Dear Central Mountain Middle School Families,

As we approach the final stretch of the school year, we wanted to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude for your trust in us with your child's education. This year has been a whirlwind of positive change and experiences, and we couldn't have achieved any of it without your unwavering support.

We are incredibly proud of the strides we've made together as a school community. One notable accomplishment is a significant decrease in behavior referrals – over 20% lower than previous years! This positive shift in behavior is a reflection of our phenomenal faculty and staff who consistently go above and beyond to support our students. It also speaks volumes about our students' commitment to taking ownership of the high expectations we set as their new leaders. Their school pride, evident in their Wildcat spirit, has played a crucial role in creating a positive and productive learning environment for students this school year.

Our academic achievements are equally impressive. We've witnessed countless students excel, earning spots on both the honor roll and high honor roll. Additionally, students have been recognized for their dedication and talent through a wide variety of awards throughout the school year. It's truly inspiring to see their hard work and passion each and every day.

Looking ahead, we're excited for the great things to come in the 2024-2025 school year. We have exceptional things planned to continue pushing Central Mountain Middle School towards becoming the best it can be for our students, families, staff, and the entire community.

We wish you all a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable May and summer break. We cannot wait to reconnect and continue this incredible journey together in the fall!

- Your Central Mountain Middle School Administration

May 23- MiniTHON at CMMS

May 27 - Memorial Day - No School

May 31- 5/6 Track and Field Day

May 31- 8th Grade Carnival

June 3 - Bucktail HS Graduation

June 4 - Last Day of Classes for Students - 3 hr. Early Dismissal

June 4 - Central Mountain HS Graduation

KCSD has moved back to ClassDojo as our messaging app. Please be sure to connect (or reconnect) so you don't miss any important information from your child's school or teachers.

Stay informed about:

• School events and activities
• Important deadlines and assignments
• Emergency alerts and school delays/dismissals/closures

Each one of our schools is preparing for the end of the school year! We have surveys to send to ask for your input, and we have meetings and activities to hold to meet required expectations for Federal Programs. Please help us to meet these expectations by providing your feedback, support and input! We appreciate it!

You may be contacted by your school's Policy 917/918 team to participate in our Spring committee meeting. We are required to make sure that we maintain open communication between the schools and a variety of stakeholders to review federal programs information and receive feedback. If you are interested in participating, we are always looking for community members who want to be involved in reviewing our data and our plans and want to have input. If you are interested in joining our team, please complete this form to help us maintain a communication list of willing Stakeholders to turn to when we need input.

Title I funds follow the students. When our students attend a nonpublic school, our school funds are allocated on a per pupil basis to the nonpublic school to support any students who have an academic need who would have attended a KCSD school. We work with our nonpublic schools to help support our students, because no matter where they attend, students who reside within the boundaries of KCSD are our students.

Our original allocation for this school year for Title I was $1,550,476. The reallocation just came out March 13, 2024, and that number was reduced to $1,549.039.

Title II funds are designed to support the teachers. We use Title II funds for professional development in areas such as mathematics, English/Language Arts, and social-emotional learning.

Our original allocation for this school year for Title II was $163,939. The reallocation just came out March 13, 2024, and that number was reduced to $160,680.

At all school levels, we use Title IV federal funds to purchase incentives for PBIS (our positive school-wide behavior supports) rewards, and we emphasize the goal of following school rules in all schools. Our original allocation was and remains $127,334.

Required documents for families:

Right to Request Qualifications of Teachers (see Annual Notices and Policy Review button above) - if you wish to request a paper copy, please contact rmurty@kcsd.k12.pa.us .

Note: If your child is taught for four or more weeks by a teacher who is instructing in a content area for which they are not currently certified, the district must notify you. Four-week notification letters will be added here if that becomes necessary.

Non-Discrimination Statement (see Annual Notices and Policy Review button above) - if you wish to request a paper copy, please contact rmurty@kcsd.k12.pa.us.

Title I District Parent Policy - Policy 918

Coaching Newsletter for Families - How We Teach Reading

Title I Complaint Procedure

School Improvement Plan

Even though school is out, the summer is a great time for kids to explore, read, and learn. In fact, research shows that kids who keep learning over the summer often have a better start to the new school year. Here are some ideas for helping to make the summer educational - and fun! Click to learn more!

Help us reach our Attendance Goal of 94.1%.

For the month of February, our students showed up 89.8% of the time.

As of March 1st, there are only 66 school days left. We want to see you all 66 days!!

Remember: Excuses need to be turned in within 3 days of an absence. Use your school's attendance email to make sure that the excuse notes get turned in on time.

Wildcats on the Prowl: AttendanceMatters Now!

If you are concerned about a student for any reason, you can make a SAP referral. The SAP referral can potentially lead to any needed services and/or supports the student may need to be successful.

Click on the picture to make a referral!

During middle school, students experience changes, such as transitioning into adolescence, balancing multiple classes/assignments, dealing with peer pressure, developing new friendships, caring about what others think/fitting in and/or personal situations. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) may contact one of our counselors with any questions or concerns they may have regarding their student's academic, career, behavior and/or socioemotional well-being.

