In this edition: Student-Led Parent-Teacher Conferences TODAY, Sterling Scholar Information Meeting, HS and MS Math Teams, 11th Grade PSAT Day + Senior Graduation Prep Seminar, Dead Poets Concert, Model United Nations, Maeser Halloween Celebrations, ACT Prep Course Sign-up, Volunteer Help Needed (Breakfast for 11th Grade PSAT and Senior Graduation Prep Day, College Application Day, College Carnival), Driver Education Class, Sports Announcements (HS Girls Basketball Pre-season Packets, Activities/Sports Eligibility Changes for Q2 and Q3), Counseling Announcements (Snow College Open House, NEW BYU Application Deadlines), Tell Me About: Attendance Procedures (Making Up NGs, Check-in/Late Arrival, Check-out, Excusing an All-Day Absence)
Upcoming Dates and Deadlines
Front Office Hours
7:30am-4:00pm Monday-Thursday
7:30am-1:30pm Friday
Friday, September 28
1:00-5:00pm Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences
4:00pm Winterim requests close
Last day to register for the October 27 ACT without a late fee (www.actstudent.org)
Monday, October 1
Seniors: FAFSA applications open (7 things you need before filling out the FAFSA)
Pre-season packet pick-up for HS Girls Basketball – see Coach Call
Wednesday, October 3
3:30pm Sterling Scholar Information Meeting in room 302
Thursday, October 4
2019 All-School Photo: Assembly Schedule
3:45-5:15pm MS Basketball Tryouts in the gym (boys and girls)
Friday, October 5
3:15-4:45pm MS Girls Basketball Tryouts in the gym
Wednesday, October 10
Testing/Senior Graduation Prep Day – juniors and seniors only on campus
7:30am Breakfast
8am-12:30pm PSAT for Juniors (juniors ONLY)
8am-12:00pm Senior Graduation Prep Seminar with the counselors (seniors ONLY)
No other students allowed on campus — please make other arrangements for your students in grades 7-10.
Friday, October 12
Last day of Quarter 1
Tuesday, October 16
**Last day to make up NGs to remain eligible to participate in Q2 sports/activities!**
Thursday-Friday, October 18-19
Fall Break – NO SCHOOL
Monday, October 22
Junior CCRs and 2019-20 Class Requests Begin
Credit Recovery Winterim assigned after 1st term grades finalized
4:00pm Driver Education class begins (sign up in the front office)
6:30pm Dead Poets Concert in the gym
Friday, October 26
Model United Nations at BYU
Dress up: Maeser Halloween approved dress code (no masks, complete face coverings, weapons, or blood/gore allowed)
12:00pm Trunk or Treat in the Seminary parking lot – see Volunteer Opportunities section below!
Saturday, October 27
ACT National Test Administration at Maeser – sign up at ACTstudent.org by September 28 to avoid late registration fee
Thursday, November 1
Winterim fees available to pay online or in the front office
Thursday, November 15
Winterim fees are DUE (if unpaid after this date, your student will be dropped from their Winterim)
Student-Led Parent-Teacher Conferences TODAY
Student-led Parent-Teacher conferences are TODAY — Friday, September 28th — from 1pm-5pm. Feel free to come and talk briefly with teachers about your student’s academic performance.
Sterling Scholar Information Meeting
Is your senior interested in competing for Sterling Scholar? We will be holding an information meeting right after school on Wednesday, October 3 in Mrs. Plott’s room (#302).
HS and MS Math Teams
The High School Math Team meets on Mondays, during lunch. The Middle School Math Team meets on Thursdays during lunch. If you are interested in participating with either of these groups, you will need to fill out a permission slip and return it to Mrs. Plott (HS permission slips are due on 10/8 and MS permission slips on 10/11).
The fee for participating with either Math Team is $45, which includes pizza, prizes, and all of the competitions. (Please do not pay the fee until after you have been registered for the team.)
11th Grade PSAT Day + Senior Graduation Prep Seminar: Wednesday, October 10
On Wednesday, October 10, all Maeser juniors will be given the opportunity to take the PSAT — a pre-SAT test offered by the College Board. This is a free opportunity for our juniors to enter the National Merit Scholarship Competition. PSAT Student Guides, which include a free practice test, were sent home with juniors this week.
