Weekly Wildcat
PARENT NEWSLETTER: WEEK OF 9/12/2022
Chisholm Trail Middle School
Office Hours: Mon-Thurs 7am-4pm; Fri-7am-3:30pm
16700 W. 159th Street, Olathe, KS, 66062
913-780-7240
Technical Support: Help Desk--913-780-8058
Administration
Principal: Rick Sola
Asst. Principal: Krista Dueringer (Silver Teams-6,7,8)
kdueringercst@olatheschools.org
Asst. Principal: Erin Richerson (Green Teams-6,7,8)
Counselors
Rachel Iuli: Green Teams-6,7,8
Makaela King: Silver Teams- 6,7,8
Nurse
Jenn Ross: jiross@olatheschools.org
School Resource Officer
Taylor Shipley: tshipleysro@olatheschools.org
Attendance Secretary
Angie Peterson: alpeterson@olatheschools.org (913.780.7241)
Student Information Specialist
Website: https://www.olatheschools.org/chisholmtrail
Location: 16700 W 159th St, Olathe, KS 66062, USA
Phone: 913-780-7240
Twitter: @CSTWildcatsMS
The 22-23 CST Family
Week of 9/12
Dear CST Family,
It was a short week but a lot to celebrate! Our volleyball teams swept their games at SFT and football won both 7th and 8th games against CT. Our cross country teams had a successful first meet at ONW (vs FT, ST, and CT) and our band, cheer, dance, and pep club represented CST well at the Old Settlers Parade! I’m so proud of our students for the start they’ve had to this school year. Our CST ROCS (Respect, Ownership, Compassion, Safety) campaign has seen much success. Our students are enjoying the tokens and spending them every Friday. Our parents have been quick to volunteer to run the store and we continue to calibrate our “economy”. Perhaps a direct correlation, but one area I have noticed greatly this year is how much our students are greeting our adults in the building. The frequent “good morning” “hello” and waves is noticeable…and fantastic! It’s great to be greeted and to see our students greeting our staff proactively...such a positive, important skill to develop! As our sign has said for a few weeks…CST Rocks and CST ROCS!
Go Wildcats!
9/11/01
Week at a Glance
Constitution Week
Monday, 9/12
- 7/8 VB vs. CT
Tuesday, 9/13
Wednesday, 9/14
- 7/8 VB @ FT
- 7/8 XC @ BVSW (3:30pm)
Thursday, 9/15
- 7th FB vs. PT
- 8th FB @ PT
Friday, 9/16
- 6/7/8 Cross Country Meet @ FT
Saturday, 9/17
- Constitution Day
District lunch menus: https://www.olatheschools.org/domain/2911
Looking Ahead
- 9/19--7/8 Volleyball vs MT
- 9/20--Cross Country Meet vs ST & SFT
- 9/21--830am Choir Festival @ OSHS
- 9/22-- 7th FB @ SFT
- 9/22-- 8th FB vs. SFT
- 9/23--
Go to the link below for various district calendars for the year...
https://www.olatheschools.org/Page/2#calendar1/20220729/month
Olathe Schools Lunch Menu Can be found here...
Parent Group Info
Please click the link for parent involvement opportunities at CST. Everything from grade level specific events to general staff support/appreciation to financial/material contribution for the school is included in this general interest form--- https://forms.gle/vfFTkvyGNYZBTBbQ9
CST Staff Favorite Things list and Amazon Wishlist!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vI3UFKINMpXqvwa6qohalf0kdGoAehXUaqVQ2fmjggg/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you for all our parent volunteers! It makes CST a better place for both students and staff!
CST Parents and volunteer contacts:
Becca Stanley--rmstanley@olatheschools.org
Lori Grantham--lori.grantham@me.com
**--CST ROCS STORE – could use more bottles of pop and full sized candy bars (no nuts) and gum (fruity or bubble gum)**
Wildcat After Hours (WAH) Begins After Labor Day
What is WAH?
Wildcat After Hours (WAH), is an after school program for students of all grade levels to receive support on homework from a CST teacher and/or have a quiet space to get some work completed before going home.
WAH is offered after school Monday thru Thursday and before school Tuesday and Thursday only. See the chart for WAH and a list of teachers running the sessions. Feel free to reach out if you have questions.
Below is a list of WAH supervisors and what their teaching assignment is at CST. WAH is a program for any 6th-8th grade student but please note Tues/Thurs sessions are by grade level and led by a math teacher.
Mrs. Clark (6th grade math)
Mrs. Lockard (8th grade ELA)
Mrs. Ruffin (7th grade math)
Mrs. Collins-Payne (7th grade ELA)
Mr. Wallace (8th grade math)
FastBridge Parent Night—Coming Soon!
