Good Morning Muraski Families,

I hope your children enjoyed a nice extra day off on Friday and are ready for a a wonderful weekend. It is crazy to say this but Halloween and the end of the first trimester is quickly approaching. I want to thank the families that came out for parent teacher conferences on the 3rd. Conferences are a great way to build the connection between families and the school that are so important for each child's success. Another opportunity is coming for conferences on October 23rd, so please look out for that.

A few things to be aware of below:

• Information about the Pumpkin Run on October 14th
• Information related to events happening within our district
• Facts about the upcoming Levy
• Guidelines and dates for Halloween Parties and Parade on October 31st

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mike Griffen & Monica Cooney

The Fun Run will be held on Monday, October 14th, with various plans for adjustments based on weather. We are hoping for a great day, but the forecast doesn't look 100% promising. We would love parents to come see their children run at the times below. In the event that you attend, you are welcome to walk outside of the building to the two tracks that will be on each side of our pavilion. Times are listed below. A few things to note:

• We would like ALL students to wear their Fun Run T-Shirt. Some students brought those home, while other teachers kept them in classrooms so all students have them.
• In the event that there is rain, students will still do their fun run, but they will do it in the gymnasium during their Encore time. Parents are still welcome to come in a see their children run, but in this case we would need you to check in at the main office. (4th Grade - 9:15, HDK - 10:05, 3rd Grade - 10:30, 2nd Grade - 11:15, 5th Grade - 1:00, KDG - 1:50, and 1st - 2:40) This schedule is only if there is rain.
• Please continue to think about donating, as we aren't quite to our goal of $25,000. This money goes directly back to supporting opportunities and experiences for your students.

We will be celebrating Halloween at Muraski on Thursday, October 31st. We will do a parade around the building starting at 2:20pm. Parents will be invited to line the sidewalks outside of the building to see their children and all of our students in their best costumes.

Following the parade, students will have in-class parties led by the head room parent in the classroom. Please make sure you adhere to the following guidelines:

• Head/Face Coverings can be worn during the parade, but ARE NOT permitted at any other time during the school day.
• No costumes or face paint that depict blood or gore in any manner.
• No weapons (swords, guns, etc.) or objects that look like weapons are permitted at school.
• Attire should be school appropriate and meet our guidelines for dress code.

Please remember that students will not provided support to get costumes on and have limited time to dress for the parade. Students should either be able to wear the costume comfortably and have ease in using the restroom all day or be independent in getting dressed for the parade.

Click HERE for the Welcome letter from our Food Services Department.

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 24-25 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 24-25 school years.

CLICK HERE for the Free & Reduced Lunch Application.

CLICK HERE TO GET TO LUNCH MENUS FOR THE YEAR

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 Melissa LePage (mlepage@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