Reminder: There are no google meet sessions for students on Friday, Feb. 26.
PARENT UNIVERSITY:
We WILL NOT be hosting our next scheduled virtual meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 2nd. The meeting will be rescheduled for a later date and we will share that information with you as soon as we have it. We apologize for the change and appreciate your understanding as we continue to prepare to have our students back in the building 5 days a week!
Attention CMS Parents: The district plans on returning to a 5-day per week model of instruction for grades K-12 beginning on Monday, April 12!
The current hybrid A/B instructional model will be discontinued for grades K-12 after the school day on March 30, 2021.
The Calvert/APEX Online Only learning pathway will continue to be in place for this school year for students that are currently learning in this model. If you are currently in the Online Only model, you will remain there until the end of this school year. Please click HERE for important information and dates as we make our way to a safe return. Please note that there are days that school will not be in session due to the staff receiving the vaccine and in-service days to prepare for the return. While we know that additional days off are not ideal, we need to prepare the rooms, buildings and the curriculum.
Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place virtually on Wednesday, March 3 and Thursday, March 4. We are using PTCFast to schedule conferences. It is not mandatory for parents to schedule conferences, this is a chance for parents to have the freedom to schedule with a few clicks of the button. This program is first come first serve, but if a time you are seeking is not available, contact your child's teachers to set up a conference on a different day, time or maybe a phone conference. Schedule HERE. Directions for the link can be found HERE. Please remember that Wednesday, March 3 and Thursday, March 4 are Early Release Days - students will be dismissed from school at 11:45 am. Students will eat lunch at school and parent pick-up and bus procedures will remain the same. Contact the office with any questions.
Students that are entering their science fair project in the Mohican District Science Fair need to touch base with Mrs. Karl by February 24th. Students participating MUST have their registration COMPLETED by March 1st in StemWizard. This includes uploading all necessary documents and visual components. Registration closes the evening of March 1st. Please register promptly to avoid system overloading and shut down of StemWizard.
Virtual College Credit Plus Meeting for CMS and CHS: Columbia Middle School, Columbia High School, and Lorain County Community College will have a mandatory virtual informational meeting on the topic of College Credit Plus this year in lieu of our annual in-person meeting. See informational flyer HERE CCP Letter of Intent to Participate (fillable) HERE
Sometimes doing something for someone else is all it takes for us to feel better ourselves! CMS is challenging students and staff to 30 Days of Service beginning February 3rd/4th. Students can check off the boxes as they complete the tasks on the sheet. PRINT HERE When the 30 days are up, we will collect the sheets and students will be entered into a drawing to win a prize! Students have to complete at least 15 to be entered into the drawing. 30 days is up on March 4th/5th!! Extra forms are available in the information rack across from the office.
Lorain County JVS is NOW accepting applications for the 2021-22 School Year! Apply today on the JVS website! Click on the link to learn more about all of their programs or to schedule an in-person tour for students and parents. See Program Schedule HERE Contact your school counselor with additional questions.
Case Western Reserve University Engineers Week - Virtual Engineering Carnival February 20-27, 2021. Participate in FREE engaging STEM webinars with CWRU faculty and students! All students are welcome! NO Registration required! See Activity Schedule HERE 2020-2021 Yearbooks: Don't miss out! Order your yearbook today at ybpay.lifetouch.com using the Yearbook ID Code: 11596121. Yearbooks are $15.50 ~ purchased online through March 5!
Fee letters were mailed home to all students still owing fees as well as new fees assessed for students returning to hybrid classes. Payments may be made online through the payforit system or by check or cash in the office.
All students will receive free breakfast and lunch through the end of the school year thanks to a nationwide waiver. We are grateful and hope this will ease some of the financial burden that many of our families are dealing with at this time. Instructional fees are waived for students who meet the free meal guidelines as established by the USDA. If you feel your child is eligible, please print and fill out the Free and Reduced Lunch Application HERE Please return the form to the school office.
Lorain Public Library Access Card Application: Applications were sent home with all students. An Access Card does not need an ID, or a signature for registration – just date of birth and contact information. Applications may be turned in to the school office or directly to the library. Print an application HERE
5-8 Student Council: Any hybrid or online student interested in student council will need to join the CMS Student Council google classroom using the code: aoon3pg Email Mrs. Sorensen with any questions!
2019-2020 Yearbooks: Extra yearbooks are still available for purchase in the office for $15.
Lorain County League Winter Athletic Passes: Due to Covid 19 restrictions mandated by Governor DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health, Columbia Middle School is selling Lorain County League passes for admittance to home and away Lorain County competitions for 2020. Each family who would like to purchase a Lorain County League pass for admittance to home and away conference games may do so in the school offices. LC8 athletic competitions for basketball, wrestling (conference dual meets only), and cheerleading will allow 2 fans per athlete. Tickets will not be sold at the gate. If you plan to attend a home and/or away competition, a LC8 game pass must be purchased.
Two passes are available per player. Passes are for Adults only. The cost is $40 per pass for basketball, $10 per pass for Wrestling and $20 per pass for cheerleaders (home games only).
All middle school basketball games will be played at Columbia High School this year. The gym may need to be cleared between 7th and 8th grade games due to social distancing rules. This will be mandated on a game to game basis and an announcement will be made if it will be enforced.
*** Please note: All rules and regulations mandated by the Lorain County Public Health department must be adhered to when attending an event. Failure to comply with social distancing, face coverings where indicated or ticket regulations will result in fan removal from the facility and forfeiture of the Lorain County League pass. No refunds will be issued.
Columbia Middle School is taking all safety precautions to make the start of the 2020-2021 school year as safe as possible for our students and staff. Please take the time to read our CMS Restart Guide. Also, to help avoid some confusion for the upcoming school year, CMS will have short video clips available soon in regards to procedures at CMS- stay tuned!
Power School Information: Access PowerSchool from the MS website (toggle on left). If you are using the mobile app the district code is ZZGS.
Are you interested in knowing what we offer at our middle school? Click on the link to check out our CMS Course Selection Guide for the 2020-2021 school year. See Mrs. Figliano with any questions.
New students attending CMS for the 2020-2021 year: You must contact our registrar, Liz Wenzel. See the enrollment/registration tab under the school district website for more information. Once online forms are completed, please call Mrs. Wenzel at 440.236.1236 or email at [email protected] to set up an appointment to complete the enrollment process. We request you do not arrive at the administration center without an appointment.
Academic Fees: Students who participate in extracurricular activities that require bus transportation will be denied that privilege if school fees are not paid. Fees may be viewed on your child's PowerSchool account and paid on the PayForIt system by credit card. Payment is also accepted in the office with cash (exact amount), check or credit card or mail your payment to the middle school. If you require a payment plan, contact Mrs. Bowes in the main office. A signed payment plan contract will allow students with outstanding fees to continue to use school transportation.
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