Box Tops for Education

The middle school library is collecting box tops during the month of December.  Each first period class will be competing to collect the most box tops, with the winning classes being dismissed to the lunch line first during the month of January.  We would be appreciative if you can cut box tops out from participating products that you use and send them in with your child.  The money we receive from this program is used to purchase new library books.

Winter Dance

The annual Holiday Dress Up Dance will be held this Thursday, December 8th, in the cafeteria from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.  Dressing up is optional, and students do not have to dress up to attend the dance.  Admission is $3.00 and a concession stand will be available to purchase drinks and snacks.  Please enter through the high school entrance for this dance.  Join us on Thursday to spread some holiday cheer!

Ski Club money due

Students who are participating in Ski Club this year are reminded that money is due to Mr. Corrente by Friday, December 16th.  Ski Club trips are scheduled for January 6, 12, 20 & 27, 2017.

Progress Reports

Mid-term progress reports will be sent home with students on Wednesday, December 7th.  Please review these with your child when they come home on Wednesday.  If you have any questions about your child's performance in a particular class, please contact their teacher to discuss.

Stuff the Bus!!

This Sunday, November 6th, a school bus will be parked at the Ebensburg Wal-Mart.  Our goal is to stuff the bus full of supplies to support the Central Cambria Special Deliveries Backpack Project.  The project provides food to students who need it on the weekends.  A flyer will be distributed at the bus listing items that are being collected.  Our backpack program serves approximately 100 Central Cambria students in grades K-8.  We thank you in advance for your support of the program.

Do Your Holiday Shopping at CC and Support the Backpack Project!

One Stop Christmas Shoppe to support CC Special Deliveries Backpack Project

Who:  Local vendors selling their products.  Examples include Pampered Chef, LuLaRoe, Tastefully Simple, Thirty-One, and others.

What:  One place to get all your holiday shopping done, especially for those who are hard to buy for.

Where:  Central Cambria High School

When:  Sunday, November 20, 2016 from 1 - 4 p.m.

Why:  Proceeds benefit the Central Cambria Special Deliveries Backpack Project, which provides food for kids in need on the weekends.

Operation Support Our Soldiers

At the end of October, the 8th grade students began collecting items that will be donated to our military personnel overseas, in conjunction with their Flight 93 unit.  Operation S.O.S. (Support Our Soldiers) is looking for donations in preparation of the 420 care packages that they will be sending out to military personnel for Christmas.  These items will be sent to Fort Sill, Okla., where soldiers in the 3rd Battalion 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment will be stationed after returning home from Asia.  Donations of any of the following items are greatly appreciated:

Toiletry Items:  Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, hand or body lotion, Q-tips (small packs), shampoo, non-aerosol sunscreen

Food Items:  Microwave popcorn, cereal bars, pop tarts, gum, life savers, hard candy, boxes of hot chocolate, boxes of tea bags

Miscellaneous Items:  Crossword books, Sodoku books, books (novels or short stories), magazines, playing cards, Ziploc sandwich bags, tissues (small packs)

Donations will be accepted through Thursday November 17th.  Thank you in advance for supporting this project.

Holiday Meal Food Drive

HOLIDAY MEAL PROJECT 2016

**This project provides Thanksgiving and Christmas meals to families.**

From November 1^st through November 8^th, CCMS Student Council is teaming up with the Ebensburg Woman’s Club and the Saint Vincent DePaul’s Ebensburg Food Pantry to conduct its annual Holiday Meal Project.  Each homeroom teacher has been provided with a list of items to create a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal and a white collection bag (in mailbox).  The homeroom that collects a complete meal and the most items will win a 9th period gym day.  

On the list of items, the donation of $5.00 will be graciously accepted, but not counted towards the homeroom competition as we don't want to make students feel uncomfortable for not being able to bring in such money.

CCMS Student Council members will collect the bags on Tuesday, November 8th during 9th period. 

The Food Pantry will be picking up middle school and high school collections on the morning of Monday, November 14th.

