Colt Corner
Colleyville Middle School
September 30, 2022
Colts,
The fun fall activities and cooler weather has CMS buzzing with excitement! I am proud to say that at Colleyville Middle School, we take pride in creating an environment that is fun and engaging for our students. I am reminded daily by our hard working staff that we have many educators and support staff that care for our Colts.
Along with our staff, I am grateful for you. CMS is a special place because of the great partnership that we have with our families and community. Our common mission of Building an Excellent School Together (BEST) is on full display. This morning I had the privilege of giving an impromptu tour for our Dad’s Club volunteers. After they helped greet our Colts at morning drop off, we had the chance to peek into some of our classrooms where they saw first hand the tremendous preparation and work that goes on in our classrooms.
I am grateful to our CMS community for the important positive involvement at our school. I hope to see many of you at the Red Rail football game tonight where our two comprehensive GCISD high schools will battle it out at Mustang-Panther Stadium (MPS) featuring two of the top 5A football teams in the state of Texas. Both teams along with dance, cheer and a host of other programs are full of our Colt alumni. Safety and security is our district's top priority and will be strictly enforced. I ask that you please talk with your Colt about behaving respectfully while they enjoy the festivities of the game.
I am honored to walk alongside our Colts as we get to experience our #ColtPride on a daily basis. Enjoy the 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
October 3 - World Bullying Prevention Day - Wear blue/jeans
October 3 - 7th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
October 3 - 7th & 8th Grade A & B Volleyball - Schedule linked here
October 4 - PTA Coffee Talk & Executive Board Meeting - 8:45am CMS Learning Commons
October 4 - GCISD Band Night 6:30 pm Mustang Panther Stadium
October 4 - 8th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
October 10 - No School - Holiday
October 5 - 8th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
October 6 - Hearing and Vision Screening - 7th Graders
October 11 - 8th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
October 12 - 7th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
October 12 - 7th & 8th Grade A & B Volleyball - Schedule linked here
October 13 - 8th Grade Parent-High School Planning Meeting, CMS Cafeteria 6-7pm
October 13 - CMS Band Fall Social - 6:00 - 8:00 pm Hall's Pumpkin Farm
In this Edition of the Colt Corner
* Grading Report Check & UIL October
* Just Say Yes-Youth Equipped to Succeed Program - 8th grade
* PSAT
* 8th Grade Baby Pictures
* GCISD Collegiate Academy
* National School Lunch Week
* Spirit Night Fundraiser
* Lost and Found
Counselors Corner
* College, Career & Military Readiness (CCMR)
* 8th Grade Parent Meeting
* Preferred Participation Consent for Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention
* Bullying/David's Law Lesson for 6th Graders
* Current Drug Trends: Parent Presentation Oct. 25, 2022
* Drug Usage: Current Trends, Parent Presentation
Repeated Information
* GCISD Update - September 29, 2022
* Safety and Security Reminders
* 7th Grade Hearing & Vision Screening
* School Picture Order Information
* Parent Tech Academy
* Student Behavior Expectations - High School Varsity Games
* GCISD College & Career Night
* Athletics Fall Season Sports Schedules
* Reporting COVID-19 Cases
* Colleyville Middle School Directory - Who To Contact
CMS Social Media Section
* CMS on Twitter - @cmscolts
* CMS on Facebook
* CMS on Instagram
upcoming grading period
Just Say Yes-Youth Equipped to Succeed Program
PSAT
GCISD will be offering the opportunity for all eighth grade students to take the PSAT 8/9, at no cost to the students, on Wednesday, October 12, during the school day. While the college admissions landscape continues to change in regards to national testing requirements, there are many benefits to our students taking advantage of this opportunity. Taking the PSAT in 8th grade helps provide parents and students with information to decide which AP classes would be a good fit for your student with AP Potential, as well as helps them start exploring potential careers, and browse potential colleges, majors, and careers with BigFuture. Click here to find out more about how your student’s score can be used to benefit them and their future. For more information about the test, please review the PSAT 8/9 Student Guide.
Wear your blue on Monday
Attn. 8th grade - Yearbook Baby Picture
GCISD 8th Graders and Parents
GCISD Collegiate Academy at Tarrant County Northeast will begin accepting applications for the fall of 2023 beginning October 10, 2022 and ending on December 16, 2022. This is an exciting opportunity for GCISD students to attend an early college high school where students earn a high school diploma and an associates degree all for free! GCISD Collegiate Academy is a stand alone high school located on the Tarrant County College Northeast campus. CA was established in the fall of 2014 and our students have been very successful academically. Here are just some of their accomplishments:
Over 400 Collegiate Academy Graduates (Class of 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021, 2022)
Over 18 million in scholarships
269 Associates Degrees
26,000+ College Credit Hours
EVERY GRADUATE EARNED COLLEGE Credit
5 National Merit Semi-Finalist
6 National Merit Commended
Numerous Hispanic and African American College Board Scholar Awards
A Gates Foundation Scholarship recipient
Collegiate Academy competes in UIL Academics, One Act Play, Esports, UIL soccer and has many clubs and activities. We will be visiting your school this month to share information! We will be hosting a Parent/Student meeting at the PDEC on November 17 and a CA Open House for prospective students on November 29. More information regarding the Parent/Student meeting and Open House will be shared in early November!
