Curtiss MS Weekly Bulletin

Student Expectation:

Engaged:

• I will take actions to be involved in my learning

TRANSCENDENT:

• Have a growth mindset
• Embrace 21st-century skills
• Have a positive impact In their school and community

• Spirit Week - Disney/Marvel Day
• iReady myPath Reading (Homeroom)
• Pilot Family Game Night
• ILT Instructional Rounds

• Spirit Week - Grade Colors
• iReady myPath Math (Homeroom)
• Student Data Chats (Electives)
• ILT HR Check-In
• Professional Development - 2:30 PM (School-Wide)
• Faculty Meeting - 3:30 PM
• Region South PDSA ELA 8DAR - 3:30 PM (Zoom ** Register on MyPN))

Wednesday, October 28, 2026 (Regular Schedule) College Gear

• Spirit Week - Dress as Your Boo
• ILT/School-Wide Instructional Rounds
• iReady myPath Reading (Homeroom)
• Student Data Chats (Electives)
• AVID Binder Checks (History Classes)
• 6th Grade USC Field-Trip (McCarthy)
• Afterschool STEAM Clubs eSports & CS Club - 3:45 - 4:45 PM
• 6/7th Grade Parent Eligibility Meeting - 4:30 ( Zoom )
• Evening Magnet Fair - 4:30 - 7:00 PM

• Spirit Week - Breast Cancer Awarness - Wear Pink!
• iReady myPath Math (Homeroom)
• Student Data Chats (Electives)
• The Pilot Conect Meeting - 9:00 AM (Parent Center)
• ILT/School-Wide Instructional Rounds
• Chapman Univesity Campus Tour
• El Camino College Tour
• SSC Meeting - 5:00 PM (Zoom)

• Spirit Week - Halloween Costume Day
• iReady myPath Reading or Math
• Instructional Focus - Small Group Instruction
• Student Data Chats (Electives)
• Haunted House (PE Tentative)
• Dance Halloween Showcase - 4:45 - 6:15 PM (Gym)

• November 2, 2026 - SST Meeting
• November 3, 2026 - Family Data Chats
• November 3, 2026 - Bring Performance Task Samples
• November 4, 2026 - Middle School Principals Instructional Rounds
• November 5, 2026 - ILT
• November 6, 2026 - ETO Math 7 PD 8:30 - 3:30 Barack Obama
• November 6, 2026 - Medieval Times Honor Roll Field Trip 3:30 - 8:30
• November 10, 2026 - PLC PDSA - Bring 10 SCR #2 Post Samples

Thank You, Curtiss Faculty!

A heartfelt thank you to our amazing faculty for your dedication, preparation, and commitment during our Impact Review Instructional Rounds. I appreciate the effort you put into showing up each day and doing your very best for our students. Your willingness to open your classrooms, reflect on your practice, and continue growing speaks volumes about who we are as a team. Our work is not about perfection, but about progress and our collective commitment to student success. Thank you for all you do to make Curtiss a great place to learn and grow!

It's a Great Day to Be a PILOT!

With appreciation,
Dr. Shivers and Mr. Elston

Team, this is a friendly reminder that we will be using the CDI tool for classroom observations and instructional rounds as we continue learning and growing together. Our Curtiss CDI Instructional Guide has been updated to include teacher and student moves, teacher and student behaviors, and aligned Curtiss strategies.

Please take a few moments to review the updated guide and reflect on how it connects to your classroom practices. Thank you for your continued commitment to supporting our PILOTS and learning alongside one another!

Curtiss CDI Instructional Guide

October Instructional Rounds

Thank you to those who have completed their instructional rounds observation and submitted their evidence through the Google Form.

Our October focus is Strategically Scaffolding Learning from the Cognitive Demanding Instruction (CDI) Observation Tool. The instructional focus is to Monitor and scaffold instruction to provide access and advance/deepen thinking and Frame Feedback specific to moving students forward.

Instructional Rounds are non-evaluative and provide an opportunity for us to learn from one another and support collective growth. All evidence collected is confidential. Please review the Instructional Rounds folder for the observation schedule and evidence-collection form. Remember to record only what is seen and heard without inferences or general statements.

Once you have completed your observation and submitted your evidence, please verify your completion by signing into the Curtiss Sign-In sheet and notifying your department chair that your rounds requirement has been fulfilled.

Your participation is important to ensuring that we have a representative snapshot of teaching and learning across our school and can fully benefit from this collaborative learning process.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued commitment to our growth as a professional learning community.

Instructional Round #3 Folder

Thank you for your participation in August 11, 2026 PD. I have attached the presentation for Relational Capacity and CMS Binder Set-Up Presentation .

