Chippewa Falls Middle School
Feburary 2024 Family Newsletter
From the Principal
Dear CFMS Parents and Guardians:
Welcome to February! Can you believe we are already over half-way through the school year? In February we often think about the people we love. And it makes me think about all of the things I love about CFMS. As one of the largest middle schools in the state of Wisconsin, we continue to prioritize providing our students with comprehensive opportunities and options for personalization through teaming, our teacher advisory program, and the breadth of core and non-core educational choices. We are committed to providing a safe and nurturing learning environment where our students can thrive socially and emotionally and are challenged academically to become prepared to meet the exciting opportunities that are ahead of them, and to do so with utmost confidence as young adults.
- Thursday, February 22, we will be having grade-level assemblies during school (info below).
- Friday, February 23, will be a non-school day for students as staff engage in professional development.
- Thursday, February 22, and Tuesday, February 27, are our Spring Family/Teacher Conferences from 4:00 - 8:00 PM at CFMS. Communication will be forthcoming from your child's TA teacher or team in regards to your conference format and sign up on those evenings.
Our school district's mega result is: All students will graduate prepared with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to achieve their personal goals and make a positive impact in the world. Our staff at CFMS are dedicated to ensure that this is happening for all of our students, and seeing this happen is what inspires me to come to work each day and work hard for all of our students, staff, and families.
As always, if you have questions or wish to discuss your child, please do not hesitate to contact any one of the great staff members with whom your child works.
In Partnership With You,
Derrick Kunsman
Principal
Cardinals in Action
CFMS Family/Teacher Conferences
February 22 and 27 from 4:00 - 8:00 PM
Please look for a message from your child's team with more information regarding our spring family/teacher conferences. Teams will be sending out a survey ahead of scheduling to get feedback from families regarding which format the families on their team prefer for scheduling conferences with core academic teachers. Please take time to complete this quick survey. We will try our best to accommodate as many individual needs as possible when building schedules for these evenings.
Timeline:
January 29: Teams sending surveys to families
February 2: Survey deadline
February 14 - 16: Teams sending conference sign-up to families
February 22: Conference night one
February 27: Conference night two
Encore Open House
All of our encore teachers (physical education, technology education, family and consumer sciences, business education, music, art, agriculture, and world languages) will be available in an open house format on the nights of conferences. Please stop in, chat with those teachers, and check out those areas. If you are requesting an individual conference with any of these teachers, please contact them.
Fundraiser to Reduce Field Trip Costs!
Stop Before or After Conferences on February 22!
Tasha Schuh to Speak to Students - February 22
Tasha Schuh Presentation - February 22
We fortunate to have Tasha Schuh come and speak with all three grade levels individually in on February 22!
Tasha Schuh is an inspirational speaker who equips youth and educators to be resilient for their mental and emotional health. The four components of her speech, PATH (Purpose, Attitude, Team, and Hope), helped Tasha be resilient after a life-changing theater accident at age 16, which left her paralyzed from the chest down. She now lives a vibrant, fulfilling life with her husband and manager, Doug.
Tasha and Doug speak to audiences across the country, focusing on middle and high school students, sharing her message of PATH and resilience. She is also the author of two books “My Last Step Backward” and “My Next Move Forward.” Tasha has received many awards, including The National Rehabilitation Champion Award and The Hometown Hero Award.
Beyond her inspirational message, Tasha is passionate about helping youth build a foundation for resilience in their lives. Tasha and a team of mental health and education professionals created The Power of PATH: Building Resilience for Mental Health and Suicide Awareness Curriculum™. This teacher-led program is designed for grades 6-12.
Whether she’s speaking to an auditorium full of students or adults, Tasha’s message empowers people to build resilience to overcome life’s challenges!
Take What You Need Bingo Challenge
Snow Days at CFMS
Dear CFMS Families,
In response to Superintendent Holmes’ communication about school closures, we want to be prepared for possible remote learning days. For school closure days beyond the two built-in days, middle school teachers will develop independent work for students to access via Google Classroom. Teachers will be remotely available those days to aid students with their assignments during the regular school day hours.
Google Classroom: Middle school students are familiar with Google Classroom to access school work. Students should be engaging independently with work in Google Classroom for all classes that they would have attended on the day of the closure.
Communication with Teachers: During regular school hours of remote learning days, if a student has any questions or needs clarification while working on their work in Google Classroom, they can reach out to their classroom teacher through email.
Chromebook Use: Students are encouraged to take their Chromebooks home daily and charge them. Chromebooks should be at home and available on school closure days.
We understand that these changes may bring about questions, and we encourage you to reach out if you need further clarification or assistance. In the event of a remote learning day, communication with guidelines will be sent to students and families.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we navigate these potential challenges together. Your partnership is invaluable, and we look forward to continuing to support your child's education.
Message From Nurse Lexi
From the health office:
Absenteeism due to illness should be telephoned daily to your child's school secretary. Please be specific about illness (i.e. flu, strep, chickenpox, etc.) because it is helpful in the control of communicable disease. Thank you to families for calling your student's school when they are ill and for reporting the diagnosis made in the physician's office.
Reminder: Your child should not come to school if:
- They have a fever of 100.4 or higher before medication (Tylenol/Ibuprofen)
- They have been diagnosed with a contagious illness and have been on medication less than 24 hours.
Good hand washing habits are the number one way to prevent the spread of illness!
