Welcome Back August 2018



Welcome Back Crystal Middle School Cougar Teachers and Staff!!
I hope you had a wonderful summer. Welcome back to the 2018 - 2019 school year!

 My Expectation This Year:
RED is not an option.

As you plan for the upcoming school year, you are expected to use the Board-adopted curriculum for your subject area as the primary source for instruction. With that stated, please look at the District's Professional Devleopment Offerings to see which are right for you.

 What's New?
We have had lots of changes over the summer. Many of which are noted in our updated Faculty Handbook and will be discussed at our upcoming meetings. A copy of the Handbook will be shared out with all staff.

 Important Upcoming Dates at CMS:
  • August 9th from 10am to 1:30. 
  • Welcome Back Potluck and Nerf Gun War - All staff are invited to come down, hang out and have a silly-fun Nerf gun battle on campus. The only requirement to play is eye protection. Bring your Nerf Gun, Nerf ammo,  and Tennis Shoes. Sign up to bring food. 
  • August 10th from 10am to Noon 
  • 6th Grade Orientation in the MPR - 6th grade students and their families will be able to pick up schedules, meet teachers, purchase PE Uniforms, walk the campus, and discover information about school clubs, events, and student leadership! 
  • August 13th 
  • Certificated staff planning day (no staff meeting)
  • August 14th
  • First Faculty Meeting of the School Year - from 8:30 to 11:30 in the Library (please join us for coffee/breakfast at 8am). 
  • Map Skills Mini PD for Math & Special Education Teachers - from 12:30 to 3:30 in the Library; activity TBA for other departments.
  • August 15th
  • Like last year, we are planning on a raucous welcome back to school for our students. Also invited will be members of the Suisun City Council and Police Department and FSUSD Board President David Isom (President Isom is assigned to our school site this year by the Board).

Welcome New Staff
This year, we welcome new staff to our faculty. Cougar Veterans, make sure to introduce yourself to our new people... joining a new staff can be scary, and an introduction will go a long way. As soon as you get a chance, please let our new people know that we are so happy to have them on our team!
  • Krystal Benckendorf, Special Ed/RSP Teacher
  • Michaela Meeter, Special Ed/RSP Teacher
  • Erin Haynes, Special Ed/RSP Teacher (* not new, but new position!)
  • Michelle Brodersen, Special Ed/RSP Teacher
  • Janae Guess, Special Ed Para, RSP
  • Wallace Flowers, Special Ed Para, FA
  • Krista Nichols, Assistant Principal


Master Schedule
Most of the teaching lines are shaping up with our projected enrollment from last year, with a few finishing touches. We still have a vacancy in 6th grade; however, our actual enrollment to date in 6th grade is lower than projected. Our office staff is doing a great job tabulating actual enrollments and detailing the Master Schedule. Keep in mind that we will need to meticulously take attendance and do "warm body" counts the first few weeks of school to ensure that our enrollment and staff allocation match up.

 All Staff... You can take the Mandated Reporter Training right now.
You do not need to wait until a later time while on campus. This is a required annual training for all. Once  you have completed the course and passed the assessment, you MUST send a copy of the certificate to the Secretary and Principal by September 7th. No faculty meeting time will be dedicated to this online training! To access the training, go to: http://www.mandatedreporterca.com
Our Building Looks Great
Superintendent Corey commented that she had never seen Crystal look so good at a summer site walk. G105 has been cleared out of cabinetry, all the classroom moves have been made, the funky carpets in front of the gym and MPR have been replaced, and all the chromebooks and lockers have been sorted, installed and spread around appropriately. Thanks be to - Steven, Angela, Ocea, Derrick, Joel Sabio and all the district staff behind the scenes in maintenance and facilities for a fantastic job preparing the site! It feels great to be on campus!

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