Happy Friday to All of You!
CVMS 5K!
5K is tomorrow! Registration is at 8 AM with the race set to begin at 9 AM. It is not too late to register early.
You can register at the race tomorrow if you like. We are also looking for some volunteers to assist. Please see the following links if you are interested:
http://racewire.com/register.php?id=2978 (You can sign up online!) OR
http://www.newberg.k12.or.us/chehalemvalley/run-wolves (Hard copyregistration to turn into the office with cash or check)
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090D4CA5AB22A64-runwith (If you are interested in volunteering to help work the 5K go to the this link.)
We are excited for our first venture into the 5K world and I want to specifically thank the PTO for their hard work in getting this going. Great job!
Staff Appreciation Week begins next week!
Wadayama
Our kids leave for Wadayama, Japan next Wednesday, May 8th. Mrs. Conley and Mrs. Johnson will be taking 14 students. Since being selected to attend in November, they have been working hard to fundraise, to learn Japanese, and they have also been getting ready for their opening performance which is customary for our annual visit.
End of the Year Field Trips
In order to be eligible for the end of the year field trips, students must not receive any behavior referrals for the 4th quarter. 8th graders must also successfully complete their 8th grade project.
The annual 8th grade trip is to Camp Yamhill. 7th graders will be treated to a movie off campus and our 6th graders will have field day.
8th Grade Showcase
On June 6th from 5:30-7:00 PM we will be holding our annual 8th grade showcase. 8th graders are beginning to work on their 8th grade projects. Their projects must include a visual display, a speech, and a written essay outlining the logistics of what they did, why they did it, and what they learned. Our 8th grade showcase is an opportunity for our kids to show off, so please plan on attending.
STEM Open House
We will be having a STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) open house for the community on June 6th from 4:30-5:30 PM within our new STEM classrooms. This is an opportunity for us to say thank you to the community for investing in STEM education. The open house will be an opportunity to learn about STEM, and to tour our new facilities. Afterwards we absolutely expect that you will all stay for our 8th grade showcase!
8th Grade Celebration
The 8th grade celebration ceremony will be on the last day of school, June 13th, beginning at 8:30 AM. The celebration will be for 8th grade students and their families.
Presidential Awards
Please see the attached link regarding the criteria for Middle School 8th Grade Presidential Awards that are awarded at the 8th grade celebration. This criteria is also located in our student/parent handbook.
http://www.newberg.k12.or.us/chehalemvalley/criteria-presidential-princi...
State Testing
We will be doing Reading re-takes next week with Math re-takes the following week. We will be re-testing students through a pull out process and not necessarily by math or reading teacher. I facilitated quite a few of the testing sessions and I have to say that the kids are definitely trying their very best. Great job!
Testing ends May 22nd.
What Parents Can Do At Home
• Acknowledge test-taking anxiety as normal, but stay positive.
• Encourage your child to think positive thoughts like “I can do this!”
• Give compliments for effort: “I’m proud of how hard you have studied.”
• Go over the test-taking tips with your child.
• Adequate rest makes a difference! Make sure your child goes to bed at a reasonable
time; being active earlier in the day (not right before bed) can help kids get to sleep.
• Nutrition also influences how well children do on test; a good breakfast is important, but a large meal right before the test can be distracting.
• Your child should wear comfortable clothing for long test-taking periods.
• Help your child learn how to relax. Some find it helps to take a few deep breaths before starting the test; others like to imagine a peaceful place like the beach or park.
School Improvement Goals:Percentage of students we expect to have meet or exceed the state benchmark.
Reading: 6th grade-80%, 7th grade-84%, 8th grade-85%
Math: 6th grade-70%, 7th grade-75%, 8th grade-78%
Science: 8th grade-79%
Sex Education
We are in the midst of the 8th grade sex education unit which ends today. 8th graders will be engaging in Health education next week.
