CMS Cougar Newsletter - Week 11

Every Day Counts. Every Cougar Matter

Dear CMS Families,

What a wonderful week to be a Cougar! As we celebrated the end of our first quarter and welcomed the beginning of the second, CMS was filled with hard work, school spirit, laughter, and opportunities to come together. It was a week that reminded us how much our school community means to our students - and how important it is to make room for both learning and joy.

Our Spirit Week brought smiles throughout the building! From Pajama Day and Twin Day to Camo Day, Cougar Pride Day, and Neon Day, students and staff enjoyed showing their creativity and joining in the fun. Seeing friends coordinate outfits and teachers participate alongside their students added to the excitement each day. These shared moments help strengthen relationships and make our students feel connected to their school.

Our pep rally was especially memorable. Beginning with singing "Happy Birthday" as a school for Harlan, brought our grade level together in such a special way and set the stage for an afternoon of excitement. Hearing our students’ voices, watching their enthusiasm, and seeing them cheer for one another made it a highlight of the week. Congratulations to our sixth graders for winning the spirit stick! We loved their energy and the Cougar pride displayed across all three grade levels. A huge shout out to Ms. Hinkle for her hard work in putting all of this together. There were so many that played a part in creating this special atmosphere for our students - WELL DONE EVERYONE!

Our #TeamNicely Tailgate added an especially meaningful opportunity to gather. While we enjoyed spending time together before cheering on our Cougars, we also came together to show love and support for the Nicely family. We want our students to know the importance of showing up for others, and this gathering helped put that lesson into action. A huge thank you to Mr. Wood, Mrs. Dobbs, Mrs. Noel, Mrs. Holesapple, Ms. Burdette, Mrs. Gilbert, and Ms. Johnston, who contributed their time, effort, and generosity to make it special.

We ended the week on a bright note with Friday’s Neon Themed Dance! Music, dancing, laughter, and time with friends made for a fun finish to a busy week. It was wonderful to see our students enjoying themselves and making memories together. We are grateful to Mr. Wood, Mr. Hamilton, Mrs. Noel and Mr. Hale who helped make this experience possible and gave up their Friday evening for our students - THANK YOU!.

Alongside these celebrations, we reached an important academic milestone. The first quarter has ended, the second quarter is underway, and report cards went home. Please take some time to review your child’s progress together. Celebrate accomplishments, recognize the effort behind improvement, and talk openly about areas where additional support or stronger habits may be needed.

A new quarter brings an opportunity for every student to move forward. Some students will be working to maintain the habits that have helped them succeed, while others may need encouragement to reset and take a different approach. One manageable goal - completing assignments consistently, reviewing material each evening, or asking for help sooner - can be a meaningful first step. Please reach out to your child’s teachers with questions or concerns. Together, we can help students turn reflection into action and build confidence through progress.

The coming week offers even more opportunities to learn, connect, and show our Cougar spirit! We will celebrate Red Ribbon Week, beginning Monday with “Blackout Drugs” - wear black. As students enjoy another week of spirit days, we will emphasize healthy choices, the importance of their futures, and the people they can turn to for encouragement and support.

Thursday’s StoryFest field trip will give students an opportunity to experience storytelling and the arts beyond our classrooms. We look forward to sharing this experience and seeing our students represent CMS with kindness, respect, and pride. Get those field trip forms turned in.

Our Halloween Costume Contest will also provide a chance to celebrate creativity and have some fun! As you help your child prepare, please remember that masks and weapons, including weapon look-alikes, are not permitted. Students must arrive in costume, with any makeup or face paint applied at home. Painting and costume preparation cannot take place on buses or in school restrooms. Hats are allowed, and costumes must follow the dress code and allow students to participate safely throughout the school day.

Thank you for being our partners in the everyday work and special moments that make CMS a caring school community. We look forward to helping every student find opportunities for success in this new quarter.

We love our students, we are proud of them, and we believe in them!

With Cougar pride and appreciation,

Lori Mattson
Principal, Covington Middle School💙🐾

Photo Credits: Lesley Nickell - all sports photos - Thank You!

A heartfelt thank-you to Natalie Benier and Kimberly May for delivering a generous donation of feminine hygiene products from Smurfit Westrock and P&G! These essential supplies will help our students feel comfortable, confident, and prepared to focus on learning.

