Colt Corner
#TeamCMS
November 22, 2019
Colts,
It is hard to believe how fast Thanksgiving break has arrived. This semester continues to fly by, and it is fun to see the progress made by our Colts. Our school district recently received the honor of being recognized as a Top 100 Workplace by the Dallas Morning News for the second straight year. We are fortunate to have such a positive working culture throughout our school district, and particularly on our campus which is evident on a daily basis. Our students benefit from the collegial environment that is shared on campus as our staff continues to find ways to be positive for the overall well-being of our Colts. There are always opportunities to celebrate the great things happening while staying focused on ways to constantly improve as a campus. This is the perfect time of year to be reflective and thankful for all of the positive attributes that CMS provides for our Colts. I want to continue to thank you for your affirming partnership in helping us create an environment where our kids can thrive daily. I do hope that you have the opportunity to enjoy the holiday week ahead and have a happy Thanksgiving!
David Arencibia, Ed.D.
CMS Principal
Facebook: Colleyville Middle School
Twitter: @CmsColts
#TeamCMS - #cmscelebrates - #CMSstrengths
B.E.S.T. - Building Excellent Schools Together
UPCOMING Events
November 25-29 - Thanksgiving Break; No school for staff/students; All district offices closed
December 4 - 7th & 8th Girls Basketball at George Dawson Middle School -schedule here
December 4 - Cross Country at CTMS - schedule here
December 5 - 8th Boys Basketball at CMS, schedule here
December 5 - Grapevine Parade of Lights
December 11 - Progress Reports
December 11 - Cross Country at Bob Jones Park, schedule here
December 11 - Band Winter Concert - CHHS - 6:00 pm
December 12 - Choir Winter Concert Dress Rehearsal- CMS Cafeteria 7:00 pm- 8:00 pm
December 13 - Choir Winter Concert - GHS 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
December 14 - Band - All-Region Band Clinic & Concert
December 16 - 8th Boys Basketball at CMS, schedule here
December 16 - 7th & 8th Girls Basketball at CTMS, schedule here
December 18 - 20 - Semester Exams
December 20 - 21 - Early Release 12:10
8th-grade baby/toddler picture for yearbook
This year there will be an 8th-grade baby/toddler picture page in the yearbook and we would like your 8th grader to be apart of it! Please send a .jpg picture of your 8th grader to morgan.dulaney@gcisd.net by February 14th for them to be included on that yearbook page. Thanks!
GRACE Christmas Cottage Toy Wish List
Colleyville Middle School Leadership Groups are are sponsoring a toy drive for Grace Christmas Cottage, a GRACE program that provides new, unwrapped gifts and toys to families facing financial hardship due to limited income or recent emergency. Over 2,500 individuals and families are served at Grace Christmas Cottage each holiday season.
Please consider donating a new, unwrapped toy (suggested list below). Just grab a tag from the Christmas tree in our lobby and bring the gift back in to the office. Donations will be accepted December 2nd - 16th! Participating students get a “Pajama Day” for contributing!
Christmas Cottage wish list linked here
Drop Off
Pre-K Information Night
GCISD is hosting a Pre-K information night from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on December 10. Please join us if you have any questions or would like to learn more about GCISD Pre-K for the 2020-2021 school year!
Tuesday, December 10 in the Mustang Room at the PDEC (Professional Development & Education Center) | 5800 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville, TX
Presentations at 5:30 p.m. & 6:15 p.m.
PSAT 8/9 Scores Are Coming Soon
PSAT 8/9 Scores Are Coming Soon
On December 2, your students' PSAT™ 8/9 scores from the September–November 2019 administrations will be available to you online in the K–12 score reporting portal.
Help your students take action on their scores by attending our live webinars the week of December 2 and checking out our resources. You'll learn tips for accessing, understanding, and using scores before your students receive theirs online beginning December 9.
Scores from the PSAT 8/9 will be available online to students December 9–11.
Students 13 years old and over who provided their email address on their PSAT 8/9 answer sheet will receive an email reminder from us explaining where and how to view their scores.
Ask your students to create a College Board account so they can easily access their scores once they're released online and unlock a robust set of personalized resources to help them understand their scores.
If a student doesn't see their scores when they log in, they may need to enter an access code. You can find your students' access codes in the roster reports in the K–12 score reporting portal.
You'll begin to receive PSAT 8/9 paper score reports in mid-December. If you distribute paper copies of score reports at your school, we still recommend students check their scores online so they can access personalized resources about their scores and take action on them.
If you have any questions, email us at k12reports@info.collegeboard.org.
District-wide Test Message
GCISD uses a variety of methods for communicating in an emergency situation. In order to ensure that parents receive all relative information, GCISD is going to conduct a test message on Tuesday, December 3. For more information, and to make sure you are signed up to receive District communication, click here.
Dad’s Club - Grapevine Parade of Lights
Our CMS Dad’s Club has entered in the Grapevine Parade of Lights this year. It will be held on December 5, Thursday night at 7 PM. We are asking any of you that would like to help or have access to materials, trailers, lights, ideas, or anything that we may need to participate, please reach out to Todd Bargy. tmbargy@gmail.com The theme this year is “Making the Season Bright”.
New additional option to help: If you are not able to assist due to time constraints, but would like to help with a donation, feel free to donate as the budget is limited since this is the first time that Colleyville MS will have a float in the parade. Thank you for your support of our Colts representation at the parade!
