13 Cedar Park 8th graders participated in the District Honor Band on Jan. 11 and 12. These students were selected through an audition process and got to work with a guest conductor for two days with a culminating performance.
Bravo to our awesome musicians!
Nearly 400 seventh graders discovered the mystery and awe of ancient Egypt, thanks to the fall fundraising effort of the Cedar Park community.
Students and chaperones braved the MAX and headed to OMSI this January for a fun-filled day of science exhibits, OMSI's current Egyptian history exhibit, and a documentary at OMSI's Empirical Theater. These exhibition fit in nicely with the 7th grade ancient civilizations unit.
Massive thanks to all who donated to our 5K effort that made this opportunity possible. Another shout out is due to the over 50 community volunteers that turned out to chaperone our angelic minions.
Cedar Park will host the first of two student socials of the school year on Friday, 2/15. Each grade will have a separate celebration. CPMS staff work hard to plan and organize this event. Past socials have included a DJ, food/snacks, a photo booth, and various stations throughout the building for students to choose from.
Parent involvement is a MUST to ensure a safe, fun, and awesome event. Look for volunteer shifts soon via mVP. This popular event is a perfect way to spy on, errr.... witness your child's social circle.
UPDATED 2/8: CPMS' resident theater company, Cedar Park Onstage, will be presenting a One Act Festival on Friday, 3/15 at 7pm here at CPMS. This event will include two one-act plays– Oz and The Firecracker Incident by Don Zolidis. Don't miss this exciting chance to support Cedar Park students!
Oz
Reeling from her sister's death, Beth suddenly finds herself journeying through a world suspiciously resembling the film The Wizard of Oz. But with the yellow brick road sold to foreign investors after a financial meltdown, the Scarecrow reveling in his ignorant bliss, the Cowardly Lion acting like a paranoid sociopath, and the Tin Man embracing his emotional numbness, Beth wonders what role she plays in this classic story gone awry. A hilarious and heart-wrenching exploration of grief and perseverance on the road to acceptance (via playscripts.com).
The Firecracker Incident
Fourteen-year-old Joe's parents are pretty tough. First, they moved his bedroom into his little sister's closet. Then they took away his door. And then, after he just "happened" to tie one of her Barbie dolls to black cat firecrackers and exploded them in the backyard, they grounded him for the entire summer. But when his only friend breaks him out in the middle of the night, he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime, which may mean the difference between life and death (via dramaticpublishing.com).
Buckle up, Cedar Park! Next week marks a significant change in the student cell phone policy here at CPMS. This Off and Away ALL DAY policy begins next Tuesday, 1/29.
Here's a quick review:
Students are no longer able to access phones during passing time or lunch.
Students are asked to not have their phones with them during the day, but as long as phones are off, away and out of sight, there will be no problems.
Students are not allowed to wear earbuds throughout the building; earbuds will need to be kept in their AVID binder so they can access them when needed for chromebook use.
What if I need to contact my student during the day?
We understand that there are times when you need to send a message to your student. Unfortunately, calling a cell phone or texting your student during class really puts the student in a difficult situation where the adults are asking her/him to choose to follow school rules but ignore a parent, or acknowledge the parent and break school rules that may lead to consequences.
If you need to contact your student we ask that you call the front desk - we can either get a note to your student or have the student call you from the front office.
What if there is an emergency at school, and I need to know what is going on?
This is a common question and fear, but experience in BSD and nationally has taught us that during an emergency, students texting and calling parents often makes the situation worse.
Additionally, emergency response groups have advised that in a lockdown situation, a cell phone ringing or lighting up may actually alert an assailant to a student’s location, increasing the danger level.
Furthermore, students rarely have the correct information and often cause parents unnecessary panic, not to mention it ties up communication lines that need to be open for emergency and official use. In any emergency, you will receive official, accurate updates from the school, district office, and/or police department.
What happens if my child does not follow this expectation and has a phone out during the day?
*January 29-February 1:Students will be given a warning if they have their phone out. The entire student body will be reminded 3 times about the change in policy this week via announcements.
*February 4th: Students with their phones out in class, the hallway, in the lunchroom, or out on the fields will be sent to the office to turn in their phones for the remainder of the day, if it is their first offense. They may pick up their phone at the end of the day. The student body will be reminded of the policy change 3 times this week via announcements.
*February 11: Students will turn their phone in to the office and a parent will be required to pick up the phone, regardless of previous warnings or absence thereof. In addition, Advisory teachers will discuss the new policy and practice with their Advisory class.
*Additional violations will result in additional disciplinary consequences.
Why are you no longer allowing cell phones to be used at school?
We have seen an increase in cell phone misuse in class and throughout the day. CPMS admins and staff also believe that these formative years are important in teaching our future leaders how to communicate and build relationships in the real world.
What about before school hours and after school hours (such as during after school clubs)?
Phones are expected to be off and away from the time students enter the building until the time they exit the building. This includes before class starts and during after school clubs.
Is Cedar Park the only school implementing this change?
No. Most of the BSD middle schools already have the same policy.
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At Adolesco Youth Exchange, we will match you with a student about your own age in France, Germany, Italy, or Spain (your choice), you will decide exactly WHEN (whatever’s best for your schedule), and for HOW LONG (between 6 to 12 weeks) you want to go on exchange (and then to host) as part of our flexible and affordable nonprofit language immersion and cultural exchange program for qualifying students between ages 9 and 18.
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