Odds and Ends from Week #5

All students received a fundraiser order form today for student council's annual fundraiser.  Proceeds from the fundraiser fund student activities throughout the school year that benefit our students.  The goal of the fundraiser is to sell $35,000 of goods.  If our students reach this goal, Mr. Santini, a proud Penn State graduate, has agreed to wear a Pitt outfit, complete with jersey, blue and yellow mohawk wig, and other Pitt paraphernelia, for a day here at school.  Needless to say, Mr. Santini is hoping we raise $34,999.99. 

Mid-term progress reports were sent home with students yesterday.  Addtionally, a Global Connect call was sent out to inform parents of those reports coming home.  If your child had a grade of D or F in any class, an additional, more detailed progress report was also sent home for that class.  If you have concerns about your child's academic progress, please contact the teacher or Mr. Santini.

The Central Cambria Education Foundation will have a table at the Potato Fest where they will be selling Central Cambria shirts that feature a rhinestone logo.  Additionally, raffle tickets to win tickets to a Steelers game vs. the Chargers in December will be sold for $5 each.  Please stop by and see us if you are going to the Potato Fest.  Foundation proceeds support and enhance educational activities and initiatives that are beyond the scope of our school budget.

Spirit Week takes place next week at the middle school and high school.  Students are encouraged to dress according to the theme for each day next week.  We will end the week with a pep rally next Friday.

Virtual Learning at Central Cambria Middle School

Thanks to Mrs. Joanna Dickert, our 8^th grade students were able to travel virtually to an archaeological dig site in the western U.S. to learn about current research on mammoths and the field of archaeology.  The event was facilitated through the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and their curator & archaeologist, Dr. Steve Holen.  This virtual learning experience was made possible by our IT department through a video call set up in our auditorium.  Included was a discussion of early life forms in North Americ and research methods such as ground penetrating radar, carbon dating, and topographical mapping.  Our students were able to ask Dr. Holen questions in real time, with no delay in response, and learned about his training, profession, and expeditions.  One interesting fact is that we did not have many woolly mammoths in Pennsylvania due to our terrain and vegetation, but we did have many mastadons, which are not common in the west.  Additionally, Dr. Holen's most exciting find was a saber tooth cat on a dig site in Nebraska, something he described as a once in a career event.  Since the program went so well, Mrs. Dickert hopes to continue the series later in the school year on different topics, providing students with similar engaging experiences with just the click of a mouse!

For a link with a video of Dr. Holen explaining his work:  http://www.dmns.org/teachers/distance-learning/scientists-in-action/bone-breaking-science/

Academic Resources for Students at CCMS

The following information about academic resources available to your child will be coming home on Thursday, printed on the back of mid-term progress reports.  As a reader of our blog, you are receiving it early.  Please read this information at your convenience.  If you haven't done so already, please set up an account to view your child's grades through our MMS system. 

·         VIEW STUDENT’S GRADES (Online Resource):

To access a student’s grades, parents/guardians must create an online MMS account. To do so, please contact Kim Kenny at (814) 472-8860 ext. 289 or by email:  kkenny@cencam.org

Once your account is created, you may access the “MMS Parent Portal” by:

1.  Going to the Central Cambria School District’s website:  http://www.cchs.k12.pa.us/.
2. Click on the “MMS Parent Portal” (gray box in the top right corner) or click the “Parents” tab and then “MMS Parent Portal” (along left).
3. Enter your username and password and click “login.”  If you forgot your username or password, please contact Kim Kenny at the contact provided above.

·         COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS (After-School Resource):

Communities in Schools (CIS) operates a free after-school program for middle school students.  The program is located at the middle school and is available Monday through Friday from 2:40 pm – 5:00pm. Students do not have to attend the entire week to be a part of the program.  The program provides a snack, academic tutoring/homework help, and recreational/social activities.  Limited bus transportation is available and parent permission is required in order for students to participate.  Students who are being picked up from the after-school program do not need to stay until 5:00 pm; however, students will need to be signed out by an authorized person listed on the permission form.   If you are interested in enrolling your child in this program, please contact Ms. Ribarich 472-6505 ext. 505.

