Colt Corner
Colleyville Middle School
November 13, 2020
Colts,
It has been a very busy week at CMS with much academic growth throughout the school. I am filled with pride every time that I get to see our Colts in action both in and outside of the classroom.
This week we completed our fall season sports, crowning many champions. In a year filled with obstacles around every turn, our staff and students continued to find ways to be resilient and do what they had to do to find success.
Congratulations to our 8th grade volleyball and football teams on being named undefeated Zone Champions! Successes like those are reminders to me that even during a pandemic all of our Colts have the capacity to find ways to achieve their goals. I am one proud principal! Enjoy your weekend.
David Arencibia, Ed.D.
CMS Principal
Facebook: Colleyville Middle School
Twitter: @CmsColts
#TeamCMS - #cmscelebrates - #CMSstrengths
B.E.S.T. - Building Excellent Schools Together
UPCOMING DATES/EVENTS
November 16 - December 4 - Switching from Remote to In-Person Learning window
November 19 - Spelling Bee Qualifier
November 23 - 27 - Thanksgiving Break
In This Colt Corner Edition:
Spelling Bee qualifier - Rescheduled to Thursday, November 19th.
Anxiety in Children & How to Help - Webex opportunity, "Anxiety in children and how to help".
Counselors Corner:
8th Grade four year high school planning
Four Year Planning for Remote Students
Collegiate Academy Applications
Play It Safe Student Lessons
Mental Health
Character Strong
Friends For Life Hotline
Repeated Information:
GCISD November 11, Update: Repeated information from GCISD's Update email overview.
Changing Your Instructional Model: New window to change opens November 16th.
Yearbook Sale Flyer - Discounted yearbook price if purchased before 11/13/20.
COVID-19 Email Communication Update - Adjustment, one email notification identifying all positive cases for that day on campus vs. multiple emails.
Grace Holiday Food Drive - Giving campaign and grade level competition.
PTA Thanks For Giving Pies - THE DEADLINE TO DONATE IS SUNDAY, 11/15
Attendance - Attendance reminders and Skyward correction process.
Aim For Success - Student presentations at CMS will be on December 2nd for 8th graders.
Bring your refillable water bottles - Encourage your Colt to bring a water bottle to campus.
Canvas - How to receive notifications
Yearbook Pictures - Send in summer time pictures for the yearbook!
Collegiate Academy - Applications now being accepted for 8th grade Colts.
Scripps National Spelling Bee
UPDATE: The Spelling Bee Qualifier has been rescheduled to next Thursday, November 19th, because the Scripps online testing platform is temporarily unavailable due to technical difficulties. They are working to resolve these issues.
Thank you for your understanding and patience.
In the meantime, we encourage students to keep studying their word lists!
Anxiety in Children and How to Help
Counselors’ Corner For The Week Of Nov. 16-20
8th Grade Parents
4 Year Planning: If you haven’t already done so, please watch the video and review the information about high school course offerings and endorsements that is linked below with your 8th grade student. Then, complete the high school 4 year plan template with your student and email it to your student’s counselor. Counselors will enter the courses and endorsements that you write on the template into Skyward, and then meet with your child to review their course selections and endorsement choice. After the meeting, you will receive an email requesting that you review and electronically sign both the plan and the endorsement(s).
In January, high school counselors will come to CMS and meet with students individually and use the 9th grade courses that we enter into Skyward to create freshman schedules. Students will have the opportunity to change course selections at this time.
* On the template linked below, select core classes and electives for 9th grade, but only select core classes for 10-12 grade (not electives). While students will be filling out information for all four years of high school, only the 9th grade year will be used for scheduling. The 10-12 grade core course selection is only a “plan” and will not become a student’s future schedule. Students will make course selections every year throughout high school.
If the template is not completed and emailed to counselors, students will select courses during the meeting with their counselor.
4 Year Planning for Remote Students: Counselors will send Webex invitations to remote learners to review 4 year plans and endorsements. Please have your student check their school email account and accept the invitation when they receive it.
If you have any questions, please email us and we will be happy to help you! We want you and your student to make the most informed decisions possible so that your student is fully prepared for high school and feels confident about their course selections and endorsement choices.
8th grade 4 year plan meeting video
4 Year Plan Template for Parents
GCISD Course Selection Guide 20-21
Freshman Course Selection Sheet
Sophomore Course Selection Sheet
Collegiate Academy Applications: The Collegiate Academy application window for the 2021-2022 school year is now open (please see the link below). If you have any questions, please contact Riley Cavanagh, counselor at CA.
Collegiate Academy application
Play It Safe Student Lessons
Parents of 6th & 7th grade students, a parent preview for the Play It Safe program was hosted via a live Zoom on October 1st at 10 a .m. Students will view the lessons on the dates listed below. The lessons, taught in partnership with The Women’s Center of Tarrant County, encourage and teach students how to recognize, report and reduce the risk of being in an abusive and/or dangerous situation.
(7th Grade) Healthy Relationships - Oct. 13
(7th Grade) Can’t Take It Back - Nov. 13
(6th Grade) It’s Harassment - Dec. 1 (new date)
(7th Grade) Abuse of Power - Feb. 10
(6th Grade) Survivors of Abuse - March 3
Mental Health
Has the pandemic created anxiety in your child? Are you noticing more anxiety in your children and those around you? Join us HERE on Webex on Nov. 18th for an informative evening with a discussion on "Anxiety in Children and How to Help." The event will be recorded and posted here afterward. (flyer links not working so use links in this description)
Character Strong
Our district has adopted Character Strong as a way to support the social/emotional wellbeing and character development of our students. All GCISD secondary campuses will be focusing on the character trait/skill of HUMILITY for the month of October. Students will view the newest character video in school at the beginning of each month. We want to encourage you to also view it together as a family and find ways to work on the monthly trait/skill together. November Commitment Video
Also, as we build a strong connection with our community to support social emotional wellness, we will continue to share out the Family Character Dares for an extension into your home. Here is the latest!
