School Closure Grading Information

Dear CMS Families -

I hope that all of you are safe and healthy. As we all adapt to how we experience school, I wanted to share some information about how teaching and learning will continue in the weeks and months ahead. Given all of the unknowns, we have looked beyond Governor Cuomo’s school closures through April 15th. We will adjust our plan as he updates his guidance to the State.

Week of April 6-10 (previously April Break)
We will utilize the extra week of instruction for students to complete and/or make-up any assignments still open during the 3rd marking period. Teachers will reach out to individual students regarding what assignments they are looking for that most closely measure the learning standards for their courses. Not every student may have make-up work that they are responsible for completing.

Closure of 3rd Marking Period
Teachers will finalize the 3rd marking period grades on April 21st. Report cards will be available for viewing in Schooltool on April 24th.

Marking Period 4 (April 13-June 25)
Teachers will begin to deliver new content through Google Classroom beginning on April 13. We will continue to follow these guidelines:

Core Subject Area (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Languages)-
2 assignments per week, approximately a 40 minute completion time each 

Electives and All Special Area Classes-
1 assignment per week, approximately a 40 minute completion time

New Grading Guidelines for Marking Period 4
Teachers will no longer be giving numerical grades for submitted assignments in marking period 4. In addition to teacher feedback, we will be using the following criteria for each assignment:

Complete = Student has executed the task to the course or grade level standard
Incomplete = Student has executed the task, but it is not yet to the course or grade level standard
Missing = Student has not yet submitted the assignment

Parents and students will be able to view individual student progress through Schooltool for marking period 4 as assignments will be posted as they were previously. In place of grades, you will see a C, I or M representing Complete, Incomplete, or Missing.

At the end of Marking Period 4, students will be given a final quarter grade of Pass or Fail based on their ability to demonstrate their learning of course specific learning standards.

The calculation of the final cumulative (4 marking periods) average has not yet been decided.

All of us at CMS are thinking of all of you each day. We so deeply miss all of our students and hope that we will all be together again soon. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our students and staff.

We Celebrate Learning!
Beth Anne Lozier
blozier@westgenesee.org
Follow us on Twitter @camillusmiddle

School Closure Update from CMS

Dear CMS Families~

As we start to make the transition to virtual learning, our teachers and staff have been working to develop remote learning opportunities for our students during this extended school closure. Our teachers, teaching assistants and school counselors will be engaging with students through Google Classroom, email, and/or virtual office hours. Contact information for our teachers and professional staff, organized by department, is provided here.  Any questions or concerns relating to online instruction should be directed to the teacher of the course.

While we know that many of our teachers are already checking in with students, starting on Monday, March 23rd, students will receive lessons/activities in their Google Classroom accounts. We know that families are dealing with numerous challenges, so students should expect only one to two 40 minutes lessons/activities each week for core class at this time. Special Area teachers will be providing one 40 minute lesson per week. Feedback on student  learning will be provided by teachers as students submit work. Our primary goal is to maintain our connections with students and to continue developing their academic skills and proficiency. Participation is expected, as teachers will be monitoring student involvement via comments, emails, and Google Classroom activity.  Engagement and consistency are the keys to success in the coming weeks. An overview and link to the WG Online Learning Portal can be found here.

We ask that you continue to look for updates in the following ways: 

West Genesee School District website
CMSPrincipal Blog
Student and/or parent or guardian emails
Twitter: @camillusmiddle

I would like to recognize all of the Wildcat staff  who have been working tirelessly to organize and deliver meals and technology. Our incredible custodial staff continue to work to keep all of our buildings disinfected. 

Thank you to our District Level PTA/PTO’s for arranging for volunteers and creating our first Virtual Spirit Week.  We start that with Pajama Day on Monday!

Our current plan of distance learning is based on a return to school on April 14, 2020. Due to the unforeseen nature of this virus and the caution that we will exercise to protect the West Genesee family, our plans may change. These changes will be guided by both New York State and Onondaga County. Any updates, should we need to make them, will be communicated on our district website, through my blog, Twitter and through email. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. I will be receiving all voicemail messages left on the building phone at 315-672-3159 or you can email me at blozier@westgenesee.org. 