A counselor is someone to talk to, who will listen without judgment. A school counselor can assist in short-term counseling and if needed arrange long-term counseling and the SAP (Student Assistance Program) and Tier II support. Counselors can teach students tools to improve and cope with different situations, especially because sometimes it's hard to figure out where to start. Students may be want to see a counselor for the following reasons:

• Want to share an experience/feelings
• Feel depressed and/or lonely
• Have thoughts of self-harm
• Feel stressed and/or anxious
• Feel angry and/or frustrated
• Want to improve grade(s)
• Talk about college/careers
• Relationship/peer issues/conflicts
• Personal issues (divorce/separation, loss of a loved one, etc.)

To learn more or to schedule a meeting, please contact your student's school counselor.

Dr. Billie Miller: Grade 5 School Counselor

Phone: 570-893-4900 x3086

Email: bmiller2@kcsd.us

Monica Graham: Grade 6 School Counselor

Phone: 570-893-4900 x2960

Email: mgraham@kcsd.us

Phil Williams: Grade 7 School Counselor

Phone: 570-893-4900 x2957

Email: pwilliams@kcsd.us

Karen Bossert: Grade 8 School Counselor

Phone: 570-893-4900 x2953

Email: kbossert@kcsd.us

Hillarie Reese: School Social Worker

Phone: 570-893-4900 x3000

Email: hreese@kcsd.us

https://www.smore.com/361wz-keystone-central-school-district#:~:text=VOLUNTEER%20INFORMATION,to%20Clearance%20Page

The link in the button above/QR Code should take you to our Volunteer Application.

You need to apply on-line at https://www.applitrack.com/kcsd/onlineapp/ instead of using a paper form.

Clearances and Mandated Reporter training are also required. Here are the links:

· Clearances

· (Act 34) PA State Policehttps://epatch.pa.gov/home

· (Act 151) PA Child Abuse https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home

· (Act 114) FBI https://www.identogo.com/locations/pennsylvania

Use service code to receive the correct clearance: 1KG6XN

Mandated Report Training http://www.reportabusepa.pitt.edu/

Elizabeth Nace is our Personnel Secretary & Volunteer Specialist, you can use the information below to contact her, and she said she is happy to help you and answer questions!

570-893-4900 x 2319

https://www.kcsd.k12.pa.us/en-US/human-resources-32e72bfe

enace@kcsd.k12.pa.us

86 Administration Drive, Mill Hall, PA 17751

General Link to Clearance Page

If your family speaks a language other than English, the district has access to translators and interpreters that can accompany you in meetings with teachers and school members. If you would like to be connected with a translator or interpreter please reach out to your child’s teacher or the school guidance counselor. The accessibility features in the top right corner of this Smore allow you to translate this page.

Keystone Central School District has School Resource Officers throughout our district for safety and security.

Officer Scott VanGorder - Central Mountain High School

Officer Cory Beaver - Bucktail High School & Renovo Elementary

Officer Luke Motter - Central Mountain Middle School

Officer Mike Fetzer - Elementary district-wide and District Attendance Officer

Officer Todd Brian - District-wide

May 2024 Newsletter

Please use the following link to read the upcoming events and information for May.

https://www.smore.com/n/3hj0c

Upcoming Assessments

Save the Date for State Assessments!

Spring PSSA- All students in grades 3-8 ELA and Math, Science Grades 4 and 8

ELA: Window April 22-26

ELA District Testing April 22,23,24

Math/Science/Make ups: Window April 29-May 10

Math District Testing-April 29,30

Science District Testing- May 1,2

Spring Keystone Exams - All students enrolled in Algebra 1, Literature and Biology Keystone Trigger courses

May 13 – 24 - Spring Testing Window

May 13-14 - 10th grade Literature District Testing

May 15-16 - Biology District Testing

May 20-21 - Algebra 1 District Testing

Local District Assessments

All students in grades K-8 will be participating in our upcoming local district assessments which will be administered in the Fall, Winter and Spring. Students in K-2 will be tested using the Acadience assessment and students in grades 3-8 will be tested using NWEA MAP assessment. These assessments are administered in the Fall, Winter and Spring and will provide you as well as their teacher valuable information on academic growth. To learn more about our assessment please click the links below. The final Testing Window will be May 13-17.

NWEA Family Toolkit

NWEA FAQ

About Acadience

Need to take the SAT, Click here for upcoming dates and registration

Many questions can arise concerning your child's laptop, internet access, busing information or maybe you'd like to volunteer in your child's school. These links below can help you get answers or point you in the direction of who to speak to.

Dave Romanyshyn, Principal

Phone: (570) 893-4900 ext. 2956

Email: dromanyshyn@kcsd.k12.pa.us

Laura Fragassi, Assistant Principal 5-6

Phone: (570) 893-4900 ext. 2954

Email: lfragassi@kcsd.k12.pa.us

Ryan Carty, Assistant Principal 7-8

Phone: (570) 893-4900 ext. 2955

Email: rcarty@kcsd.k12.pa.us

Michelle Bechdel, School Secretary

Phone: (570) 893-4900 ext. 2950

Email: mbechdel@kcsd.k12.pa.us

Hollie Moore, School Secretary

Phone: (570) 893-4900 ext. 2951

Email: hmoore2@kcsd.k12.pa.us

Pat Merrifield, Attendance Secretary

Phone: (570) 893-4900 ext. 3701

Email: cmmsattendance@kcsd.us