Colt Corner
Colleyville Middle School
February 10, 2023
Colts,
This week was jam-packed making up for some lost time due to the school district's bad-weather closure. With that said, our Colts jumped right in and picked up where they left off. To wrap up the flurry of the busy school week, many of our 6th graders will get to enjoy the evening with many of their parents at our PTA Cotillion Finale. This event is always a hit with our students and parents who are able to attend. A big thanks to everyone who has made this Cotillion season a big success.
On Monday of next week, we will have our new to CMS incoming 6th-grade night for our current 5th graders and their families. If you know of any future Colts, please help remind them to be in attendance for important scheduling information for next school year.
Stay warm and enjoy your weekend.
David Arencibia, Ed.D.
Colleyville Middle School, Principal
School Twitter: @CmsColts - #TeamCMS - #ColtPride
B.E.S.T. - Building Excellent Schools Together
UPCOMING DATES/EVENTS
February 10 - PTA Cotillion Finale - (Roaring 20's) - Colleyville Center 6:30 - 9:00pm
February 13 - CMS Showcase Night for incoming 6th Grade families- CMS North Gym 6:00 - 8:00pm
February 17 - Honors Band Master Class - 4:00 - 6:00pm CMS Band Room
February 17 - Theatre Auditions - 4:00 - 6:00pm - CMS Cafeteria
February 20 - No School - Professional Development Day
February 21 - Theatre Audition Callbacks - 4:00 - 6:00pm - CMS Cafeteria
March 2 - Track Meet - CTMS - 4:00 - 6:00pm
March 4 - CMS Band 5th Grade Instrument Placement Interviews
March 6 & 7 - CMS Dance Tryouts - CMS South Gym - 3:45 - 5:30pm
March 7 - Track Meet - Central Junior High - 4:00 - 6:00pm
March 8 - CMS Dance Tryouts - CMS South Gym - 3:45 - 8:00pm
March 13 - 17 - Spring Break
In this Edition of the Colt Corner
* GCISD Inclement Weather Update
* GCISD Loves Books
* Colt Time
* Upcoming STAAR Interim Assessments
* CMS Theatre
* GHS Cheer Tryouts
* PTA Hospitality
* PTA Birthday Shoutouts
Counselors Corner
* 8th Grade Transition to High School
* Collegiate Academy
* 6th & 7th Grade Course Selection for 7th & 8th Grade
* Preferred Participation Consent for Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention
* DNA Kits
* Additional Resources
Repeated Information
* GCISD Update - February 8, 2023
* School Report Card
* Emergent Bilingual Parent and Family Engagement Event February 22
* Morning Drop-off Band Hall
* CMS Showcase Night - Incoming 6th Grade Families
* 6th Grade Cotillion
* Colleyville Middle School Directory - Who To Contact
CMS Social Media Section
* CMS Portrait of a Graduate Video
* CMS on Twitter - @cmscolts
* CMS on Facebook
* CMS on Instagram
GCISD Inclement Weather Update
GCISD Staff and Families,
It’s been a great week back at school after last week’s unexpected interruption of inclement weather days. As promised, our staff worked through how this would impact the instructional calendar this week. It has been determined that because of the number of additional minutes built into the 2022-2023 school year, the days missed last week will not need to be made up.
Pending Board approval, GCISD will be able to apply for a waiver, and pending no additional inclement weather this school year and the approval of the waiver by TEA, the instructional calendar for 2022-2023 will remain the same.
Have a great weekend, GCISD!
GCISD Loves Books
Colt Time
Upcoming STAAR Interim Assessments (Feb. 28th & March 1st)
On February 28th and March 1st, students will take their math and reading interim assessments; this is the altered bell schedule for those days. Interims for 8th grade Social Studies, 8th grade Science. (7th Accelerated), and Biology will be taken in classes on March 6th-7th; the campus bell schedule will not be impacted on these days.
These assessments will help us collect important check-in data to prepare students to maximize their success on STAAR state testing.
