Chagrin Falls Middle School Parent Newsletter

November 30, 2020 | Issue 12

PRINCIPAL'S UPDATES

Dear CFMS Families,

November is a time to be thankful and I am fortunate to work with the families of Chagrin and the staff and students at CFMS. As we head we head into December we are approaching #GivingTuesday, a global day of kindness. With an emphasis on charity and awareness our school raised $365.85 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society before break. Click the video here that describes the events and winners and highlights photos and the livestream of the Pie Your Guy contest.

Proud to be a Tiger,

Laila Discenza

Principal, Chagrin Falls Middle School

342 E. Washington Street

Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022

(440) 893-7695 x 4301

[email protected]

IMPORTANT DATES

November 21-December 4- Online Scholastic Book Fair K-8

December 22- End of 2nd grading period and first semester.

December 23-January 1: Winter Break

January 4: No School For Students 7-12 - Teacher Records Day

January 5: Classes resume for students 7-12

Week PREVIEW

Schedule

Monday - Monday - (Virtual Academy Material Pick Up)

Tuesday - Tuesday

Wednesday - Wednesday

Thursday - Thursday

Friday - Virtual Friday

Advisory

Book Fair, Spirit Week, Yearbook Cover Contest, Door Decorating Contest

Student Athletes

Boys Basketball and wrestling competitions are on pause until January 4th. Practices may continue.

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS

7th and 8th GRADE BAND CONCERT VIDEO TAPING 12/4
Letter - please read!
Google Form - Transportation needs.

Mr. Patterson will be meeting with all 8th graders this Friday, virtually, through all Social Studies classes. He will help the students set up Khan Academy and College Board accounts and also discuss not only how to read the PSAT 8/9 results but what to do with the results.

CONGRATULATIONS TIGER TRAILBLAZERS Quarter 1

Click here to read - SOON TO COME!

CONGRATULATIONS STRAIGHT A 4.0 GPA Quarter 1

Click here for the list

CONGRATULATIONS NOVEMBER STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

7th Graders: Claire Hoelzel and Hugh Kaselak

8th Graders: Violet Cavanagh and Ben Lewis

Please CLICK HERE to learn more about them

DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our morning announcements are presented live each school day at 7:45am. Parents you are welcome to login and listen to them....hear about what's happening in school!

CLICK HERE or go to the MS Homepage and click on ANNOUNCEMENTS on the left side.

ONLINE SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR

Hello families of CFMS students. We are thrilled to move forward with our first ever Scholastic Book Fair. Our fair will go live on November 21 and last through December 4. During advisory class, students will have an opportunity to browse titles and register for an account to create a cart. To prepare for this, you can set up an eWallet now: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/parent-how-it-works.html?fairID=4957699. If you aren't comfortable setting up an eWallet, you can also pay with a credit card when you are ready to check out later this month. All questions can be directed to Angie Jameson: [email protected]

Video: https://youtu.be/ETwiHrEihm8

MS. FENTON'S ART CLASS WEEKLY CHALLENGE

2nd Grading Period Week #5 THANKFUL/GRATEFUL click here to view

SNOW DAY SCHEDULES

Non Virtual Day (Mon-Thurs)

9:00 AM work shared out for am and pm classes

9:00 - 9:30 1st Block Office Hours

10:00 - 10:30 2nd Block Office Hours

11:00 - 11:30 3rd Block Office Hours

12:00 - 12:30 4th Block Office Hours

12:30 - 1:00 Open hours to schedule for intervention/clubs

Students will start their day at 9am and will work on asynchronous lessons for that day’s schedule. Students do not need to log into a Zoom or Hangout.
Teachers are available for office hours during identified times. Students may reach out via email to set up a meeting, if needed. Staff may send meeting requests during allotted times, as well.
All class details will be posted in their Google Classroom.

