Colt Corner
Colleyville Middle School
October 8, 2021
Colts,
Can you believe that the end of the first quarter of the academic school year is here?! Next week we have a short week with no school on Monday and we will wrap up the first nine week grading period on Friday. It is another important academic week for our Colts as all assignments and corrections for the first nine weeks are due by 4:00pm, Thursday the 14th. Please continue to encourage your Colt to stay up to date with all of their assignments/grades and have them communicate with any of their teachers if they have questions. Enjoy your three-day weekend with your Colt!
David Arencibia, Ed.D.
CMS Principal
Twitter: @CmsColts - #TeamCMS - #cmscelebrates - #CMSstrengths
B.E.S.T. - Building Excellent Schools Together
UPCOMING DATES/EVENTS
October 8 - Early Release - 12:10
October 11 - No School
October 12 - 8th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
October 13 - Wear Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness (Wed. in Oct.)
October 13 - PSAT for 8th Grade Students
October 13 - 7th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
October 13 - 7th & 8th Grade A & B Volleyball - Schedule linked here
October 18 - GCISD All District Choir Auditions - Heritage Middle School 4:00 - 5:30 pm
October 19 - 8th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
October 20 - Picture Day Retakes
October 20 - Band Fall Concert - CMS North Gym 7:00 pm
October 20 - Wear Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness (Wed. in Oct.)
October 22 - UIL - Students Gain/Lose Eligibility
In this Edition of the Colt Corner
* CMS Social Studies Student of the Week
* Volleyball, Football, and Band Flyers
* Picture Day (retake and makeup) - Oct. 20th during the school day.
* Picture ordering information
* Yearbook ordering information
* GCISD Holiday Greeting Card Art Contest
* Join the 2021-2022 Spirit Guard
* GCISD College and Career Night
* National School Lunch Week
* Lightspeed Internet Usage Reports
* Counselor Corner: 8th Grade Parent Meeting, Credit by Exam, Play it Safe Parent Preview, Signs of Suicide, GCISD Mental Health Awareness, APPS to assist with managing stress and anxiety
Repeated Information
* GCISD Update - October 6
* PSAT
* AIM for Success
* CMS PTA Reflections Program
* Remote Conferencing
* COVID-19 Protocols and Testing Center
* Colleyville Middle School Directory - Who To Contact
* All sideline access CMS Football video - Colt Football vs. Hurst Red Raiders
GCISD Holiday Greeting Card Art Contest
All elementary, middle, and high school students are invited to submit original artwork for GCISD’s Holiday Greeting Card Art Contest. This year’s theme is "A Season of Kindness.” Three student designs—one each from the elementary, middle, and high school levels—will be selected and sent out on behalf of the GCISD Board of Trustees and Superintendent Dr. Robin Ryan.
The three students whose works are selected for the GCISD Holiday Greeting Card will receive $25 and recognition at the December meeting of the Board of Trustees. The selected artwork will be featured on the district’s website and used in district publicity.
Complete rules and guidelines can be found on this flyer. Last year's winning designs can also be found online.
Join the 21-22 Spirit Guard!
Spirit Guard is a co-ed performance group for GCISD MS Students. You can learn basic elements of dance, theater, and of course color guard. Members will have the chance to travel on trips with the high school guard and see collegiate performers in action! Meetings are Tuesdays after-school in the Vista gym starting Oct 19th, and is $50 for the year. No experience needed to join!
If interested, please contact the Color Guard Director Justin Draper at guarddirector@grapevinehsband.com or visit grapevineHSband.com/color-guard
GCISD College and Career Night
National School Lunch Week
National School Lunch Week is October 11-15, 2021. Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Nutrition Services will continue the tradition of celebrating the State Fair of Texas! This school year, the USDA has extended universal free meals to many students attending schools that participate in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program. All Grapevine-Colleyville ISD students in grades Pre-K to 8th grade, and Collegiate Academy, are eligible to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost in the school cafeteria in the 2021-2022 school year.
On Thursday October 14, we will celebrate with a State Fair-themed menu including a corn dog or hamburger/cheeseburger, curly fries, corn in a cup, Texas watermelon and a cinnamon sugar churro for those with a sweet tooth! We hope you will join us, after all, who doesn't love a Free lunch!
Lightspeed Internet Usage Reports
Starting in the month of October, parents will be receiving internet usage reports for their children using district devices from Lightspeed. Reports will include most visited sites and a link to a parent dashboard with more details and the ability to pause the internet on student devices after school hours. For more information, check out the Lightspeed Parent Port Site.
