Carver Announcements for 10.16.2022

 Hello Carver Families!

This information is intended to keep parents updated on reminders, upcoming activities, and announcements during the school year. Be sure to check Carver's webpage (click here for website) for updated daily announcements. Please see below for announcements for this week:

1.        Quarter ends on Thursday (Oct 20)! Please talk with your student about grades and missing assignments and contact your child’s teacher for questions (click here for teacher email list).

2.        PICTURE DAY AT CARVER IS OCT 18! Order pictures online at mylifetouch.com using the picture day ID code: EVT8D6ZV3. Picture retakes or pictures for students absent will be on Dec 2 (Friday) from 9 am – 11 am.  

3.        Carver PTSA meeting will be on Oct 18 in the Carver library from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm. Please join us in person or via zoom. (Click here for the zoom link for the PTSA meeting.)

·      PTSA Scholastic Book Fair will be at Carver from Oct 24 – Oct 28. Parents--please use this link to volunteer at the book fair (click here for the sign-up link to volunteer at the book fair).

·      Carver PTSA is having a pizza fundraiser at Papa John’s on 3305 S Campbell on October 24^th. A portion of the proceeds that evening will be donated to Carver PTSA. Please consider ordering Papa John’s pizza on Oct 24^th! Papa John’s will continue the fundraiser for each of these evenings in the future: November 28, December 12, January 30, February 27, March 27, April 24, and May 22.

4.        Parent Teacher Conferences are Oct 24 and Oct 26 before and after school. Please contact one of your child’s teachers to set up a conference (teacher email list here).

5.        From the Carver Nurses:

A FREE seasonal flu vaccine clinic will be held at Carver on October 17^th, 2022 for students. Permission forms were sent home with students.  If you would like for your child to participate, please complete the permission form and return it to school with your student. Written parental consent is required for your child to participate. Click here for link to the consent form: https://www.sps.org/Page/2636. Please contact the health room at 417-523-6830 with questions.  

6.        For Veteran’s Day, Carver would like to honor our family members who have served in the military. If you have a family member who served, please email the following information to Eric Rife at errife@spsmail.org by November 7. We will add the photo and information to our Veteran’s Day presentation and announcements.

·       Name of family member

·       Student’s name

·       Branch of Service

·       Rank

·       Photo (if you have)

7.        ATTENTION 8^th GRADE PARENTS: 8^th grade students that want to attend an SPS high school not in their attendance area must complete the online 2023-24 Transitional Transfer Request prior to the transfer request deadline at SPS.org. The online Transitional Transfer request for current 8^th graders to attend the high school of their choice will open on November 2 at 7:30 a.m. and remain open until December 9 at 4:30 p.m.

8.       Book Fair Spirit Week:

·       Monday (Oct 24): Fall Colors Day:

·  8th grade wear black

·  7th grade wear orange

·  6th grade wear purple

·       Tuesday (Oct 25): Reading is Relaxing!

·  Wear school appropriate PJ’s (shoes required)!

·       Wednesday (Oct 26): Winning Wednesday!

·  Wear your favorite sport team or Carver gear!

·       Thursday (Oct 27): Halloween Costume! Wear your school appropriate costume!

·  COSTUMES MUST BE SCHOOL APPROPRIATE.

·  Halloween masks that cover whole face not allowed.

·  No Prop Weapons. All large costume props will be held in the office.

·  Shoes required!

·       Friday (Oct 28): Fancy Friday! Dress your best! 

9.        GWC STUDENT NEWS! Click here to view the latest episode of GWC News for 2022-2023. The news cast is created by students on the GWC Student News Tech Force team. The students in the Tech Force Team applied to be part of the Tech Force team to assist the librarian, students, and teachers with technology needs. Another duty in Tech Force is to create a student news video to highlight activities and events at Carver. The GWC News is shared with students during Breakfast in the Classroom and is also available for student viewing on Cougar Voices Canvas page.

10.     Please spend a few minutes with your student weekly to review assignments and grades in each class. Follow these steps to check grades and assignments:

·       To check overall grades in home access:

·  Assignments will be updated weekly by each teacher on home access. Grades will be updated through progress reports every three weeks and for final end-of-quarter grades. To check overall assignments and grades in eschool home access, please follow these steps:

·       Home Access Center website: https://homeaccess.sps.org/homeaccess

·       Log-in: Enter User Name and Password

o   If you have not previously logged on, you will be asked to create two questions with answers in case you forget your password in the future.

o   If you need your log-in and password, please come in or call the office.

·       Click on Classes for assignments and click on Grades for overall scores in each class at mid-quarter and at the end of the quarter.  

·       To message teachers in Canvas:

·  Canvas is the platform our teachers and students use for learning. As a parent, you are automatically able to be an observer in each of your child’s Canvas courses with your own log-in and password. To find your child’s Canvas courses, log in to Canvas at www.sps.org > Click on “Parents” > Click on “Resources” > Click on “Canvas.” The log in for Canvas is the same as eschool home access log-in and password. If you are unable to log-in to Canvas or home access, please call the main office. We will be happy to assist you!

