Important Arrival and Drop-off Information

Starting Monday, April 26th CMS will welcome back our students four days per week. With many fully remote students now joining us in-person, this will more than double the student population in the building. As a result, the amount of traffic for morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up will drastically increase. Arrival will remain relatively the same, but because of a doubling of the number of buses, our dismissal requires some adjustments. 

Arrival: Student Drop-Off

7:50-8:05 a.m. Student drop-off on the front lane of the parking lot for families transporting students. Our homeroom starts promptly at 8:10 a.m. Buses will continue to drop-off students in the bus loop.

Stay single file as you drive through the parking lot.

Make sure your child(ren) is ready to get out when you come to a stop.

Let child(ren) out of the car onto the sidewalk when traffic is at a standstill. 

Dismissal: Student Pick-Up 

1:45 p.m. Dismissal of all students riding buses home. Buses will need complete access to the bus loop. The majority of the loop will be blocked off to cars until the buses have left.

1:55-2:00 p.m. Dismissal of all students who are transported by car. 

Stay single file as you drive through the parking lot. 

Form two lines in the bus loop after the buses have left the loop.

For students who are riding buses, the Ride 360 App has been updated with new route information. If you have any questions about transportations please call the Transportation Department directly at 315-487-4576.

We are excited to have our students with us four days per week. Patience and some flexibility will be needed as we work through this transition. We will have additional traffic control presence thanks to the Camillus Police Department. Thank you for your cooperation.

We Celebrate Learning! 

Beth

blozier@westgenesee.org

Hybrid Students Moving to 4 Days a Week at CMS

Dear CMS Families,

Thank you so much for your patience while we have been working through the process of bringing our students back to school for four days a week of instruction. This will begin on Monday, April 26th. All hybrid students will attend school on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesdays will continue to be used for Office Hours and planning time for teachers. (Students will not attend on Wednesday.) We have made most of the necessary master scheduling changes, and our school counselors will be reaching out to families where a teacher or team change is necessary. Our cafeteria will now be open for lunch service, and half the students in each class will eat there each day on a rotating basis. This will allow us to adhere to distancing guidelines. Students will also begin moving to their classes each period.  The Transportation Department is still working on bus routes. We are anticipating some adjustments to our dismissal time and procedure. Stay tuned for another update as soon as we have a solid plan in place. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at 315-672-3159 should you have any questions at all.

New York State Assessments in ELA, Math and Science

The New York State Assessments in ELA and Mathematics for grades 7 and 8 will be given in one session and will consist of 50 multiple choice questions. The assessments are computer-based and will be administered in your child’s regularly scheduled ELA and Mathematics classes. The science assessment is for grade 8 only and is administered in a booklet format. It will be given in your child’s science class. Please mark your calendars for the dates: 

April 19th (Monday)         ELA Mon/Tues Cohort
April 22nd (Thursday)     ELA Thur/Fri Cohort
May 4th (Tuesday)                 Math               All Students
June 8th (Tuesday) Science            Grade 8 Only

*Students who do not take the assessment will read in the classroom.

Fine Arts Update

The Fine Arts Department, including our music ensemble teachers, are discussing how best to provide a performance experience for students and their families. We recently learned that New York State has a new Executive Order regarding small and medium scale performing arts venues which includes our stage/cafeteria at CMS. We may now host up to 100 attendees indoors and up to 200 attendees outdoors, which will allow our family members of our student performers to attend live performances. We will update you once we know what we can safely accomplish here at CMS. Our school musical cast is currently in rehearsals. We are proud to present Elf, the Musical on June 3rd, 4th and 5th. We will send ticketing information and procedures once we have worked out the details. 

As a reminder, Festival Wednesdays has concluded. Finally, our very popular Fine Arts Summer Program will be returning this year. Please look here for all the information about registration. 

We Celebrate Learning!

Beth

April 19 & 22            NYS ELA Assessment

April 21                    BOE Meeting - 7:00 p.m.

April 30                     3rd MP Report Card Available

May 4                        NYS Math Assessment

May 28-June 1          Memorial Day - NO SCHOOL (if no snow days)

June 8                       NYS 8th Gr. Science Assessment

February Message

Starting on February 8, 2021, students in grades five (5) through twelve (12) will start using ClassLink. ClassLink provides a Single Sign On (SSO) tool and “landing page” on Chromebooks which will be pre-populated (by grade) with relevant links for school resources. Students using personal devices will also have the ability to use ClassLink.

Logging into ClassLink also provides the ability to track attendance so we will no longer need to use Operoo for daily attendance after February 5, 2021.

Thank you for your patience and continued support as we transition to ClassLink.

The Camillus Middle School Library is the center of our very vibrant Maker Space. Our librarian, Mrs. Bush, and our library assistant, Mrs. Gifford, created the first Maker Space in the district five years ago. As we have had to reimagine what school looks like, they have reimagined how the Maker Space can continue to provide engaging and creative activities. The link is available on the CMS web page, but you can access it here. 

Our second semester will begin on Monday, February 1st. We are excited to be making the following special area changes for our students: 

• Grade 7 students have completed Health. They will begin taking Technology. 
• Grade 8 students have completed CFM. They will begin taking Technology. 
• Remote students in grade 7 will take Health.

We welcome Mr. Besmer and Mrs. McCarty who are joining the CMS faculty to teach these courses. 

Remember to check Schooltool on Feburary 5th to see the second marking period report card. 

Our 8th grade students are in the process of filling out a Google form to select their courses for next year at the high school. Over the next several weeks, Mrs. Canterino will follow-up with students to review their selections and answer any questions they may have about the high school. Parents will receive an email in the early spring indicating that the Schooltool course selection report is available for your review and feedback. Please feel free to call the Counseling Office at (315) 672-8381 or email Mrs. Canterino at mcanterino@westgenesee.org if you have questions.

Grade 6 to Grade 7 and Grade 7 to Grade 8 scheduling will occur later in the spring.

February 2 – Wildcat Tuesday – Wear your blue and gold!

February 3 - 1/2 Day for Students - 10:13 Dismissal

February 5 – Second quarter report card available

February 5 – Wildcat Friday – Wear your blue and gold!

February 15–19 – School closed for Winter Recess

January Message

Our next meeting is January 19th at 6:00 pm. Please Rsvp by Friday, January 15th if you wish to attend this virtual meeting by emailing wgcmspto@westgenesee.org. A link to the meeting will be emailed to you. 

The ordering link is open. Click here to order your yearbook by January 31st. Please contact Mr. Keida at dkeida@westgenesee.org or Mrs. Canterino at mcanterino@westgenesee.org if you have any questions. 

The last day of the second marking period is January 29th. Report cards will be available in Schooltool on February 5th. The first day of the second marking period begins on Monday, February 1st. Remember that we will have a half-day for Superintendent’s Workshop Day on Wednesday, February 3rd. We will dismiss at 10:10 am. for those students who attend on Wednesdays. Office Hours for remote and hybrid students will also end at 10:10 a.m.

January 18 - No School in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Birthday

January 19 - PTO Meeting - 6:30 p.m.

January 20 - Board of Education Meeting - 7:00 p.m.

January 29 - End of 1st Semester 

February 1 - First day of 2nd Semester 

February 2 - Wildcat Tuesday

February 3 - 1/2 Day - 10:10 a.m. dismissal for all students

February 3 - Board of Education Meeting - 7:00 p.m.

February 5 - 2nd Marking Period Report Card available in Schooltool

February 5 - Wildcat Friday

February 15-19 - School Closed for Winter Break