Good Morning Muraski Families,

We are in to another great week at Muraski Elementary. We have our PBIS incentive this Friday, as well as continued learning and work in the classroom. Please take a look at the information below. It's going to be a great week!

Sincerely,

Mike Griffen

Though we acknowledge great behavior, we also work on improving our undesired behaviors. Some of the newest behaviors come from respect and engaged. This past week we conducted Lessons that target being more Global and Empowered.

Global refers to:

• I can recognize the impact of my decisions and actions on those around me.
• I can demonstrate personal responsibility through emotional and physical control, as well as self regulation.
• I can actively participate with my classmates to reach an intended outcome.

This helps with reducing classroom distractions and disruptions.

Empowered refers to:

• I can independently stay focused, self-regulate, and complete the tasks I have chosen.
• I have an effective system that allows me to keep track of my resources, materials, and progress.
• I pace myself to complete my work.

This supports giving students a plan to be focused.

At the end of the lessons, students made a commitment to either be more focused or work on reducing distractions. Please support us by following up with students on how they have been doing with their personal goals of increasing their focus of making a positive classroom impact.

Upcoming PBIS Events:

Monthly Incentive: Pie & a Picnic Friday, September 29th.

PRIDE Luncheon: Wednesday, September 27th. Winners will spend some quality time with an exclusive lunch experience.

Join the FUN at Casino Night - a fundraiser for The Strongsville Education Foundation. Enjoy table games, food, and drinks on Saturday, November 11 from 7pm - 10:30pm at the Ehrnfelt Recreation Center. Purchase tickets HERE (link also includes information for raffle prize donations and other sponsorship opportunities).The mission of the Strongsville Education Foundation is dedicated to raising and disbursing funds to support and foster creativity, innovation and outstanding achievement for the students, the teachers and the community served by the Strongsville City Schools.

Thank you to everyone who attended our first PTA meeting last week! If you were unable to attend and would like to sign up to volunteer for any committees, please fill out this form and the committee head will be in touch when they need help! Remember, you can volunteer as little or as much works for you!

Calling all Elementary Artists! PTA Council Reflections is starting a Reflections Club for all elementary students that will be meeting once a month.

What is Reflections? It is a program put on by the State and National PTA that provides students an opportunity for recognition and access to the arts which boosts student confidence and success in the arts and in life. Each year, students can create and submit original works of art in response to a student-created theme. The 2023-2024 Theme is "I am hopeful because . . ." Students can create in six categories. Those categories are Film Making, Choreography/Dance, Visual Arts, Music Composition, and Literature.

This Elementary Reflections Club will meet September 18th, October 16th, and November 13th and 27th at the Strongsville Public Library, with the goal of giving students a chance to explore the art categories they can compete in. To sign up please click HERE - please know that space is limited and there is a cost of $5.00 per family for art supplies. Learn more about PTA Reflections at PTA.org/Reflections.

GOH Run and the Strongsville High School Cross Country teams are hosting a youth fun run on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Strongsville High School's Cross Country course. There will be two races starting at 12:30pm for our younger runners (grades K-2) who will race 800 meters on grass. The older group (grades 3-6) will race on a one mile course at 12:50pm. Runners and families - please report directly to the starting line near the tennis courts at SHS. The Stampede Fun Run is FREE. CLICK HERE to register in advance for the Fun Run. Donations of non-perishable food items for the Strongsville Food Bank and donations toward GOH Run youth running events will be accepted on the day of the race.

The Strongsville High School Cross Country Invitational Meet takes place before the youth races, so arrive early to see the high school student-athletes race!

Digital Navigators. September 18th & 19th. Call to make Appointment.

Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Digital Navigators service offers one-on-one assistance to help you – or someone you know – connect to the internet, get a device, set up a telehealth appointment and more. Call us at 216.749.9420 to make an appointment with one of our Digital Navigators at a CCPL branch.