Please feel free to follow up with me about any questions or feedback 🙂.

Binder Checks:

• October 7, 2026 - Science
• October 14, 2026 - ELA
• October 21, 2026 - Math
• October 28, 2026 - History
• November 4, 2026 - Science
• November 18, 2026 - ELA
• December 2, 2026 - Math
• December 9, 2026 - History
• December 16, 2026 - Science

Thank you for working together to implement AVID strategies across all content areas. Please continue uploading your AVID evidence to the designated folder. These uploads document our schoolwide implementation and are essential to maintaining our AVID certification. Your collaboration and commitment to our schoolwide AVID practices are greatly appreciated.

Upload Directons for AVID Evidence

Upload Dates and Evidence

• 9/8/26 - Organization & Collaboration
• 9/29/26 - Focused Note taking/Critical Reading process

• 10/27/26 - Writing
• 12/15/26 - Philosiphical Chairs

LAUSD Strategic Plan

• 2A. Joy & Wellness - Safe and Healthy Environments to Promote Joy and Wellness

• 2b4. Physical Environment - The classroom is designed to ensure safety and promote students learning.

Welcoming Learning Environment Expectations checklist

Observation Dates:

• September 28, 2026
• October 8, 2026
• November 13, 2026

• Attend ALL required professional development sessions, arriving on time and remaining until the conclusion.
• Be an active participant in those sessions.

District Professional Development

Grade-Level Teams must attend the district PD. Teachers must sign-in for ALL Professional Development using the CMS PD/Meeting Sign-In. Please select "District Hosted PD" and upload your completion certificate or agenda to Curtiss MS PD/Meeting Sign-In. Failure to sign-in with required documents (MyPLN completion certificate or Agenda) will result in non-payment.

Teacher X-Time must be pre-approved by an administrator. Teachers must sign-in for ALL X-Time using the CMS PD/Meeting Sign-In. Please select "X-Tine" and upload your completed Agenda to Curtiss MS PD/Meeting Sign-In. Failure to sign-in with required document (Agenda) will result in non-payment.

iReady BOY

• Reading - August 25, 2026
• Math - September 1, 2026

iReady MOY

• Reading - February 2, 2027
• Math - February 9, 2027

• August 30, 2026 - Practice Testibg
• May 3, 2026 - ELA CAT
• May 4, 2026 - ELA PT
• May 5, 2026 - Math CAT
• May 6, 2026 - Math PT
• May 7, 2026 - 8th CAST

• Take accurate attendance each period.
• Attendance should be taken during the First 10 Minutes of each period.
• All attendance must be submitted No later than 2:45 PM.
• Accurately Mark Tardies in Misis with time
• Be sure you accurately review and acknowledge the Teacher Discrepancy Forms.

• Tier 2 Intervention - Counseling Referrals - Use the MISIS Online Counseling Referral
  
• Tier 3 Intervention - Use a Paper Referral

- Send a TEAMs to "CMShelp" when sending student to the office. Students must have a referral when being sent to the office.

- Update all parent contact in the Contact Log in MISIS. Including phone, in-person, and email.

in MISIS by the end of the day

Student Counselor Request - Students must complete the Counselor Request form to see their counselor. Counselors will summons the student when ready. Please only send students to the counseling office with a submitted referral or emergency. Students without a request or referral will be sent back to class. https://bit.ly/CMS-CO-REQUEST.

Fall 2026

• 5 Week: September 3 - 9, 2026 (Due)
• 10 Week: October 1 - 7, 2026 (Due)
• 15 Week: October 29 - November 4, 2026 (Due)
• 20 Week: December 10 - 16, 2026 (Due)

The School Expectations & Intervention Policies have been developed to ensure that all students at Curtiss Middle School are educated in a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment that minimizes disruptions and promotes the safety of all school members and facilities.

Please click HERE to review the School Expectations & Discipline Policies

The PBIS/RP Plan was developed as Tier Intervention Support to maintain clear and consistent behavioral expectations to support our students. Discipline at our school is centered on restorative practices to support positive behavior, learning, and growth.

Please click HERE to review the PBIS/RP Intervention Tiers

Welcome to the Curtiss Middle School Reflection Referral Form. This form provides a streamlined process for faculty to refer students to Reflection as part of our restorative practices and behavioral support initiatives. Please fill out the form in its entirety and provide as much detail as possible. Tier 1 strategies must be implemented and tried before referring a student to reflection.

Click HERE to submit a Reflection Referral

To support a Positive School Climate, we are implementing a weekly referral system to honor our students who demonstrate being Curtiss PILOTS and Pledge and identify students who need extensive support in attendance, academics, and cooperation. This will help the counseling team provide needed support to identified students. Each week, we ask teachers to select five students in each area. Students honored for Positive School Climate will go in the weekly raffle for a prize.

