COYOTE CORNER
Newsletter from the Counselors
WELCOME BACK, PACK!
January and February are jam-packed months here at the Creek. We have National Human Trafficking Awareness & Prevention in January, Black History Month throughout February, and of course RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) Week as well in February! Don't forget about the upcoming Curriculum Fair next month that will kick-off our articulation and course selections for next year. The counselors will be working with all of our amazing students to discuss course selection and course cards in the next few weeks. That's right... we are planning for NEXT school year already...EXCITING!!
We counselors also wanted to mention how PROUD we all are of our students as well. We had 49% of our 6th graders, 49% of our 7th graders, and 45% of our 8th grade students earn ALL A's and B's only for Quarter 2....AMAZING JOB COYOTES!!!!!
Keep up the amazing work, and as always...don't forget your H-O-W-L!!!!
MEET THE COUNSELORS OF THE CREEK
MS. EMILY COOPER
MR. MARC SHANBERG
MRS. CATHERINE SANTOS
APPOINTMENT REQUESTS
Need to chat with your school counselor? Fill out the request form for your grade level counselor below:
Students ON CAMPUS can fill out a paper version of this form found outside of each grade level counselor's office!
National Human Trafficking Prevention & Awareness: January 2021
January 2021 is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, as decreed by presidential proclamation. January is also known as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. It is a key time for us all as individuals to educate ourselves about human trafficking and crucially to learn to spot the signs of trafficking.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: FEBRUARY 2021
Here are some interesting facts to help kick-off your journey of exploration:
5 SUPER INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT BLACK AMERICAN HISTORY:
Rosa Parks wasn't the first! Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl, refused to move to the back of a bus nine months before Parks did.
MLK improvised his most famous speech. Although he had prepared notes, Martin Luther King Jr. improvised much of his "I Have A Dream" speech.
Esther came before Betty. The iconic cartoon character Betty Boop was modeled after a Harlem jazz singer named Esther Jones.
There were black senators in the 19th century. The first black U.S. senator was Hiram Revels, who took office in 1870.
Satchel Paige was baseball's first black hall-of-famer. Pitcher Satchel Paige was the first black player to be inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
RAK WEEK: RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
This year, Random Acts of Kindness Week will be from February 15th through February 21st. RAK week encourages people out there to be loud about how easy it is to give to others. This holiday centers around making kindness a standard for others to follow to make society a better place to live in.
RAK week is all about showing appreciation for those around you, seeing others in need and taking action, and instilling kindness in today’s youth so the future can look a little brighter.
Get inspired with some of these simple ideas about how YOU can bring kindness:
PROMOTION TIME: ARE YOU HIGH SCHOOL READY?
As mentioned earlier, articulation, or moving up to the next grade level, is seriously RIGHT around the corner! Here are just a few ideas, especially for you 8th graders as you prepare to jump into the high school world!
6 HIGH SCHOOL PREP ACTIVITIES FOR 8TH GRADERS:
1. Get involved over the summer
It’s far easier to feel comfortable with where you’re going if you have an idea of what it will be like when you get there. A great way to meet future teachers, coaches and classmates is to plug into high school over summer vacation. For example, most sports teams workout together over the summer and that is a great time to build relationships on the team while getting stronger. Volunteering with clubs and classmates over the summer is also a great way to knock out some service hours for your freshmen year!
2. Take a Summer Course or Program
Keeping busy in an area of study, athletic program, or extracurricular interests is a great way to spend the summer, building up your unique skills and passions. This can help you clarify what you want to focus on more as you go through high school and into college, or at least narrow down your options and reveal the areas you really don’t have a big heart or head for. Doing this may also help you cross paths with future classmates or stay in touch with old 8th-grade friends.
3. Revisit Weak Study Areas
Don’t check your brain out for summer vacation! Keeping mentally engaged throughout the whole year is a big step toward succeeding in high school and beyond. You likely know which areas of study you struggle in; using summer break as a way to shore up on those topics can help prepare you for tackling high school curriculum without feeling like you’re constantly lagging behind.
4. Volunteer in the Community
A high school is a big part of the local community, involving faculty, students, and families on an integral level. One way to feel better connected to a high school is to get to know the community surrounding it via volunteer work. See what charities or nonprofit organizations the school is already involved with or supporting and find time to donate a few hours or days during your summer break to help them out as well. You might find a cause you’re passionate about that you can champion during your high school years, or at least feel more grounded in the values and philosophies your high school embodies.
5. Get Used to the New Routine
After you’ve toured the high school, take a few days to map out the best routes to it and figure out your new morning and afternoon routine coming to and from it. Taking the bus? Check out the nearest stops and time yourself going to and from them on different days. This will help ease some of the mental tension of getting used to a new schedule and logistical pattern and make the routine more comfortable on Day 1.
6. Preview the High School Curriculum
Most high schools make their curriculum previews readily available to incoming students. Check out the textbooks you’ll be using in class and maybe do a little advance reading to get a sense of your upcoming studies. If there are areas that you know you’ll have a harder time grasping the concepts, a bit of pre-class studying can give you an advantage (see the previous suggestion of focusing on weaker topics).
What are you planning to do with your final summer before high school begins? Where will you invest your time and find ways to grow even while on vacation?
We're excited for your future!
BE AN UPSTANDING COYOTE
Bullying is defined as an intentional act that causes harm to others. Bullying can be physical, verbal, social (gossip, excluding others), or cyber (electronically), and it is a very serious topic that we revisit each year. If you SEE something SAY something! Be an upstanding citizen and be sure to report any incidents of bullying or peer pressure to a trusted adult. To report anonymously, you can leave a tip on "Fortify FL" at the following link:
https://getfortifyfl.com/Tip.html
Remember, always be kind for others may be fighting a battle that you know nothing about. There is a NO TOLERANCE policy when it comes to bullying, harassment, or peer pressure!
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:
HOWLABRATION
Tuesday, Jan 19, 2021, 06:00 PM
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CURRICULUM FAIR
Thursday, Feb 4, 2021, 06:00 PM
Cypress Creek Middle School
PRESIDENT'S DAY - SCHOOL CLOSED
Monday, Feb 15, 2021, 07:30 AM
Cypress Creek Middle School., Old Pasco Road, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA
Contact Information
Email: emcooper@pasco.k12.fl.us
Website: https://ccms.pasco.k12.fl.us/
Location: 8845 Old Pasco Road
Phone: (813) 346-4600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CypressCreekMiddle/
Twitter: @CypressMiddle