Family Character Dare: Help Me
Friends For Life Hotline
Have a friend in need? Is someone you know the target of violence or bullying? Did you see or hear something? Say something! Make an anonymous call and get them help! It's okay to help a friend.
817-469-8477
TEXT: "TIP117 PLUS YOUR MESSAGE" to 274637
VISIT: www.469tips.comGCISD Update | GCISD.net/Fall2020
Update November 11, 2020
Veterans Day: GCISD is proud to celebrate Veterans Day each year, and although it may look a little different this year, but campuses are still excited to honor those that have served.
Letter to the Community: In case you missed it, a letter to the community yesterday addressed the rise in COVID-19 cases in Tarrant County and how that affects GCISD.
Updated COVID-19 Case Tracker: GCISD has updated and expanded the webpage that tracks COVID-19 cases in the District.
Changing Instructional Models: The window to change from remote to in-person learning for the third grading period opens on Monday. To make this change, families must complete a form in Skyward.
Free Meals Available: The USDA has extended a waiver allowing GCISD to offer free meals now through June 2021. Meals are free in elementary and middle school cafeterias, and curbside meal bundles are free to all children.
Thanksgiving Additions to Take and Bake: Thanksgiving sides and desserts have been added to GCISD's popular "Take and Bake Meals" program. Families can pick up these items on November 19 or 20, but must place orders by November 17.
Changing Your Instructional Model
Families have chosen in-person or remote learning for the 2020-2021 school year, and they do have the option to change their student's instructional model.
Switching from In-Person to Remote Learning
Families are able to switch from in-person to remote learning at any point during the school year. In order to make this change, please contact the campus counselor.
Switching from Remote to In-Person Learning
Families that are wishing to change from remote to in-person learning may only do so at the end of a grading period. For families that wish to change at the end of the current grading period, beginning on November 16 you may log in to Skyward Family Access and complete the changing instructional models form. The campus must receive the completed form before the end of day on December 4.
Instructions on where to find the form and how to complete it can be found here. If you have any questions regarding the timing of when parents may change the instructional model selected, or the associated process, please contact your campus counselor.
COVID-19 Email Communication Update
As we move into November, GCISD will be making a slight adjustment to the process in which families are notified of a test-confirmed positive COVID-19 case on their campus. Beginning this week, families will receive one email notification identifying all positive cases for that day on their student’s campus, as opposed to multiple emails if there are multiple cases. Families will only receive this email if there was a positive case on your student’s campus that day.
NOTE: This does not change procedures for close contact communication. If your child is determined to be a close contact of a test-confirmed positive case, you will be directly notified by your campus.
CMS CANNED FOOD DRIVE FOR GRACE/GRADE LEVEL COMPETITION
Thanks to generous support from the community, GRACE was able to provide 481 Thanksgiving meals and 387 Christmas meals to families in need last year. The estimated value of each food basket is $80.00.
This year, Colleyville Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society will again be sponsoring a drive to collect food items for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Collections will be accepted from November 4 to November 18. Drop off boxes are located at major entrances of the school. We will also be adding some competition to our drive. Let’s see which grade level can bring in the most donations.
Please help our leadership groups help GRACE families with some of these suggested items assigned by grade level:
Deadline to donate is Sunday, November 15th
Attendance
As a reminder, please be aware that as we move through this unique school year with in-person and remote learners, the way in which our teachers take attendance in Skyward has become much more complex. Therefore, to make better use of instructional time, teachers now have the flexibility to formally enter attendance into Skyward up to a full day after the attendance period.
With that said, it is important for parents to know that if you access Skyward to view your student’s attendance, it is possible the system may show them as being absent for the current day, even if they were present in class or online. Additionally, it is possible that remote learning students may still display as absent up until the following day. Also, when a teacher is off-campus, it will take longer than two days to have attendance entered in Skyward.
However, if you see an absence and question it, please email your child’s teachers and they will go back to verify student attendance. Teachers then email the attendance clerk to make a change in Skyward.
According to a new GCISD policy starting October 19, “If a student misses five consecutive days of in-person instruction, or five days total during a three-week period, they will be moved into remote instruction for the remainder of that grading period.” This does not include students that are quarantined, sick, or have another office valid reason.
For more attendance related questions, please look at the CMS Website - Resources - Attendance.
AIM FOR SUCCESS
GCISD has partnered with Aim for Success to provide 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. The Parent Preview date has already passed (it was advertised in the Principal Smore.) If you still have questions, do not hesitate to visit the Aim for Success website at www.aimforsuccess.org or contact the school.
The student presentations at CMS will be on December 2nd for 8th graders and February 26th for 6th graders. Students in these grade levels will participate in the presentation unless an opt out letter is received.
Aim for Success English Opt-out letter
Bring your Refillable Water Bottles!
Canvas
If you would like to receive notifications from Canvas about your student's assignments, here's some information about how to set up your preferences.
How do I set my Canvas notification preferences as an observer?
Learn more about becoming an observer in your student's Canvas here.