CMS Cougar Newsletter

One Team. One Track. One Goal: Excellence for Every Student!

A Letter from the Principal

Dear CMS Families,

As we begin this exciting new semester on January 13th, I want to start by sharing how incredibly proud I am of the work our students, staff, and families continue to do at CMS. The growth we see every day is a direct result of commitment, consistency, and strong partnerships - and nothing supports student success more than strong attendance.

Last school year, we had one student with perfect attendance - Om'ere Nickle. By being present every single day, Om'ere experienced each lesson, discussion, and opportunity to learn and grow. His commitment, and his families commitment, is a powerful example of what it truly means to live out our COUGARS Core Values.

This coming week, we will proudly recognize our students who demonstrated perfect attendance throughout the first semester. These students have shown an outstanding level of Commitment, Accountability, and Ownership by being present and ready to learn each day. We believe it is important to celebrate students who consistently show up, and we look forward to acknowledging their efforts.

When students attend school daily, they are demonstrating:

• Commitment to their learning

• Ownership of their success

• Grit when learning feels challenging

• Accountability to themselves and their teachers

• Respect for the learning environment

• Success—because showing up truly matters

Missing school doesn’t just mean missing an assignment; it means missing direct instruction, guided practice, collaboration, and meaningful connections that cannot always be recreated. Each day builds upon the next, and consistent attendance helps students remain confident, engaged, and successful.

As we move into this new semester, we want to challenge our students to strive to be at school every single day. We have witnessed firsthand the positive difference it makes when students are here every day - academically, socially, and emotionally. While we understand that illnesses and unexpected situations do occur, we encourage families to make attendance a priority whenever possible so students don’t miss the important learning happening each day.

This semester, we will continue to focus on the goal we set at the start of this school year - 'One Team. One Track. One Goal: Excellence for Every Student!'. That goal remains our priority because we know that our students will thrive!

Thank you for your continued support, partnership, and Cougar Pride. I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish together this semester.

Lori Mattson

Interim Principal

Covington Middle School

Our sixth-grade students had a productive and exciting week, submitting impressive watershed models they have been working on since Thanksgiving break. Their dedication was evident in the quality of their work, and they also continued their studies on water quality and water pollution. Great Job Cougars!

CMS is excited to announce the launch of the CMS Cougar Chess Club! Beginning in January 2026, the club will meet on the second Thursday of each month from 4:00–6:00 PM in Room 307, Mr. Linsin’s classroom. Students with a rudimentary knowledge of chess are invited to join as they build strategy, critical thinking, and sportsmanship through play. Permission slips may be picked up in the main office beginning Tuesday, January 13th. Completed Permission slip is required in order to attend.

First Meeting - Thursday, January 15th HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! ♟️🐾

All students will receive “Three Bee Study Words with Definitions” sheet to help them prepare - each student will get the list that matches their current grade which will be passed out during Language Arts Classes on Tuesday, January 13th. The School Spelling Bee Study List is divided into three levels: One Bee, Two Bee, and Three Bee, with Three Bee words including challenging vocabulary for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. Each sheet includes 50 words that will give students a strong foundation for their classroom bee.

This is your chance to shine! Every CMS student is capable of amazing things - practice your words, boost your confidence, and show off your spelling skills. To go even further, ask your teacher for the full 450-word School Spelling Bee Study List, which includes all One Bee, Two Bee, and Three Bee words if you are interested in being a contestant in the CMS Spelling Bee.

Believe in yourself—you’ve got this! 🌟

Spelling Bee Schedule:

Classroom Spelling Bee's: week of January 19th

CMS Spelling Bee: week of January 26th

Regional Spelling Bee: February 12th

🤾‍♂️ Physical Education Department Update:

Nitro Ball Fun in PE!

This week, students learned how to play Nitro Ball, and it was incredible to watch their progress! From starting out not knowing the rules to ending the week with exciting and competitive games, students showed teamwork, determination, and lots of enthusiasm. What a fun way to build skills and enjoy friendly competition!

🔢 Math Update

Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations or algorithms: it is

about understanding.

William Paul Thurston

Cougar Mathematicians of the week are:

6th Grade - Jaymes Hill - May

7th Grade - Kinsley Jefferson

8th Grade - Kendric Massie

Algebra - Tyden Hall

6th Grade math classes are diving into the world of linear equations! Think of it

like a balance scale - whatever you do to one side, you must do to the other.

We’re using graphing to visualize these relationships. Find some examples on

Khan Academy for practice!

7th Grade math classes will be exploring slope, which describes how steep a line

is and the direction it moves. Slope tells us how much a value changes up or

down for every step left or right - often called rise over run. Students are

learning to find slope from graphs, tables, and equations, and to connect slope

to real-world situations like speed, elevation, and cost over time.

