Collins Cadence
2020-2021 January 10, 2021
Collins Cobras
Shelli LeBlanc, Principal
Chris Barnhart, Assistant Principal
Ariel Aymond, Counselor 5th Grade
Krystal McCure, Counselor 6th Grade
Email: contactcollins@conroeisd.net
Website: http://collins.conroeisd.net/
Location: 6020 Shadowbend Place, The Woodlands, TX, USA
Phone: 281-298-3800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollinsCISD/
Twitter: @CollinsCobras
From The Principal
Our students and staff are working so hard to follow all of our health and safety protocols.
Steps we know that works:
- If your child has any symptoms and can not answer No to the district student screener (copy of screener shared in nurse update) then do not come to school.
- If anyone in your house hold or someone your child has been in close contact is COVID positive - Do not send child to school.
- Communicate with the school if your child meets any of the above bullets.
- When a student stays home they can engage in On-Line learning that very day and will have access to school work be counted present.
Also:
- Wear a clean, well fitted mask (Gators are not as effective as masks)
- Bring extra masks in zip lock bag to be kept in backpack
- Sanitizing going out/in every room at all times
Following these steps with fidelity and consistency will keep us in school and keep students and staff healthy and safe. I can't thank each of you enough for your diligence and support of our ultimate goal.
With Warm Thanks,
Shelli LeBlanc
Upcoming Dates
Monday, January 11
- PTO Meeting 1:15 PM via Zoom
Wednesday, January 13
- Collins Spirit Night Jersey Mike's (see flyer below)
Thursday, January 14
- Deadline for Interest Sign Up for Collins Choir - information and link below
- 6th grade Advanced Math Parents Webinar (6:30 PM) to discuss advanced math selection for Knox
Monday, January 18
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
- Kindness Week
Monday, January 25
- Deadline for 8th Grade Math Credit By Exam Application
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY
There is no school on January 18th. It is a day we reflect and remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction."
—Martin Luther King, Jr., "Loving Your Enemies," in Strength to Love.
The ultimate test of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and moments of convenience, but where he stands in moments of challenge and moments of controversy.
—The Struggle for Racial Justice, Address delivered at Nobel Peace Prize Recognition Dinner, 27 January 1965
SCHOOL BOARD APPRECIATION MONTH
Thank You Conroe I.S.D. Board of Trustees
for serving our community!
Mr. Skeeter Hubert, President
Mr. Scott Moore, 1st Vice President
Mrs. Theresa Wagaman, 2nd Vice President
Mr. Ray Sanders, Secretary
Mrs. Stacey Chase, Assistant Secretary
Mr. Datren Williams, Past President
Mr. Dale Inman, Trustee
Collins 2019-2020 Academic Performance Report
Collins 2019-2020 Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) has been posted on our school's profile page.
From the school’s website:
- Go to "Our School/Campus"
- Click “View School Profile"
- Select “Accountability Reports”
- Click “2019-2020”
- Select "Texas Academic Performance Report "
https://www.conroeisd.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Collins-INT.pdf
Incoming 7th Grade Knox Knights Important Dates
Upcoming Dates and Events:
- Jan 14 6th Advanced Math Parent Meeting to discuss math progress/selection 6:30 PM via Webinar
- Jan. 22 Collins 6th grade meets with Mr. Daw Virtually to discuss course selection - occurs during school day in the classrooms
- Jan 25 Deadline for Credit by Exam for Acceleration to Algebra 1 as 7th grader
- Jan 28 Incoming 7th grade Parent Info Night - Virtual format
- Feb. TBA Elective information Night Virtual format
- TBA Knox Cheer Parent Meeting (Mandatory)
- TBA Knox Cheer Tryout Clinic
- TBA Knox Cheer Tryouts
- TBA Gingham Girl Parent Meeting
- TBA Gingham Girl Tryout Clinic
- TBA Gingham Girl Tryouts
- TBA Color Guard Parent Meeting
- TBA Gingham Girl Parent Meeting for those that made the team
- TBA Color Guard Clinic
- TBA Color Guard Tryouts
- May 1 Schedule Change Request Deadline
Counselor Update
COLOSSAL COBRA
Colossal Cobra character trait for January is Honesty.
