Colt Corner
#TeamCMS
August 17, 2018
Colts,
It was great to see our Colt families on Thursday at Colt camp and registration pickup. Being around our students always brings me big smiles because it is an immediate reminder of why I entered this great profession, and that is to make a positive impact with our youth. As we enter into the eve of a new school year, and regardless of how many times that we experience the first day of school, there are always butterflies the night before. The new school year always brings mixed emotions including excitement because of all the possibilities that a new school year holds. Like you, we look forward to doing everything possible to make this the best school year yet! Enjoy the weekend and we will see you on Monday!
David Arencibia, Ed.D.
CMS Principal
Facebook: Colleyville Middle School
Twitter: @CmsColts
#TeamCMS - #cmscelebrates - #CMSstrengths
UPCOMING Events
August 20 - First day of School
August 22 - School Picture Day
August 23 - PTA Coffee with Dr. Arencibia - 8:30 am Learning Commons
August 27 - 31 - Book Fair - Learning Commons
August 28 - PTA General Meeting 5:30 - 6:00pm - Cafeteria
August 28 - Curriculum Night - 6:00 -7:20 pm (Please note time adjustment)
September 3 - Labor Day Holiday
September 21 - PTA Back to School Social
State Accountability Ratings: An Open Letter from Dr. Robin Ryan
When I speak to groups in the community, I often ask the audience: “What makes a good school?” The responses range from great teachers to involved parents to happy, well-adjusted students, to good citizens. Not once in eight years has anyone responded: “good standardized test scores.”
Next week, the State will release its A-F ratings for school districts. These ratings are supposed to be a simple way to tell if a school is doing well. The A-F rating system is an attempt to inform us about something as complex as school quality by reducing it to a single letter grade, and that is where it falls short. As accountability expert John Tanner often states: “Simple is good unless it is wrong.” Don’t worry, I’m not going to try and explain the metrics behind the “simple” ratings. This article would become a book the size of an encyclopedia. The State’s A-F ratings will be neither simple, nor comprehensive. School accountability is important and with all we know about teaching and learning in 2018, there has to be a better way to design a more accurate accountability system.
Testing is important, for sure, but using tests as the sole indicator to label and form statistical conclusions about students, teachers and schools will be mostly inaccurate. These tests do not measure skills that many employers repeatedly describe as necessary in today’s workforce: creativity, grit, teamwork, empathy, artistic ability, endurance or compassion. In GCISD, we will examine our results and make appropriate adjustments as we continue doing what is best for students.
Standardized tests have been used to judge schools for almost two decades. Parents and students have been increasingly frustrated that high stakes testing actually hijacks the curriculum and decreases the quality of a student’s educational experience. The 2015 National Superintendent of the Year Dr. Philip Lanoue called it the “fool’s gold” of accountability. Parents have higher expectations for our schools to do more than simply mold students into successful test takers. Our goal is to make sure that every student who crosses the stage is equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to participate fully in their chosen career path and the future of our republic. That takes much more than performing well on one test. Rather than relying on a tired, recycled accountability system, as a district, state and nation, we need to adjust our views on accountability.
As part of developing LEAD 2.0, the next phase of the district’s strategic framework, we are going to develop a robust Community Based Accountability System. The whole premise behind this system is two questions: for what should we be accountable? And to whom should we be accountable? We say all the time that our students and staff are not defined by scores on standardized tests, but we also know that we need to have robust accountability that actually reflects the values and expectations of our community, along with the educational standards of the State. I am all for accountability, but it needs to be based on more than just a snapshot of how our students perform on one day. This Community Based Accountability System will provide an opportunity for our parents, community, staff and students to determine the standards that are important in this community, determine how best to meet those standards and be transparent in reporting out on those metrics.
As educators, our job is to champion the more than 5.4 million students receiving a public education in the State of Texas. More specifically, we must champion the almost 14,000 students in GCISD. One definition of a champion is “a winner of first prize or first place in competition.” We are very fortunate to win a lot of championships in GCISD, and while the hardware that comes along with it is nice, the characteristics of a champion are more important. Focus, courage, motivation, perseverance, and integrity are a few commonly recognized traits of a champion and none of these are measured by the new A-F Accountability System.
