Meet the Teacher Night Overview

Last night's Meet the Teacher Night was a resounding success.  We had 299 parents in attendance, and we thank all of you for coming in to see us.  In case you missed us last night, here are some items that were covered:

• We are developing a list of parent volunteers that we can draw from when we have events taking place at school.  Events could include dances, activity nights, after-school programs, or other things that may arise as the school year progresses.  If you would like to be added to our list, please send me an email.
• The Central Cambria Education Foundation is selling chances to win Steeler tickets.  One chance costs $5 and enters you to win two tickets plus money for parking to the Steelers vs. Chargers game in December.  You can stop by the middle school if you want to purchase a raffle ticket.  All profits go to the Foundation, which supports our students by supplementing and enriching our educational program.
• Parent conferences will be held November 1 and November 8.  We will have more information out as we get closer to that time.
• Our after-school program run by Communities In Schools will begin soon.  If you would like more information or would like to sign your child up, please contact me and I will provide you with instructions regarding sign-up.
• Please subscribe to this blog to receive an email alert any time a new post is put up, and follow our twitter account @CCMSPrincipal.

Meet the Teacher Night

We have had a great start to the school year at the middle school.  The teachers are energized, the kids are excited, and I am soaking in all that comes with the start of a new school year. 

This Thursday evening, August 30th, we will be holding Meet the Teacher Night at the middle school.  The evening will begin at 7:00 p.m.  Parents will have the opportunity to follow their child's schedule and spend about 9 minutes in each class.  Our teachers will review their course syllabus and other pertinent information with you.  Please arrive prior to 7:00 p.m. so you can get into your child's 1st period class on time.

I will conducting a brief meet and greet in the auditorium at 6:30 p.m.  I will provide a brief overview of some initiatives going on at the middle school this year, and answer any general questions you may have. 

We hope to see you here for Meet the Teacher Night!

Student Schedules

Student schedules are printed and available in the main office of the middle school for all incoming 6th, 7th and 8th grade students.  Feel free to stop by during school hours this week to pick up your child's schedule.

Greetings

Hello, and welcome to the official blog of the Central Cambria Middle School.  As your new principal, one of my goals is to help students, staff, parents, and community members engage with our school.  Since it is rare to find a story in the news media that focuses on the many positive things that take place within our walls every day, our aim is to give you a glimpse into what really goes on from week to week in our middle school.  We will post highlights of school activities, interesting lessons, and opportunities for you to get involved in a positive way to support your child's education. 

If you are on twitter, you can follow us at http://twitter.com/CCMSPrincipal. When I post a new blog entry, I will send out a tweet to let you know the site has been updated.  We are also exploring the construction of a facebook page that would be another means of communication with the community.  It would be set up as a business page with alerts, notifications, and information posted as needed.  When that site is constructed I will post a link here on the blog to let you know it is ready to go. 

As the new principal here, a question that I have been asked most often is "what do you do at school in the summer?"  So, to answer that, here is what has been taking place this summer at the middle school:

• The master schedule for teachers was adjusted and completed, and students have now been scheduled for classes.  Many thanks go to Mrs. McDermott and Mrs. Ribarich for their efforts in helping to get this done.
• Our custodial staff, under the direction of Mr. Shaffer, has cleaned every square inch of the middle school so it is ready for students to return.  The building is sparkling, and Mr. Shaffer's team did a great job.
• I reviewed our PSSA results from the 2011-12 school year in order to identify our areas of strength and any weaknesses that we need to work on.  Our PSSA performance this past year was exemplary, so I want to congratulate our teachers and students for their successes in regards to the PSSA.
• We have finalized our personnel needs to make sure all positions are filled and ready to go for the start of school.
• I am currently working on our in-service activities for our teachers next week.
• Last week we held a boot camp orientation for our incoming 6th graders to help them adjust to the middle school.
• I have spent some time over the past month driving around the district to familiarize myself with the geography of our attendance area.  I have been to Vinco, Colver, Revloc and other points north and south of Ebensburg, and plan to continue this until I have covered most of our attendance area.
• Developing and setting goals for the upcoming school year.

Needless to say, the past month and a half has been filled with activity, and I am excited to meet our students and teachers starting next week.  Our first student day is Tuesday, August 28th.  We are putting the finishing touches on student schedules, and when they are completed we will inform parents so you can stop by the school and pick them up.  I hope you all enjoy the remainder of your summer, and we look forward to kicking off the school year!

Mr. Santini - Principal