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Central Middle School Newsletter
From the Principal…….
December, 2015
Special points of
interest:

Winter Break is
December 24
through January 1
Inside this issue:
2
Mission Statement
Security
Illegally Parked cars
3
ID Required
Lost and Found
French News
4-6
Visionary Kids Contest
7
Parent Link
8
Spanish Parent Link
9
Calendar
Dear Parents:
Happy Holidays! Each December, I begin my newsletter thanking the community for their generosity.
We are one of the top five contributors to the Harvest for the Hungry every year due to our families support of
this very important food drive. All of our contributions go to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, which helps
families in our county. This year, as in past years, your contributions have been very generous. Your generous
support will provide many hungry children with food and clothing this winter. Thank you.
Our first report cards have gone home and the grade distribution shows that the majority of our students are doing a great job. We had 71 students fail one or more classes and 230 earning one or more D’s.
We strongly recommend they take advantage of the support offered here at Central Middle School.
Golden Cobras
Striking Success
Principal’s Letter Cont...
Volume 39 Issue 5
10
During the advisory class, Cobra Academy Time (CAT), which is held daily we focus school wide on
tailoring our extra help to the needs of the students. CAT allows additional support for some struggling students. All teachers invite students to come for re-teaching of standards not met, to redo, to make up assignments, or to take missed assessments. The students are allowed to seek help from any of their teachers. This
is the first year of in- school time for students to use to read, research projects, or get a good start on homework assignments. Be sure to talk to your student about how they use this time. While this may look like a good
time to pull students early remember they are losing valuable independent time. Hopefully, this independent
time will help all students meet success.
In addition to CAT our Help days after school will continue to be offered. Students are required to
arrange to stay ahead of time so the teachers are prepared for their needs and can know how many student
are needing further assistance. In addition to teacher help, the South River High School STEM students are
working as tutors every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. These tutors are excellent and our middle school
students are benefitting from their assistance.
There are a variety of ways the teachers provide parents information. Some of them use Edmodo,
emails, or their team newsletters. Please check with your child’s team leader for more information. Some
teachers are also offering lunch study groups. Central Middle School teachers are doing whatever it takes to
help students. They cannot do it alone. The Parent Connect system is another way to track you child’s progress. If you have not signed up for your password you can find instructions on the AACPS website. Please
encourage your child to take advantage of our opportunities to help them be successful. There is no reason for
any student to fail at Central Middle.
The Student-Led conferences were held on November 23-24. This conference model encourages
students to practice self-advocacy skills and presentation of their strengths and weaknesses. We hope all parents were able to participate in this opportunity. If you were unable to attend contact your child’s teacher to
arrange for their portfolio to be sent home. Thank you to all who responded and attended the conferences.
Our PTSA is actively working to provide programs that support your child and the community. They
sponsor our Living History Day and provided funds which helped us increase student’s use of technology. This
year they have also sponsored two cultural arts programs one for sixth grade and one in seventh grade. The
sixth graders enjoyed their storyteller in October. The seventh grade will be entertained by an Improv group
later this winter. Both programs are part of the Young Audiences Program.
This year a PTSA member donated $14,000 for the purchase of student held technology. We will be
purchasing Chrome books this month.
Please consider joining us for a PTSA meeting, which are held every third Tuesday of the month at
5:00 PM in the main office conference room.
Principal’s letter continued……..
Page 2
Central Middle School
The Chorus and Band are working hard getting ready for their performances on December 15 and 17. They
will be performing at Barnes and Noble on November 30 in small groups to fine tune their skills. Come out
and see them. The Instrumental Winter Concert is on December 15 at 7:00 PM and the Chorus will perform
7:00 PM on December 17 at Central Middle School. Don’t miss these wonderful holiday performances
The weather will be turning colder and snow will be appearing in the local forecast. Please discuss
with your child your family arrangements for early closings. We have over 1100 students here at Central
Middle School and cannot handle large numbers of students needing to call home. Make sure that your child
has a place to go if an early closing occurs. AACPS will continue to use the Connect Ed call out system for
emergencies. Please notify us of any changes in contact information.
The Faculty and staff wish all CMS families a very safe and joyous holiday. Schools will be closed
December 24 through January 1.
