Principal P's Friday Message
September 9, 2022
A Message from Principal P
Dear CMS Families,
It has been an exciting opening to our school year at CMS! I want to thank our wonderful staff at CMS for all of the planning and preparation that went into welcoming our students back. Students participated in a scavenger hunt, a club fair, poster making, kickball, and a pep rally. There is positive energy throughout the building and we are looking to continue building on this momentum.
I met with all students on Wednesday and Thursday to review our building norms as well as the code of conduct. Students listened respectfully and attentively.
The most important message I wanted students to take away is that they have the power to make not only their middle school experience a positive one but the experience of their peers a positive one as well.
This afternoon's pep rally was filled with West Genesee's Wildcat energy and enthusiasm! Check out our Twitter Feed to see pictures from this week @CamillusMiddle
Better Together,
Ms. P
CMS Building Norms and Expectations
Be Safe:
Walk in the hallways and when entering and exiting the building
Practice safe use of technology
Maintain personal space and boundaries
Make sure adults know where you are
Be Responsible:
Take ownership and pride in your work.
Be on time, prepared, organized, and productive.
Attend school regularly
Seek help if you need support.
Be Respectful:
Respect others’ belongings
Follow school and classroom expectations
Speak appropriately to peers and staff
Be open-minded to individual differences
Follow directions
Take care of school property.
Be Kind:
Include everyone - no one gets left out
Encourage and help others
Treat others the way they want to be treated.
Do a good deed
DRESS CODE
Student Dress Code The intent of the dress code is to foster a safe and conducive environment for teaching and student learning. The responsibility for the dress and grooming of a student rests primarily with the student and their parents or guardians. West Genesee Central School District is responsible for ensuring that student attire, jewelry, and personal items do not interfere with the health or safety of any student and do not contribute to a hostile or intimidating environment for any student. Core Values In relation to student dress, the district’s core values are the following: Students have the right to be treated equitably regardless of sex, race, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, cultural observance, household income, or body size/type. Students should be able to dress for school in a manner that expresses their individuality without fear of unnecessary discipline or body shaming. Students are responsible for managing their personal distractions. Students should not face unnecessary barriers to school attendance. Universal Dress Code Clothing must be worn to ensure that private areas are appropriately covered. Students MUST wear: A shirt (bras, sports bra, bralettes, etc are not considered shirts), AND Pants/skirt or the equivalent (boxers, briefs, underwear, etc are not considered bottoms), AND Footwear *Additional or alternative attire requirements may be necessary to ensure safety in specific academic settings (for example, physical activity, science, or CTE courses). Students MAY wear: Hats (cannot interfere with the line of sight of any student or staff and should not cover ears or face) Religious headwear Students can NOT wear: Hoods over their heads in instructional settings. Clothing or accessories that depicts pornography, nudity, or sexual acts Clothing or accessories that depict images or language that creates a hostile or intimidating environment based on but not limited to any protected class or consistently marginalized groups Clothing or accessories that depict, advertise or advocate the use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or other controlled substances Clothing or accessories that cover the student’s face or ears to the extent that the student is not identifiable (except for clothing and accessories worn for religious or medical purposes). Accessories that could be considered dangerous or could be used as a weapon Enforcement Typical consequences for a violation in the dress code policy include parent/guardian contact and the directive to cover, change, or remove the non-complying attire. A student may be instructed to leave their classroom briefly to change clothes to ensure that the issue is being handled in a private manner. Any student who refuses to follow the directive may be subject to disciplinary action, including placement in ISS.
CMS Updates and Reminders
Curriculum Night/ Title 1 Night
Information will be mailed home next week.
Better Together Parent Coalition
Our first meeting date will be September 19, 2022. We will meet in the CMS library from 6:00 PM-7:00 PM. At this meeting we will discuss revising our purpose statement for the 2022-2023 school year and present the structure for future meetings.
Sean Fahey, Director of Accountability, will also be presenting Tips and Tools for Synergy/Parent Vue.
We look forward to welcoming familiar and new faces back!
PTO
The CMS PTO continues to support our students, staff, and our community. Events we have sponsored and are planning include:
First Back to School Movie and Mingle 9/13/22
Smile/Sunshine Project
Student Dances
Thanksgiving meals for CMS families
Flag for the CMS gym
Scholarships for WGHS students
Scholarships to the Seabreeze Field Trip
Staff Appreciation
End of Year Celebration
100% of your membership goes back to the PTO to support our projects. We cannot do these projects without your membership and support.
Please join online at https://camillus-middle-pto.cheddarup.com
Membership is only 10$. Anyone in the family and CMS staff can join.
Additional donations to support our students are always welcomed and greatly appreciated via Cheddar Up.
Follow us on Facebook: Camillus Middle School PTO
Contact us with questions: wgcmspto@westgenesee.org
CMS Movie and Mingle Night
Join us next week for Movie and Mingle Night at CMS on September, 13 at 5:00 PM. Cam's Food Truck and Charlie's Ice Cream Truck will be available to purchase food and a sweet treat. Nancy Drew and The Secret Staircase will start at dusk.
Mark Your Calendars
September 13th- PTO Sponsored Movie and Mingle Night 5:00 PM- TBD
September 19th- Better Together Parent Coalition 6:00 PM- 7:00 PM
September 27th- Picture Day
September 29th- Open House 6:00 PM -7:30 PM
At CMS We Embrace Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
What does a safe, welcoming, and affirming environment for all students mean?
We believe:
- It is our collective responsibility to learn about student cultures and communities.
- We will foster close relationships with students and families.
- We will offer social and emotional learning programs.
- We will present materials that represent and affirm student identities.
Why are these beliefs important to us at CMS?
It is our collective responsibility to learn about student cultures and communities.
CMS staff is committed to learning about our students' experiences. When we develop meaningful relationships with our students and they know their experiences are valued, respected, and understood they are more likely to ask questions in class and in engage in classroom discussions. This has a direct impact on learning and personal growth.
We will foster close relationships with students and families.
CMS staff is dedicated to being a part of the West Genesee community. By building strong relationships with both students and families we are able to work collaboratively to problem solve when faced with challenges along with celebrating each other and our successes. We build close relationships through regular communication, expressing our expectations for how we treat one another, and creating opportunities to gather as a community in order to foster these close relationships with students and families.
We will offer social and emotional learning programs
CMS staff recognizes the importance of social and emotional health. This is a time when our students are developing and changing physically, psychologically, socially, and cognitively. Every individual student navigates these changes in their own unique way. CMS school counselors will provide learning opportunities for our students on strategies such as mindfulness, acceptance, and emotion regulation. Learning these strategies will assist students during a time in their lives that can often feel overwhelming.
We will present materials that represent and affirm student identities.
CMS staff recognizes the importance for students to see themselves reflected in the content taught as well as throughout the school. Identity is a combination of our physical and behavioral traits that define who we are. Our social identity indicates a group to which we belong. Our individual and social identities shape our experiences when we provide mirrors for our students to see themselves as part of a collective group it builds self-confidence and affirms that their experiences are not isolated. These mirrors for individual students benefit all students by offering windows into other people's experiences. When we build a culture representative of all, we foster empathy and kindness towards others.
We adhere to New York State's guidelines outlined in the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework. Please see the attached link for more information on CR-S Education.
Celebrating Diversity
Each month at CMS we will celebrate and recognize different groups and cultures. In September we are highlighting National Hispanic Heritage Month. National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. If your family has roots in these countries and you would like to share a tradition or personal family story related to your ancestors' history please email me and we will highlight this on our DEI Wall of Celebration located in front of the main office.