Embedded Files
12/1/2025
Dear 8th Grade Families,
We hope this note finds you well. This week we have a book fair, OCS Listening sessions, and the IB Exhibition night at Cedar Ridge.
ALS will be hosting a Bookfair beginning Dec.1st - Dec. 5th from 8am-3:30 pm in our Media Center. Please visit our bookfair webpage for more information and how to set up an online e-payment. Sign up for an eWallet by Dec. 1st so your student can shop without having to send in cash. Families can also shop online using the bookfair webpage. Online shopping is available Dec. 1st-14th. https://www.scholastic.com/bf/alstanbackmiddleschool
Throughout December, the ALS Kindness Club will be collecting food and grocery store gift cards for families in need. Each grade level will collect items for a particular meal:
6th Grade: Breakfast -- instant oatmeal packets, cereal, shelf-stable milk, canned/dried fruit, granola/breakfast bars, pancake mix & syrup, pop-tarts, instant grits
7th Grade: Lunch -- peanut butter & jelly, canned foods (soup, chili, pasta, Vienna sausages), crackers, mac & cheese cups/boxes, bottled water & juice
8th Grade: Dinner -- pasta & sauce, shelf-stable meal kits, rice/instant rice packets, instant ramen, canned foods (vegetables, tomatoes, tuna, chicken, beans), cornbread mix
Food donations can be given to core 1 teachers. Gift card donations can be dropped off in the main office for Ms. Chavis, our school social worker. Please contact Ms. McKinney or Ms. VonB, Kindness Club advisors, with any questions.
Students will be having their second session for Career Development Planning next week. Students will be creating a Career Plan that they will continue to monitor and develop through their high school years.
Cedar Ridge High School's IB Exhibition Night is scheduled for Wednesday, December 3 from 5:00-6:30, and will feature current students and staff as well as student projects, presentations, and demonstrations/performances. There will be monthly virtual IB Information Night sessions. These are the second Wednesday of each month at 7 pm, and always include general program information, a discussion of prerequisites/recommendations, and time to ask any questions from the audience.
Interested in IB? Check out our website: http://cedarridgeib.weebly.com/
Food Resources for Students and Families
Food Resources for Students and Families
Please see our updated Families and Students web page , with new links to state and local resources such as "Food Finder" to help every family provide nutritious food for children at home. Links on this page were just updated on October 31 by resource providers in our community.
OCS School Nutrition Services proudly supports student learning by providing a range of nutritious and flavorful options at breakfast, lunch, and snack times at low prices that make our school cafeterias a great option for your family.
Free or Reduced-Price School Meals
Free or Reduced-Price School Meals
If your child attends Central Elementary, Efland Cheeks Elementary, New Hope Elementary, or Partnership Academy, your child can enjoy free school meals every day.
At other OCS schools, you may qualify for assistance and can apply any time at lunchapplication.com to check eligibility for free or reduced-price meals.
Please share these resources with anyone who may be seeking assistance.
Remember to email or send in note for student absences. Emails from students do not count as official excuses, and the absence will be legally recorded as "unexcused."
Thank you for all you do,
The Teachers
IB EXHIBITION Night Flyer.pdf2025-26 IB Info Nights flyer.pdfYour Child's Teachers
Your Child's Teachers
Claire Capps, Math claire.capps@orange.k12.nc.us
Amanda Henry, English Language Arts amanda.henry@orange.k12.nc.us
Anna Cochrane, ELA/Math anna.cochrane@orange.k12.nc.us
Steve Kirby, Science steve.kirby@orange.k12.nc.us
Joseph Sharp, Social Studies joseph.sharp@orange.k12.nc.us
Free or Reduced-Price School Meals
Free or Reduced-Price School Meals
If your child attends Central Elementary, Efland Cheeks Elementary, New Hope Elementary, or Partnership Academy, your child can enjoy free school meals every day.
At other OCS schools, you may qualify for assistance and can apply any time at lunchapplication.com to check eligibility for free or reduced-price meals.
