The Muraski Tribune
Your weekly update on the happening of Muraski Elementary!
Where do you show compassion?
Today, I don't ask you to do any extra work. Rather, I want you to look for ways to show compassion, love, and lead with your heart. If you can do these things, these small steps will start to change the world.
A compassionate kid creates a compassionate school. A compassionate school creates a compassionate community. A compassionate community creates a compassionate world.
Let's have a great week!
Mr. Griffen
PAPER COPIES
They will be back in the bins by 10:00 on Monday.
Congratulations to Our Model Mustangs
Congratulations goes out to....
Kindergartners: Robbie Arnold, Jonathan Benisek, Madeline Kleinschmidt & Ke'Shawn McElroy
First Graders: Darek Miller, Joey Tucker, Bhakti Patel, Bhavneet Kaur & Bryanna Lyons
Second Graders: Prisha Kaur, Delaney McCullough, & Remy Frost
Third Graders: Annabella Rosewell, Saleela Suleiman, Dean Slonaker & Kevin Spahiu
Fourth Graders: Lucy Havel & Angel Mishra
Fifth Graders: Willa Streeter, Abhinav Varidireddy, Julia Cermak & Chris Ramaswamy
REMINDER FOR MONDAY
Wednesday, May 13th: Kindergarten & 5th Grade
- Last Names: A-D: 8:30-10:00 AM
- Last Names: E-M: 10:30-11:30 AM
- Last Names: N-R: 12:00-1:30 PM
- Last Names: S-Z: 2:00-2:30 PM
Thursday, May 14th: 1st Grade & 4th Grade
- Last Names: A-D: 8:30-10:00 AM
- Last Names: E-K: 10:30-11:30 AM
- Last Names: L-R: 12:00-1:30 PM
- Last Names: S-Z: 2:00-2:30 PM
Friday, May 15th: 2nd Grade & 3rd Grade
- Last Names: A-E: 8:30-10:00 AM
- Last Names: F-L: 10:30-11:30 AM
- Last Names: M-R: 12:00-1:30 PM
- Last Names: S-Z: 2:00-2:30 PM
Please adhere to the following procedures for picking up your child's belongings that will be bagged and labeled by classroom teachers:
For K-2 Students: PARK IN THE PLAYGROUND PARKING LOT on the NORTH SIDE OF THE SCHOOL
For 3-5 Students: PARK IN THE STAFF PARKING LOT on the WEST SIDE OF THE BUILDING.
- All people entering our buildings must wear a mask.
- Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade Parents will line-up at the OLD OFFICE ENTRANCE, by the flagpole. You will be directed through K-2 Hallway and out Door A, which is by the Recess Parking Lot. This creates a single walking route for all individuals.
- 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade Parents will line-up at the NEW OFFICE ENTRANCE, by the staff parking lot. You will be directed through your grade level's hallway and out a specified door. This creates a single walking route for all individuals.
- There will be NO MORE than 15 people for each grade level in the building at one time. We ask that you check-in with Mrs. Surak or Mrs. Cubar at your entrance and they will radio to ensure you have assistance and are clear to go into the building.
- You will not be permitted anywhere but the routes that have been established. We will have school personnel in hallways to assist you. There will be NO ACCESS to your child's classroom.
This schedule was created to promote the health and safety of ALL individuals, including our staff and your families. Please adhere to the schedule as set, allowing us to limit large lines and gatherings of people. Come on your day, at your specified time.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
What if I have multiple students at different grade levels? Do I have to come on different days?
No. Rather, we ask that anyone with siblings in the building, please attend the session for YOUNGEST CHILD. Let the person manning the door know your name and the different levels you are picking up for and a staff member will organize materials for you.
Can I drop off a book to sign or present for my child's teacher?
No. We are spending the next week clearing the building as much as possible so we can completely disinfect all surfaces and prepare for next school year. If you would like to do something like this, you will have to set it up with your child's teacher outside of the school building.
What do I do with my child's library books?
There will be a table in each section of the building for you to drop off any books that belong to the school.
Do I need to turn in my Chromebook during these days?
No. We will continue to promote remote learning plans for all students through the end of the school year. Our Director of Technology will communicate a plan for this in the coming weeks.