Their generosity is a meaningful reminder that caring for students includes meeting everyday needs with dignity and compassion. We are grateful to Natalie, Kimberly, Smurfit Westrock, and P&G for supporting our Cougar community and helping our students know they are cared for!

Three Grade Levels. One Spirit Stick. SIXTH GRADE TAKES THE WIN! 🏆💙

The challenge was issued, our Cougars brought the spirit, and our SIXTH GRADERS claimed the coveted CMS Spirit Stick! Congratulations to the Class of 2033 for making their mark and showing just how much Cougar pride they have!

From cozy pajamas and matching twins to camouflage, Cougar blue, and bright neon, Spirit Week gave our students plenty of opportunities to get creative and have fun together. Our sixth graders embraced the excitement, and seeing them celebrate their Spirit Stick victory at the pep rally was a wonderful moment. In their first year at CMS, they are already helping build the traditions and memories that make our school special!

A special thank-you goes to our eighth graders for selecting the week’s Spirit Days and helping create an experience all three grade levels could enjoy. To our seventh and eighth graders, thank you for bringing your enthusiasm and Cougar pride to the celebration! We also appreciate our staff and families for encouraging participation and helping make the week so much fun.

Sixth grade earned the bragging rights, and all of CMS shared in the memories! Keep that spirit shining, Cougars - we love seeing you celebrate your school and one another!

ONE SCHOOL. THREE GRADES. ONE COUGAR FAMILY. 🐾

Our #TeamNicely Tailgate and Benefit Football Game brought our Cougar community together for an evening filled with friendship, school spirit, and a meaningful purpose: supporting the Nicely family!

Students enjoyed spending time together after school, sharing hot dogs, chips, and cookies and making memories with friends and staff. There was something especially wonderful about taking time to simply enjoy being together before heading to Casey Field to cheer on our Cougars as they faced Staunton River!

In the stands, that excitement continued as our students cheered and supported our team. From the tailgate to the football field, we had a great time together while keeping the reason for the evening close to our hearts.

Through Coins for Courage, our special Hat Days, and our #TeamNicely events, our students and families have put compassion into action. Every contribution and every person who participated helped demonstrate an important lesson for our students: we can each do something to show others they are supported and cared for.

Thank you to our students, families, staff, and everyone who helped make these efforts possible. We are proud of the generosity our Cougars have shown and grateful for the opportunity to surround the Nicely family with love and encouragement.

ONE TEAM. ONE COMMUNITY. ONE HEART. #TeamNicely! 💙

Our Great CMS PE Blanket Battle is off to an AWESOME start! They have already collected over 100 NEW blankets for our local Christmas Mother program - an incredible show of generosity, teamwork, and Cougar heart!

Our PE teams are keeping the friendly competition going as Skidmore & Turner’s classes take on Akers & Carter’s classes, and Akers & Carter’s classes currently hold the lead! Will they stay on top, or will Skidmore & Turner’s classes make a comeback? There is still kindness to share and a challenge to keep going!

Families, please help us keep this momentum strong by sending in new blankets. Each donation will help provide warmth and comfort to someone in our community during the holiday season. It is a simple way for our students to experience how their actions can make a meaningful difference for others.

Thank you to our PE teachers for leading this effort and to everyone who has already contributed! We cannot wait to see which team finishes on top, but the biggest victory will be the support we provide to the Christmas Mother program and the families it serves.

Two Teams. One Mission. Over 100 Blankets - and Counting! 💙

The second quarter is underway, and we are asking every CMS family to help make attendance a priority. Let’s work toward being at school every single day - on time, prepared, and ready to learn! Each day brings opportunities to strengthen skills, ask questions, build friendships, and connect with caring adults who want our students to succeed.

When students miss school, they miss more than assignments. They miss explanations, classroom discussions, hands-on activities, and support when they need it. Even occasional absences can add up, making it harder to keep pace and feel confident. Consistent attendance helps students stay connected and build on their learning each day.

A new quarter is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen routines. Setting consistent bedtimes, packing charged Chromebooks and school materials the night before, and preparing for the morning can help students arrive ready for success. Please schedule appointments outside school hours whenever possible, monitor attendance through the PowerSchool Parent Portal, and notify the school when an absence is necessary. When students are ill, please follow school health guidance.