Dad's Club-
The Holiday Food Drive has been extended through December 16th.
School Spirit Upgrade Coming Soon!
Theater News
We've had several CMS Colt Theatre Students cast in Grapevine High School's production of A Christmas Carol. The show runs at 7:00 pm on December 6th, 7th and 9th; 2:00 pm on December 8th at Grapevine High School.
Girls Athletics
Counselor Corner (Week of December 2nd - December 9th )
8th Grade 4 Year Planning for High School
CMS counselors have been meeting with 8th grade students to help them create a high school 4 year plan. In these meetings, students select their core classes for all 4 years of high school and their electives for 9th grade. Students also select their endorsement during these meetings. Once students have had their individual meetings with their counselor and completed their 4 year plan, parents will be emailed and asked to review the plan in Skyward, email their child’s counselor to request changes, and sign off on both the 4 year plan and endorsement in Skyward. Then in January, counselors from both high schools will come to CMS to meet with our 8th graders.
8th Grade Parents,
Please review the PowerPoint presentation and documents linked below with your student and help him/her select his/her high school courses and endorsement prior to meeting with counselors. This will help ensure that your child gets the courses that best meet his/her needs and that courses are aligned with his/her future college and career goals. We do want to emphasize that we are creating a “plan” and selecting an endorsement that can be changed throughout high school - we know that it is unlikely that middle school students know what they want to take for all 4 years of high school. The most important thing is that you select the 9th grade core classes and electives that you want because these can not be changed after high school counselors meet with 8th graders in the spring semester.
4 Year Plan PowerPoint Presentation
Freshman Course Selection Guide
COLLEGIATE ACADEMY APPLICATIONS FOR 2020-2021
Attention all 8th graders interested in Collegiate Academy! Collegiate Academy is an Early College High School that is designed for students to earn a diploma and an Associate's Degree (60 hours of college credit) simultaneously, and it's all free. The online application for the GCISD Collegiate Academy at TCC Northeast will go live at 12:00 AM on November 1st! 8th graders must complete an application in order to be considered for acceptance as an incoming freshmen during the 2020-2021 school year. Students can pick up an application in the counseling office or they may access the application directly from the Collegiate Academy website. Due to the success and popularity of this program, it is encouraged that every student who is interested in possibly joining the Phoenix Family submit an application as soon as possible as space will be limited. The Collegiate Academy application will be available online from November 1, 2019 through January 17, 2020. The link to their school website is: ca.gcisd.net.
Credit by Exam
Students, in grades 6 through 12, currently enrolled in the District can receive credit for an academic course or subject area, in which the student has had no prior instruction, with a passing score of 80% or higher on an exam approved by the district’s Board of Trustees. If you’d like more information or want to sign up, please see one of your school counselors. Registration for the February CBE will be open until Noon on January 8th. You can also find more information at CBE.
PLAY IT SAFE PREVIEW
The Women’s Center of Tarrant County will be at CMS on the dates listed below. The lessons presented encourage and teach students how to recognize, report, and reduce the risk of being in an abusive and/or dangerous situation.
(7th Grade) Abuse of Power - Feb. 6
(6th Grade) Survivors of Abuse - March 5
Duke TIP
The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving academically gifted and talented youth. Duke TIP's talent searches serve as the entry point to academic benefits and programs for gifted and talented students in grades 4-12. For more information, click here:
REMINDER
Please make sure that you are checking Skyward. You can download the Skyward app for your phone or for your child’s phone to monitor your child’s grades.
Lynn Brizzi– Counselor A-K – 817-305-4916
Amy Bouchelle – Counselor L-Z – 817-305-4917
Heather Ingram - Data Clerk/Registrar - 817-305-4955
JOIN OUR TEAM in GCISD!
- Cafeteria Food Service Workers (Nutrition Specialist) -love food service but hate restaurant hours? Work while your children are in school!
- Bus Drivers - paid training program available; CDL drivers starting at $17.60/hr
- Bus Monitors - Assist bus driver in transporting students w/ disabilities to & from home.
- After School Care Aide (Kidzu) - work w/students after school & be a role model - help with homework, games and other activities!
- Custodians & Maintenance - Follow routine cleaning & maintenance procedures to maintain a high standard of safety & cleanliness of building operations & grounds. No weekends!
GREAT BENEFITS!
- Part time or Full time hours! Weekends Off!
- Competitive salary! Health & Retirement benefits!
- Fun team environment!
To apply, visit www.gcisd.net/careers
COLLEGIATE ACADEMY APPLICATIONS FOR 2020-2021
Attention all 8th graders interested in Collegiate Academy! Collegiate Academy is an Early College High School that is designed for students to earn a diploma and an Associate's Degree (60 hours of college credit) simultaneously, and it's all free. The online application for the GCISD Collegiate Academy at TCC Northeast will go live at 12:00 AM on November 1st! 8th graders must complete an application in order to be considered for acceptance as an incoming freshmen during the 2020-2021 school year. Students may access the application directly from our Collegiate Academy website. Due to the success and popularity of this program, it is encouraged that every student who is interested in possibly joining the Phoenix Family submit an application as soon as possible as space will be limited. The Collegiate Academy application will be available online from November 1, 2019 through January 17, 2020. The link to their school website is: ca.gcisd.net.