Maeser Updates: 18 September 2020

In This Edition

IMPORTANT Winterim Information (Independent Applications Due Monday, 2021 Winterim Catalog, Winterim Registration Procedures), Student Fees Due Soon, 11th Grade PSAT Day, Mock Trial Teams, Volunteer Opportunities, Sports Announcements (Sports/Academic Eligibility, Wrestling), Counseling Announcements (Senior CCRs, Miss Krystal’s Counseling Corner Podcast, FAFSA Portal Opens October 1), Help Us Stay In Touch!

Front Office Hours This Week

Procedures for Front Office Visits

7:30am-4pm Mon-Thurs
8:30am-1pm Fri

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

Monday, September 21
Independent Winterim Applications Due
Winterim Registration Begins

Thursday, October 1
Fee Payment Deadline; Late Fee ($15) after this date

Monday, October 12
Picture Day for A-Day students (last names A-J)

Tuesday, October 13
Picture Day for B-Day students (last names K-Z)

Wednesday, October 14
PSAT/NMSQT Day – Juniors ONLY on campus

Thursday-Friday, October 15-16
Fall Break – NO SCHOOL

IMPORTANT Winterim Information

Independent Study Winterim Applications Due THIS MONDAY, September 21

All students interested in applying for an Independent Winterim must complete the Independent Winterim Application. Guidelines and instructions can be found on the school website. Applications may be turned in to the front office or emailed to Mr. Simmons (dustin.simmons@maeserprep.orgIn order to be considered, applications must be received no later than 11:59pm on Monday, September 21st. Late applications will not be considered.

2021 Winterim Catalog

The Winterim Catalog is here! Please take a moment this weekend to review this year’s Winterim options with your student so they’re ready for Winterim registration: 2021 Winterim Catalog

Please pay attention to deadlines that are mentioned in the catalog. We’ve also included some important information about academic expectations, as well as information about some of our unique circumstances this year.

Because we’re not sure yet exactly what things will look like in January, we’ll be updating everyone about potential adjustments through our normal communication channels.

Winterim Registration Procedures

Winterim registration begins this Monday, September 21st. Applications will be made available by grade as follows:

  • Seniors: Monday, September 21st
  • Juniors: Tuesday, September 22nd
  • Sophomores: Wednesday, September 23rd
  • Freshmen: Thursday, September 24th
  • Open Enrollment: Friday, September 25th (registration closes at 11:59pm)

The Winterim Registration Google Form for each grade level will be sent to students by email the morning registration opens for their grade level. Students will need to be logged in to their Maeser email accounts to access the Google Form.

Student Fees Due Soon

Student fees* are due on Thursday, October 1. You may contact the finance office at finance@maeserprep.org before the due date to set up a payment plan (no interest applied). Sorry, AP exam fees, PE uniforms and extracurriculars cannot be put on payment plans. Late payments will receive a $15 late fee.

* Includes annual student fees, Winterim fee, graduation fee, year-long class fees, first semester class fees and AP exam fee(s).

11th Grade PSAT Day: Wednesday, October 14

On Wednesday, October 14, 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, will be sent home with juniors soon.

In order to create a safe and focused testing environment for our juniors, we have set aside this day for PSAT testing only. There will be NO SCHOOL on October 14 for students who are not in 11th grade. Please make other arrangements for your students in grades 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 on that day, as we will not have space or supervision available for them on our campus.

PSAT Day is for all juniors, regardless of last name or in-person/SEATS status. Since we only have about 100 juniors and they’ll be the only students on campus that day, we should be able to easily maintain social distancing protocols. Masks and uniforms will be required as usual. Detailed information about what to bring on test day will be sent to juniors and their parents as we get closer to the day of the test.

Due to COVID precautions, we will not be providing breakfast or snacks as we have in the past. We recommend that students eat a nutritious breakfast before arriving at school on the morning of the test and bring their own snacks for the break.

Parents who prefer not to send their students to campus for testing can choose to opt their students out of this test by submitting a signed Parental Exclusion Form at least 24 hours prior to the day of the test. (These students will be provided with information about how they can enter the National Merit Scholarship competition without taking the PSAT.)

Mock Trial Teams

Interested in being on a Maeser Mock Trial Team? Competition this year will be held online and will begin in February 2021. If you want to be part of the inaugural Maser team (High School or Middle School), email Herr Geary or stop by Room 205 for more information.

Volunteer Opportunities

We still need volunteers to help with donations for our College Carnival! We need donations to offer as prizes for students as they play our virtual college games and answer college-related questions. Please help the counselors make this virtual event FANTASTIC for all our students: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050A4AABA82FA4FA7-college

Sports Announcements

Sports/Academic Eligibility

Eligibility for winter sports/activities will be based on 1st term grades for all grade levels. Students (7th-12th) must earn a 2.7 GPA with no Fs/NGs. In addition, high school students cannot have any Fs/NGs/Incompletes from previous high school terms. If the F/NG/Incomplete is made up by the beginning of the sports season they will be able to participate.

Wrestling

High school students who are interested in wrestling please contact Coach Searle (everett.searle91@gmail.com) or Mr. Norris (jared.norris@maeserprep.org) to let them know you are interested. The season begins on November 9th.

Counseling Announcements

Senior CCRs

Senior College & Career Readingess meetings will be running through the end of October. Seniors & parents, please use this link to make your appointment: Senior CCR Appointments Calendar

Miss Krystal’s Counseling Corner Podcast

THIS WEEK: Three quick tips on putting effort into yourself PLUS this week’s Unusual Scholarship! Catch it all in episode 15: Good Things Don’t Come Easy – Mini COVID Update

Students can listen and email Mrs. Anderson a main point from the podcast to be entered into a weekly drawing. Drawings will take place on Mondays or Tuesdays.

FAFSA Portal Opens October 1

The FAFSA (Free Application for Financial Aid) Portal Opens on Oct 1st. Due to COVID they are offering free online help sessions. You can get one on one help filling out the form by clicking on this link and scheduling a session: http://www.completefinancialaid.org/.

Help Us Stay In Touch!

Opt In For School Text Messages

Our school utilizes the SchoolMessenger system to deliver text messages to your mobile phone with important information about events, school closings, safety alerts, student fees, and more. We will only use text messaging for urgent and important information.

You can participate in this service by sending a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our school’s short code number, 67587. You can also opt out of text messages at any time by simply replying to one of our messages with “Stop”.

Thank you for helping us keep in contact with your family!

Update Your Contact Information

If any of your contact information has changed – email address, mailing address, phone number – please let us know so we can stay in touch with your family.