CMS Craft Fair

Tomorrow night, from 5:00-8:00, Calvert Middle School will sponsor a Craft Fair and Family Fun Night.  Band, Orchestra and Chorus students will perform, the Relay for Life team will sell pizza and snacks and the SGA will hold a bake sale.  In addition to all of that fun, the Book fair will open AND there all the crafters and vendors that signed up will have lots of items for sale!  Come out and get all of your holiday shopping done, or just hang out to hear some great music and eat pizza!

See you there!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving CMS family!  I hope that everyone has a wonderful break.  Take some time to think about the good things in your life.  Try to list 5 things that you are most thankful for.
For me, I am thankful for family, friends, Davey and Cleo, my job and my students.
See you on Monday!

Yankee Candle Fundraiser is Here

Our Yankee Candle fundraiser items arrived today during 6th period.  If you have a small order and the box is light enough for you to carry, please consider taking it home with you on your bus.  If you don't feel like that is possible or your order is too large (one of you has FOUR boxes!), your parents will have to pick up your order.  I will stay after school on Monday until 4:00 to help accommodate your parents picking up orders.  If your parents need to make other arrangements to pick up your order, have them email me or call the school to set up a pick up time.  I'm usually at school around 6:30 (I can get there earlier) and I can stay late OR leave items in the office.

Thank you to everyone who sold items.  We almost tripled our budget!!

Awesome Concerts!

Congratulations! You did an great job on Tuesday night!

6th graders, I am so excited about your future in the CMS band program. Look forward to being challenged for the spring concert!!

Beginning band, you are so much fun to work with and I am sooooo proud of how well you performed.  Keep up the good work!

7th and 8th grade, I was sad that "Christmas Time with Charlie Brown" had to end.  I was having a great time with that song.  I might have to dig out the DVD and watch it with Davey and Cleo this weekend :-)

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!  Be sure to start practicing for our upcoming tests on November 30th and December 1st.  (The concerts were good, but you still need to practice.)

Concert Week!

This is it!  Tuesday is the big night!!  I am very excited about our upcoming concerts.
Here's what you need to remember to make your concert night a success:

• 6th graders report at 6:00 and the 6th grade concert is at 6:30.
• 7th and 8th graders report at 7:30 and their concert is at 8:00.
• Both concerts should be approximately 1/2 hour.
• You must wear your CMS shirt and black pants - students who did not get their shirts last week will get their shirts on Monday.
• During the concert, you must remember that you are to pay attention and be polite to the other performers, do your very best and most importantly - make Ms. Cunningham look good :-)

It's going to be a GREAT concert!!  Why?  Because I teach the best students at CMS!

One week from now...

Our concert night is only one week away!!

Info that you need to know:
6th grade band students report at 6:00 and the concert begins at 6:30.  The concert will be over at 7:00.
7th and 8th grade band students report at 7:30 - not earlier because we want to give the 6th graders' parents a chance to get out of the parking lot.  The concert begins at 8:00 and should be over by 8:30.
Everybody should be dressed in their black pants (not skirts, skinny jeans, jeggings, etc) and your CMS band shirt tucked in to said black pants.  Try to take care of water and bathroom needs before entering the band room.

It's going to be a great evening!

Don't forget that the 7th and 8th grade band will rehearse during advisory on Thursday.

End of the First Quarter

Wednesday marked the end of the first quarter.  How did you do?  Is your band grade what you thought it would be?  Could it be better? Maybe you need to practice a little more...it does help.
A student said to me today, "I practiced and I sounded better!".  YES!!!  This is what I've been telling children for 18 years.  Perhaps it's time to add to my embroidered sayings...anyone out there do counted cross-stitch?
Don't forget that Yankee Candle orders are due tomorrow and the interest forms are due on Monday.  Have a great weekend.

Reminders...

Don't forget:

1. Take your instruments home to practice over the 3-day weekend.
2. Sell Yankee Candle stuff.
3. Practice for next week's tests - A day on Tuesday and B day on Wednesday.
4. The concert is coming up on November 15th.  (6th graders at 6:30, 7th and 8th grade at 8:00)
5. Practice, practice practice!
6. Monday is a B day.  
7. Ms. Cunningham teaches the BEST students!

Have a great 3-day weekend!

What's Up in Bandland?

So...just what is up?  LOTS!

• Test #3 is done and it was pretty fabulous!  
• Two new performance opportunities - November 4th will be band night with CHS and December 2nd we will have a chance to perform at the first CMS craft fair.  Details will be coming soon for both events.
• Our Yankee Candle Fundraiser is getting kicking off this week.  My apologies to parents for all of the fundraisers - we miss Mrs. King in the office - she kept our calendar up-to-date!  The band gets 40% of everything sold from the YC catalog.  If every student sells a $10 item, we will make over $400!
• Concerts are a month away!!!  Keep practicing!  

That's all for now.  Keep up the good work.  How about challenging yourself to practice 10 extra minutes this weekend?

PS - speaking of the weekend...check out the Pet Day in Solomons Island on Sunday from 12-5.  SMAWL will be there.  (Davey is a SMAWL rescue dog.)

Enjoy Your Day Off...

...but don't forget to practice!  As I head off to CMS for staff development, I have to admit that I'm a little jealous that you get one more day to enjoy what was a beautiful weekend.

Remember that Tuesday is a B day and that we've got tests coming up on Wednesday and Thursday!

Have a fantastic day!

Fair Weekend - Don't forget to practice!

Hooray for 3-day weekends!!  I hope that everyone enjoys themselves this weekend.  Have a funnel cake for me if you go to the fair.  Be sure to have it AFTER riding the spinning rides.

