
Curtis Chronicles
December 14, 2020
A Message from Curtis Principal, Sonya Pitcock
Congratulations to our football and volleyball teams for finishing up their season successfully! Basketball season starts January 6 for boys and girls.
Congratulations to our fine arts department and students for great winter concerts! We appreciate all our parents following all the COVID guidelines as you attend these events to keep our community safe.
Gifts for staff and teachers need to be brought in by students. We will not be accepting deliveries at the front desk due to Covid restrictions. Digital gifts are an option to show your appreciation for teachers if you’d like. Thank you for understanding!
Lost and Found is full so please have your students check for anything that has gone missing this year. We mostly have lunch boxes, water bottles and jackets. Any items not claimed by the December 18th will be donated to ACO.
Semester exams start today and we know students have been preparing for those. All students need to complete exams this week due to changes to schedules for next quarter. All grades will be final on December 18. We will not be giving incompletes for exams or for the quarter. Quarantined students need to be completing exams as scheduled by the teachers and completed by December 17.
December 18 is an early release day and students will be released at 12:35. Buses will run at this earlier time. There will be no late bus. Students who have A and B lunch will have a regular lunch. C lunch will be shorter, but students will have the option to take home a sack lunch.
Due the changing of learning mode for students, we are working on changing schedules to accommodate the changes in numbers. Please be sure your students checks their Skyward schedule on January 4 before the new semester starts on January 5, even if they did not change learning mode. To accommodate students moving back to campus, we have to make major changes to our master schedule which impacts more students than just the ones who requested a change. We know this is tough on kids, but if they have new teachers they will be welcomed and pick up right where they finished in December.
Students will be taking the second round of MAP testing in January for reading, math, science and language. Teachers will send out exact dates and expectations for at home learners for this testing. We use this testing to give us data on where students are progressing in their learning so we know where students still need more instruction. This test gives us data specific to required skills at each grade level and content area and helps us prepare our students for moving forward in their learning.
Course registration will be starting in January as well. Counselors will be communicating with virtual and in person learners through Tracks classes to learn about their options for next year and helping them put in their course requests for next year. Our counselors will send out information about virtual meetings to answer questions and will have additional videos for parents available on our webpage. January 6 all 8th graders will be getting the information from Lowery about course registration. If you have a virtual 8th grade student, please be sure they attend Tracks class on January 6, even if that is an asynchronous day for them so they can hear the information from Lowery.
We wish all our families a wonderful and safe holiday season. We are very blessed to have such a supportive community to partner with each year, but especially in difficult times like now. Thank you for your kind words, your patience, your treats and your support as we work together to help our students continue their learning.
Many blessings to everyone,
Sonya Pitcock
Upcoming Events
December 18: End of 2nd nine weeks and early dismissal day
December 21-January 4: Winter Break
January 5: Third Nine weeks begins
January 15: PTA Membership Meeting
January 18: MLK Day, Student Holiday
BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
January 6: 7th grade girls v. Ford; boys @ Ford
January 7: 8th grade girls v. Ford; boys @ Ford
January 11: 7th grade girls @ Wylie Cooper; boys v. Wylie Cooper
January 14: 8th grade girls @ Wylie Cooper; boys v. Wylie Cooper
January 20: 7th grade girls @ Rockwall Utley; boys v. Rockwall Utley
January 21: 8th grade girls @Rockwall Utley; boys v. Rockwall Utley
50 More Pies Needed! Can you help?
There are two drop off locations available for pies and we are asking to have all pies dropped of on Tuesday December 15.
To sign up, please CLICK HERE.
Thank you for your generosity!
Allen Eagle Run
Now in its 13th year, this annual Allen event benefits the Foundation For Allen Schools, and all proceeds directly fund classroom grants, teacher and student scholarships, Allen PTA programs and campus projects.
The 2021 event involves your choice of a:
- Virtual 1 mile fun run/walk
- Virtual 5K or
- Sleep in registration
You will have the choice to walk around your neighborhood with family and friends or you can come walk a course we've put together on the RaceJoy APP. The course will have some great photo ops along the way too!
The 2021 course will start at the Allen High School tennis courts. You can complete your fun run/walk or 5K anytime between Saturday, February 27, 2021 and March 3, 2021. You can also upload your time through the RaceJoy APP and will still qualify for the 5K finisher medals!
