Quote Of The Week

Learning that does not daily increase will daily decrease.
(Chinese Proverb)

School Policies

Early Dismissals require a note to be taken to Student Services (Guidance) Office in the morning. Student's name and the dismissal time will be printed on the daily attendance bulletin and displayed on the MVMS News Ticker that runs on the classroom televisions. To reduce the amount of interruptions into the classroom and wait time for parents, students will report to the front office at the early dismissal time.

Tardy procedures include that ALL students who enter the building after 7:40 AM are required to have a note and a parent must come to the front office to sign-in the late student. (MVMS Attendance Policy)

It is expected that students who participate in after-school activities be picked up on time. Teachers and chaperones are volunteering their time to extracurricular activities and cannot wait for LATE Pick-ups. Students who are not picked up on time may not be eligible for future after-school activities.

Teacher Notes

From Mrs. Quinn, GT Resource Teacher:

Howard County History Day is Saturday, March 29th at Reservoir High School. Students from Mr. Lewis' GT Social Studies class and Mrs. Grimes' Challenge Reading class will participate in History Day. All students and parents are welcome to attend this event. Judging begins at 9:00 AM, the Open House is from 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM, and the closing ceremony is at 3:00 PM..

The GT Orientation Meeting for Incoming 6th Grade Parents is on Thursday, April 17th in the Media Center from 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM. Parents will learn about the GT Content Area classes and enrichment opportunities for all students.

UMBC's Center for Women and Information Technology will be hosting its 6th Annual Computer Mania Day On Saturday, May 3rd. Computer Mania is a half day of technology-related activities for middle school students, their parents, teachers, and community members. During the afternoon, students will enjoy hands-on, interactive workshops focused on technology and engineering and run by women role models in industry and research. Please go to http://www.computer-mania.info for registration information.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving is sponsoring a Poster Contest. The contest theme, "Why 21? The Law Saves Lives", is designed to raise student awareness of the issues and educate them about the dangers posed by underage alcohol use and impaired driving. The Contest Deadline is noon, Friday, April 25th. Information and entry forms can be picked up in the GT room or on Mrs. Quinn's website.

The GT Enrichment Fair is on Thursday, May 8th from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM in the GT Room, Computer Lab, and Media Center. Students who worked on GT enrichment projects will showcase their work and demonstrate programs using technology.

The 6th grade orchestra and the 7th/8th grade orchestra performed at the Howard County Orchestra Festival on Tuesday, March 4th. On a scale of 1-5, 1 being the highest, both groups received straight 1's! Congratulations!

Center for the Arts

Structures is this year's spring themed exhibit at the Howard County Center for the Arts, which will open on Friday, March 14th. MVMS students participating in the exhibit are Claire Freemuth, Aubrey Dunn and Kiersten Sweeney.

Calling All Calculators

Reminder to all students to bring their calculators to school on April 1st and 2nd for the math section of the MSA.

Volunteer Lunch Monitor

Volunteer Lunch Monitor needed every other Tuesday beginning February 26th from 10:45 AM-11:50 AM. If interested please email Lori Ferraro at ferrarofamily4@verizon.net or call 443-286-6117.

Free Chorus Concert

The MVMS Chorus will perform High School Musical II and more on Thursday, March 13th at 7:30 PM in the MV cafeteria. All are welcome.

Winter Bash Update

The Spirit Team's Winter Bash, originally scheduled for Friday February 22nd, has been rescheduled because of the snow day to Friday, March 28th from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM in the Mount View cafeteria. Students who have bought tickets, please hold on to them (keep them in a safe place!) until the dance on March 28th-additional tickets will be sold during lunches on March 26th, 27th and 28th. If you purchased a ticket for the February date and cannot attend the March 28th rescheduled dance, you can turn in your ticket for a refund during the lunch ticket sales. If you were signed up to chaperone, you will be recontacted to assess your availability on the March 28th. Anyone interested in volunteering to chaperone on March 28th can contact Janet Gilbert at
janet@janetgilbert.net.

Community News

The Jewish Federation of Howard County is sponsoring a Middle School Mix and Mingle on Saturday, March 8th, 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM, at Beth Shalom Congregation in Columbia. The dance, for 5th - 8th grade students in Howard County, will feature a DJ from "Washington Talent", games, and a raffle for 2 ipods. Tickets are $5 in advance and at the door. For more information, call 443-535-9808 or email deb3kids2001@yahoo.com.

Three Phantoms in Concert, a benefit for Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts, with three Broadway stars from Phantom of the Opera, will take place on May 19th at 6:30 PM at Toby's Dinner Theatre. For tickets, contact CCTA at 410-381-0700, or info@ccstarts.com.

Attention 8th grade boys who will be attending Marriotts Ridge High School for 2008-2009: The Mustang Boys soccer teams participate in an outdoor league in the summer. Games are 7 vs. 7 and are played at Liberty High School in Carroll County. Two teams representing Marriotts Ridge HS will be registered. One team will be potential varsity level/age players (players CURRENTLY in 10th and 11th grade). The other team will be potential JV level/age players (players CURRENTLY in 8th and 9th grade). The JV team will play on Wednesday nights starting the week of June 16th and will end about August 2nd. The team will play 7 games - weather permitting. This team is a good way for the potential JV players to get to meet each other and have an experience playing as a team. There are no practices for this team. Please be aware that participation on this team does not guarantee selection to the HS JV team. If you are interested in participating in this league please email Kathy Martin. Please include your name, CURRENT grade, school you are attending, home phone number and parents' names. This team will be formed on a first come/first served basis. The team is allowed a roster of 15 players. The high school coaches do NOT participate in this league. The team is coached by parent volunteers. The final cost per player will be determined when the roster is complete and will most likely be somewhere between $35-$45 per player.

The Stressless Tests Program is offering the following programs this spring:

The Testing, Testing Workshop for Parents of students who don't test well will meet Tuesday, March 11th from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM at Centennial High School. Parents will learn the most effective strategies to help, resulting in more independence and higher performance for students on both classroom and standardized tests. The fee is $85 and the second parent is free.

Spring Middle School Study Skills classes meet Monday evenings April 7th - 28th, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM, or Tuesday afternoons April 22nd - May 13th from 3:45 PM - 5:45 PM. The fee is $175 and includes the Study for Success DVD. Classes meet at Burleigh Manor Middle School.

Summer Study Skills is now a 5-day course, with new games and activities for a lighter touch for summer. Middle School classes start the weeks of July 28th, August 4th and August 11th, and meet from 12:00 noon - 2:00 PM. The fee is $185 and includes the Study for Success DVD. All classes meet at Centennial High School.

To register go to www.Stresslesstests.org or contact Betty Caldwell at 410 740-4659 or at Bcaldwell@comcast.net. High School classes are also available.