Please block these important dates on your calendars and help us plan for students to be at school these dates instead of out for appointments, etc. if at all possible.
To prepare for these online assessments, students will have the opportunity to practice online tools for state testing during Colt Time beginning the week of February 13th.
Students can also practice the online tools at home using the practice testing site. To practice at home on this site, see instructions HERE.
Other Important Information:
It is very important that students bring their charged GCISD-issued device and charger in order to access the secure testing app and successfully login to take the assessments.
Please help us ensure your students' computer has the latest update required for testing by reminding your student to restart his/her device on the GCISD network (this needs to be done at school).
Please help us remind students with oral accommodations to bring their headphones.
Zero hour students will attend their zero hour classes on February 28th and March 1st as scheduled. On March 1st, they will be excused from "4th period" (8:10-8:55am) and will take the math interim once they arrive with everyone else.
GHS Cheer Tryouts
PTA Birthday Shoutouts
Birthday Marquee Messages are now available!! $15 per message, and we are requesting a 2-week lead time.
PTA HOSPITALITY
We wanted to share more opportunities this year for parents to express their love for our teachers and staff through sharing their own special talents or donating items for teachers to enjoy.
We will be having a staff appreciation day every month and have listed dates with items we invite you to make or donate (you are welcome to purchase your favorites if cooking/baking is not your thing). All donated items will be labeled with your family name or child's name so that the teachers will know you sent your love. Below is our scheduled list of events we have lined up for the teachers this year.
Thank you in advance for your help. Please feel free to contact me at (617)957-9665 or vp_hospitality@cmscoltspta.org if you have any questions or any ideas you would like to share.
Annie Dries, VP of Hospitality
Julie Sullins, VP of Hospitality Assistant
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0f4fa5af2ca7f4c70-teacher
Counselors’ Corner - February 13 - 17
8th Transition to High School:
High school counselors were at CMS one last time on February 6th to meet with students one-on-one. At that time, the GHS/CHHS green 9th Grade Course Requests form was due with a parent signature. Students who were absent or did not turn in their form need to return it with a parent signature to either Mrs. Brizzi or Mrs. Bouchelle ASAP. Students will not be scheduled for their freshman classes until the form is signed and returned.
Collegiate Academy:
Mrs. Gardner met with all Collegiate Academy students on Friday to get them enrolled for next year. If you have any questions about this process for your student please reach out to Mrs. Gardner.
6th & 7th Grade Course Selection for the 2023-2024 school year:
Mrs. Brizzi and Mrs. Bouchelle will be going through 6th grade PE/Pre-Athletics classes on Feb. 22nd and 7th grade social studies classes on Feb. 24th to talk to current students about course requests for the 23-24 school year. Both grade levels will be given access to a Google Form corresponding to courses offered in their grade levels to request courses and alternate elective choices for the 23-24 school year. Course requests for both grade levels will be due by midnight on Monday, March 6th.
6th Grade Guidance Lesson: Conflict Resolution
March 20th and March 21st
Preferred Participation Consent for Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention
As required by federal and state law, we will soon begin presenting a personal safety curriculum to middle school students. GCISD uses the Play It Safe! ® program to teach this curriculum. Play It Safe! ® is a child abuse awareness and prevention program that incorporates age-appropriate scripts and movies to teach children how to reduce the risk of sexual and physical abuse, and sexual assault. It teaches them to recognize potentially abusive behavior, provides the tools to respond to threatening situations, and encourages them to report abuse to a trusted adult. It is presented by The Women’s Center of Tarrant County, Inc. which uses trained volunteers to present the program using videos and scripted discussions at an age-appropriate level. Play It Safe! ® meets the State and Federal guidelines for curriculum addressing personal safety issues, child sexual abuse and pedophiles. The GCISD School Health Advisory Committee has reviewed and recommended these programs for all GCISD schools.
