MMS Principal Newsletter

September 17, 2018 @MMSCougarPride

Greetings and Updates from Ms. Gronau

Greetings and Updates from Ms. Gronau

Greetings MMS Families,


On behalf of our leadership team, we welcome you again to the 2018-19 school year. As we gear up for almost a full week of school this week, here are some notes and tips to support your child's success throughout September:


1. Get a homework routine going. Have your child do their homework at the same time in the same quiet space.


2. Set a "screen time curfew." Turn screens off by 8-9pm and keep screens with you and away from your child until the next day.


3. Review your child's agenda book, Google Classroom, classroom website, etc. with your child to see what's happening in their classes.


4. Periodically check PowerSchool with your child to help them stay up to date on their assignments and progress in their classes.


If you have questions, our faculty and staff are responsive. Email us or call us and we will help you get the answers you need.


Warm Regards,


Ms. Dara Crocker Gronau, Maplewood Middle School Principal

dgronau@somsd.k12.nj.us 973-378-7660 x3001

Greetings and Updates from Ms. Gronau

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-