Scroll down to read important furlough instructions! PARENT NEWSLETTER Thank you A big thank you to the parents and families who attended another successful Fall Family Weekend. We were pleased to welcome new boys into the Corps of Cadets during the Passing Through Ceremony and then to recognize our seniors during the annual Senior Ring Ceremony - two events that symbolize milestones in a boy's journey at MMA. Read a complete rundown of the weekend's events on our website and access photos, too: Scroll down for Furlough information and other news.
New Obstacle Course Col. Grabowski reports that MMA just completed the first phase of a project to enhance the team-building facilities on the Academy’s expansive 200-acre back campus. Cadets will soon be able to try their skills on the new Marine obstacle course. The project was made possible by a generous donation from 2016 graduate Oscar Cortada of Barcelona, Spain and his father, Javier Cortada, also of Barcelona. The younger Cortada is currently studying at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. The gift was first announced during the 2017 Maroon and Gold event in St. Louis. “[I am] someone whose life has been changed by MMA,” Oscar Cortada said. “When I came to MMA, I was lost and angry; when I graduated, I was neither. That’s why I believe in MMA and that it’s my duty to give back any way that I can.” The new obstacle course, built behind the baseball fields, is a Marine-style course with high and low obstacles that include log climbs, belly crawls, parallel bars, a low wall, and the finale - the rope climb. The equipment is designed to enhance leadership skills, endurance, strength, confidence, problem solving skills, and teamwork. It is also consistent with MMA’s “mind, body, and spirit” educational philosophy that links physical health to mental focus, self-discipline, and confidence. Ed Tour 2018: Spain!Our 2018 Educational Tour to Spain is filling up quickly. If your son is interested in this trip, there is still time to reserve a place on the tour. Visit our Ed Tour page for details or email Rhonda Blaue, our on-site tour coordinator.
Parents Committee Corner Halloween Party! The Commandant's department is sponsoring a Halloween party for cadets on Saturday, October 28. The events will begin in the field house with a dinner and costume contest, followed by a hayride, haunted house, and scary movies. You can send your son's costume to him, or he can purchase items if he is able to go on general leave this weekend. (We will enforce good taste and judgement in the design of the costumes, consistent with our values.) Parents can send monetary donations to purchase extra snacks or goodies for the party or donate party food to the cause. Donations: Parents Committee/ Cassandra Brooks, MMA, 204 N. Grand St., Mexico MO 65265 or via our online donation form. Party food: Please send to MMA to the attention of CPT Tom Roberts.
Evensong 2017Make plans to attend the Academy's traditional celebration of the Christmas holiday. Join us in the evening on Thursday, December 21 for a ceremony of carols and readings. Your son cannot sign out for winter furlough until the conclusion of Evensong that evening.Thinking of You (T.O.Y.) BoxesShow your son you're thinking of him - without worrying that candy will melt or cookies will crumble in the mail. The Parents Committee raises funds for cadet activities by providing a fun box of treats to cadets each month for a reasonable cost. Visit the PC web page or the online payment portal. Be sure to indicate that the payment is for TOY boxes. HandbooksThe Parent and Cadet Handbooks are posted on the Forms Portal of the MMA parent website. It is accessed using your Grades Online username and password. Thanksgiving FurloughThanksgiving and Christmas furloughs are around the corner and we need your travel forms! Every cadet must complete a form.Furlough Policies and Procedures: (from the Parent Handbook) Cadets cannot leave campus for Thanksgiving Furlough until classes end on Tuesday, November 21. (3:30 p.m.) He will need time to prepare his luggage and check out with the company RFO. Cadets leave and return to campus in MMA uniform. MMA transportation takes students to the airport on the 22nd. Please help us accommodate all cadets by planning flights accordingly and informing us of your plans as soon as possible. Once a cadet has been given permission to leave the supervision of the Academy, the boy's behavior is the responsibility of the parent(s). Parents may host cadets from other families with the prior written permission of the cadets’ legal guardian on file with the registrar and in doing so, accept the responsibility for the welfare of those cadets until they are signed back to campus. A Furlough Form is required to be completed and turned into the Commandant’s Office prior to the Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring Furloughs. These forms are located on the parent’s page of the MMA website. Cadets who depart for furlough are no longer the responsibility of MMA. We recommend that you do not give permission for your son to depart campus to be "met" in St. Louis or another city. The Academy tests for drugs and alcohol when cadets are suspected of participating in such behavior during furlough, and regular health and welfare checks of their belongings will be completed. Upon return from furloughs, cadets will immediately report to their company RFO, OIC or designated area. All cadets must remain in the assigned uniform until they reach their destination, both going and returning from furlough. The regulations of the U.S. Immigration Service are firmly supported by Missouri Military Academy. Any international cadet returning from furlough who knowingly disobeys INS procedures is considered to also be in violation of MMA regulations. During the Thanksgiving Break, the Academy provides a full schedule of activities, meals and supervision for those cadets who cannot go home. Cadets who remain have many opportunities to travel away from the campus in supervised groups and to enjoy life on the campus in a relaxed atmosphere that provides a good physical and psychological break for them, too. Academy supervised transportation is provided to and from the campus through the St. Louis Airport only per the published schedule. Cadets who depart for Thanksgiving Break must go to their own home, the home of a relative, or the home of another cadet as indicated by the furlough form.Transportation Costs: The charges for chaperoned bus transportation to St. Louis Airport: $85 round-trip (Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring Furlough and Commencement). All are round trip fares, except for the Commencement Weekend bus.
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