____ (1) Large Box of Stuffing Mix

____ (1) 26 oz. Box of Mashed Potatoes

____ (2) Envelopes of dry Turkey Gravy Mix

____ (1) 15 oz. Can of Green Beans

____ (1) 15 oz. Can of Corn

____ (1) 40 oz. Can of Yams

____ (1) 14 oz. Can of Cranberry Sauce

____ (1) 15 oz. Can of Fruit

____ (1) 11 oz. Can of Fruit Juice

             Concentrate (NOT frozen)

____ (1) Box of Pie Crust Mix

____ (1) 29 oz. Can of Pie Filling

____ (1) Box Cake Mix

____ (1) 12 0z. Can of Evaporated Milk

____ (1) Container of Frosting

______  A donation of $5.00 or more to help pay for meat purchased

by the Food Pantry.  Cash or check payable to SVDP Ebensburg Food Pantry.

Parent Conferences

Parent conferences will be held this Thursday, November 3rd, and next Wednesday, November 9th, from 3:15 - 6:30 p.m.  To schedule a conference with any or all of your child's teachers, please contact our secretary, Rita Tinik, at 472-6505 extension 501.  

During parent conferences on Thursday, November 3rd, there will also be a health and wellness fair in the cafeteria open to teachers and parents.  A variety of local businesses and health care providers will be set up with information that may be beneficial for you.

We are looking forward to your visit for conferences.

Report Cards

Report cards will be sent home with students today.  Please ask your child to see their report card when they get home from school.  Grades are also available to view at any time through the Skyward parent portal.

Winter Sports Physical Forms

Any student interested in playing a winter sport is reminded that PIAA physical forms are due back to the nurse's office by this Friday, October 21st.  Forms were available during lunches last week.  If you need to pick up a form, please stop by the nurse's office this week.

Central Cambria's Third Annual Safe Halloween Night

Central Cambria's third annual Safe Halloween Night will be held on October 26th from 6 - 8 p.m. at the middle school.  Any child from the Central Cambria attendance area, newborn through 5th grade, is welcome to attend.  We are working on expanding the event to include rooms in both the downstairs and upstairs hallways, and think this will be the best Safe Halloween Night yet.  

Parents and kids will enter through the middle school entrance, gather in the 6th grade cafeteria, and then be dismissed in groups to head through the hallways to trick or treat.

Stay tuned to the blog and Twitter account for any updates leading up to Safe Halloween Night!

Picture Retakes

Picture retakes will take place on October 25th for students in grades 6, 7 & 8.

It's a Great Day to be a Red Devil!

This past week, School Performance Profile scores were released for public view through the department of education's website at:  http://paschoolperformance.org/.  Central Cambria Middle School's SPP score increased by 1.9 points to a 79.2 / 100.  Normally I would not be jumping for joy at scoring a 79.  However, with the implementation of a new, much more difficult PSSA test, most middle schools saw their SPP scores drop between 2013-14 (the last year the SPP was issued for middle schools) and 2015-16.  We had the highest increase in Cambria County, and were one of only two middle schools in Cambria County to see their SPP score rise.  Within the county, only Westmont-Hilltop had a higher SPP score at the middle school level.  Since I am a little competitive, I spent this morning looking at the scores from a 10-county area surrounding Cambria County.  I wanted to see how Central Cambria Middle School compared to comparable schools outside of Cambria County.  Some of the findings reinforce the fact that our teachers, our students, and our school stack up well against anybody, anywhere.  We have a lot to be proud of, and my hat is off to them for the work they have put in to make the following numbers possible.  Here are some of the statistics that I found to be the most impressive:

• Of 95 middle schools in the counties of Cambria, Somerset, Bedford, Centre, Clearfield, Westmoreland, Mifflin, Fulton, Butler, and Allegheny counties, Central Cambria Middle School was one of only 16 whose SPP score improved from 2013-14 (last year of middle school SPP scores) to 2015-16.

• The average change in SPP score among the 95 middle schools was -7.9, with 79 of the 95 middle schools seeing a drop in their SPP score from 2013-14 to 2015-16.  The department of education did not issue SPP scores in 2014-15 due to the dramatic drop in scores as a result of the first year of the new PSSA test.

• Central Cambria Middle School had the 12th highest gain in SPP score of the 95 middle schools in the 10-county study area.

