
Curtis Chronicles
October 13, 2021
Hello from Curtis Principal, Sonya Pitcock
Cougar families,
We have finished the entire first quarter already! Students have worked hard to get settled into normal school and we are continuing to be so proud of how well they are doing! We will be recognizing students who show good citizenship for this first quarter sponsored by our PTA and Chick-Fil-A. We will also be recognizing students for the first quarter in areas such as hard work, improvement, achievement, effort, good teammate, etc through each teacher’s classroom. We have so many great things to celebrate!
We have completed our STEAM campus visits for this school year. 8th graders worked through the engineering and design process to create a model that protected their home from a hurricane, practiced coding and viewed hurricane paths and statistics, which aligned with their Unit 1 of study. Students were also introduced to course options at STEAM as they begin to look towards high school! 7th graders worked through the engineering and design process to create a water filtering system similar to how Bioswales built into the STEAM Center parking lot work. Students learned about water runoff and the effects of humans on the environment. Students also worked on coding and looking at statistics on clean drinking water around the world.
We are excited to have distributed over half of the 1:1 devices to students last week. We will continue to check out devices to students as they pay the insurance fee over the next two weeks. We will begin using 1:1 devices in classroom on October 18. Students are expected to bring their charged device to school daily for classroom use. Here is the link to school pay to pay the insurance fee. If you need any support in paying the insurance fee, please contact our campus and ask for an administrator. We will be happy to help work through this process to get all our students a new device.
Students who attend our athletic events as spectators are expected to remain in the stands and watch the games. Students are expected to be respectful of parents and families watching their children play/perform. No students (of any age) will be allowed to play under the bleachers or behind the bleachers at football games for safety reasons. Students need to stay at the game until an adult comes to pick them up and after games, have a plan for an adult to pick them up. We will not release students to walk to Celebration Park after the games for safety reasons. We want our students to enjoy the opportunity at this grade level to cheer on their peers and enjoy the atmosphere of sports games, but we will be expecting them to follow the rules while doing so. Students not following the expectations will be given an opportunity to correct their behavior, but will be removed from the game if the behavior continues.
Report cards will be posted to Skyward on October 15 for the first quarter.
Thank you for all the support,
Sonya Pitcock
Principal, Curtis Middle School
What’s happening in Tracks?
Over the last few weeks, students have begun getting more settled in at CMS! Tracks has wrapped up our character trait of the month, respect, by participating in a bullying lesson by the counselors and creating projects to demonstrate their understanding of what it means to respect themselves and others. Students recently explored the STEAM center by going on a field trip, and they have participated in device distribution while continuing to learn how to navigate digital resources such as Canvas and Skyward. Students are continuing to build classroom community through Academic Privilege Time, team building activities, and Fun Fridays. Academic skills are consistently being reinforced through Take 10, Academic Privilege Time, and goal setting. Some of the things we have coming up for our students this month are Red Ribbon Week, an introduction to our character trait of the month, self-discipline, Teen Screen, and activities geared towards philanthropy and citizenship at Curtis!
Upcoming Events
October 18: Fall Picture Re-take Day
October 25: Student Holiday
October 26 - October 29: Red Ribbon Week
October 29: Fall Dance
November 19: Early Release
November 22 - November 26: Thanksgiving Break
October Snacks Donation
Cougar Families,
Please help us treat our Faculty with donations for the October Snacks.
Reflections
Reflections is a National PTA arts recognition program that helps students explore their own thoughts, and ideas, develop artistic skills, increase confidence, and find a love for Creativity and Art.
Students submit their completed works of art in one, or all, of the available arts categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts.
Entries are due to Curtis by October 22.
CMS Fall Dance
Not a PTA Member? You can still join!
A HUGE thanks to the more than 500 who have already joined Curtis PTA! Students can join too.
PTA Business Sponsorship Program
CMS PTA is pleased to once again offer our business sponsorship program. Curtis PTA would like to invite community businesses to show support for our staff, students and community by making a financial contribution to our PTA for the 2021-22 school year. PTA strives to make every child’s potential a reality.
There are two contribution levels for you to consider.
Red Level, $100
- Your logo and link to your website on CurtisCougarPTA.org from now through June 30, 2022.
- Be included in the end-of-year thank you email.
Black Level, $250
- Your logo and link to your website on CurtisCougarPTA.org from now through June 30, 2022.
- Be included in the end-of-year thank you email.
- 1 Thank you in our campus-wide newsletter that goes out to all families.
- 1 Thank you and shout out with a link to your website on our Curtis PTA Facebook page.
CLICK HERE for more details or email Alison
Take Care of Texas Video Contest!!
The Take Care of Texas Video Contest is a fun way for young people to learn about protecting the environment and come up with creative ways to share this knowledge with others! Students film a 30-second video that shows positive ways to Take Care of Texas.
Get Involved - Volunteer!
When adults volunteer, all students benefit! There are many opportunities for parents and community members to get involved! Your help is needed! Complete the Volunteer Opportunities interest form and we will be in touch with you.
Use Amazon Smile to Support Curtis PTA
Do you shop on Amazon? Use Amazon's Smile and support Curtis PTA!
AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchase to Curtis PTA when shopping Amazon.
Select your charity: PTA Texas Congress 201 Curtis Middle School
Bookmark smile.amazon.com
Start using smile.amazon.com whenever you want to shop at Amazon!
Be sure to shop through AmazonSmile the next time you shop online. You’re still shopping with Amazon — you’re just doing good while buying what you need!
Please encourage grandparents, neighbors, and friends to support Curtis PTA by shopping through AmazonSmile too.
Do you shop at Kroger?
Log onto the Kroger website or stop by the customer service desk at any Kroger. Link your Kroger rewards card to Curtis Middle School.
Our school code is XX655.
Peachjar Flyers
Allen ISD Volunteer Application
Volunteers who work with AISD student groups and organizations will need to complete a volunteer application. These groups include, but are not limited to, PTA organizations, booster clubs, cheerleading squads, dance squads (athletic and fine arts) and any other AISD student organizations where adults will be working with students other than their own children at AISD sponsored events.
Click on this link to fill out the volunteer application: https://www.allenisd.org/Page/214
CMS Announcements Posted to CMS Website
If you are interested in CMS Announcements, you can access them directly on the CMS website.
Be sure to check back often! CLICK HERE
Curtis Middle School PTA
Email: ptacommunications.curtis@gmail.com
Website: https://www.allenisd.org/curtisms
Location: 1530 Rivercrest Boulevard, Allen, TX, USA
Phone: 972-727-0340
Twitter: @CurtisCougars