Teen Craft Night: Fairy Lanterns. Grades 6 – 12. Monday, September 18th / 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Teens! Come into the library for a little magic! Create a whimsical lantern that really lights up and showcases your own little fairy companion.

Wednesday Evening Book Discussion. Wednesday, September 20th / 7:00 p.m.
Our Wednesday Evening Book Discussion meets at 7p.m. on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. We welcome all adults interested in reading and discussing great books! Our next discussion title will be Book Lovers by Emily Henry. Copies of the book will be available for check-out at the circulation desk of the Strongsville Branch Library.

Plant Swap. Thursday, September 21st / 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Calling all gardeners and plant lovers! Join us for this special plant swapping event. Please bring at least one healthy, pest-free, beautiful plant, cutting, or seeds. Bring as many as you would like - the more the merrier! The plants can be potted or bare root—as long as you’re prepared to part with them. If bare root, please bring plant in a pot, bag, or a cardboard box if possible. Please also label plants or seeds as best as you can with any information about the plant such as name, sun/shade/size, etc.) Tickets will be given for each type of plant brought. Tickets will be randomly pulled to decide the order of selection for choosing your new plants.

Monday Afternoon Book Discussion. Monday, September 25th / 2:30 p.m.
The Monday Afternoon Book Discussion meets at 2:30 p.m. in the Library on the 4th Monday of each month. No registration is required. New members always welcome. We welcome all adults interested in reading and discussing great books! Our next discussion title will be The Taking of Jemima Boone: Colonial Settlers, Tribal Nations, and the Kidnap that Shaped America by Matthew Pearl. Copies of the book will be available for check-out at the circulation desk.

Meet Author J.A. Jance. Thursday, September 28th / 7:00 p.m.
Join us when author J.A. Jance visits to discuss her latest novel, Blessing of the Lost Girls. J. A. Jance is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 60 works of contemporary mystery across the J. P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, and the Ali Reynolds series, as well as six interrelated thrillers about the Walker Family and one volume of poetry. Books will be available for purchase courtesy of Mac's Backs - Books on Coventry.

To determine eligibility for free / reduced lunch, as well as various additional state and federal program benefits inclusive of possible district student fees being waived, an application must be completed online at PaySchoolsCentral.com. HERE is a link with directions to apply.

It is important to note the following for those that qualify for Reduced Lunches in the 23-24 school year: The recently passed Ohio biennial budget includes a provision for the State to pay the meal charges for Reduced students ($0.30 for Breakfast and $0.40 for Lunch) effectively allowing them to eat for free. This will be in effect for the 23-24 and the 24-25 school years.

As a reminder, all school fees that have not been paid are now considered past due. To check the balance and pay outstanding school fees, go to Pay Schools Central by clicking HERE. In addition to Pay Schools Central, school fees can be paid by cash/check to your student’s building secretary or with the Treasurer's Office. If you have questions related to this, please contact the building secretary or Dawn Evangelista (devangelista@scsmustangs.org) within the Treasurer's Department. As we are approaching a new school year, as well as the start of fall sports, per Board of Education policy, the consequences for outstanding prior year school fees will prohibit students from participating in any school extracurricular activities (i.e., athletics, student council, school clubs, etc.), field trips, and school sanctioned dances / events that require a purchased ticket. For additional information on District Fee Collection Procedures and Consequences CLICK HERE.

Over the summer, the district expanded our partnership with Blocksi to include student content filtering and alerts. We no longer utilize SecURLy for these services. CLICK HERE to view an informational flier about joining the Blocksi Parent Portal to gain insights on your student’s online behavior with their scsmustangs account and set parental controls beyond the school school. If you have any questions, contact Dave Binkley, Director of Instructional Technology at dbinkley@scsmustangs.org.

Email: mgriffen@scsmustangs.org
Website: https://muraski.strongnet.org/
Location: Muraski Elementary School, Royalton Road, Strongsville, OH, USA
Phone: 440-572-7160
Twitter: @MuraskiPrin