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:
Quarter ends on March 7. Please view daily grades online prior to March 7 and encourage your student to turn in any missing assignment.
Carver has started a new feature for grading to help parents with checking online grades. Canvas will now sync with Home Access during the day so each assignment will appear within a few hours. New items to know:
Any assignment due while a student is absent will have a blank for the grade or may have a —- (dash) while the student is still absent. After two or more days, any assignment still with a blank or —- (dash) will become a zero and will reflect a zero on the Progress Report or Grade Cards. An assignment with a blank for the grade or a —- (dash) is not excused and must be completed.
Want help managing Canvas Notifications to meet your needs as a parent? If you are receiving more emails from Canvas with the change this quarter or would like to receive more notifications with the grade of each assignment, this informational video can help you navigate the settings to adjust the number of emails. (Click here for the short video on Managing Canvas Notifications.) (Click here for a PDF on how to Manage Canvas Notifications.)
5th period classes will now have a grade of A,B,C,D, or F on each Progress Report and Grade Card. Ask your student about the grading rubric and then talk with your student about effort in the 5th period class.
If you have questions about the grades or assignments, please email the teacher. (Click here for a link to Home Access.) (Click here for a list of all teacher emails.) You can also find the link to Home Access by visiting Carver webpage (Click here for the webpage).
Carver PTSA meeting will be on March 5 in the Carver library from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm.
PTSA is looking for members to fill officer roles for the 2024-2025 school year. Please email Carver PTSA at carverptsa@outlook.com for more information about being an officer or to join a meeting via zoom.
The next Papa John’s Pizza night is March 11 from 4-8 pm. Order pizza from Papa John’s between those hours and Papa John’s will donate 10% to Carver PTSA!
Does your student need a sports physical for next year? The Care Mobile will be at Carver on February 29th for any student needing a sports physical. Students participating in 2024 spring and/or 2024 fall sports and need a physical can participate in the Care Mobile. Click here to complete the permission form. Permission forms should be turned into Nurse Stout at Carver. For additional information or questions, call Nurse Stout at 417.523.6830 or contact Coach Angel at 417.523.6800.
OZARK FOOD HARVEST FOOD FIGHT STARTS MARCH 18!!! Carver will participate in the annual Ozark Food Harvest Food Fight from March 18 – March 29. The Ozark Food Harvest provides CARVER families with food each week. Please consider giving to help our families in need! Want to help Carver win in the Food Fight? Two ways:
Student can bring the most needed food items to school: Tuna, Canned Meat, Peanut Butter, Boxed Meals, Rice, Pasta, Beans, Soup, Canned Fruit, Canned Vegetables, Cereal. Five pounds of food helps provide four meals.
You can also donate your pennies or dollars to help! Students can bring pennies or money to donate at school or parents can donate online (more info to come about donations). $1 in donations can provide four meals!
Carver Yearbooks for the 2023-24 school year are on sale until May 1st. Click here for the link to order online. Cost of a yearbook is $20.00 plus a $2.25 online service fee. Students can also order a yearbook in Office 2 for $20.00 (check or cash only). Yearbooks will be hand-delivered to your student during the last week of school in May.
GWC STUDENT NEWS! Click here to view the latest episode of GWC News for 2023-2024. 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.
SPS University is March 5 from 5:30 pm – 8 pm at Hillcrest High School. SPS U is open for ALL families to get information and resources to support their student(s). At SPS U, families can attend sessions on kindergarten readiness, mental health supports, FAFSA & scholarships, school safety, positive behavior interventions and get connected with community partners at the resource fair. Register for SPS U by clicking here. Registration closes on February 28.
Middle School Student Spectator Expectations: We want your student and your family to support our teams and enjoy our evening events. If your student plans to attend the basketball game, be sure you attend the game with your student.
Middle school students will not be allowed to be dropped off at evening sporting events at any SPS school.
All students in grades K-12 attending a middle school sporting event must have a parent/guardian enter and attend for the duration of the event.
Students will sit with the parent/guardian or will need to sit in the designated space for each school. Students must remain seated throughout the game and will be allowed to go to concessions or move from the bleachers during half-time.
All K-12 students will follow the established rules for behavior during the game and will remain seated until half-time or the end of the event. Click here for the full description of the Student Spectator Expectations.