What if I need to pick up MEDICATION that my child left in the clinic?
Our District Nurse will be organizing any medications that have been left in our clinic in bags to promote confidentiality and placing the medication in the bags with your child's belongings.
Is there a Lost & Found?
Yes, we will place any items that we are unsure of on tables that are on the route for your grade level. Please take a quick look and grab anything that you know belongs to your child.
BIRTHDAY BOOK CLUB
Birthday Book Club Update
We still have an opportunity to purchase books for our Muraski Media center via our Birthday Book Club, but we are going to do things a little differently. We only have 22 books available to purchase, so it will be on a first come, first serve.
Please click the link and complete the google form below. Once you have completed the form, there will be a link to a cheddar up that you can use to pay for your book selection. Your order is not complete until the cheddar up payment has been made.
https://forms.gle/aic7FBMT61C1Munr9
Each book will still get a nameplate with your student's name and your student will be able to check the book out, once we are back in the building. Thank you for all your support for our Muraski Media Center.
Thanks!
Vanessa
Message from the Superintendent
Dear Parents:
Most importantly, I hope all of our moms are having a wonderful Mother’s Day!
As we enter the final weeks of the school year and hopefully have gotten into the routine of remote learning, as a district, our focus expands to ensure we successfully conclude the 2019-20 school year and begin planning for 2020-21. We are all doing our best to effectively communicate and keep our parents in the loop, but it is likely that we may miss something. We also understand that as a parent, the important things for your child(ren) are the most important things to you. If we haven’t communicated a direction as of yet for something that is on your mind, reach out to your building principal and we will be happy to answer your question. Listed below are the updates for the week.
Last Week of School.
Remote learning plans will still be posted online for PreK - 11th graders for the Week of May 26th, but none of the work posted is required to be submitted. Teachers are working on creating remote experiences to wrap-up and conclude learning for the year in a fun and engaging manner that students can work on during the week or into the summer. Teacher office hours will be held based on student requests.
Deadlines for Submitting Work/Report Cards.
The deadline for the submission of student work for items that will be counted in the gradebook is May 24, 2020. Late work will be accepted through May 29, 2020. On June 1, 2020, grades will be finalized for the year and report cards will be published online. By June 5, 2020, progress reports will be emailed to parents for students with IEPs. As a reminder, for preschool/elementary report cards, there will not be grades/assessment ratings for Trimester 3, but teachers may add comments to the report card. For SMS report cards, there will be a 3rd quarter grade, but no 4th quarter grade. Finally, SHS students will receive their final 18-week/second semester grade on the report card.
Summer Cleanout for Students/Visitor Protocols.
Your building principal has/will share with you the specific dates, times, and procedures for students to pick up their belongings left at school or clean out their lockers at SMS/SHS. Please note that except for specifically documented legal, life, health or safety considerations, all visitors must wear facial coverings upon entering district buildings until further notice. Parents entering the buildings on these assigned days must be wearing a facial covering unless you meet one of the exceptions. Facial coverings for students are highly recommended. Facial coverings will not be provided by the district.
Summer School.
We will continue to offer virtual credit recovery classes for SMS/SHS students. Click here for registration information. We will not be offering summer Physical Education or Health. In addition, we will not be offering our summer band and orchestra program. We are still working on options to support our K-3 students on a Reading Improvement and Monitoring Plan (RIMP) in lieu of the traditional summer program that has been offered in the past.
End-of the-Year Student Recognitions/Class of 2020.
Building principals are in the process of making final decisions with regard to end-of-the year student recognitions. More information will be shared from your building principal in the near future. For the Class of 2020, additional details/updates for Graduation and Prom will be sent this week. Be on the lookout for Senior yard signs that will be placed in the yards of our Seniors this upcoming weekend.
Credit/Reimbursement for Various Fees.
During the May 7, 2020 Board of Education meeting, the Board approved a variety of credits/reimbursements for fees that were collected and not utilized due to the extended closure of the district due to COVID-19. You can click here and review items 6A - 6D to see what will be credited/reimbursed. For parents with students in full day kindergarten, you can look at Pg. 5 to see the recommended credit/reimbursement. The Board did not take action on that item. It will be on the May 21st agenda for consideration. Click here to review the procedures that will be followed by the Treasurer’s office with regard to these credits/reimbursements. As these are all “hand entered” into our financial system, we ask for your patience as we work through this process.
