MMS Principal Newsletter
February 11, 2019 @MMSCougarPride
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Thank you HSA!
Black Lives Matter Week of Action at School 2019
It was great to see our very own MMS Social Studies teacher Steve Rosefort and MMS parent and Marshall teacher Yves Hart on the panel celebrating the impact and importance of black teachers--something we truly believe in at MMS. Thank you Mr. Patterson for coming out to the panel this past week as well!
Greetings and Updates from Ms. Gronau
Happy Monday MMS Families,
Our celebration of Black History Month continued with 8th graders completing their AileyKids Dance Residency and performed at SOPAC with SOMS students this past Tuesday. Pictured here are our students with their master teacher and drummer. Our students began with a reflection about the rich cultural history of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and its masterpiece "Revelations." The students then performed the opening piece "I Been 'Buked." This was particularly special to me as me and my mother go to see Alvin Ailey every year at NJPAC. To see our students perform so beautifully one of the most famous pieces was absolutely moving. Special thanks to SOMSD Fine Arts Director James Manno for securing the grant that brought this residency to our district. And of course we thank MMS Dance Teacher Ms. Ogando for her great work supporting the residency and getting our kids ready for show time!
Link here for Black History Month events in and around Maplewood-https://www.maplewoodartsandculture.org/mbhm?fbclid=IwAR0QtXa0jUk17E98-ELSfUVvX37-EyEFhLLqMSTE_na_6CTU1Xe5FfYvlWk
IMPORTANT NOTES
The MMS Musical "The Wizard of Oz" is February 22-24, 2019. Get your tickets! We can't wait! Link here: https://sites.google.com/site/mmsmusical/
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 kiddos to be recognized at upcoming board meetings! Email at dgronau@somsd.k12.nj.us!
8th graders at the Met!
More from the Met!
And another from the Met!
Silver Lions
Wildcats
Red Tigers
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-