Lisa Zelenkov
Carrie Sumner
Dear Parent/Guardian:
I once heard that clutter is the stuff that we need to take care of but are not making it a priority to resolve. Clutter could be in our physical environment, internal mental dilemmas, or within our body as it relates to physical health. Clutter in any of those areas of our life, and in the lives of our children, decrease our ability to function well. What does clutter look like in the lives of middle school students?
The obvious answer is often found by just opening the bedroom door. Very few of us have a natural ability to organize, stay organized and keep it all together in one clean and neat package. Kids often don’t know where to start and every few months it’s probably a great idea to help them get their room and study area cleared out. At my house, this happens whenever ARCA or Big Brother/Big Sister calls for donations. I tell the kids the pick-up deadline and every day between now and then we tackle a new area to locate stuff to donate and clean up. Since they call for donations about once a month, it has become a nice habit for deep cleaning of kid rooms. (Also helps for us parents tacking other rooms one month at a time.)
Clutter in the minds of middle school students is very social-emotionally based. Changing priorities (Family Values vs. Friend Values, How do I look? Do I have the “right” clothes?) create stressful mind clutter for teens as they start worrying about where they stand in the social scene and how good they look to the kid sitting behind them in math class. Mind clutter is the voice in their head that questions their value and worth. Middle school students are trying on every hat possible to find the right “fit” and they need to hear a lot of outside voices encouraging them and reinforcing that it is normal and appropriate to get out there and try – whether or not they succeed or fail.
Physical health clutter for a middle school student is finding the balance between healthy life skills and living in the moment. Many of our kids try to skip eating lunch at school for a variety of reasons and are hitting huge growth spurts that affect their weight and complexion.
Ask your child about his or her eating habits at school and what happens with the friends sitting around them - you may be surprised.
Our kids are sweating, getting pimples and need a lot of opportunity to practice serious grooming skills – the smell of our locker rooms is proof! This would be a great time to re-stock the deodorant at school and face wash at home in the shower. We are also seeing a lot of kids trying to skip breakfast in favor of energy drinks. I encourage parents to read up about the various kinds as some are better than others but if you're running late in the morning, try our school cafeteria breakfast- did you know we had breakfast at school?
So November is the month to de-clutter and get re-organized as second quarter starts. Kids are off to a fresh start academically and with some clutter busting it may be all the sweeter. I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving and find yourself thankful for so many things that it is hard to pick your favorite.
I love my job working with your kids and this year I am thankful for employment that allows me to make a difference in such a positive environment and for kids to call my own at home. Come by the school and say hi some time!
Sincerely,
Your Principal,
Lisa Zelenkov
From the Assistant Principal
Dear Parent/Guardian:
We are off to a great start at Central Middle School. The 7th graders have adjusted to the schedule and figured out how to open those lockers, while the 8th graders are settling into their new hall. It was great to meet with each of the teams and talk about the decorum at Central Middle School.
Sports are well under way at Central. In just a few weeks we will start Wrestling and Girls Volleyball. Please encourage your student to participate in the sports or activities. We also have many other activities going on at Central that are not sports oriented, including Student Led Team. Student Led Team gives your student a chance to have a voice in decision making at Central.
The SRO (School Resource Officer) program is again a huge help to Central Middle School. Officer Yoon visited students during most team decorum meetings to introduce themselves and field student questions. Officer Yoon also has been teaching classes on safety for our students.
This year Central is proud to announce that 46 students had perfect attendance first quarter. All of those students will receive a free dinner at LaCabana.
POLICIES/PROCEDURES
Parking/Driving at Central
If you drop off or pick up your student at Central you have noticed that traffic is a problem for us every year. The location of our school and front door creates a situation in which traffic can really bottle neck. A few important things to remember are…
1) Be kind and courteous of others.
2) Security is out in the areas where the buses load and unload. Please do not drive your car into the loading/unloading zones on 15th or in the west parking lot.
3) Cars may not be left unattended in the fire zone in the front of the school.
4) Cars may not double park in front of the school while loading/unloading students.
5) Students may only ride with their own parent/guardian unless we have a note from the parent on file in the office to ride with another person.
6) ALL CARS MUST TURN RIGHT WHEN LEAVING CENTRAL FROM THE MAIN ENTRANCE/EXIT. This is the number one complained about traffic violation.
Buses
The buses that run the routes for Central Middle School are all sub-contracted to the company First Student at 278-4287. If a bus is late picking up your student or dropping them off we encourage you to contact First Student for accurate information or to share concern. Students are expected to behave as if they are in the classroom while riding the bus. Riding the bus is a privilege and students will be removed for duration of time, if they do not follow the bus policies and behavior policies in their student handbooks. Students have the right to feel safe and comfortable on the ride home.
Absences
Attendance is something that we work hard to keep track of at Central Middle School. It is important for you to call into the office in order to excuse your student when he/she is absent. If you are planning to pick a student up early please call ahead or send in a note with the student and we will issue him/her a blue pass. A blue pass lets the teacher know that the student needs to leave class at a certain time, to gather up their belongings, in order to be waiting for the parent in the office. The blue pass helps to speed things up for the parent so that the student is ready when the parent arrives. After signing the student out and showing ID, the student may then leave with the parent/guardian.
Please Sign In
|
Locker Searches
As part of our process of keeping students, staff and parents safe Central conducts random locker searches. Be aware that your student is responsible for any and all items that are found in his/her locker.Your Assistant Principal,
Carrie Sumner