Monday Memo
February 3, 2020 @MMSCougarPride
Follow us on Twitter!
Follow us on Twitter to stay updated on all things happening in the MMS community @MMS CougarPride.
Send Dara pictures to district email if you'd like us to Tweet something. Our followers are increasing every day!
Black History Month Assemblies and Resources
Our previously shared resources for Black History Month are attached. Thank you for the beautiful bulletin board MMS Beautification PLC!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JiwuT3q7CwtAxOYExy6_uBzvwzApnJ7uR8kiZkc-Oio/edit
Student Behavior Support link and attendance reminder
Remember to please use the document linked above for significant behavior support issues with students.
This is part of our data tracking for our district and also helps us to keep better/ more accurate records of incidents. Please be mindful of tier 1 teacher interventions as per the SOMSD Code of Conduct.
Reminder-Please keep accurate period attendance. This is important data for us.
Greetings and Updates from Ms. Gronau
Happy Monday MMS,
-Just a reminder that grades are due at 3:30 Thursday February 6.
-Feb 4, 2020 is a half day PD--Academic PD for middle school teachers organized by supervisors.
-This week is counselor appreciation week! We include our social workers in this appreciation week as well!
Opening Night for the MMS production of "13" is less than a month away. Get your tickets! We can't wait to see hard work of the students and advisers Ms. Bradshaw, Ms. Duffey, Ms. O'Sullivan and Mr. Palmgren pay off!
If there are students who you feel may benefit for I&RS, please reach out to a team leader or to the school-wide I&RS team (Dara/Suzanne Fein-6th grade, Taylor Harris-7th Grade, Dallas Duffey-8th Grade. Taylor and Suzanne are there to consult on literacy and academic intervention school-wide and Dallas for Math school-wide as well).
**Reminder of Interventions that do not require the I&RS Process
-Drafting a behavior plan
-Saturday Academy
-Recommend a Social Worker Intern
-Differentiated Assessment→ students don’t need a 504/IEP for extended time, differentiated questions, etc
A few notes
2/5/20 TLC Agenda Focus Items-TBD
If you have students who you believe may need to be referred to I&RS, please contact your team leader and copy the grade level administrator. (Gronau-6, Chiles-7, Brown-8)
-Please remember to send updated lesson plans every Monday or every other Monday.
*Inclusion plans are due on Wednesdays.
*Please note differentiation and intervention in your plans.
School-Wide Proactive Circles
Feb 4-Academic Professional Development
Feb 4 is a 4 hour day with Academic PD. Sessions begin at 1:30pm
Lesson Plans
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.