Happy Holidays,
Our Mission
All Students will
achieve high levels
Millie Beall,
Principal
of performance on
quality standards
through active
engagement in
instruction tailored
to their needs and
interests.
Video Camera System/V-Soft School
CMS is equipped with a video
camera system. It covers selected interior and exterior
public portions of the building/
grounds.
It is NOT monitored constantly,
but is monitored during emergency situations. During
events when the safety or security of students may be in question, authorized personnel from
local, state or federal police or
fire emergency units may be
given access to view images
projected on the camera system. If you have any questions
about the system, you should
call the supervisor of School
Security at 410-222-5083.
V-Soft by Raptor Ware…..
When you visit our
school you will be
asked to present a
government/state issued photo ID (i.e Driver’s License) to a staff
person in the school office.
The ID will be scanned and the
following information collected: your photo, name and
date of birth. This information
will be utilized to check you in,
create an ID badge, and compare your information against
sexual offender databases
throughout the county.
If your name appears on the list
or you refuse to allow the use of
your ID, you will NOT be allowed
access to the school. You will
also be asked to check out with
the office upon leaving. The
information will not be shared
outside of the school and is kept
on a secure server. Your assis-
Page 3
Central Middle School
PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOLERS…
Please remind your high school students that
they are not allowed to park in Central Middle’s lot
(only a small amount have permission with stickers
from the high school, to park in one small area of the
lot close to SRHS)
There is a sign posted at the entrance to our Lot with the Towing Company’s information and warning.
We will be enforcing this policy and wanted to make you aware
that the impound/towing fee is now $280.00.
REMINDER:
All Parents and Visitors must have a government
issued ID in hand upon entrance to our building.
NO exceptions!
Thank you for your help in keeping
Central Middle School safe.
.
Lost and Found...
...Is over flowing with lunch boxes,hoodies,jackets,pencil pouches and more!!!
Is your student missing something?
If so…please check out our lost and found in
the Cafeteria
**All unclaimed
nated**
items will be do-
GRADE 8
The 7th grade Intro French students will be exploring family vocabulary and then move on to express the
ages of their family members as well as
their dates of birth. A family photo mini
project will be their next cumulative assessment which will showcase writing
and speaking skills. Parents can help
students prepare by discussing family
members in an effort to help them
choose a member to highlight in their
assessment.
The holiday of Noël is fast approaching, and we will be involved in
various hands-on activities to understand the celebration. Thank you in advance to any parents for their generosity in Bûche de Noël donations! A letter
will be coming home in early December
to explain the process!
Reminder: students should be
checking out https://my.hrw.com their
textbook website for some great interactive activities. Students have their
user names and passwords! Parents
should also check Blackboard for announcements!
REMINDER!
Mrs. Yuan’s “Help Day” is Tuesdays!
If you have any questions or
concerns, Please e-mail her at
[email protected].
Mrs. Yuan’s 8th grade
French 1 students have been busy
questioning each other about their
likes and dislikes as well as their
abilities and frequency of their
pastimes. Students will link this
personal information to the popular characters in the French story
“Babar et le Père Noël” as they
search for a moral to this traditional holiday story.
As Noël approaches, students will also be volunteering for
a celebration buffet, and we will
need the traditional “pièce de résistance”—the famous “Bûche de
Noël”. Thank you in advance to all
parents who allow students to participate
and
expand
their
knowledge of the culinary arts.
The 8th grade French 1 students should be checking their
textbook website at https://
my.hrw.com for some great interactive activities including flashcards
with pronunciation help and lesson
quizzes. Students can explore the
interactive on-line book! News and
networking is also
a valuable tool.
Parents also should
be checking Blackboard for regular
announcements!
HARVEST for the HUNGRY
Amazing Advisory!
Mrs. Yuan congratulates her 8th grade Advisory for
amazing results in the collection for the Maryland Food
Bank! The students rose to the occasion and collected
5,221 pounds...which was 193.3 pounds per person!
