A new month has begun, and we're still in the chillier part of the year! Remember to stay warm and take care of yourselves as we embrace the winter season.
Collinsville Middle School
Hello February!
Big thanks to our Digital Media students for your help with this week’s newsletter!
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
Parent Teacher Conferences: February 6th & February 11th 4p-7p
No school Friday, February 14th, 2025
No school Monday, February 17th, 2025
Student Arrival & Dismissal Reminder:
Car riders and walkers will enter and exit the building from the south entrance to help with traffic flow. Center Street is for buses only from 8:00-8:45 a.m. and 3:15-4:00 p.m.
2/3 Monday
JH Basketball vs. Grove
2/6 Thursday
JH Basketball vs. Pryor
JH All-State Wrestling @OKC
For this spotlight, we will be featuring a staff member at CMS!
This is Coach Gray, and this is his 2nd year at CPS!
Interview Questions with Coach Gray
How many years have you been teaching here?
2 years
What is your favorite hobbies out of school?
Watching football and spending time with family.
What is your reason for coming to Collinsville?
Good school, community and good athletics.
If you could move to anywhere where would it be?
Florida, by a beach.
Cardinal Healthy Hints
2/3/25
Edition #5
Cold, Flu, Covid and YOU!
Holiday times in America mean people traveling, spending time with loved ones, and staying warm. January and February are really popular for urgent care and emergency rooms across the country. Starting around the end of November and through February, we see an increase in respiratory illnesses in all populations of Americans. Old wives' tales used to tell us that “cold weather,” “wet hair at night,” and “not bundling up,” brought more cold viruses and cases of pneumonia, when in reality (and because of science), we learned that people were spreading germs a lot quicker and more intensely because they were stuck indoors with others! Poor ventilation/circulation in houses and people living in tight quarters meant that small viruses and bacteria had LOTS of places to spread. (Remember, just because something is coincidental, doesn’t always mean it correlates to the reason!)
Thankfully, we have learned that simple things like washing our hands well, using disposable tissues and throwing them away, still spending time outdoors, healthy diets and exercise, and getting vaccinated if we can, greatly reduce the spread of illness to each other during this time. Here are some tips if you do get sick:
RELAX! You will never “get sick” at a good time. There is no magic trick to getting well faster. The disease needs to run its course through your body before you feel better. There are a lot of over-the-counter medications available to help you “manage” while you are sick. Speak with your doctor or pharmacist about what works best for you.
Colds are viruses. Antibiotics DO NOT work on a virus. Period. Taking an antibiotic when you don’t need it can cause it not to work when you DO need it.
When you have a virus, there is no cure. There is medicine that helps to lessen or weaken the symptoms you have, but there is no cure for it. Prevention is the best medicine!
DRINK. THAT. WATER!!! A lot of times, we don’t feel like eating when we are sick. That’s ok!!! You can go for a while without eating, you CANNOT go without drinking. Even if you can’t do water, do whatever liquid you can tolerate. Popsicles, juice, tea, broth, or any liquid-type substance helps. Staying hydrated will keep you from ending up in the hospital.
Fevers can be our friend! Take Tylenol or Ibuprofen to help feel better, but it is OK if you have a fever. See this link for information on treating fevers at home. Rest and stay HOME! (You are contagious with a fever.)
Call your doctor, use Telehealth when you are ill or use the Urgent Care. Try to save the Emergency Rooms for true emergency situations.
Have a question for the nurse? Email brandiglasscock@collinsville.k12.ok.us
A huge shoutout to Courtney Fernandez, a local Collinsville business owner, for coming in and sharing her expertise on digital art and design with our digital media students! The insights she provided were not only engaging but also exciting and informative. Our students are already eager to start practicing the tips and tricks they learned last week. Thank you, Courtney, for inspiring the next generation of future digital artists! 🙌🎨
Shoutout to FCCLA Regional STAR Event winners, Anna Hines and Olivia Dykstra! Anna took 3rd place in the New Member Facts Event, and Olivia earned 1st place in the Creed Speaking Event. Olivia will be competing at the FCCLA State STAR Events in March! So proud of both of you and your hard work with CMS FCCLA! 🎉🙌
Olivia Dykstra- 1st Place Creed Speaking
Anna Hines- 3rd Place New Member Facts
Shoutout to 8th grade ELA students for dressing up as characters from
The Outsiders book and movie!
We had a great month together, kicking off 2025. Let’s make the most of it! Goodbye January, hello February!