·  If you are unfamiliar with Canvas and would like quick tips on how to change preferences or contact a teacher through Canvas, click here for information.  

·  For accuracy, please use eschool Home Access for updated weekly grades. If you have questions about the assignment or grade, Canvas offers a way to immediately contact the teacher through inbox.

11.     Naviance for 6th grade: This year, 6th graders will be utilizing a new program, Naviance, in Social Studies classes. Naviance is a college and career preparedness program that will assist students with setting college and career goals to use through high school.

·       In the first quarter, students learned about Naviance and completed a pre-assessment to determine their college and career knowledge.

·       Ask to see your 6^th grader about the program and what career information your student has investigated so far!

12.     Nutrition Services: To qualify for financial assistance for lunch, please complete the applications for Free and Reduced-Price Meals. Each family is required to apply each year for Free and Reduced-Price Meals in order to qualify. Families only need to complete one application per family. Click here to apply online. For more information on questions or eligibility, click here for Frequently Asked Questions and click here for Income Eligibility Guidelines to assist in completing your application. 

13.     SPS U: Planning for the next SPS University is currently underway. The event will be held at Glendale High School on Thursday, November 10, 5:30-8:30 p.m. More information will be sent via email and text.

14.     Each week, Springfield Public Schools sends an email newsletter to SPS parents, families and community members with The Latest from SPS. View past editions of the current school year SPS e-newsletters here (click here).

15.     ICU Missing Work program has started! Parents/guardians will receive an email and text alert noting your student has one or more missing assignments. The text alert may look like a phone number from out-of-state due to the program we use called ICU. This is another way of helping parents stay in touch with how your student is doing in classes. Please speak to your student about the missing assignment and have them turn it in to the teacher.

16.     Students should bring a charged chromebook to school each day! Students without a chromebook will call home to have the device delivered to school. Thank you for helping your student remember to bring a charged chromebook each school day!

17.     Need before school care or after school care for your student? SPARC will be offering before and after school care each school day from 6:30 am until 6 pm at Carver. Find more information about the program at SHINE at sps.org (click here).

18.     Building Opens at 8:15 am: Students are allowed to enter the building in the mornings at 8:15 am. Please drop your student off in the carline after 8:15 am. If your student walks or rides a bicycle, please speak to them about arriving at school after 8:15 am.

a.     Cold weather is approaching! The building will not open until 8:15 am. Only students enrolled in SHINE (before school paid care) or student athletes attending morning practice with the team will be allowed to enter the building prior to 8:15 am. Please speak to you student about arriving after 8:15 am when the doors open. 

19.     Carline Reminders!

·       MORNING CARLINE: Please pull all the way forward in the morning drop off line! Please don’t just stop at the awning. Pulling all the way forward at the top of the line will create a faster and more efficient carline in the morning.  

·       AFTERNOON CARLINE: We will dismiss car riders to the awning/front entrance for carline dismissal. We have approximately 300 car riders. For the safety of all, students are not allowed to cross the bus lane to go to the parking lot. Do NOT park in the parking lot to avoid the car line. We want to be efficient, safe, and quick in the carline so please ask your student to limit the socializing with peers in the carline so all students can get home in a timely manner.

·       AFTERNOON CARLINE: Do not park at the Dollar General and have your student walk to Dollar General. Walkers are not dismissed until the carline at Carver is complete. Please instead drive through the carline and pick up your student. Thank you for not disrupting our local businesses or the street in front of the local business. 

20.     Is your student walking home from school? For the safety of our students as they cross two crosswalks in the carline and on Battlefield, all students walking home from school toward Battlefield Rd will be dismissed from school after the car line has ended. Please be aware your student will be leaving school around 4:15 pm. Students walking home using the back trail can leave at 4:00 pm.

21.     Athletic Middle School Expectations: We would love for you to attend the events with your students to cheer on our teams. Students planning to attend any home or away game for Carver sports must follow these guidelines:

·       Students not attending with a guardian or adult, must sit in the designated space required for student spectators. Students attending with guardians or an adult will be allowed to sit with the guardian or adult.

·       Students seated in the student spectator area will remain seated until half-time or between games. Concessions will only be available for students in the student section at those times.

·       Students seated in the student spectator area will follow all school rules for student behaviors. Students not displaying acceptable behaviors will be required to leave the event and will be called to the office on a conduct referral the following school day.

·       Students must have a ride at the game when the game ends. Students are expected to call parents during the last 10-15 minutes of play so that parents can be in the parking lot when the game ends. Students without rides at the time the game ends will not attend the next home game. Please make sure you arrange for your student to have a ride at the end of the game prior to your student attending the game without an adult.

22.     We want to stay connected with you! If you have questions about your child’s assignment or grade, please email the teacher. Click here for a list of all teacher emails for our building.

23.     Stay connected to the weekly announcements! Be sure to update your email and phone number so you can stay connected to important dates and information each week! The announcements each week can also be found on Carver’s Twitter and Facebook pages at:

 Facebook: George Washington Carver (Carver Middle School Cougars)

 Twitter: @CarverMSCougars

 

Thank you for all you do to help our Carver school community! Go Cougars!

 

Dr. Dana Powers

Carver Principal