• Among the 51 middle schools with a lower ratio of economically disadvantaged students, Central Cambria Middle School outperformed 33 of them.  This includes middle schools from highly-regarded, wealthy districts such as North Allegheny, Upper St. Clair, Hampton Township, Mt. Lebanon, Seneca Valley, Quaker Valley, State College Area, Penn-Trafford, Hollidaysburg, and others.  There is something about outperforming some of the "blue-bloods" that should make us all smile.

• Among the 42 middle schools with a higher ratio of economically disadvantaged students in the 10-county study area, only 4 outperformed Central Cambria Middle School.  Our hats our off to Windber, Berlin-Brothersvalley, Southmoreland, and Indiana Area.  The highest of these schools scored 83.9 as compared to our score of 79.2.

• Of the 95 middle schools in the 10-county area, CCMS placed 23rd of 95. Our ratio of economically disadvantaged students would have placed us 52nd of 95. We outperformed our demographics by 29 places.

• Of the middle schools in Cambria County, only Westmont-Hilltop had a higher SPP score than Central Cambria.  Westmont-Hilltop’s increase of 1.8 SPP points was second only to Central Cambria Middle School’s 1.9 point increase from 2013-14.

• Central Cambria Middle School's growth rating in math was a 97.25/100, while the growth rating in English Language Arts was a 98/100.  Growth among economically disadvantaged students was 100/100, as was the category entitled "closing the achievement gap" which tracks performance of our economically disadvantaged students against our student population as a whole.  What these statistics mean is that our teachers are doing a tremendous job of ensuring that all students are making at least a year's worth of growth, including those who come to school with some of the biggest challenges.

The following comparisons are based on the total percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced on the math, English language arts, and science PSSA tests.  Rankings compare Central Cambria to the 11 other school districts in Cambria County.

• Central Cambria Middle School’s performance in 6th grade math has risen from 4th in the county in 2012 to 3rd in 2016.  Performance in 6th grade English Language Arts has risen from 7th in the county in 2012 to 4th in 2016.

• Central Cambria Middle School’s performance in 7th grade math has risen from 3rd in the county in 2012 to 1st in the county in 2016.  Performance in 7th grade English language arts has risen from 7th to 2nd over the same time period.

• Central Cambria Middle School’s performance in 8th grade math has risen from 7th in 2012 to 1st in 2016.  Performance in 8th grade English language arts has risen from 6th in 2012 to 1st in 2016.  Performance in 8th grade science has improved from 7th in 2012 to 3rd in 2016.

Central Cambria Middle School continues to have more students take and pass the Algebra Keystone exam by the end of 8th grade than any other district in Cambria County.  In 2016, over 98% of the 7th and 8th grade students who took the exam passed, with over half scoring in the advanced range.

Professionally, I have never been more proud of a group of people than I am of our teachers and students for their performance this past year. What started with the question "Why not us?" four years ago has seen our school's performance consistently rise in comparison to our peers. While we are humbled by these results, we are also focused on the children in our classrooms right now. We will continue to strive to provide them with an education that is second to none in Cambria County, and that compares in quality to that provided to students in wealthier areas of Pennsylvania.

It is a great day to be a Central Cambria Red Devil!!  

Direct link to CCMS School Performance Profile:  http://paschoolperformance.org/Profile/4932

It's a Great Day to be a Red Devil!

This past week, School Performance Profile scores were released for public view through the department of education's website at:  http://paschoolperformance.org/.  Central Cambria Middle School's SPP score increased by 1.9 points to a 79.2 / 100.  Normally I would not be jumping for joy at scoring a 79.  However, with the implementation of a new, much more difficult PSSA test, most middle schools saw their SPP scores drop between 2013-14 (the last year the SPP was issued for middle schools) and 2015-16.  We had the highest increase in Cambria County, and were one of only two middle schools in Cambria County to see their SPP score rise.  Within the county, only Westmont-Hilltop had a higher SPP score at the middle school level.  Since I am a little competitive, I spent this morning looking at the scores from a 10-county area surrounding Cambria County.  I wanted to see how Central Cambria Middle School compared to comparable schools outside of Cambria County.  Some of the findings reinforce the fact that our teachers, our students, and our school stack up well against anybody, anywhere.  We have a lot to be proud of, and my hat is off to them for the work they have put in to make the following numbers possible.  Here are some of the statistics that I found to be the most impressive:

• Of 95 middle schools in the counties of Cambria, Somerset, Bedford, Centre, Clearfield, Westmoreland, Mifflin, Fulton, Butler, and Allegheny counties, Central Cambria Middle School was one of only 16 whose SPP score improved from 2013-14 (last year of middle school SPP scores) to 2015-16.

