CMS Cougar Newsletter

A Letter from the Principal

It’s hard to believe that the month of September has already come and gone, but what a terrific month it has been at Covington Middle School! Our students and staff have worked hard, shown great school spirit, and demonstrated what it truly means to be a COUGAR.

Our Volleyball team wrapped up their season with an outstanding 14–3 record — a huge congratulations to our athletes and coaches for their hard work, teamwork, and Cougar pride all season long!

We also took time to celebrate three amazing students who have gone above and beyond in every way — maintaining perfect attendance, earning zero referrals, and giving their best effort in every class. In that same spirit, we’ve kicked off our October Attendance Challenge! The grade level with the highest attendance rate for the month will win a free Ice Cream Sundae Party! Attendance matters — it’s vital to every child’s ability to learn, stay on track academically, and make the most of every opportunity CMS has to offer.

Looking ahead, this week marks the start of our 1st Quarter Benchmark Testing, beginning with Math on Thursday, October 9, 2025. Benchmarks are an important opportunity for students to show what they’ve learned so far this year. We encourage every student to take the assessments seriously and give their very best effort. The results help our teachers design lessons that provide meaningful instruction and targeted support where students need it most. When every student takes the benchmark seriously, it becomes a powerful roadmap for success — helping us ensure that each Cougar continues to grow, achieve, and shine!

At the same time, the benchmark is not something to stress about. Each of our students has been working toward this moment every day, building the skills and confidence they need to succeed. You’ve got this, Cougars — just do your best!

Quarter 1 Benchmark Testing Schedule for CMS:

• Math (6th–8th Grade) – Thursday, October 9

• Civics (8th Grade Only) – Friday, October 10

• Reading (6th–8th Grade) – Wednesday, October 15

• Science (8th Grade Only) – Thursday, October 16

Parents and guardians, we ask for your partnership in encouraging your child to get plenty of rest, arrive on time, and approach each assessment with focus and determination. Together, we can help our Cougars take ownership of their learning and continue their Race to Excellence.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our students, our staff, and our school community. We are proud of the incredible things happening at CMS, and we look forward to seeing our students shine in the weeks ahead.

With Cougar Pride,

Lori Mattson

Interim Principal

Covington Middle School

Cougar Pride in Our School🐾

We are so proud of our students for doing a great job this week taking care of our building and showing respect for our shared spaces! Our custodial team works tirelessly to keep CMS clean, safe, and welcoming, and it’s been wonderful to see students stepping up to help keep it that way.

We especially want to celebrate the improvement we’ve seen in the boys’ bathrooms and the cafeteria. Students have been making better choices, cleaning up after themselves, and showing responsibility and pride in our school. Let’s keep that positive momentum going! When everyone does their part — staying seated in the cafeteria, keeping hands to themselves, throwing away trash, and taking care of our restrooms — it helps make Covington a place we can all be proud of.

This is what true Cougar Pride looks like: respect, responsibility, and leadership in action. Let’s continue showing that same level of pride every day and finish this quarter strong!

Families, thank you for your continued partnership. Please take a moment to celebrate your child’s positive efforts and remind them how important it is to keep showing Cougar Pride in all they do. Your support helps make CMS the amazing school community it is!

💻 Chromebook Reminder 💻

Cougars, please make sure to bring your Chromebook to school every day, fully charged and ready to use. This is especially important for our 1st Quarter Benchmarks! Having your device ready helps you stay on track with assignments, classwork, and learning activities.

Parents, your support in ensuring students come prepared with their charged Chromebook is greatly appreciated—it helps the school day run smoothly and keeps students engaged and ready to learn!

One of the most important skills your child will ever learn is how to read—and read well. At Covington Middle School, we see every day how much effort our students and teachers are putting into Language Arts. But we also know this: too many of our students are not yet reading at the level they need to be successful in middle school, high school, and beyond.

This is something we cannot fix alone. We need your help.

As a school, we are making important shifts in how we teach reading, grounded in the latest research and best practices. But research is clear—students grow faster when schools and families work together. When you make reading a priority at home, you are giving your child an incredible gift that multiplies their success in school.

Here are a few ways families can help at home:

• Make reading a daily habit. Even 15–20 minutes each night makes a big difference.

• Talk about reading. Ask your child to share what they read, learned, or found interesting.

• Model reading. Let your child see you reading—whether it’s a book, newspaper, or recipe!

• Choose conversation over screens. Car rides, dinner, or evenings are great times to talk. Spoken language builds vocabulary and comprehension.

• Stay connected. Reach out to your child’s Language Arts teacher if you have questions or concerns.

Together, we can build a culture where every Cougar becomes a confident, capable reader. Your encouragement at home, paired with our work at school, will help your child achieve the success they deserve.

Thank you for being our partner in this work—our students’ futures are too important to settle for anything less.

On Tuesday, October 7, 2025, our 7th grade students will take part in Career Quest Day at the Berglund Center in Roanoke. Students will arrive on site at 10:15 AM to join more than 3,000 middle schoolers from across the region in exploring future career options through interactive, hands-on experiences.

Career Quest is a large regional event designed to inspire students as they begin thinking about their futures and the many pathways available to them. We want all of our 7th graders to attend, as this event may spark interest in opportunities and careers they might not yet be aware of. This is an incredible chance for our Cougars to connect classroom learning with real-world possibilities.

