TCAP DATES HAVE BEEN CHANGED! This puts a whole new perspective on "March Madness"! As you already know, we work hard all year to prepare for the high stakes State tests, the TCAP. Because of our unusual winter weather, which caused us to miss more school days than expected, our district has rescheduled TCAP testing for the first of April. The new schedule is listed completely in this newsletter. Please familiarize yourself with it and mark your calendars. Attendance is always extremely important and especially during testing week. In fact, we are offering students incentives and rewards for good attendance. Teachers are teaching new material and reviewing important skills every day in every class. Students must be here to learn it. I send a personal challenge to each and every CMS student to strive for 100% attendance for the month of March through TCAP testing week. We need you here! Parents and caregivers, I urge you to read the test-taking tips in this newsletter and help your student(s) accordingly. If you need any extra assistance, please let us know. We are offering free after school tutoring three days a week for the month of March to help students prepare for TCAP. For more information on tutoring, contact Debbie Max at 901-475-5909. If you need materials at home or need more information about how to help your child at home, contact the Tipton County Parent Center at 901-837-5874. As always, if you have questions or concerns about your child’s progress or academic needs, contact the teachers. You are always welcome here and we need your participation for our school to operate at the highest levels. We want all our students to be proficient on tests and feel good about their accomplishments in education at our school. We want everyone to be successful in reaching their goals and dreams. Let's work together to make sure this happens for all our children! Let me know how I can do more for you!

James Fields

Dates to Remember:

March 10----------------------------PTO meeting 5:00 - library
March 12----------------------------Grading period ends
March 12----------------------------School Dance - 6:30-8:45
March 23----------------------------Band Concert - CHS - 7:00 pm
March 24----------------------------REPORT CARDS COME HOME
March 31----------------------------Special Olympics @ BHS
April 1-7-----------------------------TCAP TESTING
April 7--------------------------------PTO Meeting (Special Time 3:30pm)
April 2--------------------------------Good Friday - no school
April 12-16--------------------------Spring Break - no school
April 27------------------------------High School Registration - 8th graders

TCAP TESTING INFORMATION

TCAP testing dates have been changed to the following:
April 1 - Reading/Language Arts
April 5 - Math
April 6 - Science
April 7 - Social Studies

We ask that you PLEASE check your calendars and reschedule appointments or other things that may interfere with the testing process. We need students here each morning for testing. Keep this information in mind as well...

Testing-Ways Families Can Help...

TCAP tests will be administered in all Tipton County Schools the week of April 01-07. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Students will be expected to be at school, be prepared, and have necessary supplies. Please plan appointments around this important testing week because students can not be admitted to class late during testing nor will they be allowed to check out during testing. In the meantime, here are some things you can do to help ensure your student is prepared:

*Talk about tests and express your high expectations. Children tend to live up to what we tell them we expect from them

*Set aside time each and every day to work with your child on school work. Don’t just check homework - actually have them read to you from their books and show you what they have learned.

*Stay in touch with teachers. Let your children know that you are aware of what is going on at school.

*Put learning first. Complete homework and check progress before going to baseball practice. Show your children that succeeding in school is the most important thing they can do for themselves.

*If your child is struggling, take action. Get help. Call us for information. We offer free tutoring and can help you find what you need to help your child succeed in school.

*Take advantage of every opportunity to discuss learning. Turn off the radio in the car and talk about what they learned in school. Ask them to read to you while you are driving. Enjoy learning together.

* Set goals together- make them realistic. Put graded papers on the refrigerator- celebrate accomplishments! Make a graph and reward upward progress. Show your child how important school success is to you -celebrate achievements with family and friends!

*Discuss testing dates with your child. Get out the calendar and mark the week of testing (April 01-07) Don’t plan appointments, practices, major events during this week. It is important that students are well rested and feeling good during testing.

*Provide well balanced breakfasts free from processed sugars. Diets with excess sugars may lead to concentration and attention problems in children, not to mention tooth decay and obesity! School breakfast will be FREE all week for all students.

*Most importantly - be positive and have a happy outlook on testing. Your enthusiasm and support will provide the student with encouragement and validation. Be their cheerleader, coach, and most avid fan! WE CAN DO IT! BRING IT ON!!

High School Registration

Registering for high school is one of those memorable events students look forward to with excitement. It is also very important to think about class selections carefully and make wise choices. We have been talking to our 8th graders about this moment since they were 6th and 7th graders - they know how important academic performance is and how test scores will play a role in their high school opportunities. Well, mark your calendars - our 8th graders will register for high school April 27th. You will get more information on this and be asked to schedule a time. Students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to register.

CMS Celebrates National Breakfast in our Schools Week

March 8 - 12 is National Breakfast in our Schools week and CMS is participating and celebrating. Special guests from the school board, district supervisors, and community leaders will come to eat with us during this week. Make plans to enjoy breakfast with us during this special week. The cost for breakfast is $1.00 for students, $1.25 for adults, and $.30 for reduced meals. Everyone is welcome!

Spring Sports Off and Running...