Wednesday's in October wear pink!
Counselors’ Corner (Oct. 11-15)
8th Grade Parent Meeting
Our academic counselors, Mrs. Bouchelle and Mrs. Brizzi hosted a meeting for CMS 8th grade parents on Oct. 7th to discuss high school 4 year planning. Counselors will now begin meeting with 8th grade students one-on-one to assist them in creating individualized plans outlining the core courses students plan to take all four of high school. Every 8th grade student will meet with his/her counselor and should have a 4 year plan by the end of the first semester. Then, in January, counselors from both high schools will come to CMS to meet with students and review 4 year plans a final time. The courses selected for the freshman year of 4 year plans will be the courses that are actually scheduled for the 9th grade year. So, it is important that students carefully consider the 9th grade portion of their 4 year plan. The courses selected for sophomore, junior, and senior years are just an evolving “plan” and will be revisited and may be changed every school year throughout high school. Students will not select electives and alternate electives this semester, but will do so in January when they meet with their high school counselor (this is a change from previous years).
If you were unable to attend last night’s presentation, the powerpoint, a QR code for submitting questions, and other helpful resources will be emailed to all 8th grade parents on Friday, Oct. 8th.
Play it Safe Parent Preview
Play it Safe Parent Preview
The Play it Safe! Middle School Parent Preview was held virtually through Zoom on September 23rd at 10 a.m. and was recorded for parents to watch at their convenience--you can click HERE to view it.
For CMS campus-specific dates for the upcoming 6th and 7th grade Play It Safe presentations, please see the English Flyer or Spanish Flyer. If you do NOT want your child to participate, please fill out the linked form and send/bring to school with your child or email Sarah Dumas at sarah.dumas@gcisd.net BEFORE the presentation date to let us know that you would like to opt your child out. Otherwise, all students will participate in the program.
SOS SIGNS OF SUICIDE® PREVENTION PROGRAM
GCISD offers depression awareness and suicide prevention training as part of the SOS Signs of Suicide® Prevention Program. The program is designed for all secondary students grades 6-12. The GCISD School Health Advisory Committee has previewed and recommended these programs for all GCISD secondary schools.
A parent preview of the program was held Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. and at 6:00 p.m. at the GCISD Administration Building.
For more information, including information about how to opt your student out of the program, please click here for English or Spanish.
CMS is planning to do our SOS presentations this Fall on the following dates:
8th grade – Oct. 5
7th grade – Oct. 6
6th grade – Oct. 19
Opt out forms should be sent to Ms. Dumas, our new student advocate. Her email address is sarah.dumas@gcisd.net Opt-out forms need to be returned before the date of your child's presentation only if you do NOT want your child to participate.
GCISD Mental Health Awareness
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and in honor of this awareness we would like to remind students and our community that counselors are available to support students and parents and will be conducting Suicide Prevention Curriculum this semester at all secondary campuses.
"Out of the Darkness Walk" with GCISD Hope Squads Oct. 30th - click HERE to register and join our district for the DFW Metro Walk.
Additional Resources:
National Institute of Mental Health
Jordan Harris Foundation (Upcoming virtual QPR trainings advertised here
Below are some APPS that assist with managing stress and anxiety:
1. Calm
Calm offers its app FREE to all educators (normally $69.99 a year). There are great series specifically for children that involve children’s favorite characters such as Thomas the Train and Camilla Cabello. There are also sleep stories tailored to children or adults that will have you drifting off to sleep in no time.
Calm includes:
· Mindfulness Series by Age
· Mindfulness Series by Topic (Anxiety, Relationships, Focus, Etc.)
· Sleep Stories
· Relaxing Ambient Music
2. Headspace
Headspace also offers its app FREE to all educators (normally $69.99 a year). One outstanding feature of Headspace for educators is all the free education resources they provide including training, classroom posters, guides, and more!
Headspace includes:
· Mindfulness Series by Age
· Over 500+ Mindfulness Exercises
· Articles and Training on SEL For Children
· Music Playlists
3. Smiling Mind
Based in Australia but loved worldwide, Smiling Mind also offers its app completely FREE to everyone. Similar to HeadSpace, Smiling Mind offers educators free resources such as trainings, classroom engagement tools, guides, and more!
Smiling Mind includes:
· Mindfulness Series by Age
· COVID Digital Care Package
· SEL Lessons, Mindfulness Curriculums and Journals For Children
· Music PlaylistsOctober 6, 2021 | GCISD.net
In this Edition
Upcoming Important Dates: See below for upcoming early release days and student/teacher holidays.
