Colts Chronicle
A Cimarron Middle School community communication
In an effort to show our appreciation for our outstanding staff, we are launching an initiative to provide them with tokens of gratitude throughout the year. These tokens, though small, carry a significant impact in letting our staff know that their hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed.To achieve this, we have created an Amazon Wish List filled with a variety of small thank-you gifts that our staff members would greatly appreciate. These gifts will be given out as tokens of appreciation to those who consistently go the extra mile for our students.
LOST & FOUND
Lost and found items have been set up near the front entrance doors. Please encourage your student to look for any items they may be missing. Any unclaimed items will be donated after school on October 13th.
PTO Upcoming Events
PTO Meeting Zoom Info:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83667440894?pwd=bVZkc3R6d1ZtV0wrcFlDa1RUNUs0dz09
Meeting ID 836 6744 0894
Passcode464200
Athletics
If your student wants to participate in school sports, more information can be found on our Athletics Website with details for season dates, FAQs, copy of the sports physical form, and more. We must have proof of a current physical before they can participate. If you have any questions about athletics please contact the sport’s coach or Mr. Barnes at tbarnes@dcsdk12.org. GO COLTS!
Wrestling and 8th girls basketball begin on October 23rd and registration is open now!
Please help support these local businesses who have decided to become sponsors for Cimarron’s Athletic Department. Click on each image to visit their website today. Thank you so much!
Donations Needed
Donations Needed: Please drop off all donations at the front office. We appreciate you!
We are always looking for gift card donations of $5 gift cards to support our Be Red card Friday Drawings. Students love Fika, McDonalds, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Berry Blendz, Swirls, Target gift cards.
7th grade is also looking for various small item donations (fidget toys, play dough, other dollar store fun items, silly objects, etc.) for our Friday red card drawing prize bin. Please mention "The 7th grade prize bin," when you drop off.
8th grade is hoping for some additional BeRed Friday drawing donations. We would love any of the items listed here. Thank you so much for your support!
Be RED Store!
In an effort to continue to encourage our students to demonstrate the Be RED characteristics (Respect, Excellence, and Determination), Cimarron is going to open a Be RED store! To achieve this, we have created an Amazon Wish List filled with a variety of options for kids to purchase with their RED cards. No real money will be involved.
The store is going to be open once a week during all three lunches to start, beginning after fall break. Teachers will be encouraged to continue to hand out even more RED cards to students who are consistently going the extra mile, are kind, and are demonstrating the qualities of a RED student!
We kindly request your support in making this initiative a success. If you are able and willing, please consider visiting our Amazon Wish List and selecting an item or two to contribute. This list is not exhaustive, so if you think of something that your student might be interested in, please feel free to send it as well. Your support will make a significant difference in our ability to recognize and motivate our students who are excelling academically, working diligently, and demonstrating positive behavior. With your help, we can encourage a positive school culture that encourages all students to strive for success, knowing that their hard work and commitment will be acknowledged and appreciated when they earn RED cards.
Honoring All Who Served
Cimarron Middle School is hosting our annual Veterans Day Celebration to honor
those in our community who selflessly serve our country.
Please invite your veteran to join us on Friday, November 10th at 8:15 am at Cimarron. Your veteran, student, and other family members will be able to join us for this fantastic event. The celebration will last approximately 45 minutes and there will be a reception for veterans immediately following the ceremony.
Please RSVP here or to Stephany Hoff at 720-433-1368 by November 3rd.
In honor of Bullying Prevention Awareness Month…
Ways you can prevent your child from choosing bullying behaviors:
- Modeling healthy relationships- including how to handle conflicts, modeling is a powerful way to teach valuable skills.
- Cultivate sibling kindness: create chances for siblings to appreciate one another. At dinnertime ask, “What did you notice your sister did today that was kind?” Also, find chances to guide siblings toward cooperation (versus competition). Siblings who are able to work together get regular practice in being collaborative and will translate that practice into their school relationships.
- Practice social and emotional skills: Whether you engage in cooperative games with your family or hold family meetings to dialogue through problems, find ways to practice social and emotional skill building at home. Instead of running to help a neighbor on your own when Mom or Dad gets home to watch the kids, take the kids with you. Let them experience empathy in action. Find ways they can contribute to your home, school and community. Children who have practice in social and emotional skills, derive power from their own skills and abilities.
- Listen with compassion and leave judgments behind: First and foremost, be a listener. If you create the time and a sacred space in which you and your child can communicate regularly, they are more likely to share troubles with you. Listen to the full story with compassion. Express empathy for your child who is hurting. Also, be clear with your child that the other – the one who is choosing bullying behaviors – is hurting in ways we cannot fully understand. But what they are doing is not right and needs to stop.
- Show confidence that your child can respond: If we give children the tools to deal with their own relationship problems, they will grow in confidence and gain invaluable experience he/she will certainly use later in life when confronted with other difficult behaviors.
- Coach your child on how to react: Coach your child on ways to respond. The best responses follow this criteria: What is said is short, memorable and well-rehearsed; Child communicates what is happening is wrong: Child communicates that it must stop;
- How a child says it: their body language is just as important as what they say. Practice standing up straight and eye contact. Practice short statements and practice walking away. Give your child the choices. Your child may have more courage to respond right away, others may have more courage if they practice ahead of time. Either way, your child is empowered with the tools to shape his/her own relationships.
- Encourage your child to NOT engage in any hurtful word exchange.
- Promote Upstanders: Upstanders are kids who witness bullying behaviors and stand up for the kids who are being picked on.
CMAS Testing 2024
The state test, CMAS, is very important to Cimarron Middle School. When families look to move into our community, the first consideration before buying a house is the performance of the schools. Cimarron MIddle School is scored on the growth and achievement of the state assessment. When our enrollment is up, we get better funding to provide our students with the best experiences possible. Our staff uses these scores to guide curricular resources and programming for our students.
We are proud of the 92% of students that took this assessment last year. We are grateful for the way our community prioritizes education and hope to continue to have an outstanding high rate of participation. This prepares students for standardized testing in their future, including college readiness assessments or a standardized assessment for the career students choose.
If you choose to not have your student take this assessment, you will need to first set up a meeting with the grade level assistant principal. At this meeting we want to gain understanding of the reason, as well as talk about the importance of this assessment. This process for excusal is available until December 1st to opt out of the state assessment (CMAS). This means that meetings with the grade level AP will need to take place before this deadline date.