the falcon connection fc 2015 10 27.pdfkeep up the good work, falcons! students use their ticket to...
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The Falcon Connection - Your weekly link to QHMS -
2015-2016 Edition, October 27, 2015
We Love QHMS! Yes We Do!
OCTOBER
Mon 26 Cream the Teachers – Ticket sales before school &
during lunch (through Thursday)
Softball/Volleyball @ Carmel, 5:00
Tue 27 Future Falcon Parent Info Night, 5:30
Wed 28 Softball/Volleyball v JM Robinson @ QH, 5:00
Spanish speaking parent meeting, 5:30-6:30pm
Thu 29 Pie Throw for the Falcon Fund, 3:00 pm
NOVEMBER
Tue 3 Election Day – Get Out and Vote!
Fri 6 1st
quarter Report Cards distributed
Tues 10 Family Night! See Pg 2 for details!
Wed 11 NO SCHOOL – Veteran’s Day
Thu 12 7th
grade Parent Forum, 7:30 am, media center
Coffee & Conversation w CMS Super. Ann Clark,
Smithfield Elementary, 4:00 – 5:30pm
Fri 13 1st
quarter Honor Roll celebration
Winter Sports tryout paperwork due to Coach Pearce
Important Dates
These dates are current as of the date of publication. Always check the QHMS
website and social media for updates to the school calendar and scheduled events.
South Meck’s Dr. Furr is CMS Principal of the Year!
Congratulations to South Meck High School’s principal, Dr. Maureen Furr,
recently recognized as CMS Principal of the Year! "I'm overwhelmed,"
said Furr to the cheers of students and colleagues. "This means so much
to me. You guys are my family. This is the job I live for. This is the school I
live for." Furr joined CMS as a principal in 1992 opening South Charlotte
MS, where she stayed for 10 years. She opened Jay M. Robinson MS in
2002, before moving to South Meck in 2006. Furr will now be considered
with other principals for regional and state principal of the year honors.
Let’s also congratulate QHMS 7th grade science teacher Mrs. Barton-
Metzger, who was among 20 CMS educators honored this summer as one
of MeckEd’s 2015 Teachers of Excellence for her work last school year at
Albemarle Road MS. We are honored you are now in our Falcon Nest!
We have been so busy and full of spirit at QHMS
over the past 14 days! Two weeks ago, our students
showed their spirit all week long, and last week we
were digging in to our 1st round of interim testing.
We’ve successfully launched the Chromebook
initiative, equipping every student with a digital
device for the school day, and the 8th grade kicked
off our series of grade-level college campus visits at
UNC-Charlotte. After a day of rest for students and
professional development for our staff, we are
hunkering down to meet our Falcon Fund goal,
wrapping up the Fall Sports season, and kicking off
the 2nd quarter! Keep up the good work, Falcons!
The Falcon Fund is coming into the home stretch, but we are still a long
way from the goal of $15,000! So far 90 families have contributed – if
all students bring in $7 we will hit our target! Here’s an extra incentive:
if we reach $15,000, a community partner will contribute an additional
$8,000! Every penny counts…nickels, dimes, and bills of any amount. The
Falcon Fund is what pays for many of our school’s critical resources. If we
fall short of our goal, our PTSA will not be financially capable to fund
planned field trips, enrichment activities, classroom supplies, science and
technology equipment, and more.
Even our teachers are lining up to help boost the Falcon
Fund into high gear. Starting Monday, October 26th
students can purchase tickets to “cream” a teacher in
the face with a pie! Tickets will be sold before school
and during lunch shifts Monday, October 26 – Thursday, October 29, and
students use their ticket to vote for the teacher they most want to take a
pie in the eye! The three teachers in each grade receiving the most tickets
will put their best face forward at an all school assembly Thursday,
October 29. Randomly selected students who purchased a ticket will have
the honors of launching the pies! Tickets are $1 each, or $5=7 tickets;
$10=15 tickets (all proceeds benefit the Falcon Fund). If you really want
to see YOUR teacher “creamed”, and help QHMS reach their Falcon Fund
goal, bring your money for tickets!
To learn more about the Falcon Fund, watch this clip:
https://youtu.be/RiNTsZslusc . Questions? Contact MaryAnn Yauger,
PTSA fundraising chairperson [email protected] .
We Need Your Help to Meet the Falcon Fund Goal!
Falcon Connection October 27, 2015
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Do you know an AMAZING FALCON?
Tell us about someone in the QHMS community that is
AMAZING! Is it an AMAZING student, scholar, musician,
athlete, volunteer, or staff member?
Do you know a Falcon with an AMAZING talent,
responsibility or skill? Is there a person balancing an
AMAZING load and doing AMAZING things? Can you
think of a special Falcon that has overcome barriers to do
something AMAZING?
We want to know this FALCON!
Send the scoop anytime to [email protected] and we will
spread the word about this AMAZING Falcon in a future
issue of the Falcon Connection.