Students were full of Cobra Pride in contributing to the
event. They have proven that they are great points of
light and that they are the change they wish to see in the
world! These amazing students are:
Haley Darnell
Haley Blumenfeld
Meghan Connolly
Bridget Asman
Megan Burgess
Ashlynn Burrows
Charlie Garofolo
Kyle Czumak
Christian Cato
Caroline Davisson
Patty Horan
Anna Cato
Jenna Drescher
David Foust
Ian Beall
Luke Dawson
Josh Akers
Jonathan Beach
Gerard Foran
Nick Carrick
Elizabeth Dean
Non-Advisory who helped
Bryce RiceWoolf
Sara Haller
Justin Stempowski
Lile Casey
Austin Farr
Chrissy Scott
* Top 5 contributors
Mrs. Yuan proudly recognizes all of you for giving from the heart!
The World and Classical Language Department thanks all of the parents who
visited our classrooms during the Student-Led Conference days in November to hear
their sons and daughters describe their progress in becoming more proficient in their
target language of study. We are encouraged by your support of and interest in our
programs, and we look forward to continued growth in your child’s language abilities!
We have made our first contact for the year with
our sister school Collège Chateaucoin in Baugé in the
northwestern part of France near Le Mans and Angers.
Curiosity and excitement permeated our October/
November meetings. Members are now waiting for a
French response. Central Middle students’ passion for
French is a live and well as we use our new language
beyond our borders.
Members were very concerned the day of le 13
novembre when Paris came under multiple terrorist
attacks. They immediately mobilized and started a
Peace Chain in our classroom. Links were created by
all French students and reflect the strength of the unity
and solidarity students feel for the French people. A
card of condolences was also sent to our sister school
as well as on line to the Embassy of France in D.C.
Next stop, Noël with our traditional “grand
buffet” on le 10 décembre. Members are tuning their
voices in order to sing both traditional and Cajun
carols. Parents, stay tuned for more information about
how you can get involved!
Mrs. Yuan sends out a huge MERCI to all parents
for the snacks which have been donated weekly! The
Cercle is having a great time trying out new foods.
Thank you so much for your support and contribitions!
Happy Holidays—Joyeuses Fêtes—to all!
Nous
sommes
Paris
The 2015–16 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Show your creativity through
Film
Art
Essay/Poem
Performance
Open to all Anne Arundel County
Public Schools’ students grades 6–12.
Two High School Seniors will each receive a
$1500 Visionary Kids Contest Scholarship
to the College, Career, or Technical School
of their choice.
This year’s theme:
In the face of adversity, we march on.
Today, we still march on because the world Dr. King envisioned is still not within our grasp.
We struggle against discrimination, inequality and injustice, but our mission is clear. We will fight
on until all can truly say, “free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we’re free at last!”
See back for contest rules
Attention all Visionary Kids!
• Do you love to create songs, write poetry, and inspire others through words or dance? • Do you feel inspired by the words and deeds of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?
• Are you excited about experimenting with your talents?
Show us what you can do by submitting your project, speech, dance,
video presentation, song, or artwork to our Visionary Kids Contest! Rules
Guidelines
Who: Middle & High School students
1.Film/Video Submissions including documentary films, digital multimedia, music video, or
animations must include a brief process paper
of no more than 150 words. Entries may be accepted in MP4, AVI, DVD, or pin drive formats.
When: Projects are due December 11, 2015
Where: Deliver to the Visual Arts Office at the
Board of Education at 2644 Riva Road Annapolis, 21401. Videos of your speech, dance, song,
performance and or artwork must be included.
All entries must be the student’s original
creation.
One entry per person so pick your best piece!
Please Note—to qualify, entries must include:
•Project Title
•Student’s name
•Student’s age
•Teacher’s name & school
•Parent’s phone number, email,
and mailing address (if available)
Project Criteria:
The entire entry must be the original work
of the student and must be kid-friendly with
no violence, inappropriate language, or
mature themes.
2.Art Submissions include drawings, painting,
sculptures, photography, or fiber arts. Submissions cannot exceed a height of 6 feet or a
width of 4 feet.
3.Written Submissions may include essays,
short stories, speeches, and poetry.
Writing must not exceed 500 words, not
including references.
4.Performance Submissions may include music, dance, performance art, and acting.
Performances cannot exceed 12 minutes and
may be submitted in DVD, MP3, MP4, AVI, or
video formats. Performance pieces will be
judged on the performance and not the quality of the recording. All props must be portable
and costumes and language must be appropriate and adhere to the standards of Anne
Arundel County Public Schools.
