January Message

Yearbooks
The last day to order yearbooks will be Friday, March 1st.  Yearbooks can be ordered online at www.balfour.com. If you have any questions, please contact our yearbook advisors, Mrs. Clift at kclift@westgenesee.org or Mr. Keida at dkeida@westgenesee.org.


Report Cards
Second semester report cards will be passed out tomorrow, Friday, February 1st. Please take this opportunity to review your student's progress with them. If you have any questions or difficulty logging into SchoolTool, please contact our Guidance Department at 672-8381. Click on the 'Grades' tab, select 'Marking Period Grades' in the 'view' drop-down and make sure to have 'Marking Period 2' selected.

Principal’s Message 
Each school year, during the last week of January, we conclude the first semester with what is known as a Workshop Day.  I know that our students enjoy having another day off, but it might surprise you to know how much gets accomplished here on that day. Last Monday we had training for bus drivers, professional development in the area of English as a New Language and presentations on mental health. Additionally, every middle level content area met as a department. These days provide incredibly valuable professional development time, especially now. Did you know that in New York State every content area is currently undergoing a standards review process? From Fine Arts to Chemistry and Physical Education to World Languages, our teachers are doing a deep dive into what the new standards mean for them and for our students. By the year 2024, all New York State assessments including the grades 3-8 tests in ELA and math and all Regents exams will be in alignment to these new standards. If you have a child in 10th grade, they will take the first realigned Regents exam when they sit for the Global History test this June. 

The District has responded to these changes in the best possible way. We have created a Curriculum Advisory Team made up of administrators and teachers from every grade level. This team is developing a plan to ensure that we fully grasp the standards, and that teachers have the right resources. Ultimately the team will make sure that we have a curriculum review cycle and that all documents will be easily available to the entire school community. 

We are excited for the work ahead of us...
For the rigor of the intellectual process of converting standards to units of study which drive our daily lessons.
For the clear focus of strengthening the instructional core.
For the opportunities we will create for all of our students as they journey from their place as a student of West Genesee to a productive and caring citizen of the world.
It’s a great time to be a Wildcat! We are truly celebrating learning!

Beth

Follow us on Twitter @Camillusmiddle

Important Dates
February 1 – Wildcat Friday – Wear Your Blue and Gold!
February 6 - 3 on 3 Basketball Tournaments - 2:15-4:00
February 6 – Board of Education – 7:00 pm at WGHS
February 14 – Science Fair – CMS gym – 6:00-7:00 pm
February 15 – No Interaction Time
February 18-22 – No school – Winter Recess
February 28 – Choral Festival – 7:00 pm at WGHS
March 1 – Career Fair/OCC Field Trip – grade 8
March 2 – Culture Fair – Noon-3:00 pm at WGHS

November Message

First 10 week Report Card

The first 10 week report card is available on SchoolTool today and will be hand carried home by students on Monday, November 19th. Please take a moment to review it with your child. This is a perfect time to set new academic goals and notice what study habits are successful. Please contact our Guidance Department at 315-672-8381 if you wish to meet with your child’s teaching team.

Yearbook Ordering
Order your copy of the 2019 CMS yearbook at www.balfour.com. Simply type in “Camillus Middle School” to begin the ordering process. You can also order by phone with a credit/debit card by calling 1-800-944-5930. Yearbooks are $25. The price will increase to $28 on January, 8, 2019. If you have any questions please email Mr. Keida at dkeida@westgenesee.org or Mrs. Clift at kclift@westgenesee.org.


PTO Meeting
Our next PTO meeting will be on November 28th at 6:00 pm at CMS in the library.

Dates To Remember
November 21-23 No School – Thanksgiving Recess
November 28 PTO Meeting – 6:00 pm
November 30 Group photos for yearbook
December 4 7/8 Band, Chorus & Select Concert –
                                7:00 pm
December 7 Wildcat Friday
December 11       6th Band, Orchestra & Chorus Concert -
                                 7:00 pm

October Message

Our next PTO Meeting will be on Wednesday, October 3rd at 6:00 pm in the CMS Library. We will be reviewing our budget and updating our committees. Mrs. Lozier will also be speaking about the Positivity Project.  If you haven't joined the PTO yet, you can get the form by clicking here. Just send it in to school with your child.

