CMS Student Council Food Drive

The CMS Student Council partnered with the Community of Concern Food pantry to assist in collecting items of need for the upcoming holiday season and beyond.  On Saturday, November 22nd, 13 CMS Student Council students worked from 8:00-noon at Fareway, Walgreens, and Kmart to hand out lists of items to shoppers and then collect those donated items.

We collected 16 bins of donated items and received over $350 in money donations.

Thank you to the shoppers, businesses, Community of Concern Food Pantry, and CMS student council students to help make the food drive a success.

Financial Literacy Skit

On Wednesday, November 19th, the 7th & 8th graders attended a skit called "Cash Course Learning About Earning," which was centered around the concept of Financial Literacy.  Financial Literacy is a 21st Century Skill, which is important for our students to understand as they become young adults.

The skit was interactive allowing students to participate throughout the 40-minute production.  The National Theatre for Children put on the show.

The show emphasized the following:
1.  Wages minus deductions equal take-home pay;
2.  Saving and investing have different levels of risk;
3.  Credit and debit cards have differences;
4.  Forming a savings habit is important.

Student feedback about the show was positive.  We hope the students learned some important tips that will help them as they become young adults.

STEM @ CMS

STEM, a state initiative, is an acronym that pertains to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, which are areas of study important to the Iowa Core's 21st Century Skills.  The Governor of Iowa has created a STEM Advisory Council to promote and encourage schools in Iowa to provide STEM learning opportunities to students of all ages.

Carroll Community Schools has a variety of STEM-related activities across grade levels in the district and is committed to provide these learning opportunities.  Currently, students at Carroll Middle School will be/are involved in STEM-related activities such as Multi-Media, JAVA Programming, Coding, and Robotics.  Our hope is that students develop an interest in future STEM careers because of their involvement now.

STEM provided an opportunity for teachers across the state to apply for programs to provide additional learning opportunities for students.  We had several CMS teachers complete the application process.

The following teachers were awarded grants in the following STEM programs:

1.  Mrs. Vegter, 8th grade science teacher, will receive additional teacher training and resources in KidWind, which provides experiences in alternative energy.

2.  Mr. Tidgren, 7th grade math teacher, will receive resources in A World in Motion, which provides additional learning opportunities for students in the areas of math, science, and technology.

3.  Mrs. Schulz, technology integrationist, received a grant in Hyperstream, which is a program that partners education and business, providing students with hands-on, real-world technology projects.

We look forward to continue to look at ways to incorporate STEM-related learning opportunities to encourage and promote students in a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Financial Literacy as a 7th Grade Exploratory Class

As part of the Iowa Core (Common Core State Standards), teaching the 21st Century Skills is a requirement.  The 21st Century Skills include:  Technology Literacy, Heath Literacy, Employability Literacy, and Financial Literacy.  These skills are taught in a variety of classes throughout the middle school.

This year we had the opportunity to re-design the 7th grade Technology exploratory class that runs for 6 weeks.  We will devote this Technology class to the 21st Century Skill of Financial Literacy.  Mrs. Borchers, our Gifted and Talented teacher, will teach the exploratory class.  All 7th grade students will participate.

The following essential Concepts and/or Skills will be addressed:

1.  Learn the process of financial planning based on wants and needs;
2.  Create an effective spending plan;
3.  Recognize appropriate uses of credit;
4.  Evaluate risks to personal identity;
5.  Evaluate possible options for investing;
6.  Demonstrate ethical financial making skills.

We are excited to design a class on Financial Literacy, providing students experiences important to the 21st Century.  We know that students will enjoy the class and learn the importance of Financial Literacy as they become young adults.

Welcome Back to 2014-15 School Year

I would like to welcome back students, parents, and staff to the 2014-15 school year.  I hope every one enjoyed the summer months.  It is hard to believe that we will be back in school soon.  I am sure many of you are ready to get back to the school routine.

I wanted to bring to your attention or remind you of several dates:

Wednesday, August 13th:  Chromebook Roll Out Night at the CHS Auditorium (5th/6th:  6:30 & 7th/8th:  7:00) - 1 of 2 dates that you can attend;
Thursday, August 14th:  K-8 Open House from 4:45-7:00;
Monday, August 18th:  Chromebook Roll Out Night at the CHS Auditorium (5th/6th:  6:30 & 7th/8th:  7:00) - 2 of 2 dates that you can attend.

I also would like to inform you that I am using two social media tools to communicate to parents, students, and staff.  You can subscribe to my blog using the following link: http://cheimancarrolltigers.blogspot.com/.

