Chippewa Falls Middle School
October 2018
A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL KUNSMAN
Dear Parents and Guardians,
What a great start to the year it has been! I have really enjoyed watching our students getting familiar with their new schedules and routines and the learning that is taking place on a daily basis.
I would like to highlight some important upcoming dates in October and November. We hope you will make it a priority to join us here at the school. Studies show that parental involvement in a child’s education is one of the strongest indicators of student achievement. We love it when our parents are with us here at school!
The interim marking period will occur on October 18 and many teachers will have had their first summative assessment. Therefore, this presents a great opportunity for you to access the parent portal in Infinite Campus with your child and ask him/her to talk about their progress thus far in each of their classes. It also provides a nice segway to parent/teacher conferences that are scheduled for November 8 and November 15; both evenings from 4:00-8:00. Our goal is 100% participation!
Our Fall conferences are student-led conferences. You will be receiving a link at the end of this month to sign up for a 15 minute conference time with your child’s TA teacher where your child will share with you his/her goals for the year and their action plan for achieving the goal(s) that have been developed. During the rest of the time, please stop in and visit your child’s Unified Arts, music, and phy-ed teachers. They also have important information to share about your child’s progress!
Thursday, October 18, is our second early release day. Your child will be dismissed at 1:00 from CFMS. Staff will spend the afternoon working with their colleagues in their professional learning communities. On Friday, October 19, your child will not have school, so that staff can engage in focused professional development around student achievement.
Every three years CFMS gets the honor to hold a rotating Veteran's Day assembly at our school. This year it will be taking place on the morning of Friday, November 9, in our gymnasium. This is a great opportunity for us to show off our amazing school, the talents of our students, and honor our veterans. More information about this event will be shared as the date gets closer.
Our school district's mega result is: Students will graduate prepared to succeed in post-secondary education and careers, having the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to achieve their personal goals and contribute to the common good. Our staff at CFMS are dedicated to ensure that this is happening for all of our students, and seeing this happen is what inspires me to come to work each day and work hard for all of our students, staff, and families.
In Partnership With You,
Derrick Kunsman
Principal
Weekend Kid's Meals Program
Dear Chippewa Falls Middle School Parent/Guardian,
Chippewa Falls Middle School is happy to offer the Weekend Kid’s Meals Program once again this school year. This program is offered through Feed My People Food Bank.
The purpose of the program is to provide food for your child during the weekend when school breakfasts and lunches are not available.
There are no income guidelines or requirements. Anyone is welcome to participate in this program. The food is at NO COST to you or your child.
If you choose to enroll your child, he/she will receive a plastic bag each Friday with enough food for breakfast and lunch for him/her for Saturday and Sunday, plus snacks and fresh fruit.
The meals have not been screened for different allergies; therefore, parents are responsible for determining if this program meets your child’s dietary and health needs.
You can sign up to receive the meals by clicking here. Or you can stop by the main office to fill out a paper form.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Katie Bergeron, Assistant Principal (bergerkm@chipfalls.org or 715.726.2400 ext. 2215). Families are able to sign up or discontinue this program anytime throughout the school year. Chippewa Falls Middle School’s program will begin in mid-September.
Chippewa County Human Services Would Like To Help You Stay Warm This Winter!
Oct 1-May 15th low to moderate income families can apply for three different types of energy assistance through Chippewa County Human Service - furnace repair, energy assistance, and crisis assistance.
Last year CCHS paid for an average of $548 per household for energy assistance, $387 per household for crisis assistance, and they provided $94,944 to 34 families for furnace repairs!
To further help families, they have a weatherization program through West Cap which may include insulation, sealing air leaks, updating heating systems, and installing energy saving products. Way to go Chippewa County Human Services! :)
Crisis assistance helps with utility disconnection, reconnection of service, or provides bulk fuel delivery. Crisis assistance is available year-round until funds are gone.
Crisis and Furnace Assistance are available 24 hours a day between October 1- May 15th by calling 715-726-7840. If you call after work hours, your call will be forwarded to Chippewa County Sheriff Dispatch for attention.
If you have any questions, please contact Tracey Schick
Monday - Friday
8:00am-4:30pm
715-726-7777.
