Panther Press
November 1, 2022
Letter From the Principal
Hello Panther Families!
I can't believe we are already in our second quarter of the school year! Time is flying by and the holidays are quickly approaching. As a reminder, if your family will be doing any additional traveling over the holidays, please make sure to communicate any absences to our front office staff.
The weather is cooling down and it appears the fall temperatures are upon us. Please remember to have your student dress appropriately to stay warm. Our uniform policy does not apply to outerwear such as jackets, since jackets are not to be worn in the building. The uniform policy is enforced on indoor use hoodies and sweaters.
Boys Basketball and Girls Softball is in full force and our players are working hard to hone their athletic skills. We love our families here at Smith and we welcome all parents and visitors to attend our games and cheer on their athletes!
Colonel Smith Middle School prioritizes respect and I have seen so many students being respectful both to staff and students alike. Students holding doors, cleaning up after themselves, and just going above and beyond. Well done parents! We appreciate your constant support!
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday season, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our Smith families. Without you, our school would not be what it is. I hope you are able to make time during our upcoming break to reflect and enjoy some meaningful time with family and friends.
Sincerely,
Principal Larson
Important Dates & Information
Holidays - No School
- November 11th: Veterans Day
- November 21st-25th: Thanksgiving Break
Events
- November 17th: Sports Photos
- November 18th: Uniform Free Day
- December 1st: Fall Portrait Retakes
School Hours
Daily Regular Hours - 7:50AM - 2:55PM
Early Release Thursday's - 1:50PM
Clubs
Clubs run from 3-3:40PM on the following days:
Homework Club: M/T/W
Kiwanis Club: Monday
Art Club: Tuesday
STEM Club: Wednesday
*REMINDER TO PARENTS*
Our schools athletics program requires that students have a physical and have a completed registration on Final Forms, our platform where all athletes register. Click Final Forms to register your student today.
Communication
Communication is key and we want you to stay informed! We use the Remind App to communicate with all our Smith families. You should have received an email with a link to sign up with Remind. Please download the app or sign up for the email messages so you do not miss any correspondence. The Remind App is available on Android in the play store and iOS devices in the app store.
Safety
As a reminder, during morning and afternoon car loop, please be aware of pedestrians crossing. We have several parents dropping off and picking up in the loop as well as the parking lot. We also have many of our students who walk, so please be cautious. We appreciate you helping keep our students safe!
Dress Code Policy
Spirit Wear
Students may wear a “spirit” t-shirt with their uniform bottoms every Friday. It must be Colonel Smith Middle School apparel.
Student Uniforms
Please take time to review the Student Dress/Uniform Guidelines located in the student agenda and online. Please familiarize yourself with the policy.
Uniform Free Days
The last school Friday of each month will be a uniform free day. The next uniform free day for everyone is Friday, November, 18th. Please refer to the website and monthly newsletters for future uniform free dates.
Attendance
We would like to remind parents to contact the office by 8:00 a.m. if your child will be absent from school. It is important to have an accurate account of all students, even if your child will only miss a few minutes. You may reach the office at (520) 459-8892 or email littleb@fhasd.org Please send a note with your student following an absence or email us (required) for documentation purposes. Thank you for your support regarding this important matter.
Tardies
Being on time for school is essential to academic success. The school will be enforcing the following school policy in relation to student tardies: The only excused tardies are for appointments and the parent must sign the student into the office. All other tardies are unexcused including but not limited to: overslept, did not want to get up, had to eat breakfast, parents fault, etc.
1 - Warning to student
2 - Warning/first parent notification
3 - Second parent notification and lunch detention
4 - Lunch detention and parent notified – future tardies will require a parent sign in.
5 - Admin referral - Parent must sign in student before student attends class for all additional tardies until the end of the grading quarter.
- Tardies, like absences, are reported in our student management system and are a part of the student record.
PBIS
Our School is recognizing students who display positive behavior by using PBIS Rewards. PBIS Rewards stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and is a technology-based PBIS Management System. This system helps us with our behavior incentive program. You can learn about PBIS Rewards at their website (www.pbisrewards.com). Our students can earn rewards throughout the day by meeting our schools core values of being Safe, Respectful, Responsible, Kind, and Successful. These rewards are in the form of electronic points. They can redeem these points for privileges, tangible items, access to events, and other similar things. Our expectation is that we will see overall behavior improve throughout the school and that the number of referrals we have will decrease.
Yearbook
Time to order your yearbook!
Please use the QR code to make a yearbook purchase for the 2022-2023 CSMS Yearbook.
The current price is $22 until December 31st. Beginning January 1st there will be a price increase. So make sure to order your yearbook today!
Student Awards
Many of our students earned awards this month. A shout out to all those students for doing great things! We are so proud of your achievements!
Meet Our Mascot!
Students had an opportunity to suggest names for our school mascot in a "Name the Panther" contest. The name that was most voted for was Pepper. Please meet Pepper our Panther and give a friendly hello whenever you see her around the school!