Athletic Facilities and Playgrounds.
As a reminder, District athletic facilities and playgrounds remain closed per the Ohio Department of Health. We will communicate with you when we are able to reopen these facilities.
Planning for 2020-21.
We have started developing a decision-making structure as we plan for the 2020-21 school year. We are hopeful that we will receive guidance from the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Health in the near future. Once we receive the parameters and restrictions that are likely to be enforced for schools in the fall, work groups will begin to work collaboratively and provide recommendations as to how we will operate at a district and building-level in a remote/hybrid environment or a full return to school. We will continue to communicate with you as decisions are made.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Dr. Cameron M. Ryba
Superintendent
Sharing a Document with Your Teacher
PAPER COPIES ARE AVAILABLE
If copies run out, please email me at mgriffen@scsmustangs.org
If you do choose to grab a paper copy (these are for our families that don't have the means to print or access the documents online), please use the hand sanitizer and wipes that have been made available by the bin.
Thanks in advance for helping flatten the curve.
Update from the Superintendent
Dear Parents:
I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the beautiful weather we are having this weekend. Oh, don’t you worry for those that thought maybe spring was officially here - I saw there is a chance of snow Friday night!
Listed below are some reminders/updates on things we are working on for the upcoming week.
- Elementary Remote Learning Reminders: Please continue to access all remote learning plans/links by clicking here and scrolling to the last section of the page. We heard that many families were missing the outstanding remote learning opportunities provided by our Encore (Art - Music - PE) teachers, so we bumped the links to the top of the elementary section. We highly encourage families to explore these opportunities and share work completed with your teachers, as they would love to see your efforts. Finally, if students are done with work to be submitted earlier in the week, we are encouraging families to send the work encouraged to be submitted (center square and two additional squares) to teachers by Friday, if possible. This will allow more time for teachers to provide meaningful feedback on this work.
- Secondary Remote Learning Reminders: Please continue to access all remote learning plans/links by clicking here and scrolling to the last section of the page. As a reminder, SMS and SHS students must also engage and submit Encore/Elective remote learning work. Students need to submit 50% of the work for all classes on their 4th quarter schedule, not just Core classes.
- Class of 2020: If you didn’t see it, click here to see the directive sent out by ODE/ODH last week on Commencement. This week, SHS will begin communicating our decisions and next steps, based on what was approved by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health for Commencement and all things related to the Class of 2020. Also, Mr. Collins will be setting up a virtual meeting with Seniors. Finally, yes, we will have Senior yard signs and will share the timeline for distribution shortly.
- Building Cleanout: Based on the Governor’s extension of the stay-at-home order late last week, we are reviewing the order and our plans to give students access to their building/locker to collect belongings. Please “save the date” for what has been shared by your principal or via the Community Conversation (click here to see the live stream), but please know that there may be adjustments to the plan based on this order.
Finally, I recently sent a message to our staff, sharing a reminder that in these unprecedented times where there is so much on our plate and there doesn’t seem to be any time for adults to recharge, that we need to take the time to take care of ourselves. We need to give ourselves the permission to take a break, so that we can be the best versions of ourselves for our kids, our friends, and our family. I shared some resources with them that I thought you may like to utilize as well.
So, click here for some tips that may help anyone (not just teachers) in these efforts. If your life is just immersed in Tic-Tac-Toe boards, click here to see some great strategies put together by our SMS Wellness teachers.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Dr. Cameron M. Ryba
Superintendent
CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS
Hello Muraski Families,
So much of this situation is hard, we would like to do something to help.
Birthdays are happening. As a parent, it's sad not to give your child the birthday they were hoping for. We can help. Please text me 440-376-2883 when your child's birthday is and we will work together to help make you child feel special. It may not be what they had in mind but it can really help raise theirs mood!!
If people want to help celebrate, please text me (440)376-2883, as well and I will do my best to include you in the parade we have planned, the more the merrier!!
