Connersville Middle School

Please help us welcome Mr. Jeremy Duncan as the new Superintendent of the Fayette County School Corporation. Mr. Duncan most recently served as the Superintendent of the South Henry School Corporation the past three years where the Corporation saw a 14% increase in student population, multiple facility upgrades, increases in student achievement, and more. Previous to his time at South Henry, Mr. Duncan has served as an Elementary Principal, Jr. Sr. High School Assistant Principal, Campus Pastor, coach, and 5th grade teacher. Most importantly, Mr. Duncan is a father and husband. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Brandy, and has two incredible children, Catherine (20) and Carter (17). Mr. Duncan stated, "I am eager to get to know and serve the awesome people of Fayette County and become a part of the Spartan Family."

**Announcement!** We're excited to announce the appointment of Jeremy Duncan as the new Fayette County School Superintendent! Mr. Duncan brings a wealth of experience from his tenure as Superintendent at South Henry School Corporation since 2021. Stay tuned to this week's News Examiner for more details on this exciting development for our schools! #NewSuperintendent Photo from The Courier Times

Chartwells would love for you to be a part of their team!

It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of the passing of one of our students. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends during this incredibly difficult time. In light of this loss, we recognize the importance of supporting our students and staff in coping with their grief. Counseling services will be available on Monday, July 1, 2024, at Connersville Middle School from 10 AM to 2 PM. We encourage anyone who feels the need to talk, share their feelings, or seek support to take advantage of these services. During times of sorrow, it is vital for our community to come together and support one another. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need assistance or simply someone to talk to. We are here for you.

Early Release Monday for all FCSC Elementary Schools for the 2024-2025 school year Dear Parents and Guardians, We are excited to announce a new initiative aimed at enhancing student achievement and supporting our dedicated teachers. Starting for the 2024/2025 school year, FCSC Elementary Schools will implement an early release on the first Monday of each month. On these days, schools will dismiss students between 1:30 and 1:35 PM. Transportation will be provided, with buses running an hour earlier than usual on these early release days. The early release initiative is designed to bolster student performance in key academic areas. By dedicating additional time for professional development, our teachers can increase the effectiveness of Tier 1 instruction in both math and reading, as indicated by CFA data and ILEARN checkpoints. This dedicated time is expected to lead to an increase in IREAD pass rates and higher achievement in ILEARN assessments for both math and reading.

Enjoy watching the student on CMS today ! https://youtu.be/WB39840Z4B8

https://youtu.be/XKG8MDpsCOQ Enjoy watching our kids on CMS today.

There are a lot of questions about how the school board goes about choosing a new superintendent and rumors that we already have applicants whose names we know (which we don’t). We decided we wanted to use a search team to help us find the right person. We interviewed Indiana School Board Association, who has an arm that does superintendent searches. We also interviewed the University Team who is comprised of education professor/previous superintendents from Indiana State University, Ball State University, Purdue University and Indiana University. This group is currently involved in 22 of the 29 superintendent searches currently happening across Indiana. The board chose to go with the University Team and have provided them with a personalized ‘common’ application (personalized for FCSC), which was then posted through a number of education associations, as well as through their own connections via the alumni at each university. After applicants apply, the University Team will call each one individually and ‘vet’ them to see if they are a good fit for FCSC. They will present us with all applicants, and name those that they felt rose to the top. We will meet again on Tuesday, May 14th, for a 4-hour executive session, to go over candidates. Until that time, we do not know how many people applied for the position or who those individuals are. We will not get any of that information until we meet on the 14th. If you have any other questions pertaining to this process, please feel free to contact any of your school board members.

Enjoy CMS today! https://youtu.be/AP2DxivIU6E

Parents and guardians of CMS students, 1. In the next few weeks students, be will taking part in statewide ILEARN Testing. Students will first take the ILEARN Practice Test on Wednesday, April 10. Then the next week, students will test over English/Language Arts on April 16, 17, 18, and 19. Finally, students will test over Math on April 23, 24, and 25. As part of the mandated ILEARN testing protocols set up by the State of Indiana, students are not allowed to have their cell phones or their Smart Watches in the testing rooms. Those items will need to be kept in students’ lockers. Being in possession of technologies such as these in the testing rooms must be reported to the State could invalidate a student’s ILEARN Test. 2. Additionally, we will be conducting NWEA testing in the morning on Tuesday, May 7 and Wednesday May 8. Students will test in English on Tuesday (5/7) and Math on Wednesday (5/8). Please make sure your student(s) gets a good night’s sleep on the nights before testing. Additionally, make sure that students bring their Chromebooks to school fully charged. If possible, also try to schedule student medical appointments on days when we are not conducting testing. Thank you for your cooperation! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the CMS office at 825-1139.

