The mission of the Chagrin Falls Middle Schools' Students of the Month is to acknowledge and reward students for exemplary performance...
CFMS Students of the Month
The mission of the Chagrin Falls Middle Schools’ Students of the Month is to acknowledge and reward students for exemplary performance. The students depict Tiger Techniques: Think, Integrity, Grit, Effort and Responsibility. Each month, the seventh and eighth-grade teams collaborate and choose a male and female “Tiger of the Month” and the students receive personalized tiger water bottles from the PTO.
Students of the Month for September are seventh-graders Lyla Mihalek and Tristan Kalejs and eighth-graders Hayden Schron and Connor Brackett.
Lyla Mihalek arrives at school eager to explore and learn. She is always prepared for class and puts forth excellent effort. She enthusiastically listens to her classmates and works with them to creatively solve problems. Lyla has shown leadership skills on the cross country team and in the clubs she has joined.
Tristan Kalejs’ careful preparation and focused energy are remarkable. He happily asks helpful questions that lead to leaps in learning. His attention to details and diligence on any assignment make him an excellent role model for his classmates. Tristan is dressed for success. He comes to school each day in a colorful tie and it shows he is eager and ready to learn. Tristan works well with his peers and he is a leader and role model in the classroom.
Hayden Schron is an enthusiastic and observant student and is willing to discuss her insights. Hayden is always trying her best on each assignment. She asks questions and works hard to complete all of her work in a timely fashion.
Connor Brackett is conscientious, polite, and present during class. He is an active member of all classes. He adds appropriate humor to discussions and conversations while staying on topic. His classes would not be the same without him.
Mathematical Modeling and Reasoning Course
Chagrin Falls High School is currently in its first year of participating in the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) Mathematics Modeling and Reasoning (MMR) pilot course.
The course is currently taught by Steve Hass-Hill and Mike Sweeney, who participated in a week of training this summer to prepare for this hands-on, high-interest course. Both teachers have worked hard to be best-prepared to implement this course in the 2022-23 school year and are excited about this new course.
“It is exciting to see students truly experiencing math in such unique ways via this course,” said Principal Mike Janatovich.
The course was initially pursued by the district to fill a void for students who may not be interested in enrolling in AP math coursework, but needed a fourth year of math.
“Through our research, we found that this course could also serve as an Algebra II equivalent course and/or may be of interest to students prior to 12th grade,” said Becky Quinn, director of curriculum and instruction. “Students who succeed in this course may take an Algebra 2 course, College Credit Plus course or AP math course their fourth year. Thus, it is truly a great addition to our high school math program.”
The mathematical modeling and reasoning course is designed to promote reasoning, problem-solving and modeling through thematic units focused on mathematical practices, while reinforcing and extending content in number and quantity, algebra, functions, statistics and probability and geometry.
Through a partnership between ODE, the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Ohio Math Initiative, MMR was developed as a math transition course with the purpose of preparing Ohio high school seniors who have not earned a remediation-free score for a college entry-level mathematics course. The mathematical modeling and reasoning course curriculum was created by Ohio postsecondary and secondary math faculty.
Purchasing supplies in summer 2022 for use in the MMR course was quite an interesting feat.
“MMR thematic units connect student learning to real-world applications in creative and high-interest ways,” said instructional coach Nick Leskiewicz, who has also been involved in this project.
The non-traditional supply list provided by the ODE included everything from play money, Barbie dolls, Lego gears, and Monkey String, to spaghetti, marshmallows and Oreos.
“As the MMR teachers unpacked the units, they could easily see how these materials were used in unique ways to engage students in collaborative problem-solving, modeling, and reasoning to solve problems,” said Quinn.
