CHMS Weekly Update

Monday is going to be a fun day! Unless they have been disqualified due to behavior concerns, students will participate in our Hoops for Hunger field trip at CMU or the Starlab experience/Fall activities at school.

Students going to CMU will depart the school at 9:30, travel to CMU, and return to school around 1:30 PM. Cell phones are NOT permitted on the trip, and the concession stand at McGuirk Arena is cash only! A copy of the concessions menu is linked here.

Students who have chosen to stay at school will be assigned to a staff member and have a scheduled time for their group to participate in the Starlab experience. These students will also get a 30 minute lunch/recess just like a normal school day.

5th Grade - Unit 2: Emotion Management

Lesson 10 - Calming Down

Why This Lesson Matters: Using strategies to calm down helps students behave prosocially instead of acting impulsively on their feelings. Deep breathing using the diaphragm delivers more oxygen to the bloodstream while helping students slow and pace their breathing. Both effects slow the heart rate and work physiologically to calm students down when they are upset. This is a versatile technique that can be used in many situations. Positive self-talk can effectively engage the thinking part of the brain in emotional situations; however, negative self-talk can escalate emotions and lead to aggression. Students should identify and practice words and phrases that work for them so that positive self-talk comes easily when needed. Counting is a simple way to engage the language centers of the brain, take a student’s attention off a stressor, and create some time between provocation and reaction. Contrary to popular belief, punching pillows and other aggressive activities that intended to “vent” anger may actually escalate anger and get in the way of calming down.

6th Grade - Bullying Unit: Recognizing Bullying & Harassment

Lesson 3 - Responding to Online Bullying

In this week’s lesson, your child will use what they know about in-person bullying to compare it to online bullying. They’ll learn and apply different strategies for responding to online bullying in a safe and healthy way.

Try this at home: Tell your child your thoughts on how social media has changed since you were in school. Ask your child about their thoughts on the benefits and disadvantages of social media in the world today.

7th Grade - Bullying Unit: Recognizing Bullying & Harassment

Lesson 3 - The Effects of Sexual Harassment

In this week’s lesson, your child will learn about the effects of sexual harassment, and how to identify support resources available at school.

Try this at home: Help your child brainstorm a list of trusted adults at school who can help if they, or a peer, experiences sexual harassment. Remind them to report any incidents of harassment to you as soon as they can.

8th Grade - Bullying Unit: Recognizing Bullying & Harassment

Lesson 3 - Environmental Factors that Contribute to Bullying

In this week’s lesson, your child will identify environmental factors (the physical space and rules of an area) that contribute to bullying and harassment, and explore how they contribute to bullying and harassment in their school.

Try this at home: Ask your child what environmental factors are. Share your observations about environmental factors that you’ve witnessed in the world outside of school.

ParenTeenConnect.org, a free website for parents and their teens created by the makers of Second Step® Middle School, is a great resource for middle school families. It provides expert advice and practical tools for dealing with real parent-teen issues.

Check out the latest edition of the Warrior Watch!

Our 2026 Veterans Day program will take place on Wednesday, November 11. The reception in the middle school cafeteria will begin at 1:15, followed by an assembly at 2:00 in the gymnasium to honor our Veterans and service members. If you would like to recognize a veteran or current service member, send a photo to msdm@chsd.us. Be sure to include the service member's name, branch of service, and you may include other information about their service. If you woukd like to invite someone, please fill out an invitation (available in the middle school office) and turn it in this week, or call the middle school office to be added. Lastly, the NJHS is sponsoring a Veterans Day art contest. Entries are due by this Thursday, November 5. See the flyer for more information if you would like to participate!

Any students who were absent on picture day or who end up not liking their picture will have an opportunity for retakes on Thursday, November 12th.

The CHMS Parent Club is sponsoring a Neon Dance Party for our 5th and 6th graders this Saturday, November 7th! This is free for all current 5th and 6th graders who attend Chippewa Hills Middle School. There will NOT be concessions available at this event, so there is no reason to bring money. The parent club is supplying punch and cookies.

Parents should plan to drop students off and pick them up at our bus loop doors by the practice soccer field. You can get there by driving around the school like you are going to the gym parking lot. If you keep going around, you will hit the bus loop. For pick up after the dance, parents will drive through the loop and stay in their vehicles. A staff member or parent volunteer will come to your window, ask which student you are there to pick up, and radio for them to come outside. This may take a little time, but we are hoping that this keeps all kids safe so they are not wandering the dark parking lot after the party. We hope to see many of our 5th and 6th graders there!

No events this week!

Mr. Lyons - 5th grade science/math teacher

"He helps you out with your experiment if you need help. Also science is my favorite subject"

Ms. Ottobre - Paraprofessional

"She is one of the nicest people I have ever met."

The Middle School has a Parent Club! Please go to their Facebook Page (linked below) and click "follow" to stay up-to-date on what they have going on and ways to volunteer!

November 2026 Bond Proposal: A Closer Look

Chippewa Hills School District will have a revised bond proposal on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

The revised $29.9 million proposal focuses on Safety & Security and Essential Building Updates throughout the district, with a 20-year term and zero mill increase from the current levy of 1.99 mills.

Wondering what's included? We've put together a breakdown of some of the major projects proposed for our schools. Take a look at the graphic below to see what improvements are planned for each building. To see the complete project list, visit our November 2026 Bond webpage.

Chippewa Hills is once again proud to offer FREE breakfast and lunch to ALL students for the 2026-2027 school year!

Note: Milk without a meal, a la carte items, and second meals will still need to be purchased.

The November breakfast and lunch calendars are attached below.

Thursday, November 12th - Picture Retake Day!

Friday, November 13th - End of Trimester 1 and Rotation 2! - Early Release Day!