You can also follow me on Twitter at the following address:  @cory_heiman

I hope you subscribe/follow me as I will do my best to communicate classroom happenings, provide updates occurring at CMS, etc.

We look forward to the upcoming school year.  Thank you for allowing us to teach your child(ren).

Looking for a Summer Activity for Your Child?

Parents/Guardian(s):

This summer the ISU Extension is offering five different hands-on, engaging camps for youth having completed 4th-7th grades that all revolve around the Governor's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) initiative in Iowa.

Cost for each camp is $20 per participant and the registration deadline is May 15 for all camps.  Registrations are on a first come, first serve basis, and they must have payment and registration in hand to hold your spot.  Click here for registration form.

Camps available are the following:
1.  Solid as a Rock--Replicating an Artifact;
2.  Cooking Up Science;
3.  The Best of Bugs--Designing Hand Pollinators;
4.  Don't Runoff--Engineering Urban Landscapes;
5.  A Work in Progress--Improving a Play Dough Process.

Please consider sending your child to one or several of these camps!

Thanks--Dodgeball Tournament

Thank you to everyone who participated and attended our 3rd Annual Dodgeball Tournament.  We raised approximately $2,400 from admission, concessions, and teams' entry fees.  The money will be donated to Relay for Life.  Thanks again for your help in making the tournament a success.

3rd Annual Dodgeball Tournament

CMS is hosting our 3rd Annual Dodgeball Tournament for middle school students and staff on Friday, March 21st, starting at 5:00.  Proceeds from the teams' entry fees and admission will be donated to Relay for Life.  Admission is $3.  Snacks will be available.  Please join us for a fun night.

Student-Created Cyberbullying Video

Several of our 7th grade students created a video on Cyberbullying.  The students along with Mrs. Schulz, our Technology Integrationist, spent time during study halls and after school to put together the video.  Through teamwork, creativity, collaboration, and use of technology, the following video was created:
 
http://youtu.be/_mfL1WtdTHY 

Also, teachers presented the following discussion questions to the students after watching the video:

1.  What affect can harmful words have on people?
2.  How does technology make it easier for people to say negative things about others?
3.  Why is it important to think and watch what you post online?
4.  What are some of the ways that people hurt other people's feelings online?
5.  What are some of the similarities and differences between bullying and cyberbullying?
6.  What are some ways to handle a cyberbullying situation?

Link to Digital Citizenship

As I mentioned in a previous post, the middle school has been spending time on a weekly basis teaching students about Digital Citizenship.  With the help of Mrs. Schulz, our technology integrationist, and our teachers, the students are receiving instruction on the importance of using technology appropriately and responsibly in the school setting and also learning about the impact it can have beyond school.

I wanted to share the link of the lessons that have been created up to this point.  We encourage you to have conversations with your son/daughter on the discussion points that are included in the lessons. Please refer to the link throughout the year as lessons are posted weekly.

https://sites.google.com/a/carrolltigers.org/digital-citizenship/

Attendance

In the November 10th issue, the Des Moines Register wrote several articles on school attendance.  The articles hi-lighted several schools who have turned around their student attendance problems, and they also shared students' stories who are now making attendance to school a priority.  I am sharing several pieces of information/research from the articles, and also including CMS's attendance data from the 1st semester.

Hi-lights from the article:
1.  Absenteeism appears most prevalent in high poverty Iowa schools;
2.  The Des Moines Register found 1 in 5 Des Moines high school students were chronically absent, missing 10% or more of the 2012-13 school year;
3.  According to the Des Moines Register, in the Waterloo School District, 17% of all students missed 10% or more days of school;
4.  Research shows that students who miss more than 10% days of school are more likely to struggle academically and have more potential to drop out;
5.  Other research shows students who miss more than 10% of their kindergarten year are not likely to be proficient readers by the end of 3rd grade;
6.  Poor attendance is a community matter because students who drop out of school can impact the amount of taxes the taxpayer pays.

CMS's 1st semester attendance data (Note:  Students with 10 absences or fewer meet our attendance criteria):

1.  25% of our students had perfect attendance (93 students);
2.  97% of our students met our attendance policy of missing 10 days or fewer;
3.  Class attendance percentages:
              6th grade:  97.16% attendance rate;
              7th grade:  97.21% attendance rate;
              8th grade:  96.75% attendance rate.

As you can see from our attendance data, we are fortunate that our students and families make attending school a priority.  We encourage you to continue making your child's attendance to school a priority as it is an important life-skill that will pay dividends not only for your child's education, but also beyond school.

Source:  November 10, 2013, Des Moines Register.