Colt Corner
Colleyville Middle School
December 21, 2022
Colts,
The first semester has come to an end and a successful first half of the school year is in the books! We have had a tremendous semester full of growth in all academics and in all areas of fine arts, athletics, clubs, and electives etc.
The general feel at school is that the first half of the school year has flown by and I know that all of the activities around school have helped with that by keeping our Colts busy, in routines when possible, and moving forward. This break is a perfect time to rest and recharge physically and mentally and I hope that each of you get a chance to do just that.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to our staff in one way or another, invested any time, and or finances to support our school. The partnership that we have is second to none, and I am grateful to work alongside you to help make Colleyville Middle School be the best it can be for our Colts. Have a wonderful holiday season and we will see you back in 2023!
David Arencibia, Ed.D.
Colleyville Middle School, Principal
School Twitter: @CmsColts - #TeamCMS - #ColtPride
B.E.S.T. - Building Excellent Schools Together
UPCOMING DATES/EVENTS
December 22 - January 6 - Winter Break
January 9 - First Day Back - Second Semester Begins
January 10 - Wrestling Meet - Schedule linked here
January 17 - Wrestling Meet - Schedule linked here
January 10 - CHHS Band Parent Meeting and Performance (All 8th graders zoned for CHHS) CHHS 6:00 - 7:00
January 10 - GHS Band Parent Meeting and Performance (All 8th graders zoned for GHS) GHS 6:00 - 7:00
January 11 - 7th Grade Girls & Boys Basketball - Schedule linked here
January 12 - 8th Grade Girls & Boys Basketball - Schedule linked here
January 16 - No School
In this Edition of the Colt Corner
* GCISD Universal Screener Letter - Linked and pictured for your convenience
* Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation Scholarship
* 8th Grade Transition Flyer
Counselors Corner
* Thank you Notes for CMS Staff
* 8th Transition to High School
* Preferred Participation Consent for Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention
Repeated Information
* 6th Grade & New Student Clifton Strengths Explorer
* 8th Grade Recognition Ads
CMS PTA
* 6th Grade Cotillion Invitations
* Colleyville Middle School Directory - Who To Contact
CMS Social Media Section
* CMS Portrait of a Graduate Video
* CMS on Twitter - @cmscolts
* CMS on Facebook
* CMS on Instagram
Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation Scholarship
Congratulations to Faizah Khan and Simin Gokal! They were chosen to represent Colleyville Middle School as the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation Scholarship nominees.
Counselors’ Corner (Jan 9-13th)
Thank You Notes for CMS Staff:
We just celebrated Thanksgiving a little over a week ago. At CMS, we would like to extend this season of reflection and gratitude. Research studies done at Berkeley and Harvard suggest that practicing gratitude helps us change our focus to positive, rather than negative emotions and doing so can actually change your brain! Berkeley’s study revealed that the act of writing thank you letters or notes produces even greater benefits.
Please have your student take a moment to thank CMS staff members who have done something to help them, have demonstrated an act of kindness, or who are just appreciated for the hard work that they do each day. Fill out the form linked below and we will share thank students’ notes with the appropriate CMS staff member(s).
A student may submit as many thank you notes as they would like. (Please consider thanking teachers, substitute teachers, coaches, custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, office staff, support staff, counselors, assistant principals, and our principal).
8th Transition to High School:
Counselors from both high schools will be at CMS on Wednesday, Jan 11th, to meet with 8th graders to discuss transitioning to high school. These meetings will go through Mrs. Newman and Ms. Pursley’s 8th grade science classes.
Credit By Exam Testing Window:
The registration window for the February test administration will open Monday, November 14th. It will close at noon on January 9, 2023. Linked below are the registration forms and information about the exams.
