Back to School - Middle School

Get ready for the 2021-2022 school year!

We’re excited to welcome you to campus. Here’s what you need to know and do to ensure your year gets off to a great start. Before we dive into the details, please take note of Menlo’s COVID-19 protocols for testing and masking so you are ready for the first day of school.

Middle School: Important Dates

Date	Event
Thursday, Aug. 5	Instructions for accessing Middle School schedules were sent in this email.
Thursday, Aug. 19	COVID-19 PCR Testing Clinic. 11:00 am-4:00 pm, Spieker Center Lobby, for unvaccinated individuals and students who are not yet fully vaccinated (14 days after the final dose). Pre-register at Inspire Diagnostics here.
Monday, Aug. 23	Please make sure you place your lunch order via Nutrislice for the first 10 days of school by this date. (Details below).
Tuesday, Aug. 24	6th Grade Field Event. 9:00 am-11:00 am, Cartan Field. Outdoor fun and games for students.
Wednesday, Aug. 25	6th Grade Orientation (students only). 9:30 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, meet their teachers, and have the option to get their weekly PCR test! 6th Grade Knightbook Photos, for Menlo’s online directory, will be taken before and after orientation. Those with last names that begin with A-K should arrive by 9:00 am for photos; those with last names that begin with L-Z will have their photos taken after orientation and thus will need to be picked up around 12:30 pm. COVID-19 PCR Testing Clinic. 11:00 am-4:00 pm, Spieker Center Lobby, for unvaccinated individuals and students who are not yet fully vaccinated (14 days after the final dose). Pre-register at Inspire Diagnostics here.
Thursday, Aug. 26	First Day of Classes. Begins with a short assembly in the Athletic Center at 8:30 am. 6th Grade Outdoor Ed Day. Thursday, Aug. 26, offsite, all day with an evening pick-up time between 8:00-9:00 pm. Details are in this email. 6th Grade Parent Coffee. Thursday, Aug. 26, 8:30-10:00 am. Off Campus. Details to come.
Friday, Aug. 27	No School for 6th Grade Students. Friday, Aug. 27. Due to the late return following the Outdoor Ed trip, there will be no school for the Class of ’28 on this day. 8th Grade Retreat/Outdoor Ed Day Trip. Details in this email.
Monday, Aug. 30	8th Grade Knightbook Photos. 10:45-11:30 am during tutorial and lunch. 8th Grade Parent Coffee. 8:30-10:00 am. Off Campus.
Tuesday, Aug. 31	6th Grade Parent Education Night. Tuesday, Aug. 31, 6:00-7:30 pm. Virtual.
Wednesday, Sept. 1	7th Grade Knightbook Photos. 10:45-11:30 am during tutorial and lunch.
Thursday, Sept. 2	Knightbook Photos Make Up Times. 8:15-8:30 am; 11:10-11:50 am (lunch); 3:15-3:30 pm (after school) COVID-19 PCR Testing Clinic. 11:00 am-4:00 pm, Spieker Center Lobby, for unvaccinated individuals and students who are not yet fully vaccinated (14 days after final vaccine dose). Pre-register at Inspire Diagnostics here.
Friday, Sept. 3	7th Grade Retreat/Outdoor Ed Day Trip. See details here.
Various dates	Parent Evenings and Socials. See the class pages for details. You can also view and subscribe to the full school calendar.

Before School Starts, Do This:

1. Turn in your Health Forms

If you haven’t already, please submit your forms through Magnus Health Student Medical Record (SMR), our partner in collecting and managing student medical information. Forms were due Aug. 1. Questions? Contact the school nurse.

2. Review COVID-19 Health and Safety Details

Please review Menlo’s COVID-19 protocols here, and make sure to upload your COVID-19 vaccination card or email it to the school nurse (once).
Students who aren’t fully vaccinated (two weeks after the final dose) by Aug. 19 will need to upload a negative PCR test each week by Sunday at 3:00 pm. To attend the opening of school events, the first test should be administered between Aug.19-21 and uploaded by Sunday, Aug. 22. Menlo will offer testing clinics on campus on Thursday, Aug. 19; Wednesday, Aug. 25; and every Thursday thereafter. Pre-register with Inspire Diagnostics here.

3. Order Your Lunches

To start the year, Menlo’s Dining Commons will be closed, but our food service provider FLIK Dining will be serving boxed lunches for all students, faculty, and staff.
FLIK uses the Nutrislice app for online ordering. All orders must be placed the previous Monday at 4:00 pm to receive lunch for the following week. You can order up to two weeks in advance. Please order by Monday, Aug. 23, for the first two weeks of school (Aug. 26-Sept. 2). Sixth graders, please don’t order lunch for Aug. 26 and 27; Eighth graders, please don’t order for Aug. 27 due to Outdoor Ed trip schedules.
If you have food allergies, please make sure to fill out the ‘dietary needs’ box before checkout.
Learn more about Nutrislice and setting up accounts here.

4. Get your Schedule, Books, and Supplies and Finish Summer Assignments

Schedules: Instructions on accessing your course schedules were shared in this August 4 email. The Middle School will be following this daily schedule this year.
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.)
Supplies: 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.
Review the summer reading assignments and finish your assignments before the first class.

5. Getting to Campus

Help reduce traffic! GO MENLO is THE way the Menlo community gets to and from school. Commit to walk, bike, carpool, or ride the train or bus. You can also take one of the Menlo buses, from San Mateo/San Carlos/Redwood City, Woodside/Portola Valley, East Palo Alto/Palo Alto/Menlo Park, and Cupertino/Los Alto. You can also use the Carpool Map to find other Menlo families for a carpool. Additionally, you can sign up for the Caltrain Shuttle here.
If you signed up for our bus program, you should have received additional onboarding information by email. All buses will arrive at 8:20 am and leave school at 3:30 pm. If you haven’t received additional information or if you have decided not to have your student ride the bus, please contact Chrissy Orangio as soon as possible.
Under CDC and San Mateo County guidelines, students will no longer need to social-distance on the buses, but well-fitting masks (no gaiters) will be required on the bus regardless of vaccination status.

6. We’ll see you on the first day!

School begins at 8:30 am with a short assembly in the Athletic Center. There will be special schedules on August 26 and 27 for all three grades. The regular 7-Day rotating schedule will start on Monday, August 30 with the regular Day 1 (Remember, on Day 1, the Middle School has an early dismissal time of 2:45 pm)

Questions?

These people may be able to help, or you can email info@menloschool.org. You may also want to check out the Menlo Dictionary to help understand the programs and terminology at Menlo.

New families: Your Menlo Otka login information was sent to you on August 6. 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.