OUR MISSION: TO MAKE EVERY STUDENT'S POTENTIAL A REALITY BY ENGAGING AND EMPOWERING OUR FAMILIES, EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY TO ADVOCATE FOR ALL STUDENTS.

Back To School 2020-2021

The PTSA would like to welcome back all of our new and returning families! We understand that during this truly unique school year, the need for prompt and accurate information is vital. Below is a list of important links and information.

Visit the Reopening School - Updates and Information tab on the Carmel Middle School CMS website for consistent updates regarding the 2020-2021 school year.

Parents of EC Students

All parents/guardians of a child with a disability will be receiving a letter and call from a Carmel staff member to discuss their child’s IEP/504 plan for the 2020-2021 school year. These calls will take place after August 6th. Parents of EC students, please read the most recent EC communication. To further explain the details of the EC in-person opportunities for service and evaluation as well as to orient you for the coming school year, the EC department will host two parent informational meetings on August 12th. Please register here:

All Students Begin School on August 17th Remotely

All students begin school on Monday, August 17th remotely. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education voted to revise its school reopening plan and approved a full-remote learning plan, known as Plan C. With this decision, CMS schools will open on August 17th with fully remote learning.

Attendance Rotation

On Thursday, August 6th, CMS will send out a Connect5 message letting you know your child's designated attendance rotation. Please be sure you don't pick up these automated calls and hang up. This will be how you are notified of your child's attendance rotation. Please keep this information because we need to be prepared in the event the CMS Board of Education approves a transition from full remote (Plan C) to Plan B (hybrid remote/in-person instruction).

Broken Chromebooks

If your child has a broken Chromebook you can drop it off at Carmel Middle on Tuesday, August 4th from 10:00am-12:00pm. We will work with the district to repair these devices and get them redistributed as soon as we can. However, we do not have an exact timetable on returning broken devices in the event we run out of replacements.
  • This is only for Chromebooks that are not functional. Chromebooks with cosmetic damages, missing keys, etc. should not be turned in during this designated time. We will address those needs at a later date. This is only for devices that can't be used at all (black/cracked screen with no visibility, will not turn on even when charged, etc.)
  • Please write down the following information on a slip of paper when you turn in your Chromebook: Student Name, Student ID Number, Chromebook Issue Description. 
  • Any 2019-2020 Carmel 8th grader with a checked-out Chromebook will take their device to high school. If they did not check out a Chromebook they will receive one from the high school. Please submit repair requests at your high school.

Back to School Mailing

It is anticipated that the week of August 10th you will receive your back-to-school mailing that contains: a back-to-school letter, your child's schedule, transportation assignment, and designated attendance rotation. This attendance rotation is only when the district is in "Plan B."

We need Your Updated Contact Information

Please complete this form, also found under "school announcements" on the school website. We will utilize this contact information when sending out Grade Level Cougar Updates throughout the school year.

Virtual Open House

We are planning to have our virtual open house accessible on Wednesday, August 12th. This virtual open house will contain a tour through the school building with messages from administration, support staff, and teachers. Typical open house information will be accessed through each staff member's embedded video link.

The "drive thru" component of open house will take place on two separate days. This drive thru will include picking up: information on virtual open house, Math workbooks, ELA workbooks (only if this is a documented accommodation on your child's IEP/504), and assessing tech needs.
  • 6th Grade: Wednesday, August 12th at 8:30am-10:30am & 4:30pm-6:30pm
    • Rising-6th graders who did not check out a Chromebook from their elementary school will pick up their new Chromebook at this time (we will do our best with the inventory that we have currently).
  • 7th and 8th Grade: Thursday, August 13th at 8:30am-10:30am & 4:30pm-6:30pm

Virtual Town Hall with Dr Thompson

If you missed the Virtual Town Hall you can watch it here. This Town Hall covered information concerning Plan B and Remote Learning Expectations.