The State’s A-F system tells a story, but it is an incomplete and limited one because almost everything that happens at school is not captured in a letter grade determined by a standardized test. It cannot capture the hopes, dreams and aspirations a community has for its children. It will not tell the complete GCISD story. We can do better and we are committed to improving moving forward. Done well, an accountability system should be accurate, credible and used by all stakeholders to improve our schools. We will use the A-F information as one of many data points on our quest to provide an excellent education for every student who walks through our doors in order to continue to Build Excellent Schools Together.
From our PTA
Volunteers:
The 2018-2019 CMS PTA is hard at work to ensure that we have another great year at CMS! We would love your help! Please follow the link to volunteer interest to let us know how you’d be interested in helping out! Some great ways to volunteer at our school include: working the library or teacher appreciation events, chaperoning socials, or joining a planning committee for socials, cotillion or 8th grade banquet. Your willingness to volunteer makes CMS a unique community where all of our students will thrive. We welcome you!
As a reminder, all volunteers must complete a background check each school year. Please follow the link below to complete your background check: Volunteer background check
Please contact Stephanie Williams at cmsptavoluntr@gmail.com with any questions!
Student-Parent Handbook
Student/Parent Handbook ('17-'18 link)
The Student Handbook is updated yearly, policy adoption and revisions may occur throughout the year. Changes in policy or other rules that affect Student Handbook provisions will be made available to students and parents through newsletters, other communications or updates on this webpage. The district reserves the right to modify provisions of the Student Handbook at any time, whenever it is deemed necessary. Notice of any revision or modification will be given as is reasonable practical under the circumstances.
Note: The 2018-19 Student Handbook and other materials will be available soon. When available, materials will appear on this webpage.
About the Student-Parent Handbook
GCISD's Student-Parent Handbook contains information that students, parents and staff are likely to need during the school year. In addition, both students and parents need to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct, which includes the Dress Code (pg. 44).
Week of August 20 – 24
Counselor Corner Week of August 20 – 24
COLT CAMP SURVEY
Attention 6th grade parents: We want to hear from you! Please complete the survey below about you and your student's experience at CMS Colt Camp! We want your feedback so we can improve the programs that we provide for you.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSflPovOX7vDBZp2p-kI5YCp-0LPvS7kqMG0nFeSW3232hPCcQ/viewform
ALL STUDENTS
Signs of Suicide (SOS):
During the month of September the CMS Counselors will be leading guidance lessons from the SOS (Signs of Suicide) curriculum. This program will be shared with all GCISD middle and high school students and staff. Students will learn how to respond to a friend who may need extra support. One tool they will gain is the acronym ACT.
A: Acknowledge the problem;
C: Care. Let the person know you care; and
T: Tell a responsible adult.
Counselors will also discuss the difference between sadness and depression.
The Parent Screening of SOS will be will be August 29 at 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM at the Administration Building in the Board Room.
6th Graders will have their lesson Wednesday, September 5.
7th Graders will have their lesson Wednesday, September 12.
8th Graders will have their lesson Wednesday, September 19.
Below is the link for district information on Signs of Suicide. You can print off the opt out form here or use the attachment to print off form. Please just write in the date and grade of your child if opting out of the presentation.
PLAY IT SAFE VIDEOS for 6th and 7th – Please keep checking for the dates of the Parent Preview for the Play It Safe program presented by the Women’s Center.
CMS Dates for Students
October 4 – 7th Grade – Play It Safe – Healthy Relationships
November 9 – 7th Grade – Play It Safe – Can’t Take It Back
November 16 – 6th Grade – Play It Safe – It’s Harassment
February 15 – 7th Grade – Play It Safe – Abuse of Power
March 1 – 6th Grade – Play It Safe – Survivors of Abuse
REMINDER – The first progress report date will be September 7 and the second progress report date is September 28. The end of the 1st 9 weeks is October 19. Please make sure that you are checking Skyward. You can download the Skyward app for your phone or for your child’s phone so you can monitor grades.
Krystal McCure – Counselor A-K – 817-305-4916
Amy Bouchelle – Counselor L-Z – 817-305-4917
Shari Vanderwork – Registrar – 817-305-4955
Important Repeated Information
Attention CMS Dads!
The CMS Dad’s Club needs you! We are instituting a program for 2018-2019 called the Colt Wranglers. The purpose? We will provide safety and a presence at drop off every morning. We would like to station two dads at the three main entrances to welcome the kids with a smiling face and to let them know that we are here for them for 25 minutes before school starts. Drop your kiddos off and step into the door way.
