The Falcon Connection
Your link to Quail Hollow Middle School | November 16, 2018
Important Dates
Dates are current as of publication. Check the QHMS website and social media for updates.
NOVEMBER
Mon 19 Chromebook Take Home Begins *Permission Slips Due*
Wed 21-23 Thanksgiving Break: NO SCHOOL
Mon 26 Seahawks Field Trip to Winthrop University
Tues 27 Rams Field Trip to Winthrop University
Tues 27 Future Falcon Family Event at Cameron Wood Clubhouse 6-7:30 pm
Wed 28 Volunteers Field Trip to Winthrop University
Thurs 29 Volunteers Field Trip to Winthrop University
DECEMBER
Tues 4 Band Concert 6-8 pm
Wed 5 Progress Reports Distributed
Wed 5 Early Release Day for Students at 1:15
Thur 6 Progress Reports Distributed
A Note of Thanks
SCHOOL NEWS
We did it! The Falcon Fund Campaign raised a total of $26,030.00! A HUGE THANK YOU to all the families, students, staff and community support for helping us reach our goal.
Thank you to all the families that generously donated to the Falcon Fund and thank you to all the students that supported the campaign through the Fall Field day fundraiser totaling $3378.00.
Thank you to the following corporations for your support through matching gifts of $6138.00
Bank of America – Wells Fargo – Beacon Partners – Microsoft
Thank you to everyone who has donated their time and money to help our school.
Chromebook Take Home
We are excited to announce that we will be participating in the CMS Initiative for students to check out a Chromebook from the school to be used both at school and at home for school-related work at no cost to families!
Students received a consent form that needs to reviewed, signed and returned on Monday, November 19. On Monday, November 19, students will be issued a CMS-owned Chromebook and a charger unless a family chooses to “Opt Out” of the program. In the event that a student chooses to “Opt Out” they will be allowed to check their device in and out each day from the front office.
We are excited for our Falcons to participate in this program and know that it will allow for a positive impact on their educational experience.
Consent form:
Computer Use Agreement Form.pdf
Computer Use Agreement - Spanish.pdf
Student presentation for expectations:
Chromebook Take Home Presentation for Students.pdf
Contact Jaime McCaughna with any questions.
Spelling Bee W-I-N-N-E-R!
We had the great pleasure of having a guest host this year, Mr. Don Lineberger, a retired Media Specialist from Quail Hollow Middle!
6th grade takes College visit
We will take our annual college field trip to Winthrop University the week of November 26. Once all buses arrive, we intend on leaving as we have an admissions session with a college counselor around 10:15 am. Your Falcon will hear about the value of building positive relationships with teachers and maintaining good grades. All habits that support future success for career and college readiness. Upon completion of the session, Falcons and chaperones will complete a 'picture' scavenger hunt around campus. The usual highlight of the trip is lunch. Falcons may bring in $7.50 to pay for lunch in the dining hall, which is a buffet setting. Although we're eating with the college students, our 6th graders have a great time eating until their stomachs are completely full. Thank you all for the parents who have volunteered to chaperone, please be sure to register at www.cmsvolunteer.com.
Future Falcon Families Event
Tech Tip: How to Log In to Chrome at Home
- Connect to your home Wi-Fi
- Log in to Chrome with your Chromebook user name: StudentID@student.cms.k12.nc.us password: your Chrome password
- Once you enter the first website, you will encounter the filtering process. Type in your: user name: StudentID@cms.k12.nc.us
- Last screen of credentials type in your: user name: StudentID@cms.k12.nc.us password: YYYYMMDD (8 digit birthdate)
There is also a tutorial video here.
News from the Media Center
Get FREE tutoring online!
Did you know Charlotte Mecklenburg Library offers free access to online tutors? That's right. With your library card, you can get free help from a live, online, qualified tutor - up to 10 free tutoring sessions each week!
And you can use this service - which is powered by Tutor.com - from home, school and even the Library. Help is available for K-12 students, college students and adult learners - in both English and Spanish.
A brand new feature of Tutor.com is tutoring assistance for nursing students in subjects such as microbiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology, NCLEX test preparation and more!
Access Tutor.com's network of more than 3,100 professional academic and career tutors who are ready to help with just about any question you may have.
All you need is your library card or ONE Access account number.
Do we have your info?
Dress Code
Carpool Reminders
- Students may be dropped off beginning at 8:45. Staff are not available to supervise students before this time.
- Students must be picked up in carpool no later than 4:30.
- Drivers should maintain one lane of traffic through carpool for the safety of students and staff.