Our schedule for showing the Play It Safe Curriculum this year is as follows:
6th grade “Sexual Harassment”- November 8th, 2022
6th grade “Survivors of Abuse- March 8th, 2023
7th grade “Healthy Relationships”- October 5th, 2022
7th grade “Can’t Take It Back” - November 30th, 2022
7th grade “Abuse of Power” - February 21st, 2023
Please complete the section below to indicate your preference for your child’s participation in any of the above programs. If you choose for your child not to participate, your child will be provided an alternate location while this program is being presented. If the form is not completed, and turned into the campus counselor prior to the date on your campus notification letter, your child will not participate in the program.
Please complete the following Play it Safe form and return to your campus Counselor prior to the date of the lesson! Play it Safe Form
6th and 7th grade students were also provided with a hard copy form which can be returned to Ms. Dumas (advocate counselor). There is a recording of the parent preview located on the CMS counseling webpage.
DNA Kits:
In compliance with Texas S.B. 2158, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD offers parents and legal guardians inkless fingerprint and DNA kits for their children upon request. This kit is designed to “help locate and return a missing or trafficked child,” according to S.B. 2158.
Parents and legal guardians may request these kits through the front office at your child's campus.
Additional Resources:
National Institute of Mental Health
In this Edition
Students Honored by Colleyville Chamber of Commerce
School Counseling Week
District Wrestling and Regional Swimming Results
TES Hosts CALA Art Showcase
And More!
School Report Card (SRC)
Per the Texas Education Agency (TEA), CMS is sending its School Report Card (SRC) for your knowledge.
GCISD also posts all campus SRCs on our accountability website; however, if anyone is in need of a printed copy (in color or black and white) there are copies in the front office for anyone who cannot access the electronic version.
Emergent Bilingual Parent and Family Engagement Event, February 22
EB Parent and Family Engagement Event February 22
GCISD is offering a district-wide event for parent, family, and community Emergent Bilingual Parent and Family Engagement Event. In partnership with TEA, we will host a watch party to address the Parent Engagement event for Emergent Bilingual Families. This event will focus on educating parents to increase their English skills and academic performance and become active participants in their children's education.
We will meet in the PDEC building near CMS in the Panther and Bronco Rooms. We will have multiple Chromebooks to ensure that families listen to the information in their native language. The languages that we will offer to our families are:
English
Spanish
Arabic
Vietnamese
Russian
*** Here is some additional information.***
Morning Drop Off by the Band Hall
February Parent Tech Academy
Are you a parent looking to stay informed about your child's technology use at school and at home? Look no further than the GCISD Parent Tech Academy! Our next session is at the PDEC on February 22nd, at 6:30pm. At the Parent Tech Academy, we will go over how to access parent weekly emails, your children’s internet history, and even how-to pause the internet on school issued devices after school hours. We will also have a Q&A about raising kids in a digital world.
Join us for the Parent Tech Academy and learn how to be better informed on your child's technology use.
Academia de tecnología para padres de febrero
¿Es usted un padre que busca mantenerse informado sobre el uso de la tecnología de su hijo en la escuela y en el hogar? ¡No busque más allá de la Academia de tecnología para padres de GCISD! Nuestra próxima sesión será en el PDEC el 22 de febrero a las 6:30pm. En la Academia de tecnología para padres , veremos cómo acceder a los correos electrónicos semanales de los padres, el historial de Internet de sus hijos e incluso cómo detener el Internet en los dispositivos proporcionados por la escuela después del horario escolar. También tendremos una sesión de preguntas y respuestas sobre la crianza de los niños en un mundo digital.
Únase a nosotros para la Academia de tecnología para padres y aprenda cómo estar mejor informado sobre el uso de la tecnología de su hijo.
Incoming 6th Grade Showcase Information Night (23-24)
More Cotillion Info.
COLLEYVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTORY - WHO TO CONTACT
*Note, the point of contact is the first level to answer and questions or concerns. They are usually able to resolve your question/concern, but in the event that you did not reach a resolution, your concern will be elevated to the subsequent level until a resolution is reached.
To email a CMS team member type the first name dot last name @gcisd.net (i.e. David Arencibia = david.arencibia@gcisd.net) unless different and noted under the name.