McCormick Middle School News
April 6th - April 10th
McCormick Middle School
Cynthia Zapata - Assistant Principal
Pete Medellin - Assistant Principal
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm
Email: James.Cruz@hayscisd.net
Website: https://www.hayscisd.net/mms
Location: 5700 Dacy Lane, Buda, TX. 78640
Phone: 512-268-8508
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mccormickMS/?ref=bookmarks
Mission Statement
"McCormick Middle School is a team of dedicated educators that will create a safe environment where students are motivated to achieve academic success. We will empower our students to be respectful and engaged learners resulting in a culture that inspires excellence not only in their school, but also in their community."
Additional Information
Parents
I appreciate all or our students who have begun their online lessons. I know this first week was tough but students did a good job. Please let your child’s teacher know if you have any questions. I wanted to provide a few reminders:
· Students must be logged on their Gmail account to do google classroom lessons.
· Students need to do their best to be on a schedule. It is recommended for students to take breaks.
· Students do not need to finish all of the lessons for the week in one day. It is recommended students spend 3-4 hours a day on school work.
· Students need to read every day!
Remember, students need to do the best they can on these assignments. I know it is difficult but they can do it!
General questions parents/students have been asking:
1. When are we going back to school? Superintendent Wright stated we are out of school indefinitely.
2. What about student field trips? All field trips have been canceled for the school year
3. Can I still purchase a yearbook for my child? Yes, there is information on how to purchase a yearbook in this newsletter.
4. How will my child get their yearbook if I have already paid for it? We will have a plan once all of this is over on how to distribute yearbooks.
5. How does my child get their stuff out of their athletic locker/classroom/dance room? Right now, we are not allowed to have anyone on campus. We will have a plan once all of this is over to get your items.
6. My child is not able to do their assignments on google classroom? Please email your child’s teacher or Mr. Cruz.
7. What do I do if I have not heard from anyone from McCormick and I have some questions and/or concerns? Please call/email Mr. Cruz
I appreciate your flexibility, patience, and understanding with us during this time. Please continue to practice social distancing and stay safe.
This information is from last week's newsletter
Schedule For Students
It is very important that we try to get students back on a schedule. I know this can be difficult at home. I wanted to share some information from TEA (Texas Education Agency), and other trusted educational resources that routinely says “school at home is NOT homeschool” and strongly advises against trying to replicate the traditional 8 hour school day. Their guidance recommends reducing the student workload and instructional time by at least half.
MMS will create a schedule to accommodate no more than 160-175 minutes of student activities per day.
This is an example of a schedule we are doing with our child. We let her pick which option to do each day. You can develop your own schedule that works for your child and you.
Option #1
Monday/Wednesday - Students work on periods 1 -4... and read for 20 minutes…at any time of your choosing..
Tuesday/Thursday - Students work on periods 5-6 and read for 20 minutes...at any time of your choosing
Friday - Students work on 7 period and any assignments they were not able to complete during the week... and read for 20 minutes… at any time of your choosing. If students are not able to read a book, they can work on Edgeunity or IXL.
Students should take breaks as needed. Students should spend 25-30 minutes per period working on lessons
Option #2
Everyday students work for 2 hours in the morning on any subject...at any time of your choosing
Lunch
After lunch, students work for 1 hours on any subject...at any time of your choosing
Students should read for 20 minutes... If students are not able to read a book, they can work on Edgeunity or IXL.
Students should take breaks as needed. Students should spend 25-30 minutes per period working on lessons
Option #3
8am-8:35am
8:45am-9:30am
Break
10:30am-11:30
Lunch
Pick 30 minutes after lunch to work on lessons
Students should take breaks as needed. Students should spend 25-30 minutes per period working on lessons... If students are not able to read a book, they can work on Edgeunity or IXL.
We know some day’s students may be able to be on the computer longer and some days students will not be able to get on a computer at all. That's okay. At the end of the day, we ask that students do the best they can.
Please tell your child to not worry or get frustrated with online learning. Teachers will be available to help. Teachers are not required to have video chats with students. If a teacher chooses to have a video chat, they will be using the ZOOM program for meetings. Google Hangout/Google Meet will not be used for fact to face meetings. Your child will have to communicate via email/google classroom if they have questions for teachers.
I do expect my teachers to respond to student’s emails/google classroom questions. However, they are all working from home as well and many of them have children of their own that they are having to take care of. They might not be able to respond as quickly. Please be patient with them.
I have provided additional information for our meals to go program, technology help desk, and other instructional resources at the bottome of this newsletter.
We are here for parents and students and I know we will get through this together. Take care and stay safe!
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you
Mr. Cruz
McCormick Middle School Principal
512-698-7007 (please leave a message if I don't answer)
Purchase your 2019-2020 McCormick Yearbook!
Order Your Yearbook Online Today!
Yearbooks are on sale now for $35 and can be purchased online.Although we're having a very unconventional post-spring break, there was still an eventful school year covered! There is a 2019-2020 yearbook, and it will be shipped when our publisher returns to normal operations.
All buyers will be updated with shipping and distribution details as soon as we receive that information from our publisher. In the meantime, online sales are still up and running, so don't wait!
Counselor Corner
Counselor Corner
Updated information for 8th grade students!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mirA4SAps9_XCuvIF3YWVJklAn8mGprMashSx7rLhnQ/edit?usp=sharing
We've created this section to help provide parents and students with resources during this difficult time. We will be posting helpful tips, videos, and ways to connect with your school counselor.
There are so many great resources out there for kids, teens, adults and families right now. Today we're sharing a great handout created by School Counselor Stephanie that provides some good coping tools for kiddos to work on - either alone or with family members. Here is the link to download the free Handout.http://schoolcounselorstephanie.com/
Also, we have included a handout on copy techniques for students.
We'll be posting several more coping tools and resources over the next few weeks so please check back for updates!
Please feel free to contact us by email:
Veronica Cervantes, MMS School Counselor - veronica.cervantes@hayscisd.net
Rosario Rodriguez, MMS School Counselor - rosario.rodriguez@hayscisd.net
Erica Gallardo, Program Manager/Communities In Schools of Central Texas - erica.gallardo@hayscisd.net