In This Edition
Pre-Cram Chill, Finals Week Schedule, Middle School Maeser Spelling Bee, New Applications for 2024-2025, Volunteer Opportunities (Spelling Bee Pronunciator Needed, URGENT MSI 8th Grade Sewing Class, Winterim Class Supplies Needed, Gift Cards for Teachers, Lunch Volunteers Needed, Teacher Appreciation Donations, Report Your Volunteer Hours, Questions About Volunteer Hours), Sports Announcements (MS Boys Volleyball Tryouts, Fall/Winter Sports Academic Eligibility, Sports Physicals), Counseling Announcements (Counseling Donations, Getting Ready for Finals), Can We Reach You In Case Of Emergency? (Opt In For School Text Messages, Update Your Contact Information)
Front Office Hours This Week
7:30am-4:00pm Mon-Thurs
8:30am-12:30pm Fri
**PARENTS: Please remember to check in at the front office when visiting the school during school hours, including Fridays. We appreciate your help in keeping our students safe!**
Upcoming Dates and Deadlines
December 13-14 & 15
MS Boys Volleyball Tryouts
6:30-7:50am December 13 & 14
7:00-8:50am December 15
Wednesday, December 13
7pm Maeser Dance/Music Winter Concert & Arts Night
Thursday, December 14
Review Day (regular schedule)
Friday, December 15
LAST Advisory Friday for Semester 1
12pm Pre-Cram Chill (all grades)
Semester 1 Finals Week: December 18-21
Monday, December 18
8:00-10:00am 1st period
10:30am-12:30pm 3rd period
Tuesday, December 19
8:00-10:00am 2nd period
10:30am-12:30pm 4th period
Wednesday, December 20
8:00-10:00am 5th period
10:30am-12:30pm 7th period
Thursday, December 21
8:00-10:00am 6th period
10:30am-12:30pm 8th period
Christmas Break
December 22 – January 5
School and Office CLOSED for the Christmas Break
Lunch Options
On days that the school uses the preorder forms, please let your child know they will have 10 minutes to get their lunch and after 10 minutes we will start selling the extras to students who did not preorder.
Tuesday: Gandalfo’s Sandwich & Chips – $6
Use the link to pre-order for this day. The link will close at 12pm on Monday.
Gandolfo’s Sandwich Pre-Orders
Wednesday: Pizza – $2/slice
No pre-order is required for pizza.
Thursday Yummy’s Korean Barbecue – $6
Use the link to pre-order for this day. The link will close at 12pm on Wednesday.
Yummy’s Korean Barbecue Pre-Orders
Microwaves are available in the lunchroom for students who bring lunch from home. Please note: we do NOT have refrigerator facilities for student use.
Pre-Cram Chill
The Pre-Cram Chill is on Friday, December 15, starting at noon. There will be Christmas movies, winter activities, games, hot chocolate, and pancakes! All grades are invited to enjoy the festivities before finals!
Finals Week Schedule
Finals for Semester 1 are coming up soon! Please make sure to check PowerSchool for your most updated grades, as we only have two Advisory days left before finals.
Thursday, December 14: Review Day
Our Semester 1 review day is Thursday, December 14. All regular classes will be held and Maeser uniforms are required as usual.
Monday-Thursday, December 18-21: Final Exams
Final exams for Semester 1 will be held Monday-Thursday, December 18-21.
HOURS: School hours during Finals are 8:00am to 12:30pm, with two periods per day: 8-10am and 10:30am-12:30pm, and a break from 10-10:30am.
BRING: Your student should bring a snack for the break; lunch options are not offered on Finals days.
WEAR: Maeser uniforms are required during Finals Week.
Monday, December 18: 1st & 3rd periods
Tuesday, December 19: 2nd & 4th periods
Wednesday, December 20: 5th & 7th periods
Thursday, December 21: 6th & 8th periods
**Friday, December 22 is the first day of Christmas break.**
Regular attendance excusal and check-out procedures are still in place during Finals, so if your student will be coming in late or leaving early, be sure to follow our regular excusal/check-out procedures. (Questions about excusing absences? Email attendance@maeserprep.org.)
