Hello CMS Families,
We are excited to welcome you to the new school year! I hope this communication finds you enjoying family week and the remaining days of summer. August is finally here which means the start of school will be here before we know it. I hope this helps prepare you for the busy month and start of the year. There is a lot of information in this communication so please take a moment to read through everything. Much of the information has been updated on our CMS website as well. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions prior to or during the school year.
Upcoming Events:
CAT Clean Up Day at CMS! - August 8th at 8:00 am. For the clean up day we will be working on a landscaping project to spruce up the activities entrance at CMS. We welcome any students and families who would like to help. This is a great opportunity for students to give back to their community. This event is also eligible for service cord hours or service hours for middle school leadership students.
6th Grade Orientation - August 20th from 1:00 - 3:15 pm. This programming is designed to get your incoming 6th grader more comfortable as they transition to middle school. This event is for incoming 6th grade students only. Students will get to “practice” what their day will be like and learn the building routines and procedures. There will also be time spent building relationships with students and staff. Please drop off students at the front door of Carlisle Middle School.
Back to School Open House - August 20th from 5:00 to 6:30pm. Come meet your teachers and walk through your schedule. This is an informal event where students can follow their schedule and learn the location of all their classes. Schedules will be available to be printed in the commons. It is also a great opportunity for you to connect with your students' teachers.
First Day of School - August 25th at 8:05am is the start of the 25-26 school year. This school year the first 3 days will be early dismissals at 1:40 pm. The first day of school will be a “Red” day. In our block schedule Red and Gold days will alternate throughout the school year. Students will report to block 1 and then will attend their Red day classes. We will hold grade level assemblies to kick off the year on Friday Aug 29th.
Student Schedules: Student schedules will be available on Infinite Campus on Aug. 6th. Students will receive a printed copy when they arrive at Back to School Night or 6th grade Orientation. At CMS we have a team of highly qualified teachers and take a number of factors into consideration when placing students in classes. For this reason we generally do not honor requests for specific teachers. If students need to request a schedule change, they will need to meet with a school counselor to review options.
School Hours and Bell Schedule:
The school building will open for students at 7:45 am and students should be picked up or on buses by 3:45 pm each day. Students will be released to the academic wings of the building at 7:55 am. The WIN period starts at 8:05 am, and then followed by Red/Gold Blocks 1-4. The bell schedule and times are located on our website here. Please make sure that your students are on time each day.
Breakfast is served in the commons from 7:45 to 8:00 am each morning. Students not eating breakfast should report to the gym.
School Supply List and Lockers:
Please see the recommended school supply list located on our website (school supplies) here. Facial tissues should be dropped off with your student’s homeroom teacher.
Lockers are assigned to students but optional for use. Students may access lockers at the start of the school day, lunch time and end of the day. Due to grade level size 8th grade students will have to share lockers.
1:1 Devices:
CMS students will be provided with Chromebooks and chargers. At CMS our expectation is that students bring their assigned chromebook to each class each day. Students will need to be responsible and follow the district guidelines outlined in our 1:1 Handbook. Devices will be issued during the first full week of school. Students will be provided with a device orientation to learn about acceptable use policies.
Cell Phone Policy:
Due to new legislation, we have again updated our cell phone policy at CMS. Cellphones and other personal electronics are not allowed to be used during instructional time. Phones should remain off and in backpacks or lockers during the school day as they are not needed for any instructional purpose. Please help us by limiting your child's access to devices during the school day.
Below are some suggestions parents/guardians should consider:
Set guidelines & boundaries – Remember, you’re paying the bill!
Know the passwords to all of your child’s accounts
Monitor online activity – use a program to help you with this task
Research (Google) unknown apps and programs
Review all texts, messages, email periodically
Establish and enforce consequences
Per Policy 503.09 Use of Personal Electronic Device by Students – Personal electronic devices are prohibited in the classroom setting. Violations of policy 503.09
First offense – student surrenders the device to school officials (staff), which will be stored in the main office until the end of the school day.
Second offense – student surrenders the device to school officials (staff), which will be stored in the main office and returned to parent/guardian at the end of the school day.
Third and subsequent offenses – school will consider further restrictions of student’s personal devices which may include daily check in to the main office.
All violations will result in a documented behavior referral.
School Sports Physicals:
Reminder that students participating in school athletics (7th and 8th graders) need to have a current physical on file before they can participate. Physicals can be uploaded on to bound via the app. For questions please contact Middle School Activities Director Mike Geisler. michael.geisler@carlislecsd.org
School Bus IDs:
Students riding the bus will have a bus specific id they will scan to ensure they are on the right bus. This will be separate from their school id. All students will be issued a bus ID and must use it when riding a bus. For example a student who may walk to school but still ride a bus for a school field trip will have to use their ID and scan on the bus. More information will be in the wildcat weekly regarding the use of these new ids. All students can pick up their bus ID during Back to School Night.
Traffic Flow for Pick Up/Drop off:
Please use patience the first few days as everyone gets used to the traffic flow. Enter the school property using Bluestem Dr. Have students exit vehicles when anywhere in the red curb zone in front of the middle school. Exit via the roundabout on Scotch Ridge Road. Please reference the map on our website for a visual. Please avoid cutting through the staff parking areas, use patience and watch for pedestrians.
District Resources:
Food pantry dates - Aug. 7th and Aug. 21st from 4:00 to 6:00 pm Located at the circle drive of the elementary school.
CMS Kitchen Manager - Kappi Danielson, kappi.danielson@carlislecsd.org
Transportation Director - Matt Hesse, matthew.hesse@carlislecsd.org
25-26 CMS Handbook can be found on our website
Once again, we are so excited to start the school year and welcome students back to school. Our goal is for students to have a collaborative learning experience each day, feeling a sense of belonging to CMS. It is important to us that your student is a part of our learning community. Together we can make this school year a positive learning experience for all of our students. We hope you will be able to join us for the open house night.
Sincerely,
Greg Marshall
Principal, Carlisle Middle School
Main office - 515-989-0833