The Muraski Tribune: Issue 5
Your weekly communication about all things Muraski.
Update from the Principal
Coming from a Buckeyes and Browns household, it was a tough weekend in terms of sports for me, but all in all I was able to share one of my favorite things with my daughter this weekend, cheering on our local teams. I hope you were able to enjoy the beautiful weekend with your children, and you found some time to do something fun.
A few quick items:
- Picture day has come and gone. We were very happy with the new company and loved what they put together for our kids. Retakes will be scheduled and shared out when we finalize a date.
- Please continue to do your part to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in our schools. Keep your child home when they are exhibiting symptoms and remember, masks are recommended.
- PTA Playdates continue this week. See information below.
- Thank you for supporting the PTA through the MUM sale.
Have a great week!
Mike Griffen
PBIS: PREPARED
Part of PRIDE is the home connection, instilling the same language that we use in our school with your child or children at home.
This week, I'd like you to think about the P in PRIDE. P stands for being PREPARED.
Reflect on how you can assist your child in being PREPARED for the things that are important in their lives.
This could be helping them establish a routine for when they get home from school.
- Does your child have a set routine when they come home?
- Does your child have a location where they can focus on their homework?
- How can you assist them in being the most successful student they can be when they come to school?
Fostering independence and helping teach our children routines and what it takes to prepare in all environments helps them generalize these behaviors and have success over the long haul. Whether it is organizing a schedule for extra-curriculars or checking in with your child on a daily basis to see what is going on in school, we can help our children prepare for success at school and at home.
Think about this as we head into another great week with our kids!
Did You Know: Renewal Levy
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Thursday, Sep 30, 2021, 04:45 PM
Muraski Elementary School, Royalton Road, Strongsville, OH, USA
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Wednesday, Oct 6, 2021, 04:45 PM
Muraski Elementary School, Royalton Road, Strongsville, OH, USA
When Should You Keep Your Child Home?
PLEASE DO YOUR PART. IF YOUR CHILD IS NOT FEELING WELL, KEEP THEM HOME and CONTACT THE SCHOOL. WHEN IN DOUBT, KEEP THEM OUT!
- A fever of 100.4 degrees or higher. This is one of the strongest Covid Symptoms
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Persistent cough or runny nose
- Loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
We need you to assist in helping us, by monitoring for these symptoms on a daily basis, and keeping your child home if they aren't feeling well.
Click the Link Below for this month's Counselor Connection
PTA EVENT: ALL FAMILIES WELCOME
Spanish Club
Mustangs Lacrosse: Free Skills Clinics
It’s that time of year again! Time for free lacrosse Fall skills clinics. These are for current players as well as kids who want to try out lacrosse as a new sport.
We are also looking for donations of old equipment for new players to try the sport. Please contact us if you have some to borrow or spare.
https://www.strongsvillelacrosse.com/program/fall-skills/650
Repeat Item: COVID NOTIFICATIONS
When there is a POSITIVE Case within the school the following steps are taken:
- Contact tracing is completed, identifying areas including the bus, classroom, cafeteria, playground, and hallways where direct contact (as identified by district communication) could have occurred.
- If your child is identified as a direct contact, you will receive a phone call from our office to notify you of when this occurred.
- A letter will be sent to ALL families, informing them that there was a positive case in the school. Again, if your child is a direct contact, you will receive a phone call.
- If the positive case is a student who rides a bus, ALL families who ride that specific bus will receive a letter informing them that there was a positive case on their bus. Again, if your child is a direct contact based on contact tracing on the bus, you will receive a phone call.
RED, WHITE, & BLUE CALENDAR (ENCORE SCHEDULE)
Meet the ENCORE Team: Music, Art, & PE
Repeat Item: Grading for Music, Art, & PE
When looking at grades for these courses, please know that they are standards based and NOT traditional percentages/letter grades like you may be used to in the
past few years.
M= Standard Met
P= Progressing to Standard
N= Standard Not Yet Met
In order for our system to turn the student’s performance into standards- based grading, we have to put it in as a percentage. Each grade level and department has standards that students are working toward and this is what is being evaluated.
Although you may see a percentage, please ignore the percentage and look at the progression toward the STANDARD (M, N, P). Grades are not utilized in the sense that a traditional grading system uses them. You will see somewhere between a 50% and a 100%, but again, focus on the M, N, or P, as that is the official mark; the percentage is just a placeholder.
