This has been such an interesting summer. The only thing consistent these past few months is change, but such is life right now. I can tell you that our teachers have been getting ready for this year since June. We knew our students would probably be learning virtually so we have been on a journey of learning how to teach virtually. We have all stretched ourselves to become proficient in the use of many different, new tools to enable us to engage with our students, and been knee deep in mastering our new learning management system (LMS) Schoology. We have all worked hard to be as prepared as possible. However, we know implementing our new systems will come with some challenges. We ask for your grace and patience as we begin our new school year as we know there will be some bumps along the way.

Reaching out and touching base with our students is a huge priority for our teachers to start creating those virtual relationships with all kids. We want them to feel connected to CMS even through a camera and we are going to continue to do some of those awesome and amazing things we usually do as a campus. We will still have positive behavior supports to encourage our students to do great things every day. We will still have our Students of the Month and Cougartime. It will just look different.

Our next priority is to make sure our students are getting what they need academically. Our teachers have been working hard to ensure your children are challenged and working to their potential. Our virtual learning will require our students to be a little more independent but that's a good thing. We need our students to learn to work on their own and problem solve, then come ask for help. Our teachers are ready and willing to help provide help, support, extend their learning and make sure every student is excelling in all areas.

Our teachers will continue to email you all at least every two weeks regarding upcoming content and any other important information. Grades will be entered by Monday at midnight weekly so that you may check every Tuesday morning for grade updates. Schoology will be helpful for students as they will see (as will you) all their assignments on a calendar and grades posted. These are such important executive functioning skills our kids need to learn. Our teacher will continue to provide our students with timely feedback so look for student trackers in all core classes. We want our students to take ownership of their grades and set goals for every assessment. It is an important life skill and we expect all our students to make progress every year.

This first week, students will be learning all about Schoology and virtual expectations. Once we get closer to in-person learning, we will roll out new videos and learning about how school will look on campus for those coming. We will also roll those out to you all.

CMS opened in 2006 and this year marks our 15th year. Can you believe it?! It is our #quinceanos and we hope to gather and celebrate in late Spring as we continue to Live the Chapa Legacy. We are proud to work in a school named after such a great man like Armando Chapa! I am super excited about starting this year and I hope you are also despite all the uncertainty. I can assure you we are going to make this our best year ever!

Please let us know how we can help you throughout the year. You are more than welcome to email me directly or call my secretary, Laura Torres, to schedule a meeting with me if you have any concerns or questions. It is my privilege and honor to serve as your child's Principal. Thank you for your support and we look forward to another great year!

Welcome New to CMS Faculty/Staff!