Hello CRMS Families,

At the end of the 1st quarter (November 1st), it’s helpful for middle school parents/guardians/caregivers to review key areas with their student to set a positive course for the rest of the school year. Here are some focus points:

1. Academic Progress:

   • Grades and Assignments: Review report cards and recent grades. Celebrate achievements and talk about areas where improvement is needed.
   • Goal Setting: Help your child set realistic goals for the next quarter based on strengths and areas for growth.
   • Study/Reading Habits: Reflect on study routines. Do you have expectations for reading beyond the school day to support better skills development?

2. Organization and Time Management:

   • Notebook and Lap-top Bag Clean-Out: Go through school materials together to organize and remove outdated or unnecessary papers.
   • Homework Routine: Assess if their homework schedule and methods have been working. Talk about any obstacles and brainstorm better time management practices.

3. Social and Emotional Well-Being:

   • Peer Relationships: Ask how friendships and relationships are going. Middle school can be a challenging time socially, so listen closely to any concerns.
   • Stress and Self-Care: Discuss ways your child is managing school-related stress and staying balanced. Encourage regular sleep, downtime, and family connection.

4. School Involvement and Extracurriculars:

   • Clubs and Activities: Review current or potential involvement in extracurriculars that interest your child. Ask if they’re enjoying their activities or want to try something new.
   • School Engagement: Talk about their interest in school events or volunteer opportunities that might help them feel more connected to their school community.

5. Parent-Teacher Communication:

   • Touch Base with Teachers: If there are concerns or if your child needs extra support, consider reaching out to teachers or school counselors for insight and resources.
   • Encourage Self-Advocacy: Talk about the importance of asking for help when needed and remind them that teachers are there to support them.

These conversations help middle schoolers feel guided and supported and offer parents a solid understanding of their child’s school life and progress.

Take Care. Be Well.

#BeAPowerPlayer

Starting November 1, 2024, CCPS will begin to obligate students for damaged and missing technology equipment. The CCPS Student Technology Obligation Program is designed to promote students' responsible use of technology and reduce damage costs through a tier-based pricing system. This program aligns with the Technology Obligation Regulation (Reference: III.31.71R) and the CCPS Terms of Use Agreement governing the use of technology by students.

Program Objectives:

• Cost Reduction: Minimize repair and replacement costs for student-issued technology devices.
• Responsibility Encouragement: Encourage students to take responsibility for the care and use of their assigned devices.

Tiered Pricing Reference: For details on the tiered pricing structure, please take a look at the Tiered Obligation Pricing. This document outlines the pricing levels based on the type and extent of damage.

Payment Processing: Tech obligations are treated like any other in-school obligation:

• In-School Payments: Payments may be collected at the school level and forwarded to the Central Office Finance Department for processing. When a payment is received in school, it must be documented, and the in-school tech should be notified to update the system accordingly.
• Online Payments: Parents and students can also make payments conveniently online using MySchoolBucks at CCPS Tech Payments.

For Further Information: For questions or support regarding tech obligations, please contact the in-school tech or refer to the CCPS Technology Department.

Using precautions to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses when you are sick is a core prevention strategy to lower risk from respiratory viruses. CDC guidance for when people may have a respiratory virus is as follows:

· Stay home and away from others (including people you live with who are not sick) if you have respiratory virus symptoms that aren’t better explained by another cause. These symptoms can include:

o Fever, chills, fatigue, cough, muscle or body aches, runny nose, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, among others.

· You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:

o Your symptoms are getting better overall, AND

o You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication)

· When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors. These additional precautions are especially important to protect people with factors that increase their risk of severe illness from respiratory viruses.

Dear Parents,

We join our Choptank Health partners during this gratitude season to thank our parents for enrolling your students in School-Based Health.

This season of gratitude is also when the latest variants of flu and COVID-19 can interrupt learning and our lives.

We’re reminding parents that getting you and your children vaccinated against the latest variants of flu and COVID-19 is a safer choice than risking severe illness, especially as family gathering times approach with the upcoming holidays.

Be sure to schedule your flu and COVID vaccines with your student’s health center today.

Our Choptank Health providers are integral in keeping our students ready for learning through the medical, dental, nutrition, and behavioral health services provided, and all on a schedule that helps our parents too!

They work with your primary health care provider to keep your students as healthy as can be.

You can enroll your child in School-Based Health at any time throughout the year, with enrollment forms, locations, contact information, and more at www.choptankhealth.org/schoolbased.

Good attendance for your student begins on the first day of the school year. Consider the following facts:

• Chronic absenteeism may prevent children from reaching early milestones.

• Chronically absent students have difficulty keeping up with the pace at which they are expected to learn and grow.

• Students who are absent even a day or two every few weeks fall behind their peers.

• Irregular attendance can be a better predictor of whether students will drop out before graduation than test scores.

• Consistent, on-time attendance is a habit that lasts into adulthood.

October 31st--Full School Day (Masks and Costumes are not permitted while at school; no full face paint or gory face paint) Students will be asked to change out of masks and costumes and will be asked to wash inappropriate paint off their faces or bodies)

November 1st--Half Day for Students; End of 1st Quarter

November 5th--No School; Professional Development Day/Parent-Teacher Conferences

November 8th--1st Quarter Report Cards issued

November 27th-29th--Thanksgiving Break

CCPS is committed to providing a safe, respectful, nurturing educational environment where the worth and dignity of individuals are valued and their safety and rights are protected. Behaviors that compromise this environment, interfere with school operations or are otherwise contrary to the basic mission of our public schools will not be tolerated. Bullying, hazing, harassment or other discrimination affecting a student or a staff member should be reported by a victim, parent/guardian, witness, staff member or other person having knowledge.

Staff members with knowledge of such conduct are required to promptly report it to the building principal.

Mr. Eric (Neil) Lambert, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Tricia Bolduc, School Counselor 8th grade and 7th grade Last Names A-L

Mr. Michael Tyndall, School Counselor 6th grade and 7th grade Last Names M-Z

Mrs. Jane Towers, Enrollment & Attendance Secretary

Ms. Kiesha Hynson, Administrative Secretary

Email: holloway.yolanda@ccpsstaff.org
Website: https://www.colonelrichardsonms.org/
Phone: 410-479-1462
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Colonel-Richardson-Middle-School-329879580517088