Principal P's Friday Message
November 4, 2022
A Message from Principal P
Dear CMS Families,
It has been a busy week at Camillus Middle School! Newsies the musical's opening night was last night, and it was a huge success! Everyone who attended is raving about the performance. Congratulations to the cast and crew, I look forward to seeing students and families at this Saturday's last performance. There is a special, last-minute $5 ticket price for K-8 students for the Saturday, 2:00 PM matinee show. Parent chaperones are recommended.
Last night at Tuscarora Golf Club the Camillus Optimist Club hosted its annual Outstanding Teacher and Student of the year award dinner. It was an honor to present special education teacher Danielle Paussa with the award for the 2022-2023 CMS Outstanding Teacher of The Year and students Sophia Olson and Max Nolan with the CMS Outstanding Students of the Year award.
Congratulations to all of the students who competed Wednesday at CMS in the District Spelling Bee. You can read more about the competition here.
On Monday, students had a great time cheering for each other during the costume contest, there was a lot of excitement and energy during lunches.
I did speak with students during lunches on Tuesday about cleaning up in the cafeteria and lending a hand. I also addressed the issues we were seeing in the bathrooms. Students really stepped it up this week. Many students were going out of their way to help out this week in the cafeteria.
It is going to be another beautiful weekend, enjoy the sunshine and time with your family.
Better Together,
Ms. P
Phone: 315-672-3159
Email: jprzybylski@westgenesee.org
Twitter @CamillusMiddle
Costume Contest
Costume Contest
Spelling Bee Compettion
Dylan Wainwright Annalise Johnson Emma Congdon Max Nolan Damien Valerino Nadia Farino Jordan Lakie
Camillus Optimist Club Outstanding Teachers and Students of The year
Sophia Olson and Max Nolan
Congratulations Max!
Congratulations Sophia!
We Hope to See You At Newsies The Musical This Weekend!
Are you Receiving All of our Communications?
Helpful Tips about the SchoolMessenger Communication System:
- To be sure that you are receiving all emails sent from the District/schools/teachers please periodically check your spam/junk/promotions folder for emails with @westgenesee.org, then mark that they are not spam/junk/promotions.
- To be sure that you are receiving text messages this year from WGCSD or your school(s) Text a "Y" or "Yes" to 67587
If you still have questions about receiving emails and/or text from WGCSD please email them to publications@westgenesee.org.
New Student Management System Update
Over the past few months families have been logging into and using our new ParentVUE Student Management System. You should be able to see transportation and other academic related screens. If you are having any difficulties with the system, please email centralregistrar@westgenesee.org and they would be happy to help you with any questions you may have.
Please be looking for future communications and training videos on additional features and how to use ParentVUE to the fullest.
Positivity Project October Students of the Month
Team 7 Blue
Victoria-Divine Samba: Integrity
Brooklyn Rodriguez: Being Present and Giving Others My Attention
Sophie Castello: Creativity
Harshith Yalavarthi: Open-Mindedness
Team 7 Wildcat
Team 7- Wildcat
Team 7 Gold
Anna Kermes - Integrity
Christian Delaney - Attention to others
Esam Ayesh - Creativity
Team 7 Wildcat
Team 7 Blue
Victoria-Divine Samba: Integrity
Brooklyn Rodriguez: Being Present and Giving Others My Attention
Sophie Castello: Creativity
Harshith Yalavarthi: Open-Mindedness
Team 8 Wildcat
Anna Kermes - Integrity
Christian Delaney - Attention to others
Esam Ayesh - Creativity
Team 8 Gold
Gavin Flanagan for Open-mindedness
Team 8 Gold
Team 8 Gold
Team 8 Blue
Aili Newman for Creativity
Team 8 Blue
CMS Building Norms and Expectations
Be Safe:
Walk in the hallways and when entering and exiting the building
Practice safe use of technology
Maintain personal space and boundaries
Make sure adults know where you are
Be Responsible:
Take ownership and pride in your work.
Be on time, prepared, organized, and productive.
Attend school regularly
Seek help if you need support.
Be Respectful:
Respect others’ belongings
Follow school and classroom expectations
Speak appropriately to peers and staff
Be open-minded to individual differences
Follow directions
Take care of school property.
Be Kind:
Include everyone - no one gets left out
Encourage and help others
Treat others the way they want to be treated.
Do a good deed
CMS Updates and Reminders
A Message From Student Council
Thanksgiving Food Drive: Our food drive will run from Wednesday, November 9 - Wednesday, November 16. Food will be collected in homerooms. Boxes will be provided to you. We will announce the winning homeroom at the conclusion of the food drive.
Staff Appreciation: The students came up with this idea on their own! There will be a nomination box in the library with slips of paper. Each month we will recognize a different staff member who was nominated. (Please note the box and forms say "teacher" because the students recognize every adult in the building as a teacher. We like to keep some of the decisions in the students' hands.)
CHROMEBOOKS
Please remind students to charge their Chromebooks every night and over the weekend.
