Panther Press

Hello Panther Families!

Spring has sprung! I feel honored to work with such amazing students and staff who exemplify our core values of respect and responsibility. As we embark on the final quarter of the school year, I would like students to think about school pride. School pride can take on many forms; treating everyone at school with respect, by listening, not interrupting others, or helping out a teacher or classmate. It can also be in the form of responsibility; cleaning up when you see a mess or litter, completing your classwork, or taking care with school supplies and equipment. All these behaviors can show your pride for our school.

The month of April is busy. All students will be completing their Arizona Academic Standards Assessments, (AASA). These standardized tests will assess your student's mastery in English Language Arts: Reading and writing and in mathematics. All 8th grade students just completed the science assessment last week. Please make sure your child is well rested and has breakfast the mornings of these tests. (The testing schedule is listed below.)

April is also the Month of the Military Child, which provides a chance for us to recognize and thank the children of our service members and veterans. Every Friday this month, I invite all students to wear a purple shirt to show their appreciation for all military children!

Sincerely,

Principal Larson

Events

• April 3rd: AASA-ELA Writing Test
• April 3rd: PTO Meeting, 3:30PM
• April 4th: Site Council Meeting, 3:30PM
• April 11th: AASA-ELA Reading Test, Part 1
• April 12th: AASA-Math Test, Part 1
• April 12th: FHASD Governing Board Meeting, 4:15 PM at the Support Center
• April 17th: AASA-Math Test, Part 2
• April 18th: AASA-ELA Reading Test, Part 2
• April 21st: Luau Dance, 6-8PM
• April 24th: Knowledge Bowl Meet, Smith at Coronado, 2:30PM
• April 27th: STEAM Night, 5PM-6:30PM
• April 28th: Early Release at 11:40AM, NO LUNCH SERVED
• April 28th: Uniform Free Day

Sports

• April 3rd-Boys Baseball Game Smith at Naco, 3PM
• April 4th-Track & Field Meet Smith at Coronado, 1:30PM
• April 6th-Track & Field Relay Meet at Smith, 1:30PM
• April 12th-Boys Baseball Game vs. Willcox at Smith, 3PM
• Aoril 12th- Track & Field Meet Smith vs. JCMS at Buena High School
• April 14th-Track & Field Meet Smith at Lowell, 1:30PM
• April 17th-Boys Baseball Game vs. Huachuca City at Smith, 3PM
• April 19th-Boys Baseball Game Smith at Lowell, 3PM
• April 20th-Track & Field Meet at Smith, 1:30PM
• April 25th-Track & Field Meet Smith at Benson, 1:30PM
• April 26th-Boys Baseball Game Smith at St. David, 3PM
• May 1st-Boys Baseball Game vs. Palominas at Smith, 3PM
• May 3rd-5th-Boys Baseball Championships TBD
• May 9th-Track & Field Championships at Benson, 1:30PM

6th & 7th Grade Parents-Parents of current FHASD students who will be returning next school year will receive an email from Mrs. Little with a snap code to complete registration for the 2023-2024 school year. If you have not received your snap code, please check your spam/junk mail folders.

8th Grade Parents-Now is the time to start registering your child for high school!

To register at Buena High School, you will need to set up a ParentVUE account. In order to obtain a ParentVUE account the parent/legal guardian will need to submit a valid ID to im@svps.k12.az.us or the Welcome Center welcomecenter@svps.k12.az.us and account information will be emailed. If you have any questions regarding registration at Buena High School, please call the Welcome Center at (520) 515-2761.

To register at other high schools in the area, please contact their office(s) directly.

8th Graders who are attending Buena next year and want to be on student council need to apply! Fill out your application today. Drop off your application at Buena High school or email it to Mrs. Floss at tara.floss@svps.k12.az.us.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xpDoxE8phjzFZSn_sVGsR631zuBpKRlh/edit

Are you about to moving soon or sometime this summer? Please notify the front office 1-2 weeks prior to your child's last day of school at CSMS. You can contact us by phone at (520) 459-8892 ext. 1312 or by email at celadom@fhasd.org. Thank you!

