Happy Friday CMS Families!

We are now down to the final three weeks of the 2021-22 school year!  Crunch time has set in and there is no better time than this weekend to sit down with your student and take a look at their academic progress on Aeries.  Academics will begin winding down in most classes over the next couple weeks, but this time of year often brings projects, reports, or capstone activities (mousetrap cars, rockets) that can have a powerful impact on student grades.  Late or missing work should be a focus as this final trimester comes to an end, but don’t overlook end of year tests or projects!  Most importantly, stay positive, encourage your child to finish the year on a positive note, and enjoy the last three weeks of school!

We had another great week here at CMS highlighted by a fantastic Spring Concert on Tuesday evening.  In our final concert of the year, each program showcased the amazing skill, talent, and growth we’ve come to expect from our music programs.  Strings, band, and our choral groups all performed exceptional pieces, captivating a packed house with a vast array of musical genres.  Our groups now head off for “Music in the Parks”, an event that will provide them with the opportunity to showcase their skills and talents to a panel of judges in a competitive setting.  We’re excited to see how well these groups do this year after a long layoff from the competition.  Good luck to Mr. Lehmkuhl, Mrs. Wadsworth, and all our fantastic singers and musicians!

The Week Ahead

Next week we’ve got quite a few things going on.  Read on for the details.  

Spirit Week: Next week is Spirit Week and that means dress up days!  Monday is PJ Day (a staff and student favorite).  Tuesday is “Anything but Your Backpack Day”.  Students should leave their backpacks at home and find a creative way to cart around their school supplies and belongings.  Ideas include a bucket, small rolling suitcase and more, but please, nothing too distracting!  Wednesday is Colorful Clothing Day and we encourage kids to come in as much color as they can.  Tie-Dye works great!  Thursday is our usual Cougar Pride Day - 6th graders should wear white; 7th graders should wear red; 8th graders should wear gray!  Friday is our Renaissance Faire Day and students are encouraged to dress as someone from 14th-17th Century Europe, however, students are also encouraged to celebrate their own cultural heritage and history during this event and may choose to wear anything of their choosing provided the selected attire meets CMS dress code standards.  

Drama/Talent Show Program: Our enthusiastic drama teacher, Mrs. Wells, decided to pull off a combined drama/talent show production in an effort to get our talented students in the spotlight one more time.   The program combines the best of two worlds, showcases the hidden talents of CMS students and provides an opportunity for our thespians to take the stage.  6th graders will view the performance on Wednesday during 3rd/4th period classes and the program is open to the public on Wednesday evening from 5:30-7:00 in the CMS Gym.  We hope you’ll come and enjoy the show!

CMS Renaissance Faire:  CMS will be hosting our Renaissance Faire on Friday, May 20th.   This is a wonderful event that helps bring to life units of study from 7th grade social studies.   We have received several questions about attendance for this event with inquiries ranging from if the event is open to the public, CMS families, to students from other schools or individuals not affiliated with CMS or CUSD.  
 
Due to the changes made to the Renaissance Faire format (no food this year -  lots of games/shows for students) and out of an abundance of caution, we are limiting visitors this year to a few specific groups.  
 
First, attendance to the Renaissance Faire is open to the parents of 7th grade students who would like to observe the collective hard word of their child's contributions to our traditional Renaissance production.  If you are the parent of a 7th grade student and plan to attend the Faire we politely ask that siblings who are not attending Carmel Middle School remain in attendance at their school of enrollment.   If, out of necessity, children who are too young to attend school must attend the Faire with you, we ask that they remain under your direct supervision at all times.  
 
The second group of adults attending the Renaissance Faire are pre-designated adult chaperones helping us supervise the event and/or run tables/events not hosted by our students.  These individuals have already been contacted by CMS staff or administration and have been assigned a specific role in the Faire.  All assignments have been filled and additional assistance is not required for this event. 
 
In keeping with tradition, CMS has collaborated with San Carlos School on the Faire and we have cleared a small number of adults from San Carlos to join us in an effort to provide ample supervision.   
 
All visitors to campus must check in with our office, be cleared as a guest through our Raptor (background check) system, and receive a guest pass from the office prior to attending the Faire.  Guests attempting to enter the Faire without appropriate clearance will be rerouted to our front office.  In addition, guests not meeting the above criterion will not be allowed entrance to the Faire.  
 
We apologize for any disappointment or inconvenience, however, we feel it is important to maintain a level of attendance that will keep the event safe and engaging for our students.  
 
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.  Please reach out if you have any additional questions. 
 
8th Grade Promotion Dance
Our 8th Grade Promotion Dance takes place on Friday evening from 7:45 - 10:00.  A group of 8th grade parents have been hard at work organizing this event to help our 8th graders celebrate their time at CMS.   The dance will take place in the CMS Habitat and we hope all 8th grade students will join us for a fun filled evening.  Please note, this event is for students attending Carmel Middle School only.  Guests not enrolled in CMS will not be permitted to attend the event.  
 
Communication With Principals Via Email For the Remainder of the School Year
As we move to wrap up the school year time for two way communication with school administration via email will be extremely limited.  Our focus at this point is the organization and execution of the many end of year events that require tremendous focus, time and effort.  Because of this, we are asking that if you have any matters that need immediate attention, please call our office and ask for the assistance of one of our many capable secretaries.   They’ll be able to answer most of your questions, and they’ll let us know if additional communication is needed.  Email over the past week has piled up significantly and will continue to be answered as time allows.  I would estimate that it will take me approximately 72 hours or longer to respond to any email I receive from today through the end of the year.  Thank you for your understanding and patience.  
 
That’s it for this week.  Have a great weekend!
 
Important Dates
 
May 16-20
May 16-20 Spirit Week Dress Up Days
Monday, May 16: Regular Advisory Session
Tuesday, May 17: Leadership Rotary Luncheon 11-2 PM - Leadership Students Only
Tuesday May 17: Jazz Concert at CHS 7pm; rehearsal at CHS periods 1-2
Wednesday, May 18: Drama/Talent Show for 6th Grade Classes Periods 3&4 - CMS Gym
Wednesday, May 18: Drama/Talent Show Program 5:30-7:30 PM CMS Gym
Friday, May 20: CMS Renaissance Faire (Ren Faire Bell Schedule 2022)
Friday, May 20: 8th Grade Dance @ CMS Habitat 7:45 -10 PM 

May 23-27
Monday, May 23: Last Session of Advisory - Open Session
Tue/Wed/Thurs, May 24-26: MBOE - All CMS 7th Grade Students - CMS Gym in the AM
Tuesday, May 24: Healthy Relationships Presentation - 8th Grade Only - PE Pull Out
Thursday, May 26: CMS Open House 5:30-7:00 PM
                       5th Grade Welcome 5:00-5:30 - CMS Gym
Friday, May 27: 5th Grade Visits - 9:15-11:15 (Tular/Cooper ONLY) 12:15-2:15 River
Friday, May 27: 8th Grade Chromebook Collection - Details Coming from Library

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
Tuesday, May 31st: 6th/7th Grade Chromebook Collection: Details Coming from Library
Wednesday, June 1: 8th Grade Promotion Practice 8:40 - ? and 6th/7th Yearbook Distribution
Wednesday, June 1: Fentanyl Presentation - 8th Grade Only - After Promotion Practice
Thursday, June 2: 8th Grade Promotion Practice 8:40-10:00 
                              8th Grade Beach Party 10:30 - 1:30
Thursday, June 2: 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony 5:00 - 6:30 (Seating Opens at 4:00)
Friday, June 3: Last Day of School - Minimum Day Schedule
        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