Students we will be visiting your school on the following dates:
GMS October 11
CTMS October 14
HMS October 18
CMS October 19
CA students and faculty are excited to meet you and tell you about all the benefits of becoming a Phoenix! Come check us out!
Remember you can apply beginning October 10 using the QR code below or the QR code on the poster in your school! Find your Fire and become a Phoenix! There are only 100 spots for the Class of 2027! Apply for yours soon!
Athletic booster club fundraiser
Lost and Found
updated 8th Grade Volleyball
updated 7th Grade Volleyball
Counselors’ Corner (October 3 - 7)
College, Career, & Military Readiness (CCMR):
Ms. Dumas (CMS Student Advocate). Ms. Dumas, our Student Advocate, grew up in Massachusetts, but she attended the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and then City University of New York in New York City where she earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work. This is her second year at CMS, but before coming here, Ms. Dumas worked as a Social Worker in other schools, hospitals, and nonprofit agencies. She chose to move to Canada and attend UPEI because she wanted to travel and explore a different environment. She had visited the island as a child and looked forward to the opportunity of living far away and meeting new people. Lastly, the cost of attending school in Canada was comparable to attending a school in Massachusetts. Ms. Dumas received a scholarship for undergrad studies and worked part time jobs on and off campus to pay for her education. Her favorite thing about college was taking a wide range of different classes and meeting people from all over the world.
UPEI is located on an island on the east coast of Canada. The summers are a great time to eat lots of fresh seafood and explore the beaches. However, the winter months come with a lot of snow. If you are thinking about choosing UPEI, Ms. Dumas would suggest bringing snow boots and warm clothes!
UPEI’s mascot is Pride the Panther and their school colors are gold, green, and red. UPEI is known for its Veterinary Medicine Program. To learn more about City University of New York or the University of Prince Edward Island, click the images below:
October is World Bullying Prevention Month. To kickoff this annual event, we want all CMS students and staff to wear blue shirts and blue jeans on Monday, October 3!
Let’s #BeKind and #BlueUp together on #BlueShirtDay
8th Grade Parent Meeting (Oct. 13th):
8th grade parents, please mark your calendars! CMS counselors will be hosting a meeting for 8th grade parents on Thursday, Oct. 13th from 6-7 p.m. in the CMS cafeteria. They will discuss high school 4 year planning, high school course selection, and other important information related to transitioning to high school.
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
The purpose of this personal safety presentation is to provide the students with information and practical skills to reduce their risk of being in dangerous and/or abusive situations. They will learn how to recognize, react to, and report those situations. This one-hour program is presented in an age-appropriate, non-threatening manner through the use of stories, group discussions, and an age-appropriate movie.
We are hosting a parent preview on September 29 at 10:00 AM via Zoom. This presentation will be recorded and posted on the GCISD website for parents to watch at their convenience.
Videos and scripts will be available for parents to preview from 9/22/2022 to 10/7/2022. https://vimeo.com/showcase/7535617 Password: GCISD2022
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! 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)
Bullying/David’s Law Lesson for 6th graders:
October 12th (Boys Pre athletics/PE class)
October 19th (Girls Pre-athletics)
Current Drug Trends: Parent Presentation Oct 25th, 2022
On October 25th at 6:00 PM in the GCISD board Room John Haenes from Challenge of Tarrant County will be providing a presentation to parents on current drug trends. Stay on Track is a community coalition through Challenge of Tarrant County. Stay on Track's mission is to increase awareness in Keller and its surrounding communities about the risks of substance use and engage residents in education that provides youth with the knowledge, confidence, skills, and environmental support needed to live a healthy, substance-free life.
Having a strong, open relationship with their parents is one of the most influential factors during a child’s adolescence. Communicating with children about drugs can protect them from many of the high-risk behaviors associated with drug usage.Parents being actively involved and supportive is critical to prevention of youth substance abuse.
Additional Resources:
National Institute of Mental Health
Helping Children as they Grieve
Parent Presentation
In This Edition
- National Merit Commended students are highlighted
- GCISD lowers the tax rate
- Dr. Ryan announces his retirement
- Red Rail Game is this Friday
- and we have many upcoming events for next week!
Safety and Security Reminders
One of our very top priorities at CMS is keeping our students safe! Please continue to partner with us to keep CMS a safe place by following these protocols and reminding your child of them, as well.
-Parents need to check-in at the attendance office and get a volunteer name tag if they are going to be on campus for any reason. Parents are not allowed to come in the building without checking in first. If a student needs to leave campus early, they must check out at the attendance office.
-Use the crosswalks during drop off and pick up. Students, parents, and staff members should not cross in front of cars. The second car line (furthest from the building) is for passing only. Students should not get in a car from the second car line.
-Door Dash, Uber Eats, and other similar services are not allowed by students or parents. Please do not order food and have it sent to CMS.
Thank you for your help ensuring our Colts are safe and secure while at school!
Hearing & Vision Screening for all 7th Graders
School Picture Order Information
Parent Tech Academy
Well, NOW you can!
GCISD will walk parents through the ClassLink Parent Portal, your one-stop shop for parent resources in the district. Come learn about Skyward, Canvas/Seesaw and the LightSpeed Internet reporting.
8th Grade Football Schedule
7th Grade Football Schedule
8th Grade Volleyball Schedule
7th Grade Volleyball Schedule
Reporting COVID-19 Cases
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.