GCISD Band Showcase: Check out the highlights from GCISD's Band Showcase, an event where middle and high school bands combine for one outstanding show.
Holiday Greeting Card Art Contest: Students are invited to join the GCISD Holiday Greeting Card Art Contest. Three winners will have their designs chosen for the official GCISD holiday card.
COVID-19 Resources: Visit GCISD's numerous COVID-19 resources that include frequently asked questions, the GCISD COVID-19 Testing Center, remote conferencing and more.
What's For Dinner? Take and Bake Meals Return: GCISD's popular "Take and Bake" meals program has returned and is available on Thursdays through October.
Upcoming Important Dates
AIM FOR SUCCESS OPT-IN LETTER
This year GCISD is continuing to use the Aim for Success program for the 8th graders and Determined to Succeed for the 6th graders.
Aim for Success focuses on “the benefits of waiting for sexual activity”. Topics included are teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and emotional hurts. Students in 7th-12th grade also receive information on contraception and setting their own boundaries.
Determined to Succeed focuses on “recognizing social/peer, technology, and media related pressures”. The program briefly outlines the problems of teen pregnancies and STDs, and then addresses the issues of how to resist pressure to become sexually active. This includes recognizing healthy relationships, sexual abuse, emotional hurts, and resisting peer pressure (refusal skills), the media, and pornography.
ALL STUDENTS in 6th and 8th grades are to turn in a signed form where the parent will designate if their child may attend the program or not. Due to changes in State Law, a student must have a signed Opt-In form with a parent's permission in order to attend the program.
8th Grade Parents who are interested in attending an informational session thru WebEx to hear about the curriculum may attend either of the sessions below:
10AM-11AM
JOIN WEBEX MEETING https://gcisd.webex.com/gcisd/j.php?MTID=m8311bcc4c332cd6126e5afd2c6cfedba
Meeting number (access code): 2620 994 7572
6PM-7PM
JOIN WEBEX MEETING https://gcisd.webex.com/gcisd/j.php?MTID=mdd95079549aedbe5103203941feded08
Meeting number (access code): 2620 011 7641
The 8th grade program will take place on December 1st.
Forms for the 8th grade program are linked below and need to be turned in to their history teacher.
Aim for Success Opt-In Form English
Aim for Success Opt-In Form Spanish
All 6th grade program sessions will take place in the Spring Semester, so more information will be sent later.
PSAT
Wednesday, October 13, 8th-grade students will take the PSAT 8/9. This not only provides students the opportunity to practice the SAT-style test, but it provides valuable data for both home and school on the student's progression towards college readiness. For more information about the test, please review the PSAT 8/9 Student Guide.
A couple of notes about the PSAT and testing day.
Students that arrive after the test has begun, will not be allowed to take the test.
Students are encouraged to bring their own calculators to use on the calculator portion of the test.
Students are NOT allowed to eat or drink during testing unless such accommodations are already in place for health reasons.
Students may not use a mechanical pencil for the test.
Some students will be testing over two days. This will be known to your student if it applies to them.
Remote Conferencing
GCISD would like to inform families that, beginning on Monday, August 23, remote conferencing will be available for students who are unable to attend school in-person because they are in quarantine as the result of being a close contact or test-positive for COVID-19.
Approved by the Texas Education Agency, remote conferencing is a mechanism by which online instruction can be provided for those who are temporarily away from campus for reasons related to COVID-19. It is important to remember this is not GCISD Online, a temporary remote learning option for elementary students that families were made aware of last week.
Please click here for frequently asked questions regarding remote conferencing. More detailed information, including a complete list of FAQs, is available from the TEA by clicking here.
Additional Remote Conferencing Info.
COVID-19 Protocols and Testing Center
Throughout the summer, GCISD has continued to monitor updated health guidance and recommendations to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, the District has monitored positive cases for students and staff that participated in summer programs. This continued monitoring has helped inform the District’s 2021-2022 COVID-19 protocols. More information about the protocols was sent last week, and can be read here.
GCISD COVID-19 Testing Center
The GCISD COVID-19 Testing Center at Mustang Panther Stadium is currently open for symptomatic students or staff.
The testing center hours will be 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. No appointment is needed from 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.; however, please email covidtesting@gcisd.net to let the district know that you will be coming. From 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., appointments should be made using the same email address listed above.
CMS Who To Contact Directory
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