UPCOMING WEEK
AUGUST 19
Freshmen And Parents Welcome Get Together
2 PM – 4 PM
AUGUST 20
Teacher In-service
AUGUST 21
Teacher In-service
AUGUST 22
International Student Orientation and
Student Welcome Party at PIA
AUGUST 23
Upperclassman Orientation
Seniors 9 AM – 11 AM
Juniors 11 AM – 1 PM
Sophomores 1 PM – 3 PM
AUGUST 24
Freshman Orientation – Wear your uniforms and bring a bag lunch. Drinks will be sold in the cafeteria.
8:20 AM – 3 PM
iPad training for
transfer students in the DREAM Lab – choose one session from among the following: 8:55 – 10:20, 10:25 - 11:50, 12:25 – 1:50
Both groups above should bring your fully charged iPads.
AUGUST 25
Kick-off Dance
8 PM – 11 PM
AUGUST 27 – All students report.
First full day of school – A day schedule
Full uniforms required
Opening Prayer Service 9:45 AM
All students are expected to wear uniforms beginning August 27. Dismissal will be at 3 PM on that date.
AUGUST 28
B day schedule
FRESHMAN ORIENTATION
Freshmen report to school Friday, August 24, 8:20 AM to 3:00 PM
As the cafeteria will not be serving lunch on this day, students should bring a packed lunch. Drinks will be sold in the cafeteria. Students should wear uniforms; however, if uniform pieces have not yet arrived, students may wear dress clothes similar in style to the uniform. Students should also bring a notebook and pen or pencil.
On this day, freshmen will receive locker assignments and learn how to operate their locks, they will learn a bit about our school culture, they will attend a class meeting, and they will participate in iPad training. Ninth graders will also follow a mock schedule so that they may meet their teachers and locate their classrooms.
NOTABLES
SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED SEPTEMBER 3 FOR LABOR DAY.
STUDENT HANDBOOK
The student handbook explains school policies regarding all aspects of student life. Its purpose is to help us to maintain an atmosphere conducive to learning, allow a positive school culture to flourish, and foster the growth of self-discipline. All MPS students will have access to the student handbook on their iPads, and it will also be posted on the school website (
www.mpslakers.com). We encourage parents and students to read it together, familiarizing themselves with the contents. Go to
Student & Parent Resources, Handbooks & Policies.
COURSE INFORMATION & SYLLABI
In an effort to conserve paper, we have asked our teachers to post their course syllabi online. In addition to the major topics covered in the class, the syllabus includes information regarding course materials, grading, and any policies unique to that course. Parents, while students will become familiar with the course syllabi in their classes, it will be valuable for you to review these documents as well. You can access them at
Student & Parent Resources/Teacher Websites/Teacher Name.
HEALTH INFORMATION
IMMUNIZATIONS: The Pennsylvania Department of Health regulations include the following
properly spaced vaccines: 4 doses of tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis, 4 doses of polio, 3 doses of hepatitis B, 2 doses of MMR, and 2 doses of varicella.
Required for entry into 7th grade are 1 dose of Tdap and 1 dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV).
Required for entry into 12th grade is an additional dose of MCV. If the child has not received a previous dose on or after the child's 16th birthday, a dose of MCV received at 16 years of age or older shall count as the 12th grade dose.
Student(s) who do not have their immunizations upon school entry risk exclusion on the first day of school. Exemptions for medical or religious/philosophical reasons are allowed by law.
HEALTH SCREENINGS: Health screenings are scheduled throughout the year. Each student’s height, weight, and vision are screened annually. Students in eleventh grade also have a hearing screen. Screening results are mailed home for each student. As part of the school health program, we are required to record the outcome of any referral sent during the screening process.
If you receive a screening referral for your son/daughter, please return the completed referral form to the school nurse.
PHYSICAL EXAMS: Pennsylvania school code requires a physical exam in eleventh grade. This exam is best completed by your child’s own health care provider. Eleventh grade students who have not returned a physical exam report by October 15
th will be scheduled for an exam by the school doctor. An exam completed
during tenth grade (not the summer before tenth grade) satisfies the exam requirement for eleventh grade. If your son/daughter has a physical exam done for any reason during the tenth grade school year (routine exam, sports physical, driver’s permit), please provide a copy to the school nurse; your child will not need another exam in eleventh grade.
MEDICATION POLICY: For the safety of all students, students are not permitted to carry any medication in school, either on their person or stored in their locker. If you would like to have an over-the-counter medication available to your son/daughter during the school day (pain reliever, antacid, allergy medication, etc.), you may do so by completing the written authorization forms, available on the MPS website under
Student and Parent Resources in the Downloads / Medical Authorizations section. Please provide the medication, in its original container, to the principal’s office. Medications will be secured in, and dispensed from, the office of the principal’s secretary.
All prescription medications must be accompanied with a
written health care provider’s order. Prescription medications are to be kept in a correctly labeled pharmacy container. You may ask your pharmacist for an extra labeled container for school use. Prescription medications are also secured in, and dispensed from, the office of the principal’s secretary.
