Cougar Chronicle

What a great week at Carter Middle School!

We kicked things off with an incredible 5th Grade Parent Night. The energy in the building was awesome, and it was exciting to see so many future Cougars and their families getting a glimpse of what Carter is all about. There’s a lot to look forward to, and the future is bright.

Our 6th graders took center stage with our RISE MSTEP Days, and they delivered. We set out to create a different kind of testing experience, one that was focused, organized, and supportive, and our students rose to the occasion. Their effort, attitude, and focus over the two days made us proud.

We also had some outstanding accomplishments in the arts and athletics.

Our 7th grade concert band earned all 1’s at the State Festival, the highest rating possible. That is an incredible achievement and a reflection of the hard work, preparation, and pride our students and Mr. Case bring to their craft.

On the track, our girls 4x100 relay team made history by breaking a school record that stood for 27 years. Congratulations to Ryan T., Gabby H., Ma’Relyn V., and Sasha B. on an amazing accomplishment. That’s a special moment they will carry with them for a long time.

Weeks like this remind us what makes Carter special. The combination of academics, arts, athletics, and a strong sense of community is something we are proud of every single day.

I am always proud to be the principal of Carter Middle School, but this week, that pride shines a little brighter.

As we head into the next stretch, we’ll carry this momentum with us. We’ve seen what happens when we show up, stay focused, and support each other. We can do hard things, and we’re just getting started.

This is the last week of April. As we enter the final weeks of school, students often struggle to focus with summer looming. Please remind your students to finish the year strong, both behaviorally and academically.

We have a track meet on Wednesday at Warren-Mott. All events begin at 4:00pm.

With the end of the school year approaching, we are seeing an increase in students using cell phones during the day. As a reminder, our policy is no cell phone use from bell to bell.

If a student is found with a cell phone during the school day, the device will be collected and a parent or guardian will need to pick it up after school. If immediate pickup is not possible, the phone will be securely stored in the office until a parent is able to retrieve it.

We appreciate your support in helping us maintain a focused and distraction-free learning environment as we finish the year strong.

Report cards are now available for viewing for parents in their Parent Portal accounts. Quarter 3 report cards will only be available digitally through PowerSchool. There will be no paper copies sent home. Please see the instructions below on how to view your student(s) report cards on PowerSchool.

Congratulations Carter Cougars on a job well done on the quarter 3 honor roll.

Just a reminder to ensure that classroom disruptions are minimized and instruction time is maximized, we will be strictly implementing our "6th Hour Early Release Policy" for the rest of the year. A letter did go out at the beginning of the school year. We kindly ask for your cooperation in following the outlined process for early student release:

• Write a note specifying your child's name and the desired time for their early release. Please have your child deliver this note to the main office PRIOR to the start of the school day. A pass will be issued for your child to leave the classroom at the requested time.
• To minimize classroom disruptions, office staff will avoid calling classrooms after 2PM. Please ensure that you make appropriate arrangements for your child's early release in advance.
• In our commitment to prioritize student achievement and instructional time, we ask that you refrain from contacting the office to have secretaries deliver personal messages to your child.
• When checking your student out early, please be prepared to present your Driver's License.

Attendance: (586) 698-4562

The attendance line is available 24-hour, 7 days a week.

• Please report ALL absences OR tardies to this number as early as possible.
• Warren Consolidated Schools generates automated attendance calls and/or emails to all students who are not reported absent from their school by 9:30 am.
• Please know that the absence line is not a homework request line and all absences must be reported daily.

If your student is out for multiple days they can access their Schoology page for any missed work. You and/or your student can contact the teacher for paper assignments for extended days out but it is a 24 hour turn around time and teachers are posting to their Schoology page daily. If you have any questions please contact the main office.

Mrs. Youngblood's 7th grade math students are learning about probability. They conducted experiments to compare theoretical probability (what they expected to happen according to the math) to experimental probability (what actually happened) by flipping coins, rolling dice, and drawing cards.

There will be no Thursday morning open gym on April 30th, or May 7th due to MSTEP testing.

The Macomb County Health Department (MCHD) School Immunization Program has an important message for the parents of future kindergarteners and 7th graders to prepare them for the 2026-2027 academic school year.

Please review the following document and share with parents immediately to provide them with sufficient time to obtain the necessary vaccination requirements prior to the start of the new school year and avoid back-to-school rush.

• School Requirements and Resources for Parents

These documents and more information are available at the: macombgov.org/departments/health-department/disease-control/school-immunization-program.

