PAW PRINTS
Clinton Middle School Newsletter - December 9, 2022
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, December 12 - School Improvement Council Meeting, 5:00pm (virtual)
Monday, December 12 - Girls and Boys Basketball Games, 5:00pm, Big Gym
Tuesday, December 13 - Winter Band and Chorus Concerts, 6:00pm, Big Gym
Wednesday, December 14 - 6th Grade Winter Dance, 3:30pm - 4:30pm, MPR
Wednesday, December 14 - 7th & 8th Grade Winter Dance, 5:00pm - 6:30pm, MPR
Wednesday, December 14 - CMS Football Awards, 6:45pm, MPR
December 21 - January 4 - WINTER VACTION
Thursday, January 5 - Students Return to School
HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
The holiday season is almost upon us, and we wanted to make all families aware of the end of first semester. Wednesday, December 21 is listed on our calendar as a half day for students. We use this day as a day for students to complete any missing work prior to the conclusion of the first semester. Students who need to report to school on this day will be contacted by their school principal. If your child is not contacted, he or she does not need to report to school on Wednesday, December 21. Students will report back to school on Thursday, January 5 for the start of second semester. We hope each of you has a wonderful holiday break!
NEW SECURITY PROTOCOLS
We recently started using Ident-a-Kid as our new method of dismissing students. This enhanced system requires the person dismissing a student at CMS to bring their drivers license or state-issued ID. Effective immediately, an ID is needed by the person signing out the student. IDs are also required for anyone that comes into the building as a visitor. Please be sure to have your ID with you whenever coming to CMS.
6th GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES
Who's Hanging Around Mrs. Ray's room? Students in Mrs. Ray's social studies classes are studying Ancient Greece. Students created life-sized posters of famous Ancient Greeks including philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, and Alexander the Great. Students also created mythological Barbie and Action Figure posters including Kraken, Zeus, Cerberus, and many others! These characters have been seen hanging around upstairs by Room 200. Great work, Wildcats!
TIE DYE SHIRTS
Mrs. Hellman's 7th grade Textiles Class started Tie Dye last week! They learned about the different folds of the fabric and tied their shirts up to dye. Over the next two weeks they will be screen printing onto these tie dye shirts using paper stencil. Check out their finished T-shirts! This week they screen printed on them! They created the images using paper stencils and a silkscreen frame to print their designs on their t-shirts! The students loved this project and the shirts turned out great! Awesome work, Wildcats!
SHAPING THEIR THOUGHTS
Students in Mrs. Gambrell's 7th grade ELA classes participated in a great activity this week that helped shape their thinking related to the story, "A Christmas Carol". Hexagonal Thinking is a discussion tool used in the classroom to help students consider the connections between different plot elements and ideas. A hexagon has six sides where connections can be made with other ideas. This allows for a unique discussion each time. The best part about hexagonal thinking is it provides a catalyst for a creative discussion where everyone can be involved. When you give a small group of students a deck of hexagons and ask them to connect them however they choose, every group will come up with a different web for different reasons. Along the way they’ll hopefully question each other and dig deep into the concepts on the cards, debating which idea connects more to an important concept and which example deserves one of those precious six sides. Excellent work, Wildcats!
TEACHER CADETS at CMS
For the past few weeks, teacher cadets from Clinton High School have been in classrooms observing teachers, helping students, and delivering lessons. Today, students in Ms. Allen's 7th grade social studies class worked with teacher cadet, William Watts, who created an engaging lesson teaching students about the war in Ukraine. With this came a demonstration with students about recent events. Students participated in a simulation showing how Russia and Ukraine have engaged with each other and other countries that are a part of NATO. This demonstration was a great way for students to learn about the conflict in Ukraine and how NATO works. Nice job, Wildcats!
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
On Monday night, the Lady Wildcats hosted a home opener against Saluda and won 28-6. Right from the tip-off, the girls played phenomenally offensively and defensively. Amirah Hill led the team with 16 points. Teonna Bailey followed her with 6 points that came from some outstanding 3 points shots. Kyleigh Van Tassel and Shyneyia Epps also played great defense and scored points for the Lady Wildcats. On Thursday the Lady Wildcats traveled to Wright Middle School where they won 22-14! The girls had a rough start and were losing at the half but with hard work and determination, the Lady Wildcats pulled through. Kyleigh Van Tassel played great offensively and defensively. Ella Kate Haupfear, Zykedra McGowan, Amirah Hill, and Miracle Rice also played well and scored some important points for the team! We can't wait to see how they play Monday against Northside at home!