EXCEPTION: With a health care provider’s written order, students may carry an
asthma inhaler or
epinephrine auto-injector.
Authorization forms are available in
Mrs. Marcia DiTullio’s office or at
mpslakers.com. Go to
Student and Parent Resources in the Downloads / Medical Authorizations section.
SPECIAL HEALTH CONDITIONS: If your child has been diagnosed with a health condition (asthma, seizures, diabetes, heart problems, etc.), please keep the nurse/school updated on your child’s care and treatment. This information is held confidential in your child’s health record, but it is important for providing appropriate care for your child if a medical event occurs in school, which can happen unexpectedly. Parents are asked to complete an updated care plan each year. Your child’s teachers are notified of health conditions that may create an emergency situation in school so that they can recognize early symptoms of a potentially serious problem and initiate early intervention.
TUITION
It is most important that 2018-19 FACTS tuition payments be up to date as we depend upon them to pay our bills. All financial arrangements should already have been made with the business office. If you have not made arrangements, please do so immediately
By calling 814.824.2315. Reminder: FACTS tuition payments must be current in order for the student to start each term.
CAFETERIA
The cafeteria will begin serving lunch on
Monday, August 27. If you would like to add money to your student’s account, you can do so in person or online. You will need your student’s ID number, which can be found on his or her schedule. For the online option, go to mpslakers.com, Students & Parents, then MySchoolBucks. The parent help number is 1.800.479.3531.
If you prefer, you can bring in a check or cash to the cafeteria manager, and it can be put directly into your student’s account. Checks should be made payable to Metz/MPS.
If you need assistance please call
Mrs. Diane McCullough, food service director, at 814.824.2645.
BUSING
MILLCREEK: E-mails have been going out monthly to parents in regard to busing information. If you have not received any of this information, which includes the website that parents need to go to fill out the busing form, please contact
Mrs. Paula Dworakowski at 824.2210 and she will get the information to you. Millcreek should be contacting you with the times and bus numbers that you will need. Again, it is very important that you fill out
the form at MTSD website under the forms menu or using the following link: https://www.mtsd.org/assets/documents/Non-Public-School -Transportaiton-Request-Version-17.1-Fillable.pdf.
If you also have any questions, you can reach the transportation office at transportation@mtsd.org.
ERIE SCHOOL DISTRICT: Parents are to watch for an e-mail coming out shortly regarding busing. EMTA will be handling the transportation for MPS again this school year. Please remember that students must live 2.0 miles or more from MPS. You can fill out a Transportation Request Card, which you can obtain at the front office. If your son/daughter filled out a card last year or had a bus pass, they will automatically be renewed. If you are a transfer student or incoming 9
th grader, please make sure you stop by and fill a card out. Again, please make sure you watch for an e-mail that will be coming out in regard to the bus routes, times, and bus numbers.
PARKING AND TRAFFIC FLOW REMINDERS
On the first day of school you may notice that we utilize four staff members each afternoon 3:00 to 3:30 in the front of the building to help direct traffic. This time of day can be hectic so here are a few reminders.
A.M. Drop-off - each day the students need to be in homeroom by 8:20 a.m. There are two lanes in front of the building. The lane closest to the school is for buses to drop off students. Car drop-off should use the outside lane. As long as there are no buses in the inside lane, you can use both lanes, but please use caution when crossing a lane of traffic to get to the building, and if you see buses, stay in the outside lane.
Early Dismissal - on early dismissal days the students are dismissed at 12:06, and many more students get rides in cars than on normal dismissal days. Please plan to pick students up at 12:10 to give students time to go to their locker and get outside.
P.M. Dismissal - on a normal 3:00 dismissal day, the lane closest to the building is reserved for school buses. The buses come from many different districts and arrive at various times from 2:45 until 3:30, so please keep that lane clear. The outside lane is the lane that I help keep moving by standing by the edge of the parking lot. In the outside lane there is a yellow “yield to pedestrians” sign in front of the gym doors. I recommend that the first car in that lane pull up to that sign but not beyond until they have loaded their student and are ready to exit. This works well from 3:00-3:30 as it allows newly arriving vehicles to pass stationary cars and exit in a timely fashion. I generally will not ask anyone to move a vehicle unless traffic flow is impeded.
The faculty parking lot has two lanes. The one closest to East Grandview is used for exiting cars; no one should ever park there. The lane next to that can be used to stop and wait for students. Please pull forward when you are able so that cars behind you can pull forward as well.
General Information - the south side of East Grandview Boulevard is a no parking zone, and the Millcreek police have indicated that they will ticket cars that park there. The Sisters of Mercy parking lot begins at the yellow double lines between their parking lot and our student parking lot. Please do not park in the Sisters of Mercy parking lot.
We have three staff members on East Grandview Boulevard directing cars and buses in and out of our pick-up area. Please use caution on the street and in our pick-up area since over 500 people will use that area to exit school property between 3:00 and 3:30. Thank you in advance of the start of the year!