Don't forget to make time to practice.  Test #2 was pretty good but we could all benefit from more practice.  The concert music is coming along as well but we've got a long way to go!

Beginners, keep up the good work!  I can't stress to you how important it is to play.  Use the CD that is included in your method book - it will help you check your pitches.

Have a wonderful weekend.  See you on Monday - an A day!!

Test #2 Coming up!

Test #2 will take place on Monday for A day students and Tuesday for B day students.  Make sure that you are practicing and you get a parent to sign your practice record.
8th graders should practice "Rondo" or "Wild Horseman"
7th graders should practice "High School Cadets" or any of the cut time songs.
6th grade intermediate students should practice "The Donkey Round" playing as if you were singing (but not singing like Ms. Griwatz!!!)
Beginners should practice lines 7 and 8 - your choice.
Have a great weekend.  See you Monday!

Test #1 is Done!

Test #1 is now in the history books (and GradeBook)! Congratulations to all of the students who were prepared with their books, instruments, and SIGNED practice records! You will find that the more you are prepared, the better your grade will be! Be sure to follow your practice record assignments and keep up with your band music. Take your instruments home this weekend and PRACTICE! Keep up the good work, CMS band! You are the BEST!

Just checking in...

Good Friday Morning, CMS!

I want to thank all of the parents and students who came to back to school night last night. It was so nice to see so many familiar faces and to meet new people. Remember, if you ever have any questions, please feel free to email me at school: cunninghamj@calvertnet.k12.md.us or call (the best time to reach me is during my planning 12:00-12:45): 410-535-7355.

By the end of the day today, every student should have 2 pieces of music (8th period beginners won't have band music - just their book), a name tag on their instruments - thanks to Ms. Griwatz's dad, and a practice record. Time to start making beautiful music :-)

Thank you! I truly teach the best students!!

Whoo-hoo!! We're going back to school!

School will be open on time tomorrow, September 1st.
September 1st is an A day AND the first day that you are to bring your instruments!!! Let's get back on track!!

No School Wednesday, August 31st

I miss my students! Dr. Smith (our superintendent) hopes that we will return to school on Thursday. Here's what he sent teachers and posted on the CCPS website:

Dear CCPS Community,

I hope you are all well and getting life straightened out after Irene. I had hoped we would be able to open school on Wednesday, but after hearing all of the information from across the county, I am choosing to keep school closed for one more day. I think we will be able to open schools on Thursday but that will be announced Wednesday afternoon. While many homes in the community have had their electrical service restored, as of 2:20 this afternoon there are still 13,284 Calvert County residences in the dark (BGE 3,576 & SMECO 10,294). One school is completely without power and another just lost power after having it restored yesterday. Several schools still have phone and internet issues.

The biggest issue we continue to face as a school system is the transportation of students. Our buses travel over 17,000 miles each day. The combination of low hanging power lines, stumps and trees on the edges of roads, and blocked and closed roads create too many hazards for us to safely operate the buses.

The county government, utility companies and private residents have done a tremendous job of cleaning up Calvert County since Sunday. One more day should allow them the time they need to significantly reduce the risk to students, parents, bus drivers and citizens. Another announcement will be sent out tomorrow afternoon regarding school on Thursday.

Take care and be safe,

Jack Smith, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Calvert County Public Schools


Hope to see you soon!! Find those instruments and practice.

No School Tuesday, August 30th

If you haven't heard, no school again tomorrow. At this rate, it will be like starting over again...
Hope everyone is well. Spent a lot of time cleaning up the yard today. Hope everyone is helping out their parents, grandparents, neighbors, etc. Take care and I hope to see you on Wednesday!

No School Monday, August 29th

Hope everyone is safe and well. Things here in C-ham land are messy, but power and water have returned.
Don't forget to check your practice records for A day/B day dates. Those dates/days DO NOT CHANGE! You can also check on the CCPS website, click handbooks and then go to the handbook for 2012 - page 9.
Take care and hope to see you soon!

Happy New School Year!!

How would you describe the past week? Exciting? Scary? Fun? Stressful? Busy? Full of new experiences? Full of laughs? Hectic? Crazy? Wild? Yeah, me too!!! What a week! I've experienced some new things - 7th grade computer class and an earthquake, I've reconnected with familiar faces (so glad to see you 7th and 8th graders) and met lots of new students!

I hope that everyone has had a chance to review the grading policies/classroom expectations paper that I sent home on the first days of class. Parents (and students),if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Email is the easiest way - even if you email me to say, "Please call."

I am looking forward to a fantastic year! Thank you all for such a wonderful start! Stay safe this weekend.

Oh....Find those instruments, dust off the cobwebs and practice :-)

Marching Band

Mrs. Fraley, several former CMS band students and the drum line have recently visited CMS to talk about Marching Band. I can't say enough good things about joining marching band! It's a great time and a great way to get to know your fellow students. CHS's marching band has come a long way over the years, thanks to Mrs. Fraley. Know how it can get better? IF MORE CMS STUDENTS JOIN!!

Here's the link to the CHS band website if you have any questions about the marching band or any other bands at CHS:

Wow. Has it really been since December?

Thank you, April, for reminding me to post something!

We are in full swing for the upcoming spring performances! Everyone is working on Spring Concert music, 7th and 8th graders are working on Festival music and 8th grade is practicing for the Hershey Park trip.

Remember to get those practice records signed and turned in. I'll give a prize to the class that has the highest percentage of signed practice records for test #12. (Let's see how many of you are paying attention to the blog...)

Hope to see everyone at the dedication ceremony tomorrow. Remember, if you are performing, you are to wear your CMS shirt and black pants. Be here by 1:30 (earlier would be better). Have a great weekend!