Earlier this year I received an email from a parent who was happy that CMS was conducting curriculum reviews in the so-called STEM academic areas. He wondered however if we were forgetting the importance of the Humanities as we worked to implement new standards and benchmarks into our STEM curriculum areas. I wondered if other parents had the same concern so today I want to share a quick overview of the curriculum review process in place here at CMS that ensures and  facilitates a  review of all content areas using a type of strategic planning ...

Reading and literacy have always been an integral part of the Carol Morgan experience.  For the past two years the Battle of the Books has served as a forum to showcase our students’ ability to read and comprehend age-specific books in a friendly competition.  Using a Jeopardy! Format, kids form teams and participate in a fun and challenging duel to test their knowledge of the titles. This year, in cooperation with the Spanish Department, we are having a Spanish version of the Battle of the Books.  Led by Mr. Juan Carlos Compres, this version ...

HELP US CELEBRATE CMS 80th BIRTHDAY THE CHALLENGE: COME UP WITH A HEALTHY LUNCH RECIPE THAT INCLUDES ALL THE FOOD GROUPS AND TASTES DELICIOUS!! THE REWARD: PARTICIPATE IN A RECIPE CONTEST FOR THE CHANCE THAT YOUR RECIPE IS PUBLISHED IN A FUTURE CMS PUBLICATION (ON LINE OR IN PRINT), JUDGED BY LOCAL CHEFS AND FEATURED IN THE SCHOOL CAFETERIA MENU! IF YOU HURRY AND SUBMIT YOUR RECIPE IN THIS CURRENT WEEK, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HAVE IT FEATURED IN THE SPRING FEST/FAMILY FUN DAY FOOD FAIR TO BE HELD ON SATURDAY MARCH 16!   CMS HEALTHY RECIPE CON...

We've had a very busy month in curriculum development at CMS. MATH CURRICULUM REVIEW The math department leadership team has met several times to review the new common core standards benchmarks and course designs.  The sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grade math teachers have met with Carmen Fernandez, the department head for mathematics and the principals to examine the materials that we presently use, the units that we have designed this year based upon the common core math standards and benchmarks and to evaluate our use of map testing ...

Curriculum Reviews Underway Recently the entire Science department, ES grade level teachers, administrators and representatives from OLC, Technology and the ES Library were all on board for the second meeting of the PK-12 Science Curriculum Review. The staff discussed the questions, Where Are We Now and Where Do We Need to Go in Science at CMS. We reviewed data related to student progress on standardized tests in science including our former MAP scores, AP science scores and the Pruebas scores from CMS students. We discussed various standard...

Science Curriculum Review Underway On November 29, the entire Science department, ES grade level teachers, administrators and representatives from OLC, Technology and the ES Library were all on board for the second meeting of the PK-12 Science Curriculum Review. The staff discussed the questions, Where Are We Now and Where Do We Need to Go in Science at CMS. We reviewed data related to student progress on standardized tests in science including but not limited to, former MAP scores, AP science scores and the Pruebas scores from CMS students. W...

CURRICULUM DESIGN AND REVIEWS   Elementary Social Studies: The 2012-13 Curriculum Reviews are underway. Last month the Elementary Social Studies Committee met to discuss the 2012 AERO (American Education Reaches Out) Social Studies Standards and benchmarks that we will be using as a basis for our new elementary curriculum units. Teachers and administrators discussed the “vertical” planning needed to ensure that CMS students build a strong foundation in Social Studies as they move from level to level and school to school. Committee members h...

2012-2013 FOCUS ON STEM AND CMS 21ST CENTURY SKILLS During this school year we will be conducting deep curriculum reviews in our course offerings in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, the so-called STEM subjects. Last month we kicked off the reviews by having a meeting of all grade 6-12 teachers of these subject areas along with selected representatives from the grade levels in the elementary school. Our 3 principals will also serve on the committees along with our library media specialists and representatives from our counselin...

NEWSFLASH FROM THE DEPUTY HEAD SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 Since the middle of August, we have had many wonderful opportunities in curriculum, professional development and new teacher orientation! We welcomed all of our new teachers to CMS on August 13th with the beginning of a two-week orientation to CMS, Santo Domingo and the Dominican Republic. Teachers, teaching assistants and new personnel in technology, heard about CMS mission and vision, curriculum initiatives, standards-based teaching and assessing, new innovations in technology, and countle...

 NEW CMS 21ST CENTURY STANDARDS ADOPTED BY STAFF AND THE BOARD CURRICULUM COMMITTEE As our ongoing commitment to the 21st Century skill development of CMS students, we have continued to work to devise an updated set of standards and benchmarks that will be used next year in all disciplines. This year a subcommittee of the School Wide Curriculum Council reviewed our present set of standards and added a few new domains that will serve as the basis for our 21st Century Skills Strategic Plan for 2012-2013. Below is the chart of the revised standar...

CMS School Survey We Value Your Opinions and Need You to Share Your Thoughts! Your opinions, insights and suggestions matter to us at CMS!  We use the comments that you share and the survey data that we collect from you to continuously improve our program, our practices and our school climate. As we plan for next year, your insights on the 2011-2012 school year will guide everything we do.  Our survey data from parents, students and staff give us a complete picture of how we are doing to meet the educational and emotional needs of your childr...

Thinking in Foreign Language Makes Decisions More Rational By Brandon Keim   To judge a risk more clearly, it may help to consider it in a foreign language.  A series of experiments on more than 300 people from the US and Korea found that thinking in a second language reduced deep-seated, misleading biases that unduly influence how risks and benefits are perceived.  "Would you make the same decisions in a foreign language as you would in your native tongue?" asked psychologists led by Boaz Keysar of the University of Chicago in an April 18...

GET READY FOR THE PE AND ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT FUN DAY! The PE and Athletic Departments are sponsoring their annual Family Fun Day this coming Saturday April 21, 2012. All of the proceeds from this fantastic family day go to support the implementation of new and updated athletic and physical education equipment and resources. This year the PE and Health  department has conducted a curriculum review of their PK-12 curricula.   They have proposed exciting new units and  learning activities for CMS students. Your support of Family Fun Day will hel...

FINAL BUFFALO COURSE FOR THE 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR The final course for the Buffalo program this year will take place from May 18 to 24 at CMS. This course will fulfill the requirements for the Master’s Degree and also count as one of the 5 courses for the leadership program. As you may remember, we have offered two courses already that will lead to the leadership certificate from Buffalo. This certificate may help teachers qualify for administrative certification in some states and to meet the leadership requirements of being an administrator...

DOMINICAN AUTHOR PRESENTS AT CMS Cesar Sanchez Beras, author of "Sorpresas de Carnaval" came to visit as a part of our Spanish library experiences and share ideas about his book.  There was an empathy between the students and the author and they asked him many questions about the story.  Finally they asked the author to come back to school for another visit. He signed books for the students and students were motivated by his visit. The Dominican authors' visits are arranged by Mrs. Dorcas Aybar our Spanish Librarian. SPANISH BOOK COLLECTION...