China Spring Middle School

CSMS Newsletter

Parent & Student

Week of November 11th - November 14th

FROM MR. ELLIS

• david.ellis@chinaspringisd.net.

• Congratulations to all our Fall Sports teams, boys and girls. Phenomenal! Winter sports season is here and we can’t wait to watch you compete on the court. 

• Congratulations to our MS band prop crew who are heading to STATE this coming week with the Varsity Marching Band! We are so proud of the work you are doing for our band program and we’re excited to watch you perform at the highest level in San Antonio!! Bring back some hardware

• We are having a food drive  until November 19th. We need non-perishable food items turned into your student’s 3rd period class. The winning class will receive a prize. See Mrs. McAdams’s section for info as well!

• CSMS is ALL about teaching and learning. Please make sure your student is coming to school prepared with necessary materials, including their iPad. Please reach out to your child’s teacher(s) should you have any questions. 

• Congratulations to our STUDENTS OF THE MONTH!  These students exemplify our core values of Commitment, Respect, Grit, and Integrity, and we are so proud of these students:

  • August Students of the Month

    • Max Fisher

    • Grace Kulcsar

    • Tyler Salazar

    • Amanda Njemini

  • September Students of the Month

    • Adrian Tremillo

    • Scout Potts

    • Tyler Stanley

    • Karly Bryan

  • October Students of the Month

    • Braxton Hamilton

    • Madelynn Garcia

    • Evan Cruz-Vargas

    • Jayada Greene

• Picture Retakes are approaching. November 13th, 2024 will be picture retake day. There are forms in the front office for your student to pick up if they missed the original date. 

• The CSMS Fall Dance takes place on November 14th from 6-8 PM in the CSMS Gym!  “Let’s Glow Crazy” is our theme! The Link below can take you to our sign up page if you want to volunteer. All volunteers must be certified in the CSISD Volunteer system found on the China Spring Website before being able to help with the dance. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F084AA4AF2CABFC1-52416807-csms. 

Tickets for this dance will be sold in the CSMS Office beginning Monday, November 4th before school and during lunch. Students must meet all CSMS Attendance, grade, and behavior standards in order to attend the dance. Students not meeting all standards will not be able to attend the dance. This is not negotiable. Thank you!

• Any student below 90% attendance for the year who has not worked to make up time in Saturday School may NOT attend the dance. Those who have served time in Saturday school will be considered.

• Any student with a DAEP placement or 3 or more days in ISS (In-School Suspension) or OSS (Out of School Suspension) may NOT attend the dance.

• Any student who had a failing grade for the 1st 9-week grading period may NOT attend the dance. 

• We have an Honor Wall for all our students and faculty who have a loved one who is a Veteran of the US Armed Forces. There’s a form you or your student can pick up in the office to fill out about your loved Veteran and we will post it to our Honor wall through Veteran’s Day. 

• Attention Parents: Students who attend a MS extracurricular event must not be roaming the school during the event.. All students wanting to attend can remain in the gym or at the stadium but must not wander through CSISD facilities or the school campus. Students not obeying this rule will be sent home. This is for the safety of all students and spectators who attend CSISD sporting and/or extracurricular events. Parents, please understand that students should not be completely without parental supervision at games in the stands and bleachers. If students violate the code of conduct during an extracurricular activity, it might necessitate you taking them home from the game. If you drop your student off, please be available to take a call from an administrator should we need to get a hold of you due to circumstances that happen in the stands or bleachers. 

• NO THIRD PARTY DELIVERIES ACCEPTED ON CAMPUS i.e. (DoorDash, UberEats).  Parents, we appreciate your cooperation because it has helped us create a much safer environment for students at school.

• CELL PHONES PROHIBITED at CSMS.  Student cell phones must be off and stored in a backpack or purse.  Should a student need to communicate with a parent/guardian via their personal cell phone, he or she should ask for permission to go to the office to call or text his/her parent. Cell phones distract from the teaching and learning that must take place each day. Thank you for keeping your cell phone put away.

• Please remind your student to charge their iPad every night and bring it to school fully charged and ready to go. 

INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS: The Power of Student-Led Goal Setting

Mrs. Ghazzagh, Instructional Coach, sghazzagh@chinaspringisd.net

When students take ownership of their academic journey by setting their own learning goals, they develop crucial life skills while achieving better academic outcomes. Research shows that students who participate in goal-setting demonstrate increased motivation, better time management, and higher academic achievement.

• Benefits of Student Goal Setting

Students who set their own academic goals experience enhanced self-awareness and develop stronger metacognitive skills. This process helps them understand their strengths and areas for improvement while building confidence in their ability to overcome challenges. They become more engaged in their learning and develop a growth mindset that serves them well beyond their academic years.

Supporting Your Child's Goal-Setting Journey

• Create a Goal-Setting Routine

Establish regular conversations with your child about their academic aspirations and help them break down larger goals into manageable steps. For example, if your child wants to improve their reading comprehension, help them set specific targets like reading for 20 minutes each day.

• Encourage Self-Assessment

Guide your child to evaluate their own performance and identify areas for growth. Ask reflective questions like:

- "How do you feel about your work?"

- "What could you do differently next time?"

- "What areas do you think need improvement?"

• Celebrating Progress: Focus on Effort Over Results

Celebrate your child's hard work and persistence rather than just their grades. Acknowledge their achievements, highlight their strengths, and reward them for completing projects independently, regardless of the final outcome.

• Maintain Positive Communication

Have regular conversations about their goals and progress while offering encouragement and support. Remember that education is a team effort, involving teachers, parents, and students working together toward success.

FROM MRS. BARTEE

• sbartee@chinaspringisd.net

• PLEASE NOTE:  Several CSISD campuses have different start times due to transportation needs.

  • Primary Campus Start Time – 7:50am

  • Elementary Campus Start Time – 8:00am

  • Intermediate Campus Start Time – 8:00am

  • Middle Campus Start Time – 7:55am

  • High Campus Start Time – 7:55am

• Attendance

  • Attendance is taken every day during every class period.

  • School starts at 7:55am.  If a student is more than 20 minutes late to school, he/she will be marked absent for first period.

  • When you know your child will be absent, please call the school office or email Mrs. Palmer (spalmer@chinaspringisd.net) to notify us of his or her absence.  This will keep you off of our call list for that day when we call absent students.

  • Every absence needs to be documented in writing with the front office within three school days of the student returning to school.

  • Attendance warning letters will be sent home once a student reaches three (3) unexcused absences.  Additional warning letters will be sent home after five (5) unexcused absences.  Once a student reaches seven (7) unexcused absences, Mrs. Bartee and Chief Wachsmann will require parents to meet with them at the middle school in person to discuss truancy prevention measures and to make a plan for improving school attendance.  After ten (10) unexcused absences, truancy charges will be filed against the parent, and Judge Richardson will contact the parent to schedule a court hearing.

• Weekly Attendance Update – It is our goal at China Spring Middle School for our average daily attendance rate to be at or above 97%.  This past week, WE WERE SO CLOSE with an average daily attendance rate of 96.95%!  Please keep coming to school every day for every class period.  Please make healthy choices and get well soon if you are ill.

  • Monday, November 4

    • 7th grade – 98.26%

    • 8th grade – 94.05%

  • Tuesday, November 5

    • 7th grade – 96.96%

    • 8th grade – 98.81%

  • Wednesday, November 6

    • 7th grade – 96.96%

    • 8th grade – 96.06%

  • Thursday, November 7

    • 7th grade – 97.83%

    • 8th grade – 96.85%

  • Weekly Average

    • 7th grade – 97.50%

    • 8th grade – 96.44%

    • Campus – 96.95%

NOVEMBER ATTENDANCE CHALLENGE

7th grade vs. 8th grade

The class that has the highest attendance rate for the month of November will win the privilege of attending our annual Pie Eating Contest.  Students from the winning class will be allowed to put their name in a drawing to compete against Mr. Ellis in a pie eating contest.  Four students will be selected and the remainder of the class will be in the audience cheering for their favorite competitor.  In the past, this has been such a fun (and funny) event for the students.  Make every effort to attend school so that your class can win!