Fall Ball Spooktacular
Our students had a fantastic time at the Fall Ball Spooktacular! A huge thanks to Mrs. Ortiz's Student Council and Mrs. Don's NJHS students as well as all the volunteers for helping make the dance a success!
CSMS Students
Athletics
Girls Softball
Practice will run daily 3PM-4:30PM
Boys Basketball
Practice will run daily 3PM-4PM
For your child to participate in sports you must have an updated sports physical on file and have completed registration on Final Forms. If your student is interested in either of these sports and has not yet completed a sports physical, please schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
Congrats!
Artistry
We have some amazing artists at our school. Here is just a small sample of their beautiful artwork.
EXTRA RECESS!
Who doesn't love extra recess? Students in Mrs. Blocker's 6th grade Social Studies class earned extra recess for completing their Exact Path lesson.
Indoor Recess Fun!
Due to the inclement weather, we've had a few days of indoor recess. Our students with the help of Mrs. Magnone have started a pull up competition. Even indoors, recess is tons of fun!
Tortilla Making
Mrs. Ortiz's Spanish class had a blast learning about Spanish culture while making authentic tortillas. Eating them was the best part!
From the Nurse
I would like to thank Alina Flores for her generous donations to my office. The students will greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness!
As a reminder, please ensure that your student is drinking water and eating breakfast. The health office has seen an increase this month of students who are not eating breakfast in the morning. Any donations of grab and go individual sized snacks would be appreciated. Students are not allowed to carry any medication, to include over the counter medications like Tylenol, without parental forms being signed and on file in the health office. Please contact the nurse if you would like your child to self-carry medications.
Thank you,
Nurse Whipple
From the Counselor
Congratulations to Allison Moreland (Allie) in 7th grade for receiving the San Pedro Kiwanis Award for October. We are proud of her effort and hard work academically. Great job, Allie!
Thanks to all those who donated to the Kiwanis Club - Relay for Life food drive in October. We appreciate your kindness and generosity.
The officers for the CSMS Kiwanis Club are:
President: Savannah Merkwan
Vice President: Parker Lewis
Secretary: Aryebella Casillas Casillas
The Colonel Smith Middle School Kiwanis Club meets on Monday after school from 3:00-3:40 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to work together to provide service to our school and community. If you are interested and/or have questions regarding this club, please speak to Mrs. Camps, the Kiwanis Club Advisor. You may also pick up a permission slip from the table near the main office and join any time.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Camps
Arizona Tax Credit
The state of Arizona provides a variety of individual tax credits, and one in particular includes the Public School Tax Credit which is attached below. This tax credit allows taxpayers to make charitable contributions and receive dollar-for-dollar reductions in their Arizona state tax liabilities. If you are an Arizona resident and would like to donate up to $400.00 to Colonel Smith Middle School to be used for Character Education/Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), we would greatly appreciate it, and our students would benefit from your generous donation.
If you're not an Arizona resident and cannot make this donation, we will also welcome individual packages of snacks to contribute to our program for our students.
Thank you for your consideration of helping our school. We appreciate your support. If you have any questions about this tax credit donation, please contact Mrs. Camps at 520-417-8466 or in the main office at 520-459-8892.
A Note From the PTO
PTO Meeting CSMS Library: Monday, November 7th @ 3:30PM
Please join our PT Board for the latest updates: http://csmspto.ptboard.com and follow us on
Facebook: Colonel Smith Middle School PTO
We Need You! Please consider joining and making a difference at our amazing school! We have many volunteer opportunities available. Thank you everyone for your support!
Resources for Military Families
Tutoring
Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families, is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, and is a program that provides on-demand, online tutoring and homework help at no cost to eligible service members and their dependents. With live, expert tutors available 24/7, military-connected students can receive academic help at their moment of need—anywhere they have an internet connection.
Bloom - Teen Empowerment
Bloom is the place you can find comfort and advice about everything military kid related: from moving tips to the top things to do at your duty station. You can also read posts from our featured authors, often other military kids who want to share their stories and connect with their community. They all offer a different perspective on military life. Bloom also highlights all the cool things military brats are doing around the world, like writing songs about their life and winning awards. Check out Bloom's website: https://www.bloommilitaryteens.org/
Moving?
Please contact the office at least one week prior to your move so we can get your students records prepared for a smooth transition.
Lunch Menus
School Lunch
We will not be offering free lunches this school year. Covid policies in the past permitted us to offer free school lunches, however, this year they have changed their policy. You may qualify for free or reduced lunches. Even if you think you may not qualify, we would appreciate you completing the form. These numbers help assist our school with state funding which in turn provides us more resources to help our amazing students. If you prefer a paper application, please contact our school office, and we will be able to provide one for you.
My School Bucks is the platform we use and you can create an account for your child on their website: My School Bucks
To fill out an application for free and reduced lunches please visit: My School Apps