October Newsletter

Cougar Community

Many things have taken place during the first quarter.. We had several spectacular House Events and Sollevare, “The House of Uplifting” is currently in first place. (Yellow House) Baseball and Volleyball both have made it to the playoffs which are taking place over Fall Break and Shayling Hyman took 3rd place in Mile High Cross Country Invitational this past Saturday. The girls’ Cross Country team finished 3rd place overall. Great Things are Happening at CMS.

We are so excited to host the first dance of the year. The dance will be held on Friday, October 11th from 6pm-8pm. All students will be dropped off in the front of the school and school I.D. is required. (This will be enforced) The i.d. Must be current. If their I.D. is lost, they can purchase a replacement I.D for $5.00 in the front office. It will need to be purchased before the end of the school day. If your child needs to leave the dance early, we require that you park and come to the gym. We will not let students leave early or without a visible parent. Again, this is for safety and accountability purposes. The cost of the dance is $5.00 and concessions will also be sold.

Parents, staff do not get paid to attend dances. We do these events for school spirit, to build school community and culture. And, nothing beats seeing first hand all the awkwardness of their first middle school dance. I personally ask that you pick your student up on time. This is a very long day for us and it's not fair to your students or staff when you arrive late.

We are in need of Halloween candy to give out at Trunk or Treat sponsored by Combs High School. Out of 600 families I got 3 bags of candy. We are also accepting donations for our PBIS student store. This can be in the form of snacks or physical items ( think pencils, gadgets, all things teens like). I promise to only ask for donations when I really need them. This is one of those times. All of these items go back to students!

"Today I will do more than I have to do, I will treat others as I want to be treated, and I will try to become a better person."

• All cell phones. Blah, Blah, Blah. You know the rest.

• Please be mindful of the dress code. (no pajamas, toys, or binkys, we are not hosting sleepovers) Hopefully we will be getting cooler weather and justify those hoodies.

• Please be even more mindful of grades and attendance. The tardy bell rings at 9:00 am. No one should be rolling up at 9:00am. Roll up by 8:55. Cool points for playing good music.

• Classroom Tardiness. The absolute truth is any student can make it to any place on campus in less than 5 minutes. So there is no reason to be late to class. I Pinky Swear.

If you would rather your student focus on more positive things to do after school we have various activities

Photography Club

Drama Club

Spanish Club

Quarter 2 Sports

Softball

Wrestling

We are looking forward to our first ESports team (gaming) competitions.

Every student is welcome to join a club and try out for sports. We encourage students to get involved!

Although I have inserted humor and love, please know that I mean business when it comes to holding students accountable and championing for them to become the best version of themselves

Principal Ridge

Happy Fall CMS families! The counseling team would like to share about some exciting things coming up during the month of October.

PBIS/PAWS:

Have you heard about PBIS at CMS? PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports) is a school-wide framework implemented to encourage positive behavioral choices such as: being Productive, Accountable, Working together and being Successful. When students demonstrate these positive behaviors, they are rewarded points by school staff. Points are rewarded through the PBIS Rewards App. Students can spend their earned points at the PAWS market inside the library during lunch on Fridays. Students may purchase items such as snacks, stickers, books, jewelry, school supplies and more! Our PAWS Market Grand opening will be taking place Friday, October 11,2024.

Pinal County Health Liaison Program Partnership

Did you know that JOCUSD and Combs Middle School partners with The Pinal County Public Health Services District to provide students with beneficial lessons throughout the school year? The first presentation of the school year will focus on the topic of Vaping and Dab Pen Aversion. 7th grade presentations will be held during Social Studies classes on October 10th or 11th, 2024. 8th grade presentations will be held during Social Studies class on October 14th or 15th, 2024. All students have been provided with parent “Opt Out Forms.” Please ONLY have your student return this form to their Social Studies teacher by Wednesday, October 9, 2024 if you DO NOT WANT your student to participate in this presentation. Students who will not be participating will spend their class period in the library. If you approve of your student participating in this presentation, no action is needed and this form does not need to be returned. This presentation is available to preview by visiting the

CMS Counseling Website. Select the “Resources” tab and drop down to “Classroom Lessons” to preview. Additionally, please see the attached parent letter provided by The Pinal County Public Health Services District for further information. If you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to the School Social Worker (Laurene Shindledecker) or the School Counselors (Colby Edwards or Elizabeth Niemela).

Softball and Wrestling Tryouts Start on 10/8 right after school. Please make sure that if you are trying out you have a completed athletic packet with copy of insurance turned into the office.

Oct. 2nd-Studio R Ballet Presents "This Is Halloween" Doors open at 6:00 performance is at 6:30 pm. Tickets available at the door.

Oct. 5th- Mark Lowry and Friends presented by IMC Concerts, Doors open at 2:30, performance at 3 pm.
Tickets now on sale at www.jocombs.org/CPAC

Oct. 12th-"Close To You" Tribute to the Carpenters presented by Curtain Call For a Cause, doors open at 6:30, performance at 7 pm. Tickets now on sale at www.jocombs.org/CPAC

Oct. 18th:One Of These Nights-Tribute To The Music Of The Eagles
doors open at 6:30 pm, performance at 7 pm. Tickets now on sale at www.jocombs.org/CPAC

CMS Drama Club will be performing in a double feature October 23 and 24. Combs Performance Art Center, Doors open at 5:30 and Performance starts at 6:00

Fall Break is September 30- October 7. Students Return on October 8th.

Kona Ice will be on Campus October 14th. Remember to bring your cup and money.

J.O. Combs Unified School District #44 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age or sexual orientation in admission and access to its programs, services, activities, or in any aspect of their operations and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. J.O. Combs Unified School District #44 also does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices. The following employees have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies:Compliance Officer for Title IX, Dr. Josh Middleton, Director of Human Resources, 43371 N. Kenworthy Rd, San Tan Valley, AZ 85140 or 480-987-5300 and Compliance Officer for Section 504/ADA, Ms. Jennifer Corry, Director of Student Services, 43371 N. Kenworthy Rd, San Tan Valley, AZ 85140 or 480-987-5300.

El Districto Escolar Unificado de J.O. Combs #44 no discrimina en base a su raza, color, religión, origen nacional, sexo, discapacidad, edad, o la orientación sexual para la admisión y su acceso a sus programas, servicios, actividades, o en cualquier aspecto de sus operaciones y proporciona un acceso igualitario a los Boys Scouts y otro grupos de jóvenes designados. El Districto Escolar Unificado de J.O. Combs tampoco discrimina en sus prácticas de empleo y contratación. Los siguientes empleados han sido designados para manejar las preguntas en cuanto a las pólizas de no discriminación: Funcionario de Cumplimiento de Título IX, Dr. Josh Middleton, Director of Human Resources, 43371 N. Kenworthy Rd, San Tan Valley, AZ 85140 or 480-987-5300 and Funcionario de Cumplimiento para la Sección 504/ADA ,Ms. Jennifer Corry Director de Servicios