PANTHER PROWL
CIMARRON MIDDLE SCHOOL August 2018
LAUNCH 2018 - 2019
Dear Cimarron Families and Young Scholars,
I am honored and excited to join the Cimarron Middle School community as your principal. You and I are only a few days from the beginning of school and I want to take a moment to introduce myself to you. You need to know, middle school life is my jam. #MyPassion We are going to learn the value of having faith in what we can learn from one another and grow from the adventures we will take throughout our time together.
Before I go any further, let me pause for a moment and share with you a little about my family. Over the last five years my family has multiplied. My wife, Courtney, and I are now the proud parents of our six wonderful kids and a rather loyal chocolate lab. Each family is unique and certainly requires faith in what will be today and if given the opportunity, tomorrow. Our family is full of life - passion, laughter, love, grace, hope, tears, and faith - and sometimes all of these are wrapped in the same intense moment! I hope you will enjoy becoming part of the Cimarron family, as I have.
Now begins the dawn of a new year and the back-to-school activities are exciting. I am certainly looking forward to having you join with our team of educators on August 16th for the first day of school. I have a great deal of faith in the relentless efforts happening on our campus behind the scenes to ensure Cimarron Middle School is ready to welcome you home. We have a few back-to-school events planned and listed below. I hope you’ll take advantage of the ones that fit your specific interests. My purpose is to ensure you find a school working faithfully to ensure Learning for All.
Gabe Schmidt
Principal
SUPPLY LIST
Look for the Cimarron supply List at: https://cimarron.edmondschools.net/
These lists were created by our grade level teachers. Students will have locker numbers on their schedule, so bring your supplies to store in your lockers on Schedule Pick Up Day - SPUD. You may also prefer to wait to send items with your child when school begins. Some items, such as paper towels, hand sanitizer, glue sticks, etc., may be collected for community use, while other items are to be kept in either the student's locker or binder.
6TH GRADE CAMP CIMARRON
Join us as students tour the school, meet new friends, get the scoop on student life and get familiar with their new Cimarron home! Parents, you will meet with our new Principal, Gabe Schmidt, 6th-grade Assistant Principal Carrie Higdon, counselors, and CPTO representatives with ways to get involved at Cimarron!
Students report to the large gym and parents meet in the small gym for an evening designed to help our new 6th grade students and families feel more prepared and ready for their start of middle school.
SPUD -SCHEDULE PICK UP DAY
SPUD - Schedule Pick Up Day is the day you provide proof of residency and pick up your student's schedule. This year’s SPUD is August 9, 12 pm - 2 pm 8th Grade/ 2 pm - 4 pm 7th Grade/ 4 pm - 6 pm 6th Grade.
Long lines can sometimes make this a lengthy process. We appreciate your patience during SPUD and encourage you to use our FAST PASS option! Stop by the Cimarron office August 1 - 7 during regular office hours (7:15 am - 3:15 pm Monday - Friday, closed for lunch 11:30 am to 12:00 pm) and 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Thursday, August 2 for a FAST PASS. Approved FAST PASSES will use the Fast Pass Line during SPUD. Bring the required items as listed below for both a FAST PASS or to obtain a schedule at SPUD. Schedules will only be available on or after August 9th.
1. Parent/Guardian Photo ID
2. July or August Gas, Electric, or Water Bill (Address located within CMS residence area)
3. Clear any fines or fees (balances were sent via email)
4. TDap Immunization Booster Proof (Applies to all entering 7th grade)
SPUD activities include:
● Getting transportation information/bus routes
● Pick up preordered Spirit wear and/or purchase Spirit gear (Cash or Check only)
● Opening and arranging locker
● Walking the class schedule
● Learning about the cafeteria
● Visiting with our Cimarron Parent/Teacher Organization officers about ways to get involved and serve.
● And more....
REQUIRED ONLINE ANNUAL UPDATE
Parents of students currently enrolled in the 2018-2019 school year MUST complete an online Annual Update by logging into the Parent Portal (not the app). Upon login, scroll down and click on the ‘Online Registration’ link in the lower left corner of your portal screen to begin the Annual Update. You will verify your existing information and make any needed changes.
For questions or login issues, please contact the Cimarron office at 405.340.2935.
The Annual Update must be completed prior to utility bill verification at SPUD in order for your student to receive their 2018-2019 schedule and Chromebook.
If you have not logged into the Parent Portal recently, you need to make sure you know your login/password. If you (or someone you know) does not have a personal email account, the school can help you establish an account.
1:1 CHROMEBOOKS
for these devices will occur during the first two weeks of school, beginning
with the 8th-grade class. Students are required to utilize these devices as part of their
education, much like students have used textbooks for years.