We are excited for our students to take part in this memorable experience!

📚 Cougars… Read, Read, Read!

The Covington Middle School Library is excited to share that our 2025 Read-A-Thon is officially underway! Our Cougars have jumped right in and are already reading up a storm! The Read-A-Thon is a fun way to keep students excited about reading while giving friends and family the chance to cheer them on and encourage them to read, read, read!

Dates: Wednesday, October 1 – Friday, October 31, 2025

Families can still activate their child’s personal page to track reading progress and celebrate success throughout the month! If you haven’t yet, simply visit:
https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/UHvfyF/1?utm=email
and follow the simple steps to get started.

We love using Read-A-Thon because it:
✅ Builds reading skills in a fun and engaging way
✅ Gives students a reason to read more
✅ Requires very little time from families

We can’t wait to see how many minutes our Cougars log this month! Let’s keep it going, CMS — readers, leaders, achievers… and Cougars who love to read, read, read! 📖💙

Mrs. Dujardin's Class:

Mrs. Dujardin's class created these aquariums as part of our vertebrates and invertebrates unit.

Music Updates:

🎶 The Weekly Beat 🎶

In choir, students continued preparing their All-District Choir piece, Beautiful Dreamer, with a focus on vowels and tone production. Next week, we’ll begin learning music for our Holiday Concert.

In band, our 6th grade students are working on eighth notes as they study subdivisions—a big step in building musical confidence!

Reminders for Families:
The next Performing Arts Boosters meeting will be held on October 27 at 6:30 PM in the Alleghany High School Cafeteria. Parents interested in supporting our programs are encouraged to attend.
The Krispy Kreme Donut Fundraiser is underway for those participating! Orders and money are due by October 15, with pick-up scheduled for October 22 from 4–5 PM in the CMS Cafeteria.

Special Opportunities:
Tri-M Music Honor Society: The first full meeting for new and returning members will be on October 23 in Curfman Hall, 4–5 PM, followed by a recital rehearsal from 5–6 PM.
All-District Choir Auditions: Tuesday, November 4, 4–6 PM at Alleghany High School. Students will ride a first-wave bus from CMS to AHS after school. Permission form, $13 audition fee, and additional event fee (~$50 if accepted) apply. Forms available from Mr. Snedegar.

🧮 Math Highlights

A huge congratulations to our Math Students of the Week!

6th Grade – Thomas Chittum

7th Grade – Hayley Ball

8th Grade – Gianna Leslie

Algebra – Ben Milton

These students are a shining example of perseverance and determination. consistently face challenges head-on and never give up, proving that hard work pays off. This week, they showed remarkable logical thinking and creative approach to problem-solving, and we couldn't be prouder!

Helpful Tips to build a positive "math mindset" at home!

Research shows that positive attitude toward math significantly impacts a child's confidence and success. A few easy tips:

· Talk positively about math. Avoid sharing any past negative experiences with math. Instead, emphasize that learning and growing is more important than being "good" at math.

· Find math in the real world. Point out math in your daily routine, such as calculating the total cost of groceries, adjusting a recipe, or measuring for a home project.

Math benchmark is Thursday, October 9th.

As a reminder, it is crucial that students attend school every day to stay on track and achieve their best results.

PE & Health Update

In PE, students are continuing our badminton unit and had a great time learning how to hit and volley the birdie this week. A reminder to students: please remember to bring appropriate clothes and shoes for PE every day. In Health, students are continuing with our Life Skills lessons.

📜 History Department Update

6th Grade Social Studies

This week, students are learning about Native American cultures, exploring their histories, traditions, and ways of life before European contact.

7th Grade Social Studies
Students are continuing their study of the impact of westward expansion on Native American communities, focusing on the loss of land, cultural changes, and the conflicts that arose during this period.

8th Grade Civics & Economics

We had a fantastic week diving into Article III of the U.S. Constitution! Students explored the structure and responsibilities of the Judicial Branch, gaining a solid understanding of its role in our federal government.

Next week, we’ll wrap up CE.2 with a focus on the system of Checks and Balances between the three branches of the National Government. Students will also be preparing for their Civics and Economics benchmark assessment, scheduled for Friday. We’re looking forward to another productive and enriching week!

🔬 Science Update

6th Grade: Sixth grade continued their Matter unit. They worked on identifying compounds vs. elements, and calculating the number of atoms in a chemical reaction.

7th Grade: Seventh Graders took a quiz on important scientists that contributed to the Cell Theory. They also started learning their cell organelles that compose plant and animal cells. They were assigned their cell model projects, which will be due October 31st.

8th Grade: Eighth grade, like sixth, are working on their Matter unit as well. They are working on balancing chemical reactions. They are also reviewing identifying compounds vs. elements.

🎨Art Update:

Artists of the Week

We are excited to recognize the amazing creativity that continues to happen in our art classrooms! Congratulations to this week’s Artists of the Week:

• 6th Grade: Alexis Downer

• 7th Grade: Kinsley Jefferson

• 8th Grade: Gianna Leslie

Your talent, effort, and creativity make our school shine. Keep up the incredible work, COUGARS!

Covington Middle School

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