THE PAW PRINT
October 9, 2017
(Left to Right) Ms. Jeanine Lizotte, Ms. Erin Wilke.
TEACHER AND EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
Congratulations to Ms. Erin Wilke and Ms. Jeanine Lizotte for winning Teacher and Employee of the Month, respectively!
Ms. Wilke is in her third year at CCMS and started our 6-8 grade STEM program. She is very passionate about her work, creating a hands on learning environment and making connections with the students. She enjoys friendly banter about sports with the students and was recently voted overall superstar in the 2016-2017 yearbook. Ms. Wilke is a beloved member of the CCMS community and was nominated by her colleagues because she "has a heart of gold and gives all of it to her students... She goes above and beyond for her students every single day!! She makes meaningful connections with her kiddos and helps them enjoy school."
Ms. Lizotte joined the Panther family in 2011 as a counseling intern, and became a full-time counselor the 2012-2013 school year. She loves Panther Prep, Fun Friday, her dog Snoopy, and Kansas basketball! You'll often see her with her one vice, Diet Pepsi, in hand. Ms.Lizotte is another cherished member of the Panther family and was nominated for "her tireless work making Panther Prep, Fun Friday, and so many other programs work so seamlessly. We are so lucky to have her as a part of CCMS!"
*Thanks to the Culver Hotel, ArcLight Culver City, and Cold Stone Creamery in Culver City for their generous contributions in making these awards very special!
WORD OF THE WEEK
The Word of the Week is RELEVANT. adjective \ˈre-lə-vənt \
1. closely connected or appropriate to what is being done or considered.
"what small companies need is relevant advice"
2. appropriate to the current time, period, or circumstances; of contemporary interest.
"critics may find themselves unable to stay relevant in a changing world"
Families, join us as we focus on our Word of the Week. Ask your student to explain how what they are learning in class is relevant to their daily lives.
AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS
Tennis: There will be a tennis meeting on Wednesday, November 8th immediately after school on the blacktop. Session I: November 13-December 22, 2017
Boys Tennis 3-4:30pm Mondays; 3-4pm Thursdays
Girls Tennis 2-3pm Wednesdays; 3-4:30pm Fridays
Friday Night Live (Coed matches and Live Ball games) 3:00 - 4:30 pm.
Contact Coach Scott Wilson at livesports@sbcglobal.net for questions.
SUPPORT CCMS VOLLEYBALL WITH THE ANNUAL SERVE-A-THON FUNDRAISER
Every year CCMS Volleyball players participate in our annual Serve-A-Thon fundraiser. The goal is to have each player raise a minimum of $50 to help for things like equipment, uniforms, league dues, tournament fees, officials and much more. It is a tax deductible donation (tax ID #: 26-3520915). This is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so we will be donation 10% of all proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Your daughter will receive a Serve-A-Thon donation form soon.
Here is a PDF in case it doesn’t make it’s way home to you. Please encourage & help them to get as many sponsors as possible. They can donate per serve (best out of 50) or make a flat contribution. Any amount is greatly appreciated!
For the convenience of the players, we will have the Serve-A-Thon during each teams practice in the next 2 weeks. Donations are due October 30th for JV Silver & all 6th grade teams, October 31st for Varsity & JV Blue.
As an incentive, I will personally contribute a Starbucks gift card to the player with the most serves on each team. Parents are encouraged to come help shag volleyballs & cheer for your daughters! Ask your coaches what day they will be participating in the Serve-A-Thon.
Contact Kayla Check with any questions at kaylacheck@icloud.com
JOIN US FOR OUR PANTHER PARTNERS MEETING OCTOBER 9TH
Join us for our next Panther Partners meeting, this Monday, October 9, 2017 at 6:30 in the CCMS library.
JOIN US FOR OUR OCTOBER PTSA MEETING AND PE PRESENTATION!
KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE
Since you can't always be with your kids, it's important to teach them how to find help and keep themselves safe. Most importantly, you need to do this in a way that doesn't scare yourself or your children. Instead, you want to build your children's self-confidence. Your kids will feel safer when they can confidently recognize dangerous situations and respond immediately.
Click here for a FREE Child Safety Kit from the Polly Klaas Foundation to learn how you can help keep your children safe, even when you are not with them. With special no-scare methods for each age group, the Child Safety Kit includes:
- Asking for help when no trusted adult is nearby.
- Unacceptable adult behaviors that can threaten children.
- Recognizing dangerous situations.
- Ways to respond to dangerous situations and keep safe.
Additionally, parents are introduced to the "What If" game, an engaging way to teach safety to their kids, which can be fun and build self-esteem.
Visit the Polly Klaas Website for more information and resources
PARENT & STUDENT COLLEGE TOUR OF CSULA FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS
California State University Los Angeles
Tuesday, November 14th, 2017
8:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Let’s get our kids EXCITED ABOUT COLLEGE!
Sign up your student, yourself -or- BOTH OF YOU to tour the campus together!
- Only 35 spots are available, first come first serve basis, sign up ASAP!
- 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM Breakfast provided at District Office 4034 Irving Place
- 9:00 AM SHARP departure from District Office
- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Guided College Campus Tour of CSULA
- Round Trip Bus Transportation from the District Office will be provided!
At this time, the tour is only open to students and parents of English Learners.
Please complete this form and return the bottom half to the front office at the High School.
