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.
Printed progress reports were sent home on Jan 25! The next printed
progress report will be sent home on Feb 15. Third quarter ends on March 9. Guardians
can go online each day at https://homeaccess.sps.org/homeaccess to
see your student’s class assignment grades. (Click forgot user name or password to get an email with your log in information.)
Please talk with your student each week about grades and missing assignments
and contact your child’s teacher for questions about assignments (click
here for teacher email list).
· Please use the printed progress reports as a three week check on your student’s grades. Please check HomeAccess Eschool weekly if you are concerned about your student’s grades during the printed progress report grade check. ICU Missing Work email and text is another tool but should not be the only check on your student’s grades during the quarter.
2.
Need more information
about upcoming SPS bond? Please attend the PTSA meeting on Feb 7 at 5:30 pm in
the library for more information during the PTSA meeting.
· On April 4, Springfield voters
will be asked to consider a $220 million bond proposal to fund high-priority
projects, which were recommended by a citizen’s task force to make our schools
safer and stronger for students and staff. The projects will improve safety and
security at every school and renovate or reconstruct three schools.
· Projects
that would be funded by Proposition S include:
· Safety
and security upgrades at all schools.
· New
schools will be constructed for Pipkin Middle School and Reed Academy. The new construction will provide quality
learning environments and address plumbing, electrical and other infrastructure
issues, in addition to resolving accessibility barriers and safety challenges
in these 100-year-old buildings.
· Renovation/reconstruction
at Pershing School will provide an improved learning environment for students
and staff at its current location.
· New
storm-shelter gymnasiums will be added to Cowden, Holland, Mann, Pittman,
Watkins, and Wilder elementary schools.
· These school improvements are possible with no increase to our current tax levy rate. If voters approve Proposition S, the rate would remain unchanged at 73 cents per $100 of assessed valuation of real estate and personal property. Learn more about Proposition S at sps.org/PropS.
3.
Carver PTSA meeting will be on February 7 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.)
· Papa John’s Pizza night is Jan 30th
from 4-8 pm. Order pizza from Papa John’s between those
hours and Papa John’s will donate 10% to Carver PTSA!
· Interested in being a PTSA officer for the 2023-24 school year? Please email Carver PTSA at carverptsa@outlook.com for more information.
4. Carver yearbooks for the 2022-23 school year are on sale until April 15th! Use this link to purchase a yearbook (click here). Yearbooks are $18 and will be hand-delivered to your student the last week of school in May.
5. 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.
6. 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 and will remain seated until half-time or
between games. Concessions, when available, will only be accessible for
students in the student section between games or at half-time.
· 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 future games. Please make sure you arrange for your student to have a ride by the end of the game prior to your student attending the game.
7. Cold weather is here! The building front door will not be unlocked until 8:15 am. Your students should wait in your car in the car line until the outer door is unlocked at 8:15 am. If your student walks or rides a bicycle to school in the mornings, speak to them about arriving after 8:15 am to avoid waiting in the cold outside until the door is unlocked at 8:15 am. (Only students enrolled in the 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.)
8.
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:
·
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.
9. 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
10. 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).
11. ICU Missing Work program: Parents/guardians will receive an email and text alert noting your student had a missing assignment. The text alert may look like a phone number from out-of-state due to the program we use called ICU Missing Work. This is another tool to help parents be aware of potential missing grades. Please speak to your student about the missing assignment and have them turn it in to the teacher. Parents are encouraged to also contact the teacher or check online to see the overall grade for the student for the class.
12. Don’t want your student to walk home in the cold this winter and need after school care with cold weather? Boys and Girls Club of Springfield has openings for after school care available currently for Carver students! Students are bused from Carver after school to the Boys and Girls Club Musgrave Facility Unit. Register at www.bgclubspringfield.org. Shine will cover the cost if you have free or reduced lunch or the price for the entire school year is $95. If you have questions, please call the Boys and Girls Club front desk at 417-869-8211.
13. Weekend Food Backpack Program: Any Carver family can sign up for the weekly food Backpack Program! If you would like for your student to grab a weekend food bag please contact us in the office to fill out the Carver Weekend Food Bag Request. The Carver Weekend Food Bag comes in a plastic bag that will easily fit in your student’s backpack. Students can easily grab a bag on their way out of the building every Friday afternoon. If you have additional questions or need help with additional support (utilities, additional food, rent, clothes, etc.) please contact Mrs. Swatzell at 417-523-6860 or email at hvswatzell@spsmail.org.
14. 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!
15.
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).
· Boys and Girls Club of Springfield also offers after school care for Carver students. Students are bused to the Boys and Girls Club Musgrave Facility Unit. Register at www.bgclubspringfield.org. Shine will cover the cost if you have free or reduced lunch or the price for the entire school year is $95. If you have questions please call the Boys and Girls Club front desk at 417-869-8211.
16.
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.
17. 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.
18. 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 emails for our building.
19. Need a Hotspot? Please contact us and we can provide you an application.
20. Breakfast will be provided for free to all in-person students at Carver this year. Breakfast is provided from 8:45 am – 9:00 am. Students arriving at school after 9:00 am will not have access to breakfast. Please make sure your student arrives to school between 8:45 am – 9:00 am for breakfast!
21. Parents! Need help accessing and checking learning with your student??? Please be sure to reach out with questions about eschool or canvas. Ask your student to canvas inbox (email) his or her teachers and read the answers from the teacher together or email the teachers directly (teacher email list here)! Need additional help navigating eschool or canvas? The coordinators for site intervention (CSI) at Carver are also available to help you. Please call 523-6800 and ask to speak to a CSI for in-person help!
22. 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
