As we prepare for the start of the 2025-2026 School Year, we ask you to please take note of the following back-to-school information and announcements:
Open House Event
Mars Area High School plans to host our typical Open House event on Thursday, Sept. 4, from 6:00-8:00 PM. More information will come out after the first day of school regarding the schedule for that evening.
Student Schedules
Student schedules are posted on Skyward for all students to view. Please review again tonight or tomorrow morning, as some changes may have occurred from the last time you looked. If you still require a schedule change, please email the appropriate guidance counselor, and they will address the changes in the order that they are received. The guidance counselors will call the students down to their office if needed- please do not tell your student to go to guidance for a schedule change- we will work as quickly as possible to correct any remaining schedule changes. Please remember we do not honor requests for athletics, activities, or specific teachers. The add/drop procedures are 5/10 days. Students will have the first 5 days of the year to add any additional courses and 10 days to drop a course. Any courses dropped after day 10 will result in a “WF” on their transcript
*Note- 12th-grade students requesting an early release- please know that the priority is getting all students the courses that they need to meet graduation requirements. We are not always able to accommodate the early release requests- this is not a guarantee for any student.
9th Grade- Mark Varlotta- [email protected]
10th Grade- Colleen Tosadori- [email protected]
11th Grade- Tina Yankello- [email protected]
12th Grade- Stephanie Van Cleef- [email protected]
Student Information Verification
Mars Area School District parents/guardians are now REQUIRED to complete annual back-to-school forms and information updates electronically via the Skyward Family Access Portal.
Upon logging in to Skyward, parents/guardians will need to click on the "Student Information Verification" tab to begin the process of verifying and/or completing the following information:
- Student Information Verification
- Student Information
- Family Address
- Family Information
- Emergency Contact Information
- Technology Polices & Forms
- Computer Networks/Internet Use Agreement (Policy 815 Attachment 1)
- District-Issued Student Device Guidelines (Policy 237 Attachment 1)
- District-Issued Student Device — Technology Insurance Fee Payment and Distribution Collection Information (Policy 237 Attachment 2)
- Bring Your Own Technology Student Guidelines (Policy 237 Attachment 3)
- Technology Insurance Fee Payment (OPTIONAL)
- Parent and/or Student Handbook Review
- Type 1 Diabetes Form
Note: At certain points in the process, parents/guardians will be asked to click on a link to review information pertinent to that section. The link must be clicked to move on to the next step.
JROTC
Mars students will begin attending JROTC during period 1 at Pine Richland High School on Friday, Aug. 22. For the first day of school, and any other day that Pine Richland is not in session, JROTC students will report to homeroom and then to the LGI for study hall period 1.
Vo-Tech
Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School (BCVTS) begins for all students on Thursday, Aug. 21.
Please refer to Vo-tech's website, www.butlertec.us, or contact Vo-tech's administration with any specific questions. Busing to BCVTS will be provided to and from Mars Area High School as it has been provided in previous years. Busing will also be provided home to students on the elementary runs if needed.
On the first day of school, the bus for Vo-Tech will leave Mars Area High School at 12:30 p.m. This means that Vo-Tech Students will need to eat during lunch 5 on this day. If a Vo-Tech student has a class during period 5, they will miss that class to eat lunch on August 21, 2025. All Vo-Tech students will be excused from period 6 to attend Vo-Tech on the first day.
Attendance- Excuse for Absences
Parents/guardians are reminded that, if your child is absent for any reason, you are required to provide a written excuse for their absence within three (3) days of the absence. On the excuse, please provide your child’s first and last name, date of absence, and reason for absence. Your child can turn in the excuse at the main entrance each morning or in the main office to the attendance secretary at any time during the day.
As per the District’s Attendance Policy, a maximum of ten (10) days of cumulative lawful absences verified by parental notification should be permitted during a school year. All absences beyond ten (10) parent notes shall require a medical excuse or will be marked as unexcused.
If a parent/guardian has provided a written excuse after the three (3) days explained above or if a parent/guardian provides more than ten (10) parental excuses in a year, the absence will be considered Unexcused/Unlawful. Class work or tests given on the day of an Unexcused/Unlawful absence cannot be made up. The grade for the day will be “0”.
Cafeteria Information
Breakfast will only be available during homeroom from 7:15 to 7:45 each day.
Lunch is served each day during our three lunch periods between 10:45 and 1:00 daily. Students have the option of accepting the free lunch, purchasing lunch from the A La Cart Area in the cafeteria, or bringing their lunch from home in the morning. Students cannot buy lunch during their study halls- they can only eat during their assigned lunch period.
No deliveries of any kind (Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc.) will be accepted for students during the school day. All deliveries will be turned away at the entrance. Students are also not permitted to leave the building for lunch.
All students in grades 9-12 will eat in the cafeteria for the 2025-2026 school year.
Study Hall Locations
|
Period 1 |
Cafeteria |
|
Period 2 |
Cafeteria |
|
Period 3 |
Cafeteria |
|
Period 4 |
Cafeteria |
|
Period 5 |
LGI |
|
Period 6 |
LGI |
|
Period 7 |
LGI |
|
Period 8 |
Cafeteria |
|
Period 9 |
Cafeteria |
Cell Phone Use in Building
Parents, please remind your students that they are not to use their cell phones during the school day. If they need to make a phone call, they need to report to the main office to do so. No student has permission to record or take photos of other students during the school day- this is a policy violation, and the student responsible will face disciplinary action.