It's going to be an event the whole family will enjoy, and you can feel good knowing that your participation has a direct impact on students and teachers in all Allen ISD Schools!
CMS Lost & Found Items Will Be Donated December 18
Congratulations Citizenship Recipients
Stacey Allen is our 7th grade Humanities teacher and head of our Sunshine Committee. Stacey goes above and beyond to make sure everyone at Curtis feels appreciated and she is willing to help in any way she can to help make the best experiences happen for students and staff. We are lucky to have Stacey as part of our team!
Wendy Kahn is a 7th grade math teacher at CMS and has been an integral part of our campus success for many years. Wendy is a dedicated educator, partner with PTA, and advocate for students. She is always taking care of her teammates and students in any way she can. Wendy is an asset to the CMS team and we are lucky to have her!
Theresa Young has jumped right into the Board during her first year as a Committee Chair to get spirit wear sold. She has coordinated with our vendor, sorted through orders, arranged for at-home learners to receive their spirit wear, and done it all with a smile.
Jennifer Adams has worked hard this year to make sure Curtis teachers and staff feel appreciated this year. Restrictions on visitors make it harder for the Hospitality Team to help out, but Jennifer has not let that stop her and is finding creative ways to support our teachers and staff.
Thank you all! If you have someone you would like to nominate, please email Kate at
Use Amazon Smile to Support Curtis PTA
Do you shop on Amazon? Use Amazon's Smile and support Curtis PTA!
AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchase to Curtis PTA when shopping Amazon.
Select your charity: PTA Texas Congress 201 Curtis Middle School
Bookmark smile.amazon.com
Start using smile.amazon.com whenever you want to shop at Amazon!
Be sure to shop through AmazonSmile the next time you shop online. You’re still shopping with Amazon — you’re just doing good while buying what you need!
Please encourage grandparents, neighbors, and friends to support Curtis PTA by shopping through AmazonSmile too.
PTA Business Sponsorship Program
CMS PTA is pleased to once again offer our business sponsorship program. Curtis PTA would like to invite community businesses to show support for our staff, students and community by making a financial contribution to our PTA for the 2020-21 school year. PTA strives to make every child’s potential a reality.
There are two contributions levels for you to consider.
Red Level, $100
- Your logo and link to your website on CurtisCougarPTA.org from now through June 30, 2021.
- Included in end-of-year thank you email.
Black Level, $250
- Your logo and link to your website on CurtisCougarPTA.org from now through June 30, 2021.
- Included in end-of-year thank you email.
- 1 Thank you in our campus-wide newsletter that goes out to all families.
- 1 thank you and shout out with link to your website on our Curtis PTA Facebook page.
CLICK HERE for more details or email Jennifer.
CMS Announcements Posted to CMS Website
If you are interested in CMS Announcements, you can access them directly on the CMS website.
Be sure to check back often! CLICK HERE
Middle School Parent Chats - Hosted by AISD Support Counselors
Dear Parents and Guardians,
During these uncertain times, we understand that you may be struggling to balance your child's at-home or in-person learning along with your own work and home commitments. We are here to support you! Join us at one of the times listed by clicking on the date/time links below. We are here to provide a space for you to discuss your challenges and identify healthy ways to cope & problem solve. It will be a great way to connect with other parents facing similar struggles. We hope you will join us! Facilitated by the Allen ISD Support Counselors.
Please note: Registration will open 2 weeks prior to each event.
Middle School Parent Chats
Platica Para Los Padres de Familia del Distrito de Allen
Hope you can join us!
AISD Support Counselors
Volunteer Application Now Open for 2020-2021
Annually, volunteers are required to fill out the Allen ISD Volunteer Application form. While currently volunteers are not able to be on campus, we encourage those interested to fill out the application now. The application resets each year on July 1 and takes about 2 weeks to process. Please click this link below to fill out yours.
Curtis Middle School PTA
Email: ptacommunications.curtis@gmail.com
Website: https://www.allenisd.org/curtisms
Location: 1530 Rivercrest Boulevard, Allen, TX, USA
Phone: 972-727-0340
Twitter: @CurtisCougars