Click HERE to submit a MASTER PILOT Referral

Strategic Plan

1B - Enriching Experiences: Deliver well-rounded, inspiring educational and enrichment experiences to instill and maintain a love of learning. Students must meet the Enrichment Experiences Requirements to participate in Enrichment Experiences.

Please click HERE to review the Enrichment Experiences Requirements

Please click HERE to review the 8th Grade Activities and Culmination Requirements

Approved Tops

Colors: Navy, Gold, or White

• Polo

• T-Shirts

• Quarter-Zip Sweaters

• Cardigans

• Hoodies or Zip-Ups

• Curtiss Athletic Gear (must be approved by coaches)

Approved Bottoms

Colors: Navy, Khaki, or Gray

• Pants

• Shorts

• Skorts

• Skirts

• Device Policy (Grades 6–8): 0–60 minutes per course per week, not to exceed 400 minutes per week (HW included)

• 1 Class Sets: Dedicated sets stay in classrooms. Default is "No Take-Home" status for Grades 6–8.

• Combination Integrity: Keep combinations secure. Contact Mr. Douglas immediately if compromised.

• Storage Carts: Must remain in assigned rooms, locked daily and whenever vacated. Keep cables in carts.

• Expectations: Set clear expectations and procedures for device use during all instructional periods.

• Service Requests: Submit a Curtiss Service Request when issues exceed classroom troubleshooting capabilities.

• Accountability: Classroom teachers must report any lost, damaged, or malfunctioning devices to Mr. Douglas.

• Immediate Assistance: Submit a Microsoft Teams message to CMSHELP.

Unauthorized Personal Devices not issued by LAUSD may not be used, visible, or audible, and must be turned off and stored at any time during the school day. Cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and smart glasses must be turned off and stored in the student's assigned YONDR bag. Large headphones, Laptops, tablets, Gaming devices, and Audio/Video devices MUST be turned off and stored in the student's backpack. Students who have personal devices not properly stored will be confiscated immediately. Students will receive a counseling referral and lunch reflection. Devices can only be picked up on Fridays from 3:30 PM to 4:15 PM.

To Support a Welcoming Environment, Positive school culture, and the School-Wide Behavior Support Plan, please be sure you are standing at your doors during passing periods to support hallway monitoring as students enter and exit the hallways.

• Only allow one student out of class at a time for any reason.

• Use the RED LANYARD PASS

• If a student is out-of-class longer than 5 minutes to the restroom send a TEAMS.

• If a student is going home early send a TEAMs

• If a student is going to an office provide a referral and send a TEAMs

• 10-Minute Rule: There are NO hall passes during the first and last 10 minutes of class unless it is a significant emergency. There are no passes during Homeroom

• If it is an emergency, send a TEAMS or call the Main Office

• ONLY STUDENTS WITH THE CURTISS LUNCH PASS AND CURRENT DATE WILL BE ALLOWED IN THE BUILDING
• Lunch Passes must be distributed for students to access the building during lunch for clubs and instructional support.
• Lunch passes are only valid the first 10 minutes

• Students will not be allowed to pass after 10 minutes

• Once students are in their designated club or classroom they must stay in the designated room until the end of lunch.

• Students are not allowed to exit the room or hang-out in the hallways.

• Hall restrooms will be closed, students must use the restrooms in the quad prior to entering the building

• Students must abide by the school expectations

• Be sure to monitor the students in your room during lunch-time activities. As a reminder students may not be unattended at any time.

1. Please sign in using your LAUSD Email and SSO password
2. Click the chat bubble ( )
3. Start a new chat (click icon)
4. Then enter CMSHELP in the address bar (To:) NOT the search bar on top, and send a message.

During an emergency, please have your TEAMS app active on your mobile device or computer. The alarm/bell system does not allow us to make all calls while the alarm system is active. Therefore, in the event of an emergency, we will communicate the next steps in TEAMs, as this is the only way we can disseminate information in an expedited manner.

For school-wide announcements and emergency messages, please be sure to have your TEAM Channel Notifications turned on. To Turn on Notifications:

1. Click "Teams" on the left
2. Click "Curtiss Faculty" on the left
3. Click "..." more options on the top right
4. Click "Channel Notifications"
5. Click "All Activity"

Email: curtissms.lausd@gmail.com
Website: curtissms.lausd.org
Location: 1254 East Helmick Street, Carson, CA, USA
Phone: 310-661-4500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/curtissms.lausd/

Instagram: Curtisslausd
Twitter: @curtissLAUSD