CVMS Back to School Message

Important August Dates:

• August 13: New Student Orientation 9:00 - 11:00 for all students new to CVMS (mostly 6th graders, but also any new student). Parents are welcome to stay for a brief welcome from the principal.

• August 19 - Student Schedules: We will not be mailing student schedules. Student schedules will be distributed to students on the first day of school. Students will visit a temporary homeroom where they will receive their class schedules. Students are assigned the temporary homeroom alphabetically by their last names. Room assignments will be posted all over the school. Students should have received a letter explaining this process, providing room assignments and also a map of the school. Please let students know that they can ask any staff member for help.

• August 19: First Day of school

• August 21: Back to school assembly during advisory classes.

• August 26: Early Release day for students

• August 27: Picture Day during Science classes

• Fall Sports: See our CVMS website for more information and listen to announcements. Girls Basketball Open gym August 19 2:15 - 4:15, August 20 2:15 - 4:15; tryouts August 21 2:15 - 4:15, August 22 2:15 - 4:15. Cross Country Meet and Greet Practice August 21 at 2:15).

• Music Students: please see Dr. Levine’s landing page on our CVMS website.

Save the Dates:

• September 5 (Thursday) at 3:00 - 5:00 Luau Dance (we just now switched it from 9/27)

• September 18 at 6:00 to 8:00 Back to School Night. Starts in the gym

Bell Schedule for Wednesdays and Thursdays, block days

Dear CVMS Families,

I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health and high spirits. If you are new to the CVMS family, we are grateful to have you with us this year. Middle school is a critical time for our students, and we are committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and inclusive learning environment that promotes both academic growth and personal development.

Important Dates and Communication:

As a reminder, our first day of school is Monday, August 19. Communication is a vital part of a successful school-home partnership, so we encourage you to maintain open lines with our staff and administration if you have questions or concerns. Some of the communication channels that will help you throughout the year include:

• Quarterly Parent Newsletter: Stay updated with the latest news and events.

• Robo Calls Home: Important announcements and reminders.

• School Website: A resource for schedules, events, and important documents.

• Facebook: Engage with our community and get timely updates.

• Parent-Teacher Conferences: Schedule these by contacting your student’s counselor to discuss your student's progress.

If you have a question or concern involving your student’s class, please first reach out to your student’s teacher. If you have a concern about your student’s placement in a class or your child’s social or emotional well-being, please reach out to your student’s counselor. We want to ensure that you are prepared and well-informed about our school events and your child's progress this year, so please contact any of us as needed.

First Week of School:

Your student will be receiving a packet of important papers during the first week of school. We ask that you please read the packet, review it with your student, sign the required papers, and return them to school as soon as possible. Additionally, all outstanding charges related to library books or Chromebook damages from last year must be settled at the beginning of the year. Our librarian will be on campus to assist you with this if needed.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. We are excited to embark on this new academic year with you and your children. Together, we can make this a successful and enriching experience for everyone.

We have some exciting news. We have installed computer monitors in our hallways to help promote school and student activities, reminders, pictures and fun. These visuals will help celebrate what we do here at CVMS.

PBIS REWARDS. You are probably familiar with staff members giving out Tiger Tickets for students who model positive behavior as part of our Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) program. This system supports research that shows that using proactive strategies such as this can prevent discipline problems and promote a positive school climate. There is a correlation between positive school climates and academic success for all students when students clearly understand the behavioral expectations. Those Tiger Tickets could be used to purchase things at the Tiger Shack or they could turn them in to enter a drawing. We will continue the program, but will not be using paper tickets. Instead, we have a new system where staff members can give out the rewards to students online. This will be new to staff and students alike. Staff will be trained, and student behavior and expectations will be taught. Parent involvement is extremely important, so please stay tuned for more information as we move forward in using it for the first time. For now, if you are curious to know more about PBIS, please see this brief video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZLyt6uPVy8

Warm regards,

Valerie Bayard de Volo

Principal, CVMS

Parents,

This year, each parent newsletter will address a few conduct reminders that we observe often on campus, so you can assist us by speaking with your student about our expectations. We believe being proactive will help decrease inappropriate behavior. We always appreciate your support and partnership in your child's education and look forward to a great year!

Vaping issues

Vaping continues to be a challenge for all schools in the region and state. I ask you to please talk to your student about the dangers associated with vaping. CVMS and DCSD has very strict consequences outlined in the CVMS student handbook for being caught with a vape pen and we take the issue extremely seriously. The first offense is an automatic 3 days of In-School-Suspension for anyone who Sells, gives, holds, or delivers to another person or possesses or uses an e-cigarette or similar vape device.

Thank you for helping us by speaking to your child about the importance of this.

CELL PHONE POLICY

"Electronic device use (including cell phones) at CVMS will be permitted ONLY before school (until 7:30 a.m.), and after school.. Use of electronic devices in the classroom is strictly prohibited. All electronic devices must be turned off, silenced, and not visible prior to a student entering any classroom or other instructional environment, including, but not limited to, the auditorium and the gymnasium. A student leaving the building or going to the restroom to use an electronic device is strictly prohibited.

BUS POLICY/CAR RIDER LINE

In order to keep our students safe during high traffic times, we will be routing all traffic coming to CVMS during the morning drop-off period and the afternoon pick-up period to use the car rider loop that enters off Highway 395 to High School Street and either exits through the museum parking lot back onto High School Street or through to Heritage Park. Only school buses or faculty should enter the school driveway during drop-off and pick-up times.

