October 25, 2019 | Issue 7
Principal's Updates

Dear CFMS Families,

Enriching opportunities assist students with engagement, deep understanding, world connections and improved critical thinking skills. Therefore, at CFMS we aim to provide field trips and activities that extend learning.

This month 8th graders visited Twinsburg Ledges in order to get a first hand look at a combination of constructive and destructive geologic processes that have formed Earth’s surface here in our own community. The 7th graders traveled to the Watershed Stewardship, West Creek Reservation, in order to make relevant connections to the ecosystem as part of the life science unit. They observed, planned and conducted experiments.

Also, the 8th grade took part in college and career activities, like Real Money, Real World and the 7th grade team is prepping to host a Greek Olympics in November.

As a school we will hold a Halloween Spooktacular Dance on October 25th from 7-9:00 pm in the ms cafe. We will have music, food, and spooky contests/games! Students may celebrate Halloween on Thursday, October 31st by wearing a costume to school. Costumes must be school appropriate, following handbook rules, and students must not wear masks, weapons or costumes that inhibit them from fully participating in the day's activities.

The first grading period ended last Friday, October 18 th .  Grades have been posted to Infinite Campus and report cards may be printed from the parent portal. iReady data has been collected and this informational letter was sent and posted to our website.

Thanks for a great first quarter!


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


News & Announcements

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR OCTOBER STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
7th Graders Audrey Holmes and Kai De Leon and 8th graders Libby Cain and Aiden Cabic. Please CLICK HERE to learn more about them.

CONGRATULATIONS TIGER TRAILBLAZERS
Quarter 1 - Christian Fried, Zoe Jones, Alexa Zingales, Nick Tropf, Dorothy Opoku, Alex Chinnici, Luke Nelson, Marny Armstrong, and Lena Tucker! Check out their accomplishments and photo!


PRESENTATION FOR PARENTS ON VAPING
Monday, October 28th @ 6:30 p.m. in the Sands Community Room
Jessica Venditt, SAY (Social Advocates for Youth) counselor for Orange High School and a licensed professional clinical counselor will give a presentation on the vaping epidemic and how it is impacting the children of our community. Amanda Rassi, assistant principal of Chagrin Falls High School, along with our school resource officer Michael Baldwin, also will be present to answer questions.

MS SKI CLUB REGISTRATION OPEN
Run by Community Education, this club is an annual favorite for middle school students.
The bus leaves after school on select Fridays in January and February and returns back to the school. Students are provided the opportunity to ski with their friends for 4 hours under the lights! Students who are already season pass holders may register for bus transportation only to participate in the club.  See the flyer for all details.

STUDENT DIRECTORIES ON SALE
PTO is excited to announce that the Chagrin Falls School District Student Directory is now fully digital via joinourclass . Mobile App included! You’ll have access to names, emails and phone numbers at your fingertips from anywhere you are. No more hunting for the directory around the house or in the car, it’s now just one click away! CLICK HERE to be directed to the PTO fundraising page and scroll down to Middle School Fundraiser-Student Directories to order. CLICK HERE FOR FLYER

TESTING DATES - PLEASE PUT ON YOUR CALENDARS
Testing dates are April 15,16, 20, 21, 23 & 24 . Students will be testing in the morning. Please do not schedule any appointments before 10:00 am on these dates. Your flexibility is greatly appreciated.

SCHOOL FEES REMINDER
CFMS Fees for 2019-2020 are $120.00 and can be paid online through Final Forms or by check payable to CFMS in the Middle School office. Per Board Policy p articipation in extracurricular field trips will not be permitted unless payment has been received. A payment schedule may be arranged at the building level with full payment to be received by June 15.

YEARBOOK - order yours today!
Follow these  EASY steps  to place an online order.

INFINITE CAMPUS MOBILE APPS
Infinite Campus has two new and improved mobile apps: Campus Student (for students) and Campus Parent (for parents). Download your free app for real-time access to grades, assignments, attendance, schedules, announcements and more. Infinite Campus Mobile Apps can be downloaded through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Search "Infinite Campus" on either store to find the updated apps. If you are using the old Infinite Campus app, please download the new app. The old app will be removed from the app store June 30th, 2019.



Important Dates

October
25th - Halloween Spooktacular Dance 7-9 pm MS Cafe
28th - Presentation for parents on the vaping epidemic and how it impacts our children.
6:30 p.m. in the Sands Community Room. CLICK HERE for more information.

