Carpenter Middle

Howdy CMS Parents/Guardians,

Spring has definitely sprung at Carpenter, so here are few reminders regarding dress code expectations. Please speak with your student about maintaining appropriate school dress. The rule of thumb is when in doubt, don't wear it.

Thank you so much in advance for your support!

CMS Administration

The Harlem Wizards will be here for a fun-filled basketball event at Plano Senior High School on April 12th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. Your very own Carpenter teachers will be strutting their basketball skills! Don't miss it!

The Carpenter Line-up:

Officer Burch a.k.a. JB12

Kenya Stanley a.k.a. Wonder Woman

Daidriun Cooper a.k.a. SupaCoopa

John Leal a.k.a. LEAL

Tiffany Jones a.k.a. T.Hizzil

Buy your tickets today!

Please tell us how we can better support you and your family!

Complete the survey linked below to give us feedback.

¡Díganos cómo podemos apoyarlo mejor a usted y a su familia!

Complete la encuesta vinculada a continuación para darnos su opinión.

It's that time of year again! Vaccines are required for entry into 7th grade. Read the linked letter below for more detailed information.

Nurse Lauren will be sending personalized delinquency letters in the mail after Spring Break. If you do not know if you are delinquent please do not hesitate to call her office!

She has pulled all the uploaded data from the Immtrac Registry if you participate in that!

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Carpenter Nurse

Lauren Bigony

lauren.bigony@pisd.edu

(469) 752-5009

The 2023 Track & Field Season is ending!

City Track Meet Pre-lims is TUESDAY, April 11th at Kimbrough Stadium - Starts @ 4:15 pm

City Track Meet Finals is WEDNESDAY, April 12th at Kimbrough Stadium - Starts @ 4:15 pm

Please speak to Coach Ray or Coach Sterling if you have any questions.

All 8th Graders, please review your 2023-2024 Course Requests!

Please go to Parent Portal https://parentviewer.pisd.edu to review your child’s course requests for next year.

Once you have logged on:

1. Look under Student Registration Forms
2. Click on your child.
3. Click on the View 2023-2024 Course Requests button to see the classes.

This is not their schedule, but a list of the classes they requested for next year.

If anything needs to be changed, please contact Kim Gregorash, 8th grade counselor, Kimberly.gregorash@pisd.edu by May 1.

Why Teenagers Act the Way They Do

Part 5: Getting Dumber

Parents of teens often wonder what happened to the bright child they used to have. How can someone go from getting A's to getting C's when they seem to be doing the same amount of work? Once again, changes in the brain are to blame. While the merits of IQ tests are debatable, scientists used to think IQ stayed the same over one’s lifetime. Now it turns out that number can fluctuate widely in adolescence.

All the extra grey matter we talked about starts to die off as you get older. When you are young, that grey stuff has lots of extra synapses that help your brain store and process information. But as you age, your brain starts killing off the bits that don’t get used as often. Scientists used to think there was only one major “surge” of synapse “pruning” when we were children, but brain scans of teens have shown that one just as large happens at the beginning of adolescence.

This makes sense biologically; why should your brain waste energy remembering things that aren’t very necessary to your day to day life? It’s one of the reasons that younger children can learn a second language much faster than adults; they have more synapses to store that information. And if they keep speaking that second language often enough, they will remember it the rest of their lives.

But if there is a subject they didn’t concentrate so hard on, like math, suddenly they start forgetting things they used to know because the brain is deleting that information.

Pearl S. Buck was well known for two reasons: she was the first American woman to receive the Nobel Prize for literature, and she was a tireless worker on behalf of children. She worked especially hard for orphaned and special needs youth.

Pearl Buck understood the importance of helping those who are unable to help themselves. She said:

The test of a [nation] is the way it cares for its helpless members.

Today, remember this: Every time you contribute to a food drive, give clothing to a disaster relief effort, or give a little change to a charity, you are helping our nation make the grade by caring for those in need

Greetings, PISD Familes!

Registration for the Plano ISD Computer Science Summer Bridge Program is now open to current 8th graders who will be 9th graders in the Fall 2023. Students in this program will learn to program solutions while using the Python programming language, learn about careers in computer science, and engage with professionals from the computer science field. Space is limited.

