April 27, 2023 / Issue 16

PRINCIPAL'S UPDATES

Dear CFMS Families,

Today Chagrin Falls Middle School celebrated the end of state testing with a fun assembly.

Students were recognized for Attributes Influencing Mastery and Success. Students should continue to explore their passions which will lead them on the fast track to success:

Fine Arts
Academics/Effort
Service Leadership
Teamwork - Athletics/Clubs

We are so proud of the students and look forward to culminating, grade-level projects!

Also, please take a moment to check your child's Infinite Campus. We have five weeks of school remaining! It will be beneficial to have a conversation with your child about working hard until the end and the importance of staying up-to-date with assignments. Some students may presently have some missing work and grades may be reflective of that. This is a prime time to get caught up and hustle to the finish line.

Proud to be a Tiger,

Laila Discenza

Laila Discenza, Principal

Chagrin Falls Middle School

342 E. Washington Street

Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022

(440) 893-7695 x 4301

[email protected]

THE LATEST NEWS

The 7-12 Campus will be conducting a school safety drill Friday, April 28th.

Attention 7th Graders!

Click here for Details (permission form)

Attention 8th Graders!

8th grade Washington DC Trip

Any student taking ANY medicine in DC must have the form completed and turned into the school nurse by Monday, May 1st!

Chagrin Falls 7-12 Chinese Program Students

Take Home Top Awards

Students from the 7-12 Chinese Program offered within Chagrin Falls Middle School and Chagrin Falls High School earned top awards from the 9th Ohio K-12 Chinese Essay Contest, sponsored by the Ohio Association of Teachers of Chinese.

The Ohio K-12 Chinese Essay Contest is an annual competition for elementary, middle, and high school students from Ohio. During the March 2023 competition, students competed by composing an essay written in Chinese characters on a selected topic. The essays were then judged by experienced Chinese language teachers.

Six students from Chagrin Falls Middle School placed in this year's competition:

Gold Award winners:

Dominick Pantuso - Grade 7

Silver Award winners:

Gavin Chan - Grade 7
Zoe Nesbitt - Grade 7
Jack Shein - Grade 7
Ethan Nielsen - Grade 8

Honorable Mention:

Chase Deimling - Grade 7

We are proud of all students who entered this contest. Congratulations to our award winners!

Congratulations to the Spring Art Show winners

Claire Rubin - Valley Art Center Award

Charlotte McMullen - Dads’ Club Award

Molly Nightwine -PTO Award

Chloe Nightwine - CFMS Principal’s Award (shown here)

Additional winners from the middle school:

Emmeline Brugger, Sedona Bundy,

Ella Felgar, Bradley Field,

Dane Sellars and Harper Stewart.

SPRING MUSIC CONCERTS

CHOIR- Monday, May 1st at 7:00 p.m. in the PAC
BAND -Tuesday, May 2nd at 7:00 p.m. in the PAC
ORCHESTRA- Tuesday, May 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the PAC

FIELD TRIPS

After the roller coaster building competition in school, the 8th graders will celebrate and have an opportunity to see these concepts in action on a larger scale. The whole 8th grade will go to Cedar Point on Wednesday, May 31st. Deadline for turning in permission forms and fees is Friday, April 28th. PERMISSION FORM LINK IS HERE

ATHLETIC NEWS

a message from Mr. Thombs

Are you ready for a new season? Attention Students entering the 7th and 8th Grades for the 2023-2024 school year:

Cheerleading and Volleyball are tryout sports, so you will need to be present.
For the other non-cut sports, there still is much preparation. Late arrivals may not be ready to participate in the first contests due to required acclimation and/or readiness to run plays. Thanks for marking your calendar!

August 1: Practices begin for Football and Cheerleading
August 1-3: Volleyball Tryouts (All three days required)
August 4: Volleyball Practices Begin
August 9: Cross-Country Practices Begin

REMINDERS

OFFICE NOTES

Need to report your child absent?

Please call the absence line 440/247-4790 emails are not accepted.

Need to pick up your child early?

Please send them to school with a note and your signature.

Need your child to ride a different bus home for a legitimate need?

Please send them to school with a note and your signature.

Need to miss school for vacation or college visit?

Please submit the Planned Absence Form (5) days before the absence.

Your child texts you they don't feel well during school?

Please tell them to ask their teacher for a pass to the school clinic.

Our nurse will evaluate your child and call you with an update.

GUIDANCE NEWS

SCHOOL COUNSELOR NEWS

April is National Stress Awareness Month. You’re definitely not alone if you ever felt overwhelmed. Everyone feels stressed from time to time, especially as we get older and take on more responsibilities. It helps to find that healthy balance in our lives.

Here are some great ways to keep your mind clear and de-stress if you find yourself getting too overwhelmed.

Exercise. It gets endorphins pumping through your brain, which triggers a happy feeling. Exercise lowers your body’s stress hormones like cortisol, and releases chemicals that make you feel more at peace.
Use diffusers, dim the lights or listen to soothing music. Then take a deep breath and count the things that make you happy.
Reduce caffeine, which can make you jittery, which can cause stress and anxiety.
Spend time laughing with friends and family (even distanced or on Zoom). Let yourself have a good time!

