Colt Corner
Colleyville Middle School
October 29, 2021
Colts,
What a week! These past days have been full of Red Ribbon Week events to go along with a lot of engaging classroom activities. It was fun to see our students excited about school today with some even wanting to run into the building to get their day started. I hope this newsletter finds each of you well, enjoy your weekend.
UPCOMING DATES/EVENTS
October 30 - All District Band Auditions - Heritage Middle School 8:30am - 12:30pm
November 1 - 7th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
November 1 - 7th & 8th Grade Volleyball - Schedule linked here
November 2 - 8th Grade A & B Football - Schedule linked here
November 3 - Play it Safe - 6th grade
November 5 - UIL - Check Grades of Ineligible Students
November 5 - Collegiate Academy Visits CMS (8th Grade)
November 6 - Band: Phase 1 All-Region Auditions @ Carroll MS
November 11 - Veterans Day
November 12 - UIL - Students Passing Regain Eligibility
November 15 - Girls 7th Grade A & B Basketball - Schedule linked here
November 15 - Boys 7th Grade A & B Basketball - Schedule linked here
In this Edition of the Colt Corner
* Football and Volleyball Flyers
* Social Studies Student of the Week
* Does your child like gaming? GCISD is expanding its Championship Esports program!
* H-E-B Scholarship Program
* Counselor Corner: 8th Grade Parents, Collegiate Academy, Bobby Bragan, Play it Safe Parent Preview, Grapevine Church Coat Drive Giveaway, Additional Resources
Repeated Information
* GCISD Update - October 27
* Veteran's Day - Photo requests
* Picture ordering information
* Yearbook ordering information
* GCISD Holiday Greeting Card Art Contest
* Cafeteria Volunteers
* GCISD College and Career Night
* AIM for Success
* Remote Conferencing
* COVID-19 Protocols and Testing Center
* Colleyville Middle School Directory - Who To Contact
Does your child like gaming? GCISD is expanding its Championship Esports program!
Did you know GCISD has one of the top-rated Esports programs for our students? With several state titles, GCISD has developed a program that takes students beyond just the game. With a focus on communication, collaboration skills, and teambuilding, GCISD esports is much more than playing games.
Esports is a growing industry, and chances are your child either plays or watches video games online. This 1 Billion dollar industry has more significant viewership than any other professional sport. With over 250 colleges offering scholarships!
As GCISD grows our Esports program to allow access to more students at campuses across the district, we need some help.
If you have upgraded your gaming system or want to clean out some gaming systems and controllers, why not donate them to the GCISD esports program. We could use Playstations, Xbox, and Nintendo switches to offer more students the opportunity to be a part of an esports team. So dig through the closets or pass on that old system you just upgraded.
Let's allow every student to be a part of something!
If you want to learn more about GCISD esports and how we are preparing students for this Billion dollar industry in areas of broadcasting, content development, marketing, gameplay, and much more. Attend our online presentation on Nov 2nd at 5:45 pm, followed by Q&A around esports and GCISD.
H-E-B Scholarship Program
H-E-B is a Corporate Sponsor of the UIL and has its annual H-E-B Scholarship Program for Community Service Excellence opportunity. Nominees must have the following submitted to https://www.sportsinaction.com/scholarship/ by no later than January 28, 2022:
Minimum 3.3 GPA
Number of Community Service Hours completed in the last 12 months
Community Service Verification Letters to document the number of hours submitted
A Letter of Recommendation
A Short Essay (500 words or less) on the topic: “What does Community mean to you?”
There will be 15 total winners – 5 each in music, academics and athletics – and each will be awarded $2,000 from H-E-B. An announcement of the winners will be at the UIL Boys Basketball State Championships. Please make your students and/or support staff aware of this opportunity.
Counselor Corner (November 1 - 5)
8th Grade Parents:
This past Monday and Tuesday, Mrs. Bouchelle and Mrs. Brizzi met with all 8th grade students during Advisory to discuss 4 year planning. Forms were sent home for students to complete and for parents to sign and return by Monday, Nov. 1st. These forms will be used to create students’ 4 year plans in Skyward and to schedule their Freshman courses, so it is important that they be signed and returned by Nov. 1st.
Collegiate Academy
Collegiate Academy will be at CMS on Friday, Nov. 5th to meet with all 8th grade students and to discuss CA and the application process during advisory. Students who attend Collegiate Academy all four years of high school can potentially earn a high school diploma and an associate’s degree by the time they graduate. This opportunity is offered to all GCISD students free of charge. If you have any questions, please contact Riley Cavanagh(Counselor at CA) at riley.cavanagh@gcisd.net.
BOBBY BRAGAN
Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation Scholarship Program
The Bobby Bragan Scholarship Program is a competition open to 8th grade students from a total of 151 middle and junior high schools. Two applicants are selected from each school to represent the school in the BBYF scholarship competition. The "finalists" will make up the pool from which 34 scholarship winners will be selected. Each scholarship will be distributed after the recipient graduates from high school, gets accepted and is enrolled into a college, university or technical school, and submits a verification of enrollment to the BBYF.
CMS has had several Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation Scholarship recipients in past years and we would love to have two more CMS students join their ranks this year!
Students wishing to apply for the $2,500 scholarship need to download and complete an application, write a 500-700 word handwritten (not typed) essay, and submit both to their counselor to be judged by a panel. The panel will judge each essay blindly (without knowing who wrote each essay). The top scoring male student and the top scoring female student from CMS will have their applications and essays sent to Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation for the final judging. Applications and essays are due to CMS Counselors – Mrs. Brizzi or Mrs. Bouchelle by Friday, November 19th at 3:25 p.m. No late entries will be accepted. Students may obtain applications by clicking on the link below.