Dear Parents and Guardians, As we eagerly anticipate the upcoming solar eclipse, an extraordinary event that will be both educational and memorable for our students, we would like to express our thanks to the Fayette County Tourism, for their generous donation of eclipse glasses and sunflower seeds to all of our students. Safety is our utmost priority, especially when it involves an event as unique as a solar eclipse. While this event provides a fantastic opportunity for learning and observation, it must be done safely. We strongly encourage all parents and guardians to supervise their children during the eclipse viewing. We recommend discussing the importance of never looking at the sun without proper eye protection, as this can cause serious and permanent eye damage. Let's make this solar eclipse a memorable and safe experience for our students. We appreciate your cooperation and are here to answer any questions you may have about eclipse viewing safety. Thank you once again to Fayette County Tourism for their generous donation and to all of you for your continued support of our school and students.

Please enjoy the work that the students are doing. https://youtu.be/bY-z9NGANzQ

Dear Parents and Guardians, As we eagerly anticipate the upcoming solar eclipse, an extraordinary event that will be both educational and memorable for our students, we would like to express our thanks to the Fayette County Tourism, for their generous donation of eclipse glasses and sunflower seeds to all of our students. Safety is our utmost priority, especially when it involves an event as unique as a solar eclipse. While this event provides a fantastic opportunity for learning and observation, it must be done safely. We strongly encourage all parents and guardians to supervise their children during the eclipse viewing. We recommend discussing the importance of never looking at the sun without proper eye protection, as this can cause serious and permanent eye damage. Let's make this solar eclipse a memorable and safe experience for our students. We appreciate your cooperation and are here to answer any questions you may have about eclipse viewing safety. Thank you once again to Fayette County Tourism for their generous donation and to all of you for your continued support of our school and students.

Dear Parents and Guardians, As part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all our students and staff, we want to inform you of the procedures we will follow in the event that we are under a tornado warning during dismissal time. In line with our Fayette County School Corporation (FCSC) crisis management plan, should there be a tornado warning issued at dismissal time, we will not proceed with dismissing students until the threat of imminent weather has passed or the tornado warning is officially lifted. This decision is made with the safety of our students and staff as our foremost concern, and we kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation. During such an event, please be aware that staff will also be sheltering in place and, as such, will not be able to dismiss students to parents or guardians. We understand that this may cause inconvenience or concern, but please rest assured that the safety of your children is our top priority. Our school is equipped with designated safe spaces, and our staff is trained to ensure that all students are kept safe and calm until the situation is resolved. We appreciate your support and cooperation in ensuring the safety of our school community. Should you have any questions or concerns about our crisis management procedures, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Dear Parents and Guardians, As part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all our students and staff, we want to inform you of the procedures we will follow in the event that we are under a tornado warning during dismissal time. In line with our Fayette County School Corporation (FCSC) crisis management plan, should there be a tornado warning issued at dismissal time, we will not proceed with dismissing students until the threat of imminent weather has passed or the tornado warning is officially lifted. This decision is made with the safety of our students and staff as our foremost concern, and we kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation. During such an event, please be aware that staff will also be sheltering in place and, as such, will not be able to dismiss students to parents or guardians. We understand that this may cause inconvenience or concern, but please rest assured that the safety of your children is our top priority. Our school is equipped with designated safe spaces, and our staff is trained to ensure that all students are kept safe and calm until the situation is resolved. We appreciate your support and cooperation in ensuring the safety of our school community. Should you have any questions or concerns about our crisis management procedures, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

April Food Pantry/Clothing Closet

The link to CMS today! https://youtu.be/Ufo7t4JvnWU

Parents and Guardians of CMS students, On the advice of law enforcement officials, Connersville Middle School went into a lockdown situation for a brief period of time near the end of our school day today. There was no direct threat to the school nor was there a threat inside the school. Local law enforcement personnel were dealing with a situation in close proximity to CMS, and they thought it best to have us go to lockdown for safety reasons. Our lockdown situation lasted for a matter of minutes and was then quickly lifted, as local law enforcement believed there was no longer a threat to CMS in any way. We are grateful for the swift work of our local law enforcement officers, and we very much appreciate their care and concern for all of the staff and students of CMS.

“All 8th graders are getting information about scheduling for CHS today! Parents, please be on the lookout for paperwork that needs a signature. All of the information they receive today is included in the link provided here: https://www.smore.com/n/xzn2v3-cms-scheduling “

March Food Pantry/Clothing Closet will be Thursday, March 21, 2024, 4-6 pm at Little Spartans Preschool.