Welcome Back!

When you work at a school, you don’t even have to look at a calendar to tell that August has turned to September. The empty athletic fields are suddenly burgeoning with modified sports teams (Thanks to http://savemodifiedsportsatwg.com), books are flying off the shelves in our library and the quiet hallways are now full with the voices of our students.  

Welcome back everyone! The 2012-13 school year will bring many changes to us here at Camillus Middle. From the new Common Core Learning Standards in ELA and mathematics, to our improved student management-grading portal SchoolTool, to the implementation of the Olweus anti-bullying program, our entire school community is ready to learn and grow. 

I will be writing about all of these changes in this monthly newsletter, but you can get a sneak peak by attending our Curriculum night on September 18 at 6:30 p.m. In the meantime, please feel free to call, email or just stop by the office should you have any questions.

Principal's Message for September

Greetings CMS Families!
            The waning days of summer are certainly upon us. The sunflowers are in full-bloom, and very soon the Ferris wheel will rise above the New York State Fairgrounds.  The building has been bustling with activity all summer long…teachers have been attending workshops, our custodians have been polishing and painting, and our guidance department has been solidifying our master schedule. We are eagerly awaiting the return of our students! The 2012-2013 school year has brought several staffing changes. Please join me in welcoming the new additions to CMS:

Sharon Bush – Librarian

Ann Colabufo – Special Education teacher-part-time

Karey Drake – Math Interventionist

Marrisa Formes-Patrick – Phys. Ed. teacher-part-time

Stephanie Murphy – 7C English teacher

Katherine Otis – Spanish teacher- part-time

           Andrea Scerbo – General Music teacher

Important “First Week of School” Information:

• Enclosed please find your child’s bus route information. Please call the Transportation Department at 487-4576 should you have any questions.
• Student Emergency Data Form - Make necessary changes and send it to school with your child on Sept. 5^th
• Send in $3 cash for the purchase of a Student Planner
• September 5^th and 6^th will be half-days for students – dismissal will be at 10:40 a.m.
• September 7^th will be a full day – dismissal will be at 2:50 p.m.          

Mark Your Calendar:

• School Dance – September 14^th – 6:30-8:30 p.m.
• Open House – September18^th at 6:30 p.m.
• School Pictures – September 18^th
• Welcome Back PTO Meeting – October 18^th – 7:00 p.m.

If you have not previously done so, please take a moment to register for our School New Notifier (SNN). The directions are included in the mailing that came home on the green sheet of paper. This is the best way to remain informed about all the news at CMS. As many of you may know, we have discontinued the use of MyGradeBook, but we are replacing it with a better program known as SchoolTool. As soon as we are up and running I will be sending directions for how to view student grades on-line using SchoolTool – stay tuned to SNN!  I cannot wait to greet your child on September 5^th!                            

Take care, 

Beth Lozier

Principal

Principal's Message for April

Each month in the principal’s message I mention how we simply can’t believe how the year in flying by…and this month is no exception. We have entered the final marking period! The third quarter report cards will go home with your child today. Our final report card of the year will be mailed home shortly after the school year ends. Remember that final course averages are calculated from the four quarters plus the final exam, each worth 20% of the final grade. The final exam schedule is posted at the end of this message.

The annual school budget vote will take place on May 15th from 6:00 am-9:00 pm at WGHS. Dr. Brown will be reviewing the major components of the budget on May 1 at 7:00 pm in the LGI at the high school. Our PTO meeting will precede the presentation at 6:30 pm.

By the time you read this we will have finished the ELA portion of the New York State Testing Program. The mathematics assessment will commence on April 25 and run through the 27. Please make every effort to avoid appointments on those days as the testing starts promptly at 8:00 a.m. We recommend “early to bed and a good breakfast” every day of the year, but this advice certainly helps support students as they tackle assessments that run 90 minutes each session.

Last month I mentioned that CMS (along with every building in the district) has formed a Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee (BPCC). The BPCC recently completed two days of training and are very excited to bring this information to the entire school community. Melissa Ahern, our ADAPEP counselor, is serving as the chair of the BPCC and our parent representative is Mrs. Kris Northrop. She will be instrumental in helping us to bring this training to parents. I want to thank her for making such an important commitment to our school. We will be bringing you a finalized plan for full implementation at the start of next school year.

Our teachers continue to work on implementing the Common Core Learning Standards which will come into effect next school year. We are adjusting our curriculum maps and unit assessments to align to the new standards. You can learn more about the Common Core Initiative by visiting this site.

Please mark your calendars with these important dates:

May 23 – Grade 8 Science Assessment - Performance

 *June 3 – Save Modified Sports road race and softball game

*Check the District Web site for more information*

June 4 – Grade 8 Science Assessment - Written

June 14 – Algebra Regents (grade 8 accelerated students)

June 18 – ELA Finals (10:30 a.m. dismissal)

June 19 – Math Finals (10:30 a.m. dismissal)

June 20 – Social Studies Finals (10:30 dismissal)

June 21 – Science Finals (10:30 dismissal)Last Day of School

As always, please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or concerns.

Take good care,

~ Beth

Principal's Message for February

What a year – we are approaching the end of the first semester in just a few days! The second quarter report card will be hand-carried home by your child on February 3. Parents often ask about how to assist their children in developing strong study and organizational habits. This short article contains five quick suggestions that will be of help.

I am sure many of you have been following the news regarding the many changes that are occurring in the world of education both nationally and right here in New York. One of the most exciting developments has been the adoption of the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) in ELA and mathematics for grades pre-K-12. Educators across the state are spending this school year learning about the standards and how to incorporate some instructional shifts into our daily practice. Our teachers have spent many hours examining about how these standards will bring about the need to make changes in our curricula, particularly in the area of mathematics. Here at CMS, teachers devote their team time period every Wednesday to develop units that better align with the new standards. I thought it might be helpful to share the link to this video which does a terrific job explaining the standards movement and the major components of the CCLS in English Language Arts. It is only 14 minutes long – just enough time to enjoy a hot cup of tea or coffee. Please feel free to call me or any of our teachers should you have any questions about the Common Core.

We make our way through the winter months with some engaging academic opportunities. Our very popular Battle of the Books competition is underway. You can access the reading list and competition schedule here. Please contact Mrs. Ellen Miller at emiller@westgenesee.org should you have any questions.

Our Science Fair will take place during first and second periods on February 2 and the evening award ceremony will start at 6:30 pm. I want to thank Mrs. Jackie Mills for all her hard work in coordinating this event for our budding scientists. You can contact her at jmills@westgenesee.org

if you have any questions. We are very proud to have had three champion spellers from CMS compete in the regional round of the CNY Scripps Spelling Bee, Amelia Ryan, Amanda Lowther and John Sullivan. Amanda has advanced to the next round!

Please mark your calendars for our Teacher Workshop Day on Jan. 30 when school will be closed. February break is Feb. 20-24. Our next PTO meeting will be on March 20 at 7:00 pm.