4/20-4/24

Happy Sunday!

Upcoming field trips:

  • 4/24-4/25: Carowinds 8th grade only
  • 4/28: 7th Grade Urban Air Trip: Sign Up Here
  • 4/30: TBLA Rome Emperor’s Trip: Sign Up Here
  • 5/9: 6th Grade Field Trip to 6 Flags: Sign Up Here

Upcoming Concert:

  • 5/7 Required for all students
    • Mabry Arts Center @7PM

Week at a Glance:

  • Tuesday: High School Percussion Auditions (8th grade only) 4:00 PM-6:00PM at CHS
  • Wednesday: High School Percussion Auditions (8th grade only) 4:00 PM-6:00PM at CHSJazz band until 4:15 PM after school
  • Thursday: High School Percussion Auditions (8th grade only) 4:00 PM-6:00PM at CHS
  • Friday: Carowinds Trip for 8th grade students!

Field Trips

Our field trips are coming up! I have attached the forms above for your convenience. If you are going to Urban Air or Six Flags, please use the following document to see how much money is left once Raffle Tickets have been deducted.

2026 Field Trip Credit

Carowinds

The week is finally here! Our 8th graders will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina for the annual Carowinds Trip! Some special notes:

  • Students will receive a packing list this week
  • Students will tie dye their shirts in class on Thursday
  • Students will receive a paper version of the schedule in class this week
  • Report time on Friday morning is 6 AM. Breakfast will be provided (chicken and sausage biscuits from school cafeteria)

West Georgia Arts Summer Camp

The West Georgia Arts Collective is excited to announce a summer camp hosted right here at CMS!

With music at the center, students will enjoy a 5-day event while learning a set of music pieces with a public concert to be presented. Each day will include rehearsals and activities that include: a Six Flags Over Georgia trip, water park visit, service project, ice cream social, presentations, physical-education activities, and more!

This is open to any 6th-8th grade students and I would love to have a huge CMS showing of students! Sign up today!

https://www.westgaarts.com/services-3

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask!

Sincerely,

Ms. Maria Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

4/13-4/17

Welcome back from Spring Break! The weather has been wonderful and I am excited to get back into a routine and push towards the end of the year! The end of the year for us is filled with lots of performances and field trips so buckle up!

Upcoming field trips:

  • 4/24-4/25: Carowinds 8th grade only
  • 4/28: 7th Grade Urban Air Trip
  • 4/30: TBLA Rome Emperor’s Trip
  • 5/9: 6th Grade Field Trip to 6 Flags

All forms will be released this week so that you can sign them and begin payments if needed.

Upcoming Concert:

  • 5/7 Required for all students
    • Mabry Arts Center @7PM

Week at a Glance:

  • Monday: TBLA Meeting until 4:30 PM after school
  • Tuesday: High School Percussion Auditions (8th grade only) 4:00 PM-6:00PM at CHS
  • Wednesday: Jazz band until 4:15 PM after school
  • Thursday: High School Percussion Auditions (8th grade only) 4:00 PM-6:00PM at CHS
  • Friday: Jazz Band 7:45 AM

Grades

Our grades from LGPE, the 6th grade field trip, and more will begin going into the gradebook. A “Missing” assignment in Infinite Campus will come across as a zero until the student has made up the assignment. Please help your student with their make up work in order to keep their grades where they should be. Be on the lookout and let me know if you have any questions.

Raffle Fundraiser

A HUGE congratulations to our Raffle Fundraiser winners and to all students who participated! In addition, we had an incredible Raffle Party celebration before Spring Break. Thank you to all of our volunteers for helping with that and congratulations again to our band program on a successful Spring fundraiser. This was our most successful one yet!

Raffle Winners:

  • Karee Payne: $50 Amazon Gift Card
  • Sondi Cooper: $50 Amazon Gift Card
  • Denise Worthington: Beats Headphones
  • Kerry Godsey: Nintendo Switch
  • JR. B: 65″ Roku Smart TV
  • Gary Warren: VR Headset

Winners will be contacted this week and they will receive their prizes. Thank you for buying a ticket!

West Georgia Arts Summer Camp

The West Georgia Arts Collective is excited to announce a summer camp hosted right here at CMS!

With music at the center, students will enjoy a 5-day event while learning a set of music pieces with a public concert to be presented. Each day will include rehearsals and activities that include: a Six Flags Over Georgia trip, water park visit, service project, ice cream social, presentations, physical-education activities, and more!

This is open to any 6th-8th grade students and I would love to have a huge CMS showing of students! Sign up today!

https://www.westgaarts.com/services-3

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask!

