MMS Principal Newsletter
February 29, 2020 @MMSCougarPride
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MMS Presents 13
Maplewood Township Proclamation
Greetings and Updates from Ms. Gronau
Greetings MMS Families,
It has been a busy February! Scroll down for a few photos highlighting this month: A cast photo during the last song during "13" and photos from our advisory periods which concluded our Black History Month theme "Telling Our Stories." Trivia Night 2020 was a great success. We raised over $17,000! Lastly, I also had the privilege of attending Dr. Bettina Love's talk during Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action. Her book We Want to do More Than Survive is a game changer!
Progress reports for the third marking period came out last week. Please follow up with your child's teachers, team leader and/or counselor if you have questions about their progress during this marking period.
Questions about Saturday Academy and if it is a fit for your child? Contact Ms. Gronau or your child's school counselor.
The Hub/Family Connections is a wonderful resource we are fortunate to have at MMS through a Maplewood Municipal grant. If you would like your child to participate in individual and group sessions during the school day or in the social support through recreation after school programming, please contact Ms. Candice at cebbesen@familyconnectionsnj.org.
IMPORTANT NOTES
-Reminder to please send Ms. Gronau your good news/recognition worthy events of your child's academic, social, social activism, community service, and artistic achievements. We would like our MMS kids to be recognized at upcoming board meetings! Email at dgronau@somsd.k12.nj.us!
Save the dates!
(flyers coming out soon)
Welcome to Middle School at MMS March 19, 2020 at 7pm in the MMS auditoriums for 5th grade families (sponsored by the Parenting Center).
Math Information Nights (open to 5th grade families and all middle school families) (sponsored by the Office of Curriculum and Instruction)
MMS-Thurs, April 23 at 7pm in the auditorium
SOMS Wed, April 22 at 7pm in the auditorium.
The information/presenters are the same both nights.
School in Action Night
May 21, 2020 at 7pm at MMS. Open to all middle school families and 5th grade families. A showcase of curriculum projects and performances. *Note: This is a 4 hour day for students.
Girls Basketball
Congrats to the MAPSO Recreation Girls Basketball team for their victory over West Orange in the championship game. The finished their middle school careers with 3 consecutive perfect seasons. Wow!!!!
Ailey Residency
TCRWP Professional Development Implementation at MMS
Strengths based IEPs
6th Grade TCRWP Lab Site
The 5 Keys to Middle School Child Resilience and Success
The 5 Keys to Middle School Child Resilience and Success
The MMS faculty and staff ask that you support our work with your child in the following ways:
1) Encourage a Growth Mindset-Having a growth mindset fosters resilience. Use the language of yet. I don’t understand this “yet.” Emphasize the importance of hard work as opposed to innate intelligence. “I did well because of my effort. I’ll do better next time.”
2) Encourage 1-2 Good Peer Relationships-Friends should be a source of support. Often our middle schoolers try to maintain large groups of close friends and that is challenging for anyone of any age! Encourage your child to have 1-2 solid and supportive peer friendships and keep it light and simple with the larger groups.
3) Ensure 9-11 Hours of Sleep Please! Sleep is the best way to foster resilience. Research shows that kiddos this age need 9-11 hours to be at their best. When your child is well-rested, everything is better. Technology is the #1 enemy of sleep! As a school community, we recommend that you keep technology out of your child’s bedroom at night to encourage healthy and consistent sleep.
4) Encourage Coping Strategies-Coping is personal. Everyone does it differently. Encourage your child to think about healthy ways to relax and give them permission to do it!
5) Facilitate Time/Connection with a non-familial adult-Good connections with non-familial adults are very important for your child. They hear things differently from non-familial adults. Encourage your child to participate in a club or activity. Children need our perspective. They are always changing and growing. As adults we can attach a growth mindset to their personality development and their peer interactions.