Curtis Chronicles
October 15, 2019
A Message from Curtis Principal, Sonya Pitcock
Parents,
We have completed the first quarter of the year and students are really working hard! We encourage students to take advantage of our math lab, writer’s lab as well as individual tutoring if they need help, want to check work, or need to retake or redo any work below 70. We have seen that when students attend tutoring it can sometimes increase their confidence as well.
Please help us with traffic flow in our drop off area. Please drop students off in the drop off lanes and not in the parking area. We have cars that need to park in parking spaces and they are being blocked by cars dropping off and picking up students. Thank you for your help with this.
October 14 and 15 are student holidays so we hope everyone enjoys their fall break!
October 28 is a student holiday and a day where we have Parent Teacher Conferences. If a teacher would like to have a conference with you on this day, they will reach out to you to schedule. Of course, at anytime you may ask for a conference with one of your student’s teachers.
Sincerely,
Sonya Pitcock
Upcoming Events
Oct. 15: Panera Bread Spirit Night & PTA Q&A Night, see details below
Oct. 16: Curtis Football vs Willow Spring, 7th away, 8th home
Oct. 17: Curtis Volleyball vs Ford, 7th home, 8th away
Oct. 22: Curtis Football vs Ford, 7th home, 8th away
Oct. 22: Parent University
Oct. 24: Curtis Volleyball vs Ereckson, 7th away, 8th home
Oct. 28: Parent/Teacher Conference Day, Student Holiday
Oct. 31: Reflections Entries Due
Nov. 1: PTA Member Meeting, 10 am in the CMS staff lounge
Social and Emotional Learning Update
Parents,
Here are the summaries of our Social Emotional Learning lessons. Please ask your students about these!
7th grade
FAMILY LESSON SUMMARY
This week, your child will learn how to use If–Then Plans for making positive choices in difficult situations. Research shows this is a great way for students to prepare for difficult situations before they happen.
FAMILY LESSON QUESTION
Ask your child what an If–Then Plan is. Work together to make a plan for how your child can respond positively to a difficult situation he or she might encounter at home.
8th grade
FAMILY LESSON SUMMARY
This week, your child will continue to think about identity and how people sometimes “switch” identities to fit in with different social groups. The lesson explains that it’s okay to change identities depending on the group you’re in, but your child doesn’t have to change in ways that don’t feel right.
FAMILY LESSON QUESTION
Ask if your child ever feels the need to switch identities to fit in, and how that feels. Tell your child about a time you felt you had to change in a way that didn’t feel right so you would be accepted by a group.
Click on the link to learn more and hear more from real teens, parents, and experts.
How much teen time should be screen time? Parents and teens don’t always agree.
CMS PTA Information Session & Spirit Night: October 15
You are invited to stop by Panera anytime between 4-8 pm on Tuesday, October 15. CMS PTA is hosting a Cookie and Q&A Session. Any current or future CMS parent is invited to attend.
Topics include:
- Social media
- Middle school strategies
- Ways to get involved
CMS PTA is also hosting a spirit night at Panera on October 15. We hope you will stop by!
CLICK HERE for more info.
October Staff Meeting Food Donations Needed: October 23
PTA is pleased to provide food for the October Curtis Staff Meeting. Can you help with a donation? CLICK HERE.
Items can be dropped off at Curtis Middle School on October 23rd by 2:30pm.
Non-perishable items can be dropped off at 1998 Verde court starting the weekend of October 19th. If you would like to contribute a perishable item but cannot drop it off at the school on the 23rd, please email ptavolunteers.curtis@gmail.com to make alternate arrangements.
Thank you for your support!
Benefits for Being a Student Member of PTA
Ever wonder why registering your student as a PTA member is beneficial? Other than helping kids learn that they have their own voice, what is the IMMEDIATE benefit for a student PTA member at Curtis? The answer is student incentives. Each student who joins will receive a coupon booklet containing:
- Late homework passes (fall/spring)
- First bell tardy passes (fall/spring)
- Free service hours (fall/spring)
- Free Valogram
- $2 pizza discount at the spring dance
...and more! Become a student PTA member today and enjoy some of these great benefits that now come with your membership!
