Monday Memo
October 29, 2018 @MMSCougarPride
Follow us on Twitter!
Follow us on Twitter to stay updated on all things happening in the MMS community @MMS CougarPride.
Send Dara pictures to district email if you'd like us to Tweet something. Our followers are increasing every day!
Teaching Tolerance Resource Spotlight
This has been an incredibly tragic weekend in American history with hate crimes in Pittsburgh and Kentucky. I've linked a resource from Teaching Tolerance for your use.
Advisory Starts Thursday, November 1, 2018
Greetings and Updates from Ms. Gronau
Happy Monday MMS,
My heart is so heavy this morning in light of the Pittsburgh and Kentucky hate crimes in the last few days, and yet I'm so grateful to be around the energy and optimism of young people. The district plans to send out resources for students and their families. Please remind our kids that they can see our social workers and counselors if they are experiencing anxiety and stress as a result of these events or for any reason. The same is true for staff. If you are feeling anxious or need to talk to someone, please contact an administrator and we will help connect you to resources and support.
November is National Native American Heritage Month, which celebrates the history and contributions of Native Americans. Resources will be shared next week.
Quote for the week: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Best,
Dara
TLC
-No TLC meeting this week. Please keep team data, intervention trackers and conference trackers updated!
Halloween Reminder
6th grade social fun
7th grade Black Panther Event 10/31/18
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.
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-