Sincerely,

Ms. Maria Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

3/30-4/3

Schedule for the week:

  • Tuesday: CHS Band Auditions for 8th Graders
  • Wednesday: Jazz Band after school until 4:15 PM
  • Thursday: Raffle Party until 5:00 PM
  • Friday: 7:45 AM Jazz Band

LGPE Performance

Our 7th and 8th graders represented our school system and band program at the annual Large Group Performance Evaluation on March 19th. This concert took a lot of preparation and I am so thankful for our staff and parents who made the day move smoothy. Thank you to Dr. Carr, Mr. Nelson, Ms. Hanlin, Ms. Morrissey, Ms. Breaux, and Mr. Boyle. Our school system provided transportation and got our students to and from safely. The students performed beautifully on stage and in the sight reading room. In addition, our high school program program performed earlier in the week and did a wonderful job at LGPE.

This concert is an extremely important concert and we are so thankful to everyone who worked to make it a success. We are also thankful for the students who balanced this important concert with other commitments. Congratulations to everyone who performed!

Raffle Fundraiser Party!

Great job on our annual raffle fundraiser! Our band program raised money to support field trips, repair instruments, and pay for additional staff to teach our students. I am so excited to see so many of our students at the annual Raffle Party on Thursday! If you would like to volunteer to help serve ice cream and monitor, please email me at maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

Tomorrow morning we will draw names for the grand prizes below:

  • $50 Amazon gift card
  • Beats headphones
  • Nintendo Switch
  • 65” Roku 4k Smart TV

In addition, we will draw a name for the student who gets to win a Virtual Reality Headset!

Students must have sold 15 tickets to attend the Raffle Party on Thursday. Please check here to see if they are able to attend.  

6th Grade UWG Trip!

Friday was such a success for our 6th grade band members! Our day started at CHS performing for the Carrollton High School Wind Ensemble! We performed our 3rd quarter concert and the students performed with energy! We were then treated with hearing the CHS Wind Ensemble perform their pieces ranging from their LGPE music to recognizable Disney tunes! It was a special treat to have the Wind Ensemble play Avengers with us and we are so thankful for the high school program for hosting us!

We then went to the University of West Georgia and toured the Humanities Building thanks to our student teacher, Ms. Morrissey. The students were able to view the college building and get a preview into life after high school band! Last but not least, we ate at the UWG West Commons Dining hall and had so much fun relaxing and filling our stomachs!

The parent chaperones were incredible with 112 6th graders and the trip would not have worked without them. Thank you to our chaperones who volunteered their time on Friday!

High School Auditions: March 31st

We are so excited for our 8th graders to audition for the Carrollton High School Band program! We are so fortunate to have an incredible band program right down the street. This week we will work with our 8th graders to prepare for this audition. This audition is not a “make or not make” audition but is a placement audition for their classes as 9th graders.

Please visit https://chstrojanband.com/bandauditions/ for information on what is required. All 8th grade students need to sign up for their placement audition in Google Classroom.

Upcoming Dates:

  • High School Band Auditions March 31st
  • Raffle Party: April 2nd
  • Carowinds Field Trip: April 24th-25th
  • Urban Air Field Trip April 28th 7th Grade Only
  • TBLA Rome Emperors Field Trip April 30th
  • Spring Concert for all CMS Students: May 7th
  • 6th Grade Six Flags Field Trip: May 9th

Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday!

Sincerely,

Ms. Maria Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

LGPE Week!

Schedule for the week:

  • Monday: Delayed start to school. 10:20 AM is the tardy bell
  • Wednesday: Jazz Band after school until 4:15 PM
  • Friday: 7:45 AM Jazz Band

LGPE Performance: 7th and 8th grade only

We are so excited for our 7th and 8th graders as well as our high school band members as they perform at Large Group Performance Evaluation!

Our schedule is posted below. Students who are missing class will have an excused absence from school and will be given time to complete any missed assignments.

A Few Reminders:

  • This concert on Thursday is a formal event. Students must wear all black. No leggings, Crocs, Converse, or slides permitted. Black long sleeve shirts, black dresses with leggings underneath, black pants, black sweaters, black button down shirts are are permissible.
  • The students will be provided transportation to and from the Carroll County Performing Arts Center. Any students who wishes to leave directly from the CCPAC will have to meet Ms. Menendez or another band director at the busses to check out their student.
  • All concerts are free and open to the public. The students have been working extremely hard and it would mean the world to us if you were able to attend the concert. Each ensemble only performs on stage for around 20 minutes.
  • This is a required event for all 7th and 8th grade students
  • Wind Ensemble will go home as normal but will need to report to CMS at their report time to load the bus.

Our Raffle Fundraiser is back and better than ever!

As you have heard, our annual Raffle Fundraiser is back and we are excited to offer new prizes this year! Students will work this week on writing down contacts of ten people that they will send a text or email out to this week asking for them to support our band program. This will be a homework assignment for all students and I ask that you help them brainstorm some loved ones and family friends!

