KMS Bi-Weekly Communication August 18, 2024

 

KMS Bi-Weekly Update August 18, 2024

KMS Bi-Weekly Communication August 18, 2024

Happy Sunday, Hornet Families!


The first two days of school were truly a breath of fresh air for me. There’s nothing better than walking the halls and hearing the sounds of middle school students catching up and getting excited for another school year. I know many of you were concerned about the schedule changes, but after the second period on the first day, things started to fall into place. This Wednesday and Thursday will bring another learning curve, but I promise it will soon become our new norm.


This week marks the beginning of everything—from our first volleyball and football games to clubs, in-class instruction, and, of course, homework assignments. The new schedule this year offers more support from your child’s teachers. During study hall/advisory, 6th and 7th graders will benefit from daily 12-minute physical activity breaks, enrichment, intervention, and assignment help from their core teachers. Gone are the days when ELA, Math, Social Studies, and Science teachers were stretched across multiple grade levels. Teams will now have 80 extra minutes for team activities and class extensions.


We’re also excited to introduce new elective classes. For 6th grade, there’s a rotation of four classes: General Music (where students will learn to play piano and ukulele), Wellness, Art, and a STEAM class designed by Dr. Moran. Additionally, 6th graders have alternating choir and band sessions, with focused instruction based on their instrument or voice type. These students come together every few weeks for combined practice during our 82-minute block classes. When students aren’t in Art or Choir, they attend either a focused Art class or a technology course created by Mr. Bradac and Mrs. Camburako.


For 7th grade, the structure is similar, but with some exciting additions: a Photography class designed by Mrs. Mastrangelo, Lego Robotics (Stage 2) by Ms. Grunenberg.


In the 8th grade band and choir are everyday courses similar to those in the high schools. Other electives include Physical Education, a new half-year HS credit Health class, Focused Art, 3D Art, Lego Robotics (Stage 3), French, and Spanish.


The middle school has three major building goals this year:


  1. Utilize our new, flexible, team-based schedule to create more personalized education for all students.
  2. Leverage the state's Centralized Reporting System to ensure all learning gaps are addressed.
  3. Learn explicit writing strategies utilizing The Writing Revolution techniques at the sentence level and paragraph level to be embedded in ALL content areas.

The first week was an amazing start to what I know will be a new and exciting adventure here at the middle school. As we progress towards our goals I will leverage the newsletter as a tool to share all the new and exciting things taking place here at Kirtland Middle School. Have a wonderful rest of your day.


Please see this linked information regarding FERPA, Internet and Photographs.


Sincerely,


Mr. Race

[email protected]

New Fitness Stage

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Sariah working towards jogging without holding onto the rails
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Amelia learning how to proper use the Assault Treadmill
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Gracie working on proper form on the Concept Rower
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Next couple of weeks at a glance...

August 22 - First delayed start

August 28 - KMS/KHS Picture Day

August 30 - No School - Teacher Work Day

September 2 - No School - Labor Day

September 4 - Labor Day - No School


Volleyball, Boys and Girls Soccer, and Football Schedule Link below....

DragonFly Athletic Schedules


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Immunization Requirements

Reminder to upload student immunization records into Final Forms or email a copy to marissa.formichelli@kirtlandschools.org as soon as possible. According to the Ohio Department of Health, all students are required to be up-to-date on their vaccination status by the 15th day of the school year (Sept. 6th, 2024) to avoid being excluded from school. 7th graders must be up-to-date on Tdap and Meningitis vaccines. If a student is exempt for medical or personal reasons, please upload or email immunization exemption form found on the school nurse webpage.


-Reminder to upload prescription and non-prescription medication consent forms to Final Forms or email a copy to marissa.formichelli@kirtlandschools.org . Written consent from a parent/guardian must be given in order to administer over-the-counter medications including Motrin, Tylenol and throat lozenges. Both forms can be found under the medications tab in Final Forms or on the school nurse webpage.



Reminder for 6th graders. The immunization requirements for entering grade 7 are a dose of Tdap and a dose of meningitis

* Per the 2024 Ohio Department of Health, Immunization Summary for School Attendance:

Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) Grades 7-12

One dose of Tdap vaccine must be administered on or after the tenth birthday.

Meningococcal (ACWY) Grades 7-11

One dose of meningococcal (serogroup A, C, W, and Y) vaccine must be administered on or after the 10th birthday.


Immunization Requirements

pdfImmunization Exemption form.pdf
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pdfNon-prescription medication form.pdf
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pdfImmunization Exemption form.pdf
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211.6 KB
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Message from Mrs. Gordon

1. Please making sure that you are charging your Chromebooks every night at home

2. Make sure to keep your protective cover on it at all times

3. If you are late to school please check in at the office to get a pass to class

4. If you don't feel well please make sure you see the nurse and she will call home / don't just text home

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Kirtland Academic Academy

The idea for KAA came out of a series of discussions the Building Leadership Team had regarding our desire to help students who need a little assistance every so often, while also trying to hold students with high amounts of missing work accountable. Missing work can have such a profoundly negative impact on student learning and success within the classroom and we want to provide something that can help. We believe that this program is a tremendous opportunity for kids who need help getting back on track, while also supporting students that just need a bit of assistance every now and again.


All KMS students are welcome at KAA. The academic team - including teachers, parents, and administrators - has the discretion to make this program mandatory for students with excessive missing work which negatively impacts student learning and success within the classroom.


In many ways, KAA is homework help, tutoring, and general academic assistance for any KMS student in attendance. KMS students do not need to sign up for KAA. They simply need to show up with things they want to work on, sign in, and get the help they need. We are confident that this process will help these students find great success.


Location: KMS Library

Time: 7:30 - 8:30am

Day: Thursday during Delayed Start


Staff Facilitator: Mrs. Saluan

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Thank you Nicole Hollopeter for putting this together.

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Kirtland Middle School - Important Dates 2024-2025

The link provided will take you the Kirtland Middle School - Important Dates for the 23-24 school year. There are still a few things that need to be added at the end of the school year, but they will be updated in the next couple of days. My goal for the year is to be as transparent as possible to major events taking place down the road at the school. I will continue to add to the important date section of the newsletter for upcoming events, but if you are wanting to plan for things, please refer to this document.


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TCl8Xmv-gALMgSvn69gqfFa83acvNE9EsObDigWkskg/edit?usp=sharing

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Bob Race
Bob is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters
 
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