Greetings CCMS Students & Families,

Welcome to a new school year at CCMS! It will no doubt be one filled with changes and new adventures. We have spent the Summer diligently planning and scheming how to provide our students with the best possible educational opportunities while following stringent safety and ODE guidelines surrounding COVID-19. The result is a school year unlike any other, but one that promises to be fun filled and engaging.

We have developed our student schedules to be identical whether attending school onsite or through Comprehensive Distance Learning. In doing so we have adhered to cohort sizes of no more than 100 students, divided passing times, split up lunches, and our class sizes maintain 35 square feet per student (Sq. Ft of Classroom / 35 sq. ft. = Classroom capacity.)  While there are many regulations to follow when having students on campus, maintaining cohorts and following classroom capacity guidelines is a scheduling priority.

As most of the public already knows, we begin the year with our Comprehensive Distance Learning Model. We will monitor weekly metrics within our county and state to hopefully return onsite very soon. CCMS will have a 5 period day where each student has Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science, and an additional elective. Elective classes are assigned to each grade level for the quarter and then rotate to a different grade level the next quarter.  That means electives are limited within each quarter, but you will receive the opportunity to access all of our electives throughout the year. These electives include P.E., Health, Art, Choir, Band, Careers Action Lab, and Shop.

As a Google 1:1 School, all students will access their email and classes through the Google Classroom platform. All students already have a login and password. It has not changed from previous grade levels. New students will receive their login information on September 8^th. You will see an accurate version of your student’s schedule in ParentVue on September 4^th. On September 8^th, you will receive a phone call from your child’s first period teacher. They will check in and make sure that students have their Chromebook, login information, and anything else you might need. Comprehensive Distance Learning classes with teachers will then begin on September 9^th.

Attached to this letter you will find a copy of our bell schedule. Notice that 9:15 a.m. – 3:20 p.m. is the start/end time for the day. It is highly recommended that students follow the daily schedule to stay caught up in classes. You can attend each period of your virtual day just as if you were at school. Teachers will be using online resources (Zoom or Google Meet) to communicate, provide instruction, and answer questions within each of those class periods. If you miss a class, you will simply need to go back and watch the instruction that the teacher posts to their Google Classroom page and complete the activities/assignments.

Regarding sports and clubs. The middle school Fall sports season is currently cancelled and clubs are not able to be offered at the time. However, we are currently collaborating and planning possible activities that may meet restrictions and give students opportunities. Stay tuned, there will be more information to come.

Within the same vein, our makeup 7^th Grade Camp experience that had been rescheduled for October will not be allowed. The ODE spacing restrictions of 35 sq. ft. per student simply do not allow our cabins and lodge to be big enough for our program. I have attended our camp as a student, counselor, teacher, and administrator. This is truly one of the most impactful experiences that our district offers. We are saddened that this is not occurring for our students.

This is a different year and there is a lot of new information for all of us. If you are registered, have your Chromebook, and know your email login you are good to go. If not we’ll be calling you on September 8^th and you can always call us if you need anything at all. Remember that we will strive for the highest level of service for our students and families, and that we will make this school year a positive experience. Making it great is our only option. Thank you for the opportunity to educate your child.

Respectfully,

Kurt Sloper