Classes will proceed as normal if a snow day falls on a Friday (until Dec. 18). Grade levels may post team challenges on this day beginning in January. The assignments will be posted in the form of a bingo board with choice options incorporating different contents and skills. Each student will complete a defined portion as part of their advisory homeroom. Advisory classes will work together as a team to complete the bingo board and compete for the CFMS House Cup! Teachers will work to create Fun Fridays for the students.
No planned change in overall schedule due to snow day (ex. No slide week.)

WEIRD BEARD CONTESTANTS

ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL

Report absences: to the attendance line 440/247-4790 or the MS Office 440/247-4746.

Please remember to submit doctor appointment verification slips to the school following appointment absences.

Do you have absence paperwork to send to the school?

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Or Fax to: 440/247-4855

Have a question for our school nurse?

Call the school clinic 440/893-7695 ext 4304 or the District Nurse Cell: 330/998-3350

email: [email protected]

Quick Reference for understanding absences as they appear in Infinite Campus

Medical= student is home ill or at a medical appointment. Student is not expected to attend class virtually but can absolutely choose to do so. Student will not be marked unexcused if they do not log in.

Visiting Virtual= Student is home but is not ill. This is a family choice. Parent is requesting that their student not attend class physically out of an abundance of caution. The student is not being told to stay home and quarantine. Student is expected to log on virtually. Student will be marked unexcused if they do not log in.

Quarantine= Student is home due to Covid related issues. Student is expected to log on to class virtually if not symptomatic and ill. Student will be marked unexcused if they do not log in.

Counselor's Corner

Dealing with life during COVID has proven to be quite a rollercoaster ride. There are periods where we may seem on top of things and managing quite well enjoying a simpler, quieter life. However, just as quickly as these feelings can arrive, they can easily be eroded by the difficulty of feeling isolated, missing others and our previous activities, feeling anxious, and wondering when and if things will go back to normal. Working in my position, I noticed a bit of a dip in student morale recently. Perhaps it is linked to the holidays looking quite different this year for many families, or it could be that this whole experience is just really starting to weigh on us more and more.

It's crucial that we all be on the lookout for our kids' well-being, as well as our own. While we can't change circumstances, we can feel more empowered by focusing on the things we can do for our own well-being rather than all the things we can't do. These things certainly may not be equal substitutes for what we wish we could be doing right now, but we all need to find positive ways to cope right now as we work through these difficult times. We also need to be fair to ourselves and our kids. These are difficult times, and it's okay and understandable to be struggling. It's not something anyone should be ashamed of. Just please don't struggle alone and reach out and encourage your children to reach out when they need help.

Please see the included picture from Gwent Community Psychology outlining just what it's like riding the lockdown rollercoaster and ways we can continue to take care of our well-being. As always, reach out anytime if I can ever help!

Kyle Patterson

School Counselor

Chagrin Falls Middle School

440-247-5500 x4307

[email protected]

@PattersonCFMS

Mental Wellness Highlight

Mental Wellness Corner - this month’s topic… Screen time

It seems like once a month, I am approached with a question about screen time, and rightly so as the landscape of our media use is changing so rapidly. We used to have some pretty concrete guidelines around screen time ( no more than two hours of screen time a day, for example). However some of these are no longer possible, and in some cases, they are not as necessary.

Instead, the American Academy of Pediatrics revised their recommendations regarding screen time. See the full article and lists of resources here. These recommendations are much more focused on MINDFUL (mindfulness is everywhere!) media use. Think about the quality of the content your child is viewing- is it educational, helpful and high-quality? Is it impacting their ability to function in other areas (does it impact their mood or detract from physical play, sleep, or family interactions)?

Here are some helpful suggestions put forth by the AAP: Designate no-screen areas in your home (bedrooms, for example). Also, designate no-screen times in your home (family game night, driving in the car, dinner time, etc). These can be mapped out for your family using this tool. Additionally, parents modeling these guidelines (such as keeping your phone away from the dinner table while you are eating) will help to promote these expectations and set your children up to develop healthy media use habits as well.