If you need more information, contact Eleni Dykstra, Coordinator of Visual Arts at 410.222.5450.
Parent Link
Connecting You and Your Child to Information on Our Journey to Greatness
If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to
teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy
effort, and keep on learning.
Carol Dweck, Author, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.
December 2015
Give the Gift of Your Time & Attention
The Office of School & Family Partnerships
Wishes You and Your Family
While the holidays provide a break from our usual busy schedules,
hoped-for family time can be derailed by distractions, including our many
tech devices. Here are a few ideas to plan for quality “family face time.”
A Safe & Happy Holiday
Give challenges. Tackle challenges together that require extended
focus and persevering through errors to learn. Try baking up a new
cookie recipe, learning a board game or craft, solving puzzles, or hiking
a Maryland State Park trail. See more tips for parents at
www.mindsetworks.com. (See Carol Dweck’s quote above)
Give books and reading-with-you time. Encourage and
support your child’s interests by choosing books on topics your child
loves. Set a daily reading-together time, even with your adolescents.
They will associate this happy family time with books and reading.
Balance media with real time.
(From 8 Ways to Unplug Your Holidays, www.commonsensemedia.org,
12/2014.)
Are tech devices topping your kids' holiday wish lists this year?
With a little planning -- and kids' assistance -- you can balance your
family's tech activities with much-needed face time. The trick is to
downsize -- not demolish -- your family's reliance on technology over
the holidays. Here's how:
 Try some tech togetherness. Unplugging for its own sake isn't the
point. Family time is. Plan a night of video games, movies, or maybe
preselected YouTube videos that you can all enjoy together.
 Make a list (and check it with your kids). With your children’s input,
schedule some daily tech time for yourself and your kids.
 Be jolly, but firm. Let your kids know that you'll be enforcing stricter
time limits to create more quality family time. And tell them that the
rules will apply to the grown-ups as well... and stick to them. Then
generate fun on your own steam – without WiFi, data, or ear plugs.
More resources for balancing media use throughout the year:
 The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, at
Commonsensemedia.org.
 www.PBS.org/Don'tBuyIt/Parents Guide.
 The American Academy of Pediatrics publication, Beyond ‘turn it off’:
How to advise families on media use: www.aappublications.org.
Season!
School Attendance
& the Holidays
During the holiday season, it’s tempting to
extend a vacation by a couple of days or to
allow children to linger at home. But, just a
few absent days here and there can add
up to too much lost in-class time when the
teachers are teaching and the students are
learning.
So make sure your child is in school
every day. It’s a rewarding gift that’s
Volunteer
the Month
easy of
to give.
November 2015
Kerry Petz
Arnold Elementary School
… for dedicating countless hours and her
superb leadership talents to benefit Arnold
students and the entire community.
To nominate outstanding volunteers for the AACPS
Volunteer of the Month Award, email
[email protected]
Office of School & Family
Partnerships
AACPS TV Programs:
Comcast and Broadstripe Channel 96, & Verizon Channel 36
Parent Connection, Parents’ Corner, World View
Nuestra Comunidad (Our Community), and
¡Charlemos Juntos! (Let’s Chat)
Published by:
The Office of School & Family Partnerships
410-222-5414; [email protected]
Parent Link
Conectándolo a Ud. y a su Hijo a la Información en Nuestro Camino a la Grandeza
Si los padres quieren darles a sus hijos un regalo, lo mejor que pueden hacer es
enseñarles a sus hijos a amar los desafíos, ser intrigados por errores, disfrutar el
esfuerzo y seguir aprendiendo.
Carol Dweck, Autora de: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.
Dar el Regalo
de Su tiempo y Atención
Mientras las fiestas ofrecen un descanso de nuestro horario de trabajo
habitual, el tiempo esperado de estar con la familia puede descarrilarse por
distracciones, incluyendo nuestros muchos dispositivos de tecnología. Aquí
están algunas ideas para planificar "tiempo de calidad en familia."
Dar Retos. Afrontar desafíos juntos que requieren enfoque extendido y
perseverando a través de errores para aprender. Intente hacer una nueva
receta de galletas, aprender un juego o la artesanía, resolviendo
rompecabezas o caminar por un sendero de un Parque del Estado de
Maryland. Ver más consejos para los padres en www.mindsetworks.com.
