MMS Principal Newsletter
October 9, 2017 @MMSCougarPride
12:30pm dismissal on Monday, October 9, 2017
Monday, October 9 is a 4 hour day for students and there is professional development for staff. School begins at the regular time--8:20am. There is regular breakfast program at the regular time. School ends at 12:30pm. There is no lunch service.
Looking for MLK Club Student Members at MMS
We are looking to reinvigorate the MLK Club at MMS. Arielle Wegbreit is the new club advisor. Please encourage your child to join. We'd like to make this the special club it once was at MMS with events and service projects that honor Dr. King's legacy and recognize and highlight the contributions African American people have made to our country and to the world. This club will also take the lead planning MLK day and Black History Month events at MMS. We even hope to organize an oratory contest this year! For more info, contact Ms. Wegbreit at awegbrie@somsd.k12.nj.us.
Save the dates! Upcoming Parent/Guardian Events at MMS
Wednesday, October 11
Middle School Curriculum Information Night (7pm at SOMS for both middle schools). District supervisors and teachers will be on hand to share information about the middle school academic program (Scroll down the newsletter for the flyer). Ms. Gronau will be there as well. Hope to see you there!
Thursday, October 12
Open HSA meeting at 7pm. MMS leadership team will share information about the HIB communication process and steps we are taking to continually reduce HIB concerns in our school.
Thursday, October 20
The first Coffee and conversation with the principal will be held in the MMS library. There will be 9am and 3:30pm time slots for your convenience. Parents and guardians are invited to come in and chat with the principal in an informal setting. The goal is build relationships with our MMS families.
Greetings and Updates from Ms. Gronau
Friday, October 13 will be an assembly from the group Camfel for all MMS students. As a follow-up to the Week of Respect, students will hear from speakers about how to make good decisions during this critical time in their lives. Special thanks to your HSA for sponsoring!
6th and 7th grade will have their first advisory session on Friday, October 13, 2017. They will meet the advisor (an MMS faculty member) and their peers in their advisory group. Advisory is an important structure in secondary schools to ensure personalized support and mentoring from a positive adult in the school. We are proud of the advisory sessions written by our very own MMS teachers and we know it will be a worthwhile experience for your child. Advisory will run twice a month for 6th and 7th grade and once a month in 8th grade. 8th grade advisory begins in November. Look for updates about advisory in upcoming newsletters.
We are planning to start Saturday Academy (9am-12pm at MMS on Saturdays except for holiday weekends) and after school tutoring (3:15-4:15pm M, W, Th, and F) to support students struggling in ELA, Math, Social Studies and Science. We hope to start it in October pending board approval. If not, it will begin in November. Separate email communication will be sent home via email and hard copy to MMS families.
--Ms. Gronau, MMS Principal
Maplewood Middle School Remind App Code @k92d29
This year, the MMS Principal has added a school-wide "Remind App" as another way to communicate with families. Many of your child's teachers will share Remind class codes for you and your child to stay up to date about class events and assignments. As needed, the MMS Principal will periodically use the Remind App to share important info with our school community. Our Maplewood Middle School school-wide code Remind code is listed above (@k92d29). The link below explains how to begin getting notifications. It's a simple way to stay in touch. Join us!
https://help.remind.com/hc/en-us/articles/203179887-How-do-I-join-a-class-
Week of Respect-Wonder Project Assembly
Thank you to the MMS HSA for sponsoring the Wonder Project assembly. As a culmination to the Week of Respect, our students heard from speakers about people will facial differences, the message of being upstander, and choosing to treat each other with kindness.
Middle MAC at MMS
Mr. Rosefort and Ms. Schlatmann are off to a great start reinvigorating the Middle MAC program at MMS. Last year, students applied and 30 gained entrance into Middle MAC. 30 students of African and Latino decent receive mentoring, leadership training, and peer support. Their goal is to serve as leaders at MMS and to support one another to achieve academic success. Special thanks to Ms. Hicks, CHS School Counselor and Ms. Weiland, SOMSD Parenting Center Social Worker for helping us to get this program off the ground at MMS. More updates and pictures about all the Middle MAC is doing at MMS will be shared in upcoming newsletters.
Congrats to newest MMS student council members!
A belated congratulations to our newest MMS Student Council members! Advisors Mr. Palmgren, Ms. O'Sullivan, and Mr. Kaplan are off to a great start with our kids!