January 13, 2023

A MESSAGE FROM

Middle School Division Director

Mr. Ron Hamilton

Greetings, Middle School Kodiaks!

Welcome to 2023 and a new semester at CSS! We are a few weeks in and back to the momentum of learning. Students are energized and the Trianon hallways are ringing with laughter and excitement. Let’s take a look at some special announcements and upcoming events for the next several weeks.

Welcome to Our New Spanish Teacher, Señora Wagner

This semester, Señora Brittani Wagner joins the Middle and Upper School faculty as a new Spanish teacher! We are thrilled to have her join us in growing the language and cultural knowledge of our students. Please reach out to Señora Wagner at bwagner@css.org with any questions about your child’s class or to say, “Hello and welcome.”

Middle School Ski Trip Sign-up Now Open

On Saturday, March 4, CSS will host 6th- through 8th-grade students on a ski trip to Monarch. If your student would like to participate in this one-day event, please complete the I Want to Ski! survey by no later than Monday, January 23. School ski trips are a fun way to introduce students to skiing and to make great Middle School memories!

Middle School Activities and Clubs

This quarter, students have signed up for a variety of clubs and activities that will meet from 2:25 to 3:15 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays. Students chose between Speech and Debate Club, Matchwits, Walking Club, Game Club, and tennis. Athletes playing basketball will begin attending clubs and activities when their season ends in the last week of January. Meanwhile, athletes who will participate in a spring sport will wrap up their attendance at clubs and activities when the new athletic season begins in March.

Parent Preview Breakfasts

On two separate mornings this January, the Office of Admissions and Division Directors will be hosting an informative breakfast for the parents of students transitioning into and out of the Middle School division. The parents of our 8th-grade students should have received an invitation to attend the Upper School Parent Preview Breakfast held today. In addition, parents of 5th-grade students transitioning to Middle School are invited to attend a Middle School Parent Preview Breakfast on Thursday, January 19, from 8-9 a.m. Register by January 16.

Jan. 17

First Meeting: Middle School Book Club

This semester, our school librarian, Ms. Susan Gaebler, will be sponsoring an after-school book club for Middle School students. The first meeting of the book club will take place on Tuesday, January 17, at 3:30 p.m. (snacks will be provided!) and will be used to discuss future meeting times either during lunch or after school along with potential book titles. Please contact Ms. Gaebler at (719) 475-9747 or sgaebler@css.org for more information. Students may sign up for the book club before the meeting by visiting the school library and adding their names to the sign-up sheet.

Jan. 25

Middle School Honors Assembly

On Wednesday, January 25, CSS will present honors and Kodiak Scholar (KS) awards to our students who achieved academic distinction during the first semester. This assembly will take place during morning Advisory and is for students and faculty only. Honors certificates will be presented to students, and Kodiak Scholars will be recognized with KS certificates, which will be mailed home following the event. All families will be invited to the end-of-year Honors and Kodiak Scholar Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 24. Each Tuesday, Middle School students also meet with their advisors for a community assembly following lunch to receive important information and participate in social learning and activities.

Jan. 27

Student Council Overnight Social

On Friday, January 27, the Middle School Student Council will sponsor an overnight social event at the school! A tradition that we haven’t seen in a while, the evening – open to 6th- through 8th-grade students and coordinated by Ms. Blisse Beardsley and other teacher supervisors – will begin at 7 p.m. with drop off at the front of the Trianon. Students should eat dinner prior to arriving at the school! Students should bring sleeping bags and pads, blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals to make a comfortable sleeping space on the floor of the Trianon. Don’t forget to pack a toothbrush and bring school-appropriate PJs! From 7-8:30 p.m., we will set up sleeping spaces in the Trianon and play games in the Tutt Field House. From 9-10:30 p.m., we will watch a student-selected movie in Maytag Dining Hall, with snacks available for purchase, so don’t forget to bring some pocket money. Lights out will be at 11 p.m. back in the Trianon, and we will have breakfast and more games available from 7-8 a.m. Students should be picked up at 8 a.m. in front of the Trianon.

Parent Volunteer Opportunity Survey 

Kindly complete the following Parent Volunteer Opportunities Survey and contact me if you have questions or ideas to share. Thank you for partnering with CSS to provide great educational opportunities for amazing, young people (your children!) We are very thankful for your family!

Yours,

Ron Hamilton, M.A.Ed. Leadership

Middle School Division Director

Middle School Freedom Writers Essay Contest

On Wednesday, January 11, Middle School students attended a cross-divisional Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day assembly with our Upper School students in the Louisa Performing Arts Center. Upper School Forum and its faculty advisor, Dr. John Longo, presented a slideshow educating students on the Freedom Riders, a group of civil rights protesters who helped to strengthen civil rights in the American south. Meanwhile, a select group of Middle School students read the essays they submitted for a “Freedom Riders – Then and Now” essay contest. The contest, open to all 6th-8th graders, was evaluated by our Middle School English teachers and me, and required that participants submit an essay of 500 words or less giving their personal response to the Smithsonian Magazine article titled Freedom Riders – Then and Now. Every student who submitted an essay prior to the contest deadline received an honorable mention certificate or a winning essay certificate following the assembly, which concluded with an Upper School Chamber Choir performance to the song “We Shall Overcome.”

Middle School Walking Club

Some Middle School enrichment activities require lots of indoor thought and planning, like Matchwits and Speech and Debate Club, and some activities are about getting outside. Walking Club is as simple as it sounds. Students and teachers pick a direction and walk through the neighborhood around CSS. This uncomplicated activity allows students to exercise at their own pace and spend time talking with others at the end of the school day. Students are skeptical when they first hear about the club, but many are hooked after their first stroll.

The Colorado Springs School

21 Broadmoor Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80906

Work: (719)434-3537, ext.550

rhamilton@css.org | www.css.org