Mr. Kyle Patterson

440-893-7695 ext. 4307

[email protected]

TWITTER

WELLNESS CORNER

Mental Wellness Corner - this month’s topic…Co-Regulation

Let’s face it–sometimes parents lose their cool. If you’re one of those super-human, eternally patient parents who always reacts the right way, please, teach us your ways! But if you’re just a normal human who has kids to raise, which in and of itself is a superpower in my opinion, you might find your patience dwindling at times. That’s why this month’s topic is co-regulation.

What is co-regulation? It’s a way for a parent to take care of their own emotional reactions by taking care of their child’s. It starts in infancy; infants have limited to no ability to regulate their emotions, and thus rely on their parents or caregivers to “restore their emotional balance.” One article describes it as helping a child ride a bike. You have to do the majority of the work in the beginning, but eventually you can let go.

Some simple steps to co-regulation:

Self-regulate
Humans are not born with the ability to self regulate. Because of this, you need to use various coping skills to help accept and deal with your own emotions before responding to your child.
Deep breathing, taking a break, or practicing a mindfulness activity can increase your self-regulation.
Do not punish
Punishment creates an unsafe environment, and the child will then not engage in co-regulation with the parent
Instead, validate their emotions. Create a safe environment for appropriate emotional expression.
Responsive parenting
Recognize and respond to the child’s indications of their needs.
Practice patience and consistency

It is also important to be accountable for your own reactions and feelings. If you do lose your cool, admit to your child that you were not acting as your best self, and that you’ll try in the future to hold yourself accountable. Tell them how you want to react and practice it for an opportunity to model coping skills.

Here are some examples of co-regulation strategies to practice with your child, from the Co-Regulation Toolbox:

Deep breathing exercises for adults and children
Using a toy or stuffed animal for physical comfort
Go outdoors, practice mindfulness and sensory activities

For more helpful reading on the topic of co-regulation, here is a brief on “Co-Regulation from Birth to Young Adulthood.” Remember, practicing co-regulation is not only a gift to your child, but also a gift to yourself. Sometimes parenting is uncomfortable, and this should help you slide through those more difficult moments and enter a more symbiotic relationship with your child!

Should you have any questions or would like to explore these ideas further, please feel free to reach out!

Lacey Caparanis

Wellness Coach, Grades 7-12

p. 440-247-5500 ext. 4372

[email protected]

HOW TO

ATHLETICS

For student participation: all athletic forms completed at chagrinfalls-oh.finalforms.com including a current physical on an OHSAA Pre-Participation Physical Form.

Please contact Technology Director, Mike Daugherty with Final forms questions. [email protected]

Please contact Middle School Athletic Director, Todd Thombs with sports related questions.

[email protected]

FORMS AND FEES 2022-2023

Forms

Upload one form of Proof of Residency as part of your 2022-2023 annual update. Login to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal , click on More, then Online Registration to begin the Annual Update process.

Pay student fees. Parents will need to sign into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Once logged in, click on Fees to view and pay the fees associated with your student(s).

If your child will not be attending Chagrin Falls Schools during 2022-2023 or if you have changed residency please remember to submit your student withdrawal form/residency form.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding fees, please contact:

CFMS Administrative Assistant, Connie Miralia

440-247-4746

[email protected]

MEDICATION IN SCHOOL

If a medication needs to be taken by your child during the school day, we must have a doctor’s order no matter if it is a prescription or over-the-counter medication. Your child will be expected to come to the clinic, where the medication will be kept in a locked cabinet, for the medication to be administered. The only children that are able to self-carry medication are those that have been prescribed an EpiPen/Auvi-Q or inhaler.

I appreciate your cooperation in this situation.

District Nurse Christine Murray

[email protected]

440/893-7695 ext. 4303.

Health service site and forms

STAY CONNECTED

Be sure you have subscribed to receive your building newsletter. Click here to sign up for District and building newsletters or visit the District homepage, How to, subscribe to district emails.

Make sure you have updated your preferred emails and phone numbers in Infinite Campus, too!

TECHNOLOGY

We encourage you to visit our new website at www.chagrinschools.org as well as download our new APP that you can download on the Apple APP store or Google Play. In addition, we have added Instagram to our social media channels. If you don't follow us on Facebook and Twitter, we encourage you to do so as well.

If you have any questions, please contact Mike Daugherty, Director of Technology, at [email protected].

VISITORS

We continue to use the LobbyGuard Visitor Management System at the Middle School as an increased measure of safety and security. As always, ALL volunteers and visitors are first buzzed into the school building after stating their name and purpose for their visit. ALL volunteers and visitors are required to go directly to the front lobby desk. Your license is required!

In an effort to reduce the spread of communicable diseases, please limit your item drop offs at school and do not attend if you are not feeling well. Meetings can still occur virtually if you are unable to attend physically. Just ask!