Daily Regular Hours - 7:50AM - 2:55PM

Early Release Thursday's - 1:50PM

Clubs run from 3-3:40PM on the following days:

Homework Club: M/T/W

Kiwanis Club: Monday

Art Club: Tuesday

STEM Club: Wednesday

Bowen Wood: TEP Award of Excellence

From left to right: Emily Perez, Abigail Bynum, and Gabby Works

Abigail Bynum: 2nd Place Energy and Charge for 8th Grade

Gabby Works and Emily Perez: Ben's Bells Project Science of Kindness Award

Sonia Patrick: 2nd Place Energy and Charge for 7th Grade

Kellan Crowley: 3rd Place Plants and Environment for 7th Grade

Jessica Enriquez: 2nd Place Physics and Astronomy for 7th Grade

We would like to remind parents to contact the office by 8:00 a.m. if your child will be absent from school. It is important to have an accurate account of all students, even if your child will only miss a few minutes. You may reach the office at (520) 459-8892 ext. 1312 or email celadom@fhasd.org Please send a note with your student following an absence or email us (required) for documentation purposes. Thank you for your support regarding this important matter.

March Students of the Month!

6th Grade: Abigail Partridge and Gabriel Camacho

7th Grade: Kassidy Goins and Jayden Palmer

8th Grade: Jaiyla Battle and Jackson Weinberg

Specials: Vicktoria Hegedus and Jameson Murray

Principal: Waranga Andar

MySchoolBucks has not been sending reminders about low balances so we ask that you please check your student's account and add lunch money as needed.

Does your student want to play sports next year? All students must have a current sports physical on file, and have completed registration on Final Forms in order to try out for sports. Any sports physicals dated before March 1, 2023, will not be accepted for sports next school year. If your student is interested in sports for next year, a sports physical dated after March 1, 2023, will be needed. Schedule an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible, to avoid the summer rush!

The AzSCI and AASA state assessments will take place during the morning hours on the following days for Grades 6-8, unless noted otherwise. Please refrain from scheduling appointments during this time if possible. Thank you for your support.

4/3/23 - 4/5/23 AASA (ELA Writing, Math, ELA Reading)

4/11/23 - 4/12/23 AASA (Math and ELA Reading)

Please ensure that your student is drinking water and eating breakfast. The health office has seen an increase in students who are not eating breakfast in the morning. Any donations of grab and go individual sized snacks would be appreciated.

Students are not allowed to carry any medication, to include over the counter medications like Tylenol, without parental forms being signed and on file in the health office. Please contact the nurse if you would like your child to self-carry medications.

Thank you,

Nurse Whipple

PTO Meeting CSMS Library: Monday, April 3rd, at 3:30PM

-April 21st PTO Sponsored Dance 6PM-8PM to celebrate the Month of the Military Child. Free admission with concessions for sale. More info to follow.

-April 28th PTO Sponsored Snow Cone Party to celebrate the Month of the Military Child. Will be served during school hours.

Please join our PT Board for the latest updates: http://csmspto.ptboard.com and follow us on

Facebook: Colonel Smith Middle School PTO

We Need You! Please consider joining and making a difference at our amazing school! We have many volunteer opportunities available. Thank you everyone for your support!

Tutoring

Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families, is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, and is a program that provides on-demand, online tutoring and homework help at no cost to eligible service members and their dependents. With live, expert tutors available 24/7, military-connected students can receive academic help at their moment of need—anywhere they have an internet connection.

Bloom - Teen Empowerment

Bloom is the place you can find comfort and advice about everything military kid related: from moving tips to the top things to do at your duty station. You can also read posts from our featured authors, often other military kids who want to share their stories and connect with their community. They all offer a different perspective on military life. Bloom also highlights all the cool things military brats are doing around the world, like writing songs about their life and winning awards. Check out Bloom's website: https://www.bloommilitaryteens.org/

School Lunch

We will not be offering free lunches this school year. Covid policies in the past permitted us to offer free school lunches, however, this year they have changed their policy. You may qualify for free or reduced lunches. Even if you think you may not qualify, we would appreciate you completing the form. These numbers help assist our school with state funding which in turn provides us more resources to help our amazing students. If you prefer a paper application, please contact our school office, and we will be able to provide one for you.

My School Bucks is the platform we use and you can create an account for your child on their website: My School Bucks

To fill out an application for free and reduced lunches please visit: My School Apps