What we are studying in classes.... Parents, ask your child about what they are studying. It will help reinforce the learning!
What we are studying in classes.... Parents, ask your child about what they are studying. It will help reinforce the learning!
Science class: Earth history, adaptation, and evolution
Math 8 -Exponents and scientific notations
Math I - Finishing statistics; beginning equations
Social Studies: We are studying the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
English/Language Arts: Places We Call Home Unit; Reading, "My Favorite Chaperone"
English I - Suspenseful Short Stories Unit;
Create Parent Portal with Password Reset - Combined.pdfParent Portal, Dragonfly, Student Services and Attendance
Parent Portal, Dragonfly, Student Services and Attendance
Here are instructions for creating a Parent Portal Account for Infinite Campus. Set up your account and check in on your student's grades. Contact the school to get your family specific activation key.
Dragonfly Max (app used by OCS Athletics to register for sports) Note: this is REQUIRED for all athletes. Our Athletic Director (trevor.davis@orange.k12.nc.us) will be available to students to assist with registration and questions. (Parent Guide)
Here's the link to the Student Services Newsletter!
EVERY visitor is required to enter through the front office and sign in using our Ident-a-Kid computer system in the secure vestibule. Using an NC driver's license makes the process much easier.
Transportation Customer Service: Install the "Here Comes the Bus" mobile app to stay informed about your child's bus schedule. Dial the Call Center at 919-732-2531 starting at 7:00 a.m. each school day for assistance.
You can always view the current Year-Round and Traditional calendars on the OCS website.
Families of ALS. As our school community continues to work toward excellent student attendance, it is important for families to communicate to the school when a student will be absent.
In the event that your child will be out due to appointments, illness, hospitalization, death in the family, or emergency travel, it's important that we are notified. All documentation can be submitted in person at our front office, or emailed to our school data manager, Tayler Potoczny (tayler.potoczny@orange.k12.nc.us) or school social worker, Makayla Chavis (makayla.chavis@orange.k12.nc.us). If your student is absent from school due to sickness/illness, you should immediately contact the school to speak with our school nurse.
Please remember to send in a note/email if your child is absent. A student email will not count as an excuse note. A doctor's note is required in some cases.
SCHEDULE A PARENT CONFERENCE
SCHEDULE A PARENT CONFERENCE
Just email us with a date and we can set a Zoom or in person meeting, if necessary.
8th Grade Schedule
8:25 - 9:25 Core 1
9:28 - 10:08 Bulldog Academy
10:11 - 10:53 Exploratory 1
10:56 - 11:38 Exploratory 2
11:41 - 12:36 Core 2
12:39 - 1:29 Rec Time/Lunch
1:32 - 2:27 Core 3
2:30 - 3:25 Core 4
Quick reminders for students:
Water Bottles - Students can bring their own water bottle to school . Students may refill their bottles at the water fountain.
Meals - Students will eat in the cafeteria , but have daily rec time outside.
Be mindful that if you sign out your teenager during lunch, there may be a 15 minute wait while they retrieve their bookbag from the classroom.
Buses, and Car Riders - NO student may be dropped off at school prior to 7:55am.
Contact Ms. Capps
Contact Ms. Capps
You can download the TalkingPoints Parent app and use the code 46ZTCP to join Mrs. Capps text group.
Useful Links and Communication
Useful Links and Communication
In some cases, our team will be communicating with you via text using an app called "Talking Points."
You can download the TalkingPoints Parent app and use the code 46ZTCP to join Mrs. Capps text group.
Please download the free app on computer, phone, or tablet and use code: ZW31F1 to communicate most effectively with me.
Teenage years can be a difficult time for families. Concerns over tobacco, drugs and alcohol are real concerns for many parents. Our school nurse has prepared a few information resources concerning vaping, THC, and related topics that are concerning to familes.
Healthychildren (information for parents on edibles and THC)
Healthychildren (information on vaping)
Partnership to end addiction (information on vaping marijuana)
Report abuse