Do you have any questions/comments/issues that you would like our Parent Involvement Advisory Council representatives to bring to Dr. Arlotto and his staff for consideration? Our Crofton Cluster PIAC representatives, Christine Jackson and Kristen Caminiti, have created a form that makes submitting items very easy. Click here to access the form before February 24.

Congratulations to Sarah Rippeon!

Ms. Rippeon has been selected as Crofton Middle School’s Teacher of the Year. Also, she has been nominated for the AACPS Teacher of the Year Award.  Good luck Ms. Rippeon!

https://go.ordermygear.com/croftonmiddleschool/

Order by Tuesday, November 17, 2020 (11:59PM EST)

The latest PTA General Membership meeting minutes are available on the PTA website at https://cms-pta.com/info/minutes/

Check out this week’s E-News:

https://mailchi.mp/c5525e36f06c/ptacms-e-news-2019-09-9410705

Not a subscriber?  Click here to register!

Harvest for the Hungry Kids Helping Kids Virtual Campaign

October 1–November 25, 2020

Together we can unite to fight hunger in Anne Arundel County!

• Food insecurity impacts a child’s ability to learn
• Every dollar collected is equivalent to 8 pounds of food
• COVID-19 increased the number of needy families in our community
• In Anne Arundel County, 1 in 8 families struggle with food insecurity

Awards are given to schools that collect the most funds, including an award for the most funds collected by a school with less than 350 students. Be sure to select your school to ensure they get credit for your donation! Your monetary donation will make a difference for families throughout our school and community. Proceeds directly benefit the Anne Arundel County Food & Resource Bank. We Thank You!

For more information about the campaign, please contact: Shelley Davenport, Family Involvement Specialist at smdavenport@aacps.org

To donate, go to:  http://www.aacps.org/harvest

Here’s a brief survey we are hoping you will complete to help steer the direction of the PTA.  Please take a few minutes to complete it or email one of us with any and all ideas.

https://forms.gle/UyvEzM8RHGWwxZga6

CMS Student Connections Program

Are you new in town and have a middle schooler eager to make new friends? Or have you been here for a while, and would like to welcome new students? Please participate in the Student Connections program at CMS! We will pair your student/family with another to get acquainted and share information about school and our wonderful community. Click here to get involved!

For 6th grade, search on Facebook for: Crofton Middle School Incoming 6th Graders (Class of 2027) and request to join.

For 7th grade, search on Facebook for: CMS Class of 2026 and request to join.

For 8th grade, search on Facebook for: Crofton Middle School Graduating Class of 2025 and request to join.

Note that these groups and its content are not monitored nor managed by the PTA at Crofton Middle School, Inc.

When:  Wednesday, September 16 at 7:00PM

Where:  Google Meet at this link:

http://meet.google.com/daj-tend-vdq

Click here to add this meeting to your calendar.

https://go.ordermygear.com/croftonmiddleschool/

Order by Tuesday, November 17, 2020 (11:59PM EST)

“How can I support my child during distance learning?”

This guide provided by the MD PTA  includes specific, practical steps (with tips) that families can take to prepare for and support their child during distance learning. The guide also includes an advocacy section, giving families and students the tools to contact their schools and teachers when they need additional support. Links to additional resources are included throughout.

The guide is available in both English and Spanish.

AACPS published the virtual sessions for Back to School Nights.  Click the links below and and these save-the-dates to your calendar.

6th Graders:  Wednesday, September 23 at 6:00pm

7th and 8th Graders:  Thursday, September 24 at 6:00pm

Thank you to Gary D. Heldt, Jr., CPA, president of Small Business Advisors, for his sponsorship of the PTA’s website.  Maintaining an online presence is particularly critical during times where social distancing challenges our ability to interact.  Gary’s generous support allows the PTA to maintain the CMS-PTA.com website, online forms and information sharing for this school year.  The PTA appreciates the support from our Crofton businesses!

Small Business Advisors

1119 MD Route 3 North, Suite 210

Gambrills, Maryland 21054

(410)721-6000

https://www.sbadvisors.cc/

There is so much uncertainty as we approach the new school year and what a virtual fall semester will be like. But what is not uncertain is our need to come together as a community. Our teachers and students need us to band together to support them. To that end, we are hoping to build our membership early this year. We want to be sure we are as well positioned as possible to support the teachers, students and school administration.

Last school year was tough on so many families and organizations. The students, community and PTA were also impacted by the inability to hold the six shows of Beauty and the Beast, the CMS PTA Musical Production for the 2019-2020 school year.

We have seriously considered how we can best ensure the PTA’s ability to support the teachers, students, and school administration, along with how we can ensure maximum participation from all of our families. To that end, we have decided to keep our membership dues the same for this year. Family membership dues will be $15. Of that, $4.50 goes to the Maryland PTA, our umbrella organization. While we hope to use the remainder of the dues in a more traditional way as we return to school in the spring, during the fall, the dues will still be going to critical areas such as boosting teachers’ morale as they navigate this difficult new time and keeping students engaged with each other and their community while virtual schooling.

Of course, if you are able and so inclined you can provide additional support to the PTA through a Jump Start donation.

To join the PTA, click here and complete the on-line membership form. If you would prefer to pay by check, please print, complete the off-line form and mail it to PTA at Crofton Middle School, 2301 Davidsonville Road, Gambrills, MD 21054.

In addition to your financial support, the PTA needs your ideas. What can we do to support our teachers as they teach in a virtual environment? How do we ensure that ALL students get the support they need to excel at school? Here’s a brief survey we are hoping you will complete to help steer the direction of the PTA. https://forms.gle/UyvEzM8RHGWwxZga6 Please take a few minutes to complete it or email one of us with any and all ideas.

Finally, the PTA needs a volunteer to lead communications/social media for the PTA. We also need a volunteer to help with spirit wear. Are either of these things you could do to assist?

Thank you. Keep Calm and Join the PTA!

The PTA Board

President: Stephani Abramson, president@cms-pta.com
Vice President nominee: Maisha Foskey, vice-president@cms-pta.com
Treasurer: John Anastasis, treasurer@cms-pta.com
Secretary: Shari Cruz, secretary@cms-pta.com

It’s easy to access and start saving!

1. Visit https://mdpta.benefithub.com/
2. Type in your referral code “W9ZL3F” followed by your email address.
3. Create your login and password.
4. Enjoy the Rewards!