How to obtain student work due to absence
If a student is out 2 days or more, please email teachers prior to 10:30 and work will be emailed. If anything needs to be picked up, teachers will let you know and the work can be picked up in the front foyer between the doors anytime between 3:00 PM- 5:30 PM.
Yearbooks
The online store is now open. Order your 2022-2023 yearbook here.
The cost for a yearbook is $25 until January, 31.
After January, 31 the price will be $30.
Yearbooks can be ordered until March, 24
If you have questions please reach out to our yearbook advisors Mrs. Tanchak or Ms. Levea at:
CMS PTO
The PTO is asking for your help with events this year. Please consider volunteering for an event to help make it all happen. Email wgcmspto@westgenesee.org if you can help out.
- Dance Committee: sell tickets, plan and decorate for school dances.
- End of Year Celebration: Help us plan a fun end of year celebration for the students in June and celebrate the 8th graders moving on to High School.
- Winter Positivity Project Raffle for the Kids.
Please also consider becoming a member of the CMS PTO. You are not required to attend meetings. 100% of your membership goes back to the PTO to support our projects. We cannot do these projects without your membership and support.
Please join online at https://camillus-middle-pto.cheddarup.com
Membership is only 10$. Anyone in the family and CMS staff can join.
Additional donations to support our students are always welcomed and greatly appreciated via Cheddar Up.
For more information please follow the CMS PTO on Facebook: Camillus Middle School PTO
Contact us with questions: wgcmspto@westgenesee.org
CLUBS AT CMS
CMS Clubs & Advisors for the 2022-23 School Year
Here is a list of clubs offered at CMS. Please reach out to the club advisors for additional information.
We now are offering French Club. If you have questions please contact Mrs. Molina hmolina@westgenesee.org
Science Club Fun
Science Club Dry Ice Day
Future Scientist- Chris Kolakowski
November 2 Science Club
Purple Cabbage Chemistry
Future scientist Lili Martin
More Science Fun
At CMS We Embrace Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
This month we are celebrating Native American, American Indian, and Alaskan Heritage Month
What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose.
One of the very proponents of an American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the “First Americans” and for three years they adopted such a day. In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kans., formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. It directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to observe such a day. Coolidge issued a proclamation on Sept. 28, 1915, which declared the second Saturday of each May as an American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens.
The year before this proclamation was issued, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, rode horseback from state to state seeking approval for a day to honor Indians. On December 14, 1915, he presented the endorsements of 24 state governments at the White House. There is no record, however, of such a national day being proclaimed.
The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. Several states celebrate the fourth Friday in September. In Illinois, for example, legislators enacted such a day in 1919. Presently, several states have designated Columbus Day as Native American Day, but it continues to be a day we observe without any recognition as a national legal holiday.
In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1994.
What does a safe, welcoming, and affirming environment for all students mean?
We believe:
- It is our collective responsibility to learn about student cultures and communities.
- We will foster close relationships with students and families.
- We will offer social and emotional learning programs.
- We will present materials that represent and affirm student identities.
Why are these beliefs important to us at CMS?
It is our collective responsibility to learn about student cultures and communities.
CMS staff is committed to learning about our students' experiences. When we develop meaningful relationships with our students and they know their experiences are valued, respected, and understood they are more likely to ask questions in class and in engage in classroom discussions. This has a direct impact on learning and personal growth.
We will foster close relationships with students and families.
CMS staff is dedicated to being a part of the West Genesee community. By building strong relationships with both students and families we are able to work collaboratively to problem solve when faced with challenges along with celebrating each other and our successes. We build close relationships through regular communication, expressing our expectations for how we treat one another, and creating opportunities to gather as a community in order to foster these close relationships with students and families.
We will offer social and emotional learning programs
CMS staff recognizes the importance of social and emotional health. This is a time when our students are developing and changing physically, psychologically, socially, and cognitively. Every individual student navigates these changes in their own unique way. CMS school counselors will provide learning opportunities for our students on strategies such as mindfulness, acceptance, and emotion regulation. Learning these strategies will assist students during a time in their lives that can often feel overwhelming.
We will present materials that represent and affirm student identities.
CMS staff recognizes the importance for students to see themselves reflected in the content taught as well as throughout the school. Identity is a combination of our physical and behavioral traits that define who we are. Our social identity indicates a group to which we belong. Our individual and social identities shape our experiences when we provide mirrors for our students to see themselves as part of a collective group it builds self-confidence and affirms that their experiences are not isolated. These mirrors for individual students benefit all students by offering windows into other people's experiences. When we build a culture representative of all, we foster empathy and kindness towards others.
We adhere to New York State's guidelines outlined in the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework. Please see the attached link for more information on CR-S Education.
Mark Your Calendars
11/4 - Musical "Newsies" 7:00pm
11/5 - Musical "Newsies" 2:00pm
11/10- First Marking Period Ends
11/11- Veteran's Day- No School
11/18- Parent Vue open to view first marking period report card grades