November

December
7th - Treat your children on Saturday, Dec. 7th to one of the most beloved holiday traditions, our annual, Breakfast with Santa, and support the Chagrin Falls High School Baseball Team. This sell-out event kicks off the holiday season with photos with Santa, Crafts with baseball elves, silent auction and all-you-can-eat pancakes! CLICK HERE for more information

April
Testing week is April 15th through 24th . The 7-12 campus will run a 2-hour delayed start schedule in order to test in the morning then attend our scheduled classes. Please make every effort to have your child here everyday.


Important Info For Families

Celebrations- Student Parent Handbook page 24
Due to increasing numbers of students with life threatening food allergies we will protect student health and safety and maintain our instructional focus. Edible treats are not permitted and parents are asked not to send food related items to share with classmates at any time. They are also asked not to bring in food related items for student presentations and special school-wide events.  

For general information on middle school...
Please CLICK HERE to view the parent tip sheet. This information is also located on the MS homepage.

Questions regarding attendance, appointments & planned absences....
Please CLICK HERE to be redirected to the absences webpage.


CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS
7th Grade Watershed Stewardship trip at West Creek Reservation!
Beautiful days to study ecosystems! 
  • Energy flows and matter are transferred continuously from one organism to another and between organisms and their physical environments.
  • There is an impact of matter and energy transfer within the biotic component of ecosystems.
  • In any particular biome, the number, growth and survival of organisms and populations depend on biotic and abiotic factors.

ATHLETIC NEWS
Girls Basketball Tryouts are December 9 to 11
Wrestling Practice begins on November 11
More information to come as we get closer to the date
CLUB NEWS
CFMS Pops Choir
It's not too late to join the  Chagrin Falls Middle School Pops Choir , a group that meets before school on Wednesdays to sing and perform pop music. See Mr. Bachofsky or a music teacher for more information. This group starts up next Wednesday, October 2nd at 7:00 am. Pops Choir is open to all CFMS music students who currently are enrolled in band, orchestra, or choir

Connect Club
This club is supported by Tiger Prep and  started their 2019-20 school year season with a pizza party! The students spent time getting to know new friends who joined this year and then proceeded to have fun with the video gaming truck, life size Jenga and Connect Four games, and taking fun pictures with friends in the photo booth!  


SUPPORT ORGANIZATION NEWS

The Chagrin Falls Ed Foundation Student Board is holding their annual clothing drive to benefit the Chagrin Falls Park Community Center. We need girls and boys clothes, shoes and outerwear. Please see the flyer for more information.

LADIES NIGHT OUT NOVEMBER 21 TO BENEFIT AFTER PROM
November 21st from 6-9 pm at Chagrin Falls Town Hall 
Pre-sale tickets are $20.00 if purchased by November 4th. Tickets at the door are 25.00 
Visit us at  cfafterprom.com  - click  here  to purchase tickets 



MENTAL WELLNESS CORNER
Mental Wellness Corner - October's topic…mindfulness activities for children and teens


Current research suggests that learning mindfulness techniques can have benefits for both adults and children. Mindfulness can increase focus, improve mental health and well being, support social skill development, mitigate effects of bullying, reduce anxiety and reduce attention problems.    
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
Middle School Friend Drama:

We are officially a quarter through the year and many students have settled into the habits and routines of school. However, one element of middle school can seem like a constant challenge for many students. Middle school is a time for a lot of change and transition as adolescents continue to develop. Unfortunately, these changes can also extend to tricky, constantly-evolving friend dynamics. Chances are your child has encountered some kind of "falling out" or other type of friend drama/conflict that has made their social life more challenging. Students at this age tend to identify through their peer groups, and these peer groups can lend themselves to various levels of belonging and not belonging as a result of all kinds of circumstances. Changes can occur rapidly affecting your child's self-esteem and are often difficult to witness as a parent. To further complicate the matter, many of these situations may not always have a clear answer on how to navigate them.

This article helps to describe some common do's and don't's to help parents best navigate these situations to help their children. It is important to recognize impulses in these situations and to reflect on what the best avenue of support is to really help kids develop. Knowing when and how to interact can be tricky.

As always, I'm happy to offer any support I can. Please reach out anytime!


Kyle Patterson
School Counselor
Chagrin Falls Middle School
440-247-5500 x4307
@PattersonCFMS
342 E. Washington Street
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022

Main Number: (440) 893-7695
Administration: (440) 893-7695 ext. 4301
Adm. Asst.: (440) 893-7695 ext. 4302
Athletic Office: (440) 893-7695 ext. 4337
Attendance: (440) 247-4790
Clinic: (440) 893-7695 ext. 4304
Fax: (440) 247-4855
Guidance: (440) 893-7695 ext. 4307
Lobby: (440) 893-7695 ext. 4303