Maeser does not allow students to take Finals early. If your student has an unavoidable conflict and will miss a scheduled Final, please make arrangements with your student’s teacher for your student to take the Final during a period when they do not have a scheduled Final or at a later date. (If your student needs to take a Final late, they may receive an Incomplete grade until the Final exam is made up.
Seniors must pass all of their courses in order to participate in their selected Winterim courses. Our counselors will be reviewing all their final grades and, if needed for graduation, they may be placed in Credit Recovery. We will also be checking final grades for Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen. If there are multiple Fs, they will also be placed in Credit Recovery.
Please help your students take advantage of the next week of opportunities to check PowerSchool and work with their teachers to FINISH STRONG!
Senior Yearbook Tributes
Want to celebrate your senior’s accomplishments in this year’s yearbook?
Our yearbook team is now taking orders for senior tributes in this year’s yearbook! Here’s everything you need to know to embarrass… er… celebrate your senior in the yearbook this year:
Order Deadline
The last day to purchase senior tributes is coming up SOON: Wednesday, January 10 @ 3:45pm. Space is limited and we will probably sell out. The turnaround for senior tributes is always very quick, so if you have any questions, please contact Ms. Gerber at natalie.gerber@maeserprep.org ASAP!
Available Sizes & Prices
1/8 page: $35
1/4 page: $50
1/2 page: $90
Where do I pay?
You can pay for your senior tribute at the front office during office hours until 3:45pm on Wednesday, January 10.
What if I have other questions?
Ms. Gerber is happy to walk you through the process! You can reach her at natalie.gerber@maeserprep.org.
When do I have to have everything in?
The FINAL deadline for senior tributes is Thursday, February 23 at 3:45pm. No orders will be accepted after the deadline. Also, space is limited and space will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. We have sold out of space the past four years.
Middle School Maeser Spelling Bee
In January as part of the Middle School Intensive (MSI) experience, students in 7th and 8th grade will be participating in our school spelling bee. If you’d like to help your student prepare, you can read through the packet and begin practicing the words with them: 2024 Maeser School Spelling Bee List.
New Applications for 2024-2025
If you would like your current student’s sibling(s) to attend Maeser next year, you must submit an application by January 31, 2024 for each sibling here: https://maeserprep.org/admissions/
New student applications are completed in our Maeser Enrollment Portal (MAP)–the link above will take you there–which is a different system from your PowerSchool parent portal that is used to re-enroll your current student(s). If you have not used our MAP system before, please create an account. If you have used the system before and can’t remember your password, please click on “Forgot Password?”. If you can’t remember the email you used to set up your account, please email registrar@maeserprep.org for help.
Tell your friends & neighbors that they can submit an application on our website, too! If they apply by January 31, 2024, their student(s) will be in the lottery.
Volunteer Opportunities
Spelling Bee Pronunciator Needed
Are you a stickler on pronunciation? We are in need of a volunteer to pronounce the words for our school spelling bee. We would need assistance on January 8,9,10,11, and 23 during our school hours. If you are interested in helping with this event and logging a few volunteer hours please contact Laura Ure at laura.ure@maeserprep.org.
URGENT MSI 8th Grade Sewing Class
Volunteers are greatly appreciated in the 8th grade MSI Sewing class. Sewing skills are helpful, but not required. If you have time to be in any of the sessions and help students follow instructions please email Mrs. Goodrich at marlene.goodrich@maeserprep.org. It’s a fun way to get volunteer hours!
Winterim Class Supplies Needed
Several of our Winterims need supplies donated or loaned. If you can help, please check the list and contact the teacher listed: Supplies Needed for 2024 Winterim Classes.
Gift Cards for Teachers
Thank you for your support this year. Your generosity with bringing in food and helping with various needs has been overwhelming. Thank you!