In order to create a focused testing environment for our juniors, we have set aside this day for PSAT testing and our annual senior college application and graduation preparation seminar only. There will be NO SCHOOL on October 10 for students who are not in 11th or 12th grades. Please make other arrangements for your students in grades 7, 8, 9, and 10 on that day, as we will not have space or supervision available for them on our campus.
Shakespearean Festival Mentoring Opportunity: Friday, October 12
Join Ms. Ure on a mentoring adventure to the Shakespearean festival to see An Iliad featuring Brian Vaughn. The cost is $35 to attend; payment is due by Wednesday, October 3.
Dead Poets Concert
When? Monday, October 22 from 6:30-7:30pm
Where? Maeser gym
Save the date!! Come join us for a fun evening of music, theatrical performances, and recitations from great minds of the past! All choirs will be performing, many of the Shakespeare pieces will be presented, and other readings by famous, dead poets. Add a little culture to your Halloween this year! Contact Erin Smith with questions.
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is coming up on Friday, October 26! We will leave KGMPA at 7:30am and return by 5:00pm. Our school is representing the Czech Republic, Egypt, Haiti, and Hungary. There is still time to prepare and there are a few openings — contact Mrs. Smith for details!
Maeser Halloween Celebrations: Friday, October 26
We will be celebrating Halloween on Friday, October 26. Students will be allowed to wear Halloween costumes to school. All costumes must fit the Maeser-approved Halloween dress code: no masks, complete face coverings, weapons, or blood/gore allowed; costumes must be modest, covering all areas that would normally be covered by the school uniform.
After school during Mentoring (12:00-12:45pm), we will hold our annual Trunk or Treat in the Seminary parking lot. Families are invited to help set up their trunks and hand out treats during Mentoring! Parents: if you donate candy and/or come and participate, please count this toward your volunteer hours.
ACT Prep Course Session 1: November 1, 8, and 15
We only have two weeks left for Sophomores to sign up for this opportunity! After this, we will open up the class for students in other grades to join. Our Trustlands funding will pay for each of our Sophomores to take one session of ACT Prep. For everyone else, the course is $125. Sign up at the front desk.
Can’t make it to the November class?
Session 2 will be held March 14, 21, and 28. Session 3 will be held April 25, May 2, and May 9.
Volunteer Help Needed
Want to get a jump-start on your family’s volunteer hours for this school year? We have several events coming up where we need volunteer help!
Breakfast for 11th Grade PSAT and Senior Graduation Prep Day: Wednesday, October 10
We would like to provide a breakfast for our junior class before they take the PSAT and for our senior class as they meet with the counselors to learn about scholarships. For more details and to sign up, please visit our SignUp Genius: Breakfast for Juniors and Seniors on October 10.
College Application Day: Wednesday, November 7
Our counselors are looking for parent volunteers to assist seniors in their Socratic classes on Wednesday, November 7th, as they work on and submit college applications. These volunteers would help support the students as they work on the applications. This may include some basic proofreading, answering questions, and being supportive. For more details and to sign up, please visit our SignUp Genius: College Application Day: Wednesday, November 7.
College Carnival: Friday, November 9
Our counselors need parent volunteers to run the annual College Carnival on Friday, November 9 from 1-3 pm. This mainly involves being present and running the game booths. We also need baked goods for the carnival as well as water bottles for the college reps. For more details and to sign up, please visit our SignUp Genius: College Carnival: Friday, November 9.
Driver Education Class
We are now registering our Maeser Students for Drivers Ed! Wright Driving will be holding an after-school Driver Education course at Maeser on 10/22-11/2 (excluding Halloween). Let’s get you out on the road and get your Utah Driver License! Sign up in the front office. Questions? Contact Mr. Norris (jared.norris@maeserprep.org) or call Wright Driving School at 801-209-2328.
Sports Announcements
HS Girls Basketball: Pick up pre-season packets!
High school girls interested in playing basketball this year: Please pick up a pre-season packet from Coach Call on Monday, October 1.
