Colt Corner
Colleyville Middle School
September 24, 2021
Colts,
I hope this parent newsletter finds you well. We welcome the fall-like weather which has brought a new positive element to our learning and lunch environments. It’s great to see our students playing, working, and enjoying our outdoor spaces. Have a wonderful weekend.
David Arencibia, Ed.D.
CMS Principal
Twitter: @CmsColts - #TeamCMS - #cmscelebrates - #CMSstrengths
B.E.S.T. - Building Excellent Schools Together
UPCOMING DATES/EVENTS
September 27 - 7th Grade A & B Football -Schedule linked here
September 27 - 7th & 8th Grade A & B Volleyball - Schedule linked here
September 28 - 8th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
September 29 - WICOR Wednesday - wear college, career or military gear
October 4 - GCISD Band Night - Mustang Panther Stadium 7:00 - 9:00 pm
October 4 - 7th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
October 4 - 7th & 8th Grade A & B Volleyball - Schedule linked here
October 5 - 8th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
October 7 - Band Fall Social - Hall's Pumpkin Farm - 6:00 - 8:00 pm
October 7 - Parent Information Night - (8th Grade)High School 4 year plans - 6:30 CMS Cafeteria
October 8 - Early Release - 12:10
October 11 - No School - Columbus Day Holiday
October 12 - 8th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
October 13 - PSAT for 8th Grade Students
October 13 - 7th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
October 13 - October 4 - 7th & 8th Grade A & B Volleyball - Schedule linked here
In this Edition of the Colt Corner
* Lady Colt Volleyball
* Colt Football
* Parent Technology Academy
* WICOR Wednesday is coming!
* PSAT
* AIM for Success
* Texas Music Educators Association
* All sideline access CMS Football video - Colt Football vs. Hurst Red Raiders
* Counselor Corner: 8th Grade Parent Meeting, Credit by Exam, Play it Safe Parent Preview, Signs of Suicide, GCISD Mental Health Awareness
Repeated Information
* CMS PTA Reflections Program
* GCISD Support Staff Job Fair
* Picture Retakes
* Remote Conferencing
* COVID-19 Protocols and Testing Center
* Colleyville Middle School Directory - Who To Contact
Lady Colt Volleyball
Colt Football
Parent Technology Academy
GCISD’s Parent Technology Academy is returning for the 2021-2022 school year! The first session of the year will be held on Wednesday, September 29, at 6:30 p.m. on Webex. The session will include the unveiling of the new ClassLink Parent Portal which will give parents one-click access to resources such as Skyward, RevTrack, Lightspeed Internet Reporting and more.
No registration is required, and parents can join by simply visiting www.GCISD.net/ParentTech. Shortly before the session begins, this link will direct parents directly to the Webex session.
The Parent Technology Academy is a place where parents can come to learn about current trends in social media, online websites, and tools their students use each day at school. This Academy is a place to pull back the curtain on the many apps and websites that students use on a day-to-day basis in and out of school. Past sessions have included Top Apps Parents Need to Know, Social Media and College, Understanding Google Docs, Internet Safety, Minecraft for Parents, Fortnite For Parents, Device-Free Dinners and more.
WICOR Wednesday is coming!
PSAT
Wednesday, October 13, 8th-grade students will take the PSAT 8/9. This not only provides students the opportunity to practice the SAT-style test, but it provides valuable data for both home and school on the student's progression towards college readiness. For more information about the test, please review the PSAT 8/9 Student Guide.
A couple of notes about the PSAT and testing day.
Students that arrive after the test has begun, will not be allowed to take the test.
Students are encouraged to bring their own calculators to use on the calculator portion of the test.
Students are NOT allowed to eat or drink during testing unless such accommodations are already in place for health reasons.
Students may not use a mechanical pencil for the test.
Some students will be testing over two days. This will be known to your student if it applies to them.
