PAW PRINTS
Clinton Middle School Newsletter - August 20, 2021
CAT Starts on Monday, August 23
One of the exciting changes we have for the 2021-22 school year is the addition of our CAT period. CAT stands for Challenging Academic Time. It is a 47-minute block to begin the day. Last spring, as a faculty, we discussed the concept of "equity". To us, equity means that we are committed to meeting every student where they are in their educational journey.
During our CAT period, some students will receive extra help in Math or ELA. Those decisions are made through the use of data to identify areas where we know students have the potential to grow. Other students are enrolled in quarter courses such as Public Speaking, Project Based Learning, Creative Writing, or Literature Circles. In addition to the academic focus, the CAT period also promotes goal-setting for students and a social-emotional learning component.
A great feature of the CAT period is that it is flexible and decisions can be made each quarter to provide a student with what they need to be successful. As students grow, they have the opportunity to move into an academic period that will challenge them.
I am proud of the hard work that our teachers and staff did last spring and over the summer to make our CAT period a reality. I know that our students will see the benefits in this amazing opportunity!
Jeff Parks
Principal
Upcoming Events
Monday, August 23 - CAT Schedule Begins
Monday, August 23 - Student Athlete Study Hall Begins, 3:15pm
Thursday, August 26 - School Improvement Council Deadline
Thursday, August 26 - Football Scrimmage @ Laurens, 5:30pm
Wednesday, September 1 - Volleyball Game @ Brewer Middle School, 5:00pm
Wednesday, September 1 - Football Jamboree, Wilder Field, 5:00pm
Wednesday, September 8 - Volleyball Game @ EMS, 5:00pm
Thursday, September 9 - Football Game, 5:00pm
First Day of School
The 2021-2022 school year at Clinton Middle School got off to an amazing start! Please remember that the building opens for students each day at 7:30am and classes start promptly at 8:00am. Also, please be sure to return the blue sheet and other forms that were sent home on the first day. It is extremely important that students come to school on time and well rested everyday! Each week, we will provide families with our electronic newsletter, Paw Prints. This will be emailed to our community every Friday and will include important news and information our school. We will also post the newsletter on our social media platforms to help you stay informed about what's happening on our campus! Be sure to share this newsletter with your friends and neighbors. Please continue reading and we look forward to providing an excellent educational experience this year in the Wildcat Nation!
School Improvement Council
If you are interested in serving on the School Improvement Council as a parent or guardian of a Clinton Middle School student, please contact Assistant Principal, Ami Vaughn at amivaughn@lcsd56g.com by August 26, 2021. The School Improvement Council meets monthly to discuss ways to make improvements at Clinton Middle School. We are also looking for community members to join the council to give input as well. If you know of someone who would be a good addition to the School Improvement Council as a community member, please let Mrs. Vaughn know. We will be sending out information about elections in our August 27th newsletter.
Sports Spotlight
The Student Athlete Study Hall will begin on Monday, August 23 from 3:15pm - 4:00pm. The Study Hall is required for all athletes participating in CMS football, volleyball, and cheerleading. Football players attend the study hall on Mondays and Wednesdays. Volleyball players and cheerleaders attend on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students will be supervised and assisted by proctors who will help them with schoolwork and homework during the study hall. If a student has no assigned work, they are expected to be actively engaged in an academic focus such as reading, writing, Delta Math, USA Test Prep, or some other approved activity.
Clinton Middle School believes that participation in extracurricular opportunities, such as athletics, is an important part of the academic, social, and emotional development of our scholar-athletes. At the same time, athletic opportunities are a privilege for students and with that privilege, there is an expectation that our scholar-athletes meet a standard in both academics and behavior.
Clinton Middle School scholar-athletes and their parents need to be aware that:
Each athletics team participates in a mandatory study hall on certain days before practice. Attendance at study hall is expected for each scholar-athlete.
Our staff conducts weekly grade checks for scholar-athletes on Friday afternoons. Any student who has a grade that is failing in any class will be ineligible for competition the following week.
Any scholar-athlete who is assigned ISS will miss one contest.
Any scholar-athlete who is assigned OSS will miss a minimum of two contests.
Any combination of two ISS or OSS assignments will result in a scholar-athlete being dismissed from their athletic team.
The use of or possession of vaping devices, alcohol, or drugs while on campus will result in an immediate dismissal from the team.
If you are a parent/guardian of a student athlete and did not attend the sports meeting on Thursday, August 19, your child will not be eligible to participate in any sports games until you have signed and returned the Scholar Athlete Contract. Click on the link to access the document.
8th Grade Activities
This year we are excited to offer 8th Grade Activities for students who successfully complete middle school in May. The events include a Promotion Ceremony (8th Grade Graduation), a Promotion Cookout, a Promotion Party/Dance, and an 8th Grade trip to Carowinds. At this point, all 8th graders are eligible to participate in all of these events, however they must maintain their eligibility by upholding behavior and academic standards that we outlined with all 8th graders yesterday. When 8th grade students violate our expectations, they are assigned points and as they earn points, they lose the privilege of participating in activities. Throughout the course of the year, students will accumulate points for disciplinary infractions. The consequences for accumulating points are outlined below:
20 points = Cannot go on the trip to Carowinds
25 points = Cannot go on the trip to Carowinds or attend the 8th Grade Party/Dance
30 points = Cannot go to Carowinds, or attend the Party/Dance and Cookout
35 points = Cannot attend any of the activities including the Promotion Ceremony
Please note the number of points student will receive for certain infractions:
Fighting = 10 points
Vaping or possession of vaping paraphernalia = 10 points
ISS or OSS = same points as the number of days
All other infractions are at the discretion of the Administrators
Any failing grade in any class on a report card = 5 points for each class
Hopefully, all of our students will be able to participate in all of these exciting events as we look forward to a successful year!
Student Handbook
Our Student Handbook is posted on our website. We have reviewed the handbook with students this week so that they are aware of our policies and expectations. Please click on the link to read the Student Handbook and review it with your child.
Hydration Stations
Hydration Stations have been installed at CMS to provide chilled water to the students. There is one upstairs and one downstairs. Students are offered one bottle of water during lunch and they are encouraged to save them to refill throughout the day. Students can also bring their own reusable water bottles from home.