Parent Holiday Resources
We have a few donation and holiday opportunities for families this year. We will be adding a letter to all weekend kids meal bags in the next few weeks with sign up information. If your child does not pick up weekend meals and you are interested in finding out more, please contact your child's counselor. We can send a form home with your child for an opportunity to sign up for free clothing, winter clothing, toiletries, school supplies, Thanksgiving meal help, and Christmas gift help.
Thank you!
Kara McClean 6th grade counselor 715-726-2400 X 2263 or mccleaka@chipfalls.org
Jenni Berg 7th grade counselor 715-726-2400 X 4504 or bergja@chipfalls.org
Liz Pukrop 8th grade counselor 715-726-2400 X 2220 or pukrope@chipfalls.org
6th Grade Sports
6th Grade Boys and Girls Basketball
6th Grade Volleyball
6th Grade Cheer and Stunt
School Board Meeting
Date: Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Time: 7:00 pm Public Session
Place: Administration Building
1130 Miles St
Chippewa Falls WI 54729
This meeting is a meeting of the Board of Education in public for the purpose of conducting the School District's business and is not to be considered a public community meeting. There is a time for public participation during the meeting as indicated in the agenda.
The public can access the School Board Agenda for this meeting by going to the School District website 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
Upon request to the School Board Secretary, submitted twenty-four (24) hours in advance, the District shall make reasonable accommodation including the provision of informational material in an alternative format for a disabled person to be able to attend this meeting.
Cardinal Community Learning Center
Cardinal Community Learning Center has programming opportunities to meet the needs of our students, families, and community!
Check out all the great "happenings" at https://cfsd.chipfalls.k12.wi.us/cardinal/
Cardinal Community Education has some AWESOME classes and events that meet the life-long learning needs of everyone in our community!
Learning opportunities include Yoga, Girls Who Code, Investment and Pension Planning, AARP Safe Driver, Babysitting Basics, Build Your Own Gingerbread House, and much, much more! Watch the school website, Facebook page, and your mailbox for more info on these upcoming classes!
Click HERE to see the brochure with classes and descriptions.
The Chippewa Area Mentor Program is Looking for Mentors!
Time is one of the most valuable gifts we can give a child. Become a mentor and spend 30-minutes per week having fun and building a relationship!
Mentoring Involves:
Being matched with a student, grade K-12
Meeting with him/her one day a week at school
Spend 30-minutes talking, playing games, read a book, toss a ball, take a walk, you name it!
Interested? Visit our website to apply today! Once your application is received and processed, Mentor Program staff will connect with you to set up an interview and a potential match.
SCHOOL COMMUNICATION
The Chippewa Falls Middle School primarily communicates with parents and/or guardians electronically. All parents and guardians who receive school information electronically must have their parent portal in Infinite Campus set up in order to access report cards, schedules, homework assignments, grades, attendance, fee statements, etc. We are pleased to offer parents this opportunity to be more active in their child’s education.
If you do not have your parent portal account setup, please follow the guidelines below to setup your account. We discourage the use of your child’s account as you won’t have access to the necessary information you may need or want.
Please make sure that your e-mail address is kept current at all times on the parent portal. You may update your email address at any time by selecting Contact Preferences on the parent portal menu. If at any time during the school year you lose the ability to access the internet, please notify the appropriate grade level office immediately so that we can make the necessary adjustments to our database.
You can also make lunch account, registration and athletic fee payments in the Infinite Campus Portal. There will be no convenience fees added. If you need help, call our help desk at 715-726-2413 for assistance.
The CFMS Students have voted!!!! Join your 6th, 7th or 8th grader for a FREE FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT featuring…
When: Thursday, Oct. 18th
Doors open @ 6:30 pm…Movie to start @ 7:00 pm
Where: Chippewa Falls Middle School Commons
Please enter at Door # 1
This event is available to ALL CFMS students and their ENTIRE family, and CFMS staff/families!
Popcorn and refreshments will be provided. Bring a blanket for sitting
Proudly sponsored by the Cardinals Community In Action (CIA), CFMS Parent Group
In eighth grade Pre-Algebra we regularly field questions from both students and parents about homework. Do we have homework? Should my child have homework? How much homework should I do? These questions and others like them are commonplace, so we’d like to take a moment to explain our daily practice system in Pre-Algebra.
