Upcoming Events & Dates

December 9 - Girls' Junior High Basketball vs. Bishop McCort - 4:00 p.m.

December 10 - Boys' Junior High Basketball vs. Greater Johnstown - 4:00 p.m., followed by 8th grade game.

December 10 - Junior High Wrestling vs. Cambria Heights - 6:00 p.m.

December 10 - Headlock for Hunger to benefit the CC Special Deliveries backpack program.  Junior high and varsity wrestling match vs. Cambria Heights.  Junior high starts at 6 p.m., followed by JV and Varsity.

December 14 - Mid-Term progress reports for second marking period sent home with students.

December 16 - Girls' Junior High Basketball vs. Richland - 4:00 p.m., followed by 8th grade game.

December 17 - Boys' Junior High Basketball vs. Somerset - 4:00 p.m., followed by 8th grade game.

December 17 - CCMS Winter Chorus and Band Concert - 7:00 p.m.

December 22 - CCMS Winter Dance - 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

December 23 - Holiday dismissal:  MS/HS dismissal at 12:00 p.m., Elementary at 1:00 p.m.

CCMS Winter Concert

The winter chorus and band concert for Central Cambria Middle School will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 17.  The concert will be held in the auditorium.

Book Fair

The Central Cambria Middle School & High School Book Fair will take place February 16 - 19, 2016.  

Box Tops Contest

The next round of our Box Tops for Education contest has begun.  First period classes will be collecting box tops through the end of December.  We will then have our next round during December.  Winning classes for this round will be rewarded by being dismissed to the lunch line first during the month of December, and the next round will receive the same reward in January.  For more information on products that contain box tops, please visit the site: http://www.boxtops4education.com/  All proceeds from this contest are used to purchase additional books for the middle school library, so we appreciate your support!

Food Drive Results

Food Drive 2015

Boxes of Stuffing:  32

Boxes of Mashed Potatoes:  24

Boxes of Pie Crust:  10

Cans of Pie Filling:  22

Cans of Evaporated Milk:  28

Cans of Cranberry Sauce:  19

Boxes of Cake Mix:  35

Cans of Frosting:  21

Fruit Concentrate:  11

Cans of Peas & other Veggies:  112

Cans of Yams:  22

Cans of Fruit:  40

Miscellaneous Extra Items:  54

Money:  $100.35  ($80.35 of that was from the Penny Wars that Ms. Shaheen organized.)

430 Total Items

Mrs. Stevens’ homeroom won the “1^st in Line” lunch passes for the week of November 16^th to November 20th!!!  THANK YOU to EVERYONE for participating in this fall's food drive!

Updates

This afternoon, a call from our automated call system went out to parents of middle school students with directions for scheduling parent conferences.  Conferences will take place November 4th and 12th from 3:15 - 6:30 p.m.  To schedule conferences, you simply need to make one phone call to our secretary, Mrs. Bednar, at 472-6505 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. prior to the conference date you plan to attend.  She will schedule an appointment with the teachers you would like to meet with.  

Thank you to all of the individuals and groups who helped to make this year's Safe Halloween Night and Halloween Dance a great success.  We hosted 372 kids for Safe Halloween Night, and roughly two thirds of our middle school students for the dance.  Without the help of our staff, students, and PTO members, this would not have been possible.  Thank you as well to the parents and children who attended the event.

Safe Halloween Night - Wednesday, 10/28 - 6 - 8 p.m.

The second annual Central Cambria Safe Halloween Night will be happening this Wednesday evening.  The event is open to all children, ages newborn through 5th grade, residing within the Central Cambria School District.  This event will feature:

• Trick or Treating in the 6th grade hallway, sponsored by various clubs, groups, and teams.
• A Halloween photo setup where kids can have their picture taken.
• 10 different games and activities in the middle school gym, sponsored by the Cambria and Jackson Elementary PTO organizations.
• A "haunted hallway" for those brave enough to enter, sponsored by the Interact Club.
• A costume exhibition to close the festivities

While this event is happening, there will be a Halloween Dance in the high school cafeteria for students in grades 6 through 8.  Cost of admission to the dance is $3, or $1 with a canned food donation.

