Parent Communication (English) 03/06/2023

 

Good morning Collinswood Families, Last week was full of activities to celebrate! I ran in the Corporate Cup Half Marathon on Saturday in downtown Charlotte. And I want to encourage each of us to prioritize our health and wellness!

 

Today, our 8th graders will be visiting the Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro. Thank you to our Black History Month Parent Advisory who launched this opportunity for our students with their input last year! We are using some of our PTA Diversity funds to cover the cost of this experience. This will be a yearly activity for our students with the support of our PTA. Thank you.

 

Thank you Mrs. Bautista and PTA Team! Thank you to our PTA and the leadership of Mrs. Bautista who led the parent team to implement the “Night at the Aquarium” dance. I talked with so many parents who thoroughly enjoyed the experience with their children. The spirit of Collinswood was beautiful. 

 

More Collinswood Celebrations: Check our facebook page to see our 4th and 5th grade honors chorus. Our school offers such a diversity of experiences for our students!  Thank you to Mrs. Alcamo who spent her Saturday honoring our students!

 

Thank you to our teacher and parent chaperones who spent 3 days at Camp Thunderbird with our 5th grade students. Your gift of parent involvement and time helped make this experience such a success. 

 

Congratulations to our Chess Club who earned 8th place of 40  in their recent competition.  Our new trophy is displayed in our front office.  We have a thriving Chess Club! Thank you to our PTA who is funding additional chess boards and materials for our Talent Development program, too.

 

Last Friday, Collinswood hosted over 30 educators from around the state and region for the Foreign Language Association of NC campus visit and walkthrough to look at the best practices in dual language education. Our teachers (and students) shined! Several of our middle school students participated in the tours and informal question/answer sessions. Hosting the FLANC Educators  was a proud principal moment!  The comments from the guests reflected the uniqueness of Collinswood and how special we are as a school community. 

 

This week, we will host a district Learning Community building visit and review of our School Improvement Plan.

 

Then on Saturday, 8 of our staff members attended the conference here in Charlotte.  Our magnet coordinator, Griselda Perez, was a presenter at the conference!

 

Spring Sports: Attention middle school 7th and 8th grade girls!  We need a couple more girls and we will be able to have a girls soccer team AND boys team this year. Please contact Mr. Kevin or Coach Davis if your daughter would like to participate.

 

Thank you to our 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Gonzalez’ husband, who will serve as our boy’s coach.

 

Read Across America, “Bringing Communities Together”  March 7- March 17th: This event is organized by the National Education Association that promotes a nation of diverse readers through recommended books, authors, and teaching resources that promote diversity and inclusion. You can learn more about the NEA’s Read Across America and how they wish to grow diverse readers all year here. 

 

Students across our school K-8 will be engaged in a variety of activities supporting this theme.

 

Women’s History Month “ Celebrating Remarkable Women”: Our teachers are incorporating the Women’s HIstory Month theme in their classrooms and instruction!

 

On the Horizon: Student Surveys: If you would like any information about the upcoming student surveys, please reach out to school counselor, Mrs. Burgess Lillian.Burgess@cms.k12.nc.us, or an administrator. 

1. The annual CMS Student Survey begins this week (March 7-17) which is given once each year. All CMS 5th-12th graders will have the opportunity to take the survey. It asks for feedback on school climate, safety, interactions with other students, relationships with teachers and staff, and experiences with bullying or harassment. Students may opt out of the survey. 

 

2. The Panorama social emotional learning survey is scheduled to be administered to all students in grades 3-12 between March 20 and April 6, 2023. Parents and guardians will have the opportunity to preview the survey questions on our CMS website starting on March 1, 2023. To officially opt out a student from participating in the spring survey, parents or guardians should contact their students' school directly beginning March 6th, 2023. Previously submitted requests for opting out of the fall administration will not carry over, thus, a new request is required. 

Upcoming Heritage and Identity Celebrations:  As we look ahead, if you are interested in sharing input into our school recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Hispanic Heritage Month or any other heritage or identity group, please email our magnet coordinator, Griselda1.Perez@cms.k12.nc.us or school counselor, Lillian.Burgess@cms.k12.nc.us. We are committed to recognizing and celebrating our diverse school!