CMS March 2026 Newsletter

Cody Middle School continues to move steadily through the third quarter. This time of year brings important academic milestones and meaningful opportunities for connection. The overwhelming majority of our students are excelling in the classroom, and our students have been incredibly active outside of the classroom earning championships and recognition in a lot of meaningful ways. This time of year, I encourage all of our families to review our Promotion and Retention Policy, which is included later in this newsletter. Clear expectations, consistent communication, and early planning are essential as we approach the end of the school year.

This semester, our staff and students have begun implementing the BARR (Building Assets and Reducing Risks) framework. Through weekly I-Time lessons, we are intentionally strengthening relationships, improving academic monitoring, and helping students develop the skills they need to navigate both school and life successfully. These structured I-Time lessons allow us to focus on connection, reflection, and goal setting in a way that supports the whole student. Additional information about BARR is included in this newsletter.

The week of March 2–6 is Book Fair Week at CMS. We invite families to stop by during Parent-Teacher Conferences on March 5 to browse the fair. Conferences are an excellent opportunity to connect with teachers and celebrate student growth, and the Book Fair offers another way to support literacy with your student.

This month, students across Wyoming will also participate in the Wyoming Prevention Needs Assessment (PNA) Survey. At Cody Middle School our students will complete this during their Advisory and WIN time on March 18. This survey provides valuable data that helps schools and communities across Wyoming better understand student experiences and identify areas where additional support may be needed. The information gathered is anonymous and guides prevention and intervention efforts both statewide and within our building. Included in this newsletter is a copy of the survey along with important information regarding parental opt-out procedures. Be sure to check your email later this week for more information on the PNA Survey.

For our 8th grade families, March also brings important transition information as students prepare for Cody High School. An 8th Grade Transition Information Meeting will be held on March 17 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Cody High School. This meeting is an important step in forecasting and planning for next year and provides an overview of course options, graduation pathways, and extracurricular opportunities. In addition, CMS and CHS counselors will visit 8th grade social studies classes the week of March 23–27 to provide information about the Hathaway Scholarship and 9th grade registration. Students will begin the steps of registering for their freshman classes that week, so please be sure to discuss this information with your student.

March is also WY Read Together Month. This statewide initiative encourages daily reading at home, strengthens the partnership between schools and families, and builds positive memories around books. It reinforces an important message: Wyoming’s future starts here. The Wyoming School Boards Association is providing a free book to students whose families participate, making this a meaningful opportunity to prioritize reading at home. More details are included later in this newsletter.

Thank you for your continued partnership and the steady support of Cody Middle School. Go Broncs & Fillies!

Sincerely,

Jacob R. Gogan

Principal

Cody Middle School

🏊 Tuesday, Mar 3 @ 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm | CMS Swim Meet @ Powell

🗓️ Tuesday, Mar 3 @ 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm | School Board Work Session Meeting

💲 Thursday, Mar 5 @ 7:50 am - 8:05 am | Student Store Open

🗓️ Thursday, Mar 5 @ 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm | Parent Teacher Conference

🔕 Friday, Mar 6 | Teacher Trade Day (No School)

🏊 Saturday, Mar 7 @ 10:00 am - 3:30 pm | CMS Swim Conference @ Worland

🗓️ Wednesday, Mar 11 @ 7:30 am - 8:30 am | Parent First Group Meeting @ QT’s

🪐 Thursday, Mar 12 @ 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Astronomy Club Meeting

🎉 Friday, Mar 13 | Friday Rewards Day

🏫 Tuesday, March 17 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm | 8th Grade Parent Night/Orientation

📚Wednesday, Mar 18 | Prevention Needs Assessment

💲 Thursday, Mar 19 @ 7:50 am - 8:05 am | Student Store Open

🎺 Thursday, Mar 19 @ 6:00 pm | CMS Band Concert @ WTA

🎓 Friday, Mar 20 | Quarter 3 Ends

🕺 Friday, Mar 20 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm | CAN Dance (Theme March Madness)

