Chagrin Falls Middle School Parent Newsletter

September 6, 2020 | Issue 3

PRINCIPAL'S UPDATES

Dear CFMS Families,

We had a great start to the year! Although this is a time of uncertainty it is also a time for opportunity and we are ready to maximize the moments we have in the classroom! We are also developing new ways of doing things. Be sure to check out our improved Morning Announcements as we started live video-announcing September 4th!

Coming soon - Sign-ups and directions for Remote Mystery Morning Announcers, Tech Tips from Mr. Daughtery and Chagrin Spirit Wear opportunities! Make sure you also regularly visit our Communications and Calendars (communication, teacher drop-down top right)to get organized for the week ahead.

Enjoy National Read a Book Day and Labor Day!

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

September 7 - No School Labor Day

September 8 - Last day to order Mumkins & Mumsters

September 16 - Virtual Curriculum Night - Information will be forthcoming

September 21 - Start with HELLO week

September 24 - Zoom Parent-Teacher Conferences - Information will be forthcoming

September 28 - No School, Yom Kippur

October 9 - No School, Professional Development Day - MUMKIN pick up!

October 14 - PSAT 8/9 - Details forthcoming

October 16 - End of the first grading period

NEXT WEEK PREVIEW

Slide Week

Tuesday - Monday Schedule

Wednesday - Tuesday Schedule

Thursday - Wednesday Schedule

Friday - Thursday Schedule - No Focus Friday Support Day

Virtual Academy

Parents may pick up student materials Biweekly on Mondays. Our first pick up will be this Tuesday (due to holiday). You may pick up between the hours of 8:30 am and 2:00 pm. Please enter the vestibule and know your child's student id. Bookshelves are the mailboxes for each virtual student (labeled with numbers). You can grab what you need and go! Thank you!

Advisory

Continuing to support online tech tools/resources and digital citizenship. Have a choice reading book!

Prepping for iready - Each school year we administer benchmark assessments to all of our at-grade level students in the fall, winter, and spring to gauge students’ strengths and weaknesses, monitor student growth, inform our instruction and possibly provide targeted practice activities. The two main assessments we use are iReady Reading and iReady Math which test students on achievement relative to the K-8 curriculum.

Practice Fire Drill

MS FALL FLOWER FUNDRAISER RUNS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 8

Decorate your home with warm and colorful Mumkins! Mumkins and Mumsters are fun and decorative pots that you fill with your choice of colorful, high quality mums. Once you have the pot you can join the hair club and just order the mums to go in the pot the following year! See the attached flyer for more detailed information. Your Mumkins will be available for contactless pick up on Friday, October 9th in the Middle School parking lot. An email with the student specific sale order link was sent to the parent of our students. If you want to order through a student please contact them directly or CLICK HERE TO ORDER ON THE BUILDING SALE LINK

CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT THE MUMKIN SALE

START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR PAPERWORK CHECK LIST

School fees are established by the Board of Education and cover the cost of consumable supplies, such as student workbooks, planners, paperback books, news magazines, science lab supplies and testing materials. The fee amount for grades 4-8 is $70 and can be paid through Final Forms. Final Forms allows for payment via debit or credit card. There is a 4% service charge added to the fee amount for processing. Parents can still pay the fee by cash or check, made payable to the Chagrin Falls Board of Education, at the school office without incurring the service charge.

School Pictures can be ordered online through MYLIFETOUCH.COM Use our school event code EVTDN77GM

Medication in School can be given if we have the proper paperwork on file. Please visit the Health Services website for any forms you may need.

Parent Contact Information takes a moment to update. Please ensure that we have the most current contact information on file in both the INFINITE CAMPUS PORTAL and FINAL FORMS. Login is located on the homepage under the PARENTS tab.

Attendance Reminders - Please make sure that you call the school (440-247- 4790) if your child will not be present in the school building. Even if students may log in virtually, if they are supposed to physically be in school we need to account for them. Also, if your child cannot attend their virtual classes, please also call in their attendance in order for us to properly designate the absence in Infinite Campus and ensure that the teacher knows not to wait for them to log in.

Please make sure to get in the practice of packing book bags at night in order to be ready for the next day. Due to security precautions and the time students spend in the school building we are asking that forgotten items stay forgotten without bringing them up to school. Thanks!

Mental Wellness Corner

This month’s topic… Happy Distractions

During periods of chronic stress, finding “happy distractions” can provide important relief. Engaging in enjoyable activities to give yourself and your family a mental break from a stressful environment allows for immediate relief during the activity and can carry over for a period of time after the activity has ended. Movies, music, crafts, bike rides or just about anything else can provide relief if you and your children are able to immerse yourselves in that activity.

These ideas and more are discussed in Dr. Lisa Damour’s Podcast “Parenting During a Pandemic.” Listen to the full podcast here.