Cougar Chronicle

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and throughout the month we will be talking with our students about kindness, respect, speaking up, and looking out for one another.

Middle school is tough. I get it. I have an 8th-grade son myself. Friend groups change. Feelings get hurt. Kids make mistakes. Group chats create drama. Someone says something they shouldn't, someone else screenshots it, and suddenly a small disagreement becomes a much bigger issue. Learning how to navigate all of this is part of growing up, but our kids still need adults helping them along the way.

One message we want our students to understand is that conflict and bullying are not always the same thing. Students are going to disagree, get frustrated with each other, and sometimes say or do things they regret. Part of middle school is learning how to work through those situations. Bullying, however, is repeated, targeted behavior intended to hurt, intimidate, embarrass, or isolate someone. Neither is something we ignore, but how we respond may look different.

Throughout October, our morning announcements will include a short daily challenge for students: include someone, choose your words carefully, think before you post, speak up when something isn't right, and be kind. These are simple messages, but they connect directly to what we expect every day through RISE: Respectful, Individually Accountable, Safe, and Engaged.

Parents, you are an important part of this conversation too. Ask your child about their friendships. Ask what's happening in the group chat. Talk about the difference between joking with someone and making a joke at someone's expense. Remind them that liking, sharing, forwarding, or laughing at something hurtful can make them part of the problem, even if they didn't start it.

Most importantly, encourage your child to say something when something doesn't feel right. They can talk to a teacher, counselor, administrator, security staff member, or another trusted adult. Students and families can also use OK2SAY to confidentially report safety concerns.

We aren't going to eliminate every disagreement or difficult moment from middle school. That's not realistic. What we can do is continue teaching our kids how to handle those moments, how to treat people with respect, how to ask for help, and how to stand up for one another.

It takes all of us to create the kind of school we want Carter to be.

Have a great weekend.

Mr. Lee

Order your school photos today! School Pictures will be here at Carter on Monday, October 5, 2026 for anyone who missed Carter Cougar Days for student's ID badge and school photos. Starting Tuesday, October 6, 2026 student ID's will be required daily for lunch, any lost ID's are turned in to the office, if they cannot be found you can purchase a new one from counseling for $5 each.

If you have not ordered your 8th Grade Panoramic photo of the 8th Grade Class, please see the order form to order online.

Please read the following letter in regards to our early release policy for the 2026-2027 School Year.

We have recently experienced an influx of parent phone calls requesting that the office deliver messages to students in their classrooms. While we understand that plans can occasionally change, the majority of these requests are coming at the end of the school day. This can make it difficult for our secretaries to get messages to classrooms while also managing dismissal.

We ask that families make arrangements with their students regarding how they will be getting home before they arrive at school each day.

If you need to get a message to your student on an emergency basis, please make every effort to call the school office as early as possible so we have enough time to deliver the message.

Last-minute messages can be especially difficult to deliver during dismissal, when office staff and teachers are busy assisting students with buses, lockers, and other dismissal procedures.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work together to keep dismissal running smoothly and safely.

Parent-Teacher Conferences are a key part of our communication strategy regarding your child's progress. Please plan on attending in-person or booking a virtual parent-teacher conference with the applicable teacher(s) for each child you have attending Carter Middle School.

We will once again be using the Carter Middle School Conference Manager, which will allow you to schedule your upcoming parent-teacher conferences online. Once registered you can log in to the Conference Manager any time; however, the Conference Manager is scheduled to open for booking to parents at 8AM on Monday, October 5th, conference manager will close on Tuesday, October13th at 11:30PM.

Conferences will be in person, first come first serve on Wednesday, October 14th in our cafeteria/gym area. On Thursday, October 15th conferences will be virtual by appointment only. Please sign up for your Thursday, October 15th conference via the link.

We are excited conferences are in person again this year! Looking forward to seeing you then!

Directions on how to sign up are attached below.

Morning open gym has started up again on Thursday morning, October 1st. It will be every Thursday unless otherwise announced. For 6th graders or anyone new:

• Drop off is at Door 9 on the parking lot side of the building. Mr. Dudek will be standing there with door open
• Doors open at 7 am. You must arrive before 7:15

Count Day is an important date for our school district. The state uses attendance on this day to determine funding allocations, with each student representing a portion of the financial support our schools receive.