Canvas

All students, regardless of program model (Plan A/B/C or Full Remote Academy), will engage in learning via Canvas. See How to use the Parent Canvas App & Pair with Your Child’s Classes. There are 3 parent information sessions the district is hosting that will help you connect to your child's Canvas courses! Visit bit.ly/CANVASCONNECTS to register!

Welcome Principal Thompson

Congratulations to Dr. Jared Thompson, who was named our new Principal! He has been an Assistant Principal at Carmel since 2017. Before his time at Carmel he was Dean at Ridge Road Middle and a teacher at Westerly Hills Academy. Dr. Thompson brings a wealth of knowledge as well as continuity to Carmel during a particularly difficult time. We are so fortunate that he is staying! 

Staff Appreciation

Each year we plan things for our Carmel staff to show our love and support for them. This year might look a little different, but we still plan to honor them in some capacity. Keep an eye out in the Cougar News to see how you can help!

Revised 2020-2021 Academic Calendar

​On May 26, 2020 the CMS Board of Education voted to revise the 2020-21 School Calendar to comply with state legislature, as a response to COVID-19, which mandates all schools in NC to open August 17th and include 5 remote learning days.

Changes to the calendar include:
  • Monday, August 17th is the first day of school.
  • The end of 2nd Quarter is December 21st.
  • The last day of school is Friday, May 28, 2021.
The revised calendar is also available here.

school supply list

Please refer to the school supply list below (select image). The school supply list is also available here.
Thank you to all the families who linked their Harris Teeter VIC card to the Carmel Middle PTSA! This past school year, there were 260 participants and $2,170.00 was raised for the school.You are able to link your Harris Teeter VIC card to the Together in Education program. This can be done online or at the store. The school number for Carmel Middle is 1576. 
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If you shop on Amazon now, switch to https://smile.amazon.com and choose PTA North ​Carolina Congress Carmel Middle High School PTSA. They will send our school a check for 0.5% of purchases! Shop for Carmel!

2019-2020 Yearbooks

If you didn't pre-order a yearbook, there ARE extras available. Please email Mr. Mahoney right away at
​adam.mahoney@cms.k12.nc.us and he will let you know if your student is on the list!

Summer Reading List

Please use this link to view your specific grade level summer reading list information.
​https://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/carmelMS/Pages/SummerReading2014.aspx

Sports & Clubs

At this time, no decisions have been made on resuming athletic and co-curricular activities. There are currently extensive requirements for resuming athletic and co-curricular activities. Student-athletes are encouraged to work out and practice at home if they can do so safely. Clubs and co-curricular activities are allowable provided they can occur virtually, with an employee sponsor/advisor. These activities will not occur or resume in person until further notice.

Cross Country for Youth

In anticipation of the virtual school year, a home-based program (CCFY at Home Virtual Program) has been created for Cross Country for Youth for the 2020-2021 school yerar. The CCFY at Home Virtual Program will be for middle school students only for this season. We will provide, through the use of YouTube channels, our workouts to the students for the ten weeks. We have videotaped our Character messages and our Nutrition curriculum, which will also be offered. And because of the isolation brought on by the restrictions during the pandemic, we have added a “Social/Emotional” component to our program to help students deal with our circumstances more capably. We worked with an expert in the mental health field to create this presentation and believe it will have a significant impact on the students’ ability to sort through this challenging time.
 
We will conduct a competition series for the students during the season. We’re creating formats that will allow us to conduct competitions in the safest manner possible.  If we are given the thumbs up to conduct “Live” competitions, we will do so with social distancing in mind. If not, we will consider various formats for “Virtual” competitions. Details will follow once it is determined what our capabilities are regarding racing.
 
Student registration for the program will start on August 10th, at our cross country for youth website,
www.crosscountryforyouth.org. 
 
Our program will be smaller at each school this season; our limit will be 24 students (12 boys and 12 girls).

If you have questions about our offering this season, please contact Reggie McAfee,
​reggie.mcafee1@gmail.com or 704-634-4688.

Spirit rock

Please follow the link below to signup to paint the spirit rock!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094bafab29a3fe3-paint