The Falcon Connection
Your link to Quail Hollow Middle School | October 26, 2018
Important Dates
Dates are current as of publication. Check the QHMS website and social media for updates.
OCTOBER
Sat 27 International Day of Learning at Garinger High School
Tues 30 Fall Field Day Fundraiser ($5 to participate)
Tues 30 Football Away at JM Robinson
Tues 30 Future Falcon Family Open House 5:30
Tues 30 Last Day of First Quarter
Wed 31 NO SCHOOL: Teacher Workday
NOVEMBER
Thur 1 Home Softball/Volleyball v. JM Robinson
Mon 5 Away Softball/Volleyball at AG
Tues 6 Election Day!
Wed 7 Fall Pictures
Wed 7 Home Football vs. AG *Last Home Game!*
Wed 7 Report Card Pick Up 5:30-7:00
Wed 7 Spanish Speaking Families Meeting 6:00
Fri 9 Interim Testing Begins
Fri 9 Report Cards Distributed
Sun 11 TopGolf Fundraiser for Ashley Park Pre K-8 & QHMS
Mon 12 NO SCHOOL Veteran's Day
Tues 13 AIG Parent Cafe 7:45 am
SCHOOL NEWS
International Day of Learning
When: Saturday, October 27th 2018 from 10am to 2pm (doors open at 9:30)
Where: Garinger High School 1100 Eastway Dr. Charlotte, NC 28205
Why:
- To connect with our parents and community and share academic and community resources!
- To celebrate our diversity through cultural performances, music, food, and dance!
- To enjoy a fun-filled, FREE day of learning!
Families can attend class sessions and receive tickets for free face-painting, balloon animals, and a chance to win prizes!
The first 600 participants will get a free lunch, and international food trucks will be on-site!
Quail Hollow Middle School Students will be there volunteering and presenting!
Donate to the Falcon Fund
It's not too late! Please donate to the annual Falcon Fund campaign and help us meet our goal of $20,000. We can do it! We are almost there! Encourage your student to donate $5.00 & participate in the Fall Field day on October 30th! There will be many fun activities! All funds go directly to the Falcon Fund. Money is being collected each morning. 8:45 - 9:15 in the cafe through Oct 30th. You can drop off other donations for the Falcon Fund to the front office! Forms are available in the office and here. Thanks so much for all of your support!
Fall Field Day
Report Card Pick Up Night Nov 7
There will be a celebration for students and their families that have recently been designated as English Proficient at 5:00 and Spanish Speaking Families will hold a meeting in the Media Center at 6:00.
Report Cards not picked up will be distributed to students in homeroom on Friday, November 9.
8th Graders Visit UNCC
8th Grade Trip
Picture Day Nov 7
6th Grade to Visit Winthrop University
Sixth graders are headed to Winthrop University November 26-29! There is no cost to students for the trip or the bus, but students can pay $10 to eat in the dining hall (or bring a lunch). Chaperones are needed for this trip and if you can attend, please indicate that on the permission slip that was sent home! If you would like to chaperone, you must register to volunteer at cmsvolunteers.com. Permission Slips are due Friday, November 9th!
Carpool Reminders
- Students may be dropped off beginning at 8:45. Staff are not available to supervise students before this time.
- Students must be picked up in carpool no later than 4:30.
- Drivers should maintain one lane of traffic through carpool for the safety of students and staff.
- It is unlawful to stop on Smithfield Church Road to drop off students. All drivers should travel through the carpool lane.
- Our neighbors, Southminster and Quail Hollow Presbyterian, have asked that cars not park on their property for drop off/pick up.
- The Handicap Accessible parking spaces at the front of the school should be used only by drivers with the appropriate placards displayed on their vehicle.
- The Speed Limit on Smithfield Church Road is 25 MPH.
We appreciate your cooperation for the safety of all of our Falcons!
Future Falcon Family Open House
Do you know a Future Falcon Family? Invite them to the Future Falcon Family Open House Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 5:30pm! Quail Hollow Middle School of Leadership is excited to host an Open House to share information with Future Falcon Families. We continue to update our school programs each year to give our Falcons the very best. We are officially a Partial Leadership Magnet with a focus on the implementation of Paideia and The Leader in Me. Please join us on October 30th to learn "The Quail Way" and receive information to facilitate a smooth transition to middle school.
Bullying Prevention Week
Falcons participated in Bullying prevention week October 15-19th! Throughout the week, students students will participated in bully prevention activities to build a caring culture in our building and to learn more about the effects of bullying.
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.
Join us in our mission to Stand Up and Speak Out against bullying! Students will join together to learn more about the Stand Up, Speak Out Program in partnership with CMS and Beasley Radio. Students will sign a bullying prevention pledge and have a chance to win an end of year concert.
