WELCOME

1
WELCOME to COCKRILL Middle School
Home of JACK Cockrill the CMS COWBOYS
2
Today were going to talk about
What is so wonderful about middle school and es
pecially Cockrill Middle School?
How middle school is different than elementary
school Finding your way to your classes, locke
rs, the cafeteria and the buses
Four HINTS for SUCCESS at CMS Where do you
go if you have a problem The Cockrill COWBOY C
REED
3
What are some of the exciting things about moving
up to Middle School?
In middle school you have the chance to take
elective classes, participate in sports and join
clubs.

In middle school you will have many more
freedoms and responsibilities.
At Cockrill you have the opportunity to a fresh
start in a whole new building.
You will learn about the power of the Cockrill
Cowboy CREED!
4
Lots of New Things new adventures, new people,
new activities, many more teachers, a lot more
students. It may seem scary at first but remembe
r all new experiences are frightening at first.
But they are also exciting. If you have the rig
ht attitude and follow the 4 Hints for Success
youll be on the road to Success in no time!
Middle school is an exciting time, because you
are learning the skills you will need to have
Success in High School and in life!
5
How is COCKRILL Middle School different than ele
mentary
school?
6
Changing Classes A different class, in a differe
nt room, every hour?
Yikes!
No doubt about it the middle school "class
schedule" can seem pretty hairy at first.
7
But after a couple of weeks, you will know your
way around the building and the shortest way to
get from class to class. You have 4 minutes to ch
ange classes, which is plenty of time.
Which leads us to Hint 1
It wont take you long to figure out how to get
to your classes on time, and when to stop at your
locker.

8
Hint 1 Get A Sneak Peek If you have not alre
ady taken a walk through the school today, take
the Self-Guided COWBOY QUEST if you have time.
Find all of your classrooms starting with first
period and go in order through your day.
Visualize in your mind, which way you will be
walking from class to class and when you will go
to your locker.
9
Map out your classes All 6th grade MATH, ELAR,
SCIENCE and SOCIAL STUDIES, will meet in the 6th
grade hall. No 6th grade classes will be on the
second floor. Elective classes are either in the
elective hall or the band hall, except PE which
is in the gym. Practice which way you will turn w
hen you leave one class to go to another.
10
GET TO CLASS ON TIME!
At CMS we expect you to develop good work habits
and getting to class on time is one of them.
After the first few days and weeks of school ALL
STUDENTS will be expected to get to class on
time. Dr. DeFelice will announce when the Tar
dy Policy goes into effect.
11
LOCKERS can be one of the scariest things about
middle school.
DONT WORRY! With our 3-2-1- technique, youll
know your locker combination in just a few tries.
12
Practice your combination using the 3-2-1 Techni
que
There are three steps in your combination.
Turn RIGHT 3 TIMES and stop at the first
number on your combination. Turn LEFT 2 TI
MES past the first number once and STOP on the
second number. Turn RIGHT and stop at
the last number in your locker combination.
13
Bring your locker combination to school.
Write it down in your binder (dont leave it on
the refrigerator door at home in your kitchen).
If you forget your locker combination, report it
to one of your teachers and then be patient
because there are a lot of students needing help.
Remember, you DO NOT need to go to your locker b
etween every class, once or twice a day may be
enough.
14
ASK FOR HELP IF YOU NEED IT! After a few days y
ou will know your way around, how to get your
locker open, and when the best time to go to your
locker will be. Until then there will be lots of
people in the halls helping you, if you ask.
Principals and teachers all know that 6th grade
students need a little time to adjust to life in
a new school, and they want to make it as easy as
possible for you.
15
Be Prepared for Lunch!
6th graders eat lunch after 3rd period.

