Coffee and ConversationResidents are welcome to join Robert Hunt, superintendent of Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools, for "Coffee and Conversation" regarding the future of the…
Coffee and Conversation
Residents are welcome to join Robert Hunt, superintendent of Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools, for “Coffee and Conversation” regarding the future of the district’s facilities. The meetings, which will take place from 9-10 a.m. on Dec. 10 in Sands Community Room and Dec. 12 in the intermediate school library, have been scheduled for those parents and community members who cannot attend evening meetings.
“The district is committed to giving every opportunity possible to our community to be engaged in this important process,” said Hunt.
Decomposition in Science Examined
Third-graders in Mr. Brad Jones’ class at Gurney Elementary participated in a hands-on science lesson in the rocks and soils unit for science. The class completed the lab in the woods behind the school.
The students recreated the recycling process that creates soil by placing natural material that is decomposing into a bag and then synthesizing the decomposition process for organic material, such as leaves and pieces of rotting tree trunks, and the weathering process for inorganic material, like rocks and soil.
The focus of the lesson was to show the students that soil is made through a natural recycling process.
“All living things depend on healthy soil as a basis for their food chain. It is a valuable resource and it takes nature about 100 years to create and reclaim lost topsoil,” said Jones.
Students used their hands to crush the natural materials to speed up the decomposition and weathering process. After a few minutes, they had a bag of healthy, nutrient rich soil. The class then took the bags of soil and dumped them into Gurney’s preschool garden.
At the end of the lesson, students were able to describe the soil composition process and identify the organic and inorganic material found in soil. They could also explain the importance of healthy soil.
CFMS Scholastic Book Fair
Chagrin Falls Middle School is hosting a Scholastic Book Fair at the school Dec. 3-5. Students will be visiting the book fair during their language arts classes at which time they may purchase books.
“Our Scholastic Book Fair is part of a reading event that brings to school a wonderful selection of fun, engaging and affordable books kids want to read,” said Lori Guerrini, library media teacher. “Giving kids access to good books and the opportunity to choose their own books will motivate them to read more. Like most acquired skills, the more kids practice reading, the better they’ll get.”
School families and residents also can purchase books online through Dec. 5 at http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/chagrinfallsmidsch. Orders placed online will be sent to Chagrin Falls Middle School and delivered to students by Dec. 19.
All profits from the in-school and online book fair benefit the Chagrin Falls Middle School library.
Career Speakers Program
A new program at Chagrin Falls Middle School may help students find the answer to the old question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”
The middle school Career Speakers Program will bring professionals from all walks of life to talk about their careers during the second half of students’ lunch periods. Each speaker will give a general description of the job, describe a typical day or week, talk about the education, training and skills needed and then share about his or her own career path and reasons for choosing it.
The program kicked off with John Updyke, a 1982 Chagrin Falls High School graduate and state qualifier in wrestling. Now owner of Mad Jack’s Grill & Pub in Aurora, he spoke to the students about careers in the restaurant and hospitality business.
All seventh and eighth-grade students will be able to hear each speaker. It is a change from previous career day programs, which brought various speakers to the school for one day, scattered among several classrooms. Students chose which speakers to hear, but many were disappointed because they could not see everyone they wanted.
Instead, the new speakers program will be an ongoing program, with speakers scheduled every few weeks throughout the school year.
“We want to give them some exposure to occupations they might not necessarily have thought would interest them, so they would not have signed up for an ‘out of my box’ speaker,” said David Wessel, Chagrin Falls Middle School principal. “Our hope is to allow everyone the opportunity to listen to all of our speakers this year, and that someone sparks an interest for them.”
