Manatee Musings

Week of May 19-23, 2025

Author

Rick Mohrien
May 18, 2025

The Week Ahead

Table of Contents

Please Review: Field Day Information

Below are links to all official field day maps and a description about each station.  As of this past Monday, we only have 9 parent volunteers (plus enrichment teachers).  If you get to a station that does not have a volunteer assigned to it, you may have to take over and run the station for your class.  Coach K PROMISES that every station you go to is very simple to operate and manage. There are two stations that you will have extended time at.  Water/Freeze Pops and Bounce Houses are the two stations.  You will have two full rotations to hydrate and cool off in the shade, and two full rotations enjoying the multiple bounce houses we will have.

Stations will run for about 90 minutes.  The final 30 minutes of your field day will be located on the recess field behind the gym, where we will all come together and have some fun with a class vs. class tug of war competition.  Who will be the strongest team that works together to come out on top?!

Action Needed: Heart Math EOY Survey

Teachers with student sin Heart Math Tutoring were emailed Heart’s End-of-Year Teacher Survey last week. They will use this feedback to reflect on our progress and implement program improvements. The survey can be completed via Google form: Heart EOY Teacher Survey (LINKED). This link can be shared directly with teachers to encourage completion.  Teacher responses are due by Friday, May 23rd. 

Action Needed: CKH/Terrific Kid Nominees

Please have your names for May Terrific Kids and CKH (integrity) awards in the tracker by Wednesday, May 21st. Remember to include the reason for your CKH award choice.

Action Needed: MTSS EOY Actions

Please complete these MTSS EOY Procedures by Monday, May 26.

If you have a student who is receiving supplemental OR intensive interventions and they do not have a plan documented in Branching Minds, please add them to Branching Minds ASAP.

Grades K-4:

Decision Recommendations Please review the data decision guidelines and make student recommendations for next school year using the 24-25 MTSS EOY Data Recommendations document. If there is a student who is not on the list who is receiving interventions or who you'd like to flag, please add them.

Grades K-5: In Branching Minds, please delete all created groups and mark off all "to-do's". 

Deleting groups:

Marking of "To-Do's":

Action Needed: CKH End of Year Survey

CMS is asking all staff of CKH schools to complete the End of Year CKH Survey. This will provide us with key information as we head into the summer and plan for the 2025-2026 SY, with a goal of continuing to be a National Showcase School for CKH! Use the button below to take your survey.

PD Opportunity: NBCT Summer Institute

Calling all new and prospective candidates! Join CMS for the 2025 National Board Summer Institute on July 15-17. They will share the most important information in your pursuit of National Board certification. Presenters will focus on an overview of the National Board certification process, assist candidates with making a plan for success and determining an effective timeline. Visit MyTalent course #426746 for more information and reach out to Christina Roth ([email protected]) with any questions.

Reminder: Active Survival Training

All CMS employees who have not attended the ABCs of Active Survival training are required to participate. Employees who have not attended since July 1, 2023, must complete the training next year. The upcoming training sessions are scheduled for: 

Wednesday, June 11, and Thursday, June 12. 

Registration in MyTalent: Course #425839 (ABCs of Active Survival).

Information: Payroll Deductions over Summer

Employees who are currently contributing to a supplemental retirement plan account will have contributions taken out of their summer pay unless action is taken. If you work during the summer, regularly scheduled deductions will be taken out of your summer pay unless you elect to either stop or change the amount of your contribution. If you do not wish to contribute during the summer months, or if you wish to reduce the amount of your contribution, you are required to take action. If you are paying back a loan, deductions must be paid from all available payrolls. If you would like to stop or change contribution(s) to your North Carolina Supplemental Plan 401(k) or 457(b) account(s) during the summer months, please log on to their website NC State Plans or contact NCPlans/Empower directly at 1-866-627-5267. As a reminder, at the end of the summer, you will need to take action again if you would like to update your contributions following the same process outlined above.

Notes from Connections w/Crystal for Support Staff

Thank you for your engagement and participation in our "Connections with Crystal" session that was held on May 8th.

Here is the slide deck from our presentation for your reference and future use.  Here is a link to the recording of the event. 

Your input is invaluable as we work to strengthen communication across our school system. We appreciate your dedication to this initiative and look forward to our continued collaboration. Please stay tuned for next year's dates for our Connections with Crystal.

Notes from Connections w/Crystal for Teachers

Thank you for your engagement and participation in our "Connections with Crystal" session. Here is the slide deck from our presentation for your reference and future use. Your input is invaluable as we work to strengthen communication across our school system. We appreciate your dedication to this initiative and look forward to our continued collaboration. Please stay tuned for next year's dates for our Connections with Crystal. 

