Memorial School Monthly Newsletter

Dear Memorial families,

Good attendance is so important. And right now, the attendance at Memorial could improve. Being tardy also counts against your attendance hours.

Did you know that students who are chronically absent or tardy from school often read below grade level and struggle to understand math concepts? Children who are absent even a day or two, every few weeks often fall behind their peers. A student who is considered chronically absent from school, misses 10% of the school year or 18 days. At this time, a call to 696-KIDS can be completed to report educational neglect.

Please don't let this happen. Some students report they are late because their parents overslept. Please make sure you are up on time so your children are up on time and can be on time for school.

We will have a monthly random incentive day where students who are on time will receive a reward. As a school community we must spread the word that attendance is important!

When do absences become a problem:

Chronic absenteeism-18 or more days

Warning Signs-10-17 days

Satisfactory-9 or fewer absences for the entire school year

We ask that you don't let your child stay home unless he or she is truly sick. Please keep in mind that complaints of a stomachache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home. If your child seems anxious about coming to school please contact your child's teacher via email for some tips and advice.

As a parent myself, I fully understand how hectic and busy our lives are. I also understand how difficult it is to raise a child and there are situations where your child may not be able to attend school. As an educator and a parent, I know the best thing you can do for your child is to ensure they have the very best education and that means they must attend school regularly. Get to School! You can Make It!

Love,

Mrs. Dinkins

For the month of October, the incentive is Popcorn & a Movie.

Scholars need to earn 19 Memorial bucks to participate!

They can also spend their Memorial dollars in the store on different items! Scholars earn their Memorial bucks by displaying respect, and responsibility, and being ready to learn in their classrooms, hallways, bathroom, cafeteria, outside areas, buses, offices or clinics, computer labs, or at arrival and dismissal.

Families, you can support this initiative by discussing positive behaviors and what respect looks like and sounds like with your child/children.

Here are some pictures from our September PBIS event, where students were able to participate in Open Gym if they earned enough Memorial bucks!

In honor of National Book Month, Memorial School Grades K - 3 participate in a One School, One Book during the month of October! Students will begin reading on Monday night October 5th with their families! A recording will be posted each day on our school's Class Dojo and Facebook pages of the chapter being read aloud. Principal Dinkins will kick off the start of our 2026 OSOB with chapter 1 on 10/5!

The book we are reading this year is entitled, Dragon Masters, Saving the Sun Dragon by Tracey West.

Students will be responsible for reading with families 1 chapter per night (in accordance with the calendar below). They will receive a bag with their book, a calendar, and the Trivia Questions. Each chapter has 2 trivia questions students can answer with their parents. They can cut it off and write their name on the back of the strip to enter for a prize. We will do a daily drawing during OSOB for a couple of students to win prizes for the correct answers!

This year our Literacy Night will be held on 10/20 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. Please join us for a fun filled evening with a chance to win prizes, Chapter 11 will be read by a special secret guest, and we will have community partners at the event as well.

We hope to see you there!

Taste the Rainbow!

Ratios and Proportional Relationships (Grades 6–8 Core Focus)

The essence of ratio-focused extended standards in this grade band includes:

• Creating and Solving Ratios: Using concrete objects or visual language to describe relationships (e.g., recognizing that for every 2 wings, there is 1 beak, written as 2:1).

This month, we conquered our very first Math Lab of the year! Each student received a small bag of Skittles, and we started by sorting them into groups according to color. This activity helped us visualize how different quantities relate through ratios. After sorting, we counted how many Skittles of each color we had, practicing our counting skills. We then explored the ratios between the different colors, discussing how to express the relationships— for example, the ratio of red Skittles to green Skittles. Finally, we created bar graphs to visually represent both the quantities and the ratios, making comparisons easier. The cherry on top was devouring Skittles after wrapping up the activity! The students went wild for this hands-on lesson, turning the world of ratios into a lively, fun-filled adventure with a dash of real-life magic!

