Hello CRMS Families,

As the school year progresses and we move toward the end of the 1st quarter, it’s natural for students to face learning challenges. The content that students are attempting to learn is very rigorous. These challenges are a normal part of the learning process, and how we help students work through them is key to their success. We want to share some ways you can support your child during these moments and help them grow from the experience.

Understanding Productive Struggle

One of the most important concepts in education is productive struggle—the idea that wrestling with difficult tasks can lead to deeper learning. When your child encounters something that’s hard, it’s tempting to step in and provide the answer or to want to rescue them from whatever discomfort they may be experiencing; but allowing them to engage with the problem, make mistakes, and find solutions fosters resilience and critical thinking.

You can support productive struggle by:

• Encouraging effort over perfection.
• Asking open-ended questions like “What strategies have you tried?” or “What can you do differently?”
• Celebrating small wins and progress along the way, no matter how minor they may seem.

Managing Anxiety Around Grades

It's natural for children to feel anxious about grades, but with the right approach, we can help them manage that anxiety. Remind your child that grades are not the sole measure of their abilities or intelligence, but rather a tool to identify areas for growth.

Here are a few ways to help your child manage grade-related anxiety:

1. Focus on Effort: Praise the effort your child puts into their work, even when they don’t get the result they hoped for. Effort leads to improvement over time.
2. Break Down Goals: Help them set smaller, manageable goals that make larger tasks less overwhelming. This builds confidence as they see progress.
3. Model Healthy Reactions: Show them that it's okay not to be perfect and that setbacks are a part of learning. Model calm, solution-focused thinking.

By fostering a mindset of perseverance and helping your child manage their anxiety, you are setting them up for success, both academically and in life. Remember, our partnership in supporting your child’s learning journey is invaluable!

Take Care. Be Well.

#BeAPowerPlayer

The 2024-25 Student Benefits Form (Household Income Data Collection) information is used to help provide school meals at no charge to all students, along with other districtwide services. It also provides individual benefits to students and families such as:

• discounts for summer and recreational programs

• Discount internet access

• Discounted fees for SAT and AP testing and college applications

• Increased scholarship opportunities

• eligibility for Maryland Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)]

• Increased funding to the school system to support instruction, technology, student services, and programs like Community Schools, tutoring and free meals.

Questions? Please email student.services@ccpsstaff.org.

Student Benefits Form

Here’s why completing the benefit form is so important:

1. Community Schools Program: The Concentration of Poverty grant aims to support schools in areas with a high percentage of low-income families. This grant provides funding for important services such as mental health professionals, family engagement initiatives, and other wraparound services that help meet students' and families' needs.
   

2. Beyond Meals: While the form is associated with school meals, the information gathered has a broader impact on securing additional educational services and programs that benefit the entire school community.

By completing the form, families contribute to building a stronger school community, ensuring that every student has access to the resources and support they need to succeed. Even if you don’t think you qualify for assistance, submitting the form can still help the school secure vital funding.

Using precautions to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses when you are sick is a core prevention strategy to lower risk from respiratory viruses. CDC guidance for when people may have a respiratory virus is as follows:

· Stay home and away from others (including people you live with who are not sick) if you have respiratory virus symptoms that aren’t better explained by another cause. These symptoms can include:

o Fever, chills, fatigue, cough, muscle or body aches, runny nose, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, among others.

· You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:

o Your symptoms are getting better overall, AND

o You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication)

· When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors. These additional precautions are especially important to protect people with factors that increase their risk of severe illness from respiratory viruses.

Good attendance for your student begins on the first day of the school year. Consider the following facts:

• Chronic absenteeism may prevent children from reaching early milestones.

• Chronically absent students have difficulty keeping up with the pace at which they are expected to learn and grow.

• Students who are absent even a day or two every few weeks fall behind their peers.

• Irregular attendance can be a better predictor of whether students will drop out before graduation than test scores.

• Consistent, on-time attendance is a habit that lasts into adulthood.

In addition to wanting the best possible education for your child, we also closely monitor absences because Maryland law requires that children ages 5-18 attend school. Students may be withdrawn if not attending school regularly; students not enrolled or attending will be considered truant.

How Can Parents Encourage Good Attendance?

• Build good attendance habits early so children know that getting to school on time every day is important!

• Set a regular bedtime & morning routine, laying out clothes and backpacks the night before.

• Avoid scheduling appointments & trips when school is in session.

• Don't let your child stay home unless he/she is truly sick.

• Consider that sometimes a stomach ache or headache is a sign of anxiety. If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to the school about helpful resources.

October 14th-17th--CRMS Scholastic Book Fair!!

October 15th--Panorama School Survey (getting input on how our students feel about their school)

October 15th--Book Fair extended hours until 5pm!

October 18th--No School; Maryland State Educators Association Conference Day

November 1st--Half Day for Students; End of 1st Quarter

November 5th--No School; Professional Development Day/Parent-Teacher Conferences

November 8th--1st Quarter Report Cards issued

CRMS's Book Fair is October 14-18. Remember to set up your student's eWallet account for cashless, stress-less shopping. Friends and family can even contribute funds! Set one up here: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/colonelrichardsonms1. #ScholasticBookFairs

CCPS is committed to providing a safe, respectful, nurturing educational environment where the worth and dignity of individuals are valued and their safety and rights are protected. Behaviors that compromise this environment, interfere with school operations or are otherwise contrary to the basic mission of our public schools will not be tolerated. Bullying, hazing, harassment or other discrimination affecting a student or a staff member should be reported by a victim, parent/guardian, witness, staff member or other person having knowledge.

Staff members with knowledge of such conduct are required to promptly report it to the building principal.

Mr. Eric (Neil) Lambert, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Tricia Bolduc, School Counselor 8th grade and 7th grade Last Names A-L

Mr. Michael Tyndall, School Counselor 6th grade and 7th grade Last Names M-Z

Mrs. Jane Towers, Enrollment & Attendance Secretary

Ms. Kiesha Hynson, Administrative Secretary

Email: holloway.yolanda@ccpsstaff.org
Website: https://www.colonelrichardsonms.org/
Phone: 410-479-1462
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Colonel-Richardson-Middle-School-329879580517088