Bobby Bragan Scholarship Application
Play it Safe Parent Preview
The Play it Safe! Middle School Parent Preview was held virtually through Zoom on September 23rd at 10 a.m. and was recorded for parents to watch at their convenience--you can click HERE to view it.
For CMS campus-specific dates for the upcoming 6th and 7th grade Play It Safe presentations, please see the English Flyer or Spanish Flyer. If you do NOT want your child to participate, please fill out the linked form and send/bring to school with your child or email Sarah Dumas at sarah.dumas@gcisd.net BEFORE the presentation date to let us know that you would like to opt your child out. Otherwise, all students will participate in the program.
Our schedule for showing the Play It Safe Curriculum this year is as follows:
6th grade “Sexual Harassment” November 3, 2021
6th grade “Survivors of Abuse March 2, 2022
7th grade “Can’t Take It Back” November 10, 2021
7th grade “Abuse of Power” February 9, 2021
Grapevine Church Coat Drive Giveaway:
Saturday November 13th 2021 (8AM-11AM)
Sign-up here for an entry time for Grapevine Church of Christ Coat Giveaway. YOU MUST REGISTER TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND. People will ONLY be allowed in the church at the assigned entry time. No lines will be allowed to form outside of the building.1-2 people per family will be allowed inside due to COVID restrictions. No children or strollers will be allowed. https://coatdrive.grapevinechurch.com/
Additional Resources:
Out Came the Sun: Helping Children as they Grieve https://cbcst.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/CBCST-Grief-Booklet-051617-flipbook.pdf
In This Edition
GCISD Increases Pay for Numerous Positions: The Board of Trustees voted to increase starting pay for custodians, bus drivers and many other positions.
Wally Funk Visits GCISD: Students across GCISD, especially those at Timberline Elementary, heard a special message from the trailblazing astronaut.
GCISD Voices: Watch the first episode of GCISD Voices, a series that introduces you to GCISD staff who are also GCISD alumni.
Cafeteria Volunteers: The GCISD Nutrition Services Department is looking for volunteers to help serve lunch to students. Read below for more information.
COVID-19 Resources: Visit GCISD's numerous COVID-19 resources that include frequently asked questions, the GCISD COVID-19 Testing Center, remote conferencing and more.
What's For Dinner? Take and Bake Meals Return: GCISD's popular "Take and Bake" meals program has returned and is available on Thursdays through October.
Veteran's Day
GCISD College and Career Night
Order your yearbook!
GCISD Holiday Greeting Card Art Contest
All elementary, middle, and high school students are invited to submit original artwork for GCISD’s Holiday Greeting Card Art Contest. This year’s theme is "A Season of Kindness.” Three student designs—one each from the elementary, middle, and high school levels—will be selected and sent out on behalf of the GCISD Board of Trustees and Superintendent Dr. Robin Ryan.
The three students whose works are selected for the GCISD Holiday Greeting Card will receive $25 and recognition at the December meeting of the Board of Trustees. The selected artwork will be featured on the district’s website and used in district publicity.
Complete rules and guidelines can be found on this flyer. Last year's winning designs can also be found online.
Cafeteria Volunteers
AIM FOR SUCCESS OPT-IN LETTER
This year GCISD is continuing to use the Aim for Success program for the 8th graders and Determined to Succeed for the 6th graders.
Aim for Success focuses on “the benefits of waiting for sexual activity”. Topics included are teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and emotional hurts. Students in 7th-12th grade also receive information on contraception and setting their own boundaries.
Determined to Succeed focuses on “recognizing social/peer, technology, and media related pressures”. The program briefly outlines the problems of teen pregnancies and STDs, and then addresses the issues of how to resist pressure to become sexually active. This includes recognizing healthy relationships, sexual abuse, emotional hurts, and resisting peer pressure (refusal skills), the media, and pornography.
ALL STUDENTS in 6th and 8th grades are to turn in a signed form where the parent will designate if their child may attend the program or not. Due to changes in State Law, a student must have a signed Opt-In form with a parent's permission in order to attend the program.
There was an 8th Grade Parent meeting for anyone interested thru WebEx to hear about the curriculum.
The 8th grade program will take place on December 1st.
Forms for the 8th grade program are linked below and need to be turned in to their history teacher.
Aim for Success Opt-In Form English
Aim for Success Opt-In Form Spanish
All 6th grade program sessions will take place in the Spring Semester, so more information will be sent later.
COVID-19 Protocols and Testing Center
Throughout the summer, GCISD has continued to monitor updated health guidance and recommendations to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, the District has monitored positive cases for students and staff that participated in summer programs. This continued monitoring has helped inform the District’s 2021-2022 COVID-19 protocols. More information about the protocols was sent last week, and can be read here.
GCISD COVID-19 Testing Center
The GCISD COVID-19 Testing Center at Mustang Panther Stadium is currently open for symptomatic students or staff.
The testing center hours will be 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. No appointment is needed from 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.; however, please email covidtesting@gcisd.net to let the district know that you will be coming. From 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., appointments should be made using the same email address listed above.
CMS Who To Contact Directory
1988-1989 (Year 12 at CMS)
CMS Ariel
#cmscelebrates
Celebrating 45 Years
Looking back at 1988-1989
'88-'89 YEARBOOK COVER
'88-'89 YEARBOOK COVER
#cmscelebrates
Celebrating 45 Years
Looking back at 1988-1989
CMS LIFE IN '88-'89
Students spell out CMS on the football field. In the background you can see the empty lot where CES is now.
#cmscelebrates
Celebrating 45 Years
Looking back at 1988-1989