CMS Families,

We hope your student(s) had a nice break from school. We have a number of items in this month's newsletter to update you on!

This week is our monthly grade level assemblies during Headquarters (homeroom). Part of the assembly will be a midyear review of general behavior expectations - including proper conduct on the bus, in the halls, and in the cafeterias. This is also the time of year where we see an increase in behavior incidents in common areas like the hallway and buses. The infractions are not typically serious but we ask for your help reminding students of school appropriate behavior/language, to keep their hands to themselves, and respect the building. For example, there is a perception by some students that horseplay is acceptable because they are just joking around with a friend. They do not realize that this behavior is inappropriate for school because adults may assume there is a conflict or there could be an unintended injury.

This is also a good time of year to remind students and families that CMS has an electronic policy where students are not allowed to interact with their cell phone devices during the school day. We ask families to assist with this policy by not texting your students during the school day. If you have a message to get to your student, our house offices are happy to relay the information. 

While the decision to buy a cell phone for your student is a personal one, it is important for us to remind families of the pitfalls middle level learners experience as a result of cell phones and social media. Middle school is a time where students are working on independence - which often includes testing boundaries and practicing their social skills. Families who choose to give their students devices are encouraged to monitor the cell phone usage daily in order to support their child’s social development and have discussions regarding appropriate use of technology. It is important for us to emphasize that student cell phone use is the responsibility of parents. However, we do intervene if your student’s actions on their device or social media have an impact on the school day which include, but are not limited to, threatening comments or harassment of other students.  

February Kindness month has been a theme in our Headquarters programming. It comes at a perfect time of year where students need reminders on how to appropriately interact with their peers. Kindness can go a long way. It is important for us to remind families that conflict during middle school is a normal socialization process (while geared toward educators, this article is a great read for any middle school parent). At CMS, we believe we have a responsibility to help students navigate through conflict resolution by helping them build social awareness skills. We also have a number of systems in place for helping students through conflicts they may have. Students are encouraged to seek out their grade level counselor to report any conflicts, bullying, or harassment.

Heading into March, our Headquarters programming will be centered around Teamwork and Good Sportsmanship. Each grade level will have tournaments going on amongst the Headquarters! This is usually a hit each year - a great talking point to ask your student about! On top of the fun, scheduling for next year is well under way at each grade level. Be sure to ask your student about that process as well.

We realize our arrival and dismissal can be a hectic time in our parking lots. We are excited that the December Capital Project vote passed and, as a result, we will have a redesign of parking lot in 2026. We ask that drivers follow traffic rules and go slow when driving on campus. We have had a few issues recently with people driving through crosswalks or driving too fast. 

Families are reminded that early arrivals begin at 7:55 am at the South Cafeteria doors. Please note students are not supervised outside if dropped off before this time. With winter temperatures, it is important families avoid dropping students off before our doors open.

Be sure to check out the other “buttons” and sidebars below which include our "Who Should I Call?" cheat sheet and CMS Resource Guide for Families.

All our best in the new year,

Ashley Dreibelbis

Principal