CMS Open House Talking Points 2017

1st period – CMS Talking points Visiting CMS: You are welcome to visit anytime and we have reserved parking for you in the front of the building facing West Lake Houston. We ask all of our visitors to sign-in at the greeter desk with one of the parent volunteers. The only doors that are unlocked during the day are the ones in the front that face West Lake Houston. So if you are late, please drop-off in the front. The doors on the Sandy Forks side of the building are locked during the day.

2nd period – CMS Talking points Absent and Checking Out Early In an attempt to minimize classroom interruptions, if you are planning to check your child out of school early, your child should bring a note to the attendance office before school. If your child is absent, please send him/her back to school with a note excusing that absences. Whether it is a doctor’s note or a note from you, Mr. Davis needs it for our files.

3rd Period – CMS Talking points Parking Lot Just like last few years, students are not permitted in the staff parking lot at drop-off time or dismissal time. Safety comes first for everybody. It does not take all that much more time to go through the car line in the morning. Mr. Winicki says he has timed it, and it takes 2-3 minutes in the morning. Those are his numbers not mine. He said he’d make a Starbucks bet with anyone willing to lose a bet.

4th period – CMS Talking points ZAP As we continue to find effective ways to compel students to complete and turn in their work, we have tweaked our ZAP (Zeros Aren’t Permitted) program. Students will be able to turn in completed work in any D-hall or at ZAP time on Thursday mornings between 8:35 and 9:45.

5th period – CMS Talking points Cell Phones Students are not permitted to use cell phones in the building during school unless the teacher directs them to do so. When the bell rings at 8:25 a.m. until 4:10 p.m., students are not permitted to use their cell phones in school. If there is a need for your son/daughter to call home, he/she can use a phone in one of the front offices.

6th period – CMS Talking points Email Access The new system is called school messenger. When Creekwood sends out an email, the system sends the message to the first email address that is listed in the student’s records. If your family has not received any emails from Mr. Winicki, please let him know.

7th period – CMS Talking points I forgot! If your child forgets something at home, it will not be the first time in the history of middle school that has happened. The parent volunteer or staff member at the desk will be take stuff left at home by your child. We will no longer deliver the stuff to the classrooms. We will let all students know in our grade level meeting next week that if they forgot something, they need to check the front office to see if it has been brought to school.

Welcome to Ms. Miner’s On-Level RELA

Grading Formative: Daily grades, class work, and homework count for 40% of a student’s grade Summative: Tests and projects make up the remaining 60% of the student’s grade. Formative Weight 0%: Look carefully at grade report Look at the weight of each assignment A weight of 0 will not count towards the average Practices or Progress checks

Independent Reading Students are required to complete one novel almost every month this school year. They will receive their Independent Reading Quickwrite (IRQW) prompt in advance to help focus their reading. They will respond to the IRQW prompt at the end of each month. We’ve learned to be flexible with our deadlines. The first IRQW will be in October. Prompts will also always be loaded to the class calendar and Google Classroom.

Writing Short Story Expository Research Essay Persuasive Research Essay Literary Analysis Weekly Journal Writings …Along with other various timed writings in class.

Tutoring Tutorials schedule is as follows: Monday afternoons 4:10 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. Friday mornings 7:45 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. I am also available for tutoring by appointment, but your child must talk with me to make that appointment.

Questions – Time Permitting