Take good care now~ 

We Celebrate Learning! (Always!)

Beth Anne Lozier 
Principal - Camillus Middle School

MENTAL HEALTH AND CRISIS INTERVENTION RESOURCES:

C-PEP

(315) 448-6555 Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program at St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse, open 24 hours, 7 days a week

Golisano Children's Hospital

(866) 543-KIDS Emergency room for children, open 24 hours, 7 days a week

Vera House

(315) 468-3260 24 hour help for victims of domestic and sexual violence

McMahon-Ryan Child Advocacy Center

(315) 701-2985 Information about how to report child abuse, intervention and education.

ACCESS (315) 463-1100 Onondaga County's Intensive Case Management Children & Family Program; provides clinical case management services to families with one or more seriously emotionally disturbed child or adolescent experiencing a crisis.

211 CNY

Dial 211 for Information and referrals for human services within a five county region. This is a hotline to help families and individuals find referrals for help with things such as housing, food, mental health, substance abuse, disaster relief, legal assistance and finances.

Hotline Numbers

CONTACT Hotline

(315) 251-1400 -24-hour suicide prevention and crisis counseling and referral.

Crisis Text Line- 741741 (24 hour)

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

National Adolescent Suicide Hotline: 1-800-621-4000

Hotline for Teens that Cut: 1-800-366-8288

National Eating Disorder Hotline: 1-800-248-3285

Be Sober Hotline: 1-800-237-6237

Drug Help National Helpline: 1-800-378-4435

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Cyber Tipline 1-800-843-5678 (To report suspected online child sexual exploitation)

February Message

The last day to order yearbooks will be Friday, March 6.  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.

The annual Culture Fair will be held at West Genesee High School on Saturday, February 29 from 12:00-3:00 p.m. in the upper gymnasium. Join us as we celebrate our community’s diversity at this fun event featuring dance performances, live music, cultural demonstrations, food samples, artwork, T-shirts, kids crafts, and more!

Our annual St. Patrick’s Day Dance will be on Friday, March 13 from 6:00-8:00 pm. DJ Dan Becker will be here with his flashing lights and the best dance music in town. Our gym will also be open for basketball. Tickets are available at the door for $5. Snacks will be available for sale. All proceeds benefit our PTO.  If you would like to chaperone, please contact Beth Lozier at blozier@westgenesee.org. Wear your green and come on out for a great night!

Our next 3:3 Basketball Tournament will be on Friday, March 20 from 2:15-4:00 pm. Teams can be mixed grade levels and/or co-ed with 4 players maximum. Team registration forms were handed out in PE classes and are also available in the main office. Fill out the form and return payment ($5 per player) to the Main Office by Monday, March 16. All proceeds benefit our PTO. Let’s Play!

Our 25-week progress reports will be available for viewing on SchoolTool Friday, March 13. If you have trouble logging on to view, please call or email Nancy Boise at nboise@westgenesee.org or 315-672-8381.

Counseling Department Notes:

Upcoming Events
8th grade students will be participating in Career Day on Friday, March 6. Students will start the morning by attending a Career Fair in the cafeteria before taking a bus to visit Onondaga Community College. The day will conclude with a presentation by high school students and counselors in the LGIR.

Mrs. Ahern and Mrs. Canterino will be going into classes to meet with 6th and 7th grade students to help them select courses for next year. The selection sheets will be mailed home by the end of March for parent review.

Opportunities
SUNY ESF will be hosting a girls summit to provide hands-on career exploration activities in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.  The program will be held on April 18 and will cost $5.00 per girl.  Registration information is available at the following link:  https://www.esf.edu/oelo/

Several months ago I shared with you that the staff here at CMS has been spending our monthly professional development time studying the New York State Mental Health Literacy Standards. It has been really productive for us because we have a better understanding of adolescent mental health needs and have acquired additional strategies to create a “culture of caring” within our school.