We hope to see you Wednesday night for a spooktacular evening!

Parent Conferences - 11/4 & 11/12

Parent conferences will be held at the middle school from 3:15 - 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4th and Thursday, November 12th, 2015.  To schedule a conference, please contact Kim Bednar, middle school secretary, at 472-6505.  Conferences are scheduled on a first come, first served basis.

Holiday Dismissal Times - Mark Your Calendars!

Please mark the following holiday dismissal times on your calendars:

 

Holiday dismissal for Thanksgiving (November 25^th) and Christmas (December 23) will be as follows:

 

Grades 6-12 (MS/HS) dismiss at 12:00 noon

Grades K-5 (Elementary) dismiss at approximately 1:00 p.m.

Safe Halloween Night - October 28 - Save the Date!

Our second annual Safe Halloween Night, open to all children toddler age through 5th grade residing within the boundaries of Central Cambria School District, will be held from 6 - 8 p.m. on October 28th.  More details will be coming out, but please mark your calendars and save the date!

Picture Retakes

Picture retakes for middle school students will take place on November 4, 2015.

MAC Grant

Congratulations to Mr. Dumm, CCMS Art teacher, for receiving a $500 McDonald's MAC grant.  This grant will be used for construction of our upcoming CCMS art gallery.  Thank you to Mr. Dumm for taking the initiative to apply for this grant and bring these funds to our school, and to local McDonald's franchise owners for funding the grant.

CCMS Spirit Week Themes

CCMS Spirit Week Daily Themes

Monday (10-5-15):

Red,White & Blue and Celebrity/Character Day

Tuesday (10-6-15):

Twin and Crazy Socks and Hat Day

(You must make a $ 1.00 donation to our chosen charity in order to wear a hat for this day’s theme.) 

Wednesday (10-7-15):

“Wacky Wednesday”

Neon, Camo, and Tye Dye Day
Buctober Pittsburgh Pirates Day

Thursday (10-8-15):

Red and Black Day

Friday (10-9-15):

 Pink Out & Sports Day

Skyward App Now Available for Parents!

All families and students should have received family access to Skyward by now. If you have not received a letter for your child, please contact Tracey Heeney at theeney@cencam.org. Parents will be able to access all of their child(ren)’s information with one login.

Student login information has been given to students during class. If they did not receive the information, they can click forgot password at the main login screen and a notification will be sent to their school email.

The Skyward Mobile App has also been activated for our district. You can go to your mobile app store on your device and download the Skyward App. Once you download the app, you simply search for Central Cambria in the District Name area and then login using your username and password. You will also need to set up a passcode for security purposes.

Once you are logged into Skyward, please update all of your contact information to include all guardians, address, phone numbers and emergency contacts. This will allow us to have the most up to date information available.

Donors Choose Project - 7th grade language arts

Mrs. Urbassik, 7th grade language arts teacher, has a classroom project on Donors Choose.  There is a limited time matching fund opportunity that will match any donation that comes in for the project.  If you are interested or able to help with any amount, large or small, please open the following link:  

http://www.donorschoose.org/project/teaching-tweens-with-technology/1676572/?rf=link-siteshare-2015-09-account_projects_teacher-teacher_2702659&challengeid=20526404

School Board Vacancy

CENTRAL CAMBRIA SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD VACANCY

     The Board of School Directors of Central Cambria School District (CCSD) is seeking applicants to fill the Jackson Township vacant term of Ms. Marcia L. Yesenosky (through 2017) on the CC Board of School Directors.  An applicant must be a citizen of the United States, at least 18 yrs. old, of good moral character, and a resident of Jackson Township for at least one year prior to October 12, 2015.  Interested applicants may submit a letter of interest and resume by the close of business Friday, October 2, 2015, to Dr. Vincent G. DiLeo, Superintendent, CCSD, 208 Schoolhouse Rd., Ebensburg, PA  15931.