Attendance Matters! Too many absences can keep students from succeeding in school and life.
What does attendance percentage mean? When it comes to attendance, 90% is not an A. Click here for the graphic and information.
EVERY MINUTE COUNTS. Click here for the graphic.
Attend Daily. On Time. All Day. Click here for graphic.
The more you miss, the lower your GPA. Click here for the graphic.
Good Attendance Matters. Click here for the graphic.
Reminder of the Middle School Cell Phone Policy: Middle Schools at SPS are implementing a change in the cell phone policy to meet the student handbook requirements. Please review the student handbook sent home with your student on the cell phone policy for SPS. All cell phones for students in grades 6-8 are expected to be out of sight and turned off as soon as the student enters the school building. Students can use cell phones as soon as school dismisses at 4 pm. We will call home to discuss the next steps for students that continue to use their cell phone during classes after being redirected. Please help us as we try to manage cell phones during class.
Missing work ICU! The Missing Work ICU system helps parents know when important assignments are not turned in by the due date. Parents will receive a text or email alert from the automated system. This automated system alerts parents when students are falling behind in assignments and then will send a follow-up message when the missing assignment was submitted. This is one additional way we hope to help our families stay connected to student progress at school through the Missing work ICU program! Have questions about the assignment? Respond to the email or text or click here for a list of all teacher emails.
Carver Food Pantry: Carver is pleased to partner with Care to Learn to provide a free food pantry for any Carver student and family. Click here and complete the form to receive free food. You can also enroll by calling Cristie Seiler at 417.888.2020 (ext 133) or 417.523.6800. Click here for more information or to sign up using a QR code. Email Mrs. Seiler at cristieseiler@spsmail.org for any questions.
Morning Drop-off Reminders:
Do not drop your student off in the carline prior to 8:15 am! The doors will not open and your student will not be supervised by an adult until 8:15 am.
Need to drop off your student earlier than 8:15 am? SPARC offers before and after school care each school day from 6:30 am until 6 pm at Carver. The program has scholarships available for families that apply. Find more information about the program at SHINE at sps.org (click here).
Afternoon Drop-off Reminders:
Do you pick up your student in the afternoon carline? We will dismiss car riders to the awning/front entrance in stages by grades to avoid congestion in the hallways. We realize middle school is an exciting time to socialize with friends but 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.
Students will not be allowed to cross to the parking lot during dismissal. Do not skip the carline by pulling into the parking lot and having your child cross over to you. Students will not be allowed to cross over the bus lane and into the parking lot to look for your car. Please remain in the car line and help us keep your student safe!
Does your student walk 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 approximately 10 minutes after the car line has started. Students walking home using the trail can leave at 4:00 pm.
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.
Breakfast is provided for free to all students taking classes at Carver this year. Breakfast is provided from 8:40 am – 9:00 am. Students arriving at school after 9:00 am will not have access to breakfast. Please make sure your student arrives at school between 8:40 am – 9:00 am for breakfast!
Parents! Need help accessing and checking learning with your student??? Please be sure to reach out with questions about eSchool or Canvas to Dr. Bartels, Carver Coordinator for Site Intervention (CSI), for help. Please call 523-6800 and ask to speak to Dr. Bartels for in-person help!
Please spend a few minutes with your student weekly to review assignments and grades in each class. As a parent you can view grades in one location in Home Access or you can view each course and see the assignment in Canvas. Follow these steps to log in to Home Access and/or to Canvas:
HOME ACCESS:
Home Access is the platform SPS uses for transcripts. The program also allows parents to check grades, absences, and registration information at any time. A printed progress report will be sent home every three weeks and can be found in Home Access. To check 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 click on forgot login/password. A link to reset will be sent to the email you have on file with the district.
Click on Classes for daily assignments and daily grades.
Click on Grades for overall scores in each class during progress reports and at the end of each quarter.
CANVAS:
Canvas is the platform our teachers and students use for learning. As a parent, you can 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 unfamiliar with Canvas and would like quick tips on how to change preferences or contact a teacher through Canvas, click here for information.
Canvas and Home Access update automatically each day for assignments. If you have questions about the assignment or grade, please email the teacher (click here for a list of teacher emails).
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