Everything will obviously include social distancing rules. It could be a birthday sidewalk chalk, mailed birthday cards, and/or a birthday parade. We are also open to any suggestions you might have.
We will continue to offer birthday parades till the end of the school year, May 29th, at which time I will stop planning parades. Lastly, please know these birthday parades are for Muraski families. As a friend, I would love to participate in a parade for anyone, just ask, but I cannot plan or ask Muraski PTA members to participate in parades that aren't for our students or staff.
Can't wait to hear from you!!
Cinnamon Cifani
**PLEASE NOTE*** in order for us to celebrate your child's birthday, your address will be given to the people who will participate in the fun, including PTA members & your child's teacher and classmates.
Kindergarten Corner
Ms. Giddarie- 9:30-10:30 Monday-Friday agiddarie@scsmustangs.org
Ms. Northeim- 11:00-12:00 Monday-Friday enortheim@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Schmersal- 2:00-3:00 Monday-Friday jschmersal@scsmustangs.org
First Grade
Mrs. Elliott- 1:00-2:00 Monday-Friday melliott@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Gaul- 1:30-2:30 Monday-Friday sgaul@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Gibson- 9:00-10:00 Monday-Friday lgibson@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Koestner- 1:00-2:00 Monday-Friday gkoestner@scsmustangs.org
Second Grade
Mrs. Matras- 11:00-12:00 Monday-Friday mmatras@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Timko- 1:00-2:00 Monday-Friday cotimko@scsmustangs.org
Mr. Zimmer- 11:00-12:00 Monday-Friday tzimmer@scsmustangs.org
Third Grade
Mrs. Edwards- 2:00-3:00 Monday-Friday aedwards@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Koval- 1:00-2:00 Monday-Friday chkoval@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Scaduto- 11:00-12:00 Monday-Friday lscaduto@scsmustangs.org
Sylvia Peters (Gifted IS)- 1:00-2:00 Monday-Friday speters@scsmustangs.org
Fourth Grade
Mrs. Bakalar- 9:00-10:00 Monday-Friday cbakalar@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Pasko/Tedeschi- 11:00-12:00 Monday-Friday jtedeschi@scsmustangs.org cpasko@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Sokolowski- 11:00-12:00 Monday-Friday asokolowski@scsmustangs.org
Sylvia Peters (Gifted IS)- 1:00-2:00 Monday-Friday speters@scsmustangs.org
Fifth Grade
Mrs. Cipriani- 10:00-11:00 Monday-Friday acipriani@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Herron- 9:00-10:00 Monday-Friday dherron@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Laub- 11:00-12:00 Monday-Friday jlaub@scsmustangs.org
Sylvia Peters (Gifted IS)- 1:00-2:00 Monday-Friday speters@scsmustangs.org
Mr. Hire (Orchestra)- 11:00-12:00 Monday-Friday ahire@scsmustangs.org
Specials Teachers
Mrs. Gary (Art)- 10:00-11:00 Monday-Friday kgary@scsmustangs.org
Mr. Sopata (P.E.)- 11:00-12:00 Monday-Friday esopata@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Zudell (Music)- 1:00-2:00 Monday-Friday dzudell-dickey@scsmustangs.org
Intervention Specialists
Mrs. Crowley- 10:00-11:00 Monday-Friday ccrowley@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Ketterer- 9:00-10:00 Monday-Friday sketterer@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Rafeld- 9:00-10:00 Monday-Friday rrafeld@scsmustangs.org
Related Services
Leah Behymer (ELL)- 9:00-10:00 Monday-Friday lbehymer@scsmustangs.org
Kara Schuster (SLP)- 10:00-11:00 Monday-Friday kschuster@scsmustangs.org
Denise Candow (Counselor)- 10:00-11:00 Monday-Friday dcandow@scsmustangs.org
Ellen Lewis (Media Specialist)- 1:30-2:30 Monday-Friday elewis@scsmustangs.org
Jena Skinner (Psychologist)- 9:00-10:00 Monday-Friday jskinner@scsmustangs.org
FREE EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES DURING THE EXTENDED SCHOOL CLOSURE
FOR FREE RESOURCES LIKE ABC MOUSE, BRAIN POP, and MORE
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