Picture Date Reminder

School pictures will be taken on the following dates.  Please plan accordingly.

Wednesday, September 16th:  6th grade

Thursday, September 17th:  7th & 8th grade

Tailgate Party!

Join the Central Cambria Education Foundation for a

 TAILGATE PARTY

before the Red Devils game vs Bishop Guilfoyle

Friday, September 18, 2015

4:00 – 6:45 pm

Location: The field in front of Cambria Elementary (Rain location: CE cafeteria)

Live Music, Games & Inflatable Obstacle Course

Food, Refreshments, & Spirit Wear Available For Sale

Open to all ages

Picture Dates

School pictures will be taken on the following dates.  Please plan accordingly.

Wednesday, September 16th:  6th grade

Thursday, September 17th:  7th & 8th grade

Meet The Teacher Night

Central Cambria Middle School Meet the Teacher Night will be held Wednesday, September 2nd starting at 6:30 p.m. at the middle school.  Festivities will include a brief slide show at 6:30 followed by a presentation by Mr. Santini.  Parents will be sent to classrooms starting around 7 p.m.  You will be provided a copy of your child's schedule when you arrive, and will follow their Day 1 schedule.

We hope to see you here!

Back to School - August 31st!

The start of the school year is two weeks away.  This also means that for our students, summer is over in two weeks.  The start of a new school year is a time of excitement and anticipation, for the adults as well as the kids.  Here is some information about the start of the school year:

• The first day of the school year is August 31st.  This will be a full day of school.
• All students will report to the auditorium at the start of school on the 31st.  Their first period teachers will take them to their classrooms, where they will receive their schedules, student handbook, locker assignments, and other information.
• Students will receive some basic school supplies at school, such as a composition book for each core subject class.  Additional supplies can be purchased after students attend the first day of school and know what they will need.  A three-ring binder or accordian-type folder/organizer is recommended but not required.
• Several forms and letters will be sent home on the first day of school with students.  Parents should read these and then sign and return them to the school.

If you have any questions at any time, please contact Mr. Santini at csantini@cencam.org or 472-6506 ext. 500.

Dress Code

If you are shopping for school clothes in these final two weeks before school starts on August 31st, please keep our student dress code in mind.  It is included here for your reference:

Central Cambria School District DRESS CODE

All students should be dressed and groomed so as not to distract the attention of others or to cause disruption with the educational process or orderly operation of the school.  Since fashion trends change quickly, the administration reserves the right to deem certain articles of clothing inappropriate even if not outlined in this student handbook.  When a student is recognized as not being in compliance with the stated practices, the principal shall meet with the student to discuss the reasons and render a decision following their discussion.  If a student is in noncompliance with the regulations, disciplinary action will be taken and the student will be required to make appropriate modifications before re-entering class and/or school.

Clothing that is not permitted:

*Shorts and skirts shorter than your fingertips when standing with arms at the sides.

*Cut off sweats, frayed, cut off jeans, jeans or shorts with worn/torn holes.

*Clothing that allows your stomach/midriff to show.

*Muscle shirts, tank tops/spaghetti straps or see-through clothing.

*Clothing with obscene or suggestive pictures, or clothing displaying or promoting drug use, alcohol, tobacco, violence, sexual innuendos, profane gestures or profanity.

*Clothing which is revealingly or excessively tattered, such as ripped or torn jeans.

*Clothing which is excessively tight.  Clothes must fit and pants must be worn around the waist.

*Pajama pants or sleepwear

*No visible external body piercing of any kind other than ears.

*Chains, exposed safety pins, needles, or other ornamental jewelry that could be potentially dangerous.

*Colored hair other than natural hair colors, and/or spiked hair longer than two and a half inches. 

ALSO:

*Hats or head coverings may not be worn in the building.

*No hoods may be worn in the building.  Hooded sweatshirts may only be worn if the hood is not used.