Did You Know…
Math Olympiad is a problem solving club that nurtures
enthusiasm for math. Students meet Tuesday mornings at
8:00am plus a monthly “competition” test date. Club members
explore a topic or strategy each meeting and push their math
knowledge to a new level. On Competition days, students have
one hour to solve 5 problems. Ms. Connie George is the club’s
coach, and hopes to inspire students’ passion for math and
desire to enter math, engineering, and teaching fields.
Currently, there are 16 members in the QHMS chapter.
Students from all grades are welcome to join anytime, as long as
they bring their math skills and a willingness to persevere
through some tough calculations. Come this Tuesday and check
out Math Olympiad – first Competition is Nov 18! Contact Ms.
George with any questions: [email protected]
The Falcon Connection is accepting
applications for student journalists! If you
want to help share the news about your
awesome school, this will be a fun
opportunity. We need students’
perspectives on all things “Falcon” – clubs,
sports, trends, music, high school
preparation, classes, and friends! Responsibilities will be based
on your interests and availability. Help brainstorm topics for
future issues, conduct fact finding interviews, write an article on
an assigned topic, prepare photos, edit prepared content, or
finalize copy for digital distribution. Give it try and then decide
if you want to “join the nest” for another issue. Interested
students should contact Ms. Jaime McCaughna or shoot an email
Math Olympiad Adds Up to Fun!
Numbers November 10th is Family Night at QHMS: Parents and
guardians are encouraged to join us on Tuesday, November
10th to learn more about what is happening in our school,
learn more about how to support middle school students, and
collaborate with each other. Between 5:00 and 7:00, parents
and guardians can attend a series of information sessions. We
are staggering the schedule so families can attend up to three
sessions over the course of the evening. The full schedule will
be posted in next week’s Falcon Connection. Check out the
list of sessions: 8th Grade Science Fair Info Session || 7th
Grade Math I Info Session (attendance is encouraged if you did
not get to attend the Curriculum Night session) || 7th Grade
Humanities Info Session || Mastery Connect Parent Access Info
Session || 6th Grade Info Session: How to Support Your Sixth
Grader to Have a Successful Middle School Experience ||
Spanish Speaking Parent Info Session (facilitated in Spanish) ||
Determined Divas and Good Fellas Parent Meeting || Literacy
at QHMS Info Session: What we’re doing to develop strong
readers and writers and what you can do at home to continue
the work! || How to Keep Your Child Safe Online with Social
Media (facilitated by an FBI Agent)
QHMS 7th and 8th Grade Parent Forums
Quail Hollow MS’s leaders want to have an open conversation
with you! No agenda, no wrong answers, just a way for admin
to 'check the pulse' on how parents are interpreting grade-level
initiatives and what’s going on at school. Express your
perspective and learn more about your school. We are
anxious for your feedback!
7th grade parents – Thursday Nov 12
8th grade parents – Thursday Dec 3
Both meetings will be in the Media Center @ 7:30am.
If you have an issue that concerns your individual student,
please address that with your specific teacher or e-mail
Assistant Principal Mr. Plaisance [email protected]
Coffee & Conversation with Superintendent Ann Clark
Get up close and personal with CMS Superintendent Ann Clark
and get answers to your questions. Sessions are scheduled
throughout the year for all interested persons, regardless of
grade or school assignment. Mark your calendar to attend
the session hosted by Smithfield Elementary on
November 12, 4:00-5:30pm. There’s also one coming up at
nearby Community House Middle Dec 10, 5:30 - 7:00pm.
Get Upward with Basketball or Cheer-- Scholarships Available!
Pineville United Methodist Church is sponsoring an Upward
Basketball and cheer team for kindergarten – 7th grade boys and
girls. The high quality program teaches athletic skills, but more
importantly provides mentoring and adult examples of
cooperation, teamwork, and respect for one another.
http://www.pinevilleumc.org/index.php?submenu=UpwardBaske
tballCheer&src=gendocs&ref=Upward&category=Main
Free breakfast & lunch – October menu
Student Journalists – Apply Now!
Save the date! Nov 10th Family Night
Falcon Connection October 27, 2015
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Falcon Sports Roundup
FOOTBALL (0-6)
VOLLEYBALL (7-3)
GOLF (1-5)
SOFTBALL (0-10)
Congrats Zack Gilbert for
making it to the final round of
Bojangle’s Big 22 Player of the
Year! The five finalists were
determined by public votes and the WSOC-
TV sports team. The candidates are top pre-season
standouts from area high school football teams and now
compete to be named the Big 22 “Player of the
Year.” Zack Gilbert is the only finalist representing CMS.
A second round of public voting determines the “Player of
the Year” – vote daily at wsoctv.com through Monday,
Nov 2. The winning player’s school receives a $10,000
prize, so a vote for Zack is a vote for South Meck HS!
Click here for more about Zack and the finalists:
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/sports/high-school-
football/wsoc-tv-channel-9-announces-big-22-
finalists/nn2WN/
Fall Sports Wrapping Up
Congratulations to our 95 fall sport student athletes for an
amazing level of energy, commitment, and enthusiasm!
