Camp Road Cougar News
September 4, 2022
Principal's Greeting
Hello Camp Road Families!
A few thoughts:
- Bullying at school is a nationwide issue, in 2019 20% of students age 12-18 indicated that they experience bullying. South Carolina was above this national average with 23% of students indicating they experience bullying. This is old data, so in recent years these percentages may have increased. It has become clear to me through conversations with students, parents, and reviewing student survey data that this is a prevalent issue at Camp Road. This is something that can not be ignored. It is imperative for our students mental health and well being that we take steps to alleviate this type of behavior. Preventing bullying at school takes a multi-faceted approach that involves students, teachers, administration, and parents. Please take a look at the section in this newsletter for more information about how we are approaching bullying prevention.
- Vaping among secondary school aged students is on the rise. In 2020, 19.6% of high school students (3.02 million) and 4.7% of middle school students (550,000) reported using e-cigarettes of some type. After speaking to many students, parents, and teachers, this is a rising issue at Camp Road as well. Preventative measures are more effective then reactive ones, therefore, it is imperative that families be mindful of what their children are bringing to school and that families educate their children on the dangers of using such products. In order to promote a safe school environment for all students, we will provide consequences for possession, use, or distribution of tobacco or drug products on our campus according to the CCSD Progressive Discipline Plan. If you'd like to review the districts Progressive Discipline Plan you can access it here: Learning Services / PDPs/Code of Conduct (ccsdschools.com)
- I have been contacted about our Camp Road Students behavior at James Island Charter High School Football games. It is my understanding that students were asked to leave the game on Friday during the third quarter due to their behavior. Remind your children that if they are on school district property or at a school district event they can receive behavior consequences, such as ISS and OSS, from the Camp Road administrative staff. These events are considered an extension of the school and students are expected to behave according to the district code of conduct. In addition, students who participate in disruptive behavior at JICHS sporting events, including physical or verbal altercations, throwing things in the stands, etc., can be banned from attending any events at the High School for the entirety of the school year. This type of behavior may also come with legal consequences for students if law enforcement is involved at the event. We will address this with our school community through the morning news this upcoming week, however, we would appreciate it if you would discuss this with your children at home as well.
- We must work together to make Camp Road a great place for all students to come every day. Our top priorities are student safety and connectedness and providing a rigorous learning environment. Without a positive culture of safety and connectedness we will not be able to provide the rigorous learning environment that our students deserve. And without your support, we will not be able to improve our culture. I thank you for talking with your children about their behavior and academics every day. Open lines of communication between parent, students, and the school is the only way to continue to improve our school culture. It takes a village to raise children and we are happy to be a part of your village.
Jaclyn Rowehl
Principal
Upcoming Events
September
September 5: School Closed for Labor Day
September 7-9: Support JICHS Homecoming Spirit Week
September 7: Hat Day
September 8: Crazy Sock Day
September 8: Open House
September 9: Wear Orange and Blue Day
September 14: James Island Players Auditions at CRMS (see James Island Players Section below for more information)
September 15: Outdoor Club - Teambuilding/Challenge Course
September 22: Outdoor Club - Sea Kayaking
September 29: Outdoor Club - SUP (Stand-Up Paddle Boarding)
Outdoor Club
Does your child enjoy or would like to try for the first time sea kayaking, paddle boarding, long boarding, archery, or rock climbing? Then come and join the Outdoor Club hosted by the James Island County Park and Mr. & Mrs. Stanford. Use this link to access a flyer with more information:
Fall 2022 Outdoor Club.pdf (ccsdschools.com) James Island Players Auditions
Auditions for the James Island Players’ fall musical production of Bye Bye Birdie will be held immediately after school in Ms. Napier’s room (155 on the 7th grade hall) on Tuesday September 13. Students should come prepared to sing a song and perform a short monologue. Audition forms can be picked up in Ms. Napier’s room. Bring your completed form to the audition.
Bullying Prevention
Bullying is at its peak in middle school, and research indicates that taking proactive steps to address bullying will help reduce occurrences of it in our school. Research also indicates that layer support for students is the most effective. This approach involves all stakeholders, including the students, parents, teachers, administrators, and other school staff.
