Dear KMS Parents and Students,

Good afternoon and happy Monday! Only four more wakeups before it's officially spring break. Below you will find information for this week only. I will send another newsletter during our spring break outlying our first few weeks of April along with end of year testing schedules. Again, if you plan on volunteering, not only at KMS but also at KES and KHS, please make sure you make arrangements to insure your fingerprints are up to date. If you need to get them done or have any questions, please email Mrs. Gordon at jeannette.gordon@kirtlandschools.org.

Sincerely, 

Mr. Race

Week of March 18

Wednesday, March 20 - First Day of Spring - LET'S GO!!

• 6th grade - Fieldtrip to Auburn Career Center for CPR training - 8:40am to 11:00am.

Friday, March 22 - 7th/8th Choir/7th Band Annie Playhouse Square Field trip 5:00 pm to app.10:30 pm

Week of March 25

Spring Break - No School - Students return to school on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.

A week ago the KMS FLL team competed at the state competition in Troy, Ohio. Congratulations to the Hungry Hungry Hornets team of Alden Bradshaw, Naomi Blankenship, Will Cihula, David Blankenship and Mason Picard for winning the Best in Presentation Award at the state Lego League Tournament! Great job Hornets!!

PHOTO DUMP!!

This google form is for you to submit (as many as you want) photos of you, your friends, groups (all photos must be Kirtland Middle School students ONLY).

All photos must be school appropriate (emails are collected with submissions).

Please see Mrs. Camburako with any questions.

Ideas for photo opportunities;

*at school,

*at home,

*at practice,

*at a game,

*outside,

*wherever!!

https://forms.gle/GGNHou7QznGvJ4BK7

Congratulations to 7th grader, Morgan Brunetti, our KMS student of the month. She embodies the true spirit of academic excellence and compassion. She consistently puts forth her best effort towards learning, demonstrating a strong commitment to personal growth and development. Not only does Morgan excel in her studies, but she also goes above and beyond to support and empower her peers, creating a positive and inclusive learning environment for all. Her kind and helpful nature is a testament to her empathy and compassion, both towards her classmates and her teachers. By exemplifying Kirtland's three pillars of self-improvement, empowerment of others, and positive global impact, Morgan sets a shining example for her peers and the entire school community. We are proud to recognize Morgan for her outstanding contributions and look forward to witnessing the continued positive impact she will undoubtedly make in the future.

State Qualifier Sara Garvin, a 7th-grade writer from Kirtland Middle School, has had very impressive performances in Power of the Pen competitions. Early in March, Sara showcased her writing talents at the regional tournament held at Shaker Heights Middle School, securing a commendable 9th place finish. Her creative flair and dedication to the craft were evident as she competed alongside a pool of talented writers.

Adding to her list of accolades, Sara Garvin clinched a remarkable second-place finish at the Power of the Pen Lake Erie District Tournament. Not only did Sara excel individually, but the entire 7th-grade team also made their mark by securing a fourth-place finish in the competition. Their collective success is a testament to their hard work, creativity, and passion for writing.

Sara’s achievements serve as a source of inspiration to her peers and a point of pride for Kirtland Middle School. Congratulations to Sara Garvin and the entire 7th-grade team for their outstanding performances, and best wishes to Sara as prepares to compete at the Power of the Pen State Competition in Columbus in May. 

Key Information:

• Open to 4th, 5th and 6th Grade Girls (Kirtland residents)

• Expanded to SEVEN sessions this year! 

• Sessions will be held on Monday evenings

  • 6:00 – 7:00pm for grades 4 & 5

  • 7:00 – 8:00pm for grade 6

• Sessions will run from April 8th – May 20th 

• Sessions will focus on development of key fundamental 

skills, learning rules of the game, competition, and fun!

• Each athlete will receive a Kirtland Volleyball t-shirt

• KYVL may be cancelled by Kirtland Schools at any time

• Cost is $50 per participant (cash at door or Venmo @Emily-Keller-60)

Sign-up before March 25th (use link below) 

https://forms.gle/FWg7VWqy1AAWPgon9 

Directors: Emily Keller and Amy Nowacki

Calling all middle school and high school students, in the Kirtland School District! The Kirtland Kiwanis is having their second annual Creative Writing Contest. Here is your chance to shine!

