Skip to main content » Skip to section navigation » Site map » Top of page

Back to School - Middle School

Parents » Back to School - Middle School

Get ready for the 2020-2021 school year!

As previously announced by Head of School Than Healy in this August 5 email, the school year will begin with distance learning. 

Here’s what you need to know and do.

Important Dates

Date

Event

Thursday,  Aug. 27

  • Sixth Grade Optional Enrichment Event (students only), 9:00 am to 10:00 am and 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. Students will have time to connect with peers in their Advocacy groups, take Knightbook* photos, pick up supplies and goodies, and meet their teachers! Participants will wear face coverings and maintain physical distancing. 
  • Transfer Student Optional Enrichment Event, 9:45-11:00 am. At this event for new 7th and 8th grade transfer students you will take Knightbook photos, receive supplies and goodies, meet your Advocate and other new students, and review technology requirements. Students received these details in an Aug. 18 email from their advocates. 
  • 7th and 8th Grade Drive-Through Supply Pickup, 12:45-4:00 pm. Students and their families are invited to drive through the loop in front of Stent Hall to pick up materials that we think you’ll want and need for your classes this year, in addition to the supplies you purchase from Keokit. You can find more information about supply pickup here.
    (Sixth graders will receive these supplies during this morning’s Enrichment event.)

    *Note: This coming school year, due to the circumstances of COVID-19, we will only be taking Knightbook photos for incoming 6th grade students and transfer students. All returning Middle School students will have last year’s photo in the Knightbook Directory.

Friday, Aug. 28

  • MBEST Kickoff, 10:00 am. MBEST (Menlo’s Bridge to Engineering, Science, and Technology) is hosting a virtual kickoff for incoming sixth-grade girls! Leading up to the event, they can participate in a Rube Goldberg challenge, and at the event, they will share their creations as well as learn about the MBEST program and meet some teachers. Students may contact MBEST@menloschool.org for more information. You can join the event at this Zoom link. 

Monday, Aug. 31

  • First Day of Distance Learning, with a Modified Day 1 Schedule:
    • 9:00-10:30 am Virtual Assembly & Advocacy
    • 10:40 am-12:00 pm A Block
    • 12:00-1:00 pm Lunch
    • 1:00-2:20 pm B Block
    • 2:30-3:15 pm PE

Wednesday,  Sept. 9

  • First Virtual MSPA Meeting for Middle School. 8:45-10:00 am. Details to come.

Various dates

  • Parent Evenings and Socials. See the class pages for details.

You can also view the full school calendar.

Before School Starts, Do This:

1. Turn in your Health Forms

2. Review Health and Safety Details and Sign Up for OneMedical

  • If your student has traveled outside of Northern California, they should not come to campus until 14 days after their return, including for optional Orientation and Athletics events. Anyone who is not feeling well on a given day should stay home.
  • If you haven’t already, register for OneMedical using Menlo’s sponsorship code, and download the app. You can find instructions and the code here. Inside the One Medical app is a feature entitled “COVID-19 Daily Check-In”. We are asking all individuals coming to campus to complete this daily. Each day, once you answer the questions provided, and depending on your answers, you will be assigned a badge. This badge—green, blue or red in color—will be necessary to access the campus and its buildings (through a security line for which there are several clearly marked entrances). Learn more about OneMedical in this note from Health Coordinator Joan Barada, RN.

3. Sign the Student and Parent Handbook

  • Menlo’s 2020-2021 Student and Parent Handbook conveys important information about a wide variety of school policies, including academic requirements, expectations for student behavior, and a statement of the School’s commitment to equity and inclusion. All families must review the Handbook and acknowledge agreement with its policies by entering an electronic signature here.

4. Read Important Communications

5. Get your Books and Supplies and Finish Summer Assignments

  • Middle School students’ schedules were posted to Veracross by August 13; find instructions for accessing the Veracross parent portal here. 
  • Be sure to order your fall books. To see what books are needed for your courses, please visit the Menlo Booklist generator. Using this site, you can generate your own unique URL that allows you to come back to your personalized booklist without having to worry about a login; just bookmark your booklist page to visit it again later or to share it with members of your family. Your booklist will specify the correct ISBN # of the edition you’ll need for class, and you can keep track of your shopping list and what you’ve already purchased by marking “Need it” or “Have it.” Books can be purchased from any retailer that stocks the correct ISBN (such as Amazon, Powell’s, Bookshop.org, Kepler’s, etc.)
  • Review the summer reading assignments and finish your assignments before the first class.
  • You can view the Middle School supply list for the year at Keokit. You can order everything there, or you can view the list and shop elsewhere.
  • Middle School students will need a laptop for the start of school. Learn more about our technology requirements and recommendations. 

6. Learn About Student Activities

  • Debate Team. We are thrilled to continue our MS Debate Team meetings during the 2020-2021 school year! Teammates will attend six tournaments throughout the year. Tournaments are on weekends and are also virtual for the foreseeable future. Fee will be based on enrollment. Click here to register.
    Virtual Novice practices will be held Wednesdays from 3:30-5:00 pm all year long, except for school breaks. 
    JV practices (for students who competed last year) are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-5:00 pm. 
  • Robotics Team. Are you interested in designing and building a robot, coding, or problem-solving? Join Menlo’s Robotics team and compete in the First LEGO League (FLL) virtual competition! This is a commitment team open to current 7th and 8th grade students. During the season, teams will build a robot designed to accomplish challenges and earn points on the competition field. The FLL robotics team will be coached by the Inzain Bots, a two-year FLL veteran team and current FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) team, composed of current 8th and 9th graders. Mr. Kulbieda will be team coordinator/administrator and will assist with coaching as well. If you are interested in joining, please contact Sanaa Kapur for more information.

7. We’ll see you on the first day! 

8. What’s Still to Come

You’ll hear from us soon with:

  • New students, stay tuned for details on ordering school photo packages! This coming school year, due to the circumstances of COVID-19, we will only be taking photos for the incoming 6th grade and transfer students. All returning Middle School students will have last year’s photo in the Knightbook Directory. 

New families: A temporary website login was included in a recent email. Your permanent login information was sent to you the week of August 10. If you have trouble logging in, please contact techticket@menloschool.org with your child’s full name and grade level. We will respond to you in a timely manner.

You may also want to check out the Menlo Dictionary to help understand the programs and terminology at Menlo.