The attached documents (links above) provide information about reading FastBridge reports for your student. This week, students will receive a printed report of their assessment scores to bring home. Parents will be alerted to watch for this and the links above can be used to help explain the report. In addition, parents are invited to attend a FastBridge Parent Night on September 29th at 6pm hosted at the Instructional Resource Center (IRC). Parents who attend will get to hear more about FastBridge and experience what an assessment looks like for their student, including SAEBRS and mySAEBRS (mySAEBRS replaces Panorama). The goal is to answer questions and address any parent concerns. The session will be video recorded for parents to access from the district website as well.
Please feel free to reach out to CST assessment coordinator, assistant principal, Erin Richerson, or your child's ELA or math teacher.
CST IS HIRING!
We have 2 para positions and 2 cafeteria positions. Contact CST SPED coordinator, Krista Dueringer, if interested in more information about either of the para positions. Click the link below for job descriptions.
September 17: Constitution Day
As part of our recognition of Constitution Day, all 6th grade students will receive their own pocket US Constitution. All students received a copy last year so new 7th and 8th grade students will receive a copy as well. We will have daily trivia on morning announcements along with some fun incentives and social studies teachers will incorporate themed lessons into the week as well.
Go Chiefs!
Red THURSDAY this week as the home opener against the LA Chargers takes place...go Chiefs!
Lunch Charges
Parents,
Please ensure your child has lunch money on their account. There are a large number of students beginning to charge their lunches. Students are only allowed 3 charges. Lunches are $3.00 but students may purchase more food at additional cost.
Add Money to your students account-- https://www.olatheschools.org/domain/2915
District Lunch Menus:
Girls Who Code Club (GWCC)
Follow Us on Twitter! @CSTWildcatsMS
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GoGaurdian Parent App
Parents,
The information below is from technology and outlines a software available for parents for monitoring your child's district device outside the school day. For full details, click the PDF button below. Check it out!
What is included in the GoGuardian Parent App:
• Top 5 summary of student browsing (apps, extensions, documents, and websites visited)
• Teacher interventions
• 30-day view of websites, videos, documents, apps, and extensions
• Ability to block websites on school-issued devices during out-of-school hours
• Ability to pause internet access on school-issued devices during out-of-school hours, either on-demand or at a scheduled time.
Read more in the attached PDF.
Automated messages from CST
The message below about tardy notifications was sent to parents this past Tuesday. In addition, a different automated message is generated if we do not receive a call and are unable to make contact with a parent about a student's absence. These automate emails will come in the form of an email. Finally, you may receive a text and/or email if your child's lunch account is in the negative and/or approaching the maximum charge allotment (3).
If you are concerned you may not be receiving communications from CST or from the district, please contact our data operator, Melynda Marquardt, at mrmarquardt@olatheschools.org.
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We will begin recording tardies tomorrow (8/24). If students are late for the beginning of the day, they will need to check in at the front office. If they are late throughout the day, there are tardy machines available in each pod. Students will type in their ID number and a pass will be printed out for them to take to their teacher. Each time a student gets a tardy, an email will be sent to parents. The email will not state why the student was tardy. Please ask your student first and then if you have a concern, reach out to the teacher of the class the student was tardy for. Students get 3 free tardies each quarter before consequences are given. If there are extenuating circumstances surrounding tardies, please reach out to your assistant principal.
Krista Dueringer--Silver Teams--6,7,8
Erin Richerson--Green Teams--6,7,8
CST Community Partners
- Wes Phillips—Farmers Insurance—coffee and cookies for all CST staff
- Carmen’s Cocina II—donated money in support of 6th grade door hanger bags/beginning of year staff start up
- Journey Bible Church—cookies for all students in the first week of school; treat bags and Starbucks for all staff
- Jim Martin—State Farm Insurance—donated money in support of 6th grade door hangers/beginning of year staff start up
Thank you to our amazing business and faith based adopt-a-school partners...we are so appreciative!
FastBridge Assessment
CST Families,
See the message below regarding our shift from MAP to FastBridge. Students will be taking these assessments in the coming weeks in their math and ELA classes. These assessments will be completed in one class period rather than the 2-3 class periods MAP testing required. Please reach out if you have any questions.
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Dear Parent or Guardian,
We are excited to share that Olathe Public Schools has shifted to a new streamlined assessment system called FastBridge beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. FastBridge is replacing several separate academic assessment and screening systems we have previously used (NWEA MAP for both math and reading as well as AMIRA for screening at-risk readers). This past spring, seven buildings throughout the district were early implementors of FastBridge. Parents, students, and staff reported positive experiences with administration of the test and interpretation of results.
The shift to FastBridge allows educators to meet state required academic assessment and screening on one platform, and in all cases reduces the amount of time students are assessing. The academic data gathered is very similar to that of NWEA MAP, containing both a percentile and a scaled score much like that of the RIT score that you may be used to. The information gained from FastBridge directly informs the district’s Multi-Tiered System of Support for reading and math, allowing educators to proactively meet the needs of students.
If you have questions, please contact CST assessment coordinator, assistant principal, Erin Richarson at 913-780-7240.
As always, we will continue to provide information on assessments throughout the year.
