California Trail Middle School
Parent News February 2019
A Note from Mr. Wiley- GRIT
Last month, I shared a little about my family and stated I wanted my kids to “struggle well.” One of the reasons I want my kids, and yours too, to struggle is it is the best (maybe only) way that I can see them be able to get out of their comfort zone and grow in some important areas that will serve them well past their school days.
This morning, one of the topics that our staff focused on was the concept of Grit and how we can positively impact a student’s Grit. Merriam-Webster gives this as one definition for grit: firmness of mind or spirit: Unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger. Another definition is the ability to persevere through setbacks to achieve important long-term goals.
While you can’t look into a room of people and see those who are gritty by outward appearance, you can see signs when you investigate deeper. When you talk about things that are tough, you hear about struggles. When you start to look at how someone handles those struggles, you learn a lot. What things did you have to do to be successful? How long did it take? How many times did you run into a roadblock? Did you ever have to start over? These are all good questions to start to see grittiness in someone, and in our case, to help them see it in themselves.
Once they can find a situation that they persevered through and had success, they need to recognize that as a success and use it to tackle the next obstacle with the understanding that they can make it through tough times or difficult tasks. Our kids don’t often make these connections on their own. Their brains aren’t ready to do so independently, YET. That is where we come in, staff and parents alike. We need to recognize when grit, perseverance and hard work leads to success and point it out to them and talk about it.
A quick example from dinner one night this week… My 5-year-old was very excited to pass her last list of kindergarten sight words and be able to move on to the first, first grade sight word list. She was telling us about it and then shared that another student was already done with all of the first grade lists. My response was to divert from comparing Harper to the other child (which is my natural response) but to state that the other student must have worked very hard and tell her, “If you keep working hard, you’ll get those passed too.” It has been a change in mindset for me to think this way but I think it will help, in the end.
My point??? More often than not, there is struggle, hard work, perseverance and grit involved in someone’s successes. I really believe that if we can get our kids to recognize the connection, point to times they’ve struggled and found success, and realize that if they add the little word YET to the end of some of their statements about their abilities, we can make a difference in their life. Of course, if I didn’t believe this, I probably should be doing something different than working in a school.
Want more?
Angela Duckworth’s TED Talk - Grit: the power of passion and perseverance
https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance#t-355574
9 Activities to Build Grit and Resilience in Children
https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/activities-grit-resilience-children
25 Ways to Develop a Growth Mindset
https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/develop-a-growth-mindset/
Wednesday, February 6th
Regular classes will be held for students
Parent/Teacher conferences will be held in the MPR from
4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 7th
No classes for students
Parent/Teacher conferences will be held in the MPR from
11:00 a.m.—8:00 p.m.
Teacher Dinner break is from 4:00 p.m.– 4:45 p.m.
Friday, February 8th
NO SCHOOL
High School Transition Day-Rescheduled
The district’s 8th grade high school transition day originally scheduled for January 30th has been rescheduled to February 13th. The students will spend part of the day at the Olathe High School they will attend in 2019-2020.
The purpose of the day is to bring incoming 9th graders from all ten middle schools together and help them become familiar with daily life, activities and lunch at the high school they will be attending next year.
5th Grade Enrollment and May CT Visit
The current 5th grade students who are our future Bulldogs are currently finalizing the enrollment for their transition to middle school in 2019-2020. This is an important process for these students as they prepare for middle school. Students will also visit California Trail on May 2nd. There will be more details as we get closer to this date. We look forward to seeing these 5th grade students in May!
CT Track Information, Packet and Apparel Form
Track season is right around the corner. We will have an informational meeting for all interested participants on Monday, February 4th during Bulldog Time.
We will also have track packets available in the office, during conferences and the packet can also be found on the California Trail Website.
You must have a physical dated later than May 1, 2018
Practice will start on Monday, March 19th
All practices start at 3:20p.m. and conclude at 5p.m.
If you have any questions, contact Mr. White (gwhitect@olatheschools.org) or Mrs. Collins (mcollinsct@olatheschools.org)
Below is a link to the 2019 Track Packet:
Gold Duster Competition
Congratulations to the Gold Duster dance team for a successful ending to their competition season this weekend at the Lee’s Summit North Invitational. The team brought home a 1st place ranking for hip hop and 2nd place rankings for both lyrical & pom! Congratulations to Madelyn Hofer & Meghan Rigdon for winning a 1st place ranking for their duet & to the officers for placing 2nd for all ensemble performances. Great job ladies!
CT Cheer and Dance Tryout Clinic
Congratulations CT Artists!
The following students have artwork showcased in our CT Office Gallery! Come by the office any time to see the artwork in person. It will be on display for the remainder of 3rd quarter.
6th grade: Connor Stone’s Pop Art comic word & Lillian Bloomcamp’s Contour Creature
7th grade: Alyssa Marsters’ optical illusion print & Grayson Cole’s pastel flowers
8th grade: Tealey Hagstrum’s perspective drawing
Mobile Integrated Healthcare
Middle Years
Check out this month’s issue on research skills, practicing mindfulness and communicating with your student.
7th grade team -Carnation Fundraiser
The 7th grade teams will be selling carnations for $3.00 during all three lunches on February 4th – February 6th. You will have the opportunity to buy some for your friends, family, and even your teachers! The carnations will be delivered with a special note during Bulldog time on Valentine’s Day. You will need to know the Bulldog location for the person you would like to send the carnation to. If you have any questions you can contact Mrs. Higbee or Mrs. Lovell.
President's Volunteer Service Award
When students complete a certain number of hours of community service, it makes them eligible for the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Hours for the 2018-2019 school year are valid from April 2, 2018 through March 31, 2019.
Instructions for creating a profile and log of hours is located in the Student Services tab under Counseling on the CT website.
A printout of hours are due to Mrs. Beyer, in the guidance office by April 3, 2019
Please contact Mrs. Beyer via email (sbeyerct@olatheschools.org) with any additional questions.
Attention 6th and 7th Grade Parents
Jadon's Hope Bug Run
District Job Opportunities
Notification Statement of Non discrimination
The Olathe Public Schools prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion or disability in its programs, activities or employment, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups to its facilities as required by: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and other relevant state and federal laws. Inquiries regarding compliance with applicable civil rights statutes related to ethnicity, gender, age discrimination or equal access may be directed to Staff Counsel, 14160 S. Black Bob Road, Olathe, KS 66063-2000, phone 913-780-7000. All inquiries regarding compliance with applicable statutes regarding Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act may be directed to the Assistant Superintendent General Administration, 14160 S. Black Bob Rd. Olathe, KS 66063-2000, phone (913) 780-7000. Interested persons including those with impaired vision or hearing, can also obtain information as to the existence and location of services, activities and facilities that are accessible to and usable by disabled persons by calling the Assistant Superintendent General Administration. (07/17)
Sign Language Interpreters
Please notify your building secretary or principals if you need a sign language interpreter for a school sponsored event. Please contact building at least 5 days in advance to request an interpreter. It may not be possible to satisfy last minute interpreter request. Notify the building as soon as you know if you must cancel.
California Trail Middle School
Office Hours:
Monday- Thursday 7a.m.-4p.m.
Friday 7a.m.-3:30p.m.
https://www.olatheschools.org/Page/6524#calendar10121/20180827/month
Website: https://www.olatheschools.org/californiatrail
Location: 13375 West 133rd Street, Olathe, KS, USA
Phone: 913-780-7220
Twitter: @CTMSBulldog