Curtis PTA is 510 members strong! Parents, please don’t forget us, we still need YOU! When you join the PTA, you are helping us fund various programs that we provide around our campus for teachers and students, which includes in-house concessions, spirit wear, and most recently, the awesome author visit from PJ Hoover! We can make your membership dollars go far! Please consider purchasing a membership for yourself, your spouse, and maybe even the grandparents!
CLICK HERE to join. You will need to create an account if you do not have a Membership Toolkit account.
PTA's Art Competition: Reflections Entries Due by October 31
PTA Reflections is a nationally acclaimed student recognition program to encourage artistic creativity in the classroom and at home. Students of all grades and abilities may participate and explore the arts based on the 2019-2020 theme: Look Within.
Entries may be taken to the CMS Library between Monday, October 28-Thursday, October 31, 2019. Be sure you have an entry form with your submission and a parent must be a PTA Member for your student to enter. For complete information including entry guidelines and submission forms, please CLICK HERE.
Parent University: October 22
CLICK HERE for more details and registration info.
7th Graders Enjoyed a Visit with Author P.J. Hoover
On Oct 2-3, 2019, Curtis Middle School hosted P.J. Hoover at our campus. An electrical engineer by training, P.J. Hoover is now a full-time writer of kids, teens, and adult books.
In 6 engaging sessions spread over 2 days, P.J. Hoover took the 7th graders through her own writing journey. She talked to them about tips for getting started as well as tips to stay the course. A lively Q&A session followed each talk where students asked questions and had their queries answered.
A big Thank You to Ms. Kay Hawkins, campus librarian, for coordinating these sessions. Our thanks also go out to CMS parents. It is your support that enables PTA to sponsor programs at CMS.
P.J. Hoover is an author of books like The Hidden Code, Solstice, and Homer's Excellent Adventure amongst others. More info can be found at http://www.pjhoover.com/
Volunteers Opportunities
- Football Concession Stand: October 16
- Volleyball Concession Stand: 17 and 24
- Copy Room
You will need to sign in to your account, select My Account in order to see the Volunteer opportunities.
Curtis Spirit Wear
You can still order Curtis spirit wear! All sizes of the Curtis Sweatshirt are available for purchase. The t-shirt styles have limited quantities. Sizes and quantities available are updated online.
Orders will be delivered to your student's homeroom teacher approximately 4 weeks after purchase. Please be sure you enter your student's homeroom teacher for easy delivery.
To order, visit CurtisCougarPTA.org, login or set up an account to place your order.
Questions? Please email Jennifer
Annual Rudolph Run: Sign Up by November 1
Curtis Middle School is gearing up for the annual City of Allen Rudolph Run. You can register now online through November 1st.
With registration for this event, you get a cool tee-shirt. Be sure to register under Curtis Middle School, so that our school gets credit for your entry.
See a PE teacher if you have any questions. Thanks for your support!
Allen Wrestling Clinic and Info
The first practice and parent meeting will be held on November 4. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
Aviation Art Contest
CMS Students are invited to participate in the International Aviation Art Contest. The art contest involves three levels of voting. The Art work is sent in to the State of Texas, if the art work places it is then sent to the National level for voting. If the art work places at the national level it is sent to the International level. The State of Texas had a winner at the International level last year. There were 359 entries from across the State of Texas which included individual drawings and paintings by young Americans between the ages of six and seventeen.
The aim of the contest is to motivate and encourage children to study aeronautics, engineering and science.
This year’s theme is “Flying Yesterday and Tomorrow”. CLICK HERE for a brochure and more info.
Daily Announcements on Curtis Website
Annual AISD Volunteer Screening
This needs to be done annually and resets on July 1 of each year. Here is the link to get started:
Curtis Middle School PTA
Email: ptacommunications.curtis@gmail.com
Website: https://www.allenisd.org/curtisms
Location: 1530 Rivercrest Boulevard, Allen, TX, USA
Phone: 972-727-0340
Twitter: @CurtisCougars