CURRENTLY, 7TH GRADE IS IN THE LEAD!

FROM OUR PARENT VOLUNTEERS

We wanted to communicate  all the plans for the 2024-2025 school year so you can plan accordingly. Please see the dates and additional info below.

• Fall Dance will be November 14th.  We will need snacks, décor, and volunteers.

• Catered Thanksgiving Lunch 11/21/24

• Catered Teacher Appreciation Lunch 5/8/25

Randomly throughout the year we will ask for monetary donations to stock popcorn, sodas, and water all year for the teachers and staff.
If you want to donate $75 now you will be done for the year. You can drop cash or check (CSMS) at the front office or Venmo, Kristin- Clements- 4. Otherwise, we will send emails leading up to the event and you can donate then, if you can!

We appreciate all the support you have shown for CSMS. Looking forward to a great year. 

Amanda Talbert, parent volunteer

Kristin Clements, parent volunteer

FROM MRS. MCADAMS, School Counselor

• amcadams@chinaspringisd.net

• 504 meetings have started, and I am diligently working on getting those schedules.  If you have a 7th grade student with a 504 plan, look out for more information from me regarding scheduling a meeting.  If you have an 8th grade 504 student, please reach out to me if you would like to schedule a meeting.

• Please contact me if your child has any counseling needs. 

• Bullying can be verbal, physical, through social exclusion, or via digital sources.

• If you are being bullied or someone you know is getting bullied please report it to Mrs. Bartee or Mrs. McAdams.

• NJHS News:

  • Thanksgiving CS Cares Food Drive will start Monday the 4th to the 19th. Please bring money or food cans! Flyers are around the school.

  • Upcoming NJHS Events:

    • Christmas Breakfast Party for NJHS members

    • 7th grade applications will be going out in December

    • 7th grade Induction Ceremony in January

FROM NURSE NIXON,  School Nurse

• lnixon@chinaspringisd.net

• If you wish for your child to take medication at school, there is a medication form located on the CSISD Health Services website.  Parent and doctor signatures are required.

As the season transitions from warm summer days to cooler fall weather, we’d like to share some health tips to help keep our students healthy and thriving. Seasonal changes can bring about colds, allergies, and other illnesses, so a few proactive steps can make a big difference:

1. Handwashing: Encourage frequent handwashing with soap and water. This simple habit reduces the spread of germs, especially after coughing, sneezing, or touching shared surfaces.

2. Staying Hydrated: Even as temperatures cool, staying hydrated is essential. Drinking water regularly supports immune health and overall well-being.

3. Dressing in Layers: Fall weather can be unpredictable. Dressing in layers allows children to stay comfortable and avoid sudden chills that may lead to colds.

4. Healthy Sleep Routines: A well-rested child is better equipped to handle daily activities and fend off illness. Aim for consistent sleep schedules, even on weekends.

5. Balanced Nutrition: Nutrient-rich foods support immune function. Including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains helps keep kids healthy and energized.

6. Annual Flu Shot: We encourage you to consult your family doctor about flu shots. The CDC recommends the flu vaccine as an effective way to reduce the risk of influenza.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or if there’s any way we can support your family’s health. Thank you for partnering with us in keeping our school community safe and healthy this season!

FROM MRS. PALMER,  Registrar/Attendance Clerk

• spalmer@chinaspringisd.net

• DUES: Class Dues are $20 - we accept Cash or Check made out to CSMS or you may pay online through Myschoolbucks.com - Store, Browse All, Class Dues.

• If you have an absence excuse note for your student, you may email Mrs. Palmer or bring the note to the front office.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• 11.11.2024 - Veterans Day

• 11.11.2024 - Science Fall Benchmark (testing during science class)

• 11.11.2024 - MS Girls’ Basketball vs. Robinson (Home) - A teams HS Main Gym - B teams MS gym

• 11.12.2024 - ELAR Fall Benchmark (testing during English class)

• 11.13.2024 - Picture Retakes

• 11.14.2024 - MS Fall Dance - Let’s Glow Crazy - MS Gym - 6:00pm-8:00pm

BELL SCHEDULE