*Coats, overcoats and jackets may not be worn in the building.

Clarification regarding yoga pants/excessively tight pants:

Yoga pants, leggings, and other similar excessively tight fitting pants may be worn to school if clothing (skirt, shorts, shirt, etc) is worn over them that covers the student’s legs to fingertip length or longer when standing with arms at the sides. 

First Offense:  Student will be asked to change or modify attire to conform with dress code.  Refusal to do so will result in removal from class until alternate clothes can be provided. 

Second Offense:  Student will be asked to change or modify attire to conform with dress code.  Refusal to do so will result in removal from class until alternate clothes can be provided.  One hour of after-school detention will be assigned.

Subsequent Offenses:  Procedures from first offense will be followed.  Additionally, in-school suspension will be assigned for failure to conform to the school dress code

Stuff The Bus = Great Success!

This past Friday and Saturday, Central Cambria Middle School teachers and students from CCMS Student Council organized a Stuff the Bus event at Ebensburg Wal-Mart.  The purpose of the event was to collect food donations for the Special Deliveries project that will be kicking off in the fall.  This project will provide a backpack of food to any student who needs one each Friday during the school year.  Students will return their empty backpacks on Monday to be refilled the following Friday.  The goal is for all of our students to have food to eat seven days per week throughout the year.

First Student, the district's transportation contractor, provided a bus and volunteers for the event.  To say this was a great success would be an understatement.  Thanks to the generous support from the community, we raised over $1,000 and filled many bins with various food items.  Thank you to our teachers, student council members, First Student, Ebensburg Wal-Mart, and the community for making this event a great success!  Here are some pictures from the event:

 Student Council volunteers

 How often do you see empty space on shelves at Wal-Mart?  
Thank you to generous community members who purchased items to donate!

Here are some pictures of bins filled to the brim with donations!

Stuff the Bus Event for CC Special Deliveries!

Stuff the Bus

for CC Special Deliveries

Sponsored by First Student and Central Cambria Education Foundation

Friday, June 12th 9am-5pm

Saturday, June 13th 9am-5pm

Walmart, Ebensburg

Please Help by Purchasing:

Fruit Snacks (any kind)

Pop Tarts

Capri Suns/Kool-Aid Pouches

EZ Mac

Cereal (Single Serving Size, Any Kind)

Cereal, Granola Bars (Any Size)

*Monetary Donations Are Appreciated As Well*

Like us on Facebook

Visit us on Twitter

Check us out on our website by going to http://www.cencam.org/ and finding us under Quick Links

Email us at specialdeliveries@cencam.org

Final Week Events at CCMS

It is hard to believe that the final week of the 2015-16 school year has arrived.  Here is a schedule of events taking place this week:

Monday, 6/1:  8th grade picnic at Duman Lake

Tuesday, 6/2:  Fit & Fun Day.  All students.  

Wednesday, 6/3:  Flight 93 speakers & assembly.  8th grade students.  Final grades due.

Thursday, 6/4:  CCMS Awards Assembly starting at 8 a.m.  Parents of students receiving awards will be invited to attend.  8th grade students will depart for Kennywood after the awards ceremony has concluded.

Friday, 6/5:  8th grade field trip to the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Monday, 6/8:  Last day of school.  Middle and high school students are dismissed at 9:30 a.m.

Ford Drive For Your School Event

The following message is from Mr. Gilkey, 6th grade social studies teacher and volleyball coach:

The Swim Booster and Cross Country Boosters are once again teaming up for the Ford Drive 4 UR School event.  We are hoping that you can make it on Saturday, May 16 between 9:00 and 2:00 to Cambria Elementary school.  It only takes about 15 minutes. You show up, fill out a brief questionnaire and drive the Ford of your choice and Ford gives us $20. No sales pitch. No pressure. No cost to you. There are light refreshments and chances to win prizes.

Please try to block off 15 minutes on the 16^th to support us.