🎓 Monday March 23 - Friday, March 27 | Hathaway Scholarship and 9th Grade Registration

🎓 Monday, Mar 23 | Quarter 4 Starts

🎽 Monday, Mar 23 | First Track Practice (Sign ups will open March 9th)

🗓️ Tuesday, Mar 24 @ 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm | School Board Meeting

🎉 Friday, Mar 27 @ 12:40 pm - 1:45 pm | Assembly / StuCo Rally

🔕 Monday, Mar 30 - Apr 3 | Spring Break (No School)

BARR — Building Assets, Reducing Risks — is an evidence-based system that provides our school with a strength-based, comprehensive approach to meeting the academic and non-academic needs of every student. Through BARR, we work to harness the power of relationships and data to focus on students’ strengths and ensure that all students are supported.

At Cody Middle, all core content teachers are grouped into grade-level teams. These teacher teams meet throughout the week to monitor student progress, identify strengths, and consider ways to support and challenge all students on their team. Each week, our administrators and counselors meet with our teacher teams to offer additional support for students and provide recognition for students' unique strengths and talents.

BARR is the framework that provides us the opportunity to get to know each student's strengths and interests. As educators, we leverage the knowledge we gain through relationship building and I-Time lessons to better engage and challenge our students.

What are these I-Time lessons my student talks about?

Once a week, teachers facilitate an I-Time lesson. The goal of I-Time is to strengthen student-to-student and staff-to-student relationships and to build classroom community. Important topics explored together include: building community, goal setting, stress management, bullying, and communication skills.

How does BARR benefit my student?

BARR educators focus on your child as more than just a learner – we work to understand them as a whole student. They are trained to use strength-based techniques to build positive relationships and support each student toward success in the classroom and beyond. Staff are provided with ongoing professional development on the BARR system.

The BARR system has a 20-year track record of student success and has been proven to drive significant improvements in school climate measures and standardized test scores. BARR has shown decreases in behavior referrals and absenteeism.

If you have questions or want more information about BARR or the I-Time Lessons at Cody Middle School, please contact either of our BARR Coordinators Kori Black (koriblack@park6.org) and Taylor Hensen (taylorhensen@park6.org)

In March, Ignite Wyoming is launching a statewide reading initiative designed to bring families, schools, and communities together around one powerful goal: helping students fall in love with reading. To that end, we are excited to introduce WY Read Together -- a month-long campaign encouraging students of all ages and their families to build meaningful reading habits at home.

What Is WY Read Together?
WY Read Together is a statewide effort to:

• Encourage daily reading at home throughout the month of March
• Strengthen the partnership between schools and families
• Build joyful memories around books
• Reinforce that Wyoming’s Future Starts Here

To support participation, the Wyoming School Boards Association is providing a free book to Wyoming students whose families take part in this initiative.

Why This Matters
Reading at home is one of the strongest predictors of long-term academic success. More importantly, reading builds connection, imagination, confidence, and lifelong curiosity. When schools and families work together, students thrive. And together, Wyoming reads. With your leadership, WY Read Together can become a unified, statewide celebration of literacy.

How do families participate?
Families simply:

• Read together during the month of March
• Complete a short submission form on the Ignite Wyoming website
• Receive a FREE book shipped directly to their home

Toolkit Resources
To make participation simple, we’ve created a ready-to-use toolkit:

Family Toolkit:

• Reading logs
• Tips for building a reading routine
• Fun at-home challenges
• Step-by-step instructions for receiving the free book

These materials are designed to be plug-and-play for districts and families.

We would love to have you participate and help amplify WY Read Together across the state!

If your student rides any bus, please make sure they have their Student ID. PCSD6 Transportation will begin strictly enforcing the use of Student IDs on all buses, including in-town field trips. PCSD6 wants to make sure all students are safe and accounted for as well as be able to identify when and where they get on and off the bus. If your student requires a new Student ID, please let the Cody Middle School Front Office know and we will provide you with a replacement card form that you can return to us along with a $5 ID replacement fee. If you have questions, please call the PCSD6 Transportation Department at 307-587-2851.