At this time, we are asking for gift cards to give to teachers when they want to purchase items (including food) for various class activities, and for the administration to give to teachers for a pat on the back and a token of appreciation. If you’re inclined please review the available slots and click on the button to sign up: Gift Cards for Teachers.
Lunch Volunteers Needed!
Do you need to get your volunteer hours? We need help selling and serving lunch every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11:15-12:00pm. To sign up to help please email Jared Norris at jared.norris@maeserprep.org
Teacher Appreciation Donations
Thank you to those who have donated treats and goodies the past few months. We would like to resupply the faculty lounge with a variety of treats/drinks. The following link has an updated signupgenius that has a variety of items listed that are popular with the staff, but is not limited to those items only. If you can help, please visit the following link to sign up (can be used for volunteer hours!): Help Provide Teacher Treats. Thank you for your generosity!
Report Your Volunteer Hours
DON’T FORGET! Report your volunteer hours once you’ve dropped off your donation: Report Parent Service Hours. Each $5 spent for donations counts as one hour of volunteer service!
Questions About Volunteer Hours?
Contact us at volunteer@maeserprep.org.
Sports Announcements
MS Boys Volleyball
Tryouts will be December 13th and 14th from 6:30-7:50 am, and December 15th from 7:00-8:50 am. First cuts will be made December 13th and final cuts will be made and posted December 15th.
Fall/Winter (Q2 & Winterim) Sports Academic Eligibility
Eligibility for participation in fall sports/activities that go into the 2nd term and winter sports/activities will be determined by 1st term grades. All students (middle and high school) must have earned a 2.7 GPA with no Fs. In addition, high school students cannot have any Fs/NGs/Incompletes from previous high school terms. All Fs/NGs must be made up by the last day of term.
Sports Physicals
All students, middle school and high school, who will be playing sports this year (2023-24) need a physical in order to play. Physicals completed on or after March 10, 2023 are good until July 15, 2024. Any physicals completed before March 10 of this year will not be accepted (per UHSAA policy) for the upcoming school year.
Here is a link to the UHSAA form which Maeser uses for ALL athletes: UHSAA Physical Form
Counseling Announcements
Counseling Donations
The Middle School Counseling team is in need of large bags of individual sized candy. You can use this towards your volunteer hours!
Kind: an assortment- chocolate, hard candy like jolly ranchers, tootsie pops or rolls, whatever comes in the assorted bags is fine. We would like some non-chocolate as well.
Amount: 4-5 bags/month
Getting Ready for Finals
Here are some tips to help your student get ready for finals. These tips are taken from Creating Positive Futures and you can find the study tip article here: Why the most common study method is the least effective…and what to do instead.
Instead of reading over notes and texts, have your student try:
- Taking a practice test or quiz from their teacher, textbook, or a website online
- Practicing definitions or formulas with flashcards or Quizlet
- Teaching the material out loud to a friend or family member (without looking at notes)
- Making up their own test questions, and practicing answering them from memory
How You Can Help
Encourage your student to try out more study methods that involve actively recalling the information from memory. For example:
- Volunteer to quiz your student on their notes from history class.
- Ask your student to teach you the main concepts from their chemistry class, and ask them lots of “why” and “how” questions to test their understanding of the material.
- Offer to help your student put together a practice exam with questions from the teacher’s study guide, the textbook, and websites online – and use it to test their knowledge.
- Host a study session for your student and some of their classmates where they can quiz each other on hard questions before the upcoming test. (If possible, set this up so that individual students are responsible for answering the questions, so one or two well-prepared students don’t end up dominating the session.)
Can We Reach You In Case Of Emergency?
It’s important to keep your contact information up to date and opt-in to receive text messages from Maeser — in case of an emergency, this is how we notify parents! In addition, we use your contact information to notify you about important school events and school fees deadlines.
Here’s how to make sure you’re getting all of our important announcements and information:
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”.
Update Your Contact Information
If any of your contact information has changed – email address, mailing address, phone number – please let us know asap so we can be sure you’re getting school and teacher communications.
Thank you for helping us keep in contact with your family!