Grade 6 Science: Grade 6 is officially in engineer mode! Students are learning how to ask, imagine, plan, create, test, and improve, because apparently “my first idea was perfect” isn’t part of the Engineering Design Process. 😄

Grade 8 Science: Grade 8 is investigating Earth’s ultimate makeover team: constructive and destructive geologic processes. Sometimes Earth builds. Sometimes Earth breaks things. Either way, geology brings the drama! 🌋⛰️

Grade 8 Social Studies: Grade 8 is exploring the early history of North America as it was shaped by many peoples. Indigenous nations lived across the continent for thousands of years, creating diverse cultures, governments, communities, and trade networks. Then, in the 1500s, Europeans established settlements and claimed Indigenous lands. Africans also became an important part of colonial America, arriving both as free people and, increasingly, through the forced migration of the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved Africans contributed their labor, knowledge, skills, and cultures while resisting systems that denied them freedom. By the 1700s, Indigenous peoples, Africans, Europeans, and their descendants had all profoundly shaped the societies that developed within the British colonies.

Hello Parents and Guardians,

As the 1st quarter comes to an end the 7th and 8th graders are finishing up their readings and will be starting to write their essays. Below are the topics for each grade.

7th Grade Essay Topic: Construct a multi-paragraph response in which you analyze how a character or narrator deals with their “reality” in “Mirror Image,” “The Song of Wondering Aengus,” and “Monster.”

8th Grade Essay Topic: Construct a multi-paragraph response in which you write a literary analysis about how each author uses the setting of their “horror” story to develop the plot in “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Monkey’s Paw,” “The Aeneid of Virgil,” and “Hades: Lord of the Dead.”

The essay will be broken down into several parts and completed in class, this way I am able to assist every scholar with their writing and any questions they may have. It would help immensely if you ask your child about the stories and poems we have read in class. Having them retell and explain the stories to you will benefit them when it comes to writing their essays.

Thank you,

Ms. Mertel

Hello Families!

In ELA, over the next three weeks, our class will build their knowledge about the five senses, with a focus on the informational text genre. We will read texts and view videos about how people and animals use their senses to navigate the world.

In Math, we will be learning how to use comparison to solve multiplication and division problems. We will also be learning about multiplication and division patterns, and how to estimate products and quotients. Please have your scholars practice their multiplication facts daily with flash cards!

In Science, we have completed discussing the engineering design process. We will begin our studies on Plant and Animal Structure, and explore how organism structures support survival, growth, and reproduction. We will investigate how parts of a plant work together to help it survive, and how an organism’s senses help it survive.

Social Studies newspapers are in the home folders. Please take the time to read and discuss an article with your scholar each night, to increase their classroom understanding.

September was very busy in Grade 3. We just completed our iReady assessments. Special shout outs to Chase, Jamie and Hunter for meeting the cut score for reading. Way to go! The focus in reading has been on phonics, fluency and building vocabulary. As we prepare for the OST in October we have started writing using the RACES strategy. We are working on using this strategy to write a multi-paragraph essay. For math we have been focusing on strategies for multiplication and our new math vocabulary (arrays, factors, products and square units). The goal is to master our multiplication facts with factors up to 6 by mid-year. I was happy to talk to so many of my families at Open House and hope to see more during Literacy Night in October.

Third Grade News

We have started third grade hitting the ground running and have already been busy learning and growing together! In reading, students have been studying characters, themes, text and graphic features, and point of view. In math, we learned strategies for multiplication, used multiplication to find area, and are now building our fluency with multiplying by 3s and 6s, 5s and 10s, and 2s and 4s. In social studies, we have explored how people can view the world through different perspectives and have learned about timelines through our Studies Weekly lessons. In science, students were introduced to how engineers solve problems using the engineering design process. One of the best parts of our school year so far has been our daily morning meetings, where students have had the opportunity to get to know one another, share about themselves, and build a strong classroom community. We are off to a fantastic start, and I am excited to see all that we accomplish this year!

We have had a very busy September and a wonderful start the the school year! In ELA, we have been working on what makes a character interesting in a story! We just finished this module and took our module tests on Friday. We will now be exploring how people use language to communicate. In Math, we have been working on multiplication and different strategies we can use to solve problems. In Social Studies, we have been learning about different perspectives people have. In Science, we have been learning about The Engineering Process. The best part of our day though is our Morning Meeting! Students take turns leading our meeting every day! They come up with the daily question and go over our schedule.

We have had a very busy September! The scholars are working very hard in ELA. We have been reviewing our short vowel sounds, learning new phonics rules such as the floss rule, digraphs sh, ch, wh, th, ck and ph. We are now completing our Literacy unit on being a good citizen.

