CMCSI Warrior Word Parent Newsletter
February 2021
Haga clic en el enlace de arriba para leer el boletín en español.
News from the Front Office
It's hard to believe the 100th Day of School is Friday! Our second semester has gotten off to a great start, and we are so glad to have our students both in the building and learning virtually from home. We are thankful for our Warrior families and your flexibility as we continue to navigate during these unprecedented times. Our goal continues to be keeping students and staff safe while providing rich learning experiences each day.
Last Friday, we had our first Enrichment Clusters of the year. Enrichment Clusters are a block of time set aside each month to allow K-5th Grade students to explore, create, and participate in inquiry-based learning at CMCSI. Although Enrichment Clusters look different this year with students remaining in their homerooms, students still participated in engaging activities that included experiments, projects, interest-based learning, much more.
February promises to be busy at CMCSI! We are looking forward to Valentines Exchanges, Spirit Night, Enrichment Clusters, and of course watching our Warriors continue to learn and grow.
We hope you have a wonderful week! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @CMCSIWarriors to keep up with all of the amazing happenings at CMCSI and see lots of pictures of our students and staff too. Feel free to contact us if you ever need anything.
Dr. Betsy Ainsworth, Principal
Mrs. Dana Walker, Assistant Principal
Upcoming Dates
2/1-5 National School Counselor's Week
2/1-11 Snack Donation Drive
2/3-10 PTO Friendship Gram Sales $1
2/5 Class Valentines Due
100th Day of School
2/12 Valentines Exchange
2/15 No School for Students
2/19 Safer, Smarter Kids Permission Due
2/26 Enrichment Clusters
3/1-5 Read Across America Week
3/4 Spirit Night at McDonald's in Oakwood
3/18 Report Cards
3/22-26 Parent Conference Week (via Zoom)
3/25 Spring Pictures
Warrior Wednesdays
Don't forget that every Wednesday is Warrior Wednesday! We encourage everyone to wear spirit wear or school colors. The class with the most school spirit earns our Warrior trophy for the week.
CMCSI Parent Surveys
Next month, we will have a team of teachers, administrators and district staff members visit CMCSI to conduct our required accreditation visit. On this day, they will be visiting classrooms and meeting with staff to get to know our school. Parent and stakeholder feedback is an important part of this visit, so we need your help! Please complete the PARENT SURVEY linked below by February 16th. All responses are anonymous.
ENGLISH: https://forms.gle/jWtg4Jr7J44DxxuAA
SPANISH: https://forms.gle/f7umTzvAbiG6T33W9
February Events at CMCSI
- Our 5th Grade students are sponsoring a Service Project by hosting a Snack Drive for our frontline healthcare workers. Send individually-wrapped snacks to CMCSI through February 11th, if you would like to donate.
- Our CMCSI PTO is selling "Friendship Grams" now through February 10th with proceeds to be donated to our 5th Grade End of Year Celebration. Students can purchase for $1 each (cash only & exact change) to send to their friends and teachers at CMCSI as a Valentine's Day treat!
- CMCSI will host our required accreditation visit in March. Our visiting GSAPS team will visit CMCSI to observe instruction, interview staff and gather parent feedback. Be sure to complete our parent survey here. The visiting team will speak with our School Council Members and PTO Board Members via Zoom, as well.
CMCSI Magnet Applications are Open
If you know friends & family who would like to attend CMCSI next year, but do not live in our attendance zone, we are now accepting Magnet Applications through March 19th. (Students who are already accepted and attending CMCSI through our Magnet Program do not need to reapply.) More information & the Magnet Program Application can be found here. Help spread the word to our future Warriors!
Yearbook Sales
It's not to late to order your child's yearbook. The yearbook is one of those keepsakes that will mark what a unique school year this was in your child's life. Yearbooks are on sale now for $35 and you can order by clicking on the link below. Once you’ve opened the link, be sure to click on yearbooks, type in CHESTNUT MOUNTAIN, and then click on our school. All yearbooks will be delivered to our school. Yearbook sales will end 4/15/21, but yearbooks are now being sold while supplies last, so don't let your child miss out!
Safer, Smarter Kids Program
Over the next few months, Hall County School Counselors will be delivering several personal safety and abuse prevention lessons in classrooms K-5. Please read these documents for information on the curriculum used and your role in permitting your student’s participation as well as supporting their questions in your discussions at home.
In order to allow your child to participate in this program, we need written consent. Please log into Parent Portal here and click digitally to accept/decline and sign. Please complete this by February 19th. You may also print and submit to your child's teacher a paper copy of the form found here.
Learn more and view curriculum samples at SaferSmarterKids.org. If you have further questions and/or want to preview any of the curriculum, please contact sonia.stewart@hallco.org
Transportation Reminders
If you are dropping your child off after the school day has started, please be sure to pull up to the breezeway, stop your car, walk your child to the front door, ring the "buzzer" and wait for a front office staff member to meet you there. We want to be sure and keep our Warriors safe, so please do not drop students off unattended, as the front doors of the school are locked this year, and staff may not see your child outside once drop-off has ended.
Be sure to have your car rider tag hanging up each day when picking up your child in the car rider line. If you need a new car rider tag, please send an email to cmcsi@hallco.org and we will be happy to print you a new one.
Information from the School Nurse
Prevent Blindness of Georgia
Members of the Prevent Blindness of Georgia initiative will be here on Feb. 18th to screen students in all grade levels using the spot vision camera. All students will be screened. If you wish for your child to opt out of the screening, please let their teacher know. This is a great program and we are honored to have them come out to our school. If you wish to learn more about this program and what they have done for many children across the state, please click the link below.
Character Education & Community Topic
Character Word
Our CMCSI Character Education Word of the month is Kindness. Students are learning that kindness is showing others they are valuable by how they treat them. Please see more resources for parents to use to discuss Kindness here.
Community Topic
Abilities is this month's Community Topic at CMCSI. Students will be learning about community influencers from history such as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Helen Keller and how they showed patience, curiosity, and remained focused.
Cafeteria Information
If you have not completed the Free or Reduced Meal application (even though meals are free for all students this year), PLEASE DO SO! You may complete your application at www.schoolmeals.hallco.org and find more information here.
February Breakfast & Lunch Menus (English)
February Breakfast & Lunch Menus (Spanish)
Ways to Support CMCSI
Spirit Nights
CMCSI Spirit Nights take place each month! If your family visits the restaurant or drive-thru on our CMCSI Spirit Night, a portion of the sales will be donated to the school! Mark your calendar for these:
March 4 @ McDonald's in Oakwood
Masks & Face Coverings
Be sure to send your child to school with a mask or face covering each day AND send an extra in his/her backpack, as we know masks sometimes can be lost, broken, soiled, etc.
Kroger Plus Card Community Rewards
Be sure to link your Kroger Plus Card to CMCSI here. We earn when you shop!
Publix Partners
Sign up for Publix Partners here. Enter your phone number at check-out & we earn money!
Box Tops for Education
Sign up & collect digital Box Tops when you shop. More information here.
Bottled Water for Classrooms
Since our water fountains cannot be used this year, we provide bottled water for students who forget their water bottles. If you would like to donate a case of water (regular sized OR small bottles are great too!) to your child's classroom or the front office, we would appreciate it!
Wipes & Hand Sanitizer
Please continue to send hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes (like Clorox wipes) for our classrooms. Please consider donating to your child's classroom, our Media Center, gym, Computer Lab, etc. We appreciate your help!
THANK YOU to our CMCSI 2020-21 PARTNERS IN EDUCATION
