October 20 – Red A Day Rehearsal –All county Middle School Chorus 6-8pm (NorthEast HS) October 21 – Black B Day Rehearsal-BSO side-by-side -4:15-5:45 (Magothy River MS) October 22- Red C- Day Audition: All County Middle school Orchestra- 5 pm (Brooklyn Park MS) Zumbathon- 6:30-7:30pm October 23- Black A Day-Advisory Schedule Audition: All County Middle School Chorus 6-8pm (NorthEast HS) October 24 – Red B Day 6 th grade Zoo Field Trip WCL Spanish Field Trip -Old Mill HS Mission Statement: Working in collaboration with students, parents, staff and community, Crofton Middle School will develop productive citizens by challenging, and inspiring students to become lifelong learners within a safe and structured environment. CMS Parent Weekly Update Message of the Week October 20 –October 24, 2014 Quote “Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” - Joshua J. Marine Hello Parents/Guardians, Congratulations to the students, teachers, and parents of Crofton Middle School because once again, we were recognized as one of the top ten schools in Anne Arundel County for contributing significate monetary donations as well as over 23,000 lbs. of food in support of the Harvest for the Hungry. This week we began our Kids Helping Kids Food Drive for the school year. The Kids Helping Kids Food Drive provides students with an opportunity to learn about hunger and help other children in need. One-third of the people served by emergency food programs in Maryland are children under the age of 18. Every $1 collected equals 8 pounds of food! Please, review the attached calendar for further information. Thank you in advance for your support! After hearing our theme this year, “Difficult Does Not Mean Impossible,” a parent approached me and shared the following quote by Nelson Mandela, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” To help us “get it done” we are asking for parent volunteers to assist with tutoring. As we shift into the new Common Core Curriculum, mastering the standards are challenging and some students might need additional help! If you are interested in assisting our teachers during the day or after school, please contact Ms. Walter at (410) The School Counseling Office would like to remind parents of the procedures regarding private school applications. Please, take the time to review the attached letter if you have any additional questions do not hesitate to contact the School Counseling Office at (410) Attached, is a list of activity buses for you to review with your child. If your child does not stay after school on a regular basis, it is helpful to remind them of their activity bus number when they are scheduled to stay after school. Also, I would like to remind parents your child’s activity bus drop-off location is NOT the same as their normal drop- off, these locations are determined by the transportation office. If you have questions please contact Ms. Polacheck at (410) Your invited to CMS on November 3 rd from 6:00-7:15PM an opportunity to learn more about the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test and how it will affect your child. This informational session will cover the main differences between PARCC and MSA testing, how to successfully prepare your child to take the test, a description of what critical content standards your child will be assessed on, and a general question and answer session regarding PARCC. We hope to see you there! Also, please mark your calendars CMS Student-Led Conferences will beheld on November 24 th or 25th. Specific times and locations will be sent home at a later date. Student-led conferences are beneficial for many reasons including: · Students have accountability for their learning · Students learn to evaluate their own progress · Students gain a greater commitment to school work and learning · Builds self-confidence and self-esteem · Encourages parent/guardian/student communication · Builds communication and critical thinking skills · Enables students to practice organization and leadership skills The 6 th grade dance is October 30, 2014 from 3-5PM. Please see the attached flyer and permission slip for additional information. Lastly, our Annual Veterans Day ceremony will be held on November 11 th from 8:15- 9:45AM. If you would like to join us please contact Mrs. Thomas at (410) Thank you and have a wonderful weekend! Nuria E. Williams Principal, Crofton Middle School Kudos to Chloe Y. for being a great friend. –Aiden D. Kudos to Connor N. for helping me with my homework. – Connor B. Kudos to- Jack Frey for helping me with my backpack and being late to class just so he could help me pick up my stuff. I really appreciate it. – Rohan B. Kudos to- Caroline K. for carrying my books around for me. –Hailey K. Kudos to- Hannah B. for being with me when I started crying. –Alyse L. October 28- Rehearsal: BSO Side-by-Side October th grade Halloween Dance 3:00-5:00 October hour Early Dismissal- End of Marking Period October 31- PBIS store open during lunch