AIM FOR SUCCESS
GCISD has partnered with Aim for Success to provide human sexuality instruction to your children. According to the Texas Education Code, all parents are required to be notified of the upcoming instruction and given the opportunity to preview all of the content the students will be receiving. In addition, parents must give written permission for their child to attend the program.
An Aim for Success Parent Preview will be held virtually on October 7, 2021 with a morning option of 10:00 a.m. and an evening option of 6:00 p.m.
Parent Preview will be STREAMING ONLY
WebEx link: https://gcisd.webex.com/meet/kevin.starnes
More information can also be accessed by visiting the Aim for Success website at www.aimforsuccess.org.
The student presentations at CMS will be on December 1st for 8th graders and February 23rd for 6th graders. Students in these grade levels will participate in the presentation only if an OPT-IN letter is received.
Texas Music Educators Association
GCISD students who play string instruments (violin, viola, cello or bass) are able to audition for a Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) organization. If your student plays a string instrument and would like to audition contact Dr. Paul Sikes, GCISD Fine Arts Director at Paul.Sikes@gcisd.net
Counselors’ Corner (Sept. 27- Oct. 1)
8th Grade Parent Meeting
Our academic counselors, Mrs. Bouchelle and Mrs. Brizzi, will be hosting a meeting for CMS 8th grade parents on Oct. 7th at 6:00 p.m. in our cafeteria to discuss high school 4 year planning. After this meeting, counselors will begin meeting with 8th grade students one-on-one to assist them in creating individualized plans outlining the core courses students plan to take all four of high school. Every 8th grade student will meet with his/her counselor and should have a 4 year plan by the end of the first semester. Then, in January, counselors from both high schools will come to CMS to meet with students and review 4 year plans a final time. The courses selected for the freshman year of 4 year plans will be the courses that are actually scheduled for the 9th grade year. So, it is important that students carefully consider the 9th grade portion of their 4 year plan. The courses selected for sophomore, junior, and senior years are just an evolving “plan” and will be revisited and may be changed every school year throughout high school. Students will not select electives and alternate electives this semester, but will do so in January when they meet with their high school counselor (this is a change from previous years).
Credit by Exam Registration
The Nov., 2021 CBE Online Registration is now open on the GCISD Website. The deadline for registering is October 6, 2021. Online Remote Proctorio Testing dates will be Nov 1-11, 2021. Please use this link to access the GCISD CBE website.
Play it Safe Parent Preview
The Play it Safe! Middle School Parent Preview was held virtually through Zoom on September 23rd at 10 a.m. and was recorded for parents to watch at their convenience--you can click HERE to view it.
For CMS campus-specific dates for the upcoming 6th and 7th grade Play It Safe presentations, please see the English Flyer or Spanish Flyer. If you do NOT want your child to participate, please fill out the linked form and send/bring to school with your child or email Sarah Dumas at sarah.dumas@gcisd.net BEFORE the presentation date to let us know that you would like to opt your child out. Otherwise, all students will participate in the program.
SOS SIGNS OF SUICIDE® PREVENTION PROGRAM
GCISD offers depression awareness and suicide prevention training as part of the SOS Signs of Suicide® Prevention Program. The program is designed for all secondary students grades 6-12. The GCISD School Health Advisory Committee has previewed and recommended these programs for all GCISD secondary schools.
A parent preview of the program was held Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. and at 6:00 p.m. at the GCISD Administration Building.
For more information, including information about how to opt your student out of the program, please click here for English or Spanish.
CMS is planning to do our SOS presentations this Fall on the following dates:
8th grade – Oct. 5
7thgrade – Oct. 12
6th grade – Oct. 19
Opt out forms should be sent to Ms. Dumas, our new student advocate. Her email address is sarah.dumas@gcisd.net Opt-out forms need to be returned before the date of your child's presentation only if you do NOT want your child to participate.