Football and golf concluded last week, and volleyball and softball
have their final match-ups this week. We are so proud of these
teams, as well as our cheerleaders who generated incredible spirit in
the hallways and out on the field for our Falcons!
We are also thankful for our QHMS Athletics Booster Club. Our
newest 3 members (the Voyles, Castro, and Roy families) make us
40 families
strong! Join the
Booster Club
anytime, and
support our
student athletes!
Contact Amy
McMurray.
Get Ready for Winter Sports
Tryouts for basketball and winter cheerleading begin after
school on November 16th. All students trying out must
have a completed sports physical, a 2.0 GPA, and an 85%
attendance rate. Tryout forms and more information are
available on the CMS Athletics webpage. If you are
uncertain about your qualifications for tryouts, contact
QHMS Athletic Director, Allison Pearce.
Students that make a winter sports team have a mandatory
parent / athlete meeting Monday, November 23rd.
Golfers Learn from Queens Univ
Members of our QHMS golf team had a special outing with
Queens
University’s
mens’ and
women’s golf
team to
sharpen their
skills.
Receiving one
to one instruction and “life lessons” from these outstanding
student athletes were a great opportunity for our young
golfers. Thank you Queens Coach Puryear for organizing!
Falcon Connection October 27, 2015
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PTSA, Appreciation, Volunteers, Etc.
Nov 3 School Board Election
QHMS earns easy money with these
programs. Please do your part!
Harris Teeter VIC card (code 1471)
Bi-Lo card (54162)
Boxtops for Education (collection
box in the front office)
About the Falcon
Connection
The Falcon Connection is a weekly
communication collaboration by
volunteers, staff and students to
keep our community connected to
all the happenings at QHMS. If you’d
like to lend a hand to the production
of this newsletter, please let us
know! We’d love to add more
feathers to our nest!
Questions? Corrections? News to
share? Stories by, about, and for our
school community are welcome!
Contact us at [email protected].
$Dollars and Sense
All QHMS families are invited to bring their
passion and energy to the PTSA for the
benefit of our school. Click here to join. If
you have questions about membership or
how you can be involved, contact any of
the Executive Board members.
President: Jill Davis
VP-Student Relations: Melanie Kupreanik
VP-Staff Relations: Karla Hollowell
VP-Fundraising: Mary Ann Yauger
Secretary: Susan Bilon
Treasurer: Rena Koufaliotis
Lend a Hand at QHMS
Applause & Thanks!
A big WOO HOO to the parents and
NJHS students who volunteered in the
football concession stand during the fall
sports season, and those who helped feed
and photograph at the Fall Sports pep rally
(Amy McMurray, Lisa-Marie Ferguson,
Missy Giles, Rena Koufaliotis, Karla
Hollowell and Dawn Rogers.)
Can you give one hour each week to
read with a student? CMS needs you to
join it’s North Star Reading Partners
initiative! Teaching experience is not
required. Volunteers receive easy-to-
follow curriculum materials and support
to be an effective mentor and coach.
Pick a school, a location, or a grade
level, and we’ll pair you with a student.
Click here to learn more about the
program. Interested? Complete and
submit this form to express your
interest, and we will reply with details.
Next week, Mecklenburg County voters will
select three at-large members to serve on the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education.
MeckEd is a local non-partisan advocate for
excellent public education formed in 2006
with the merger of various education entities.
MeckEd does not endorse candidates for
school board, but provides public resources
to help voters make informed decisions about
the future of our public schools. Before you
vote on Nov. 3, go to mecked.org to learn
about the candidates and upcoming decisions
that our school board will be facing.
DON’T FORGET: EARLY VOTING IS NOW
THROUGH OCT 30!
Weekly Reading Buddies
Volunteers needed in the concession stand
at upcoming home basketball games.
Contact Booster president, Amy
McMurray, if you can help! Students
needing service hours can help too!
October 23rd marked the end of the
1st quarter of the 2015-16 school year.
Whether your child is newly arrived to
middle school, or in their last year, they
have been encouraged, cheered,
redirected, and challenged by the
teachers and staff at QHMS.
We are fortunate to have this very
talented and committed group of
educators working with your children. I
encourage our QHMS families to send a
note, write an email, pick up the phone
or visit your child’s teacher to thank
them for the time, energy and passion
they bring to QHMS – and your child -
every day! Ask your children to do the
same. It will go a long way in showing
our appreciation for their efforts.
Thank you,
Jill Davis, PTSA President
School Assignment Talk
The CMS Board of Education
encourages the community to join the
discussion about upcoming student
assignment on Tuesday, October 27, 4-
6:00 pm, at Friendship Missionary
Baptist Church, 3400 Beatties Ford Rd.
Dr. James Johnson Jr, of UNC Chapel
Hill’s Urban Investment Strategies
Center will facilitate the forum on our
county’s changing demographics and
impact on future student assignment
decisions. Open to the public.