Parents can visit the following website to learn more about CMS mission to Stand Up and Speak Out against Bullying: https://makingitbetter.connectwithkids.com/families/mib-bullying-prevention/
It is important that parents have regular conversations with their children about kindness and how their actions and words affect others. Join us in taking a stand to end bullying!
For more resources please visit the following links:
- http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/parents/Pages/BullyingPrevention.aspx
- www.stopbullying.gov
- www.antibullyingpro.com/support-centre
- www.pacer.org/bullying/
- www.netsmartz.org/Parents
Parents, Faculty and Community Partners can also take the pledge to Stand Up and Speak Out at this link.
If you would like to anonymously report bullying through the CMS platform, please visit this link.
Tech Tip: How to Log In to Chrome at Home
- Connect to your home Wi-Fi
- Log in to Chrome with your Chromebook user name: StudentID@student.cms.k12.nc.us password: your Chrome password
- Once you enter the first website, you will encounter the filtering process. Type in your: user name: StudentID@cms.k12.nc.us
- Last screen of credentials type in your: user name: StudentID@cms.k12.nc.us password: YYYYMMDD (8 digit birthdate)
There is also a tutorial video here.
News from the Media Center
Required Immunizations & Physicals
**DEADLINE EXTENDED TO NOV 1**
Children entering school in N.C. are required to present a completed immunization record on the first day of school (G.S. 130A-155). Students must be up to date on required immunizations. Any student new to NC public schools is also required to submit a Health Assessment (Physical Exam)completed within 12 months prior to the first day of school entry. If not in compliance with the laws related to immunizations or health assessments, parents are to be given a “Notice of Deficiency” letter. After 30 calendar days from the first day of school entry, the principal shall exclude the student from school, in accordance with North Carolina law, until proof of immunization or health assessment is provided. All documentation is due November 1.
Mecklenburg County Health Department currently has on-going immunization clinics with open appointments designated for school immunizations. Call now to schedule an appointment at any of their 3 locations (704) 336-6500
Get FREE tutoring online!
Did you know Charlotte Mecklenburg Library offers free access to online tutors? That's right. With your library card, you can get free help from a live, online, qualified tutor - up to 10 free tutoring sessions each week!
And you can use this service - which is powered by Tutor.com - from home, school and even the Library. Help is available for K-12 students, college students and adult learners - in both English and Spanish.
A brand new feature of Tutor.com is tutoring assistance for nursing students in subjects such as microbiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology, NCLEX test preparation and more!
Access Tutor.com's network of more than 3,100 professional academic and career tutors who are ready to help with just about any question you may have.
All you need is your library card or ONE Access account number.
Do we have your info?
Dress Code
GET CONNECTED! JOIN CLUBS, ACTIVITIES & SPORTS AT QH!
Fall Sports Pictures
Winter Sports Tryouts Coming Soon!
Chess Club
Open to all Students 6th-8th
Mondays 4:30-5:30 *Students must have a ride*
Tournament Trips planned for later in the year!!!
Interested? Email ASAP! Kennethl.dailey@cms.k12.nc.us
Come see Mr. Dailey! Location: A14
Join Boy Scouts in Pineville
LEND A HAND, SUPPORT QHMS
Thank you!
Sponsor a Child Holiday Drive 2018-19
Red Ribbon Week
Your student services team is getting ready for Red Ribbon Week 2018 where students will engage in activities that promote a drug free and healthy lifestyle. We are asking for donations of red streamers that will be used to decorate for red ribbon week. Please bring them to the front office no later than Thursday, November 1st. There will be a bin to place them in. Thank you so much for your support in helping us celebrate red ribbon week. Click here to see an sample item on Amazon! (You can even have it shipped to school!)
It's time to re-link your Harris Teeter VIC Card!
PTSA Needs YOU!
The PTSA needs YOUR support! We need members to support our school, and we are looking to fill several chairperson positions. If you want to learn more, please reach out to Shelley Tuttle at shellyjtuttle@gmail.com or Stephanie Klapheke at a217702@mail.com. We'll also be available at Curriculum Night to answer questions.
Proud to be Falcons! Join the Booster Club and register to win your child a Quail Hollow hoodie!
Your Booster Club funds go directly to Quail Hollow sports programs, to supplement our physical education department and growing school spirit!
Forms to join Booster Club are in the front office or went home with your child this week. Return the form to the front office or their homeroom teacher.
If you are interested in volunteering or would like specific information on what the Booster Club supports please contact Sara Harb at scharb2317@gmail.com
GO FALCONS!
QHMS Wish List
The PTSA has created an online "wish list" via SignUp Genius to fill different needs at Quail. This link will stay open YEAR ROUND; we'll add to it as items benefiting the whole school are requested by staff. This is an easy way to support the Hollow with things like band-aids for the nurse's office, tissues and hand sanitizer, grade-level work/supply room items, and other needs.