- It is unlawful to stop on Smithfield Church Road to drop off students. All drivers should travel through the carpool lane.
- Our neighbors, Southminster and Quail Hollow Presbyterian, have asked that cars not park on their property for drop off/pick up.
- The Handicap Accessible parking spaces at the front of the school should be used only by drivers with the appropriate placards displayed on their vehicle.
- The Speed Limit on Smithfield Church Road is 25 MPH.
We appreciate your cooperation for the safety of all of our Falcons!
GET CONNECTED! JOIN CLUBS, ACTIVITIES & SPORTS AT QH!
Play Rugby!
Chess Club
Open to all Students 6th-8th
Mondays 4:30-5:30 *Students must have a ride*
Tournament Trips planned for later in the year!!!
Interested? Email ASAP! Kennethl.dailey@cms.k12.nc.us
Come see Mr. Dailey! Location: A14
Join Boy Scouts in Pineville
LEND A HAND, SUPPORT QHMS
Sponsor a Child Holiday Drive 2018-19
It's time to re-link your Harris Teeter VIC Card!
Proud to be Falcons! Join the Booster Club and register to win your child a Quail Hollow hoodie!
Your Booster Club funds go directly to Quail Hollow sports programs, to supplement our physical education department and growing school spirit!
Forms to join Booster Club are in the front office or went home with your child this week. Return the form to the front office or their homeroom teacher.
If you are interested in volunteering or would like specific information on what the Booster Club supports please contact Sara Harb at scharb2317@gmail.com
GO FALCONS!
QHMS Wish List
The PTSA has created an online "wish list" via SignUp Genius to fill different needs at Quail. This link will stay open YEAR ROUND; we'll add to it as items benefiting the whole school are requested by staff. This is an easy way to support the Hollow with things like band-aids for the nurse's office, tissues and hand sanitizer, grade-level work/supply room items, and other needs.
We encourage you to continue to check in with your student’s teachers for individual classroom needs; those individual requests will not be included on the school-wide wish list.
PLEASE visit this link as often as you are able and SHARE with other QHMS families!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C4DAAAC3-qhms
- Click on the link.
- Sign up for a slot (take note of a deadline IF one is listed).
- Buy the item and send it into school within 1 week of signing up for it online.
- Drop off in the front office, where we've set up a PTSA donation box. The PTSA board will then distribute.
- THANK YOU and happy shopping!! ;)
Don’t forget: If you shop for these items through Amazon, do it with Amazon Smile! Amazon Smile donates a % of purchases to QHMS! You can even have them shipped directly to Quail!
Easy Ways to Support QHMS!
NEW NAME: Amazon Smile *Quail Hollow School PTA*
Proud Falcon yard signs
Tell ‘Em QHMS Sent You! “The Rusty Onion” Gives Back!
*NEW* My Coke Rewards
Box Tops
Clip Box Tops for Education logos from food items like Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, General Mills cereals and Hamburger Helper. Logos can also be found on household items like Hanes, Scott, Hefty, Ziploc and Avery office products. Drop Box Tops in the collection box in the front office.
Compare Foods
Compare Foods donates 3% of your purchase! Save your receipts and drop them off in the front office.
South Meck Sabre News
Cultural Fair at South Meck
CMS NEWS & EDUCATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
Info for Parents of AIG Students
Join CMS for this year’s conference, Maximizing Potential, for parents of gifted children. The conference will feature presentations on needs of gifted children, and vendors offering programs for gifted children will be available to share information and resources.Visit the website: https://cmstdconference.weebly.com/ to find out more details and to register. There are 600 seats available.
Every three years, each district in the state of North Carolina revises their comprehensive plan to serve gifted students K-12. The plan must be approved by our Local Board of Education and then submitted to the state. This year CMS is Revising its 2019 CMS Gifted Plan to create the 2022 CMS Gifted Plan. As part of our revision process, we are gathering feedback from stakeholders across CMS through surveys. We need your help!! Please take the following survey to ensure your voices and feedback are heard! https://goo.gl/forms/AYk35fB0dQsFgnJH3
CMS announces new school safety measures
‘The entire community must be a part of keeping weapons out of our schools,’ superintendent says
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 16, 2018 — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is increasing security measures, including random wanding of students and searches of backpacks, to help keep weapons out of schools. The district announced the new safety protocols Nov. 16, and called for community support in keeping schools safe.
The new measures are in addition to a network of existing protections in the district’s Circle of Safety, including LobbyGuard visitor screening, 24/7 camera monitoring on all campuses, School Resource Officers in high and middle schools, lockdown drills and active-survivor training. See more information on the CMS Safety page accessible from the district home page.
