As we prepare for the start of the 2026-2027 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, September 10, 2026, 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 since you last saw it. If you still require a schedule change, please email the appropriate guidance counselor, and the changes will be made in the order they were 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 early release requests; this is not a guarantee for any student.

9th Grade- Stephanie Van Cleef- [email protected]

10th Grade- Mark Varlotta- [email protected]

11th Grade- Colleen Tosadori- [email protected]

12th Grade- Tina Yankello- [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. You will not be able to view your schedules if this process is not completed.

Upon logging in to Skyward, parents/guardians will need to click the "Student Information Verification" tab to begin verifying and/or completing the required information.

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.

Technology

Mars Area High School will begin to distribute technology devices to all 9th-grade students and new students on Thursday, August 21st. All 10th-, 11th-, and 12th-grade students were issued devices last school year, and those devices should be returned to school for educational use this school year.

All students in grades 9-12 are required to complete the One-to-One Device Distribution Technology Forms packet each year; this year, these forms are available online as part of the Student Information Verification Process. The optional $50 Technology Fee can also be paid. Please refer to the technology information on the website for more information.

Cell Phone Use in Building

Cell Phones will not be permitted during instructional time at Mars Area High School during the 2026-2027 school year. The teachers will direct students to put all phones and headphones/earbuds away during the entire instructional period. The phones should be powered off and secured so that the devices are neither seen nor heard, to avoid distracting from the educational process. During non-instructional time, or school-related free time, students are permitted to use cell phones and headphones/earbuds, provided they are used in a manner that does not create a disruption or annoyance to others or pose a safety hazard to the student(s).

Parents, please remind your students not to use their cell phones during the school day, especially during instructional time. If they need to make a phone call, they must report to the main office. 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.

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. Classwork or tests given on the day of an Unexcused/Unlawful absence cannot be made up. The grade for the day will be “0”.

Excused Tardies/Early Releases

Students are permitted three excused tardies and three excused early releases each semester. Notes must be turned in upon entrance (tardy) or prior to leaving (early release). If a student has more than three tardies or early releases in a semester, the absences for the periods they missed will be considered unexcused, and the grade for that class will be “0”. Discipline will also begin on the 4th unexcused tardy or early release per the district’s attendance policy.

Arrival/Dismissal

For the 2026-2027 school year, there will be one entrance available to students each day.

All students who enter the building after 7:35 or leave before 2:32 must do so through the guard area and the main office. Students should not enter or exit through any door other than the designated entrance during the school day. This includes any student leaving sick from the nurse, for a scheduled early release, or for Vo-Tech. Failure to follow this safety procedure will result in suspension.

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. You should not be driving in the bus lane at all during arrival or dismissal.

Student Drivers

All students driving on campus need to exercise caution while navigating the school's parking lots. Please take your time and drive slowly so you can stay 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 that situation and get here early; doors open at 7:15 AM.

Arrival: Student drivers can enter campus at three locations, from either entrance on Route 228 or the new roundabout behind the building. Student drivers should not be in the bus lane at any point during morning arrival. 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 campus at four points: two exits onto 228 (right turn only), one onto Three Degree (right turn only), or onto Milky Way to the roundabout. Both entrances on Route 228 are right-turn-in and right-turn-out only. All traffic heading west (towards downtown Mars) must go through the roundabout and the light to turn left. Students will also be able to follow the buses off campus through the Three-Degree exit at the end of the day (right turn only).

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 you will arrive 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 must be requested through the nurse’s office or the main office, with the note provided in advance. If the 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 the nurse, their school counselor, or the main office for assistance if they are not feeling well or need support during the day.

Cafeteria Information

Breakfast will be available only 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. Students have the option to accept the free lunch, purchase lunch from the A La Carte Area in the cafeteria, or bring 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 (DoorDash, 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 2026-2027 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

JROTC

Mars students will begin attending JROTC during period 1 at Pine Richland High School on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. On the first day of school and any other day that Pine Richland is not in session, JROTC students will report to homeroom, then to the LGI for study hall during period 1.

Vo-Tech

Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School (BCVATS) begins for all students on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. On the first day of school and any other day that Vo-Tech is not in session, Vo-Tech students will report to study hall for periods 7-9. They will need a parent note to be able to leave early on those days.

Please refer to Vo-Tech's website at 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 to students' homes on the elementary runs, if needed.

Dress Code

Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the school day. Please refer to pages 22-23 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.

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!