
Curtis Chronicles
September 16, 2019
A Message from Curtis Principal, Sonya Pitcock
Cougar parents,
We had a great time last week with our 8th graders at the STEAM Center. I hope your students shared some of the activities and experiences from their trip with you! We will be taking 7th grade over the week of October 7th. We are very lucky to have such a wonderful field trip facility for our middle school students!
Crosswalk:
We are sharing with students to pay attention to traffic in the afternoons while crossing Malone, however, we have noticed, that is not always the case. We appreciate you, as parents, to be watching out for students as they cross in the afternoons. We will continue to encourage students to pay attention while crossing as well.
Parent Technology Night:
Our Parent Technology Night will be on Thursday, September 19 from 6-7:30. The first part of the meeting will be focused on our new Social Emotional Learning opportunity and Social Media and the Middle School Brain. After these sessions, parents will have opportunities to learn more about skyward, Canvas and Naviance, which are all systems your students will use more and more in secondary schools. We would love see you there!
Expectations at sports events:
Our volleyball and football teams are off to a great start this year! As students come to watch and cheer on their fellow Cougars, we want to share expectations we have for students at the games. All students must wear their ID badge and be in dress code to be admitted to the games. Students are expected to sit in the students’ section unless they are sitting with parents. This allows them to cheer with their friends and allows us to monitor their behavior as well. Students are encouraged to cheer for CMS, but we do not expect ANY CMS students to be rude, or disrespectful to our opponents. We will address students if we see this happening.
Concessions are provided during the games as a service to students and families. We encourage students to buy concessions, but remind them that food and drinks are not allowed in the gym during volleyball games. If students are at the games, we expect them to be watching the games so we do not allow them to hang around outside the gym or outside the stands while the games are being played. Between games or at halftimes, this is ok, but while games are being played, we need students in the stands. In addition, once students leave the game, they will not be allowed back in. Lastly, we ask that parents please plan prompt pick up from games for their students. Our staff works late to monitor your students while at our games, and it is appreciated when kids are picked up on time so staff can head home to their families and get rested up for the next day of teaching.
Introducing Derrick Sledge, Middle School Support Counselor
Hello CMS Family! My name is Derrick Sledge and I’m the new Middle School Support Counselor in the district. While I work in close collaboration with the counseling team at CMS, my role is a distinguished one that is dedicated to addressing the mental, emotional and social needs of our students. I’m located in The Cougar Den which is in the same area with the other counselor offices. I’m excited about being here and consider it an honor and privilege to be part of this wonderful community of educators and young scholars! Please feel at liberty to drop in and introduce yourself. I look forward to meeting youJ!
At Your Service,
Mr. Sledge, MS, LCDC, LPC-S
Volunteers Opportunities
- Football Concession Stand: September 17 and October 16
- Volleyball Concession Stand: September 16, 26 and several October dates
- Copy Room
- Donations for September 18 Staff Appreciation
- Picture Day, September 20
- Book Fair, September 23-27
You will need to sign in to your account, select My Account in order to see the Volunteer opportunities.
Spirit Wear On Sale through September 20, 2019
Questions? Please email Jennifer
Donations Needed for Staff Meeting: September 18
The school year is off to a busy start and the CMS teachers and staff are doing a great job teaching our kids. Let's show our teachers how much we appreciate all that they do for us by providing them with a Mexican Fiesta for their first staff meeting on September 18. Please sign up at the link below. We also have an option to drop off non-perishable items at starting the weekend before. Thank you for your support and donations-we can't do it without you!
CLICK HERE and login to your Membership Toolkit account.
PTA Membership Update - Join by September 30 for a Chance to WIN!
We are thrilled that our PTA membership number has surpassed 450! We are closing in on our goal of 476 by September 30 (our goal for the year is 673!). Your support not only helps to provide for our students and teachers and strengthen our organization locally, it is adding to the collective impact PTA makes across the state and the nation when advocating for the education of our children.
Contest Time! Every two parent membership will be entered into a drawing for a $50 iPic gift card, and every student membership will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card to Game Stop. Drawing will be conducted on September 27, 2019.
To join, please visit www.CurtisCougarPTA.org. Just a reminder that if you are a PTA Member at an elementary campus, you still need to join the Curtis PTA to be a member.
Support the Allen Foundation of Schools: September 19, 2019
Thursday, September 19 is North Texas Giving Day and our own Foundation For Allen Schools is one of the many nonprofits participating in this powerful day of giving!
Want to help our school get more dollars for our classrooms? Make a donation to the Foundation For Allen Schools at www.NorthTexasGivingDay.org – and designate our school in the additional information box.
Your donation will be utilized to fund future grants from the Foundation to our teachers. Find out more at www.Allenisd.org or www.AISDfoundation.org or by calling 972-727-0362. Donations of any amount are eligible for BONUS FUNDS and if your employer has a matching donation plan, this should qualify! When we all give together great things happen for our children! Give Back Allen! #NTxGivingDay
Fall Book Fair
You can purchase a digital gift card for your student by clicking here.