Stay safe and healthy, Nurse Lexi
For COVID specific: CFSD is following the guidelines of Chippewa County Department of Public Health. We are encouraging families to please reach out to CCDPH or your student’s Health Care Provider for specific return dates and guidance.
Public Health COVID Contact: Deb
715-944-8351
Please have a medical note or public health email sent to your student’s school as well so their attendance can be marked appropriately if they were diagnosed with any contagious illness.
Thanks!
CFSD Health Office
Student Attendance
Student Chromebooks
Each CFMS student will checkout a school Chromebook. These will be distributed on the first days of school.
Students are able to bring Chromebooks home with them at night. It is a student's responsibility to charge and care for the device at home. Students should bring charged Chromebooks to school daily.
CFMS Athletics
CFMS Athletic Director
Mr. Cory Hahn- ext. 2242
Administrative Assistant Ms. Mary Meyer - ext. 2241
Cardinal Market
Cardinal Market is here!
The Cardinal Market is a convenient spot in our building where students can grab food items that your family may need for the week. The items available will vary from week to week, but each Monday and Wednesday your student will receive an email with a form on which they can select what they would like to receive that Wednesday, Thursday or Friday depending on their grade. This is different from the Weekend Kids Meal program we offered in the past in that students will not automatically receive items each week (as a note we will no longer be doing weekend kids meals). They will only receive items on the weeks that they complete the order form. We hope this gives both students and families more flexibility.
All of this is free of charge.
We hope your student and your family can benefit from this convenient resource this year! If you have any questions or need any additional information, please email Jenelle Jero at jeroje@chipfalls.org or call 715-726-2400 x2250.
School Lunch Info
School Meals
Please add money to your student's lunch account or complete a free and reduced meal application prior to the start of the school year.
Money can be:
1. Deposited through the IC parent portal, under the food service tab (preferred method)
2. Dropped off or mailed to 1130 Miles St., Chippewa Falls, WI 54729.
3. Dropped off at each school.
You can also set up automatic payments under my accounts, recurring payments. This will automatically deposit money when the balance gets low or on a set basis (monthly, weekly).
Apply for meal benefits online through IC parent portal or complete a paper application. If you have already received a letter indicating you qualify for free or reduced price meals no further steps are needed.
Menus, meal prices, links to the application and other information about our food service program can be found here.
ARRIVING LATE AND EATING BREAKFAST
We want to make sure that all students that want to eat breakfast are given that opportunity. We understand that sometimes students are running late for various reasons. Please know that there will be a member of the kitchen staff in the cafeteria until 8:45 and that students coming late can grab a breakfast and head to their first period class.
Students of the Month
World Languages Student of the Month
Music Students of the Month
Physical Education
Mental Health Supports
The Cardinal Feeder
The Cardinal Feeder is a place where parents and the community can seek information and resources for families in the Chippewa Falls School District.
At some point in our lives, we all need a little (or sometimes a lot) of support. The Cardinal Feeder is here to provide information about support services available through Chippewa Falls Schools, the Chippewa Falls Community, and the Chippewa Valley.
This resource will be updated monthly to keep information fresh and relevant.
Family Connections
SPEAK UP SPEAK OUT WISCONSIN
Created by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Speak Up Speak Out Wisconsin is a one-stop place to turn with school safety concerns.
Students, parents, school staff, or community members can submit a school safety concern or threat via the Speak Up Speak Out WI website, mobile phone app, or toll-free number.
Resource Center staff work 24/7 to respond to tips and to deploy a response locally by communicating directly with school administrators, counselors, and law enforcement.
For more information or to submit a tip click here.
Voyagers After School Program Update
Student Connections Update
Strengthening Families Program
Mentor Chippewa
STEAM Night
School Communication
SCHOOL COMMUNICATION
Please make sure that Infinite Campus information is up to date and includes a list of people to contact in case a child needs to be picked up during the school day.
The Chippewa Falls Middle School primarily communicates with parents and/or guardians electronically. All parents and guardians who receive school information electronically must have their parent portal in Infinite Campus set up in order to access report cards, schedules, homework assignments, grades, attendance, fee statements, etc. We are pleased to offer parents this opportunity to be more active in their child’s education.
If you do not have your parent portal account setup, please follow the guidelines below to setup your account. We discourage the use of your child’s account as you won’t have access to the necessary information you may need or want.
Please make sure that your e-mail address is kept current at all times on the parent portal. You may update your email address at any time by selecting Contact Preferences on the parent portal menu. If at any time during the school year you lose the ability to access the internet, please notify the appropriate grade level office immediately so that we can make the necessary adjustments to our database.
You can also make lunch account, registration and athletic fee payments in the Infinite Campus Portal. There will be no convenience fees added. If you need help, call our help desk at 715-726-2413 for assistance.
Bus Information
Chippewa Yellow Bus Company
All student rerouting requests will originate at Chippewa Yellow Bus Company. Student rerouting requests require a 24 hour notice and approval by the bus company. This includes one time and/ or occasional rerouting requests.
Click HERE for more information from the bus company 715-726-2454
Speech & Language/Early Childhood Screening
Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District 4-year-old Kindergarten
Community Education Brochure!
Quick Links to more Middle School Information
Chippewa Falls Middle School
Website: https://cfsd.chipfalls.k12.wi.us/middle/
Location: 750 Tropicana Boulevard, Chippewa Falls, WI, USA
Phone: 715-726-2400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chippewafallsschool/
Twitter: @CFMSCardinals