Step one will be to fill out the Volunteer Background Check at. http://www.gcisd-k12.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=96313&pageId=21206
Step two will be to sign up for a shift (or as many as you like) when we send the sign up genius link out in a couple weeks.
Be there for your kids, be there for your school! Let’s show our Colts how it is done!
2018-2019 Lockers
School issued laptop
Direct link to information here.
Every student in GCISD receives a device free of charge! 6th grade and new students at CMS will receive their laptops on the second day of school.
The following breaks down what type of device each child will receive:
- Grades K- 4 students have iPads.
- Grade 5 students have Dell Chrome Books.
- Grades 6-12 have Dell laptops with Windows 10.
One of the core elements of LEAD 2021, our district’s strategic plan, is to integrate technology into every aspect of the student’s academic experience. With the 2017-2018 school year every child in GCISD will be issued a device. Students in need of internet access at home may also apply for free home internet access.
GCISD Updates Student Device Cost
As Grapevine-Colleyville ISD expands its 1:1 program to include all students in kindergarten through twelfth-grade, technology services has made a change to the fee structure. Beginning in the 2017-2018 school year, families will be provided with a device at zero cost.
“We are always looking for ways to provide our students with the necessary technology to support their learning without placing a financial burden on our families,” said GCISD Chief Technology Officer Kyle Berger. “We are so excited for the changes to the student device cost agreement and look forward to the ways this will help streamline our integration of technology into the classroom.”
While the initial device is provided at no cost, there are fees assessed based on incident repairs. The first incident will be repaired for free for all students. For students that paid a $50 student fee in the 2016-2017 school year, their second incident will also be repaired at no cost. Students that did not pay the fee last year will be charged $15 for the repair after the second incident. For all students, after the third incident the fee will be the full cost of the device repair. In the instance that the damage to the device is intentional, the cost of the repair will be based on the damage regardless of how many incidents have occurred.
Technology Services has been working to integrate the fee device management with Skyward Family Access to generate any fee related communication to parents. If you have any questions about changes to the student device fees, please use Let’s Talk to submit your question to Technology.
REMINDER: Parents, we need your input!
Beginning September 4, we will be hosting three scheduled parent input sessions right here on our campus. These sessions will be 45-50 minutes long and we will be capping each session at 10 people. These sessions are first come first served. If you are interested in sharing your experience with the GCISD, please sign up using this google form. Please make sure you are selecting a time slot for your respective campus.
Zero Hour Students
Virtual Parent Meeting:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DWc4_YRGQjG_mW0uobWB3vy6WZtj34IZ-TzKPjA6HPA/edit?usp=sharing
Zero Hour Schedule: https://tinyurl.com/ZeroHourSchedule
Immunizations for incoming 7th graders
AUGUST 2018 - * Required immunizations for starting 7th grade are: Tdap and Meningiococcal Students cannot begin 7th grade without having given the nurse proof that the student has received these immunizations. If the immunizations were given during your student’s 6th grade year, please send the immunization record in to the nurse.
Email: sophia.martin@gcisd.net or Fax: 817-498-9764 Or your student can bring it to the clinic. These immunizations can be given on or after the student’s 11th birthday.
Athletics
Information regarding physicals, gear, etc. has been sent out over the past few months from our coaches. For additional athletics information you can always visit the school athletics website here.
LEAD 2.0: We need your input!
LEAD 2.0: We need your input!
In April, we convened a committee of more than 100 students, parents, staff and community members to review the work accomplished in the District’s Strategic Plan, LEAD 2021 and initiated the process to advance the strategic plan into the next phase known as LEAD 2.0.
To learn more about the current strategic plan, please visit our LEAD 2021 page.
We are excited to now continue to analyze the data, thoughts and various perspectives that were discovered and presented during the first phase of the LEAD 2.0 Discovery process.
In this next phase, we need your voice! Beginning September 4, we will be hosting three scheduled parent and community input sessions on every GCISD campus. These sessions will be 45-50 minutes long and we will be capping each session at 10 people. These sessions are first come first served. If you are interested in sharing your experience with the GCISD, please sign up using this google form. Please make sure you are selecting a time slot for your respective campus.