Activities/Sports Eligibility Changes for the 2nd Term
Students must earn a 2.7 GPA with no Fs/NGs for the 1st term in order to be eligible to participate in activities/sports at Maeser Prep during the 2nd term and must maintain this GPA during the 2nd term in order to remain eligible.
Activities/Sports Eligibility Changes for 3rd Term and Beyond
Students must earn a 2.7 GPA with no Fs/NGs for the 2nd term in order to be eligible to participate in activities sports during the 3rd term. In addition to this standard, any high school students who have NGs/Fs from any previous high school courses will be required to make up the F/NG before they are eligible to participate in activities/sports. Contact the counselors to learn more about options for making up these courses.
Counseling Announcements
Snow College Open House: Thursday, October 11
Seniors, take your transcript and you could be awarded a scholarship on the spot! The open house is on Thursday, October 11 from 5-8 pm at the Holiday Inn Express: 1290 W. University Pkwy, Orem.
NEW BYU Application Deadlines!
Applications For Spring/Summer/Fall 2019
*Opens– September 1, 2018
*Deadline– December 15, 2018
*Admission and Scholarship Notification- February 18, 2019
Tell Me About: Attendance Procedures
Making Up NGs
Does your student have an NG (No Grade) in one or more classes this term? NGs are incurred when a student surpasses the number of allowable parent-excused absences and/or tardies per term in a class. You can track your student’s grades (including NGs) in PowerSchool. There are several ways to make up NGs:
- Go to Attendance School Mon-Thurs in room 151 from 11:35-11:55. Each session costs $2
- Work with the teacher of the class with the NG that needs to be made up. Service make-up is FREE and requires an Attendance Service form (available in the front office). Students must EITHER be doing work for the teacher OR getting the teacher’s help with the material for the class with the NG.
- Attend Math Lab. Math Lab is FREE – please remind your student to be sure to sign in so they get attendance make-up credit! High school math lab is held Mondays and Wednesdays during lunch and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:15-7:45am. Middle school math lab is held Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 4:30pm.
For an unexcused absence, students will need to attend two 20-minute sessions. For tardies/excused absences beyond 6 per class, they should attend one session for each. If your student doesn’t know how many attendance make-up sessions they need to attend, we’re happy to go over that with them in the front office!
IMPORTANT CHANGE
**In order for a student to be eligible to participate in sports, drama productions, and/or other activities in Quarter 2, all of their Quarter 1 NGs must be made up by Tuesday, October 16.**
Check-in/Late Arrival
You can excuse a late arrival by doing one of the following: on the day of the late check-in:
- A parent present to fill out and sign the check-in form
- A doctor’s statement
- A written/signed note from a parent stating the time you arrived at school (please include the student’s full name and a phone number where we can reach you if we have questions)
- A parent phone call to the front office at (801)235-9000
- An email to attendance@maeserprep.org with the student’s name in the subject line. Please include the student’s full name and time of arrival to school.
Check-out
Once a student arrives on school property, the student becomes the responsibility of the school. Any student who leaves the campus must be excused from the attendance office. For safety reasons, a parent, guardian, or those whom you have in your students’ check out information must come in to the office, present picture ID, and sign the check-out form in the main office.
Checking Out a Driving Student
If a parent wishes to check out their student, but the student will be driving him/herself off campus, parents must email the Attendance Secretary (attendance@maeserprep.org) and include the following information:
- Student name
- Time they need to be checked out
- Reason
Your email from the parent email address we have on file serves as your signature to check out your student.
Parents must also call the front desk close to the time when they are to be checked out so the front desk can call the student out of class at the proper time. For safety reasons, students cannot simply leave class at a certain time without being called out of class by the front office.
Students who will be driving themselves off campus after being checked out must sign out at the front desk before they leave. If they return to school, they must check back in at the front desk before returning to class.
Please note: for safety and liability reasons, in these cases we cannot excuse a student’s absence without an email ahead of time.
Excusing an All-Day Absence
Parents can excuse all day absences within 10 school days of the date of the absence, by calling the main office at (801)235-9000 or emailing attendance@maeserprep.org.