Please review the following information for Mars Area High School:
Morning Procedures
REMINDER- If you are driving your students to school, please remember to drop them off at the auditorium entrance or at the tennis court lot. Students will then walk to the main entrance along the sidewalk to enter the building. Students should not be dropped off in the bus lane or teacher parking lot out front.
Please note that students need to be in homeroom by 7:35 each day. Students need to arrive in time to get through bag check and to homeroom by 7:35.
School Security
All students who are entering and exiting the building 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 at any time. This includes any student leaving sick from the nurse, for a scheduled early release, at the end of the instructional day or for Vo-Tech. Not following this safety procedure will result in suspension.
Attendance — IMPORTANT
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 shall 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 Unexcused/Unlawful absence cannot be made up. The grade for the day will be “0”.
Cell Phone Use in Building
Parents/guardians, 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 individuals during the school day- this is a policy violation and the student(s) responsible will face disciplinary action.
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/guardian 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. 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.
Bathroom Behavior
Students are permitted to use the restroom as needed throughout the day. However, if a student is late to class or is missing most of the class due to bathroom use, passes may be restricted.
Also, at no point should more than one student be in a bathroom stall at any given time. If this occurs students will receive a day of In-School Suspension.
Winter Keystone Exam Window- December 4-12
Mars Area High School will be utilizing the December testing window provided by PDE for students to take the Keystone Exam. If your student needs to take the exam in the December window in any subject (Algebra, Biology or Literature) you will receive an individual email from the guidance department. Due to the testing window and the number of students testing, Mars Area High School will be following a modified schedule so that students are not missing the same periods for all 6 days of testing. Please see below for the testing dates and period order for the week of December 4-8 and Monday, December 11.
Literature- December 4-5
Module 1- Monday, December 4- Period Order: 1,2,3,4
Module 2- Tuesday, December 5- Period Order: 3,4,1,2
Biology- December 6-7
Module 1- Wednesday, December 6- Period Order: 1,2,3,4
Module 2- Thursday December 7- Period Order: Activity Period,3,4,1,2
Algebra- December 8-11
Friday, December 8- Period Order: 1,2,3,4
Monday December 11- Period Order: 3,4,1,2
Note: JROTC students will miss JROTC on 12/5, 12/7 and 12/11. They will have study hall in the LGI for Period 1 on those days.
Important Dates
November
20- Parent/Principal Communication Meeting (9:15-10:15 AM)
23-27- Fall Break- No School
December
1- Midterm of Second Nine Weeks
1-2- School Play
4-15- Winter Keystone Testing Window
14- MAHS Winter Concert (6:30 PM)
22- In-Service Day- No School for Students
25-January 2- Winter Break- No School
January
8-12- MAHS Midterm Exam Window
10- FAFSA Line-by-Line Program- Virtual (6:30 PM)
15- Act 80 Day- No School for Students
15- End of Second Nine Weeks/First Semester
16- In-Service Day- No School for Students
29- Parent/Principal Communication Meeting (9:15-10:15 AM)