Re-testing on OAKS
Students who have met/exceeded their state assessments must provide us with written permission from their parents in order to re-test. Some students may wish to re-test to better their score as we do placements based in some part on how students perform on standardized testing. I sent out the re-testing permission form in an earlier email.
Advanced Classes Criteria
-Students desiring to be placed in Advanced Core must meet the following criteria.
1) Exceeding Score on Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (OAKS)
2) Student grades reflective of student mastery of the content standards in Reading and Writing
3) Advanced score on Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI)
4) Demonstrating above proficiency on writing work samples
*Note: Placement in Advanced Classes does not guarantee placement into future Advanced Classes if student does not meet above criteria every year.
-Students desiring to be placed in above grade level math classes must meet the following criteria
1) Exceeding score on Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (OAKS)
2) Student grades reflective of student mastery of the content standards in Math
Anti-bullying shirts
The anti-bullying shirts are in! Anyone can purchase these shirts. They are on sale for $10.00 or twenty-five Wolf Bucks. Please come to the main office if you would like to purchase a shirt.
Important Transition Dates:
Late May: 5th Graders tour CVMS and get locker partner forms.
August 22nd: 6th Grade Orientation, 9AM-12PM-5th graders come for tours, group building activities and a BBQ lunch.
September 3rd: First Day of School!
School Visitors
It is very important that you check into the office anytime you enter the school building. If you do not please be prepared to answer questions from staff regarding your reason for being in the building. Staff have been instructed to by hyper vigilant in regards to anyone on campus without a visitor's badge.
Working Hard is Important to Us!
We address lack of work completion as a behavior with minor incident reports (MIRs) and behavior referrals. Please check out the link regarding our MIR (Minor Incident Report) policy regarding homework completion.
http://www.newberg.k12.or.us/sites/default/files/fileattachments/mir_pol...
CVMS Volunteer Opportunities
If you are interested in volunteering for CV please click on the attached link or contact our volunteer coordinator, Stephanie Carstensen, home 503-538-6102 or stephaniec@c-ware.com. We have the following immediate volunteer needs:
5K Volunteers:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090D4CA5AB22A64-runwith (Volunteers needed!)
Homework club help 2:30-3:30 PM (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)
Read 180 Classes: Mrs. Brower is looking for parent volunteers to help within her classroom. Please contact Mrs. Brower if you are interested: browerc@newberg.k12.or.us
FAQ's about standards/proficiency based grading
As all of you know we are transitioning to standards/proficiency based grading. To gain further information, I encourage all of you to read the material on the attached link if you haven't yet . The link includes FAQs about our new grading, a rationale, and a summary of our plan. If you have further questions please do not hesitate to call the office. I would be happy to sit down with any one of you or to speak with you on the phone if you have questions.
http://www.newberg.k12.or.us/chehalemvalley/graduation-starts-today
Student/Parent Handbook
In case you were wondering, our student/parent handbook is located on our website.
http://www.newberg.k12.or.us/chehalemvalley/chehalem-valley-parent-handbook
Chehalem Valley Middle School Improvement Plan
If you want to learn more about our school improvement goals and steps we will use to meet these goals please click on the link to our School Improvement Plan.
http://www.newberg.k12.or.us/chehalemvalley/chehalem-valley-school-goals
Absences
Every year we see more absences for trips and personal vacations. Although I understand that vacations do happen during the year, we ask that if at all possible you look to schedule extended vacations during our regular school breaks. Students can always make up work, however it is difficult to replace the loss of instruction.
Please be cognizant that we are extremely vigilant in regards to attendance. The following is the list of reasons the state provides as excusable absences:
-Student illness
-Illness of an immediate family member
-Emergency
-Doctor/Dental Appointment
-Death of an immediate family member
-Court summons
-Satisfactory arrangements, made in advance with the school for other reasons
*Absences for reasons not noted on this list will be marked unexcused.
Facebook
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Upcoming
Staff Appreciation Week-5/6-5/10
Have a great weekend!