Often, when we think of mental health, we focus on topics that compromise our children’s well-being. You can list those influences as well as I can: negative peer pressure, social media, vaping and other substance abuse. Schools have always been aware of our responsibility to educate students about these influences and give them strategies to protect themselves.

But what the Mental Health Literacy Standards show us, and what experts have known for quite some time, is that we also need to give our time and attention to the notion of resiliency which is commonly defined as the ability to bounce back from adversity. I’d like to share with you one of the resources on this topic that we studied. The 40 Developmental Assets have a strong research base in outlining internal assets (commitment to learning, positive identity) and external assets (support, constructive use of time) that serve as protective barriers and help students build resiliency and strengthen a child’s overall well-being. You can print out the one-page chart at home and ask your child about how they perceive these assets in their own life. I can also recommend a terrific book on this topic called Learned Optimism by Dr. Martin Seligman who is regarded as the father of positive psychology. His research is embedded in the Positivity Project that we utilize here at West Genesee.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this topic or any other matter.

We Celebrate Learning!
Beth
Blozier@westgenesee.org

Follow us on Twitter @camillusmiddle

February 27 - Choral Festival 7:00 p.m. @ WGHS

February 29 - Culture Fair 12-3 p.m. @ WGHS

March 4 -  Board of Education Meeting 7:00 p.m. @ WGHS

March 6 - Wildcat Friday

                 Career Fair - 8th Grade

March 11 - 1/2 Day for Students - 10:10 a.m. dismissal

March 13 - 25 Week Reports Available

                   St. Patrick's Day Dance 6-8 p.m.

March 17 - 7/8 Gr. Band & Orchestra Concert 7:00 p.m. @ WGHS

March 18 - Board of Education Meeting 7:00 p.m. @ WGHS

March 20 - 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament 2:15-4:00 p.m.

March 24 - Jazz Band, Chamber String, & Select Chorus 

                    Concert 7:00 p.m.

March 25 - 6th Grade Concert 7:00 p.m. 

March 24 & 25 - 6th Grade NYS ELA

March 26 & 27 - 7 & 8th Grade NYS ELA

January Message

New From The Main Office
While we strive to make sure your calls are always answered by a West Genesee employee, due to added security measures at our main entrance, they may not always be able to respond immediately.  Therefore, we have activated an automated phone menu to assure that we may get back to you in a timely manner.  Once the message starts, you will be able to press "1" to contact the nurse's (attendance) office or "2" to contact the guidance office or just stay on the line to leave a message for the main office.

Yearbook Ordering
Ordering your 2020 yearbook is easy this year! Just follow this link or go to the “YEARBOOK” link found on the Camillus Middle School page at www.westgenesee.org. Yearbooks are $25 until January 31st. On February 1st the cost rises to $28. If you order by January 17th, you will be entered into a drawing for a free yearbook or iTunes gift card. The deadline for ordering is March 20th.


PTO Meeting and Talk with the Superintendent
Our next PTO meeting will be on January 21st at 6:30 p.m. in the high school LGIR. Immediately following the meeting, Mr. David Bills will present his Talk with the Superintendent. His presentation will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the LGIR. All are welcome to attend.


Dance And Open Gym
Mark your calendar for our next dance and open gym on January 24th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door. Refreshments are available for purchase. All proceeds benefit our PTO.

Important Dates 

January 9 - 8th Grade Parent/Guardian Night - 6:00 pm at CMS LGI
January 10 - Wildcat Friday
January 20 - Martin Luther King Day - No School
January 21 - PTO Meeting - 6:30 pm at HS LGI
January 21 - Talk with the Superintendent - 7:00 pm at HS LGI
January 22 - Board of Education - 7:00 pm
January 24 - End of 20 weeks
January 24 - Dance & Open Gym - 6:00 - 8:00 pm
January 27 - Staff Development Day – No School
January 28 - Begin 2nd Semester
January 31 - Report Cards sent home