• The average change in SPP score among the 95 middle schools was -7.9, with 79 of the 95 middle schools seeing a drop in their SPP score from 2013-14 to 2015-16.  The department of education did not issue SPP scores in 2014-15 due to the dramatic drop in scores as a result of the first year of the new PSSA test.

• Central Cambria Middle School had the 12th highest gain in SPP score of the 95 middle schools in the 10-county study area.

• Among the 51 middle schools with a lower ratio of economically disadvantaged students, Central Cambria Middle School outperformed 33 of them.  This includes middle schools from highly-regarded, wealthy districts such as North Allegheny, Upper St. Clair, Hampton Township, Mt. Lebanon, Seneca Valley, Quaker Valley, State College Area, Penn-Trafford, Hollidaysburg, and others.  There is something about outperforming some of the "blue-bloods" that should make us all smile.

• Among the 42 middle schools with a higher ratio of economically disadvantaged students in the 10-county study area, only 4 outperformed Central Cambria Middle School.  Our hats our off to Windber, Berlin-Brothersvalley, Southmoreland, and Indiana Area.  The highest of these schools scored 83.9 as compared to our score of 79.2.

• Of the 95 middle schools in the 10-county area, CCMS placed 23rd of 95. Our ratio of economically disadvantaged students would have placed us 52nd of 95. We outperformed our demographics by 29 places.

• Of the middle schools in Cambria County, only Westmont-Hilltop had a higher SPP score than Central Cambria.  Westmont-Hilltop’s increase of 1.8 SPP points was second only to Central Cambria Middle School’s 1.9 point increase from 2013-14.

• Central Cambria Middle School's growth rating in math was a 97.25/100, while the growth rating in English Language Arts was a 98/100.  Growth among economically disadvantaged students was 100/100, as was the category entitled "closing the achievement gap" which tracks performance of our economically disadvantaged students against our student population as a whole.  What these statistics mean is that our teachers are doing a tremendous job of ensuring that all students are making at least a year's worth of growth, including those who come to school with some of the biggest challenges.

The following comparisons are based on the total percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced on the math, English language arts, and science PSSA tests.  Rankings compare Central Cambria to the 11 other school districts in Cambria County.

• Central Cambria Middle School’s performance in 6th grade math has risen from 4th in the county in 2012 to 3rd in 2016.  Performance in 6th grade English Language Arts has risen from 7th in the county in 2012 to 4th in 2016.

• Central Cambria Middle School’s performance in 7th grade math has risen from 3rd in the county in 2012 to 1st in the county in 2016.  Performance in 7th grade English language arts has risen from 7th to 2nd over the same time period.

• Central Cambria Middle School’s performance in 8th grade math has risen from 7th in 2012 to 1st in 2016.  Performance in 8th grade English language arts has risen from 6th in 2012 to 1st in 2016.  Performance in 8th grade science has improved from 7th in 2012 to 3rd in 2016.

Central Cambria Middle School continues to have more students take and pass the Algebra Keystone exam by the end of 8th grade than any other district in Cambria County.  In 2016, over 98% of the 7th and 8th grade students who took the exam passed, with over half scoring in the advanced range.

Professionally, I have never been more proud of a group of people than I am of our teachers and students for their performance this past year. What started with the question "Why not us?" four years ago has seen our school's performance consistently rise in comparison to our peers. While we are humbled by these results, we are also focused on the children in our classrooms right now. We will continue to strive to provide them with an education that is second to none in Cambria County, and that compares in quality to that provided to students in wealthier areas of Pennsylvania.

It is a great day to be a Central Cambria Red Devil!!  

Link to CCMS School Performance Profile:  http://paschoolperformance.org/Profile/4932

Mid-Term Progress Reports

Mid-Term progress reports will be coming home with students on Thursday, September 29, 2016.  These reports will look like a report card, and will show your child's grades as of the mid-point of the first marking period.  If you have any questions regarding your child's progress, please contact teachers directly via email or by calling the middle school.