In the first week of school, the pickup line is long. Safety is our first priority. When we have vehicles cutting through the school driveway to bypass the car rider line, it causes an unsafe area for our students riding school buses and staff who are trying to enter the driveway or the staff parking lot. We appreciate your help with our transportation drop-off and pick-up procedures.

Remember that there is still construction traffic on Highway 395, so please make sure you give yourself enough time to get to school. Several parents drop off and pick up students at Heritage Park and that may help to alleviate congestion.

CAFETERIA CHARGES

For information on school lunches, please click on

Nutrition Services - Douglas County School District (dcsd.net)

Middle School breakfasts will cost $2.25

Middle School lunches will cost $3.75

For more information about how to pay for school meals, please click here.

FREE & REDUCED LUNCH

Click on the link below to complete the online information to see if your child qualifies for free and reduced lunch. For more information about how to apply for Free and Reduced lunch fees click here.

The Parent-Student Handbook is available on the CVMS website. We encourage you to become familiar with the information contained in the handbook. Dress code will be enforced. Please review the dress code policy enclosed. To view the handbook, please click here.

SECONDARY DRESS CODE

DISTRICT DRESS CODE Douglas County School District is an educational institution with the mission of preparing students for the world of work. Personal appearance and dress are the responsibility of parent(s)/guardian(s) and the student. Within the instructional setting students will be required to adhere to the specified guidelines established by the Administration. The Administration reserves the right to determine whether a student’s attire and appearance are appropriate and do not disrupt the educational environment for other students.

In the interest of the health, safety, cleanliness, and welfare of all students in Douglas County schools, and in an attempt to provide guidance to staff members who need to enforce appropriate dress and grooming that meets these guidelines and is not a distraction to the learning environment, the Administration has developed the following standards:

1. The dress and or grooming of students must not present potential health or safety problems. Clothing should fit so that it does not create health or safety issues.

2. Clothing must cover the body from above the chest/breasts to below the buttocks, including when moving, sitting, squatting or bending over and should cover all undergarments. This includes all private/intimate parts of the body, to include the midriff.

(a) Shirts that expose the shoulders, tank tops, and thin or “spaghetti” straps that adhere to the other provisions of this dress code are allowed.

(b) Undergarments shall not be intentionally exposed (e.g., bras, boxer shorts).

(c) Shorts, skirts, skorts, and dresses must be an appropriate length, covering the buttocks including when moving or bending over.

(d) Pants/bottoms with rips, tears, or mesh are acceptable but shall not reveal or expose a private/intimate part of the body nor cause a safety concern (e.g., a tripping hazard because of the hem of the pant leg drags on the floor.)

3. Sunglasses may be worn indoors if there is a medical reason for indoor use.

4. Hats, hoodies, or other headwear may not be worn inside school buildings during the school day other than for a valid medical, safety, or religious reason.

5. Clothing shall not display unprotected speech including but not limited to: obscene, vulgar, depiction of violence, profane language or illustrations; and nothing that promotes an illegal activity, including underage drinking, illegal drug use or underage use of marijuana, domestic abuse, gang membership, battery, assault, or any other civil or criminal conduct which would violate state or federal law. Also prohibited are apparel, jewelry, accessories, notebooks, or any manner of grooming which because of its color, the way it is worn, its trademark, or any other characteristic, carries known gang connotations or can be used as a weapon. This includes, but is not limited to, chains, spikes, pins, or needles.

6. Commonly acceptable standards such as cleanliness and the wearing of underclothing and footwear are required at all times.

7. The safety of students requires that when a student is working around potentially hazardous equipment, his or her hair must be short or appropriately covered.

Violations of the dress code will result in the student being sent to the principal’s office. On the first offense, the violation must be corrected as soon as possible, parents/guardians will be contacted and may need to bring a compliant article of clothing. The first offense will result in a warning. From there, all consequent violations will follow progressive discipline. The second offense will follow the aforementioned procedure except discipline consequences will be issued. The third offense will require an in-person parent conference and the student will be placed in ISS for the remainder of the school day. Student may be assigned additional consequences for excessive non-compliance.

No student will be allowed to return to class until they are in compliance with the dress code policy. If a parent/guardian cannot bring clothing to remedy a violation, the student will be placed in ISS for the remainder of the school day.

If a student fails to report to the office when instructed, they will receive the appropriate discipline consequence for insubordination.

The final determination of what is disruptive or distracting shall be made by the principal or assistant principal. Parents and students who disagree shall follow the district procedure for appeals.

One of the many strengths of CVMS is the large number of students involved in co-curricular activities. Students who become involved in the school broaden their experiences and increase their enjoyment of middle school. Whether it is athletics, music, or clubs, I encourage you to participate in one or more student activities. A list of clubs can be found on our website by clicking here.

2024/2025 yearbooks will go on sale starting August 19th. Yearbooks will be $25, and they can be purchased through your IC account, in the school office or through Jostens.com

Girls and Boys athletics will be handing out uniforms, athletic locker numbers & collecting physicals when students come back to school. Parents will need to complete the Rank One online paperwork. For questions, contact Girls Athletic Coordinator ssparhaw@dcsd.k12.nv.us.

• Fall Sports: See our CVMS website for more information and listen to announcements. Girls Basketball Open gym August 19 2:15 - 4:15, August 20 2:15 - 4:15; tryouts August 21 2:15 - 4:15, August 22 2:15 - 4:15. Cross Country Meet and Greet Practice August 21 at 2:15).