If you can’t make it during the day, we will have three district-wide open sessions held in the evening with a specific date and time information to follow in the next few weeks.
We hope to see you at one of these sessions and look forward to hearing your input!
Estimados padres de familia, ¡necesitamos su opinión!
En abril, se convocó un comité de más de 100 estudiantes, padres de familia, personal e integrantes de la comunidad para revisar el trabajo realizado en el plan estratégico del distrito, LEAD 2021, e iniciar el proceso para avanzar el plan estratégico a la siguiente fase conocida como LEAD 2.0.
Para obtener más información sobre el plan estratégico actual, favor de visitar nuestra página web de LEAD 2021.
Nos da mucho gusto continuar ahora a investigar los datos, las opiniones y las diversas perspectivas que se descubrieron y que se presentaron durante la primera fase del proceso de descubrimiento de LEAD 2.0.
En esta próxima fase, ¡necesitamos su voz! A partir del 4 de septiembre, tendremos tres sesiones aquí en nuestra escuela programadas para presentar información. Estas sesiones durarán de 45 a 50 minutos y consistirán de 10 personas por sesión. Si usted está interesado en compartir sus experiencias con GCISD, favor de llenar este formulario. Favor de tomar nota que la participación en estas sesiones se basará en el orden en que se reciben los formularios. Favor de seleccionar el horario más conveniente para usted en su respectiva escuela.
Si no puede asistir durante el día, tendremos tres sesiones para todo el distrito que se llevarán a cabo en la noche. En las próximas semanas les daremos información específica sobre fechas y horarios.
¡Esperamos verlo en una de estas sesiones y nos dará gusto escuchar sus comentarios!
GCISD and Let’s Talk
In May 2015, GCISD launched the two-way communication tool Let’s Talk. This platform provided the opportunity for parents, community members, staff and students to submit a question, concern, suggestion or anonymous dialogue to any campus or department across the District. Since its inception, the District has received more than 1,900 dialogues on a variety of topics.
Prior to approving the 2018-2019 budget, the District conducted a cost analysis of Let’s Talk and made the determination to discontinue services based on increased contract costs. While GCISD wants to have an easy way for people in the community to connect with the District, there is also a strong commitment to being fiscally responsible.
Let’s Talk will no longer be available beginning on Wednesday, August 1. We value open communication and we want everyone to be able to easily communicate with the correct district or campus staff so that your questions or concerns may be addressed. To provide parents, community members, staff and students with an opportunity to get in contact with their respective campus or the district, email addresses have been created and will be monitored daily by staff. To view a list of the email addresses, click here.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the move away from Let’s Talk, please email us at info@gcisd.net.
GCISD y Hablemos (Let’s Talk)
En mayo de 2015, GCISD empezó a utilizar una herramienta de comunicación de dos vías llamada Hablemos o Let’s Talk. Esta plataforma proporcionó a los padres, a los integrantes de la comunidad, al personal y a los estudiantes, con la oportunidad de presentar una pregunta, una duda, sugerencia o diálogo anónimo a cualquiera de las escuelas o departamentos a través del distrito. Desde su creación, el distrito ha recibido más de 1,900 diálogos sobre una variedad de temas.
Antes de que se aprobara el presupuesto de 2018-2019, el distrito llevó a cabo un análisis de los costos de Let’s Talk y tomó la determinación de suspender los servicios basado en el aumento del costo del contrato. Aun cuando GCISD desea tener una manera fácil de que las personas en la comunidad puedan conectarse con el distrito, también existe un compromiso fuerte a ser fiscalmente responsables.
A partir del miércoles, 1º de agosto, los servicios de Let’s Talk ya no estarán disponibles. Valoramos la comunicación abierta y queremos que todos puedan comunicarse fácilmente con el personal correcto del distrito o de las escuelas, para que puedan responder a sus preguntas o dudas. Con el fin de ofrecerles a los padres de familia, a los integrantes de la comunidad, al personal y a los estudiantes con una oportunidad de poder contactar a sus respectivas escuelas o al distrito, hemos creado correos electrónicos que serán monitoreados diariamente por el personal. Para ver la lista de dichos correos electrónicos, favor de hacer clic aquí.
Si usted tiene alguna pregunta o duda con respecto a la suspensión de los servicios de Let’s Talk, favor de enviarnos un correo electrónico a info@gcisd.net