Box Tops For Education Round 2 Update

Round 2 of our Box Tops for Education contest is underway.  The deadline to turn box tops in for the second round is December 20th.  Currently, we have a tie atop the leaderboard, with Mr. Gilkey and Mrs. Mazzarella's first period classes leading the way.  Mr. Moore and Mrs. Dziack's classes are in 3rd and 4th place.  

Last year we received over $2,000 from our box tops collection, which was used to purchase additional library books that students are now using with our Accelerated Reader program.  Every box top that you cut out and send in helps, and we appreciate your support and participation.

Mid-Term Progress Reports - Marking Period 2

Mid-Term Progress Reports will be sent home with all students on Friday, December 6th.  These will list grades for each class your student is enrolled in.  Please look for them when your child comes home next Friday.

Spirit Wear Sale

Over the past year, we have received requests from time to time for Central Cambria gear that is not focused on an athletic team, or that does not have a Red Devil logo on it.  While this is our school mascot, we recognize that there are some families who would prefer not to have that logo depicted on clothing their children wear due to their personal beliefs.  For these reasons, our Student Council is conducting a Spirit Wear sale that includes two Central Cambria logos, one of which uses the Red Devil mascot and pitchfork symbol, and another which includes a block "CC" without mention of the mascot.  Order forms were sent home with students yesterday.  We feel the items are reasonably priced, and our Student Council will not be turning a large profit on this particular sale.  Order forms are due back the week we return from Thanksgiving vacation so that items you order are ready to be delivered by the last day of school prior to the holiday vacation.  On the back of the order forms is a survey for parents and students to share suggestions of items you would like to see included in future spirit wear sales.  Additionally, we will be ordering some extra items to sell through our Devil's Den school store.  Proceeds from the sale will go into our student activities fund, which pays for class field trips, club activities, and other enrichment opportunities that arise throughout the school year.  Thank you for your support of our students.

Mike Hall Assembly

This morning, our students attended an assembly where they heard a positive message from Mike Hall, a motivational speaker from Charlotte, North Carolina.  Mike presented to our students last year, and we were fortunate to be able to schedule him again.  At the beginning of Mike's presentation, our students were told to get ready to laugh and to think, and that is exactly what happened.  Mike's message to our students today consisted of several important themes.  The first was to be thankful for the life you have, and to make positive choices to become the person that you want to become.  Mike spoke about how we allow negativity to impact us because we allow it to, whether it is in the form of comments from others or posts on social media sites.  The important thing for our students to remember is that they control whether or not those kinds of things have an impact on them.  I felt one of the most important questions Mike asked was "what are you doing with your mouth?"  He spoke about how our students can make Central Cambria Middle School an inviting place that students enjoy coming to simply by what they choose to say to other students throughout the day.  He challenged students to compliment one another, and told them they can make friends anywhere by using that strategy.  It is a personal choice to say positive or negative things to other kids.  One final important point Mike tried to get across to our kids was to think about the 5 people they spend the most time with.  Those 5 people will determine who our kids are 10 years from now.  If our students surround themselves with good, successful and positive people, that is what they will become.  Conversely, if they spend their time with those who cause trouble, that is where they may find themselves in the future.  Mike packed many powerful messages into his 45 minutes with our students, and mingled with many of them after the assembly, signing autographs and chatting with a large group of our kids.  To find out more about Mike Hall, please visit his website:  http://mikeisspeaking.com/ 

This assembly was funded by the Central Cambria Education Foundation http://cceducationfoundation.org/ as well as our Student Activities Fund, which is supported by our fundraising activities throughout the school year. 

Inclusive Playground News Story

Please open the link below to view a news story from WTAJ about the Ebensburg Regional Inclusive Playground project, which will be constructed outside of Cambria Elementary:

http://www.wjactv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/new-playground-allow-all-play-on-971.shtml

Thank You

Thank you to our parents and community members who shop at Target with their REDcard, and have designated it to donate 1% of each purchase to Central Cambria Middle School.  Target picks up the 1%, so it is not added to your total when you check out.  We deposited our 2013 check from Target earlier today in our Student Activities Fund.  This fund pays for field trips, events such as dances and Fun Fridays, class t-shirts, enrichment opportunities, and various other things that enhance student life at Central Cambria Middle School.  To learn more about the program, visit Target.com/TCOE.

Thank you to Best-Way Pizza and Italian Village Pizza for their generous donations of food for our staff during last week's parent conferences.  We appreciate the support from these local businesses. 

Thank you to all of our parents and community members who purchased items during our fall fundraiser.  Those items were delivered today, and students and parents picked those items up this afternoon.  All profits from the sale go into our Student Activities Fund.

Fundraiser Delivery - Wednesday, 11/13

Delivery of items ordered for the Central Cambria Middle School Student Council fundraiser will be taking place this Wednesday, November 13th, from 3 - 5 p.m. in the lower lobby by the middle school gym entrance.  Please remember that many of these items are frozen, and we do not have freezer space to store orders that are not picked up, so we will need everybody's cooperation in arranging for pickup tomorrow between 3 and 5 p.m.  If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Ball at the Middle School.

Parent Conferences - 11/14

Our last round of parent conferences will be held this Thursday, 11/14, from 3:15 - 6:30 p.m.  If you have not done so already, please contact your child's teachers to schedule a conference with them.