Here are Camp Road we are taking the following steps:
- We will begin a school-wide Second Step unit on recognizing bullying and harassment on September 12th. Please read the Second Step Parent Letter to learn more about this program: Second Step Parent Letter
- Creating a committee of student services personnel to evaluate other bullying prevention strategies to support our students
- Providing SEL support for students
- Educating families
We will continue to keep you informed as we improve our Bullying Prevention measures at Camp Road. However, we can not improve our school culture without your support. Here are two articles that could be helpful to parents to learn more about how to support your children:
Supporting a bullied middle schooler - Harvard Health
How to Prevent Bullying | StopBullying.gov
News From Guidance
Camp Road Middle School has the distinct honor to have a school counselor who's role is to support Social Emotional Learning at Camp Road. Not all schools have an SEL counselor, but here at Camp Road we know how important Social Emotional Learning is for our students.
Meet our SEL Counselor:
Heather Anderson is a school counselor by education and by heart and passion she is a champion of Social Emotional Wellness and what it can do for our students in and out of the classroom. Mrs. Anderson is returning to CRMS this year as our SEL School Counselor.
Her role as a school counselor supports all three grade levels. She supports teachers with their SEL lessons during Flex and facilitates lunch clubs (6th, 7th & 8th) --a space and place where students connect with other students while playing board games and working on organization, focus, goal setting, and big emotions skills. Anderson wrote a Donor’s Choose Project last fall and it was completely funded to support lunch clubs.
Social Emotional Learning is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply knowledge, skills, and life skills such as:
- manage emotions
- achieve personal and collective goals
- feel and show empathy
- make responsible and caring decisions.
Click here for a video about SEL.
News from PTO
Thanks to all the families who have joined PTO! Currently 44% of our student's families have joined! We want to increase it to 100% participation!!! PTO does so much for our students and teachers throughout the year so please consider joining via https://camproad.revtrak.net/ or by completing the form and sending in with cash/check!
PTO Membership & Fall Fundraising Drive is also happening! Your Fall Sponsorship donation of $35 (or more) is the largest contributor to our budget! It’s what we call “One & Done” since it eliminates the need for us to ask your child to solicit funds throughout the year…no wrapping paper or candle sales! Our PTO budget funds many amazing projects for our school including author visits, library books, positive behavior celebrations, honor roll celebrations, special teacher/classroom projects, playground equipment, in-school and after-school clubs, band scholarships, and much more!
The Cougar Spirit Wear Store closes Monday, September 5th at midnight. Last chance to grab some school spirit gear until next Spring! Free shipping to school! Visit the store at:
https://www.marktapparel.com/crms
News from our Band Director
Band fees for all band members, grades 6th through 8th, are due by September 9th. The band fee is $50 for the year. This fee covers the cost of each student’s band shirt, band binder, binder accessories, instrument accessories used in class, and other necessary class materials. The fee can be paid via cash, check made payable to CRMS Band Boosters, money order, or on Revtrak. If you are unable to pay the fee, please contact the band teacher, Ms. Spitzer at
chloe_spitzer@charleston.k12.sc.us. Students who do not pay the fee may be unable to participate in extra events throughout the year, including the spring band trip.
News for 8th Grade Families
- 8th grade parents, you should have received an informational letter/permission slip to sign up for the PSAT that went home on 9/1. If you would like your 8th grader to take the test, please return the slip and pay the $18 fee by Tuesday, September 13th. If you did not receive a letter, please email Mrs. Stonecypher at miranda_stonecypher@charleston.k12.sc.us to have one emailed to you.
- All students have visited the library and have an independent reading book. Please make sure to support them by having them read each night 20 minutes or more.
School Technology Information You Need to Know...
Students should NOT bring their Chromebook chargers to school. Please charge devices at home each evening. Chargers tend to disappear at school, and we have no way to track them. Students will be responsible for the cost of replacing lost chargers, so please don’t let your student bring the charger to school!
A reminder about the CCSD fee structure for damages and loss of chromebooks:
- Negligent/Accidental Breakage - No charge for first incident per school year $50 per incident for each subsequent event
- Intentional Vandalism - $300.
- Stolen Device - No cost if a police report is provided
- Lost Device - $300
- Lost Charger - $40
Stay in the loop with your child's academics!
We've got a couple of things to help you stay connected and in the know about your child's academics and their teachers. Below you will find a Quarterly Academic Newsletter and a Parent Guide for each grade level. We hope that these will be quick links for you to see what your child is learning as well as information about their teachers.
Grade Level Administrators and Guidance Counselors
6th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade
