Sunday Communication
Chancellor Middle School
5-17-26
We have five full days of school scheduled for this week.
Upcoming Day Off: There is no school on Monday, May 25h.
Upcoming Half Days: The last two days of school will be morning half days (dismissing at 11:45am): Thursday, May 28th, and Friday, May 29th.
Use this link to view the SCPS A-Day/B-Day Instructional Calendar. A-Days and B-Days will not change throughout the year. How they are listed on the calendar now is how they will stay, regardless of school cancellation (snow days, for example). A Days are underlined.
Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism: “Chronic absenteeism” means a student missing 10% or more school days for the year. Each week in this Sunday Communication there will be a fact/statistic/tip about attendance and/or chronic absenteeism.
This week’s fact: According to the U.S. Department of Education, students who are chronically absent are 2.5x more likely to drop-out of school than their non-chronically absent peers.
At this point, we have had 161 days of school, so missing 17 or more days of school at this point is considered chronically absent.
CMS Chronic Absenteeism by Grade Level:
· 6th Grade: As of 5-15-26, 16.5% of 6th grade students are chronically absent for this school year.
· 7th Grade: As of 5-15-26, 16.2% of 7th grade students are chronically absent for this school year.
· 8th Grade: As of 5-15-26, 21.4% of 8th grade students are chronically absent for this school year.
Last Week of School Attendance Incentives:
For our last week of school (Tuesday, May 26th through Friday, May 27th) we are planning fun activities and incentives for student attendance! Even though it is the last week of school, school attendance is mandatory just like any other time of the school year according to the Code of Virginia. Please make sure your student attends school during the last week so that they can participate and celebrate the end of our school year!
· Monday, May 25th: NO SCHOOL
· Tuesday, May 26th: Day-long, school-wide bingo for prizes. Students will receive bingo cards in homeroom and numbers will be called throughout the day. Winners will receive actual prizes!
· Wednesday, May 27th: (Last full day of school) Students will have a relaxing afternoon, with snacks/games/movie/etc. for the duration of the time between lunch and end of day dismissal.
· Thursday, May 28th: (Morning half day, dismiss at 11:45am) 8th grade picnic at Loriella Park, 6th/7th grade Field Day at CMS.
· Friday, May 29th: (Last day of school, morning half day, dismiss at 11:45am) Raffles will take place for larger prizes. Students who attend all four days of school this week will be entered into the raffles.
CMS PTO News:
We are looking for a few awesome parents and guardians to join the CMS PTO Board next year. No special experience needed just willingness to help and share your ideas! Nominations for 2026-2027 PTO Board are due by April 24th (see link below). Please reach out if you have any questions.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1yjKV-e1rwHrHAhxRRnlqWa4OIdR25XCAj73PXDOp3ws/edit
Calling all CMS Businesses and Families! We are looking for sponsors for the 2025-2026 school year. We have several things planned for the rest of the school year such as: support for school dances, SOL encouragement, Honor Roll incentives, teacher/staff appreciation just to name a few but we need you! Different levels of support are listed here: https://forms.gle/rHCTn3Jrb6E3LiF79
Please reach out if you have any questions: chancellormiddlepto@gmail.com
PTO memberships are still available at this link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwHc9Ctkq1AOY2UmdyJPY_umlGK69swX1ZgncCmJ3i5feFBw/viewform
UPDATED Student Chromebook Collection: Chromebooks AND chargers will be collected from all students
-6th Grade on Friday, May 22nd, during PE class.
-7th and 8th Graders on Tuesday, May 26th, during Social Studies class.
All decals/stickers/personalization should be removed from the chromebook / charger before turn-in. The SCPS barcode should remain on the device.
Students will be charged for missing/damaged chromebooks/chargers. Students will not receive chromebooks/chargers next year if they have outstanding charges due to this. See the graphic linked below for replacement charges and repair costs.
Homework Club: There will be no Homework Club on Monday, which means Homework Club is finished for the year. Students who usually stay for Homework Club should plan on going home right after school on Monday.
Crochet Club: The last Crochet Club meeting of the year will be on Wednesday May 20th. Since this is the last meeting of the year, participants are invited and welcome to stay until 4:30pm instead of 4:00pm. New members are always welcome, but must have turned in a permission slip or have one when they come to the meeting. Permission slips are available in the counseling department. All participants must be picked up by 4:30pm.
End of Year School Clinic Reminders:
Medications: Medications should be picked up by a parent/guardian or adult designee by 3:00pm on the last day of school, May 29th. Please contact Nurse Tucker if you need to make alternate arrangements or if you wish for the medications to be discarded. Students with permission to self-carry inhalers or EpiPens may pick up their extra dose from the nurse.
Medications for students attending summer school must be picked up by the parent/guardian and taken to the summer school site. The nurse cannot transfer the medications.
Immunizations: Rising 7th grade students are required to have proof of immunization on file in the clinic for the following vaccines : Meningococcal, TDaP and HPV (optional). Please send a copy of your student's immunization record to the school nurse before the start of 7th grade. All 6th grade students are eligible to receive the vaccines now and it is recommended that parents make appointments with your pediatrician or the Spotsylvania Health Department at 540-507-7400 as soon as possible and not wait until the summer months when there will be fewer appointment spaces available.
Talent Show: The Annual CMS Talent Show is on Tuesday, May 26 at 6:00 pm at the high school auditorium. Come and join us in celebrating our middle school students' talents, skills, and teamwork as they collaborate and shine on stage!!!! The show is FREE, but monetary donations are greatly appreciated!
7th Grade NJHS Induction:
The National Junior Honor Society Induction (for those 7th graders who successfully completed the application process) will be held on Tuesday, May 19th at 6:00 pm in the Chancellor High School Auditorium. Families and guests should park in the high school parking lot. Members should dress in "special occasion" attire
Dress Code Reminder: With the weather significantly warming-up now, we would like to remind our students/families about this particular part of the dress code:
“Students must wear clothing that covers their skin from chest to mid thigh with opaque (non see-through) fabric in front, back, and on the sides.” (Page 33 of Spotsylvania County Schools Student Code of Conduct)
CMS Library Book Reminders:
· All library books must be turned-in as soon as possible! They are past due!
· If a student's book is damaged or lost during a student's checkout, that student is responsible for paying for the replacement of the book.
· Parents can pay for lost or damaged books in person or can send cash or a check (made out to Chancellor Middle School) with their student. Any lost books found within 6 months of payment will be refunded
CMS Yearbook: Yearbooks have arrived! They will be handed out on Thursday and Friday of this week (May 21st and 22nd). Also, there is a limited amount that are available for purchase. The price of the Yearbook will be $35.00. Please let your teacher know if you would like to purchase one and they can reach out to Mrs. Thompson. They are available on first come first serve basis
Cell Phones / Personal Technology: This year, just like every previous year, students are not allowed to use cell phones in school at CMS. Last year, the Governor of Virginia made an executive order that extends to all public VA K-12 schools, restricting the cell phone usage by students from the beginning of the day to the end of the day
-Cell phones must be off and away (in backpack/bag, not in pocket of clothing).
-This also includes smartwatches, earbuds/headphones, and AI/AR glasses.
-Students who fail to follow these rules will have their device confiscated, and also face possible disciplinary consequences.
Social Media: Each year we like to remind our parents about the behavior of students on various social media platforms, groupchats, online video games, etc. Throughout each year, we receive reports of students being mean on these platforms, starting or getting into drama, hurt feelings, etc. CMS has no control over social media. The platforms are not willing to work with schools (to investigate, delete posts/accounts, block users, etc). Further, this is happening away from the supervision of school adults and outside of school time. Please, parents, be mindful of what your child is doing with their phone/device. There are many apps that can help parents monitor what their child is doing on their device. If your child has a negative interaction on one of these platforms, please have them block/delete that “friend”, or remove/delete the app from your child’s phone/device. Parents – if you see what some adults act like on social media, you can only imagine how 11, 12, 13 year olds may act.
Medications and Treatments in School:
Students who require medications or treatments in school, including self carry/self administered medications like inhalers or EpiPens, or over the counter medications like Tylenol or allergy tablets, must have orders/forms signed by a healthcare provider each school year. You can find the forms on the School Division website under Health Services. Nurse Tucker can provide hard copies of most forms upon request.
CMS Athletics:
Boys Soccer: CMS will compete at NRMS on Monday, 5/18/26 at 4pm. There will be NO fifth quarter play during the playoffs. The admission is $5. The boys soccer team will have their pizza party on Thursday, 5/21/26 from 3-4:45pm.
Practices are Monday-Friday. The expectation is for all participants to be present and on time for all dates, practices and games. Students are required to bring appropriate attire. All participants must be picked up by a parent or guardian no later than 5:15PM.
Requirements: Students must have the Revised April 2025 six page athletic physical form completed and turned into the school's nurse, Mrs. Tucker. In addition, all students and parents must complete the Online Concussion training and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Training. Students must also adhere to the Spotsylvania Code of Conduct and must maintain passing grades in all subjects in order to try out and maintain eligibility throughout the sports season.
All information and links concerning sports, physicals, and concussion training can be found and accessed on the Chancellor Middle School Website at the following link: https://www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/o/chancellorms/page/athletics
Please contact Athletic Director, Mr. Threatt, with any questions: fthreatt@spotsylvania.k12.va.us
Ongoing Reminders:
Please call the school to make any changes to your contact information (phone numbers, email address, postal address, emergency contacts). This can be done any time throughout the year.
When your student is absent, please call the school or send an email to chancellormsattendance@spotsylvania.k12.va.us so that we can excuse the absence. Students who reach 5 unexcused absences or 10 total absences re required to have an Attendance Success Plan put in place
When visiting the school, you will be asked to show a government-issued photo ID in order to enter the building, and you must also pass through the Evolv Weapons Detection System.
We do not accept DoorDash/UberEats/etc orders for students.
Dismissal is at 2:45pm. If you need to pick-up your student early, please be aware that early pick-up ends at 2:30pm.
In the morning, buses unload at 7:40am and students go to breakfast if they wish, then report to homeroom. Car-riding students can be dropped-off as early as 7:20am, and we will provide them supervision in the gym. Please do not drop off your student any earlier than 7:20am. They will not be allowed in the building and there will be no supervision of them if they get dropped-off before 7:20am