We encourage you to continue to check in with your student’s teachers for individual classroom needs; those individual requests will not be included on the school-wide wish list.
PLEASE visit this link as often as you are able and SHARE with other QHMS families!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C4DAAAC3-qhms
- Click on the link.
- Sign up for a slot (take note of a deadline IF one is listed).
- Buy the item and send it into school within 1 week of signing up for it online.
- Drop off in the front office, where we've set up a PTSA donation box. The PTSA board will then distribute.
- THANK YOU and happy shopping!! ;)
Don’t forget: If you shop for these items through Amazon, do it with Amazon Smile! Amazon Smile donates a % of purchases to QHMS! You can even have them shipped directly to Quail!
TopGolf Golf Tournament to Benefit QHMS at Ashley Park PreK-8!
Easy Ways to Support QHMS!
NEW NAME: Amazon Smile *Quail Hollow School PTA*
Proud Falcon yard signs
Tell ‘Em QHMS Sent You! “The Rusty Onion” Gives Back!
*NEW* My Coke Rewards
Box Tops
Clip Box Tops for Education logos from food items like Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, General Mills cereals and Hamburger Helper. Logos can also be found on household items like Hanes, Scott, Hefty, Ziploc and Avery office products. Drop Box Tops in the collection box in the front office.
Compare Foods
Compare Foods donates 3% of your purchase! Save your receipts and drop them off in the front office.
South Meck Sabre News
CMS NEWS & EDUCATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
Here Comes the Bus App
Want to know where your student's bus is in real-time?! Download the Here Comes the Bus App and see where the bus is!
Here Comes the Bus is a school bus tracking app that can simplify morning and afternoon routines for parents and students by giving them real-time bus location and text or email notification alerts to help get them to the bus stop on time. Here Comes the Bus utilizes our GPS data and an easy to use customizable map that works on a computer, tablet or smartphone.
Signing up is EASY! On your desktop computer, you can sign up at https://herecomesthebus.com/getting-started/. You will need the district code (73877) and your student's ID number to sign up. For your smartphone or tablet, download the Here Comes the Bus app from the App Store or Google Play.
Once activated, you can customize or edit features, including how the app will communicate with you and the size of the notification radius around your bus stop.
Pro Tip: If you used the app last year, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the app for all of the features to work!
After School Programs at the Harris YMCA
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools continues proactive water testing
Dear CMS families and staff,
Students’ health and safety is our top priority. As part of this commitment, CMS is continuing voluntary testing all sources of water in schools intended for drinking, food preparation or cooking including water fountains, faucets and spigots and other fixtures.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools plans to begin the second round of water quality testing on Sept. 24 and for this testing to be completed by Nov. 9. The second round of testing will include 17 high schools, 15 middle schools and three administrative sites, all built before 1989 – see full list of schools below. Adjustments may be made to the timeline as the process moves forward to ensure the best work possible.
We do not expect to find significant water quality issues in this second round of testing, but we’d rather be safe than sorry. This is a proactive measure intended to ensure our students’ and staff members’ well-being at school.
Communicating with you on water quality
The district will bolster communications related to the water quality program to ensure families, staff and the public are informed.
- Before actual testing begins, CMS will send additional letters to families of students at the schools to be tested, informing them of the exact testing schedule in their schools.
- As results are available and any actions taken, subsequent letters will include expert data, analysis and descriptions in plain language of any actions taken and in what locations within each school.
- To further increase access to this information, all letters, reports and results (when complete) will be shared on the district’s social media and on the CMS Water Quality Web Page.
- The district will also reach out to media as this information is updated.
To ensure that you are fully informed as this water quality program moves forward, below is the media release being shared today, which includes the schools in Round 2.
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Aug. 30, 2018
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools continues proactive water testing
Middle and high schools built before 1989 are focus of second round
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 30, 2018 — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced the second phase of voluntary water testing, planned to begin Sept. 24 and to be completed by Nov. 9.
The second round of testing will include 17 high schools, 15 middle schools and three administrative sites, all built before 1989. The district said that adjustments to the schedule may be made as the process moves forward.
“This water quality effort is about being better safe than sorry because student and staff safety and well-bring are top priorities,” Dr. Clayton Wilcox, superintendent, said. “That is why we are continuing this voluntary water testing program in our schools. We’re starting with our schools built before 1989 because the EPA recommends this priority due to the age of buildings, plumbing and fixtures in them. As in the first round, we will continue to take action to keep water in schools safe.”
Increased Communications
The district will bolster communications related to the water quality program to ensure families, staff and the public are informed. Additional efforts will include letters to families, a dedicated web page and social media.
Before testing begins, CMS will send letters to families of students at the schools to be tested, informing them of the testing schedule. As results are available and any actions taken, subsequent letters will include expert data, analysis and descriptions in plain language of any actions taken and in what locations within each school.
To further increase access to this information, all letters, reports and results (when complete) will be shared on the district’s water-quality web page, which also includes a list of schools scheduled for testing (list also below).
Retained Third-Party Experts
The district has engaged AECOM, a certified independent environmental consulting firm, to conduct the second round of testing at 35 district sites. AECOM, a Charlotte-based firm, has already conducted water testing at 58 elementary schools at the district’s request. These first round results are available on the CMS Water Quality page. The cost of the second round of testing is estimated at $237,000.
Results from Round 1
The initial round of testing was conducted by AECOM at 58 older elementary schools. No water quality issues were identified that affected an entire school. However, at a few schools, the tests showed contaminants in the range identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as “alert levels.” All necessary repairs, replacements or removals have been made to specific fixtures such as faucets, spigots and water bubblers. Many of the fixtures with levels above EPA alert limits had been unused for long periods of time or were in areas inaccessible to students.
Experts available for review
Experts remain available to answer questions from any parent or staff member about results in their school by e-mailing ehs@cms.k12.nc.us.
CMS Schools to be Tested in Water Quality Program Round 2
Albemarle Road MS
Alexander Graham MS
Atrium (Education Center - CMS Main Admin Bldg)
Bishop Spaugh
Carmel MS
Cochrane (iMeck Academy)
Coulwood STEM Academy
East Mecklenburg HS
Eastway MS
Garinger HS
Harding University HS
Hawthorne Academy of Health Sciences
Independence HS
JT Williams Montessori
Kennedy MS
Leadership Academy HS
Myers Park HS
North Mecklenburg HS
Northeast MS
Northwest School of the Arts
Olympic HS
Performance Learning Center (Derita ES)
Piedmont Open MS
Providence HS
Quail Hollow MS
Randolph MS
Ranson MS
Sedgefield MS
Smith Family Center
South Mecklenburg HS
Villa Heights ES
West Charlotte HS
West Charlotte Project LIFT Academy (Graham Center)
West Mecklenburg HS
Wilson STEM Academy
CMS Annual Forms and Notices
At the beginning of each academic year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (“CMS”) is required, pursuant to federal regulations and state law, to provide students and their parents with certain annual notices. These notices, along with more detailed information, may be found in the 2018-2019 Parent-Student Handbook at http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/mediaroom/backtoschool/Pages/documents.aspx. In the 2018-19 Parent-Student Handbook (p. denotes page number) you will find the following required notices:
- Non-Discrimination & Equal Access to Facilities: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 p. 41; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 p. 41; The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) p. 17; The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, (ADA) p. 18
- Students with Disabilities: Pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), CMS must provide special education services to all children residing in the school district who are between the ages of three (3) and twenty-one (21) who have been diagnosed with or are suspected to have mental, physical or emotional disabilities and who are unable to benefit from a regular school program without special assistance. If your child may qualify for such special assistance, please contact: CMS Exceptional Children Department at 980-343-6960. p. 19
- Homeless Students: McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 p. 24
- Student Records: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) p. 38
- Notice for Directory Information p. 39
- Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment p. 40
- Student Testing Information p. 21
- Free or Reduced School Lunch p. 28
- Student Health: Influenza and Meningococcal Diseases p. 25; Human Papillomavirus p.25
- Student Wellness Policy p. 25
- North Carolina Safe Surrender Law p. 25
- School Health Education Program: Right to Opt-Out p. 26
- Student Discipline Policies p. 15
- School Bullying/Cyber-Bullying Policies p. 15
- Student Restraint/Seclusion/Isolation p. 42
- Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act p. 44
- Use of Pesticides p. 44
For information on parent/student appeal procedures, see CMS Board Policy JIIAA at www.cms.k12.nc.us. For information on Title I Schools, see www.cms.k12.nc.us, search Title I. For information regarding advanced courses, see www.cms.k12.nc.us, search Curriculum and Instruction. For information on a school’s annual report card grade or CMS’s Local Education Agency Report Card or a copy of the report card, see www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsdepartments/accountability, click NC School Report Cards. Pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 115C-47(58), you will be notified of the most recent grade of the school your child is attending, as issued by the State Board of Education, if the school received a grade of “D” or “F”.
Students will also be bringing home a copy of this notice this week.
Let Us Know about Amazing Falcons, QH News, or Share Photos!
Email: jaimes.mccaughna@cms.k12.nc.us
Website: http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/quailhollowMS/Pages/Default.aspx
Location: 2901 Smithfield Church Road, Charlotte, NC, United States
Phone: 980-343-3620
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QuailHollowMiddleSchool
Twitter: @QuailHollowMS