THE PAW PRINT
VOL. 15 - Week of December 2, 2019
EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARENTS!
Join The CCMS PTSA Nominating Committee Today!
As a Committee member, you'll participate in 2-3 meetings and help identify/recruit potential candidates to fill the five open positions. We're looking for people that can give objective consideration to all nominees, use sound judgment and of course be diplomatic! The Committee must be assembled by the end of December. All must be current PTSA members.
We need a total of FIVE members and ONE alternate to the Committee. Please join the Committee by emailing PTSA Parliamentarian Ellen Davidson at erdavidson112@yahoo.com. Thanks in advance for stepping up and helping us with this super-important effort!
Backpacks for Kids- Please help if you can!
The program is looking again for volunteers who can help on Wednesday and/or Friday mornings, ~8:30-9:30am, to stand by the middle school office to collect and distribute backpacks for all the schools in our district. This volunteer-run program provides backpacks filled with food and snacks for CCUSD kids to take home over the weekend to ensure that every child can eat on the weekends. We are currently serving over 130 kids across the district each week so please help if you can. Contact cslwong123@gmail.com - thanks!
Raise money for PTSA by volunteering in the Student Store!
Copy Room Volunteers Needed
Are you looking for a way to get involved at CCMS? Do you like helping out your kids’ teachers? If so the PTSA is looking for volunteers to work in the copy room this year. This is a great way to get to know the campus and the staff. You must be a cleared volunteer and be willing to commit to a hour or two once a week or every other week.
Please contact Allison Herbst (asherbst@me.com) if you are interested.
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS!
DECEMBER IS DISABILITIES AWARENESS MONTH AT CCMS!
Disabilities Awareness Month Movie Screening
Debuting this week - Cinderella by CCMS Performances
ELAC Meeting - 12/6
See you there!
Join Us at Our First CCMS Posada Event!
Special Schedule Week of 12/16
Winter Break - No School 12/23 - 1/3
PREVIOUSLY POSTED ANNOUNCEMENTS
CCUSD Sponsor-a-Family December Holiday Program
CCUSD recognizes that the holiday season can be stressful for families who are most in need. This year, CCUSD School and Family Support Services is coordinating various district-wide efforts to support our CCUSD families in need during the holiday season to increase the joy and lessen the stress.
At this time, we are excited to announce our Sponsor-a-Family Program. The program will enable one family to provide gifts for a family in need. Both families will remain anonymous. Prior to the Thanksgiving break, sponsor families will receive the list of wishes and needs for each member of one family. Our request is that the sponsor family purchase at least one wish and one need for each member listed. All gifts will be dropped off at the district office on December 16 or 17. School and Support Services staff will distribute the gifts on December 18 and 19. If you are able to make the holiday season special for another family, please click on the link below and complete the form.
Link to Form-https://forms.gle/ysUaPv3G8UU3Dsqo8
Attention: 7th Grade Families!
Your child is being asked to be a part of our school’s California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) sponsored by the California Department of Education. This is a very important survey that will help promote better health and well-being among our youth, improve the school learning environment and combat problems such as drug abuse and violence. Your child does not have to take the survey. If you do not want your child to complete the survey, you must notify your school.
Survey Content. The survey gathers information on developmental supports provided to youth; school connectedness and barriers to learning; school safety; and health-related concerns such as physical activity and nutritional habits; alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; and risk of depression and suicide and perceived sexual orientation.
The results from this survey are compiled into district- and county-level CHKS Reports. To view a copy of your district’s report, go to https://calschls.org/reports-data/search-lea-reports/ (Outside Source) and type in the district name.
It is Voluntary. Students who, with your permission, agree to participate do not have to answer any questions they do not want to answer, and may stop taking the survey at any time.
It is Anonymous. No names are recorded or attached to the survey forms or data. The results will be made available for analysis only under strict confidentiality controls.
Administration. The survey will be administered during the first week of December 2019. It will take about one class period to complete (about 50 minutes) and will be administered in your child’s PE class.
Potential Risks. There are no known risks of physical harm to your child. Risks of psychological or social harm are very small. None have been reported in 20 years of survey administration. In rare instances, some discomfort might be experienced from the questions. The school’s counseling services will be available to answer any personal questions that may materialize.
For Further Information. The survey was developed by WestEd, a public, non-profit educational institution. If you have any questions about this survey, or about your rights, call Lisa Michel at the district (310) 842-4220 x4250. If you do not want your child to participate, return the CHKS Withdrawal Form to Julie Markussen, CCMS Assistant Principal, juliemarkussen@ccusd.org or 310-842-4200 ext. 3235
Backpacks for Kids Thanks Our CCMS Parents!
From the Arts Community
Actors’ Gang presents George Orwell’s 1984 now through December 10.
Center Theatre Group has released their 19-20 student matinee offerings. The Front and Center Theatre Collaborative partnership covers the cost of busses, so be sure to check out the opportunities.