Each day that a new concept or skill is being taught starts out with an “I can” statement. This statement simply states what a student should know or be able to do by the end of the class period, (though at times our learning objectives may span over multiple days). When we’re learning a skill, students will receive a practice sheet that has practice problems for the skill being addressed. By completing at least some of the problems on the practice sheet and checking them for correctness students should have some idea as to whether or not they’ve accomplished the day’s learning target. A good rule of thumb is for a student to ask themselves if they would be ready to take a test on that skill the next day. If the answer is yes, then they likely don’t need to complete any more homework. If the answer is no, they would be best advised to spend some time outside of class working on the practice sheet. The idea is to help students learn to be accountable for their own learning and to get them to understand what it takes for them to be successful in math.
If your student is spending some time at home working on the practice worksheets they can still get extra help and check their work. Simply access their math teacher’s website to find links to copies of the practice sheets, answer keys, and instructional videos. These resources can also be very helpful when a student is absent.
As always, if you ever have any questions about homework, our websites, or anything else related to Pre-Algebra don’t hesitate to contact your student’s math teacher.
The 7th grade science students have been having an exciting year to begin the 2018-2019 school year! We have already covered the differences between observations and inferences and are now practicing measuring mass, volume, and length, before working on calculating density. Students have been doing a great job showing off their lab safety skills and the 7th grade science teachers are excited for what is coming this year!
Click picture for World Language News
Click picture for Social Studies News
Cell phones and Electronic Devices
Cell phone and electronic device use are strictly prohibited at school. Students who have a cell phone or electronic device at school must turn it off and keep it in their locker. Students found using their electronic device or cell phone or having it go off either intentionally or unintentionally at school will have it confiscated and held until a parent comes to pick it up. Electronic devices include but are not limited to cell phones, iPods, MP3 Players, gaming devices, cameras, recording devices, tablets, laptops, electronic readers.
If you need to contact your student during school hours, you can call the Grade Level Office. If your student needs to call you, they can ask permission to go to the main office to use the phone.
STUDENT ATTENDANCE
Because students move from classroom to classroom throughout the school day, attendance at the Middle School is taken and recorded each class period. Your child’s attendance information can be viewed on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
REPORTING ABSENCES
Parents are required to notify the school when their child is absent. Notification should occur no later than the end of the day on the day of the absence and must include the reason for the absence.
If your child is absent and we have not received notification, you will receive an automated voice message and/or e-mail referencing the absence. If for some reason, parents are unable to call school, the student must bring a note of explanation upon returning.
Unexcused absences will be handled as truancy cases and may lead to a juvenile court referral. It is the school district’s responsibility, not that of the student’s parent/guardian, to determine whether a student’s absence is excused or unexcused under state law and/or board policy.
To report an absence / get a pass / change the after school plan for your child / or relay a message for your child::
Call 715 - 726 - 2400
Press 1 for attendance;
Follow the prompts for 6th grade and 7th grade (pressing 1) and 8th grade, (pressing 2).
To report all day absences, you can also email ms_attendance@chipfalls.org
This number is accessible 24 hours a day.
STUDENTS ARRIVING LATE
Students who arrive late need to report to the main office area (door 2 which is the flagpole door) to obtain an entry pass to class. Parents must notify the school whenever their child will arrive later than 8:35 a.m. Notification on the attendance line should include estimated arrival time and the reason for the late arrival.
STUDENTS LEAVING EARLY
Students who need to leave school during the school day need an Off - Campus Pass. Notification on the attendance line should include the time your child needs to leave school, the time that they will return, and the reason they will be gone.
Students can obtain their pass from the grade level office reception area before going to their 1st hour class. Upon their return, students need to report to the main office to obtain a re-admittance signature on their pass. Please be assured if you have contacted the school, your child will be notified.
STUDENT MESSAGES
If it is necessary for you to contact your child during the school day, please leave a message before 3:00 p.m. at the appropriate grade level office attendance line. We will get the message to your child. For the safety of the students, we only forward messages to students from those people designated on their Infinite Campus profile.
Please note: Due to the fluidity of our Teaching Advisory time at the end of the day, only messages regarding a family emergency can be delivered after 3:00 p.m.
Building Our Future - 2018 CFAUSD Referendum Construction Updates
Chippewa Falls Middle School
Email: cfmsinfo@chipfalls.org
Website: https://cfsd.chipfalls.k12.wi.us/middle/
Location: 750 Tropicana Boulevard, Chippewa Falls, WI, USA
Phone: 715-726-2400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chippewafallsschool/
Twitter: @CFMSCardinals