►The 5th grade parent night powerpoint slideshow featuring a general overview and talking points is available online at . If you have any questions, please feel free to call our counseling office at 323-8687 or email Dr. Nancy Clinton at 323.5676.

► Student Directories are now available for sale in the front office, courtesy of the CMS PTO for only $1.00 and there are limited supplies, first come, first served.

► Athletic Physicals Forms: All athletes need a physical exam done on or after April 15, 2012 on file before they may participate.

► Mustang Mentors and A.M. Assistance are FREE opportunities for students to come to the media center for support with core academics Tuesday through Thursday, from 3:05 to 3:35. The Mustang Mentors are Central High School National Honor Society Students who are volunteering their time to tutor our CMS students in core academics, such as math and world language. Students can also make time to read, do homework, or use the computer. For our early birds, students may come to the media center  get help with core academics before school from 7am to 7:40am on Tuesday through Thursdays. There will be 3 certified teachers available to help students with their assignments.

IMPORTANT ITEMS TO REMEMBER...

► Adult Visitors:
All adults, including parents, please assist us in keeping our school safe and orderly by signing in at the front office and getting a visitor pass sticker before walking down the hallways before school starts, as well as during school hours, as a safety precaution for our students.

► When a child becomes ill at school…6 easy steps:
1. Student tells the teacher.
2. Student sent to counseling office.
3. Student calls parent using school phone.
4. Mrs. Leblong confirms with parent/guardian.
5. Student is issued a blue hall pass to go to locker.
6. Student turns in blue hall pass at front desk/front office and waits for parent to arrive.

► Character Counts:
Back in November of 2010, Portage Central Middle School sent a letter out to our corporate citizens asking for their help in donating a gift card or any other type of prize and/or products to be used as rewards for our Positive Behavior Support program. The response was terrific! We collected enough donations to run the program for two years! The goal of the Positive Behavior Support program is to create a learning atmosphere that is best for student achievement.   Adhering to our nationally acclaimed Character Counts program, we encourage our students to subscribe to the 6 Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. We look for students modeling the behavior that we want to see in our school.  Those students who are “caught doing the right thing” are positively reinforced. However, midway through our 3rd year, we find ourselves in need of additional donations, so we are actively accepting gifts large or small! Special thanks to the Shaver Road Meijer for their recent gift card contribution that will be used to purchase various prizes for students.


► Expectations and reminders
--All student cellphones are to be off and put away the entire school day, from the moment you enter until the moment you leave the building after school. After 3pm, students are free to use their phones. Thanks!
--It is the Responsibility of all CMS students to bring their assignment notebook to all core classes.  Students are expected to copy the class agenda. When absent, it is the students responsibility to fill in agenda for days missed. Every other Friday at the beginning of 4th hour a school wide assignment notebook check will occur. 1st Offense for not showing a pattern of using assignment notebook is a teacher conference with student.  Consecutive offenses will result in detentions and parent contact. An updated, legible assignment notebook provides students with a tool for academic success.
--It is the responsibility of all CMS students to have a lock on their locker. If a locker does not have a lock on by the end of the day Monday, October 15th, a permanent school issued lock will be installed. Please keep your locker locked.

► Walking out to the bus…
Please remember to stay on the sidewalk while exiting the building to your bus; in other words, do not cross the parking lot and do not walk between or behind the busses.

► Safe Routes to School Initiative
Walking & Biking Safely to School
Safe Routes to Central Middle School

► Dress Code…take a look at pages 6 and 7 in your assignment notebook.
Since spring seems to be greeting us with open arms, so please remember that shorts and skirts must be at least mid-thigh, BELOW the fingertips. In addition, shirts and blouses must not reveal the midriffs, meaning no skin showing in the middle! Spaghetti straps, low cut tops, halter tops, backless tops and/or mesh tops are also considered violations of the dress code. Please save these types of apparel for when you are not at school. Thanks to the great majority of you who meet our school expectations each day!

► MyCokeRewards for CMS!
Click on the link below to donate points from the codes found on all Coke products. Thanks to student Max Nicolai for organizing this project! You will see our school's total points, view the wish list, and search for fun ways to get involved. “The more points you donate, the more you help every student learn and grow stronger in all aspects of life.”  www.mycokerewards.com/schoolDetails.do?id=1056674743&x=45&y=13

► School Closing Hotline
Emergency closings are also posted on the home page of the Portage Public Schools website at www.portageps.org or by calling the School Closing Hotline 323-6800.

► Pest Control Service Dates
Due to Acts 636 and 637 of the Michigan State Department of Agriculture's Pesticide Notification of Schools, we are required to inform you of the scheduled pest control service days.  Please note that the exterior of our building is scheduled to be trated on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.