Science Olympiad Competition

This past Wednesday, the CCMS Science Olympiad team competed for the first time in its brief history.  The team, consisting of 15 students in grades 6, 7 and 8, traveled to California University of Pennsylvania in the early hours of Wednesday morning.  Team members competed in a variety of events at the competition, against schools from all over southwestern Pennsylvania.  A majority of the schools were from the Pittsburgh area, and most of them were larger than CCMS.  To add to this, our team was the only one which was new to the competition.  Against these odds, our students posted a 12th place finish in a field of 23 teams, putting us squarely in the middle of the pack against some of the biggest and best schools in the Pittsburgh area.  In addition, individual team members posted top 5 finishes in a few specific events.  The team represented themselves and our school well.  Our thanks go to Ms. Gillin, CCMS AmeriCorps worker and Science Olympiad coach, our team members, and the Central Cambria Education Foundation, who provided startup funds for the team.  

THON THURSDAY

This past Thursday night, Central Cambria Middle School students and staff came together for THON Thursday.  This event, organized by CCMS Student Council and its advisors, was organized with the purpose of raising money for a charitable cause chosen by the council.  The event began with a brief assembly in the gym, where students were able to make reservations at the Sweet Treats restaurant and discover where their dodgeball teams were placed in the tournament bracket.  At this point, the festivities began.

The dodgeball tournament saw some fierce competition in both the boys' and girls' bracket.  In the boys' bracket, an upstart band of 6th graders made it all the way to the finals before falling to a team stacked full of 8th graders.  It was a valiant effort indeed.  On the girls' side, the outcome was similar, with a team of 6th grade girls making it to the finals before falling to a group of 8th grade ladies.  While the dodgeball tournament was happening in the gym, there were several other activities taking place within the school.

A game room and a craft room were available throughout the event for students to enjoy.  There were some intense board game battles taking place.  Periodically throughout the evening, students were called to the Sweet Treats restaurant based on their reservations.  The restaurant was fully staffed with some excellent high school students who were servers for the night.  As students entered the restaurant, menus were available at their tables and they were waited on by our excellent wait staff.  The restaurant was a great way for students to break up the evening and gather with their friends while planning for other activities during the night.

The night ended with a talent show, featuring 12 student acts in a variety of performances.  Our students' performances were impressive, and brought the crowd to their feet multiple times.  

Thon Thursday was a great experience for our kids.  They behaved well, had fun participating in a number of activities, and raised money for a good cause.  Our thanks go to them, our teachers and volunteers who came together to make this event a resounding success.

These guys clearly need to hit the weight room

 Getting ready for some dodgeball

She's got talent!

Next up: Piano players with presidential first names

Was that Steve Perry from Journey?

Big talkers 

Strategizing before the game starts 

Hanging out at the restuarant 

Scenes from a middle school restaurant

Game room 

Our high school students became great wait staff 

These two are excited about food!

Boys' dodgeball champions

Girls' dodgeball champions

  

Read Across America Week CCMS Statistics

In celebration of Read Across America Week, here are some statistics about our students:

CCMS students have tested on over 2,200 books up to this point in the school year.  They have read over 78,600,000 words.  Yes, that is 78 million!

Box Tops for Education - Round 3

The third and final round of our Box Tops for Education collection competition is underway.  The deadline for this final round is April 4th.  If you purchase products that contain box tops on their packaging, please clip them and send them to school with your child.  For a list of participating products, please view the following link:  http://www.boxtops4education.com/products/participating-products

The proceeds from these box tops are used to purchase new books for our library.  Last year, we were able to buy a large number of books with these funds.  Thank you in advance for participating!

Mid-Term Progress Reports

Mid-term progress reports will be sent home with students this Thursday.  Please ask your child to see their progress report when they get home.  It will contain updated grades for all classes, and a newsletter on the back.  An informational letter regarding PSSA testing will also be sent home Thursday with progress reports.  If you have any questions about PSSA testing or your child's grades, feel free to contact Mr. Santini at csantini@cencam.org or 472-6505 ext. 500.    

Thon Thursday & Pajama Day

Thon Thursday, originally scheduled for January, then February, will finally be taking place this Thursday evening from 6 - 9 p.m.  Festivities will include a variety of activities, including a dodgeball tournament and talent show.  Cost is $5 at the door.

As a reward for the outstanding fundraising effort and exemplary behavior displayed by our students throughout our Hoops for Heart campaign, we will be having a Pajama Day this Thursday as well.  Students may wear pajamas to school this Thursday providing they conform to our school dress code.  

Please continue to collect box tops for education, as our third and final round of the collection will take place this month.