September Message

Dear CMS Families

Week #1 is in the books and life is good here at Camillus Middle School! Our buses are running on time, athletic and musical practices are at full tilt and schedule changes are complete.


This week we also welcomed Merry-Go-Round Playhouse into all of our English classes. Our students took part in what is known as Echoes, the largest middle school writing competition in the United States. The classroom writing workshop was facilitated by actors from this program. Our students will submit original material over the next several weeks to Echoes’ actors and writers. In March, the actors will return to us with a musical performance where the submitted poems, songs, stories and skits are weaved into the production. Thank you to the Fine Arts Department for arranging this program for CMS!

On Monday we will put the Curriculum Night (Sept. 20) flyer and schedule in the mail to you. Make sure to bring it with you that evening. We invite you to stop by our library during your visit as well. It was beautifully renovated during last year’s capital improvement project, and it is just the hub of our school. We will have refreshments available there! Our Scholastic Book Fair will also be open. We appreciate any purchase you can make since this benefits our PTO. You can also join the PTO that evening if you haven’t already.

Please join me in welcoming the newest members of the CMS faculty and Staff: 

Gabriele Mahoney – Psychologist 

Mary Griffin – Sp. Ed. T.A.

Jennifer Miller – Sp. Ed. Teacher 

Heather Molina – French Teacher 

Hannah Murphy – Spanish Teacher

Julie Salisbury - Art Teacher

J.J. Potrikus - Sp. Ed. T.A.

Aleksandr Gonchar – Custodian

Allison Larocca – BOCES Teacher

Randi Sherman – BOCES Social Worker

Kelly Busch – BOCES Teacher

September 12 – School Pictures – Please bring your order form

September 20 – Curriculum Night – 6:30-8:00 pm

September 25 – Race For Respect – Noon at the High School

September 29 – 10:10 am dismissal for students

October 5 – CMS PTO Meeting – 6:00 pm in Library

Please feel free to call (672-3159) or stop by the office if I can be of any help to you. A great way to see the day unfold is to follow us on Twitter @camillusmiddle. 

We Celebrate Learning! 

Beth 

Beth Lozier - Principal

July Message from Principal Lozier

Dear CMS Families~

I got started on my summer reading list over the July 4th weekend at my favorite place in the entire world…the 7th Avenue beach in Belmar, New Jersey (my hometown). There is something about the roll of the waves and a sturdy beach chair that somehow helps me to settle into a book. Each summer every middle school teacher in West Genesee reads the same book, usually on a topic related to instruction. This summer we decided try something a little different, and so we decided to all read Mindsets by Carol Dweck, Ph.D. As I was re-reading it on the beach last weekend a gentleman approached me to ask about it. Turns out he is a principal of a local high school and he had also read the book. As we were talking it occurred to me that this would be a great book for parents and students to read. (It is available on Amazon for under $10.) 

Dr. Dweck’s research focuses on motivation and the characteristics of a fixed versus growth mindset. Her conclusions on the inherent benefits of developing a growth mindset in our young people are compelling for both families and schools alike. The book is full of real-life examples, with a dose of easy to read research, about how these mindsets develop in early childhood and what adults can do to build more resilient children. This article from the New York Times also cites Dweck’s findings and provides an excellent list of strategies to use with your children. As a school, this body of work aligns closely with our belief that it is about the learning process, not the 91 on the report card that is most important. It is more valuable to build curious students who have a passion for knowledge and are not afraid to make mistakes. 

I encourage you to read this book and share it with your child. I’ll be writing more about it next school year. 

Wishing all of you a terrific summer break…full of rest, fun and many good books! 

We Celebrate Learning!

Beth Lozier

Principal

P.S. - Summer break is the perfect time to get going on our annual 10 Book Challenge. The State Education Commissioner, Mary Ellen Elia, has started a conversation on Twitter for families to share their favorite book titles. You can join by sharing your photos by tagging @NYSEDNews and using the hashtag #SummerReading.

June Message

The last 11 days of school will fly by…please mark your calendar with these important dates!

June 16 - Algebra Regents - 8:00 a.m.

June 17  - last day for Interaction Time (IT)

June 20 – Full day of school for all students. All grade 8 students will be taking the FLACS examination in French and Spanish. Please remember that this is a required assessment in order to earn 1 credit toward high school graduation.

June 21 – 10:10 am dismissal for all students in grades 6 through 8.

June 22 – 10:10 dismissal for all students. Our 8^th grade students will have a special breakfast and then enjoy games outside on the field. The 8^th grade dance will take place from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at CMS. The breakfast and the dance are sponsored by the CMS PTO.

May Message from Principal Lozier

BUDGET VOTE

Tomorrow, May 17, 2016, you will have the opportunity to vote on the following:

• 2016-17 School District Budget
• School District Vehicle Proposition
• Library Propositions
•  Election of three Board of Education Candidates

Voting will take place in the West Genesee High School Auditorium Lobby from 6:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Thank you in advance for supporting and encouraging the educational well-being of our children.

Check School Tool – Progress Report

The 35 week Progress Report will be available for viewing on Wednesday, May 18, 2016. The final report card for the year will be mailed home in July.

Reading Recommendations

In last month’s blog I mentioned that our library staff asked all faculty members to submit the name of their favorite book from their middle school days. 

It was fun to see that we had not one duplicate title submitted. With the four day weekend right around the corner everyone should have the time to read one of them! Here are some more of the CMS FAVE reads:

Miss Riley – 8^th grade English – The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Mrs. Tanchak – 8^th grade English – lzzy, Willy, Nilly by Cynthia Voigt

Mrs. Duschen – 7^th grade Math – From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basile E. Frankweiler by e.l. konigsburg

Mrs. Ahern – School Counselor- A Girl of Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter

Mrs. Slade – Math Interventionist – Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Happy Reading!

Beth Lozier

Important Dates

May 19, 2016 – Student Council Talent Show -7:00 p.m.

May 25, 2016 – NY State Science Assessment – Grade 8 only

May 27, 2016 – No School – Snow Day Give Back Day

May 30, 2016 – No School – Memorial Day