MMS Principal Newsletter
November 5, 2018 @MMSCougarPride
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Wakanda Forever!
A shout out to the 7th grade teachers and team leaders who planned a great Black Panther film event on 10/31 to summarize their ELA dystopia unit. The kids had a blast! **Scroll down for a picture of 7th grade ELA teachers Mr. Cohen and Mr. O'Dell!
Small group advisory
Greetings and Updates from Ms. Gronau
Happy Monday MMS Families,
I hope that November is off to a great start for you and your family.
A few notes
-Reminder that schools are closed for students on November 6, 8, and 9.
-8th grade class picture and club pictures are November 13
-Retakes are November 15
Positive Supports at MMS
- Advisory and team building activities take place twice a month for 6th and 7th graders and once a month for 8th graders.
- Over 20 staff members will receiving ongoing training in restorative practice from the district consultant, Tanya Lewis during the 2018-18 school year.
- Team leaders are planning academic and effort and diligence celebrations for Quarter 1. Stay tuned for more info!
Best,
Ms. Dara Crocker Gronau, Maplewood Middle School Principal
(973) 378-7660 X3001
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-