Repeat Item: Counseling Services through Nancy Lowrie & Associates
Dear Parents/Guardians of Strongsville City School Students:
We are writing to tell you about an exciting opportunity for you and your child. Strongsville City Schools have a well -established partnership with a Behavioral Health Private Practice, Nancy Lowrie & Associates, LLC, (NLA), that specializes in child therapy, adolescent therapy, and family counseling. All NLA therapists are Masters-level and licensed by the State of Ohio. They are able to diagnose and treat all emotional and behavioral health concerns.
We are pleased to be able to offer you the chance to work with an Ohio Licensed Clinical Therapist in an effort to improve your child’s well being. The following are just some examples of the topics we address in individual, group, or family sessions:
• Strategies for managing relationships with peers, parents and teachers
• Development of social skills and communication
• Ability to deal with teasing and bullying
• Understanding and treating addictions
• Coping skills for anger management, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and mood disorders • Fostering good choices by decreasing impulsivity and distractibility
• Managing family problems
• Gender Identity Concerns
• Controlling Eating Disorders and Self-harm
Best of all, NLA is able to offer you this service at your school. NLA will send our trained therapists to your school to meet with your child individually during the school day or via teletherapy. Also, to make this easier for you, NLA counseling services are covered under most health insurance plans, including State Medicaid, Medicaid HMO’s (CareSource, Paramount, and Buckeye) and most private health insurance plans (Medical Mutual, Anthem, Aetna, Cleveland Clinic, etc). NLA does all the clinical work plus does the actual insurance billing for you.
This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to receive confidential sessions with a caring clinician. If you are interested in participating in this program, please return the bottom of this letter to your child’s school counselor. An NLA therapist will call to schedule an initial meeting with you to get your child started in the program and verify your insurance information.
Sincerely, Nancy Lowrie & Associates, LLC
Repeat Item: Stay Safe. Speak Up! Student Hotline
CLICK HERE to access information via our district website.
Repeat Item: Health Protocols from the District
Wearing Masks on the Bus
Per the CDC, all students and staff must wear a mask on a school bus, whether coming to/from school or for an athletic/music trip. CLICK HERE for the mask exemption form, if needed. A new form will need to be completed along with medical or religious documentation if a student is requesting an exemption for the 2021-2022 school year.
Wearing Masks in School
It is recommended that all staff and students wear masks in school, especially those that are unvaccinated, yet it is not required. Please read below and become familiar with the quarantine protocols. The best way to significantly reduce the risk of being quarantined and to stay in school is to wear a mask.
Student Isolation Protocols
If your child tests positive for COVID, s/he is required to isolate at home for then (10) days from the date of the positive test or the onset of symptoms.
Student Quarantine Protocols for Unvaccinated Students Wearing a Mask
If your child is unvaccinated, wearing a mask and identified as a direct contact to someone at school that is COVID positive, s/he will not have to quarantine as long as your child has no symptoms and was at least 3 feet apart. If your child was less than 3 feet, s/he will have to quarantine. You can CLICK HERE for a flow chart detailing the quarantine procedures we will follow.
Student Quarantine Protocols for Unvaccinated Students NOT Wearing a Mask
If your child is unvaccinated, not wearing a mask and identified as a direct contact to someone at school that is COVID positive, s/he will have to quarantine. You can CLICK HERE for a flow chart detailing the quarantine procedures we will follow.
Supporting Students in Isolation/Quarantine
When a student is in isolation/quarantine, teachers will provide the student with their assignments and support through Google Classroom. Additionally, teachers will live stream classroom instruction and/or provide instructional videos. Teachers are only required to live stream instruction for students in isolation/quarantine.
Parent Requests/Masking
If parents at the elementary level request teacher support/feedback in terms of having their child wear a mask at school, we will do the best we can to help out. This means that we will remind the child and share feedback to the parent on how they are doing during the initial weeks of the school year, if requested.
Student Insensitivity/Bullying for Masking
If we have students acting inappropriately towards someone that is wearing a mask or not wearing a mask, we will address it in accordance with our code of conduct in the same manner we handle any other situation of inappropriate behavior for name calling, bullying, etc.
Muraski Elementary
Email: mgriffen@scsmustangs.org
Website: www.strongnet.org
Location: Muraski Elementary School, Royalton Road, Strongsville, OH, USA
Phone: 440-572-7160
Twitter: @muraskiprin