Preferred Participation Consent for Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention
As required by federal and state law, we will soon begin presenting a personal safety curriculum to middle school students. GCISD uses the Play It Safe! ® program to teach this curriculum. Play It Safe! ® is a child abuse awareness and prevention program that incorporates age-appropriate scripts and movies to teach children how to reduce the risk of sexual and physical abuse, and sexual assault. It teaches them to recognize potentially abusive behavior, provides the tools to respond to threatening situations, and encourages them to report abuse to a trusted adult. It is presented by The Women’s Center of Tarrant County, Inc. which uses trained volunteers to present the program using videos and scripted discussions at an age-appropriate level. Play It Safe! ® meets the State and Federal guidelines for curriculum addressing personal safety issues, child sexual abuse and pedophiles. The GCISD School Health Advisory Committee has reviewed and recommended these programs for all GCISD schools.
Our schedule for showing the Play It Safe Curriculum this year is as follows:
6th grade “Sexual Harassment”- November 8th, 2022
6th grade “Survivors of Abuse- March 8th, 2023
7th grade “Healthy Relationships”- October 5th, 2022
7th grade “Can’t Take It Back” - November 30th, 2022
7th grade “Abuse of Power” - February 21st, 2023
Please complete the section below to indicate your preference for your child’s participation in any of the above programs. If you choose for your child not to participate, your child will be provided an alternate location while this program is being presented. If the form is not completed, and turned into the campus counselor prior to the date on your campus notification letter, your child will not participate in the program.
Please complete the following Play it Safe form and return to your campus Counselor prior to the date of the lesson! Play it Safe Form
6th and 7th grade students were also provided with a hard copy form which can be returned to Ms. Dumas (advocate counselor). There is a recording of the parent preview located on the CMS counseling webpage.
Additional Resources:
National Institute of Mental Health
8th Grade Transition - Panther Showcase and Mustang Nation
Clifton Strengths Explorer
Greetings CMS Families,
Here at CMS, we believe each child is gifted in their own extraordinary way. In fact, our distinct differences are our best multiplier for success! Because of this, we provide a unique opportunity for all students to learn more about their individual talents using the Clifton StrengthsExplorer assessment.
Students in 6th grade or who are new to CMS will take the StrengthsExplorer inventory during Colt Time on Thursday, January 12, 2023.
By taking Clifton StrengthsExplorer, your child will receive a report with their top three talents, which includes ideas for illuminating their individual talents, as well as action steps they can take to maximize their talents.
When kids discover their talents, it can lead to:
resilience and confidence
productivity and engagement in school
hope and direction for the future
If you prefer to opt-out of this opportunity, please complete this StrengthsExplorer Opt-Out Form by Tuesday, January 10th.
Please contact the school if you have questions or need assistance. Thank you for your continued partnership at Colleyville Middle School.
CMS is excited to be hosting the 2023 6th Grade Cotillion! Please Save the Dates:
Week One: Friday, January 20th - Western (CMS)
Week Two: Friday, January 27th - Sock Hop (CMS)
Week Three: Friday, February 3rd - Disco (CMS)
Finale: Friday, February 10th - Roaring Twenties (Colleyville Center)
Cotillion will be held from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. each week. A website will be available soon for updates!
We'd love to have parent volunteers! Please click here to let us know how you would like to assist! We are planning a volunteer meeting on Friday, November 4th. Click here for details and to RSVP.
Thank you!
Cotillion Chairs,
Tamaron Hunt + Stephanie Wilkerson
Tamaron Hunt tamaron.hunt@gmail.com214-226-6993
Stephanie Wilkerson stephanie@wilkersontx.com 817-721-3288
COLLEYVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTORY - WHO TO CONTACT
*Note, the point of contact is the first level to answer and questions or concerns. They are usually able to resolve your question/concern, but in the event that you did not reach a resolution, your concern will be elevated to the subsequent level until a resolution is reached.
To email a CMS team member type the first name dot last name @gcisd.net (i.e. David Arencibia = david.arencibia@gcisd.net) unless different and noted under the name.