SCHOOLS ON WHEELS
SUPPORT CULVER CITY EDUCATION FOUNDATION'S 2017 ANNUAL CAMPAIGN
Why Give to CCEF?
The Culver City Education Foundation (CCEF) raises funds to support programs at every Culver City Unified school. Your donation funds district-wide STEAM programs and equipment that would not be possible without private support. These investments in excellence make our schools stronger and help put our students on the pathway to success. CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN HELP!
IMMIGRATION RESOURCES TO SUPPORT STUDENTS FROM MIXED STATUS FAMILIES
Culver City Unified believes that it's the differences between our students that help shape their learning and their character, and propel them to unparalleled heights in college and careers. To this end, our district aims to protect this diversity and is providing resources to students and families who may be anxious, or have questions, about a changing landscape of Immigration policies and practices in our country.
HOW TO TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT TRAGEDIES AND CURRENT EVENTS
The recent violence in Las Vegas is another instance of domestic terror that has or could cause fear among our students and their families. As education leaders and student advocates, it is our duty to provide support and services to those who may have been impacted by Sunday's senseless tragedy, or any other incident that has led to the loss of innocent lives.
We are sharing several online resources for you to use in talking to your child. These resources include ways to confront tragedies in your community, how to handle basic safety issues, as well as how to have tough conversations with kids about current events and what they see and hear in the media.
How to talk to kids about tragedy in Las Vegas
Talking to Children about Violence
In the aftermath of a shooting, help your children manage distress
PATHWAY TO BILITERACY PARENT INFO NIGHT
The Pathway Award is open to all 5th and 8th grade students who are both bilingual and biliterate (English and a second language). We are hosting an informational night for parents on October 11. Please click here for more information.
FINAL MAKE UP PICTURE DAY
Retake/Make-up and new students will take pictures on October 19 from 9 to 11 am. If you are taking your first picture of the school year, you will be called out of class at a specific time to take your picture. If you are taking RETAKE because you did not like your picture you (or your parent) must email or call Mrs. Zerpoli (victoriazerpoli@ccusd.org, 310-842- 4200 x 3338) to be added to the list no later than Friday, 10/13/17. If you are not on the makeup list by that time, you must contact CFP directly at 310-821- 7500 to take a photo at their studio.
8TH GRADE SHIRTS FOR SALE
CCMS PERFORMANCES NEEDS YOUR HELP
This is a rebuilding year for the program and we are lacking resources. This program is free to students and, as such, we are also lacking the ability to fill some of our needs. We are asking that you consider giving what you can to help us make this a successful program that can continue to grow through the years.
If you are interested in helping out and would like a list of what kind of items, expertise and/or set needs we may require, please contact Kat Chavez at Kathleenchavez@ccusd.org. Thank you immensely for your constant support of our students and of the arts in our school!
Come see Legally Blonde Jr. November 17th and 18th at Veteran’s Park Auditorium (more information to follow!)
YEARBOOK ORDERS
PREPARING FOR PAWS
CCMS SCORES A D- IN DRIVER BEHAVIORS!
Recently, a study was done by Zen Drive, a site is dedicated to better understanding driver behavior. Their primary focus is helping fleets drive more safely so corporations can save money on their fleet car insurance. In so doing, they have collected a ton of data and will be releasing a series of reports to help people, in general, better understand how safe/unsafe their communities are. Some of the things they track are motorists’ speed, sudden braking, quick acceleration and especially cell phone use while driving. Did you know, for example, that 88% of drivers use their phones while driving and that that use increases the risk of a crash 20x?
The first report focused on schools. Below is a snapshot of CCMS from this site.
Note: this only tracks driver BEHAVIOR and does not take into account vehicle collisions, injuries or fatalities, so it’s only a part of the whole picture. What it DOES show however, is a disturbing trend. Our school scored a D-, meaning drivers around our school exhibit a tremendous amount of unsafe driving behavior on a regular basis.
We all care about our students safety, and it does take us ALL to make a difference.
We need to take action immediately!
Here are some things you can do to make a difference:
- Put the phone down. It can wait.
- Pull over only in designated drop off/pick up zones.
- Be attentive and aware of pedestrians and cyclists.
- Help reduce the number of vehicles around school zones by encouraging your student to walk, bike, skate or scooter to school.
To learn more about this study, please visit https://www.zendrive.com/school/.
CCMS STUDENT STORE SIGN-UPS
Dear parents, are you interested in volunteering your time at CCMS? Have a bit of time to donate? Curious to see what goes on during lunch and after school? Please sign-up to volunteer at the CCMS Student Store.
Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1) Click this link to see our SignUp on SignUp.com: http://signup.com/go/dnAZvty
2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.
3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com.
Note: SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact Ashoo Jain at ashoojain@hotmail.com and she will sign you up manually.
Culver City Middle School
Website: http://ccms.ccusd.org/
Location: 4601 Elenda Street, Culver City, CA, United States
Phone: 310-842-4200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CulverCityMS/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf
Twitter: @culvercityms
PREVIOUSLY POSTED
GATE INFORMATIONAL MEETING
There will be a GATE informational meeting Monday, 10/9 at 6pm in the MPR. GATE students and families are invited to attend as well as students and families interested in hearing about GATE and the enrichment field trips available this year. Stop by room 120 for a flyer.