- Tell the truth
- Do the right thing
- Be a loyal friend
- Keep true to your word
Questions to discuss with your child:
- What would you do if someone asked you to be dishonest?
- Do you find it easy or hard to be honest with yourself? Why?
- Do you see dishonesty in advertising? Where?
- How can we make honest our family policy?
KINDNESS WEEK
Kindness Week is January 25 - January 29. Students will be given a Kindness Challenge, but also we will acknowledge the week with dress up themes.
Social Media
In the counselors’ offices, we have begun to notice a trend with students using social media. Many have indicated to us that they started these accounts during the Spring shut down. While we understand that things on social media can be entertaining, we wanted to make sure you were aware of the two we are hearing a lot about here at Collins. Both of these social media apps do have an age restriction of 13 and above. We have provided some information below. We will be hosting a parent presentation night from Street Grace about Apps and Social Media safety. The date is TBA.
TIK TOK
Many of our students at Collins are using TikTok. It is important that student accounts are monitored at home to reduce the chances that students engage in harmful activities on their accounts, or that they see inappropriate content.
Tik Tok is a social media app that children should be 13 and up to use. TikTok was designed to replace the app Musicly and started as a platform to share music. TikTok has been around for about 3 years and gained more followers during the Spring shut down. Anyone can download the app to see Tik Tok videos, meaning that no account is needed. However, for a person to post a video, an account has to be created. Students are able to go around the age restrictions and create an account. From there, students can share the videos they create with friends, or with a wider circle of TikTok users. They can also follow other creators on the app without posting their own content. By default, when you open a TikTok account, it’s set to “public.”
TikTok has a variety of videos about topics like home businesses, beauty products, great buys at different retail stores, political topics, home renovations, animals, cooking, and the ever popular “Tik Tok dances” which can be entertaining for users. People of all ages use TikTok, and your student could come across swearing, inappropriately dressed adults, and suggestive dancing. There are also hashtags linked to dangerous behaviors like self-harm and cutting. You can filter out spam, offensive comments, specific keywords, and block accounts, but these filters don’t catch everything, as hashtags change frequently, and creative spelling can help people bypass filters.
Unfortunately, bullying also takes place on TikTok. When someone “duets” with or reacts to another person’s video, the videos appear side by side. What some people do is they take a video they deem ‘cringeworthy’, and they make fun of it in a duet or reaction. People can also create a compilation of cringeworthy TikTok videos and post them on YouTube. People can post cruel statements in the comments as well, which can be read by the video’s creator, as well as by people viewing the video.
SNAPCHAT
Another app that we are seeing students use at Collins is SnapChat. SnapChat has been around for 9 years, and many of you are familiar with it and the uses. Many of you already know that children can create an account at any age, with the age of 13 being the minimum requirement. You can take pictures, videos, and text with this app. Users can also create a Snap Story to share with their friends and can also create a private Snap that can be shared with up to 40 of their friends. People can screenshot snaps and the user will get an alert, so the option of it disappearing isn’t always a fact. This app also allows you to share your location with others and use filters etc. It also has content that is often sexual in nature, with Snap Stories that can be clicked on.
Students Returning to In Person from Virtual
For anyone needing to return a Chromebook, please do so on 1/11/2021 if you have not already. You are not required to deliver it yourself, it is perfectly fine to send it back to school with your child. Also, please make sure they bring the charger back with them.
Library Update
Happy New Year! What a great time to get those overdue and lost books returned to have a fresh start! If you get an overdue/lost book email and feel there is an error, please contact the librarian at mwillingham@conroeisd.net and we will work on the problem.
Students now have access to Sora ebooks through their SSO. Click on the app and use your regular SSO log-ins to get audiobook and ebooks. There are so many great titles!
Thank you Mr. Jon Gifford
As the principal and one of the musician's parent my sincere thanks and admiration for your time and talent.
Jon Gifford Instagram: @jonstacy_photography
Collins Chorale (Choir) See pdf attachment for more details!
