Principal P's Friday Message
August 19, 2022
A Message from Principal P
Dear CMS Families,
We are fast approaching our return to school and are so excited to welcome our students and families to Camillus Middle School! There is a lot to look forward to and celebrate as our students begin or continue on their middle school journey.
During our first three days of school, the staff has planned activities for a portion of the day to provide opportunities for students to get to know the staff as well as their peers. Some activities will include a scavenger hunt, a door decorating contest, a pep rally, and a club fair. Mr. Curtin, our assistant principal, and I will also be meeting with students during this time to review the code of conduct along with our building norms and expectations.
For those families new to Camillus Middle School I want to take a moment to share with you the core principles and values that we operate under. Last year was the first year we had all of our 7th and 8th graders together at Camillus Middle School. This is how our school motto of "Better Together" came about. As the 2022-2023 school year is upon us, we continue to embrace and value the importance of collaboration and open communication in order to remain Better Together. CMS staff believes that building meaningful relationships with our students and families is the foundation for creating a safe, welcoming, and affirming environment for all of our students.
We can't wait to have our halls filled with our students' smiling faces, and help them transition back into the new school year!
Please look for our summer mailing the week of August 22nd for more information regarding the 2022-2023 school year.
Better Together,
Ms. P
CMS Updates and Reminders
CMS Guiding Coalition
Last school year, our staff formed a Guiding Coalition to lead initiatives in the building to support student success and growth. The Guiding Coalition works collectively for the following purpose:
The purpose of the CMS Guiding Coalition is to collaboratively define who we are as we strive to build and inspire a schoolwide solution-focused community. We will set realistic goals that allow all students to find their success, show growth, and feel safe and supported through engaging, specialized opportunities. We will be open-minded to the needs of adolescent learners and celebrate victories, big and small, as we continue to put students first and build meaningful relationships.
With this purpose guiding our decision making some wonderful work has transpired. We have adopted our building norms: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Kind. These Norms will be used in classrooms as a teaching tool to collaborate with students to develop an understanding of the behavior expectations that we demonstrate when we honor these norms.
Building Norms and Expectations 2022-2023
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
Cell Phone Policy
Cell phones should be off and out of sight during the school day in classrooms and hallways. The safest place for cell phones is your locker.
Hallways include standing in the lunch line and while moving from classes.
Cell phones are still permitted for use during lunch and breakfast when you are sitting at your table.
Cell phones may be used in study halls with teacher discretion.
If you need to make a phone call home during the school day you can come to the main office to do so.
Misuse Consequences:
First Offense: Warning
Second Offense: Teacher confiscation of the phone for the class period and you have to put their phone in your locker. Parent will be contacted by the teacher.
Third Offense: Cell phone will be confiscated and brought to the main office until the end of the day. Parent contacted by the administration.
Fourth Offense: Cell phone will be dropped off in the main office every day for a week. Parent will be contacted by the administration.
LOOKING AHEAD
Better Together Parent Coalition
The purpose of the CMS parent coalition is for parents and staff to work together to maintain a safe, welcoming, and affirming environment for all students. Our focus is on building relationships, celebrating positive actions, and communicating proper ways of reporting negative incidents.
Our first meeting date will be September 19, 2022. We will meet in the CMS library from 6:00 PM-7:00 PM
We look forward to welcoming familiar and new faces back!
PTO
Join the Camillus Middle School PTO
The CMS PTO continues to support our students, staff, and our community. Events we have sponsored and are planning include:
First Back to School Movie and Mingle 9/13/22
Smile/Sunshine Project
Student Dances
Thanksgiving meals for CMS families
Flag for the CMS gym
Scholarships for WGHS students
Scholarships to the Seabreeze Field Trip
Staff Appreciation
End of Year Celebration
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.
Follow us on Facebook: Camillus Middle School PTO
Contact us with questions: wgcmspto@westgenesee.org
CMS Movie and Mingle Night
Please see attached flyer for information on CMS Movie and Mingle Night! This will be in the summer mailing as well.
Mark Your Calendars
August 24th- Locker Night 3:00 PM-6:00 PM
September 7th- First Day of the 2022-2023 School Year 7:30 AM-2:05 PM
September 13th- PTO Sponsored Movie and Mingle Night 5:00 PM- TBD
September 19th- Better Together Parent Coalition 6:00 PM- 7:00 PM
September 27th- Picture Day
September 29th- Open House 6:00 PM -7:30 PM
At CMS We Embrace Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
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.
Celebrating Diversity
Each month at CMS we will celebrate and recognize different groups and cultures. In September we are highlighting National Hispanic Heritage Month. National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. If your family has roots in these countries and you would like to share a tradition or personal family story related to your ancestors' history please email me and we will highlight this on our DEI Wall of Celebration located in front of the main office.