Dress Code
Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the school day. Please refer to pages 23-24 in the student handbook for specific guidelines. Please remind your students that no hats or hoods are permitted in the building during the school day.
Morning Procedures
For the 2025-2026 school year, there will be one entrance available to students to enter the building each day.
Students will have their belongings searched at bag check and walk through the metal detectors each morning.
Parent Drop Off
Please remember to drop off your students at the entrance of the auditorium or the tennis court lot. If you are driving them, you should not be dropping them off in the bus lane or in the teacher’s parking lot out front. Students will then walk to the main entrance on the sidewalk to enter the building.
If you are trying to enter campus from the West (from Downtown Mars), please plan to turn right into the entrance on Route 228. Please drive straight towards the auditorium (follow the yellow line off Route 228) and drop your student off in Area 1 on the map below. You will then exit out the northern exit on Three Degree Road and use the roundabout to return to the light on Route 228.
If you are trying to enter campus from the North (Adams Park-Three Degree), East, or South (from Middlesex), please plan on entering onto campus through the roundabout onto Milky Way. You will then drop your students off in Area 2 (follow the yellow line on Milky Way). To exit, you will turn left after Area 2 and exit back out on Milky Way.
Student Drivers
All students driving on campus need to use an abundance of caution while navigating through the construction and the school's parking lots. Please be sure to take your time and drive slowly so you can be aware of your surroundings. Please try to arrive early to give yourself extra time so that you can make it through bag check and to homeroom on time(7:35 late bell). Accidents often happen when you are rushing, so please try to avoid putting yourself in that situation and get here early; doors open at 7:15 AM.
Arrival- Student drivers can enter campus at two locations, from either the Route 228 entrance or the new roundabout behind the building. Student drivers should not be in the bus lane during morning arrival at any point. Please use the lot adjacent to the bus lane if you need to get from one end of campus to the other. Please remember to drive slowly on campus, as there will be people walking to the building from their cars.
Dismissal- Student drivers can exit at three points: onto 228 (right turn only), onto Three Degree (right turn only), or onto Milky Way to the roundabout. At the Route 228 exit, we are asking you to make a right to head towards the light. Once construction is complete, both entrances on Route 228 will be right-turn-in and right-turn-out only. All traffic that needs to head west (towards downtown Mars) will need to go through the roundabout and the light to make a left. Students will be able to follow the buses off campus through the Three Degree exit at the end of the day as well.
Roundabout/Traffic Circle
Three Degree Road Traffic Circle (Roundabout)- A new traffic circle has been installed along Three Degree Road at the Milky Way access road behind Mars Area High School. Milky Way remains the primary entrance to Mars Area High School via Three Degree Road. The District asks that all motorists be mindful of additional traffic in this area during school arrival/dismissal times.
PennDOT — How to Navigate Roundabouts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNXRlWgAVOg)
Approaching and Entering:
-
-
- When approaching the roundabout, SLOW DOWN and be prepared to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
- Approach the Yield Line, look to the left and check for approaching traffic within the roundabout. CIRCULATING TRAFFIC HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY.
- Enter the roundabout when there is a safe gap in traffic. If necessary, stop at the Yield Line until there is a safe gap in traffic.
-
Circulating and Exiting the Roundabout:
-
-
- Once you have entered the roundabout, proceed counterclockwise to your exit point. YOU now have the right of way.
- As you approach your exit, use your RIGHT TURN SIGNAL.
- Watch for pedestrians in the crosswalk and be prepared to yield.
- Exit the roundabout.
-
Student Early Releases/Parent Pick-Up Reminders
Please be reminded that if you are going to pick up your child during the school day, you need to send a note with your child to turn in that morning when they arrive at school. Please note the time that you will be arriving to pick up your child. If your student can drive himself or herself home, please indicate that on the note as well.
If a student does not have a note and a parent must call for an emergency, the parent will need to enter the building to pick up their child.
If a student leaves the building without permission, they will receive a day of in-school suspension. All early dismissals need to occur through the nurse’s office or through the main office with the note provided ahead of time. If your student texts you to be picked up throughout the day, you will need to write a note for their early release. Please direct your students to go to the nurse, their school counselor, or the main office for assistance if they are not feeling well or if they need support during the day.
Arrival/Dismissal
All students who enter the building after 7:35 or who leave prior to 2:32 need to do so through the guard area and the main office. Students should not be entering or exiting through any other door in the building during the school day. This includes any student leaving sick from the nurse, for a scheduled early release or for Vo-Tech. Not following this safety procedure will result in suspension.
Dress Code
Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the school day. Please refer to pages 23-25 in the student handbook for specific guidelines. Please remind your students that no hats or hoods are permitted in the building during the school day.
Technology
Mars Area High School will begin to distribute technology devices to all 9th-grade students and new students on Thursday, August 21st. All 10-12th-grade students were issued devices last school year, and those devices should be brought back to school for educational use this school year.
All students, grades 9-12, are required to complete the packet of One-to-One Device Distribution Technology Forms each year- this year, these forms are online as part of the Student Information Verification Process. The optional $50 Technology Fee can also Please refer to the technology information on the website for more information.
Thank you for your patience and support as we start the new school year. We hope that you and your family enjoyed the summer, and we look forward to welcoming the students back for another great year!