Thank you!
Allen Council of PTA Citizenship Recipients
Congratulations to our first Citizenship Awards recipients for the 2019/2020 school year. These awards are given out to our teachers, staff, and parent volunteers that give their time and effort to support our schools.
- Congratulations to Mr. Anthony Arnold. Mr. Arnold is an important part of making CMS a success. He takes care of our students, parents and staff with genuine care and compassion. Mr. Arnold supports all learners by building relationships and fostering those during the year.
- Congratulations to Mr. George Lee. Mr. Lee always goes above and beyond to take care of others and is willing to help at the drop of a hat. This time of year is the craziest and he somehow gets it all done. He is a vital part of the success of our school!
- Congratulations to Jennifer Mesquita. Jennifer has worked hard to get the Curtis PTA spirit wear and concessions up and going. Additionally, she helped to organize a successful meet the teacher night. Jennifer consistently brings new ideas to the Curtis PTA. She is a kind person and committed volunteer.
- Congratulations to Rachel Mitchell. Rachel has worked diligently getting the Curtis PTA financial records in shape over the summer and ensuring we are filling all of the best treasurer practices. She is very helpful, detail-oriented and thorough in her work. She is always willing to answer questions and be a great resource.
If you notice a teacher, staff member or parent volunteer going above and beyond what is expected and making a difference for our children at Curtis, please nominate them for our next Citizenship Awards by emailing their name and a brief description of their impact to: ptacommunityrelations.curtis@gmail.com.
DOLLS Club - Meetings on Thursdays at 7:45 am Room B106
DOLLS is a low key, open place to seek guidance through support and prayer of other young ladies involved. The organization is student directed. For more information about D.O.L.L.S. visit http://www.dollsheadquarters.com/.
Please come and join us for a wonderful time of fellowship!
CMS PTA Information Session & Spirit Night: October 15
You are invited to stop by Panera anytime between 4-8 pm on Tuesday, October 15. CMS PTA is hosting a Cookie and Q&A Session. Any current or future CMS parent is invited to attend.
Topics include:
- Blended learning
- Social media
- Middle school strategies
- Ways to get involved
CMS PTA is also hosting a spirit night at Panera on October 15. We hope you will stop by!
CLICK HERE for more info.
Explore the Arts with Reflections, PTA's Art Competition
PTA Reflections is a nationally acclaimed student recognition program to encourage artistic creativity in the classroom and at home. Students of all grades and abilities may participate and explore the arts based on the 2019-2020 theme: Look Within.
Entries may be taken to the CMS Library between Monday, October 28-Thursday, October 31, 2019. Be sure you have an entry form with your submission and a parent must be a PTA Member for your student to enter. For complete information including entry guidelines and submission forms, please CLICK HERE.
Fall Picture Day: September 20
CMS' Picture Day ID is: TX099048Q0
Daily Announcements on Curtis Website
Aviation Art Contest
CMS Students are invited to participate in the International Aviation Art Contest. The art contest involves three levels of voting. The Art work is sent in to the State of Texas, if the art work places it is then sent to the National level for voting. If the art work places at the national level it is sent to the International level. The State of Texas had a winner at the International level last year. There were 359 entries from across the State of Texas which included individual drawings and paintings by young Americans between the ages of six and seventeen.
The aim of the contest is to motivate and encourage children to study aeronautics, engineering and science.
This year’s theme is “Flying Yesterday and Tomorrow”. CLICK HERE for a brochure and more info.
Annual AISD Volunteer Screening
This needs to be done annually and resets on July 1 of each year. Here is the link to get started:
Upcoming Events
Sept. 16: Volleyball v. Cain, 7th home, 8th away
Sept. 17: Football v. Rockwall Williams, 7th away, 8th home
Sept. 19: Parent Technology Night, 6-7:30 pm
Sept. 20: Fall picture day
Sept. 23-27: Fall Book Fair
Sept. 24: Football v. Cain, 7th home, 8th away
Sept. 26: Volleyball v. Burnett, 7th away, 8th home
Sept. 28: Volleyball - Tournament for 7th and 8th A Teams
Oct. 1: Football v. Burnett, 7th away, 8th home
Oct. 3: Volleyball v. Utley, 7th home, 8th away
Oct. 4: School Dance, 7-9 pm, more details coming
Oct. 8: Football v. Utley, 7th home, 8th away
Oct. 14-15: Student Holidays
Oct. 15: Panera Bread Spirit Night & PTA Q&A Night
Curtis Middle School PTA
Email: ptacommunications.curtis@gmail.com
Website: https://www.allenisd.org/curtisms
Location: 1530 Rivercrest Boulevard, Allen, TX, USA
Phone: 972-727-0340
Twitter: @CurtisCougars