Happy Friday CMS Families!
Teacher Appreciation Week
We had a wonderful Teacher Appreciation Week here at CMS this week and I can’t begin to tell you how appreciated and loved you have made our staff feel through your ongoing gestures of gratitude and kindness. We continue to feel blessed to serve in a school and community where the work teachers perform is valued and appreciated. On behalf of the staff at CMS I’d like to extend heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of support and appreciation showered upon the CMS staff this week!
I’d also like to take this opportunity to express gratitude for our PTO with special appreciation for Sarah Norbraten and Lovina Worick for all they’ve done this week. A special thank you to Sarah Norbraten who organized many of the week’s events on short notice and spent hours organizing behind the scenes to make it all happen for the teachers and staff! In addition I’d like to thank Mrs. Wells and our leadership class for their work to ensure that each day of the week included something special for our teachers and staff. Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to today's staff appreciation luncheon. Our staff raved about the fantastic variety of delicious cuisine provided by so many generous families!
From fantastic food during breaks, flowers and personal messages, posters/door decorations, a wonderful welcome crew of leadership students Friday morning, and a PTO sponsored potluck staff appreciation luncheon Friday afternoon, the week has truly been spectacular! Thank you all for your tremendous efforts toward making this week amazing!
CAASPP Testing Wraps Up
Our week of CAASPP testing has come to a close for most of our students. 8th graders will continue CAASPP testing on Monday and Tuesday (and Wednesday as needed) with the Science portion of the test. Students did an excellent job taking the tests seriously and engaging with their best efforts and we’re confident we’ll see positive results from their efforts. In addition, I’d like to thank everyone for their participation. Our early numbers look like we’ve met or exceeded participation rates (but it is close) which will exempt us from the harsh penalties assigned to schools for missing those marks while giving us a more accurate picture of student achievement on the standardized assessments. We’re appreciative of both the efforts and positive attitude students exhibited throughout the testing week. Thank you for your ongoing support!
Drama/Talent Production: Alfred in Talentland!
Mark your calendars and save the date for Alfred in Talentland! Please join us in the CMS gym on Wednesday, May 18, at 5:30 P.M. for an evening of incredible talent. A group of eleven actors will take you on a journey through Talentland as you enjoy watching some of our CMS students share their amazing talents. The performances range from singers to dancers to musicians. You will also have the opportunity to see CMS's very own Singer Songwriter Club as Alfred searches for his way home. All are welcome and admission is free, but the CMS Drama Department would be very appreciative of donations for future shows. We hope to see you there!
CMS Student Film Festival; Saturday, May 7th @ 6:00 PM
The annual CMS Student Film Festival will be held Saturday evening in the CHS Performing Arts Theater. Come see the amazing student films that have been produced for this year’s competition and stick around for the prestigious awards ceremony following the viewing. This year’s competition will feature six fantastic student films. Admission is free, the entertainment is great, and some former CMS alumni who have continued their filmmaking passion will be making a guest appearance. Come join us on Saturday evening for a night you won’t forget!
Upcoming Events
We continue to work at a frenetic pace behind the scenes to pull off multiple events for our students. In the next week we’ll be sending out information specific to grade level events including 7th Grade MBOE (schedule, permission slips, program information, and volunteer opportunities) along with 8th Grade End of Year events including our Promotion Ceremony guest registration. Keep your eyes open for those important communications as they will be sent to specific grade levels rather than published in the Friday letter. We’ve got lots of fun coming up as we wrap up the year and next week will be our last “normal” week of school with a single large event on the calendar, the CMS Spring Concert (5-7 PM; CMS Gym, Tuesday, May 10th).
We hope you have a great weekend!
Upcoming Events
May 9-14
Monday/Tuesday, May 9/10: CAASPP Science Test - 8th Grade Only
Wednesday, May 11: 8th Grade Class Picture - 11:10-11:30
Tuesday, May 10: CMS Spring Concert 7-9 PM CMS Gym
Saturday, May 14: Music in the Parks (All Day Event)
May 16-20
May 16-20 Spirit Week Dress Up Days (Details to follow)
Wednesday, May 18: Drama/Talent Show Program 5:30 PM - CMS Gym
Friday, May 20: CMS Renaissance Faire 12:00 - 2:30
Friday, May 20: 8th Grade Promotion Dance @ CMS Habitat 7:30 -10 PM
May 23-27
Tue/Wed/Thurs, May 24-26: MBOE - All CMS 7th Grade Students
Thursday, May 26: CMS Open House 5:30-7:00
Friday, May 27: 5th Grade Visits
* MBOE stands for Monterey Bay Outdoor Education Week and is a program designed for our 7th Grade students. Traditionally, MBOE is held in the Fall and each MBOE program is given a theme. This year’s theme will be Nature Camp. MBOE consists of three consecutive days of field trip experiences and students will visit multiple locations in our area including Hastings Preserve (Carmel Valley), Palo Corona Regional Park (Inspiration Point), and Point Lobos State Reserve. Multiple activities are designed at each location to engage students in experiential learning. We are thankful for the opportunity to offer this program to our 7th grade students as the year comes to an end and are grateful that our educational partners (Hastings, Palo, and Point Lobos) were all willing and able to adjust their busy schedules to accommodate our MBOE program on short notice! This is a fantastic program and we're so excited to have had the opportunity to include MBOE in our 7th grade, end-of -year offerings. More info coming soon to 7th grade families!
May 30 - June 3
Monday, May 30: No School - Memorial Day
Tuesday, May 31st: 8th Grade Promotion Practice 8:40 - ? and 8th Grade Yearbook Distribution
Wednesday, June 1: 8th Grade Promotion Practice 8:40 - ? 6th/7th Yearbook Distribution
Thursday, June 2: Final 8th Grade Promotion Practice 8:40-10:00; 10:30-2:00 8th Grade Class Activity TBD
Thursday, June 2: 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony 5:00 - 6:30 (Seating Opens at 4:00)
Friday, June 3: Last Day of School - School Ends at 12:00
Lunch Served from 12:00 - 12:15; Buses Run at 12:15
6th Grade End of Year Awards Ceremony - 9:00 - 9:30
7th Grade End of Year Awards Ceremony - 10:55 - 11:25
8th Grade Brunch - Habitat - 10:00 - 12:00