Hope to see you there!

Greater Johnstown Young Artists Exhibit

Last night at the Community Arts Center in Westmont, three CCMS students were awarded blue ribbons and a small cash prize in the “Greater Johnstown Young Artists Exhibit.”  With their selections, Central Cambria took 3 of the 6 available awards for their age group! Their work will remain on exhibit with many other student works from the region through May 29th.  Thank you to Mr. Dumm for his tremendous work with our art program.

 Two of our winners posing with their work.

Math 24 & First In Math

Over the course of this school year, Mrs. Stevens, our district's math coach, has organized a Math 24 competition among our elementary and middle school students.  Additionally, she has spearheaded the implementation of First in Math, an online math practice site which includes a variety of practice problems for students.  All CCMS students have had access to the site this year.  Jackson Elementary, Cambria Elementary, and Central Cambria Middle School held internal Math 24 competitions to determine students from each grade level who would compete at the regional competition.  Yesterday, the winners of those contests competed at a regional competition hosted by the Appalachian Intermediate Unit.  We had several students at the elementary and middle school level reach the semifinals.  Mark Losey, representative from First In Math, came to CCMS to acknowledge our students' outstanding performance on the First In Math site.  He gave awards to our top performers in each grade level, and gave the 6th grade students a pep talk since CCMS stood out among the many districts that he works with.  These were great opportunities organized by Mrs. Stevens, and we thank her for her work with our kids.

 Mr. Losey gets our 6th graders fired up!

Our 7th and 8th grade First In Math champs correctly 

solved over 45,000 problems this year!

Central Cambria students with the hardware they won at the regional Math 24 Challenge!

Upcoming Events

We recently posted several upcoming events to the CCMS events calendar.  You can view it by opening the link below:

http://www.cchs.k12.pa.us/middle/events-calendar.html

Pumped Up for PSSA Testing

Our students at Central Cambria Middle School began PSSA testing last Tuesday.  To get ready for testing each morning, we have been conducting organized physical activities to get pumped up for PSSA's.  Led by Ms. Getz and a group of CCMS teachers, our students have been jogging on the track (as weather permits) or exercising in the gym after breakfast each morning.  The impetus for this came from Ms. Getz's professional development plan for this year.  Ms. Getz researched the topic and read Spark by Dr. John Ratey, which covers a multitude of research studies linking physical activity to increased brain activity.  Our teachers have been incorporating "brain breaks" into their classroom instruction.  A brain break consists of a brief physical activity to break up extended periods of sitting.  Research shows a connection between physical activity and increased brain activity.  For this reason, we are experimenting with exercise prior to PSSA testing this year, and getting our students pumped up for PSSA's.  

 Students getting pumped up for PSSA's

 CCMS students don't do push-ups, they push the world down.

 We're here to puuuuump you uuuuupp!

Ms. Getz and her merry band of exercise fanatics.

Science Fair

A group of 8th grade students in Ms. Sossong's science class participated in a Science Fair held at Forest Hills Middle School Wednesday evening.  This was our students' first time competing in this event in recent years.  CCMS students came away with an honorable mention and a third place trophy.  These students' effort was commendable.  Thank you to Mrs. Dziack for filling in as their chaperone on short notice.

 The Team

Example Project

Yearbook Order Forms - Due 3/24/2015

Order forms and money for CCMS yearbooks are due this Tuesday, March 24th.  There will be no orders or money accepted late, and we will not have extra copies for sale when the yearbook arrives in May.  The cost for the new, full-color yearbook is $20.  Please get your yearbook order in tomorrow!

