time of fellowship, faith, and donuts!
FCA at MMS will start at 7:15am on Tuesday, February 3rd in Room 103, Ms. Flatten's room.
Contact Ms. Flatten or Mrs. Tussey with questions & bring your friends! |
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| Volunteers Needed for Teacher Dinner |
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Middle School Youth Night is back this Spring with the theme Candyland, which was recently selected by Student Council!
Now introducing early-bird pricing: Secure your spot early and save. Anyone who registers by noon on March 20th will receive a discounted rate! Click here to register.
Event details:
Friday, March 27
2:40-4:30 pm Parents and guardians: Please fill out this form if you are interested in chaperoning. Thank you for helping us provide this meaningful opportunity for our MMS students to socialize and connect with their peers! |
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Check out these upcoming opportunities to get involved in our school community. The Middle School Parent Association (MMSPA) is always looking for parent volunteers! If you would like to get involved, please reach out to Stefanie Herschbach at stefanie@herschbachconstruction.com.
MMS has an Amazon Wish List of a variety of items that we utilize regularly. If you are interested in purchasing anything on the list to help us stay well-stocked, we would appreciate it greatly!
Community Ed. Registration & Class Descriptions: Youth Enrichment and Youth Athletics
MMS Activities Web Page: Information about all the activities offered at MMS
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The School eNews contains information about our students, staff, and programs. The School eNews is published once a week and archives are available at www.mahtomedi.k12.mn.us/page/enews |
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