“This is not just a school problem – it’s a community problem,” Dr. Clayton Wilcox, superintendent, said at a media briefing. “We are taking action to keep weapons out of schools because we want all students to have safe, secure environments that promote academic growth. Our focus in schools should be on education.”
The district announced the new security measures following the fatal shooting of a Butler high school student in a crowded school hallway Oct. 29. Another Butler student has been charged in the shooting.
Dr. Wilcox was joined at the briefing by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney.
Putney said that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Police Department and the district were engaged in a collaborative discussion about keeping schools safe.
He also praised the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education and the Mecklenburg County manager for their support.
“They will make our schools safer,” Putney said. “Charlotte deserves no less.”
Both men emphasized that school safety is a community responsibility.
“It is clear that the entire community must be a part of keeping weapons out of our schools,” the superintendent said. “We cannot be partners in possibility if we fail to be stewards of safety for our kids. We simply must work together to keep weapons out of our schools and reduce violence in the lives of our young people.”
The new measures include a mix of technology, procedure and actions.
“We have consulted with law enforcement, we have conducted internal reviews and we have looked at ideas and best practices from other districts,” Dr. Wilcox said. “We also talked to students. I want to thank them for their honesty, their candor and their brilliance.”
When school resumes after the winter break, he said, the district will begin random wanding of students and random searches of backpacks and bags. Wanding and searching will be done by trained security personnel and the program will be managed by the district’s police force, who will work with local law enforcement to develop protocols and procedures. The wanding and searches will not be announced in advance.
Camera monitors will be increased to include all portable classrooms. The district will also accelerate its deployment of “panic cards” that will allow teachers to send instant emergency notification to CMS staff, law enforcement and emergency personnel.
The district will install an electronic, keyless entry-access system on every front door and the primary entry point for remote buildings on school campuses. Monitoring will be increased at secondary entrances to campuses used for access to athletic fields, auxiliary buildings, maintenance and other entry points for vehicles.
The district will work with staff on updates of all school safety plans, entry and access procedures, emergency procedures, crisis teams, communications and incident reporting. Resources, platforms and procedures for social media monitoring will also be added to ensure families and the public are informed about threat assessment and early warnings.
CMS is also working to make crisis communications more robust by increasing the frequency of updates and wider messaging to families, including instant text messaging.
In addition to these measures, Dr. Wilcox emphasized the necessity of additional significant investment in social, emotional and mental health supports for students, including more counselors, in the next operating budget. CMS has added 60 counseling positions this year but remains well below student-counselor ratios recommended by national mental health organizations.
“I want to use this announcement as a platform for early notice to our leaders – CMS will be asking for more support for our student and not in a small way,” Dr. Wilcox said.
The district will also hold a series of community town halls to share safety and security information and gather input from the public. The meetings will begin before the end of the calendar year, he said.
“I strongly encourage everyone – students, families and staff – to say something if you see something that can threaten our safety,” said Dr. Wilcox. “I strongly believe that the true solutions to ending violence and guns in our schools are found in building relationships, in creating trust and in creating community in our schools,” he said.
To see the district’s new CMS Safety page, which includes comprehensive information on existing safety measures and the new ones, click here.
Here Comes the Bus App
Want to know where your student's bus is in real-time?! Download the Here Comes the Bus App and see where the bus is!
Here Comes the Bus is a school bus tracking app that can simplify morning and afternoon routines for parents and students by giving them real-time bus location and text or email notification alerts to help get them to the bus stop on time. Here Comes the Bus utilizes our GPS data and an easy to use customizable map that works on a computer, tablet or smartphone.
Signing up is EASY! On your desktop computer, you can sign up at https://herecomesthebus.com/getting-started/. You will need the district code (73877) and your student's ID number to sign up. For your smartphone or tablet, download the Here Comes the Bus app from the App Store or Google Play.
Once activated, you can customize or edit features, including how the app will communicate with you and the size of the notification radius around your bus stop.
Pro Tip: If you used the app last year, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the app for all of the features to work!
After School Programs at the Harris YMCA
Let Us Know about Amazing Falcons, QH News, or Share Photos!
Email: jaimes.mccaughna@cms.k12.nc.us
Website: http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/quailhollowMS/Pages/Default.aspx
Location: 2901 Smithfield Church Road, Charlotte, NC, United States
Phone: 980-343-3620
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QuailHollowMiddleSchool
Twitter: @QuailHollowMS