·         RESOURCE FOR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS AND UPCOMING TESTS (Online Resource):

In an effort to inform parents/guardians of homework assignments and upcoming tests or quizzes, teacher are maintaining individual teacher web pages from which parents, guardians, and students can access assignments, tests, and additional resources.  To view teacher pages, please visit http://www.cchs.k12.pa.us/middle/ and under the “Navigation” section, click on the “teacher pages.”  Select the individual teacher’s page to obtain class-related information.  Each page will vary with content.  This is a useful tool to obtain information in the event of a school absence as well.

 ·         STUDY ISLAND (Online Resource):  http://www.studyisland.com/

Study Island is a valuable online tool that helps to build skills and enrich learning.  Students utilize the program during school hours, but may also access the program at home using their provided username and password.  The web-based program engages learners and enhances skills in Reading and Math.

Follow Central Cambria Middle School events on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ccmsprincipal

·         We will post upcoming school events, links to articles related to education, and other useful information for parents.

For a more detailed description of what we are doing at the middle school, visit and subscribe to our blog at:  http://centralcambriamiddleschool.blogspot.com/

 Questions?  Contact Mr. Santini, Middle School Principal.  472-6505 Ext. 500 or csantini@cencam.org

Box Tops For Education

Many of you may be familiar with the Box Tops for Education fundraiser that our middle school has just kicked off.  For those who are not, let me give you a brief description.  This fundraiser is unique in that we aren't asking you to purchase anything, donate money, or volunteer your time.  All you need to do is look for a small "Box Tops for Education" coupon on boxes of many products that you probably already use on a regular basis.  Simply cut the coupons out of the box and send them in to school with your child.  For each coupon that is collected, the middle school will receive the amount of money indicated on the coupon.  While 5, 10, or 20 cents at a time may not seem like much, when you consider the collective action of 415 students and their families it is plain to see the tremendous potential this program can deliver. 

You might be asking yourself what the proceeds will be used for.  At this time, our plan is to use money from the boxtops fundraiser to enhance our library collection.  Specifically, our middle school literature and non-fiction collections are in need of an upgrade to best prepare our students for the new Common Core State Standards and to maintain works that our students are interested in reading.  All money from this program will go back into providing these types of resources for our students.

What do you need to do?

• View the list of participating products: http://www.boxtops4education.com/earn/clip/Brands.aspx
• Clip the coupons from the boxes and packaging of any products you use, or have your child do so. 
• Send the coupons into school with your child each week.  Ask your child to give these to his or her first period teacher.

It really is that simple.  We appreciate any and all support with this project.  If you have any questions, please contact our librarian, Mrs. Criste, at jcriste@cencam.org . 

Mid-Term Progress Reports

Mid-term progress reports will be sent home with all middle school students on Thursday, September 27th.  The front will have a listing of current grades from each class, similar to a report card.  The back will have information on setting up an MMS account, our after-school programs, and other information that is valuable to parents.  Please look for your child's progress report next Thursday!

Reading Competition Team

The Central Cambria Middle School Reading Competition team will be traveling to Bellwood Antis High School for the fall reading competition on Tuesday, November 13. Each member is busy reading and preparing for this upcoming event. Team members will read up to 42 books each and then compete with students from other school districts by answering questions related to the books they read. Mrs. Dziack is the team advisor.