Understanding slope helps students make sense of patterns and relationships

they see every day!

8th Grade math classes will be learning about the Pythagorean Theorem, a

powerful math tool used to find the length of a missing side in a right

triangle. The theorem states that the sum of the squares of the two shorter

sides equals the square of the longest side (often written as a² + b² = c²).

Students will practice applying this formula to solve real-world problems, such

as finding distances, measuring heights, and understanding how math is used in

construction, sports, and technology. Encourage your child to explain how they

know which side is the hypotenuse and to show their thinking as they solve

problems!

Reminder that all 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Math Students are required to do 30 minutes of Zearn each week - please contact your Math teacher if you have any questions!

🗺️ History Department Update

6th grade: Students will continue learning about the differences and characteristics among the New England, Middle, and Southern English colonies.

7th grade: US History, students are finishing their study of Industrialization and the Progressive Era. Next, they will explore the changing role of the United States from the late 19th century through World War I, including:

• The legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, including his contributions to conservation, progressivism, the building of the Panama Canal, and his role in the Spanish-American War.
  

• The reasons for and outcomes of the Spanish-American War, including the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.

8th Grade: Civics and Economics classes completed their 2nd quarter benchmarks this week. Our course content picked up with CE. 8, which covers the History of Political Parties and Campaigns. Students learned this week about the roots of the two major political parties and how these parties were shaped into their modern platforms. We look forward to continuing our studies in CE. 8 next week, with a look at campaign finances and costs.

Students are encouraged to stay engaged, complete all work, and continue building their knowledge as they prepare for the exciting topics ahead!

📓✍️ Language Arts Department Update

6th grade:

Mrs. Linsin's language arts students are continuing their novel study of Lois Lowry's The Giver. This week, students will be building their understanding of the rising action of the book, and we will continue studying our vocabulary in context with the novel. The vocabulary quiz is scheduled for Wednesday, January 21. All students should have finished their vocabulary words last Friday, and they should have flashcards to study. If they did not get the flashcards completed on Friday, Mrs. Linsin will make sure they have them Tuesday.

In Mrs. Linsin's English strategies class, students are beginning a unit on how words can be used to communicate ideas, including work with denotation and connotation, similes, and metaphors. Strategies students also have a set of vocabulary words they have been building on since before Christmas break, and every student should have a set of flashcards to study. They should also have multiple copies of the practice sheets we have done in class as preparation, in case they have lost their cards. Their vocabulary quiz is scheduled for Friday, January 16.

Mrs. Boone's language arts students are working on Author's purpose and text structure.

🔬 Science Department Update

6th Grade: Our sixth graders had an exciting week, and submitted some wonderful watershed models. They have worked very diligently on these since Thanksgiving break, and it showed. We also continued our studies about water quality and water pollution.

7th Grade: Our seventh graders tested on Genetics this week. Ms. Hinkle and Ms. Shingler were very pleased with the overall class averages. They also completed an activity where they had to "raise a tulip", and pair up to determine genotypes of their "tulip babies."

We would like to recognize the following students for scoring a 100% on their test: Kinsley Jefferson, Cade Wolfe, Emma Morgan, and Balin Walton.

8th Grade: Our eight graders tested on chemical reactions. They also spent a lot of time completing activities in order to help them prepare for their upcoming benchmark test next week. We are looking forward to high averages next week.

🎶 The Weekly Beat 🎶

Choir Updates

• Next week we will begin working on our Spring semester music.

• 8th grade will begin working on the music for District Performance Assessment on 4/27/26 at Radford. More information will be available soon!

• 6th and 7th grade will start off working on skill building repertoire.

Band Updates

• We had some exciting class discussions on a potential theme for our Spring concert! Stay tuned!

Special Opportunities

• Tri-M

• Next Regular Meeting January 28 from 4-5pm in Curfman Hall

• Spring Musical

• Auditions for Cast are Next Week:

• Tuesday 1/13 - Lead Roles

• Wednesday 1/14 - Ensemble and Supporting Roles

• Thursday 1/15 - Callbacks and Make-Ups

• These will go from 4-6pm. Students will need a signed agreement form and can either be picked up or ride the activity bus.

• Audition materials and the Cast Audition Agreement Form can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vjbhus3fofrS8dw7teYkCnG5IOhaGBhl?usp=drive_link

🎨 Art Department Update

Covington Middle School

Principal: Ms. Lori Mattson

Asst. Principal: Mr. Marty Wood

Asst. Principal/Athletic Director: Mr. Zach Hamilton

Main Office: 540-965-1410

Attendance Email: Attendance Notes
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