MMS Principal Newsletter
September 24, 2018 @MMSCougarPride
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Picture day is 9/28
Strike a pose! Picture Day is Friday, September 28, 2018 for all MMS students and staff.
Important SOMSD Superintendent Search Info.
Greetings and Updates from Ms. Gronau
Greetings MMS Families,
Pictured here are 4 MMS teachers Steve Rosefort, Dominique Laing, Alyssa Schlatmann, and Celeea Graham. They spent last Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Special thanks to the MAPSO Freedom School and their colleagues from Montclair who helped to make this amazing experience possible. We applaud our teachers' commitment to growing and learning in service of our MMS kids.
Important note about the MMS guidance suite
Unfortunately our guidance suite is still not in use due to facility issues that cannot be repaired until November 2018 at the earliest. We know this is an inconvenience but we will absolutely continue to provide service to our students and our MMS community. The team is located temporarily in the library media center computer lab and the main office conference room.
We are working to relocate phone lines. In the meantime, the best way to reach our amazing team is via email. Email addresses are listed below.
Ms. Battle (counselor for students with last names A-K) abattle@somsd.k12.nj.us
Ms. Dios (counselor for students with last names L-Z) kdios@somsd.k12.nj.us
Ms. Brown (guidance secretary) mbrown@somsd.k12.nj.us
Mr. Stoudemire (full time social worker) estoudem@somsd.k12.nj.us
Ms. Lazen (social worker Tuesdays and Fridays) clazen@somsd.k12.nj.us
Warm Regards,
Ms. Dara Crocker Gronau, Maplewood Middle School Principal
dgronau@somsd.k12.nj.us 973-378-7660 x3001
Alvin Ailey Dance Residency
Join a club!
School-sponsored clubs include Model UN, the MMS Musical, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Club, Science Fair, Intramurals, and the School Newspaper. There's something for everyone!
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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
The MMS Principal has a school-wide "Remind App" as another way to communicate with our 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-