March 31, 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians of M-CMS,
It is so good to be able to write and connect with our middle school students and families. We had a great online faculty meeting yesterday and we are excited to be the pioneering educators for online learning in public education. As you heard from our Superintendent, the district will be starting our online school on April 6th. We are all working to get ready to support you and your child in this new way of learning. Here is some pertinent information to help your child as they start learning from home next week.
CHROMEBOOKS
Those families who completed the district survey to express a need to use a Chromebook during this time of online learning will be able to pick those Chromebooks up on Thursday, April 2nd. You MUST go to the school or pod of your OLDEST child to pick-up your family's Chromebook. There is only one Chromebook per family being issued. BRING YOUR OWN PEN to sign out the computer.
Pick-ups for M-CMS will be done on 2nd Street on the south side of the building.
Here are the time slots for pick-up.
1:00 - 1:30 pm - 8A pod 2:30 - 3:00 pm - 7B pod
1:30 - 2:00 pm - 8B pod 3:00 - 3:30 pm - 6A pod
2:00 - 2:30 pm - 7A pod 3:30 - 4:00 pm - 6B pod
Every effort will be made to avoid contact in this exchange, therefore, we request you PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN PEN AND HARD SURFACE TO WRITE ON when signing out the Chromebook.
ONLINE CLASSES
Online learning at M-CMS is founded on the following principles: 1) supporting continuous learning, 2) providing access for all students, and 3) maintaining connectedness to the community. All students can login into their school accounts through the Chrome browser by typing their firstname.lastname@cortezstudents.org All the middle school teachers will post their lessons on Google Classroom. When teachers facilitate a whole class discussion, Google Hangouts will be used.
Teachers will post lessons every Monday. Students are to complete those lessons by Thursday the same week, unless otherwise indicated by the teacher. The middle school has organized the lesson content into two sections - Black for Math and Science (Monday & Wednesday) and Orange for ELA and Social Studies (Tuesday & Thursday). Students are encouraged to complete the Elective lessons with family members throughout the week. Teachers will host office hours for parents to call to ask questions or gather information. This time is also available for students to get help with assignments or extra tutoring if needed.
Core Content Teacher's Hours
| Times | Black Day Office Hours (Mon. & Wed.) | Orange Day Office Hours (Tues. & Thurs.) |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30am - 10:30 am | Math Department | ELA Department |
| 10:30 am - 12:30 pm | Science Department | Social Studies Department |
Elective Teacher's Office Hours
| Times | Black Day Office Hours (Mon. & Wed.) | Orange Day Office Hours (Thurs. only) |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 am - 9:30 am | Gabardi, Bloise, Englehart, R. Robinson | Gabardi, Bloise, Englehart, R. Robinson |
| 9:30 am - 10:30 am | A. Mohr, Sitton, Mustoe | A. Mohr, Sitton, Mustoe |
| 10:30 am - 11:30 am | Small, Campo | Small, Campo |
| 11:30 am - 12:30 pm | Madsen, Martinez | Madsen, Martinez |
BAND INSTRUMENTS
I have some parents ask about their child’s band instrument. Students who need their band instruments can pick those up (curb-side service) during the same time slots listed above for the Chromebook distribution time. Unfortunately, the building will not be accessible at this time to any student or parent in accord with the Governor’s decree.
I know some students and teachers have already been chatting online. We have missed our students and can’t wait to reconnect with them virtually on Monday, April 6th. The entire M-CMS faculty is committed to helping meet your child’s academic and emotional needs. We know families are juggling right now and our M-CMS family wants to be there to support you as best we can. It is important we unite together to help our children maintain their learning so they are prepared for the next grade level. We are all better when we work together! If you have questions in the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me at kott@cortez.k12.co.us.
Sincerely,
Kate Ott, Principal