Mid-Term Newsletter - March 2015

Mid-Term Newsletter - March 2015

We are at the mid-point of the third marking period.  It has been an interesting winter, as the weather has disrupted most of our weeks so far in 2015.  Despite this, our students and teachers continue to persevere and keep the educational process moving forward.  Here is some information for parents about what we have been doing this winter at Central Cambria Middle School:

CCMS NEWS:

v  The third and final round of our Box Tops For Education contest is underway, and ends later this month.  We have been able to purchase a variety of new library books with the money collected in the first two rounds.  Thank you for your participation!

v  CCMS once again participated in Hoops for Heart, a fundraiser for the American Heart Association.  Through a variety of activities, culminating in a faculty vs. student basketball game, the middle school was able to raise over $6,000 for the American Heart Association.  Thank you to Ms. Getz, Mr. Klezek, and Mrs. Lashinsky for their effort in coordinating this great event. 

v  Our First Lego League robotics teams, under the direction of Mrs. Niebauer, presented their projects to Mr. Santini prior to their competition in February.  Each team had to come up with an innovative solution to a problem they chose.  The robotics competition was disrupted by weather, but the teams are looking to stage an exhibition later this spring.

v  Parents are reminded to check teacher webpages on the middle school website for a listing of their child’s homework.

v  The Central Cambria Jr. High wrestling team was recently chosen as the District 6 Class AA Team of the Year, and coaches Brian Reynolds and Ted Castel were named Coaches of the Year.  The team finished 20-5 despite forfeiting 5 of the 18 weight classes.  The team had top 5 finishes at several tournaments.  Congratulations to our wrestlers and coaches for a job well done!

v  Student clubs were recently reintroduced to the middle school schedule.  Most students now have a club assigned one day per six day cycle during 9^th period.  The project was taken on by Mrs. Lashinsky, a 6^th grade language arts teacher who is currently pursuing her principal’s certification at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.  We surveyed students to determined their interests, then surveyed teachers to see what types of clubs they were interested in facilitating.  We then matched students to one of their top three choices to create the new club schedule.  Examples of our new clubs include Cooking Club, Book & Movie Club, History Club, Fitness Club, Math Club, Photography Club, and a host of others.  Stay tuned in coming months for updates on these activities.

v  PSSA testing for students in grades 6, 7 and 8 begins on April 13^th.   

v  The spring sports season has begun.  Good luck to all of our student athletes as they begin their seasons.

v  CCMS recognized Read Across America Week with a variety of activities.  Students participated in a daily Dr. Seuss trivia contest.  Several language arts classes read to students at Cambria Elementary.  So far this year, Central Cambria Middle School students have read over 1,500 books (not including textbooks) for a total of over 75 million words.

v  CCMS Student Council is sponsoring a Movie Night on Friday, March 27^th.  Please see the flyer and parent permission form which will be sent home with students soon!

v  Mrs. Lashinsky has been facilitating a reading / language arts Breakfast Club every Wednesday morning this school year.  Any student may attend the club from 6:55 – 7:25 on Wednesday mornings.  Breakfast is provided, and students practice reading and writing skills through activities in the club, such as their weekly Word in the Hallway.

v  We are setting up an after school math tutoring group.  If you feel your child is in need of extra help in math, please contact Ms. Asashon at lasashon@cencam.org.

v  For the first time in its history, the CCMS yearbook will be in full color.  We have contracted with Herff Jones to produce this year’s yearbook.  Mrs. Urbassik has taken over as our interim yearbook advisor.  She will be assisted by students in her photography club in assembling the yearbook. 

v  Ms. Wissinger, our Americorps worker, has been busy planning our Fit & Fun Day for the last week of school.  We will have a number of guest presenters in the morning, followed by outdoor activities in the afternoon.

v  The Photography Club is in need of equipment.  If you have a gently used digital SLR or digital point and shoot camera, digital storage cards, or lenses that you no longer use, please contact Mrs. Urbassik at lurbassik@cencam.org.

v  The CCMS book fair was held in late February.  Students had a wide range of books to choose from.  Proceeds from the book fair go directly to our library.  Thank you to Mrs. Criste for organizing this event, and for our volunteers who assisted with it.

v  The Central Cambria football team recently held its annual Lift-A-Thon.  Our players have been working hard in the weight room in preparation for this event.  Thanks to coach Corrente and his staff for putting this event together.

CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION UPDATE

v  Our teachers are working hard to use technology effectively in their classrooms under the direction and support of our new K-12 technology coach, Mr. Strittmatter.  Our laptop carts and computer lab are booked every day as teachers experiment with new technology resources to engage their students and enhance learning.  In January, we rolled out our first cart of Google Chromebooks, and it has been used on a consistent basis ever since.  Teachers are experimenting with lessons designed around Bring Your Own Technology, using Google Docs on a consistent basis, and finding new tech resources to use with students.

v  Teachers have received training on several technology applications during the 2014-15 school year.  The latest of these is Google Classroom.  Math teachers will be learning about apps for math during our March professional development day.

v  Since the beginning of the 2013-14 school year, we have increased the number of student computers less than five years old from zero to 125 at the middle school.  We will continue working to increase this number in future budget planning.

v  Our Bring Your Own Technology initiative has started on a small scale, with individual teachers planning lessons to incorporate student devices and apps to enhance student learning.  An example of this was a lesson using the Kahoot app, which allows the teacher to track student responses to questions instantly and turn a practice quiz into a class competition. 

v  CCMS Social Studies teachers have begun the process of selecting a new textbook and teaching resources for grades 6, 7 and 8 social studies.  Our current books have significant age and wear, and lack up to date electronic teaching tools to enhance lessons.  Several textbooks have been reviewed so far.  We hope to have a recommendation for purchase this spring so that we can purchase materials in time for the 2015-16 school year. 

v  The purchase of new social studies textbook resources will complete the process of updating resources and materials for our four core subject areas.  We will now shift our attention to refining our curriculum in these areas, and investing in our exploratory courses in future budgets.

v  Two middle school math teachers, Ms. Minor and Mr. Kochinsky, attended training in the summer of 2014 at St. Francis University through the MSP-RAMP grant.  This two-week intensive algebra institute requires these teachers to collaborate with participants from other schools and create lessons using concepts learned through the training.  This has paid dividends in the classroom as these skills have been transformed into engaging lessons for our students.

v  CCMS Science teachers have been working through their new textbooks and creating updated curriculum modules to accompany these new resources.  For the 2015-16 school year, hands-on science activities will be incorporated into each unit.  Our science teachers are currently planning for these activities, including development of a list of supplies and equipment we will need to implement these labs.

v  In planning our 2015-16 schedule, we are looking to include a lab block for science and social studies one day per six-day cycle.  In this plan, students would attend science and social studies one period a day for four of the cycle days, and have a two-period block of science on one day and the same for social studies on the opposite cycle day.  This will provide the same amount of instructional time as students currently have in these classes, but will provide opportunities for extension activities every six days.

v  For updates from my observations and walkthroughs in classrooms, please check out the CCMS Twitter page at www.twitter.com/ccmsprincipal. You do not have to be a member of Twitter to view the tweets and pictures that are posted.  We have high-quality instruction taking place in our classrooms, and this provides a glimpse into some of the great things that are taking place.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

3/20  Mix it Up Day

3/27  CCMS Movie Night

4/1    End of 3^rd Marking Period

4/13  Beginning of PSSA testing

Field trip dates and details will be announced in our next newsletter, and posted on our blog.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

v  Thank you to the Central Cambria Education Foundation for its continued financial support of enrichment projects and activities for our students.  Visit cceducationfoundation.org for more information.

v  Thank you to the Nutrition Group for providing the raw materials and ingredients for our Cooking Club

v  Thank you to our Student Council advisors for the time they put in to organize and plan events for our students

v  Thank you to our teachers and staff for their continued pursuit of excellence in education. 

DONORSCHOOSE.ORG:

Over the past two years, CCMS teachers have posted several projects on the www.donorschoose.org website.  Projects have included new class sets of calculators, science equipment, and other items that enhance student learning.  Our thanks and appreciation go to those who have contributed, and to the teachers who have taken the initiative to create projects on the site.