There will be two sessions offered at no charge to the students. This program will take place at Williams High School. Transportation will be provided from middle schools across the district.

• June 5 -8, 2023 from 9 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. (includes 30 minute lunch)

• June 12-15, 2023 from 9 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. (includes 30 minute lunch)

Two levels of this program will be offered.

• Beginner Level 1 - students who have little to no experience in programming

• Novice Level 2 - students who took Fundamentals of Computer Science and/or Python specific camps.

Complete this form to register. The deadline to apply to participate is noon on Friday, April 21, 2023.

Please direct any questions or concerns to Dan Blier.

Dan Blier

dan.blier@pisd.edu.

Computer Science Curriculum Specialist
Plano ISD

We want to share the following STEM opportunity for Middle and High School girls:

When? April 29th, 2023 - 8AM to 6PM

Where? HOSTED AT NETSCOUT - 915 GUARDIANS WAY, ALLEN, TX 75013

Who? Middle and High School Girls - no experience needed - FREE EVENT

Why? Opportunity for female scholars to strengthen STEM skills, compete with local students, present to expert judges, and win exciting prizes and awards!!

Learn More and Register at: https://bit.ly/NETSCOUT2023

What is a Hackathon?

Hackathons are exciting events where students with interests in STEM collaborate to develop a novel technical project. Code your idea with friends, present it to judges, and win prizes!

No experience? No problem!

Learn throughout our multiple workshops and professional mentoring.

Register now to secure your spot. Remember, this event is exclusively for girls, so spread the word to your female friends who are interested to learn and excel in coding and tech.

We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Register by April 15!

Register at: https://bit.ly/NETSCOUT2023

Girlstart is excited to host our first-ever North Texas Girls in STEM Conference this May! Girls in 4th-8th grades will discover the fun side of STEM careers at this unique conference designed just for them. The day is packed with hands-on workshops led by women in STEM, with separate workshops provided by grade level (4th-5th & 6th-8th).

We have offered this event in Austin and Houston for years, and are so excited to finally bring Girls in STEM to our North Texas community!

The conference fee is $35 and includes lunch and a t-shirt.

Registration closes Monday, May 8th. Click here to learn more.

REGISTER HERE

There are also opportunities for sponsors, workshop presenters, and general event volunteers to make a difference at the conference:

· Click here for information about sponsoring the Girls in STEM Conference.

· Click here to complete the Presenter Proposal form and submit a workshop idea for a hands-on activity that shows girls how much fun a STEM career can be. Proposals are due by April 21st!

Click here to sign-up to be an event volunteer and help the day run smoothly, from checking in girls to monitoring hallways to assisting in classroom

This scholarship is named in memory of Alex Trejo, Carpenter’s beloved custodian. Alex was a fixture at Carpenter for 25 years preceding his death. He took great pride in keeping our school looking its best. He also had deep affection for the Carpenter staff and students. If you knew him personally, you know that he was a warm and caring man who always had a kind word and an easy smile.

A $650 scholarship will be awarded to one student who meets the qualifications and completes the application requirements.

1. Is a graduating senior enrolled in a Plano ISD school who attended Carpenter Middle School for at least two years

2. Has a member of the household who was/is a PTA member

3. Plans to attend a 2- or 4-year accredited college, vocational, or technical school with a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester or enlist in the military by the fall semester immediately following the applicant's high school graduation

4. Has a minimum GPA of 2.5.

If you know a graduating senior who meets all the qualifications, have them apply for the Alex Trejo Scholarship using the link below.

1. Completed application
2. Resume of extracurricular activities, community service, honors, and employment
3. Official copy of high school transcript
4. Acceptance letter from college, vocational, or technical school or other verifiable confirmation
5. Two letters of recommendation from non-relatives, one must be from a current or former teacher
6. 500+ word essay about what your time at Carpenter meant to you.

Our Title I Specialist this year is Mrs. Mythili Sridhar. If you have any questions or concerns about Title I Services & Supports, please contact her.

Title I Specialist

Mythili Sridhar

mythili.sridhar@pisd.edu

(469) 752-5051

Website: www.pisd.edu/carpenter
Location: 3905 Rainer Drive, Plano, TX 75023
Phone: (469) 752-5000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreCarpenter
Twitter: @WeAreCarpenter

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