MMS Principal Newsletter
December 3, 2019 @MMSCougarPride
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Reminder-12/10/19 is a 12:30 dismissal
MMS Musical Fundraiser Deadline 12/6/19
Greetings and Updates from Ms. Gronau
Greetings MMS Families,
I hope that you had a wonderful long weekend and are faring well with this winter weather! Our faculty and staff are in the midst of reviewing our first marking period data (behavior referrals, grades, etc.) to determine effective supports for growth in the second marking period. Please reach out to me (6th grade) Mr. Chiles (7th grade) or Mr. Brown (8th grade) if you have questions or concerns about your child's needs at MMS.
We care deeply about Social Emotional Learning at MMS. Pictured here is Carter--one of our MMS therapy dogs. He spent the day at MMS last week helping to keep kids calm and relaxed heading into the holiday break.
MMS is the recipient of additional grant funding for social emotional learning from the school district and from Achieve. Stay tuned for upcoming updates on our newly funded grants!
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!
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.