Picture Retake Day is coming! If you missed picture day back in September or if you were unhappy with your first photo shoot, our photographer will be back in the building on Friday, October 26th. Please bring your old photos to exchange at the retake session. 

Our Halloween Dance and Open Gym will be Friday, October 26th, from 6:00-8:00 PM. Tickets are $5 at the door and all proceeds benefit our PTO. Come celebrate the holiday with your favorite friends and ghouls!! No costumes please!

The Positivity Project continues to be a terrific way to welcome our students back from the weekend. Every Monday, during the extended homeroom period, our teachers are delivering the incredible resources that have been created by the founders of P2. It is so encouraging to watch how our students interpret each character strength in their daily interactions with their classmates. Having a common vocabulary anchors our conversations across the weeks and grade levels. You can help at home by picking up that conversation when students come home. You can view what are known as the Character Cards for the four traits (open mindedness, integrity, perspective and creativity) we will cover in the month of October by clicking here. The cards include a description of what the trait means, a few quotes, and some reflections on how individuals might express each trait. These are quick reads that will really help strengthen our commitment to P2! Remember: Other People Matter. Period.

Important Dates 
October 3 - PTO Meeting - 6:00 pm @ CMS
October 3 - Board of Education Meeting - 7:00 pm @ WGHS
October 5 - Wildcat Friday
October 5 - End of 5 weeks - No Interaction Time
October 8 - No School - Columbus Day
October 12 - 5 week reports available on Schooltool
October 17 - Board of Education Meeting - 7:00 pm 2 WGHS
October 26 - Picture Retake Day
October 26- Halloween Dance - 6:00-8:00 pm
October 29 - WG SEPTSA Meeting - Stonehedge Elementary - 6:30 pm
October 31 - Student Council Halloween Costume Contest

September Message

Dear CMS Families,

“I can sum up positive psychology in just three words - Other People Matter. Period. Anything that builds relationships between and among people is going to make you happy.” Dr. Chris Peterson

On Monday of this week, CMS kicked off the Positivity Project (P2) to great success. This is our third year participating in P2, and every school in the district is now a partner school. This allows the program to have a real impact on students since the P2 ideals evolve throughout a student’s whole school career. As a reminder, P2 focuses on 24 character strengths that research has proven to build powerful behaviors and increase our ability to live in a positive-mindset manner. Once a student learns the meaning of each strength and what it looks like, they can then be embedded into the curriculum in every subject area. The character strengths become a part of a common language that we use to build ourselves and each other up every single day. Every Monday morning we will extend homeroom for 15 minutes so that we can have meaningful discussions about each of the character traits and view the outstanding resources that the Positivity Project creators have assembled.

We know that families are eager to partner with our school in increasing your child’s character strengths. By using the character strengths vocabulary and having discussion about the concepts, you will help your child understand each character in themselves and others in a more complete way. You can view the calendar of when we study each trait by clicking here. Look for the Character Trait Summary Card in the Curriculum Night mailing that you will receive soon. That's a great thing to keep on the fridge!

You can view the opening video that we saw in homeroom right here. If you have a few minutes to view it with your child I am sure it will be a great prompt for a discussion about your thoughts on the topic.

I look forward to our journey with P2...it’s what really matters.
We Celebrate Learning!
Beth
Principal - CMS
Follow us on Twitter @camillusmiddle

Curriculum Night
Please mark your calendars for our Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 27th from 6:30-8:00 pm. The schedule for the evening will be in the mail to you next week...be on the lookout! Please make sure to stop by our library where we will have refreshments. While you are there you can become a PTO member, volunteer for a committee and check out the Scholastic Book Fair. Curriculum Night is for parents and guardians only. We look forward to a terrific year where We Celebrate Learning!

As you can see, our middle school is one busy place! To help you keep track of everything going on, we put all of our daily announcements on the CMS web page for your access. Just click on the announcement tab.

If your child is going to be late or absent you may call the Health Office line at 315.672.3426. There is an answering machine that will take your message during non-school hours.

Important Dates
September 25-27 - Scholastic Book Fair sponsored by PTO
September 27 - Curriculum Night
October 3 - PTO Meeting in the library from 6:00-6:45 pm
October 5 - Wildcat Friday
October 5 - End of 5 Weeks
October 8 - Columbus Day - No School
October 12 - 5 week reports can be viewed in Schooltool