After School Homework Help in the Library
RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
Disabilities Awareness Month Resources
- What do parents experience when they first find out their child has a disability? Read You Are Not Alone, written by a parent to other parents. https://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/notalone/
- Ever wondered what it’s like to have a disability? A site for young people, courtesy of the Center for Disability Information & Referral (CeDIR). http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/cedir/kidsweb/default.html
- Friends Who Care. FRIENDS WHO CARE® is designed to help children better understand what it means and how it feels to be a young person with a disability. This educational program gives students the opportunity to learn what is involved when someone has a disability and how they adapt to live life, go to school, or work as independently as possible. http://www.easterseals.com/explore-resources/making-life-accessible/friends-who-care.html
- Count Me In. The COUNT ME IN puppet program is designed to help children and adults learn about disabilities and chronic illnesses in an effort to bridge the gap between typical students and those with disabilities. http://www.pacer.org/puppets/count.asp
- Disability History Museum. The Disability History Museum’s Library is a digital archive that only exists online. It contains digital versions of images, texts, and other artifacts related to disability history that have been gathered from libraries and private collections across the country. Materials in the Library date back to the 18th century and represent all disability categories across the life span. The goal is to create a theme-based, searchable collection of primary source materials that will help expand knowledge and understanding about the historical experience of people with disabilities in the United States. http://www.disabilitymuseum.org/dhm/index.html
- Access and Opportunities: A Guide to Disability Awareness. The VSA arts’ Disability Awareness Guide is an informational tool for those who want to gain additional knowledge about disability and tips for social etiquette and positive interactions. The guide is a starting point for readers to increase their basic knowledge, initiate discussion, and clarify myths and facts about people with disabilities. It is a tool that will start readers on their way to a better understanding of disability issues and the disability community as a whole. http://www.vsavt.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Dis_Aware_Guide_20061-1.pdf
- Medical problems…from the perspective of the children who have them. Bandaids and Blackboards is a website designed to help people understand what it’s like to grow up with a medical problem, from the perspective of the children and teens who are doing just that. These young people have become experts at coping with problems that most of us have never heard of. They’d like you to know how they do it, and they hope that you’ll be glad you came to visit. http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/faculty/jfleitas/bandaides/
- Cromwell Center for Disability Awareness. The core of the Center’s work is disability awareness education. Check out the teacher resources the Center offers. http://cromwellcenter.org/teacher-resources/
- National Health Observances. Every year, the National Health Information Center offers an annual list of health observances by month. These are opportunities to educate others about health risks and conditions, and usually involve being able to obtain outreach and activity materials from the sponsoring organization for the event. https://healthfinder.gov/nho/Default.aspx
- Council for Disability Awareness. The CDA is a nonprofit organization committed to informing and educating the American public about the widespread and growing frequency of disability, and the financial impact it can have. A large part of its mission is providing helpful resources and information to wage earners, their families, the media, employers, and anyone concerned about disability and the impact it can have on the finances and lifestyle of American families. http://www.disabilitycanhappen.org/default.asp
- Videos at YouTube. Visit YouTube.com, search using the phrase “disability awareness,” and you’ll find many a video on this subject. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Disability+Awareness&search_type=&aq=f
Materials on Disability Etiquette
- Tips on interacting with people who have disabilities. From the United Spinal Association, this series of resource pages covers the basics, gives terminology tips, and includes closer looks at etiquette for interaction with people who have a range of different disabilities. http://www.unitedspinal.org/disability-etiquette/
- Disability etiquette brochure. Much more than a brochure, this online publication gives tips on interacting with people across a diversity of disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs and those with cognitive impairments, speech difficulties, deafness or hearing impairments, visual impairments, or blindness. You’ll also find etiquette tips about service animals, appropriate language, talking about disabilities, and common courtesies. Brochure is available in English and in Spanish.
- Etiquette, according to Easter Seals. http://www.easterseals.com/explore-resources/making-life-accessible/friends-who-care.html
- From the Office of Compliance and Equity Management. http://www.uni.edu/equity/disability-etiquette
- Accommodation and Compliance Series: Disability Etiquette Tips For Speaking Engagements. From JAN, the Job Accommodation Network. http://askjan.org/media/etipresent.html
Backpacks for Kids Program
The Backpacks for Kids Program provides backpacks filled with food and snacks for students to take home over the weekend to ensure that every student can eat on the weekends. If you would like your student to receive a backpack, please complete the Backpacks Form and return it to Ms. Campos in the front office.
Dental Care for Students On Campus!
Venice Family Clinic now offers dental services, such as exams, cleanings and fillings, right here on our campus at the Health Center! Every Tuesday starting September 17, the dentist will be available from 8am until 1:30pm. To make an appointment, please go to the Health Center or call (310) 392-8636. Your parent or guardian will also need to complete a consent form, which you can pick up at the front desk.
AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES AND SPORTS
Registration for Sports
If you have a child interested in participating please be sure to visit the CCMS Athletics page and select the link for the specific sport of interest to see when the first practice is scheduled to begin.
Please note that all students must be cleared to participate in sports, which includes a current physical exam taken within the last year, before they may participate in any sport practice or games. You may access forms at the CCMS Athletics Homepage here: CCMS Athletics Homepage. You may enter clearances and donate to the sports program at: Athletic Clearance
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Culver City Middle School
Website: http://ccms.ccusd.org/
Location: 4601 Elenda Street, Culver City, CA, United States
Phone: 310-842-4200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CulverCityMS/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf
Twitter: @culvercityms