Respectful

Individual Accountability

Safe

Engaged

If you would like to volunteer for end of the year events (8th Grade, Cedar Point with the Band), all forms need to be submitted to the front office no later than Friday, April 24th in order to be processed by the deadline of May 1, 2026. You can find the background form here. Any questions please call the front office.

We are gearing up for grade level field trips this spring. Please watch backpacks and deadlines to get those permission slips to their teachers.

6th Grade ~ Greenfield Village on Thursday, May 21st

• Permission slips are due May 1, 2026

7th Grade ~ Cranbrook on Monday, May 4th

• Permission slips were due March 23, 2026

8th Grade ~ Toledo Mudhens on Wednesday, May 27th

• Permission slips are due April 23, 2026

8th Grade ~ Holocaust Museum on Monday, June 1st

• Permission slips due May 15, 2026

If you have a current 5th grader or know a family please share the information with the families.

May 15 ~ 5th Grade students from Cromie, Wilde & Wilkerson will visit Carter for lunch

We can't wait to meet your student(s)! Look for more information on our website and future newsletters as the dates gets closer.

You can order your 2025-2026 yearbook online now, price of a yearbook is $38. To purchase, please visit our school website or use the link provided. Once yearbooks sell out, they are no longer available—so don’t delay, order today! Last year we did sellout of yearbooks!

A parent must accompany their student to all athletic events within WCS. This is a district rule and any student that is not accompanied by their parent/guardian will not be allowed into the game.

Students must have their Student ID's in order to enter any game with their parent/guardian.

The State of Michigan requires students to have a completed sports physical BEFORE tryouts begin for any sport team. Forms are available in the school office and on the MHSAA website:

English: https://www.mhsaa.com/portals/0/Documents/health%20safety/physical2page.pdf

Arabic: https://www.mhsaa.com/sites/default/files/Administrators/arabic2page.pdf

Spanish: https://www.mhsaa.com/sites/default/files/Administrators/spanish2page.pdf?time=1754321970200

All physicals must be dated after April 15 of the current year.

April 29 ~ 8th Grade M-Step

April 30 ~ 8th Grade M-Step

May 4 ~ 7th Grade Field Trip

May 5 ~ No School

May 6 ~ 7th Grade M-Step

May 7 ~ 7th Grade M-Step

May 7 ~ Booster Club Meeting

May 12 ~ Early Release

May 12 ~ Festival of Arts

May 21 ~ 6th Grade Field Trip

May 22 ~ Half Day

May 25 ~ No School

May 27 ~ 8th Grade Field Trip (Mudhens)

June 1 ~ 8th Grade Field Trip (Holocaust)

June 4 ~ 8th Grade Formal/Informal

June 11 ~ Half Day & LAST DAY

June 11 ~ Summer Break begins at 10:59AM

June 25 ~ Carter office closes for summer

Next Booster Club meeting is Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 3:00PM in the Media Center.

Thank you for supporting our students—we couldn’t do it without you! 💛

• Taki Tuesday is every week
• Volunteers are needed for Concessions, and Taki Tuesdays.

Any questions regarding Booster Club please contact via email. Thank you for your support!

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Facebook.com/

Email: carterboosterpresident@gmail.com

Have a Kroger rewards card? Select the organization that you wish to support is as simple as updated the Kroger Community Rewards Selection on your digital account. Your organization earns money at no added cost to you! Sign up today to support our Carter Booster Club.

https://cartermscounseling.weebly.com/

Kristin Forsyth - students with last name (A-L)

(586) 698- 4297

Lisa Stabile - student with last name (M-Z)

(586) 698- 4798

Under Federal law, you as parents may request the following specific information about the professional qualifications of your children's teachers:

1. Whether the teacher has met the state qualifications/licensing for their grade level/subjects.
2. Whether the teacher is on a temporary permit or waiver.
3. The teacher's majors, graduate certificates/degrees, and discipline fields.
4. Paraprofessional services and qualifications.

Carter Middle School has been identified as a school-wide Title I, Part A building. This is a federally supplemented program designed to help children reach high academic standards. In receiving funds from this program the district has a requirement to inform you, as a parent of a child attending a Title I school, of information regarding the professional qualifications of your child's class.

In compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1977, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, it is the policy of Warren Consolidated Schools that no person shall, on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, (including sexual orientation or transgender identity), disability, age, religion, height, weight, marital or family status, military status, ancestry, genetic information, or any other legally protected category, (collectively, "Protected Classes") be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to, discrimination during any program, activity, service or in employment. Inquiries should be addressed to the Chief Human Resource Officer, 31300 Anita, Warren, Michigan 48093, (586) 825-2400, ext 63110.