Emergency Information Cards

Good evening.  Chances are, you might be wondering why we sent home emergency information cards after sending out multiple automated calls asking parents to enter this information through the Skyward parent portal.  There are several reasons for this.  This fall is our first time asking parents to enter several back to school forms in Skyward rather than filling out hard copies and sending them back to school.  We felt this would be easier for parents, and reduce the chances that information is lost en route between home and school.  For the most part, this has worked well, as a vast majority of parents have completed the required forms online through Skyward.  Despite the best efforts of our team, completing the emergency information form in Skyward has proven a challenge that we have yet to overcome.  After the first two or three attempts over the past several weeks, we were still not confident that all of the information submitted electronically was accurate.  There are several possible causes for this.  The form may not be set up correctly, parents may be hurrying through and not completing all of the information, or the defaults may be set incorrectly.  More likely, it is a combination of these and other factors that has caused hiccups in the process.  Since it is critical for us to have the most updated and accurate medical and emergency information on file in case of emergency, we sent home a hard copy of the emergency information card with students yesterday.  We ask that you complete the card and send it to school with your child on Monday.  On behalf of our team, I apologize for asking you to complete this information for a third or fourth time.  Sometimes the "old school" method just works better than the high-tech way, and at the present time this is one of those instances.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience.

Skyward

New for this school year, all of our start of school forms are accessible through the Skyward parent portal.  When you log into Skyward, you can update your child’s emergency information, contact information, complete a free or reduced lunch application, and other back to school forms.  If you have already done this, we ask that you please log in and fill out an updated version of the emergency card.  It is critical for us to have accurate medical information for your child.  Additional forms have also been added since the system went live last week.  If you have not completed these forms, please do so at your earliest convenience.  If you need a hard copy of our forms to complete, please contact the school your child attends so we can send them home to you.  For any parent within the district, elementary through high school, who needs assistance logging into Skyward for the first time or completing these forms, we will be holding a Skyward parent night at the middle school on Thursday, September 8th, from 5 - 7 p.m.  In order to serve you best with the shortest wait time, please contact Rita Tinik at the middle school to schedule a time between 5 and 7 p.m. on the 8th for us to assist you.  Her number is 472-6505 extension 501.  If you are unable to attend the session on the 8th, you may also call any of the school offices to arrange a time for someone to assist you.  Thank you for your time, patience, and cooperation as we work to make this system better for you.

Picture Days

Picture Days for Central Cambria Middle School students are scheduled for the following dates:

September 14th - 6th Grade
September 15th - 7th & 8th Grade

Meet the Teacher Night 2016

Our annual Meet the Teacher Night will be held this Wednesday, August 31st.  Mr. Santini will have a brief presentation for parents in the auditorium starting around 6:45 p.m.  Parents will move to their child's first period class at 7 p.m., and will follow their child's schedule to each ten-minute class period.  Parents may register and pick up a copy of their child's schedule starting at 6:30 p.m. in the middle school entrance lobby.  We hope you can join us tomorrow night!

Forms Are Now Online

New for the 2016-17 school year, almost all of our beginning of the year school forms have been placed online.  Parents are asked to access and complete these forms by logging into the Skyward parent portal and filling out the information listed.  You can update your contact information, fill out a free or reduced lunch application, bring your own technology form, and several others through the Skyward site.  We believe this will save you some time and aggravation with keeping track of this information as it is all located in one place, and can be completed from a computer, smartphone or tablet.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation in completing these forms.  Should you run into any problems, please contact us for assistance.

Physical Education Class Notice

ATTENTION:

Due to continued renovation of the high school gymnasium, the middle school and high school physical education classes will not have access to this facility to start the school year. If weather permits, we may spend class time outside, so please make sure your child is prepared to go outside (ie. sweatshirt, sunscreen, etc). However, if the weather does not permit us to go outside, there may be times when the middle school and high school classes are in the middle school gym together. Please understand, STUDENTS WILL BE SEPARATED should this situation arise. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact the school. - Ms. Getz & Mr. Nikolishen

Welcome to the 2016-17 School Year!