The CMS track and softball teams have been practicing and are ready to compete for the spring. The softball pre-season tournament last weekend was a tremendous success. The ladies will play their first regular home game on March 16th at 5:30. All CMS home games will be played on the Dixie Girls' fields on Mueller Brass Road. The track team will be racing soon, as well. All Tipton County track meets will be held at the Brighton High School track in Brighton. Complete sports schedules can be found on our school's website at www.tipton-county.com/cms/athletics.html

March is Music in our Schools Month

In March, we celebrate the beginning of spring and other good things, like music in our schools! As part of the celebration, our band is joining with the CHS band for a concert on March 23rd. We welcome everyone to attend this spring musical event. Now is the time to think about being in band. Our band is open to all 6th, 7th, and 8th graders interested. Soon, band director Katie Eaton will send home information about joining band. It is a wonderful way to learn music and can lead to years of enjoyment! For more information, please contact Ms. Eaton at keaton@tipton-county.com or 901-475-5900 or 901-475-5850.

Spring is Finally Here

After the long, cold, snowy weeks of January and February, it is so good to see the sunshine and feel the promise of spring in the air! Spring sports are getting in full swing and the grills are filling the air with that familiar smell of summer. However, remember that school is not out and we have a lot of learning to do! We are asking for excellent attendance through all of March and TCAP testing week. After all, attendance is the first step to being successful. Also remember that our dress code hasn’t changed. People in a professional setting, like school, should be dressed appropriately. All body parts should be adequately covered and clothing should not contain holes or offensive words or pictures. Shorts and flip-flops are not allowed. Let's dress for success and keep our focus on our goals! Let's be here every possible day and learn as much as we possibly can - you can never learn too much! It will ALL be worth it to you one of these days!

CMS wants AYP
WE CAN DO IT--YES WE CAN!

Morning drop off

CMS Families- if you bring your children to school in the mornings, please make sure you drive up to the yellow curb in the back to let students out. Please do not let them out in the parking lot or any other place where they have to walk through or across traffic. For safety’s sake, take the time to drive up to the yellow curb and let them step out on the sidewalk.

Calculators Needed

CMS students can use calculators in class and on benchmark assessments, such as TCAP. These are important and necessary tools for our students. Please equip your middle school student with a calculator so we can teach them how to use them. We use TI 30X II by Texas Instruments. You can find these at Wal Mart and all office supply stores.

SAVE stuff for us!

CMS needs your help! We need your used ink cartridges and "boxtops for education" tabs. What do you do with your ink cartridges at home and at work? We are involved in a fundraising effort by collecting them. Please send them to us at CMS! Look on those boxes and packages in your cabinet. See those little stamp-size coupons that say "boxtops for education"? We want those, too! Did you get a new cell phone for Christmas? Send us your old one! Contact Jonathon Mooney in our computer lab for more information or JUST SEND US THE STUFF!
(Please note that at the moment we are not accepting Naifeh's receipts at this time but plan to resume the program in the next academic year. I apologize for late message. Mr. Mooney)

Absences and check outs

When a student is absent from school, the school must have a written note from parent or medical provider for the absence to be excused. If the student is checked out early, bring a written note from parent or medical provider to excuse the time missed. We can only accept parent notes two days after an absence- so remember to get those in immediately! After 5 unexcused absences, including unexcused check-outs, a truancy prevention meeting will be scheduled. After 10 written parent notes, medical excuses must be provided for the absence to be excused. If you have questions or want to check on the status of a student’s attendance, please call our attendance clerk, Mrs. Felicia Perry at 475-5902, or assistant principal Mrs. Carolyn Hayes at 475-5904, or counselor Debbie Max at 475-5909.

Boxtops for Education and more...

Schools are always trying to find ways to raise funds for needed items. At CMS, we clip and save and recycle a number of things that YOU can help us with! If you have visited our school office lately, you may have noticed the collection box for "boxtops for education" labels. Look for these valuable little coupons on General Mills products. For more information on "Boxtops", please visit their website at www.boxtops4education.com. We also collect used cell phones, ink cartridges, and Naifeh's reciepts! Learn more at our website or contact our technology leader, Mr. Jonathon Mooney at 475-5900.

ALSO...
SAVE YOUR USED INK CARTRIDGES
and CELL PHONES FOR US!

CLICK HERE TO HELP US!

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING CRESTVIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL!

Please respect special parking/access areas

We have ramp access in several places along the curbs in our parking lot in the back and the driveway in the front. These areas are wheelchair accessible and for special needs parking only. Please act responsibly and allow access to the ramps and parking spaces to those who truly need them.

Flu is a concern for everyone

The flu is always something we'd like to avoid, and this year with H1N1 on the prowl, it is even more of an issue. We are taking extra precautions at our school to prevent the spreading of germs. We ask that students remember to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer often. Parents, if you wish to send hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to teachers, we would surely put them to good use! We want to do all we can to PREVENT illness and disease and keep our students healthy and safe! For more information on H1N1, contact our local health department or go online to http://health.state.tn.us/H1N1.htm or www.tiptonco.com/dept_emergency_mgmt.htm

Published March 10th, 2010