I have some exciting news to share with you. We are starting Collins Chorale (choir) program in January! Ms. Brill will begin rehearsals on Thursday, January 21st. . Students will be required to follow all COVID-19 protocols. Students will be sanitizing before and after rehearsals and must wear a mask the entire time of rehearsal.
If your child is a remote learner, they are welcome to join Collins Chorale for in-person rehearsals. There will be no virtual rehearsals. Remote students are allowed to attend but will need to be dropped off at gym doors and picked up at the front office immediately after rehearsal.
Rehearsal Schedule
Tuesday or Wednesday morning (choose one that fits with your family schedule) begins at 7:30 A.M.
Thursday after school from 4 to 5 P.M.
Participation fee & shirt - $20 Payments will be only accepted through School Cash Online.
$10 pays for the choir t-shirt; $10 pays for music and accompanist’s fees.
We look forward to seeing you child signup. There is nothing better than hearing children’s voices joined together and raised in song.
Group Picture Update
Does your child bike or ride to/from school?
In haste to get the message out via email/text I used a phrase "Plan B" and it might have caused a bit of confusion for some parents.
We ask all biker/walker families to pre-plan or "Plan B" for times the school might say you may not bike or walk home. Having a, family created, back up plan already decided, communicated, and reviewed from time to time allows students to know, with confidence, how they will get home without a flurry of phone calls and changes of transportation messages being delivered.
We will always try to make the decision to cancel biking/walking as early as possible - but there is always a chance that the call will be made at the last minute for student safety.
If your back up plan includes your child or children being picked up in the car line... please make sure you review our process using this link: https://youtu.be/efOdxCRF0qY
The car line is very long in extreme weather. Cars are scanned and students are dismissed from their classroom in the order the cars are scanned. When a car cuts in front of cars that have already been scanned their child will not be available to meet them at the dismissal cone. This car that cut and was not scanned will not have their child called and will exit the drive to the right and need to go to the end of the line.
Nurse Kendall Update
Welcome back! I am so happy to be back in school with your children! Please remember if your child has any symptoms of Covid, please keep them home and notify the school. If someone in the household tests positive for Covid, please keep your students home and notify the school.
Symptoms and considerations include:
- Loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Chills or shaking with chills
- Congestion or runny nose
- Significant muscle pain or body aches
- Have a new uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing or for individuals with a chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in your cough from baseline.
- Diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain
- New onset of severe headache
- Known close contact with a person who is lab confirmed to have COVID-19
Technology Update
No problem too small or too big to address: visit www.gottasectech.com or email Kellie Lahey klahey@conroeisd.net
Times To Remember...
- 8:50 AM—4:00 PM
- Students may enter the building by 7:35 AM (Please enter 5th grade side door)
- 5th Lunch A: 11:15 AM - 11:45 AM
- 5th Lunch B: 11:45 AM- 12:15 PM
- 6th Lunch C: 12:25 PM. - 12:55 PM
- 6th Lunch D: 12:55 PM - 1:25 PM
- 8:00 AM—4:30 PM
- 3:15 PM Calls to change transportation will end
- 3:20 PM Early check out of students will end
- 3:20 PM Cones for car rider dismissal will be set - cars for early pick up will not fit in front parking area
- 3:30 PM First Flight (10 cars) will move forward to cones
- 4:00 PM Flights 1 - 4 will be dismissed to wait at Car Cones
- Dismissed after car dismissal begins; 1. Bikers 2. More Car Flights 3. Neighborhood walkers (parents should not be parked in neighborhoods to pick up children - please use YMCA parking lot) 4. YMCA walkers (crossing guard provided for students)
Are You Following Us?
Collins Twitter Account
Collins Facebook Account
Collins Website
The Conroe Independent School District (District) as an equal opportunity educational provider and employer does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in educational programs or activities that it operates or in employment matters. The District is required by Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as Board policy not to discriminate in such a manner. For information about Title IX rights or Section 504/ADA rights, contact the Title IX Coordinator or the Section 504/ADA coordinator at 3205 W. Davis, Conroe, TX 77304; (936) 709-7752.