This year’s theme is: “What does Love have to do with it?”

Use your imagination to create a short story, a poem, a song lyric, a one-act-play, or even a speech. Bottom line, the goal is to create and have fun!

There are three qualifying categories: 6-8th grades, 9th-10th grades, and 11th-12th grades.

Each category has the chance to win:

Blue Ribbon

Red Ribbon

White Ribbon

3 Honorable Mentions in each category $50

Each contestant is allowed to submit only one original piece of writing. Submit your work beginning February 1st. Submission deadline is March 22nd

Winners will be announced in April 2024.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-uX-j8QxekPNdgK2ZwiLUl37tvtpVVuF/view?usp=sharing

The Board of Education has voted to place a renewal levy on the March 19, 2024 ballot for the public’s consideration. Additional information about the renewal levy is available at the following link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/118enk-1AiK7YXzXDdzf0OfA4JhmFHz_OvC8rF3zlKuc/edit?usp=sharing

The Kirtland Youth Baseball & Softball league is striving to make this a great 2024 season. We are taking steps to try to improve the overall experience for coaches, parents, sponsors, umpires, and most importantly the children. We are looking forward to the start of the 2024 season and we hope to make it a great one for all that are involved!

https://www.kirtlandyouthsports.com/

Registration closes Sunday, March 24th @ 5pm. We will immediately form teams and notify parents of team assignments and coaching staff shortly thereafter. Your coach will reach out and begin scheduling practices in Mid to late April, depending on the weather. Games start at the beginning of May and end just before Jul 4. The practice and game schedule is determined by your coach and field availability. However, we encourage coaches to run two practices a week before games start. After games begin, it will be entirely up to your coach, but usually, stay within one practice a week. You will likely have 1-2 games weekly. 

For each division, you can not be older than the oldest age. So, for example, in Girls Softball 8U (7&8Yr olds), your daughter must be 8 or "U"nder on Jan 1, 2023. If your daughter turns 9 in July, they are still 8U for this season. Next season, they will be 10U. Furthermore, although the boy's divisions does not have a "U" it is the same concept. The Minors 9-10 are boys that are 10 or "U"nder on Jan 1, 2023.

While we make every effort to honor requests, we can not guarantee that any athlete will be placed on a specific team. Teams are drafted based on several criteria, including (but not limited to) the number of participants, ability, and experience.

2024 Registration Open 1/19/24

Divisions are:

Mighty Mite / T-Ball: Boys and Girls ages 4-6

Boys Baseball:

Little Indians / 7 & 8 Year-Old Boys

Minors / 9 & 10 Year-Old Boys

Majors 11 & 12 Year-Old Boys

Pony / 13 & 14 Year-Old Boys

Girls Softball:

8U / 7 & 8 Year-Old Girls

10U / 9 & 10 Year-Old Girls

12U / 11 & 12 Year-Old Girls

14U / 13 & 14 Year-Old Girls

*** Age is based on the child's age as of 1/1/2024 ***

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M4Zp4GR0sY4lPceVRfMFe7DB8rvpewSS/view?usp=sharing

Look no further! The ESC of the Western Reserve offers FREE mathematics tutoring. We are here to serve your grade 6-12 students on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. We offer a clean, safe space to assist with math homework, test preparation, and remediation.

https://target.brightarrow.com/Attachments2/3003_3/2310280429071.pdf

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

The lost and found area is no longer filling up but has exploded onto another table!!! Please remind your son or daughter to check the area in the lobby, if they are missing lunch boxes, water bottles, coats, shirts, hoodies, etc. If they are missing anything there is a good chance it is there. There is a lot of really nice stuff that needs to find its way back to it's owner. AT THE END OF THE WEEK WE WILL BE DONATING THE ITEMS IN THE LOST AND FOUND TO CHARITY! Please make sure your son or daughter take some time to double check their belongings are not there.

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.

The official date for the Spring Dance is Friday, April 26. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1suRagStcxf0ssRBDomyMqpD4qLfAxR7a3YCHdObYlPk/edit?usp=sharing