Our Attendance Recovery Program provides opportunities for students to earn back missed time. We want families to be aware of this support and encourage their students to make the most of these opportunities. Recovery goes hand in hand with building strong daily attendance habits and making the most of the learning ahead.

If transportation, health, anxiety, or another challenge is affecting your child’s attendance, please reach out early. We want to listen and work with you to help your child attend regularly and feel supported.

Your child’s presence matters - to their learning, to their classmates, and to our entire Cougar community. Let’s make this quarter one of strong attendance, steady effort, and meaningful growth!

Every student matters. Every day counts. We need them here! 💙🐾

Our sixth graders also stepped into the role of teachers by creating 10-slide Google presentations designed to teach fifth graders a math concept from the first nine weeks. Students chose from ratios, multiplying and dividing fractions, or equivalent fractions, decimals, and percentages. Their creative, informative presentations challenged them to organize their thinking, explain concepts clearly, and consider how to help someone else understand. We are proud of our Cougars for showing what they know and finding thoughtful ways to share their learning!

Math learning came with a delicious reward as students participated in “Cougar Pizza Company,” a weeklong benchmark review that brought fractions, decimals, percentages, and ratios to life through practical, pizza-themed activities. Students put their skills to work, made progress on their benchmark, and celebrated their efforts with a pizza party at lunch. A slice of pizza was a tasty way to recognize their hard work!

Our seventh and eighth-grade math students are beginning their unit on equations, while Algebra students are starting their study of slope.

Weekly reminder: Students should complete 45 minutes of Zearn each week, Monday through Sunday.

We wrapped up a fun Nitro Ball unit this week and ended things with a Fitness Friday Challenge!

Students put their throwing skills to the test by trying to toss a football through a hula hoop. We love ending the week with a little friendly competition and lots of fun!

6th Grade: Our history students continued exploring the histories and cultures of Indigenous peoples, including the Kwakiutl, Inuit, and Mesoamerican civilizations. Through their learning, students are building an appreciation for the diverse communities, traditions, and contributions of Indigenous peoples across the Americas.

Let the CMS Halloween Costume Contest Begin!

Get ready, Cougar Nation, because things are about to get SPOOKTACULAR at CMS! 👻 We are excited to celebrate Halloween with our CMS Halloween Costume Contest, and we cannot wait to see our students' creativity, imagination, and Cougar spirit come to life! Whether your costume is homemade, hilarious, inspired by a favorite book, or planned with your best friends, this is your chance to have some FUN and show off your creativity!

🏆 Our Costume Contest Categories Include:

• 🎨 Most Creative Costume - Let your imagination run wild!

• 🧵 Best Homemade Costume - Show off your creativity and hard work!

• 😂 Funniest Costume - Bring on the laughs!

• 📚 Best Book Character - Bring your favorite story to life!

• 🐾 Cougar Spirit Award - Show us your CMS pride!

• 👯 Best Duo or Group Costume - Grab your friends and get creative together!

Winners will be selected in each grade level (6th, 7th, and 8th) for our individual categories, along with ONE schoolwide winner 🏆

Families, encourage your Cougars to start planning their costumes and get those creative ideas flowing! Remember, all costumes must be school-appropriate and follow our costume guidelines. No masks, no weapons or look-alikes, and students must arrive at school dressed and ready for the day. HATS ARE ALLOWED!

We are looking forward to a day filled with laughter, creativity, school spirit, and unforgettable middle school memories!

WHO WILL TAKE HOME THE TITLE? LET THE COSTUME CREATIVITY BEGIN! 🎃💙🐾

As our fall sports season comes to a close and winter sports begin, there are no athletic events scheduled this week. We are proud of our CMS student-athletes for their hard work, teamwork, and the many ways - big and small - they step up for their teams, our school and their community. Thank you, Cougars, for giving us so much to cheer about! 💙🐾

Covington Middle School

Asst. Principal: Mr. Marty Wood

Asst. Principal/Athletic Director: Mr. Zach Hamilton

Main Office: 540-965-1410

Website: https://cms.ahps.k12.va.us/

Location: 606 South Lexington Avenue, Covington, VA 24426

Phone: 540-965-1410

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CovingtonMSCougars

Instagram: cmscougars2023