Students are also working very hard in Math. We have already completed our unit in addition, equal groups and we are now working on data and graphing. Each day the students begin math class by practicing their math facts on Xtramath. This is a 10 minute practice on math facts. I am so proud of how far they have come in such a short time. Congratulations to the following students who have already received trophies for being able to complete basic addition facts in under 6 seconds: Zoey Walls, Daxton Williams, Loyal Payne, Terryn White, Bria McCall. Adonis O’neal, Kavyonna Hamilton, Amore O’neal.

Parents, just a couple of reminders; first, please remember to read 15 minutes a night with your scholar and put it on their reading chart. Next, remember to look in their red homework folder for homework and behavior charts nightly. Please sign behavior charts every night. Finally, please remember that school begins at 8:35. We begin instruction promptly at 8:40. When students are late, they are missing a lot.

A little something to look forward to. Tuesday October 20 will be our annual Literacy Night. This year will be one to remember. Please put this date on your calendar. I hope to see everyone there!

Some of our award winning scholars!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WBtAWRX-3lwn5KnO8AIbX3FgBTgqcb0ROPQaJCE0irQ/edit?usp=sharing

ELA:

Students have been working on recognizing and naming all upper- and lowercase letters, as well as producing the primary sound for each letter. Students have also been decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) CVC words. In writing, some students have been working on their letter formation, while others have been working on writing complete sentences.

Math:

Some students have been learning to count, read, and write numbers to 10, while others are working on numbers to 120. We have been using the CUBES strategy to solve addition and subtraction word problems to 20.

Our Fabulous First Graders have been working hard at blending sounds to make words, learning about school routines and making friends, and learning new words. In math, our students have been working hard at addition strategies. Please be sure to complete homework each night and spend a little time each evening reading. We are off to a great start!

We have been learning about school routines and friendship. Scholars have been blending and reading CVC words. They have been learning new “heart words”, reading sentences, and writing too! In math, students have been working on addition and subtraction. Thank you to those that were able to participate in Open House and the Father’s Walk! Our class was able to receive books from the Cavs Book Bus!!!! Please complete homework each night, practice spelling words, and spend a little time each evening reading as well. Our year is off to a great start!

We have been working hard this past month to build our rules, routines, and procedures. We are learning how to work together, help our friends, follow directions, and complete tasks even when they are hard. Our motto is ‘We/I can do hard things!’ We have already gone on our first field trip to Patterson’s Fruit Farm, where we had a blast! We also had our first visit from the Cleveland Orchestra where we learned about the Cello. We celebrated National Coloring Day, National Play-Doh Day, and National Rice Krispies Treat Day! We made our own crayons by peeling them, where we worked on our fine motor pincer grip, made our own Play-Doh by mixing different ingredients, and made our own Rice Krispies treats by mixing ingredients and taking turns throughout the process.

Please continue to read to your child at home, and continue to ask them wh- questions. Please make sure to check your child’s folder every night and dress them in layers due to the weather ever changing. If you have any questions, please reach out to your teachers!

Our preschoolers have been hard at work in room 126, practicing routines, procedures, and rules. September has been packed full of fun learning opportunities for our scholars, including a field trip to Patterson’s and a visit from Mindful Music Moments through the Cleveland Orchestra! Next month, our theme will be “All About Me,” which focuses on helping children explore their identity, build self-awareness, and develop a sense of belonging in the new classroom environment.

Please remember to check your child’s backpack daily for communication from us and thank you for all you do! We are looking forward to an amazing year together

As we start the month of October and slip into cooler weather we look forward to Fall and the change of the seasons. September was devoted to getting to know each other and settling into our classroom routines. For some children going to school is a first experience away from home and parents, so this transition may be difficult. We will move slowly until all are comfortable with their new friends and surroundings. Communication and Social Skills, including following directions, listening, sharing, and becoming aware of those around us will be an ongoing endeavor. We will introduce letters, numbers, colors and shapes, so our classroom games and activities will be designed to enhance the children's development in these areas. Painting, cutting and gluing will also be introduced. In our introduction to school the proper use of materials is our main concern! We are looking forward to our special time with your child this year. We anticipate a good start to our school year, with much learning, sharing and fun!

Please make sure to check your child’s folder every night, and check out Class Dojo for pictures of your child busy in the classroom.

Facebook: MemorialCardinalsCMSD

Instragram: Memorial0850