Return to Headlines

Parent Communication (English) 03-13-2-23

Good afternoon, Collinswood Families,

 

Can you believe we only have 4 weeks to Spring Break? Don’t forget to move your clocks forward since Day Lights Savings Time happened this past weekend.

Celebrations: Last week, Collinswood shined again! Our Southwest Learning Community Leadership met with me and our Instructional Leadership Team for our School Improvement Plan Review. We visited classrooms together and talked about our successes and next steps on our SIP. Our district leadership praised the high level of student to student conversations, language rich visuals to help students understand what they are learning and how well our teachers are communicating the purpose of the learning activities each day (aligned learning targets.)  We shared with them the importance of resources and learning materials in the language of Spanish to support our dual language theme.

Middle School Sports Update: We are happy to announce that we have a middle school Collinswood girls’ soccer team. This is the first-ever- Collinswood Jaguar girls’ soccer team, fitting for Women’s History Month! Thank you to parent, Mrs. Whitaker, who is serving as the coach. We have space for more 7th and 8th grade girls if you would like to participate.  Our spring middle school sports competitions launch this week. Thank you to Coach Davis, Mr. Kevin and Ms. Mallay for collaborating to make this happen!

A few reminders this week: our School Improvement Team meets on Tuesday morning (hybrid) in the planning room C170 or virtual (7:45AM - 8:40 AM.) https://cms-k12-nc-us.zoom.us/my/ladirectorarodd

I will host a principal coffee on Thursday, March 16th, 8:00AM - 8:40AM and the topic will be supporting our social emotional learning and development of our students. 

We continue celebrating Women’s History Month and the theme of “Remarkable Women.”  And we are participating in 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. 

In honor of Read Across America Week, I have decided that Friday, March 17th will be a no-uniform day for our students. 😀

This week, our students will take the annual CMS Student Survey.  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. 

Our Collinswood yearbook is on sale now through March 27.  Order online by March 27.

Upcoming Activities:

Our spring book fair begins March 17 and will continue through March 24 at 1:00 PM.  Families and their Collinswood age students can make wishlists and purchase online or by attending the book fair from 8:15-9:15 AM daily.  The book fair will also be open to parents and Collinswood age students on Thursday, March 23 from 4:30-6:00 PM prior to our First Grade Performance which begins at 6:00 PM in the Multi-Purpose room.  Students must be accompanied by a parent when attending the book fair at these times.  Students will also have the opportunity to purchase books during their regularly scheduled media time. 

Mark your calendars: International week will be held from March 31 to April 6.  The International and Cultural Parade is a proud tradition of Collinswood. The parade will kick off, similar to the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics, several internationally themed activities and events for our campus.The parade will be held at Collinswood on the bus lot on Friday, March 31 at 10:00 AM.  Students are encouraged to sign up to participate in the parade at this link.  Sign up will close on March 27.  More information about the parade, the week’s activities and parent participation will be sent home with your child this week.

On the Horizon: Panorama Survey: If you would like any information, please reach out to school counselor, Mrs. Burgess Lillian.Burgess@cms.k12.nc.us, or an administrator. 

  • 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, Native American History Month (2023-2024 school year) 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!