Welcome to the 2016-17 school year!  The sounds of helmets hitting, whistles blowing, and the marching band practicing mean that the start of school is right around the corner.  The fantastic teaching staff of Central Cambria Middle School will be returning this Thursday for three days of training and preparation leading up to the start of school on Wednesday, August 24th.  

When students return on the 24th, they will report to the auditorium and be seated by grade level, as directed by the teachers on duty.  Our teachers will meet them in the auditorium, call out the students on their roster, and escort them to their classroom.  Students will receive their schedules in their first period class.  If there are any scheduling issues, we will resolve them during the first few days of school.  Although we check, double check, and check again, there are always some scheduling holes that we miss.  

All students, including sixth graders, will receive lockers with combinations.  While this will be an easy transition for our 7th and 8th graders, it will likely take our 6th graders a few days to get the hang of opening their lockers.  Our teachers and P.J., our very patient custodian, will be available to assist students as they master this skill.

Over the summer, a renovation project was started on our high school gymnasium.  A new floor, lighting, and paint is being installed and applied.  The goal was for this project to be completed by the start of school, but it is looking like it may extend into September before it is finished.  The project will be worth the wait, and our physical education teachers will prepare activities accordingly. 

We have enhanced our technology available to students over the summer, adding an additional Chromebook cart as well as an iPad cart to our arsenal of digital tools students can use during the day.  We will start the school year with over 260 devices three years old or less for student use, which will allow our teachers to incorporate digital tools into their instruction on a consistent basis.  Each core subject will have at least one Chromebook or iPad cart assigned to it.  All three grades of social studies will be 1:1 with Chromebooks in 6th grade and laptops in grades 7 & 8.  This will enable students to access digital textbook materials during class.  We are very excited about the great leaps forward we continue to take with instructional technology at the middle school.  

One of our foremost goals for the 2016-17 school year is to increase our use of hands-on activities in all three grade levels of science.  While there is always room for improvement across the board, this is one of the last remaining areas that stands out as a critical need to enhance our students' learning.  

We are welcoming two new teachers to the middle school for the start of the year.  Jessica Scott will be replacing Kelly Lashinsky in 6th grade English language arts, while Jason Zaffuto replaces Amanda Shaheen in 8th grade English language arts.  Haily Moody will serve as a reading intern in our language arts classes through a graduate assistant partnership with Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Rita Tinik will greet visitors as our new secretary, replacing Kim Bednar after her promotion to the position of transportation coordinator.  

We are excited to get this new school year started, and look forward to the return of students on August 24th.  If you have any questions, please call or email at any time.  Stay tuned to the blog and our Twitter page for the latest updates throughout the school year.

IU8 STEM Camp

The Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 is offering a STEM camp this summer to interested students.  There are options for 4th and 5th graders, as well as 6th - 8th graders.  If you are interested in signing up for a camp, please register at this link:  https://www.solutionwhere.com/WW/Aspx/Public/Search/ShowCourse.aspx?courseNum=434&cId=20&pCId=0

Important End of Year Dates

May 9 Girls’ and Boys’ JH and HS Track Laurel Mountain Championships 4 p.m.

May 11 Camp Cadet presentation - 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.  Auditorium

May 17 & 18 Algebra Keystone Exam testing - Morning

May 18   Decision Day:  K-12 Post-Secondary Education Awareness Day

             Spring Concert - Middle School band & chorus

May 19 7th Grade Field Trip - Outdoor Odyssey

May 19 - 24 Final Exams - All Core Subject Courses except those with a Keystone Exam

May 23 Senior Memory March - 10:00 a.m.

May 25 8th Grade Field Trip - Johnstown Flood Museum & Memorial

May 26 6th Grade Field Trip - Altoona Railroaders' Museum & Altoona Curve

High School Relay for Life Day - Middle School will eat lunch during 5th period

May 27 Fit & Fun Day

May 31 8th Grade Picnic - Duman Lake

         Final Student Grades Due - 4th marking period & final grades

June 1 Academic Awards Assembly

          8th Grade Kennywood trip

June 2 Last Day of School:  Early Dismissal at 9:30 a.m.

Special Deliveries Fundraiser - May 1, 2016

Tickets are available for purchase in the middle school office.  Get yours soon, because they are going fast!