We kindly ask that all students are present and on time on Wednesday, October 7th, to ensure our district receives the resources necessary to support student learning. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

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. NEW THIS YEAR: ALL FORMS MUST BE COMPLETED ON FINAL FORMS. You can register at: warrenconsolidated-mi.finalforms.com, you will follow the prompts to create you account, create your students and sign your forms.

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

VOLLEYBALL & BASKETBALL SEASON PASSES

If you or your family are interested in purchasing a season pass for Volleyball and Basketball games, please click the link below to purchase your pass.

If you choose not to purchase a season pass, CASH ONLY will be accepted at the door.

🎟️ Game Admission

• Adults: $2
• Senior Citizens: $1
• Students with student ID: $2
• 5th Grade & Under: FREE

🏐🏀 Admission is charged for: Volleyball & Basketball Games

🏈🏃 No Admission is charged for: Football & Track Events

Thank you for supporting our student-athletes!

This year Carter is using FinalForms, an online forms and data management service. Instead of turning in your physical from your doctor, you will upload it to finalforms. You can register at: warrenconsolidated-mi.finalforms.com, you will follow the prompts to create you account, create your students and sign your forms.

October 5 ~ SchoolPictures Make up Day

October 5 ~ Football Pictures

October 7 ~ Count Day

October 7 ~ Hungry Howie Day

October 8 ~ Extravaganza

October 14 ~ Parent Teacher Conferences

October 15 ~ Half Day

October 15 ~ Parent Teacher Conferences

October 15 ~ Last Day for Little Caesar Pizza Fundraiser

October 19 ~ Booster Club Meeting

October 20 ~ Early Release

October 29 ~ Half Day

November 3 ~ No School ~ Election Day

Our next monthly Booster Club meeting will be held on Monday, October 19th at 6PM in the Media Center. Please come join us and see what the Booster Club is all about!

Parent volunteers are needed for our Taki Tuesday, if you have a completed background check on file, please sign up here.

Volunteers needed for concessions sales. We have football concessions (outdoors) and volleyball concessions (indoors).

Extravaganza ~ Carter Booster Club presents The Haunted Vibes Halloween Extravaganza on October 8th from 2:45PM-4:15PM. Please check the FAQ and flyer for additional details. It will be a spooktacular time the the kids won't want to miss! This isn't possible without your help.

Decorations Needed ~ We are looking for Halloween decorations to help our leadership students create the Haunted Room for this year's Haunted Vibes Halloween Extravaganza. Decorations can be donated or lent to us. If you are lending an item, please clearly mark your name on it so we know who to return it to. The kids loved the Haunted Room last year, and we would love to make it even better this year! If you have any spare Halloween decorations in the attic, garage, or storage, we would be grateful for anything you can share. Please send all decorations to school by October 5th. You can sign up here.

Lockers ~ We are now offering Celebration Lockers! For $10, your student's locker can be decorated for any special occasion. Orders must be placed by Sunday for the following week. The booster club will decorate lockers on Tuesday and will remove decorations the following Tuesday. When placing your order, please include your student's name, grade, locker number, and the occasion you are celebrating. You can pay for Celebration Lockers here.

Get involved. Stay connected. Make a difference!

The Carter Booster Club is made up of parents, families and community members who want to help make Carter Middle School an even better place for our students. Whether you can volunteer at an event, help with fundraising, donate your time or simply stay connected, we’d love to have you be part of the team!

Have a question, want to volunteer, or just want to learn more about what the Booster Club is up to? Reach out to the Booster Club Board anytime!

📧 Email: carterboosterboard@gmail.com

📞 Phone: 586-275-7241

📱 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/carterboosterclub (or search @carterboosterclub in the app)

Follow us on Facebook for upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, fundraisers, announcements and ways to support our Carter Cougars!

🐾 THANK YOU, CARTER FAMILIES!

Your support helps us provide activities, events and opportunities that benefit our students and our school. We appreciate everything our Carter families do to help make our school community stronger!

Did you know you can support the Carter Booster Club just by shopping at Kroger?

If you have a Kroger Shopper’s Card, you can select Carter Booster Club as your Community Rewards organization. Once you're enrolled, a portion of your eligible purchases is donated to the Booster Club — at no extra cost to you!

Every little bit helps, so if you haven't already, sign up and support Carter while you shop!

Kroger Community Rewards

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

https://cartermscounseling.weebly.com/

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

(586) 698- 4297

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

(586) 698- 4798

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.