Congress Cougars,

April is here, and we've made it through yet another month! It seems as if we were opening the door to receive our 22-23 students just yesterday! However, April is one of our busiest months as we finalize units and prepare for our MAP and End Of The Course exams. While this month is packed with so many fantastic events, please do not think we are placing our learning on the back burner. We reward our students while they are learning.

Parents and Guardians, we need your help! Last month our professional development focused on amplifying the student's voices and creating an atmosphere for safe spaces. We understand several of our students have cellular devices provided in the parent's view as a means of safety and protection. While our staff is working to make Congress a safe space, we are noticing activities happening outside of school, spilling over to our academic environment.

Social media accounts create issues that take an unreasonable amount of time to investigate. We ask all to check in with your student to see what they are watching and the text messages they are sending or receiving. When we use our time to resolve situations that have occurred outside of school, our students lose educational minutes, which is counterproductive to our mission and vision. We have set a standard this year and want to finish strong. We can only do that if we all work together.

Families, please know I love serving as your child's middle school principal and enjoy our daily interactions. We are so proud of our students that we want to ensure all grade levels can experience an offsite field trip this year. Our students are visual learners, and field trips allow the instruction presented in the classroom to come to life, building on their cultural backgrounds by feeling, touching, hearing, smelling, and exposing them to a world some may not have ever experienced.

We are grateful for our PTA, whose tireless work has provided our sixth and seventh-grade teams the financial resources to experience an offsite field trip. Please check your team page for more information. This year we are also looking to set the trend for our eight grade students. We will hold our 8th Grade Assembly on May 22nd at 8:00 AM. Immediately following the presentation, our students will load the bus and head to Worlds of Fun for an educational day. More information to come as we get closer to the date, but please, 8th-grade parents, look for the Sign-Up Genius to be sent separately to collect needed information.

All remaining yearbook sales are going towards our 8th Grade celebration. Please know these trips all have cost, which is why supporting our fundraising events, such as family dinner nights, yearbook, and trashbag sales, and your participation in the PTA is essential. Finally, thank you for all your support to Congress Middle School. Let us all find comfort in knowing that if we have the will to succeed, we can reach beyond the stars.

-Dr. Smith

Parents, how could 100% participation in our PTA hurt Congress Middle School? With after-school activities, working late while trying to prepare a meal for the family can seem unbearable, so we changed how we meet. We planned in-person and virtual meetings for those who could not join us in person throughout the year.

We want to do so many things this year, but with little help, we can only do so much. Our PTA board and building leadership will join in May or June to plan for next year. If there are activities you would like to see or information you could share to help improve our PTA board, please plan to attend.

Our Congress Middle School staff appreciates all you do for our students and staff.

Our PTA ROCKS!!.

The next meeting is on April 3rd.

We thank the Walmart Supercenter at 8551 N Boardwalk Ave, Kansas City, MO. During the Walmart re-grand opening Congress, Middle School PTA received a $4,000 grant to continue support to our CMS students. The check was presented to PTA president Layla Barbur, assistant principal Brain Van Horn, and Dr. Ryan Smith, building principal. With so many different angles to manage, at least the check was facing the camera.

Our annual online verification and residency process for returning students opens today. Using our quick and easy online application system, parents of returning students will verify their students' demographic, health, emergency contact and residency information.

And like last year, enrollment in our summer school programming will be available through the online verification and residency process.

Come out and support our CMS Drama Department as they tackle some of the questions you have always asked yourself, such as why cats act as if they are kings of the world or why flamingos stand on one leg. Bryan Starchman has given the world's animals a voice in this hilarious comedy on the big stage.

With simple costumes and a large cast, this will be the first time our Congress students are acting on the big stage. With such a large auditorium, they are ready to stretch imaginations and take our attendees on a walk on the wild side! Please help us, and let's fill Park Hill's auditorium, supporting the Congress Drama department.

Dear Parents and Students:

Next week we are getting amped for the spring dance! Let's go back to the 90s and dance the night away! We can dance to all the greatest hits, such as:

• I Will Always Love You
• Artist: Whitney Houston
• Released: 1992

• Believe
• Artist: Cher
• Released: 1998

• Candle In The Wind '97/Something About The Way You Look Tonight
• Artist: Elton John
• Released: 1997

• I'll Be Missing You
• Artist: Puff Daddy & Faith Evans
• Released: 1997

While our students will think that was so long ago, we know we rocked out the 90s. Staff will supervise, but we ask the DJ to be mindful of playing our jams as we will try our best to contain ourselves. Parents and Guardians, you too can take part in our spirit week by posting your 90's gear with your student with #CMS90sSpirit

Trash Bag sales were great!

Thank you for being so helpful in promoting and selling over 750 bags!!!

For our March Madness Competition, the team seller the most would win a pizza party.

The team selling the most is Team Challengers, with 164 orders. Although we can not sponsor a pizza party for all teams, with the funds raised, all teams can receive an offsite field trip this year.

Team Sales

Thanks again, parents, for your help with the trash bag sales.

Trash bag pick-up days are at the school on Monday, 4/3, from 5 pm-8 pm (PTA Meeting is from 6:30-7:30) and Tuesday, 4/4, from 2:00 pm-5:00 pm.

Please see the signs for directions to pick up orders.

Miles of Smiles (Level Up Kids) will be at CONGRESS MIDDLE SCHOOL

MARCH 15th – APRIL 17th, 2023!