School Store

A group of middle school students, under the direction of Mrs. Niebauer, are developing a business plan for a school store.  The targeted date for the store to open is the first week of November.  These students are currently conducting preliminary research prior to opening the store, including:

• Developing a market research survey to determine products and price points that will appeal to our students and school community
• Researching vendors to provide these products
• Conducting cost-benefit analysis of locally-sourced products vs. outside vendors
• Selection of products that will be sold in the store
• Creating a marketing and branding plan
• Naming the store
• Locating the store within the school and determining when and how often it will be open
• Preparing for the "grand opening" in November

If you have ideas or input for any of the steps related to the development of our school store, please contact us by email at hniebauer@cencam.org or csantini@cencam.org .

Bonfire!

The Central Cambria Football Bonfire has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.  You are invited to come out and support the team as they prepare to play Bishop Carroll that Friday.  The bonfire will be held on the old football field behind the middle school.  Central Cambria merchandise will be available for purchase, as well as Pink-Out shirts which will be sold for $10 each.

PSSA Score Reports

PSSA score reports are being sent home with your child today.  Please review these, and contact me if you have any questions:  csantini@cencam.org or 472-6505 and ask for Mr. Santini.

Zero to Hero assembly with Mike Hall

The Middle School welcomed speaker Mike Hall on Tuesday, September 11, to encourage positive attitudes with his motivational Zero to Hero presentation.  Mike shared a few of his inspiring life stories while keeping students AND teachers laughing and able to relate to what he had to say.  He recommended the students to, “Design the life that matters, not the life you want.” He revealed a blind fact that the problem dwelling within the hallways of many schools is not just the bullies themselves, but also the good people who often stand around and let the bullying happen.  Some encouraging ideas Mike left the students with were to 1) Surround yourself with people who have it more together than you do because their positive actions or skills could rub off on you, 2) Tune into voices that bring you up & tune out voices that bring you down; choose more encouraging friends, 3) Evaluate yourself before you judge others.  The students and faculty really enjoyed Mike’s visit and were engaged in his heartfelt assembly. More from Mike can be found on his website at www.mikeisspeaking.com, as well as Twitter and Facebook at www.facebook.com/mikeisspeaking.

Thanks to Ms. Minor, CCMS' Americorps worker, for the write-up!

What is the CDT and why is your child taking it?

What is the CDT?

• The CDT (Classroom Diagnostic Tool) is an online test available for students starting in 6th grade.  There are three separate tests:  Mathematics, Science, and Reading/Literature.  The CDT consists of multiple-choice questions of varying difficulty.  The results of the test provide data related to each student's individual strengths and areas for improvement in each of those content areas.  The questions on the CDT are aligned to the content on the PSSA tests and Keystone Exams. 

What do teachers do with CDT data?

• Teachers will use data from the CDT test to determine the educational needs of their classes as a whole, as well as the particular needs for each individual student.
• From here, teachers will adjust their instruction to address areas where individual students and larger groups of students are showing a need for improvement.
• Teachers can provide further enrichment and acceleration related to areas their students are showing strength.

How many times will students take the CDT this school year?

• Students will take the CDT 2 or 3 times this school year.  The first administration starts this week, with the second happening later in the year.

Does the CDT count toward AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress)?

• The CDT does not count toward AYP as the PSSA and Keystone Exams do.  However, it does provide valuable data for our teachers to use to best meet the specific educational needs of your child.

To find out more information: 

http://static.pdesas.org/Content/Documents/CDT_FAQs_FINAL_APPROVED.pdf

Middle School Football - 4:00 p.m. at the stadium

The Central Cambria Middle School football team, comprised of 7th and 8th grade players, will compete today against Somerset at 4:00 p.m. at the football stadium.  Additionally, our middle school cheerleading squad will be in action at the game.  The kids have been working hard, and would appreciate it if you came out to support them today!

Cross Country Dominates at Bear Mountain River Run Invitational

The Central Cambria Middle School Cross Country teams won the Bear Mountain River Run Invitational this past weekend.  The event was held at Lock Haven University and featured 15 teams from around the state.  The boys placed 5 runners in the top 16, while girls placed all 9 runners in the top 13 including each of the first 7 spots.  Congratulations to our runners on their great victory!