(Ver dicho de Carol Dweck)
Dar libros y tiempo de leer con usted. Animar y apoyar a los
intereses de su hijo eligiendo libros sobre temas que su hijo ama.
Establecer un tiempo diario de lectura juntos, incluso con sus adolescentes.
Asociaran este tiempo feliz de familia con los libros y la lectura
Balance los dispositivos con tiempo real.
(del articulo “8 Ways to Unplug Your Holidays,” www.commonsensemedia.org,
12/2/2014.)
¿Son dispositivos de tecnología encabezando las listas de deseos de
sus hijos este año?
Con un poco de planificación -- y asistencia de los niños, puede equilibrar las
actividades de tecnología de la familia con tiempo de cara a cara muy
necesario. El truco es reducir su tamaño, no demoler—la dependencia de la
familia de tecnología sobre los días de fiesta. Aquí está cómo:
 Tratar alguna tecnología juntos. Desconectar para su propio bien, no
es el punto. Es tiempo en familia. Planee una noche de video juegos,
películas o videos de YouTube tal vez seleccione algunos que puedan
disfrutar todos juntos
 Hacer una lista (y compruébela con sus hijos). Con la ayuda de sus
hijos, hagan tiempo diarios para tecnología para usted y sus hijos.
 Sea alegre, pero firme. Déjenle saber a sus hijos que van aplicar
estrictos límites de tiempo para crear más calidad de tiempo familiar.
Díganles que las normas se aplican a los mayores también... y síganlas.
Luego generar diversión en su propio, sin WiFi, internet, o auriculares.
Más recursos para equilibrar el uso de tecnología durante todo el año:
 The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, at
Commonsensemedia.org.
 www.PBS.org/Don'tBuyIt/Parents Guide.
 Publicada por el American Academy of Pediatrics, Beyond ‘turn it off’:
How to advise families on media use: www.aappublications.org.
 http://www.commonsensemedia.org/latino
Diciembre 2015
La Oficina de Relaciones entre la Escuela y la Familia
Desea que usted y su familia
Una temporada navideña
segura y feliz!
Asistencia Escolar
Y los Días de Fiesta
Durante la temporada navideña, es una
tentación darse unas vacaciones por un
par de días o permitir a los niños quedarse
en casa. Sin embargo, unos días ausentes
aquí y allá pueden sumar a una pérdida de
demasiado tiempo en clase cuando están
enseñando a los maestros y los
estudiantes están aprendiendo. Así que
asegúrese de que su hijo está en la
escuela todos los días. Es un regalo
gratificante que es fácil de dar.
Voluntario del Mes
Noviembre 2015
Kerry Petz
Escuela Primaria Arnold
… Por dedicar incontables horas y sus talentos
de liderazgo excelente en beneficio de los
estudiantes de Arnold y toda la comunidad.
Para nominar a voluntarios sobresalientes al Premio
Voluntario del Mes de AACPS envíe un correo
electrónico a [email protected]
Oficina de Relaciones
entre la Escuela y la
Familia
Programas de TV AACPS:
Comcast and Broadstripe Channel 96, & Verizon Channel 36
Parent Connection, Parents’ Corner, World View
Nuestra Comunidad (Our Community), and
¡Charlemos Juntos! (Let’s Chat)
Publicado por:
La Oficina de Relaciones entre la Escuela y la Familia
410-222-5414; [email protected]
December 2015—Central Middle
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1 Yellow B
2 Blue A
3
4 Yellow A
5
Red B
Golden Cobras
Striking
Success!
6
7 Blue B
8 Red A
9 Yellow B
10 Blue A
11
Red B
12
Interims Home
13
14 Yellow A
15 Blue B
16
20
21
22
23
27
28
School Closed
Red B
Yellow A
29
School Closed
CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL
221 Central Avenue East
Edgewater, MD 21037
410-956-5800
Fax 410-956-1266
Red A
Blue B
30
School Closed
17 Yellow B
18 Blue A
19
24 School Closed—
Christmas Break
Through January 1
25
26
31
School Closed
School Closed