Students will be responsible for the upkeep of their devices. The devices do come with a durable cover which will help minimize potential damage, but it does not guarantee damage will not occur. We strongly recommend purchasing the technology protection plan offered by the district, as it can save against expensive repair and replacement costs if the power pack is lost or the Chromebook is damaged.
We also recommend that once the device is checked out, you encourage your child to fully charge the device every night at home. The Chromebooks have an 8-10 hour battery, so coming to school with a full charge is necessary. It is simply not feasible to charge numerous devices during class each day.
STUDENT ANNUAL UPDATE
All 7th and 8th-grade students are now required to view the online Annual Student Review for Chromebook access. Incoming 6th-grade students will need to wait until the beginning of school.
To do this, log into your Infinite Campus Student Portal Account. This account uses your network login and password. Once in this account, click on the “Inbox“ in your IC Student Portal Account. You will have a message named Annual Student Review. Open this message and click on the URL included in this message to watch the Annual Student Review.
At the end of the video, a green button will appear at the bottom of the screen. You must agree to the terms and conditions via the green button at the bottom of the screen and confirm a second time that you agree. This button will only appear after you have played the entire video.
Violations to these terms and conditions may result in loss of technology privileges and
equipment.
PERSONAL DEVICES
The implementation of school provided Chromebooks brings an end to the academic need for personal devices during the school day. With that, we will be expecting personal devices to be off and out of sight for the duration of the school day. In remaining consistent with our middle school practice, devices will be allowed prior to the first school bell at 7:40 and after the last bell at 2:40.
We recognize that personal devices are part of the everyday world we live in as well as our future, and know the amazing capability that today’s technology brings to our life. For young adolescents, it also presents many challenges. Recent research shows that middle school aged students are spending an average of 4.5 hours a day on their personal devices. That number increases to 8 hours a day by the high school years.
As educators and parents we see how many of our kids are immersed on social media platforms, gaming, mass (sometimes hidden) communications and other varieties of content consumption. For a great many students this creates social-emotional and/or academic challenges during school, in addition to the challenges from an instructional point of view.
We are seeking to increase classroom engagement and reduce outside distractions, and we appreciate your support in this transition. Should a need arise for an urgent message to your child, we will be happy to help with that communication through our office at 405.340.2935.
MARK YOUR CALEDARS
Here are a few additional dates to add to your calendar:
August 16 - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!
August 27 - 7/8th GRADE OPEN HOUSE (6:30-8:15)
August 30 - 6th GRADE OPEN HOUSE (6:30-8:15)
September 4 - PROFESSIONAL DAY/NO STUDENTS
September 17 - PROFESSIONAL DAY/NO STUDENTS
October 11 & 15 - PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES (4:30-8:00) - Conversations with your child’s teachers. Come and go, no appointments necessary.
PANTHER SPORTS
All Sports Passes are available through the Cimarron Office for $60. Each pass can be used for 20 games. That's a $40 savings from gate prices! #pantherathletes #wearepanthers
GOOD TO KNOW
- In the event of a school emergency/situation, Mr. Schmidt will communicate quickly to parents through the SchoolWay app. If you have a smartphone, please download this app: www.myschoolway.com, select Cimarron and set up your device for push notifications.
- If you are having problems with your Parent Portal account, e-mail: parentportalhelp@edmondschools.net
- Panther Pals are parent volunteers helping on a weekly basis in the workroom. Contact the CPTO to sign up!
- Pizza Day is a monthly event during lunch hosted by the CPTO. The money raised benefits Cimarron! The circle of…pizza! $1 per slice / $10 per box, $1 - Drinks
- Fun Food Friday is a twice a month sweet treat fundraiser for students. Everything is $1
- Panther Grill is a monthly luncheon for students who are nominated by their teachers for displaying a recognizable positive character trait.
- The Golden Paw/AOK Award Assembly is a monthly grade level assembly to recognize and commend students for exceptional qualities.
- Please continue to collect Box Tops. They all add up to benefit Cimarron Panthers!
- This Panther Prowl newsletter is produced monthly by Cimarron Middle School. If you have submissions, photos or suggestions, please contact Mr. Schmidt’s secretary, Robbi Kinnaird at robbi.kinnaird@edmondschools.net. We would love to hear from you.
CIMARRON MIDDLE SCHOOL
Principal Gabe Schmidt
Assistant Principal Carrie Higdon
Assistant Principal Link Lowe
School Hours - 7:50 AM - 2:40 PM
Office Hours - 7:15 AM - 3:15 PM.
Email: robbi.kinnaird@edmondschools.net
Website: cimarron.edmondschools.net
Location: 3701 South Bryant Avenue, Edmond, OK, United States
Phone: 405.340.2935
Facebook: facebook.com/cimarron.panthers