Sincerely,
Rick Sola
Principal
Estimados padres o tutores,
Nos complace compartir que las Escuelas Públicas de Olathe han cambiado a un nuevo sistema de evaluación racionalizado llamado FastBridge a partir del año escolar 2022-2023. FastBridge está reemplazando varios sistemas de evaluación académica y revisión por separado que hemos utilizado anteriormente (NWEA MAP para matemáticas y lectura, así como AMIRA para la detección de los lectores de riesgo). La primavera pasada, siete escuelas del distrito fueron las primeras en aplicar FastBridge. Los padres, los estudiantes y el personal informaron de experiencias positivas con la administración de la prueba y la interpretación de los resultados.
El cambio a FastBridge permite a los educadores cumplir con la evaluación académica requerida por el estado y el monitoreo en una sola plataforma, y en todos los casos reduce la cantidad de tiempo que los estudiantes están siendo evaluados. Los datos académicos obtenidos son muy similares a los de NWEA MAP, ya que contienen tanto un porcentaje como una puntuación en escala muy parecida a la de la puntuación RIT a la que puede estar usted acostumbrado. La información obtenida de FastBridge sirve directamente para el Sistema de Apoyo Múltiple del distrito para la lectura y las matemáticas, lo que permite a los educadores satisfacer proactivamente las necesidades de los estudiantes.
Como siempre, seguiremos informando sobre las evaluaciones a lo largo del año.
Atentamente,
Rick Sola
Director
Golf Scramble for a Cause
Updated: What is PBIS at CST???
Great start to PBIS and CST ROCS this week! We'll operate a store every Friday from 7:15-7:45am. See our behavior matrix below for specific expected behaviors. CST ROCS!
BIG thank you to our parent volunteers this past Friday! See below if you're interested in signing up or donating to the store!
Volunteers for PBIS Store – Fridays 7:15am-7:45am - Auditorium
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F044CAAA62CAAFC1-volunteer
Donations of items for PBIS Store
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F044CAAA62CAAFC1-pbis
(Originally in the 8/15 weekly)
Chisholm Trail is launching its new PBIS program this year. PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports. All Olathe middle schools will eventually have a program. CST will be just the second middle school to implement a program, but CST feeder schools, Madison Place and Sunnyside Elementary, have already implemented theirs. We are so excited launch and for our students to experience this program.
Beginning Tuesday, staff will share lessons with students about expected behaviors at CST (see behavior matrix) in various settings. While posters are placed around the building and in each classroom (example here), the value will be the conversations that take place in acknowledging expected behaviors and how we work through unexpected behaviors. CST will have its own "economy" as students receive tokens various positive behaviors. They will receive a pouch to carry their tokens and will have the opportunity to cash them in for rewards on Fridays from 7:15-7:45am. We have collected prizes through donations and continue to add non-tangible ideas (help with morning announcements, shoot around with a friend and principal, etc.). If you'd like to support, you can click the links below to donate or sign-up to run the store.
(Below was from an 8/8 school email)
CST’s Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) system
More will be shared at Back to School Night, but CST is launching its PBIS program this year and we are very excited to share this with students. This system will incorporate tokens for positive behaviors and students can use those tokens to “purchase” rewards. This is where we need your help! We’d like to have parents run the PBIS store on Friday mornings from 7:15-7:45am in the CST auditorium. Next, is we’re taking donations for student incentives as part of this program. Click on the links below if you’re interested!
Volunteers for PBIS Store – Fridays 7:15am-7:45am - Auditorium
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F044CAAA62CAAFC1-volunteer
Donations of items for PBIS Store
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F044CAAA62CAAFC1-pbis
Important Safety Info for Walkers and Bike Riders
Parents,
Please help us reinforce with students the best sidewalks to use upon arrival for walkers/bike riders (seen with the purple arrows on the map below).
- Students from east of Mur-Len should cross at the 159th/Mur-Len light and walk/ride toward the football field. They will avoid having to cross all vehicle traffic in the parking lot by doing this.
- Students coming from Lindenwood should take a left upon reaching the CST property and use the sidewalk next to our open field on the west. They should not cross exiting traffic onto 159th from the CST parking lot.
- A new bike rack was placed at the doors west of the front entrance.
- Students should exit the building using the same routes. PLEASE talk with students about crossing 159th at the light/cross walk...for their own safety, they should not cross 159th at any other location.
NEW smartphone app for busing
Office Staff
Office Assistant: Connie Bray
Attendance Secretary/Assistant Principal's Secretary: Angie Peterson
Bookkeeper/Principal's Secretary: Sara Harris
Data Operator: Melynda Marquardt
School Nurse: Jennifer Ross
Please keep info updated (email, phone number, medical, etc.). Contact the office at 913-780-7240 if you are concerned you may be missing communication or need to update your family's information.
Mr. Rick Sola
Mrs. Erin Richerson
Assistant Principal
- Green Teams
- Assessment Coordinator
Mrs. Krista Dueringer
Assistant Principal
- Silver Teams
- Athletic Director
- Special Education Coordinator