AM Carpool Updates

As we approach the end of the school year, let's make these final weeks count by ensuring our carpool runs smoothly and safely. Your role in the morning drop-off is crucial, and here's how we can all contribute:

  • Be outside at 7:15 AM: Arriving at 7:10 AM gives you a few minutes to settle in and prepare to greet our students with a smile. If you are unable to attend carpool, please let me know. 

  • Safety First: With many students arriving, it's important to be alert and attentive, especially in the early morning when visibility is low.

  • Welcome Every Student: Greet each child warmly, regardless of their grade. Our goal is to provide the crown experience for all families.

  • Stay at Your Assigned Spot: Please avoid clustering with colleagues. Stand at your designated cone to ensure all car doors are attended to promptly.

  • Flexibility is Key: If we're short-staffed, be prepared to assist with opening multiple doors to keep the flow moving.

Thank you for your dedication and teamwork. Together, we can finish the year strong and continue to make a positive impact on our students and families.

CMS AI Updates

CMS is excited to share an update on the effort to create our vision for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education. We gathered input from more than 10,000 families, educators and community members through surveys, focus groups and interviews. 

We invite you to read the CMS AI Vision Report, now available at cmsk12.org/ai. This report shares themes in what we heard and outlines some of our next steps. We want to continue taking time to develop a thoughtful vision, which we are excited to complete and share in July.

Thank you for being part of this effort as we work together to ensure that AI is a tool for empowerment and excellence for all CMS students and staff.

Payroll Changes for 25-26 SY

The CMS Payroll department is committed to keeping you informed about changes to pay dates in 2025. Starting in the 2025-26 school year, employees who are paid monthly will see a shift in their pay dates in November and December. This notice is being provided more than one year in advance to allow for proper planning and budgeting.

November: The pay date will move to Nov. 28, reflecting the last business day of the month in 2025.

December: The pay date will move to Dec. 31.

Pay schedules will remain the same for biweekly employees, with paydays every other Friday. There was only one exception to this during the 2024-25 school year when there was a minor adjustment of one day during spring break.

Why is this change happening? Historically, the earlier pay dates before the holidays were necessary when payroll was handled manually, and employees needed to receive their checks before breaks when banks and couriers were not operational. However, with modern banking technology, especially direct deposit, these logistical issues no longer apply. Funds will be deposited to your account on the pay date, even if it falls on a holiday. Please note that direct deposit is a condition of employment, ensuring your pay is deposited on time regardless of holidays or closures. For monthly-paid employees, this change also helps address the unusually long gap of up to six weeks between December and January paychecks under the current system. Moving the December pay date to the end of the month ensures more consistency and compliance with North Carolina General Statutes, which mandate regular, predictable pay intervals. The decision to adjust the pay schedule was made to ensure legal compliance and fairness across the board. Please rest assured that we have considered the impact on employees and are providing more than a year's notice for proper planning. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to our payroll team or your supervisor.

This legal alert provides information impacting every CMS employee when they create, share, and destroy records. Public records policy and law affects everything from emails, to text messages, to lesson plans, and beyond. Because records management is a part of North Carolina law, make sure you are aware of the following wildly important facts that are linked below.

Clothing Support For Students (MHES PTA)

The PTA understands the importance of having clothing items readily available in classrooms to address students’ needs quickly and discreetly. This ensures that if a student has an accident and needs a change of clothes, they won’t have to walk to the front office in wet or soiled clothing to access the Manatee Care Closet.

The MHES PTA is committed to minimizing classroom interruptions and supporting you in addressing these situations effectively. To help, we will help provide essential 2-4 sets of clothing items that can be kept in your classrooms. To request clothing for your class, please complete the form linked below:

You can use this form to restock as needed throughout the school year. Since this is a work in progress, we may adjust the form based on your needs and feedback. While the MHES PTA will do its best to fulfill all requests, please understand that our ability to gather and distribute these items depends on donations, volunteer support, and available funding. We respectfully ask for your patience as we work to meet these needs.

We also strongly encourage you to remind families to include a change of clothes in their child’s backpack, regardless of grade level. The PTA will share this reminder in our weekly updates to help ensure students are prepared for unexpected situations. Thank you for your unwavering dedication to our students. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or if you have additional needs.

CMS Good News Submissions

Share good news with CMS Communications!  Did you win an award? Have a colleague you'd like to give a shout-out to? Or maybe you have a classroom strategy you think is unique? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you.

Reminder: Atrium Clinic for Staff 

As a reminder, our Atrium Virtual Health Clinic isn’t just for students—staff can utilize it as well! If you need to see a provider, please reach out to Rick and/or Nurse Haley.

FAC Notes & Updates

Previous FAC Notes

Updates & Information

MHES Resources
CMS Resources