Miles of Smiles, a program of Level Up Kids, provides free dental care to children in the Northland who do not have access to oral health services. The dental care will be provided to students at CONGRESS during the school day MARCH 15th – APRIL 17th! All care is provided by a licensed dentist and assistants and all patients receive a comprehensive exam, cleaning and x-rays.

Please register ASAP if you would like your student to be seen during the school day. We highly encourage online registration, which is quick, easy and convenient! You can register right from your phone! https://practisforms.com/milesofsmilesinc/forms/milesofsmilesinc-registration-form

https://practisforms.com/milesofsmilesinc/forms/milesofsmilesinc-formulario-de-inscripcion

Paper forms will also be sent home in your student’s backpack or folder. If you wish to complete the registration that way, please fill out in its entirety and return as soon as possible.

Please contact Karen Schaff (816-359-6175) or Morgan Rietzke (816-359-6981) if you have any questions or need help registering your student.

We will frequently use our social media to send out reminders about important events and to share important information. Please like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for updates.

It seems that March just flew by! We did book tasting lessons with the students in our “Cougar Café” and set up the library to look like a restaurant, complete with tablecloths and flowers on each table. The students each sampled different books to see which ones they liked. It was a very enjoyable experience.

We hosted our donut party for our winners of the Award Book reading contest. 34 students completed the challenge of reading and reviewing 4 award books this year and were invited to join us in the library on March 8 for donuts and to vote for their overall favorite award book. Millionaires for the Month won the Mark Twain Award and Canyon’s Edge won the Truman Award in our school.

I submitted our votes to MASL, the state library organization, to represent our school in selecting the winners.

—Mrs. Curtis and Mrs. Guinn”

Dear Parents and Guardians:

We want to congratulate all of the newly AVID-accepted applicants. The Advancement Via Individual Determination program, or AVID, was created to help academically and personally motivated students prepare to attend a four-year college, university, or career technical school. For more than 30 years, AVID has been instrumental in preparing students for success in higher education. Students who have applied and meet our program criteria will have an interview this upcoming Friday, March 03rd.

The AVID program's core component is the AVID Elective, which supports students as they challenge themselves in more rigorous classes. In 7th and 8th grade, students take AVID as an elective course that provides them with the skills necessary to succeed with the end goal of attending college. Students learn study, note-taking, time management, writing, and research skills while immersed in a college-going culture.

The AVID class provides access to information about careers, colleges, and universities through field trips, tutors, guest speakers, and college admission requirement information. AVID recruits are motivated to do well in school and are serious about their academic future. Recently, our AVID site team hosted a Career Day that was amazing!

Sincerely,

Amber Kahler

Parents, we would like to thank everyone who showed up and shared your career with our students. Students were inspired to become whoever and whatever professional they desired to be. All students and staff members gratefully appreciate your time and commitment. While we could not capture footage from all of our guests, please see the few highlights below.

Congress Families,

Please find more information concerning spring sports on our website, "Get Involved."

REMIND App

Please make sure you download the "REMIND" app on your phone. Enter the information below, and catch all essential updates this season!

Parents Remind App Code; @t-parent

Athletes Remind App Code; @t-athlete

Please look for more information, but we would like spirit nights on some of our home and away games. If you still need to check out our school store, please do so and order your Congress gear. Proceeds raised will go to support our programs.

We are one week away from our 4th Quarter Intramurals. Please see all the exciting activities available to our students. The signup link goes live on Thursday, April 6th, at 6:00 pm. Please remember there is no school-provided transportation, and students must be picked up by 3:30 pm. The first day is April 11th and 13th.

Please check our school website, Get Involved at Congress, for all updated sports-related information.

The IMPACT test is valid for 2 years so if your athlete took it last year, they do not need to re-take it this year. Please have them double check if they are unsure.

Students seeking to participate in any of our sports this year must have a current physical and ImPACT test on file. All information related to our sports may be found on our school website under the Get Involved Tab. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Assistant Principal Athletic Director Brian Van Horn (816) 359 – 4230.

Our employees are the reason we are so successful here at Congress Middle School and the Park Hill School District, and the Park Hill School District would like to recognize us for all we do for our students.

The Park Hill Star award is awarded monthly to any staff member in the school district. Anyone can nominate an employee for this award by using the form below. In addition, please send a note of encouragement to our Congress Staff, letting them know you care.

Sometimes, negative comments are made directly to our staff members or posted on social media. We want to change that narrative! We want the positive vibes to outweigh the negative vibes. Please vote for one of our staff members or send a kind note to staff members for the entire month of December.

Winter months are upon us, and we've already experienced the first snow of the season. Below you will find links to our Alternative Modes of Instruction (AMI) schedules for teams. As we prepare our students for high school, we expect them to take responsibility for their learning. It may seem like they need help navigating different websites and learning platforms, but they always shine once given the opportunity. Some may take longer than others, but they all find a way. Our Congress kids are true ROCKSTARS!

We created Sprigeo so people would feel safer at school. When a person really needs help or there is a safety threat at school we hope you will step up and send in a report. Sending in a false report makes it harder for your school to help the people who really need it. If necessary you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. You can find out more about Sprigeo and the School District Safety Evaluation at Sprigeo.com. Thanks for using Sprigeo!

If you feel unsafe or know someone who feels unsafe, please report it here. After you fill out the form below, Sprigeo sends an email to a school administrator with all of the details from your report. You can also download one of our apps from the Apple Store or the Android Marketplace to submit a report.

Please report:

• Safety threats, bullying, harassment or intimidation at school
• Safety threats, bullying, harassment or intimidation outside of school
• Cyberbullying; Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
• Fights, drugs, alcohol or weapons at school
• Friends who talk about hurting themselves