Chagrin Falls Middle School Parent Newsletter

December 18, 2020 | Issue 14

PRINCIPAL'S UPDATES

Dear CFMS Families,

Winter break is approaching! I hope that over the coming weeks you will enjoy time with those closest to you while receiving a reprieve from homework and daily obligations. Here are a few family-friendly activities that can keep students' skills sharp over the next few weeks:

We are not on break yet. Continue to work hard and finish strong. There are assignments to complete and there will be a great feeling of accomplishment soon.
Read for pleasure. Whether a holiday story or a new installment to a series, winter break provides the perfect opportunity to read for fun.
Cook up an easy lesson. Invite your child into the kitchen to help you whip up a special dish. All of those half-tablespoon and quarter-cup measurements are great practice with fractions, along with learning about traditions and making memories.
Write thank-you notes. Penning notes of appreciation to gift-givers teaches gratitude and helps polish writing and spelling skills.
Let kids help with online shopping. Need a last-minute gift? Log onto your favorite shopping sites and let your child help you select presents. This helps children work on their computer and research skills.
Take an inventory of school supplies and stock some fresh ones for the new year. New supplies, new attitude!
Have a family game night. Chances are many of your family's favorite board, video or card games reinforce important thinking skills.

Let's have a great last week of school in 2020!

Proud to be a Tiger,

Laila Discenza

Principal, Chagrin Falls Middle School

342 E. Washington Street

Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022

(440) 893-7695 x 4301

Laila.discenza@chagrinschools.org

IMPORTANT DATES

December 22- End of 2nd grading period and first semester.

December 23-January 1: Winter Break

January 4: No School For Students 7-12 - Teacher Records Day

January 5: Classes resume for students 7-12

January 5-8: Classes remain virtual for 7-12 campus

January 8: Grades post for 2nd quarter

Virtual Concerts - Links will be posted to our website on these dates:

December 10 - MS Band

December 18 - Orchestra

December 18- Choir

Week PREVIEW

Schedule

Monday - Monday Schedule

Tuesday- Tuesday Schedule

Advisory

SSR

Student Athletes

Boys Basketball and wrestling competitions are on pause until January 4th. Practices may continue.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Congratulations to our December Students Of The Month!

7th Graders: Sophia De La Cruz and Michael Brosnan

8th Graders: Mia Eaves and Nathan Nguyen

Please CLICK HERE to learn more about them

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS

DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our morning announcements are presented live each school day at 7:45am. Parents you are welcome to login and listen to them....hear about what's happening in school!

CLICK HERE or go to the MS Homepage and click on ANNOUNCEMENTS on the left side.

MS. FENTON'S ART CLASS WEEKLY CHALLENGE

2nd Grading Period:

Week #6 GLASS click here to view

Week #7 ART ELEMENTS click here to view week 7

Week #8 MEMORY click here to view week 8

CLUB NEWS

Speech & Debate

November 21st hosted by Mentor:

Fraya Brattebo & Eire Ratcliffe took 3rd place in Public Forum. This was our first virtual competition this year, and it’s pretty impressive to have them place right out of the gates in such a weird structure this year amidst the pandemic. They swept every round in Public Forum all day.

4 and 0 is a great wY to start! Congrats!

December 5th hosted by Olmsted Falls

Congrats to CFMS Speech and Debate competitors on big wins for MS Public Forum Debates this weekend! Fraya Brattebo and Claire Guddy took 3rd place and Luke Mitchell and Cameron Mateyo took 4th place. We are so proud of your hard work and efforts!

December 12th hosted by Vermillion

Congrats to the CFMS Speech and Debate Team on an outstanding competition this weekend hosted by Vermillion. Addison Frankel, Cameron Mateyo, and Layla Hauserman all represented CFMS in Extemporaneous Debate for the first time ever, each winning several rounds. Mia Sluder and Margaret Vanderbilt placed 5th in Public Forum and Fraya Brattebo and Eire Ratcliffe placed 3rd overall in Public Forum.

Next week is a big competition hosted by Kenston.

ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL

Report absences: to the attendance line 440/247-4790 or the MS Office 440/247-4746.

Please remember to submit doctor appointment verification slips to the school following appointment absences.

Do you have absence paperwork to send to the school?

Email: Connie.miralia@chagrinschools.org or Laila.Discenza@chagrinschools.org

Or Fax to: 440/247-4855

Have a question for our school nurse?

Call the school clinic 440/893-7695 ext 4304 or the District Nurse Cell: 330/998-3350

email: debra.elam@chagrinschools.org

Quick Reference for understanding absences as they appear in Infinite Campus

Medical= student is home ill or at a medical appointment. Student is not expected to attend class virtually but can absolutely choose to do so. Student will not be marked unexcused if they do not log in.

Visiting Virtual= Student is home but is not ill. This is a family choice. Parent is requesting that their student not attend class physically out of an abundance of caution. The student is not being told to stay home and quarantine. Student is expected to log on virtually. Student will be marked unexcused if they do not log in.

Quarantine= Student is home due to Covid related issues. Student is expected to log on to class virtually if not symptomatic and ill. Student will be marked unexcused if they do not log in.

Counselor's Corner

Dealing with life during COVID has proven to be quite a rollercoaster ride. There are periods where we may seem on top of things and managing quite well enjoying a simpler, quieter life. However, just as quickly as these feelings can arrive, they can easily be eroded by the difficulty of feeling isolated, missing others and our previous activities, feeling anxious, and wondering when and if things will go back to normal. Working in my position, I noticed a bit of a dip in student morale recently. Perhaps it is linked to the holidays looking quite different this year for many families, or it could be that this whole experience is just really starting to weigh on us more and more.

It's crucial that we all be on the lookout for our kids' well-being, as well as our own. While we can't change circumstances, we can feel more empowered by focusing on the things we can do for our own well-being rather than all the things we can't do. These things certainly may not be equal substitutes for what we wish we could be doing right now, but we all need to find positive ways to cope right now as we work through these difficult times. We also need to be fair to ourselves and our kids. These are difficult times, and it's okay and understandable to be struggling. It's not something anyone should be ashamed of. Just please don't struggle alone and reach out and encourage your children to reach out when they need help.

Please see the included picture from Gwent Community Psychology outlining just what it's like riding the lockdown rollercoaster and ways we can continue to take care of our well-being. As always, reach out anytime if I can ever help!

Kyle Patterson

School Counselor

Chagrin Falls Middle School

440-247-5500 x4307

Kyle.Patterson@ChagrinSchools.org

@PattersonCFMS

Mental Wellness Highlight

Mental Wellness Corner - this month’s topic… Screen time

It seems like once a month, I am approached with a question about screen time, and rightly so as the landscape of our media use is changing so rapidly. We used to have some pretty concrete guidelines around screen time ( no more than two hours of screen time a day, for example). However some of these are no longer possible, and in some cases, they are not as necessary.

Instead, the American Academy of Pediatrics revised their recommendations regarding screen time. See the full article and lists of resources here. These recommendations are much more focused on MINDFUL (mindfulness is everywhere!) media use. Think about the quality of the content your child is viewing- is it educational, helpful and high-quality? Is it impacting their ability to function in other areas (does it impact their mood or detract from physical play, sleep, or family interactions)?

Here are some helpful suggestions put forth by the AAP: Designate no-screen areas in your home (bedrooms, for example). Also, designate no-screen times in your home (family game night, driving in the car, dinner time, etc). These can be mapped out for your family using this tool. Additionally, parents modeling these guidelines (such as keeping your phone away from the dinner table while you are eating) will help to promote these expectations and set your children up to develop healthy media use habits as well.