News

Town Hall Meeting: Educate the State

You are invited to a Town Hall meeting Monday, October 3, 6:45 – 8:30 p.m. in Mustang Hall to learn about the current state of Public Education in California, how to take action, and join the parent-led, grass-roots movement that is looking to create real change for all of our children – Educate Our State. The agenda includes:

- Background on how we got into this current education crisis
- The ramifications of the 2011-2012 education budget
- The roadmap with real hope for reform to get California back on the path of education excellence
- Immediate action steps, including signing up with Educate Our State! and The Children’s Movement of
California and lending your name to The Kids Education Plan, a major revenue and reform proposal for the
2012 ballot.

Meet and Greet is at 6:45, program begins at 7 p.m. The panel discussion with Educate Our State! and Children Now will provide attendees with a plan for education reform and the opportunity to ask questions. Panelists include:

Crystal Brown, Co-Founder and President of Educate Our State!
Ted Lempert, President of Children Now and former State Assemblyman
Whether your kids are in public, private or charter schools – we all have a stake in the future of public education. Please join us and learn HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep?

According to the National Sleep Foundation, children between the ages of 5 and 12 require ten to eleven hours of sleep each night, while children between the ages of 12-18 need 8-9 hours of sleep each night. Sleep is clearly linked to both physical and mental development. Sleep problems and disorders are prevalent at this age. Poor or inadequate sleep can lead to mood swings, behavioral problems that impact their ability to learn in school. In addition, the adolescent student becomes more interested in TV, movies, video games and the internet. We are also seeing many of our students drinking caffeinated drinks, all of which can lead to difficulty falling asleep, nightmares and disruptions to their sleep. In particular, watching TV or playing video games close to bedtime has been associated with bedtime resistance, difficulty falling asleep, anxiety around sleep and sleeping fewer hours.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends the following tips for ensuring your child gets a healthy night’s sleep.

1. Teach your child about healthy sleep habits (http://www.sleepfoundation.org/ is one source).
2. Make sure your child’s room is dark, cool and quiet.
3. Stick to a consistent bed-time routine each night. This can be particularly challenging with evening meetings and our busy lives. In our house, we try to do the same things at the same time and in the same order each night regardless of who is doing this. This is true even when a sitter is at our house.
4. Do not allow computers or TVs in the bedroom (I would add to this hand held games, cell phones and mp3 players, such as iPods)
5. Avoid caffeine
6. Avoid TV, and video games right before bed

With the demands of our time increasing, the hours our children are sleeping each night continues to decrease. Please consider helping your child be more prepared for their school day by starting the bedtime routine earlier to allow them to get the sleep that they need.

If your child is struggling with any kind of sleep problem, or you are having trouble implementing a bedtime routine, please see your pediatrician.

Parent Night: That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week

Did you miss the excellent parent ed talk on Tuesday night about how to promote organization and time-management with your kids? Here is a great article written by Ana on her website: http://www.greenivyed.com that talks about how to get your kids off to a great start this school year.

The first few weeks of the school year is a fresh start for students, and in order to get off on the right foot, here are some organizational tips for a successful year:

1. Create a Great Study Space:

A study space that is free of distractions and has everything that a student will need to complete an assignment will help them to stay on task for a longer period of time. Preferably, a study space outside of the bedroom works – examples include the dining room table or even the local library. Maybe you can only make it to the library on weekends, but getting into the habit will allow your child to develop great study habits.

2. Schedule Out Study Time:

No one likes the feeling of realizing at 10 PM that there is an important assignment due the next morning. Having students take the time to use their planners at the beginning of the week to schedule out blocks of time to complete their homework and study for tests helps them reduce (and hopefully avoid) late nights and last minute scrambling to get assignments done. Two-hour blocks of homework/study time (with a timed break) everyday will help them stay ahead of the game.

3. Weekly Regroup Time:

At the end of a busy week, it can be helpful to take 30 minutes to regroup and reorganize backpacks, binders, planners and desks so that they are ready to go for the next week. This way, students can avoid feeling overwhelmed by assignments and paperwork that may be building up.

Staying organized and planning ahead, will help students to fend off the stress and anxiety that school can sometimes cause as the year progresses and classes get more challenging.

Here’s wishing you and your family a wonderfully successful school year!

27 CMS 8th graders published in “Stanford Anthology of Youth”

The Stanford Anthology of Youth publishes some of the best writing from middle school students across the peninsula. For their 15th volume, SAY selected 27 CMS students for publication! For the second consecutive year, CMS had more students published than any other school.

Students will receive their copies of the anthology on Friday May 27th and we’ll have a copy in the office and the library for display.

Congratulations to:
Danielle A., Evan B. Alexandra C., Marcella D., Mattigan G., Ella G., Mia G, Ben H., Phoebe H., Angela H., Christina K., Madison M., Mariah M., Ben M., Nicolette N., Steven N., Riley Q., Angela R., Michael R., Nina R., Taylor S., Lindsey S., Jared S., Sabrina V., Maegan W., Emma W., and Megan Y.

8th graders sweep local writing contests

Mariah M. was the 1st place winner in the San Carlos Youth Center short story contest for her story “The Backpack.”  Mariah was also honored by the National Council of Teachers of Writing (NCTE) with a Certificate of Recognition in the “Promisin Young Writers” contest.

Ada G., was the 1st place winner in the San Carlos Library short story contest for her story “The School Wide Battle and the Golden Flag.”

Wordmasters: 8th graders crack the national top ten again!

CMS 8th graders, who had already been honored with two Top-Ten finishes in previous WordMasters challenges this year, finished 10th in the nation out of 180 teams in the third and final WordMasters Challenge in early May. Central finished 8th (out of 180 teams) in the year-end cumulative standings as well.

High scorers on the Central team for the third challenge were Nathan G., Alex K., Marijke S., Mariah M., Alex C., Angela R., Ryan W., Emma E., Nicolette N., Riley Q., Ella G., Brycen S., Madigan G., Phoebe H., Meg S., Jack R., and Rayna S.

Nathan G., who missed only one analogy in three challenge tests, was one of the top eight 8th graders in the nation.  Marijke S. finished in the top 30nationally for only missing three questions out of 60.

CMS students are on TV!

Several CMS students are featured on the television show “KidBytes” that is currently running on local channel Peninsula TV (PEN TV).  Edgar and Jocelyn A. are dancers on the show, and 8th grader Cristina O., was a contestant in this show that highlights the improv talents of local middle and high school students. Other CMS students, includingRachel and J.D. P., Julianna K., and Brycen S., serve in the in-studio audience. 8th grade teacher Mr. Richards even served as a judge on one of the episodes. Click here to find “KidBytes” show times on Peninsula TV.