Here is a brief update on where things are with respect to construction in the Martensdale-St. Marys Community School District.

Science Rooms

• The Board of Directors is set to approve bids on two of three component parts to the Science Room Renovation. Bids for general construction and electrical services came in under budget. Bids for mechanical services will be opened on March 12 and the low bid approved by the Board of Directors on March  24.

• This project will begin the day school is out and be complete prior to school beginning in August.

Furniture

• New furniture for all student spaces has been ordered and delivery is set for July 7, 2025.

• We are working to finalize a plan to liquidate the existing furniture in the building.

Softball Field

• The final plans for the Softball Field are set to be approved following a public hearing on March 24, 2025.

• The location of the field will be directly south of Blue Devil Stadium on the easternmost portion of the practice fields.

• Construction will begin this summer and be completed by the end of the fall.

Building Additions / Renovations

• We are in the middle of the design phase for the new bus loop and parking lot, the new safe and secure entrance, and the new gym.  We anticipate having design documents complete next fall with bidding in October 2025.  We will then begin construction on these projects in the spring of 2026 with completion in the fall or early winter of 2027.

• To date, we have completed a soil analysis, and a traffic study is nearing completion which will inform us of the flow of traffic in the area and any additional requirements.

• We are in the initial stages of the design phase for improvements in HVAC, electrical services, and fire safety.  We anticipate this work to begin in the summer of 2026 with work complete in the summer of 2027.

The Martensdale-St. Marys Community School District will be on Spring Break the week of March 17.

There will be no school March 17 - 21. District offices will be closed on Friday, March 21.

School resumes on Tuesday, March 25.

The Martensdale-St. Marys Techno Devils competed at the FIRST Tech Challenge: Iowa Championships this past weekend in Coralville, Iowa.

The Techno Devils placed 16th overall in the event.  After pool play, the team was in 8th place with a 5-1 record.

Photo courtesy of Ashley Gideon.

Registration for the 2025-2026 school year opens on Monday, March 3, 2025, at 9:00am.

Here are a few points regarding the Registration process:

1. Registration must be done using a computer, not a phone.
2. When registering, please ensure that you are in the 2025-2026 School Year in the drop down.
3. Register on the JMC Platform using this link:  https://mstm.onlinejmc.com/
4. All Payments are made on the RevTrak Platform using this link:  https://mstm.revtrak.net

Registration Reminders

• All forms must be signed electronically to complete registration.
• All students in a family must be registered individually.
• New families should visit the Central Office to register.
• Preschool families that have completed their initial registration and payment on RevTrak must now register in JMC.
• Family passwords for JMC must be updated using a minimum of 12 characters.

For assistance, contact Jessica Hart at 641-351-7400 x525 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Daycare Registration for the Summer of 2025 and the 2025-2026 School Year is now open at Daycare Registration.

MSTM is a recipient of the 2025 Project Classroom Grant.  With these funds, Science Teacher Hannah Happ we will be taking the 7th and 8th grade science classes to the Science Center of Iowa in the spring. This trip is a fantastic opportunity for students to explore the wonders of science through interactive exhibits and hands-on learning experiences.

The Greater Iowa Credit Union is the proud supporter of the Project Classroom Grant. It is a unique classroom innovation grant program designed to help teachers gain access to additional financial resources needed to fund creative educational experiences or innovative hands-on programs to promote dynamic and fun learning.

Preschool / Transitional Kindergarten Meet and Greet

Monday, March 3, 2025

10:00am – 11:00am

Come and meet our teachers and learn about Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten at MSTM for the 2025-2026 school year. This event coincides with Parent-Teacher Conferences and the Spring Book Fair, both starting at 11:00 am.

Families will have the opportunity to register online here at school on March 3, 2025, in either the elementary office or the central office. New families do need to register in person. 

There will be additional information available on the school website regarding Preschool and TK-12 Registration on the District webpage at www.mstm.us on March 3, 2025.

For those planning to attend Kindergarten next year…please note these dates:

Kindergarten Parent Meeting - April 22nd - 6:00pm, Media Center

Kindergarten Roundup - May 9th - 8:30am - 2:00pm - Kindergarten Classrooms

If you have questions, please contact the Elementary Office at 641-351-7400 x516 and speak with Ashley Blaisdell.

In Iowa, schools are required to be in session for 180 days of 1080 hours annually. At MSTM, we count hours as opposed to days and we started this year with 1103.50 hours (23.5 hours over the minimum).

As you know, in recent days and weeks we have had two days without school and then other adjustments to our schedule. With today’s late start, we have exceeded our 23.5 hours and are now at a deficit of 2.25 hours.

We will now have school on Monday, March 31, 2025, to make up for the time lost to date.

The Board of Directors of the Martensdale-St. Marys Community School District approved the hiring of Adam Fraher as the District’s Communication Coordinator / Activities Director on Monday, February 10, 2025.

Fraher will assume the role of Communications Coordinator later this spring and will begin his shared duties as Communications Coordinator / Activities Director on July 1, 2025. This is a newly created combination added after the announcement of Max Seeman’s departure from MSTM at the end of June as the full-time Activities Director.

Fraher holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing Management from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master of Science in Athletic Administration from Ohio University. He currently serves as the Athletics and Activities Coordinator for the Urbandale schools and previously worked at UNI as both an Athletic Development Coordinator and Sports Marketing Assistant.