The Clinton Middle Boys Basketball Team also played their home opener on Monday. Multiple players played well. Zy Butler and Jashun Ivory led the Wildcats with 6 points each. Christian Jones had 5 points; Owen Glenn scored 4 points while Angelo Cromer and A’Javion James each added 2 points. each. Defensively, each player did great. Angelo Cromer, Jashun Ivory, and A’Javion James, just to name a few, were outstanding on defense. In their game last night versus Wright Middle, CMS again had multiple players playing at a very high level. They played extremely well on both sides of the ball. Angelo Cromer led all scorers with 12 points. Jashun Ivory had 11 points. Owen Glenn had 9 points and Christian Jones had 8 points. Other notable players were Camden Finely, A’Javion James, and Milton Philson who supported this great effort.
Our cheerleaders were also on hand on Monday to cheer both CMS teams to victory to start the season. We are excited to announce that the CMS Cheer Team will be a at all of our home games to provide the teams with tremendous support! Way to go, Wildcats!
NOMINATIONS for the CMS PAWS AWARDS
Each month, Clinton Middle School uses stakeholder feedback for our PAWS Award. This is given to any Clinton Middle School staff member who is recommended because of (1) their Positively contributing to our school, (2) their Affirmation of others, (3) their Willingness to go the extra mile, and (4) their Servant attitude. Recipients of the award are recognized by Clinton Middle School with a certificate and gift card! Those who nominate the monthly recipient are also given a prize! To nominate a person for the PAWS Award, simply click on the link.
8th GRADE ACTIVITIES
We are excited to offer 8th Grade Activities for students who successfully complete middle school in May. The events include a Promotion Ceremony (8th Grade Graduation), a Promotion Cookout, a Promotion Party/Dance, and an 8th Grade trip to Carowinds. At this point, all 8th graders are eligible to participate in all of these events, however they must maintain their eligibility by upholding behavior and academic standards that we outlined with all 8th graders yesterday. When 8th grade students violate our expectations, they are assigned points and as they earn points, they lose the privilege of participating in activities. Throughout the course of the year, students will accumulate points for disciplinary infractions. The consequences for accumulating points are outlined below:
20 points = Cannot go on the trip to Carowinds
25 points = Cannot go on the trip to Carowinds or attend the 8th Grade Party/Dance
30 points = Cannot go to Carowinds, or attend the Party/Dance and Cookout
35 points = Cannot attend any of the activities including the Promotion Ceremony
Please note the number of points student will receive for certain infractions:
- ISS = same points as the number of days
OSS = double points as the number of days
All other infractions are at the discretion of the Administrators
Any failing grade in any class on a report card = 5 points for each class
Hopefully, all of our students will be able to participate in all of these exciting events as we look forward to a successful year!
SCHOOL DISTRICT CALENDAR
MOBILE PHONE POLICY
Students should know that cell phones, headphones, earbuds (for non-academic purposes), and other similar devices cannot be visible and should be placed out of sight upon entering Clinton Middle School. These devices are not allowed at any time that students are in the building between the hours of 7:30am and 3:45pm. Students who violate this policy will receive consequences and repeat offenders will receive out of school suspensions. Please review this policy with your child. Parents should know that if they need to communicate a message to a student at Clinton Middle School, they may do so by calling (864) 833-0807.
PHYSICAL ALTERCATIONS at SCHOOL
Fights and all other physical altercations pose a very serious threat to students and staff members. Maintaining a safe environment for everyone is our top priority. Effective immediately, any student involved in a fight or physical altercation will be suspended from school for a minimum of 10 days and will automatically be recommended for expulsion. Additionally, any student that instigates a fight or physical altercation will face the same consequence of 10 days of out of school suspension and will also be recommended for expulsion. Please keep in mind that students can receive these same consequences for making threats against others. All of this has been communicated to students repeatedly since the first day of school.