1017 1047
16
Dr. DeFelice suggests that you may want to bring
your lunch the first few days, since the lines
may be long at the beginning of school.
You MAY NOT charge meals so make certain you have
money in your lunch account, and that you know
your student id number. If you were on free or r
educed lunch last year you MUST REAPPLY again
every year. If you are new to the MISD system
please fill out your paperwork TODAY.
17
In middle school you have
many more choices, even at lunch.
You can choose what you want to eat,
and where you want to sit.You can sit wherever
you want, but once you sit down, you must stay
seated throughout lunch. Its not really so bad
though, because you can talk on your cell phones
or listen to your IPODS in the cafeteria, but
ONLY IN THE CAFETERIA!
18
REMEMBER Your cell phone or IPOD will be taken
away by a teacher if you are using it outside of
the cafeteria, hallway or in class. You will
have to get one of your parents to come by
personally to retrieve it. You may ONLY use them
in the cafeteria!
19
Youve got to wear the right thing on the first
day of school And every day at Cockrill Middle S
chool. Even though your new outfit may be the MO
ST stylish thing out there, DO NOT wear it to
school if it does not fit the Dress Code.
Your parents will need to immediately bring you
different clothes if yours do not meet the
McKinney ISD dress code.
20
Youve got to wear the right thing on the first
day of school No sagging No tall Ts No halt
er tops No spaghetti straps No tummies showing
Shorts and skirts (finger tip length).
21
Last, dont be so excited to get to school that
you forget how youre getting home.
Figure out ahead of time how you are going to
go home. If you are riding a bus, write down t
he number in your binder. The principals will c
ome around to help anyone with problems, but
remember there are a lot of students in the
school.
22
Hint 1 Get A Sneak Peek at your first day
Spend some time BEFORE school starts to learn yo
ur way around. Practice opening your locker, put
the combination in your binder, write down your
bus number. Make certain money is in your school
account or better yet, pack a lunch for the first
few days. Dress for Success. All of these thing
s will make for a much smoother first few days.
23
Hint 2 Get Organized Life will be much easier
if you develop a system for your schoolwork an
d belongings. You will now have a lot of books
, papers, and school supplies, and you will need
to organize them so that you can find what you
need. Just shoving them in your backpack doesnt
work in middle school.
24
At Cockrill, teachers view students as young
adults instead of children. This means that your
assignments and tests will be more challenging,
and you will be held accountable for your
learning. In addition to your nightly homework,
you may also have papers, projects and exams for
the first time. The workload may seem overwhelmi
ng if you do not have a system of keeping track
of what you need to do.
25
Here are 2 easy things you can do to get
Organized for Success at CMS. First, you will nee
d to keep a student planner. You may purchase
Cockrill planners from the front office.
In middle school you will need to keep track of
your assignments, tests, and your busy social
calendar. Its important to write down the inform
ation, but its just as important to check it
every night.
26
Second, All students will be required to have a
3-ring BINDER with a section for each class.
That way, everything's easy to find when you need
it, and when it comes time to do your assignments
or study for a test, all of your notes and
assignments will be right at your fingertips.
Your teacher will help you with ways to organize
your binder for each class. Having your binder fo
r the FIRST day will be a HUGE help to you.
27
When you have a system of organization,
middle school wont seem so overwhelming.
28
Hint 1 Hint 2
Get A Sneak Peek
Get Organized
Hint 3 Get Involved
29
Extra-Curricular Activities Here's one of the BE
ST parts about middle school the chance to get
involved in after-school sports, clubs, and
activities. It doesn't matter who you are or wha
t you're interested in -- there's a place for you
in middle school activities! Getting involved is
the best way to make lasting friends and truly
learn what your new school has to offer.
30
At Cockrill Middle School, 6th graders can parti
cipate in a wide variety of elective classes -
band, choir, orchestra, drama, art and of course
physical education. You may be chosen to be a Stu
dent Council Representative or you may join a
club like the Recycling Club, the Craft Club, or
the Rustler or Wrangler Patrol.
You will certainly enjoy participating in Pep
rallies and the 6th grade Open gyms.
31
Now lets talk about the COWBOY CREED!
The Cowboys life is an honorable way of life.
All Cowboys have a Creed, a promise of what they
stand for. Being a Cockrill Cowboy is more abo
ut how one lives and conducts ones self than
about riding or herding. It is about dignity and
respecting the dignity of others. Its about
being honorable, sincere, honest, hardworking and
decent.
32
COCKRILL COWBOY CREED
C ourage R espect E xcellence E mpath
y
D etermination
33
At Cockrill Middle School the students are fille
d with these qualities and we show it in a wide
variety of ways. Every Friday is COWBOY PRIDE D
AY! Students and faculty wear school colors
(blue and silver) and Cockrill gear to show their
COWBOY PRIDE!
34
Each time your teacher catches you exhibiting
Cowboy Pride you will be awarded a Rodeo Ticket.
Every Friday, there is a random drawing for
prizes for students who have Rodeo Tickets.
We also have Cowboy Wristbands, that you are
awarded if you do something really good.
And if you REALLY show outstanding Cowboy Pride
you might get nominated to the Cowboy Hall of
Fame. That honor is given to only a few students
each grading period.
35
You will enjoy your time MORE in middle school
if you GET INVOLVED in the activities that CMS
offers and show your COWBOY PRIDE.
36
Hint 1 Hint 2 Hint 3
Get A Sneak Peek
Get Organized
Get Involved
Hint 4 Get Help When You Need It
37
Hint 4 Get Help When You Need It
In middle school we want you to become more
independent academically, but that doesnt mean
you dont have support when you need help. There
are a lot of people that can help you when you
need it. If you need any sort of advice, assistan
ce, or general moral support during your first
weeks of middle school, ASK SOMEONE FOR HELP!
38
ASK SOMEONE FOR HELP! There are lots of people av
ailable to give you the answers you need
teachers, counselors, coaches, CIS or office
staff. It's their job to give you guidance if yo
u're struggling, lost, or even just a little
confused about something. You'll probably find t
hat you're not the first student -- or the last
-- to have a certain problem.
39
At CMS we have ZERO Tolerance
for Bullying. Many of you will be moving from a s
chool along with most of your friends, but there
will be lots of new faces too. You will go from
being one of the oldest kids at school to one of
the youngest. If you find yourself in a situatio
n where other kids are using their size or status
to bully you, tell a member of the school staff
IMMEDIATELY.
ZERO Tolerance
40
If you find that you need help with your school
work, there are many after school tutoring and
study skills classes available. Most teachers
have after school tutorials every week, so if you
are having trouble, all you need to do is ASK for
help. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION at Cockrill Middle
School. Our job is to get your ready for a
Successful Life and we take it seriously. Let us
know how we can help YOU be Successful.
You can do it. We can help.
41
Special Thanks to Judith OToole for preparing
this slide presentation If you are interested
in learning more about how to make the move to
middle school easier, look at this website.
http//pbskids.org/itsmylife/school/middleschool/i
ndex.html Return to CMS Home