Backpack Project Fundraiser May 1, 2016

We would like to take an opportunity to update you on the Central Cambria Special Deliveries Backpack Program and invite you to a fundraising event that we are hosting to raise money to support the program.  The Central Cambria Special Deliveries Backpack Program provides participating students in grades K-8 with a reusable backpack that contains food for him/her over the weekends during the school year. Participating students receive two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, two snacks, and two drinks. This local school and community collaboration with CCMS Student Council, First Student, and the Central Cambria Education Foundation, kicked off October 2^nd with nearly 100 backpacks distributed to enrolled students within our elementary and middle school buildings. The goals of this program are for students to be more physically prepared to attend school regularly, focus on their lessons, and demonstrate healthy attitudes with the start of each school week.

In an effort to raise money for the Special Deliveries Backpack Program, a fundraiser is being planned for Sunday, May 1, 2016, from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm at Central Cambria High School.  With each $25.00 ticket purchased, attendees will receive a hand-crafted soup bowl, a light lunch, 25 basket chances and a BINGO card.  Additional chances will also be available for purchase. Limited tickets are available and will NOT be sold at the door.   We are currently seeking donated themed baskets to add to this fundraiser.     Items can be sent or dropped off at Central Cambria Middle School.

  

To purchase tickets, please contact: Kim Bednar at 472-6505 ext 501

To donate items, please contact: specialdeliveries@cencam.org

THANK YOU to everyone who has supported the Special Deliveries Backpack Program and has made this initiative possible thus far.  We welcome and appreciate any support that you are willing to provide, including passing this information to neighbors, businesses, family, friends, and anyone who may be interested in promoting this fundraiser or donating items.   For more information about Central Cambria Special Deliveries, please visit our website at http://tiny.cc/f85cxx, like our Facebook page (Central Cambria Special Deliveries), or follow us on Twitter @ccbackpacks.  

We hope to see you on May 1st!

Sincerely,

Special Deliveries Coordinators and Fundraising Committee

The mission of Central Cambria Special Deliveries is to provide our students in grades K-8 with food that will nourish their bodies, prepare their minds, and encourage their spirits.

Upcoming Events & Important Dates

April 4 Girls’ JH Volleyball vs. Bishop McCort 4 p.m.

April 7 Girls’ JH Volleyball vs. Forest Hills 4 p.m.

April 12 Girls’ and Boys’ JH Track vs Windber 4 p.m.

April 12 - 15 English Language Arts PSSA testing

April 14 Girls’ JH Volleyball vs. Cambria Heights 4 p.m.

April 19 Girls’ and Boys’ JH Track vs Richland 4 p.m.

April 19 Girls’ JH Volleyball vs. Bishop Guilfoyle 4 p.m.

April 19 - 21 Math PSSA testing

April 21 Girls’ JH Volleyball vs. Richland 4 p.m.

April 26 Girls’ and Boys’ JH Track vs Forest Hills 4 p.m.

April 26 & 27 Science PSSA testing

May 1 Bowls, Baskets & Bingo for Backpacks - 1 - 4 p.m. CCHS

May 2 Girls’ JH Volleyball vs. Bishop Carroll 4 p.m.

May 5 Girls’ JH Volleyball vs. Penn Cambria 4 p.m.

GRAND OPENING: Central Cambria Gallery - G wing of MS/HS - 7 - 8 p.m.

May 9 Girls’ and Boys’ JH and HS Track Laurel Mountain Championships 4 p.m.

May 17 & 18 Algebra Keystone Exam testing

May 18 Decision Day: K-12 Post-Secondary Education Awareness Day

Spring Concert - Middle School band & chorus

May 19 7th Grade Field Trip - Outdoor Odyssey

May 25 8th Grade Field Trip - Johnstown Flood Museum & Memorial

May 26 6th Grade Field Trip - Altoona Railroaders' Museum & Altoona Curve

May 27 Fit & Fun Day

May 31 8th Grade Picnic - Duman Lake

Final Student Grades Due - 4th marking period & final grades

June 1 Academic Awards Assembly

8th Grade Kennywood trip

June 2 Last Day of School:  Early Dismissal

Note:  All field trip dates are tentative pending school board approval.  Awards assembly, 8th grade picnic, and Kennywood are tentative pending confirmation of facility availability.