GCISD Mental Health Awareness
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and in honor of this awareness we would like to remind students and our community that counselors are available to support students and parents and will be conducting Suicide Prevention Curriculum this semester at all secondary campuses.
"Out of the Darkness Walk" with GCISD Hope Squads Oct. 30th - click HERE to register and join our district for the DFW Metro Walk.
Additional Resources:
National Institute of Mental Health
Jordan Harris Foundation (Upcoming virtual QPR trainings advertised here)
ID Badges
The requirement for the information on the back of the ID is also listed below for your convenience.
Senate Bill 279 Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the intent of the bill?
- The bill is intended to help prevent youth suicides. Providing national crisis-line numbers to students is a statewide suicide prevention strategy. The goal is to equip students with awareness, information, and immediate access to help in a crisis by providing the numbers for students to read on their student identification (IDs) issued by the school to students in grades 6-12.
GCISD COVID-19 Resources
Please visit www.GCISD.net/COVID19 for lots of resources from the District pertaining to COVID-19. There you can find updated frequently asked questions, current GCISD COVID-19 protocols, information on the GCISD COVID-19 Testing Center, information on remote conferencing, statistics regarding COVID-19 cases in GCISD and more.
Recursos de GCISD sobre COVID-19
Por favor visite www.GCISD.net/COVID19 para acceder a muchos recursos del Distrito sobre COVID-19. Allí, se puede encontrar preguntas frecuentes actualizadas, protocolos actuales de GCISD sobre COVID-19, información sobre el Centro de Pruebas para COVID-19 en GCISD, información sobre las conferencias remotas, y estadísticas sobre los casos de COVID-19 en GCISD y más.
Remote Conferencing
GCISD would like to inform families that, beginning on Monday, August 23, remote conferencing will be available for students who are unable to attend school in-person because they are in quarantine as the result of being a close contact or test-positive for COVID-19.
Approved by the Texas Education Agency, remote conferencing is a mechanism by which online instruction can be provided for those who are temporarily away from campus for reasons related to COVID-19. It is important to remember this is not GCISD Online, a temporary remote learning option for elementary students that families were made aware of last week.
Please click here for frequently asked questions regarding remote conferencing. More detailed information, including a complete list of FAQs, is available from the TEA by clicking here.
Additional Remote Conferencing Info.
COVID-19 Protocols and Testing Center
Throughout the summer, GCISD has continued to monitor updated health guidance and recommendations to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, the District has monitored positive cases for students and staff that participated in summer programs. This continued monitoring has helped inform the District’s 2021-2022 COVID-19 protocols. More information about the protocols was sent last week, and can be read here.
GCISD COVID-19 Testing Center
The GCISD COVID-19 Testing Center at Mustang Panther Stadium is currently open for symptomatic students or staff.
The testing center hours will be 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. No appointment is needed from 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.; however, please email covidtesting@gcisd.net to let the district know that you will be coming. From 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., appointments should be made using the same email address listed above.
UIL Calendar
This coming week is a (UIL) University of Interscholastic League grade check week. This grade check will determine eligibility for all UIL activities including all school sports and fine arts etc. activities. A student must have a passing grade (70% or above) in order to stay eligible to participate in UIL events. Please help ensure your Colt has all of their grades up to date and passing before their grade level bootcamp day (see above) and by 4:00pm on Thursday, September 23rd the deadline for all current grades.
CMS Who To Contact Directory
1983-1984 (Year 8 at CMS)
CMS Life
According to Sonic (bottom left), "Old Man Lewis" turned 48
#cmscelebrates
Celebrating 45 Years
Looking back at 1983-1984
'83-'84 YEARBOOK COVER
A fun look back at the yearbook from the '83-'84 school year.
#cmscelebrates
Celebrating 45 Years
Looking back at 1982-1983
CMS LIFE IN '83-'84
Top left corner pic of CMS campus in 83-84
#cmscelebrates
Celebrating 45 Years
Looking back at 1983-1984