Our fundraiser is not only a fundraiser for the general band fund, but it is in place of yearly band fees. This also allows for students to earn money towards their upcoming field trips and builds a general fund to support students who wish to travel that have financial constrictions. Thank you for encouraging your student and remember that they need 15 ticket sales to enter our Raffle Party on April 2nd!

  • $50 Amazon gift card
  • Beats headphones
  • Nintendo Switch
  • 65” Roku 4k Smart TV

Student Incentives:

  • For every 5 tickets sold, students’ names will be entered into a drawing for a VR Headset!
  • With 15 tickets sold, students will earn access to our exclusive Raffle Party on Thursday, April 2nd @CMS, which will include an ice cream sundae bar, recreational activities, music, and an inflatable obstacle course. 
  • Field Trips:
    • 6th graders will earn $10 towards their Six Flags field trip for every 1 ticket sold (May 9th Trip is   $120)
    • 7th graders will earn $10 towards their Urban Air field trip for every 5 tickets sold (April 28th Trip is $30).
    • 8th graders will earn $10 towards their Carowinds trip for every 5 tickets sold (April 24th-25th Trip is $298).

Please share and text/email this link!

Wondering how many your student has sold already? This is updated every few days!

6th Grade UWG Trip!

Our information for our next field trip was shared last week. Please use the QR code or the link below to sign your student up.

Cost:

  • Free for all students
  • Free for the first ten chaperones Three free spots left ($10 each for additional chaperones) 

Schedule:

  • 8:00 AM Load Buses
  • 8:30 AM Depart for Carrollton High School Band Room
  • 9:00 AM Perform for the CHS Band, then the CHS Band performs for us
  • 10:00 AM Pack up and depart for the University of West Georgia School of Music (Humanities Building)
  • 10:15 AM Tour the Humanities Building
  • 11:00 AM Lunch at UWG Dining Hall
  • 12:00 PM Depart for CMS
  • 12:20 Arrive at CMS and return to class

Click here: https://form.jotform.com/260624945029157

High School Auditions: March 31st

We are so excited for our 8th graders to audition for the Carrollton High School Band program! We are so fortunate to have an incredible band program right down the street. Next week we will work with our 8th graders to prepare for this audition. This audition is not a “make or not make” audition but is a placement audition for their classes as 9th graders.

Please visit https://chstrojanband.com/bandauditions/ for information on what is required.

Upcoming Dates:

  • LGPE Concert: March 19th (7th and 8th grade only)
  • High School Band Auditions March 31st
  • Raffle Party: April 2nd
  • Carowinds Field Trip: April 24th-25th
  • Spring Concert for all CMS Students: May 7th

Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday!

Sincerely,

Ms. Maria Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

3/9-3/13

Happy Sunday!

Week at a Glance:

  • Wednesday after school: Jazz Band until 4:15 PM
  • Friday morning: Jazz Band 7:45AM-8:10 AM

We have started our last fundraiser for the year and we have field trips and performances coming up for all groups!

We are excited to travel with our 6th Graders to Carrollton High School and then the University of West Georgia Dining Hall on Friday, March 27th. 

Our Raffle Fundraiser is back and better than ever!

As you have heard, our annual Raffle Fundraiser is back and we are excited to offer new prizes this year! Students will work this week on writing down contacts of ten people that they will send a text or email out to this week asking for them to support our band program. This will be a homework assignment for all students and I ask that you help them brainstorm some loved ones and family friends!

Our fundraiser is not only a fundraiser for the general band fund, but it is in place of yearly band fees. This also allows for students to earn money towards their upcoming field trips and builds a general fund to support students who wish to travel that have financial constrictions. Thank you for encouraging your student and remember that they need 15 ticket sales to enter our Raffle Party on April 2nd!

  • $50 Amazon gift card
  • Beats headphones
  • Nintendo Switch
  • 65” Roku 4k Smart TV

Student Incentives:

  • For every 5 tickets sold, students’ names will be entered into a drawing for a VR Headset!
  • With 15 tickets sold, students will earn access to our exclusive Raffle Party on Thursday, April 2nd @CMS, which will include an ice cream sundae bar, recreational activities, music, and an inflatable obstacle course. 
  • Field Trips:
    • 6th graders will earn $10 towards their Six Flags field trip for every 1 ticket sold (May 9th Trip is   $120)
    • 7th graders will earn $10 towards their Urban Air field trip for every 5 tickets sold (April 28th Trip is $30).
    • 8th graders will earn $10 towards their Carowinds trip for every 5 tickets sold (April 24th-25th Trip is $298).

Please share and text/email this link!

Wondering how many your student has sold already? This is updated every few days!

6th Grade UWG Trip!

Our information for our next field trip was shared last week. Please use the QR code or the link below to sign your student up.

Cost:

  • Free for all students
  • Free for the first ten chaperones Three free spots left ($10 each for additional chaperones) 

Schedule:

  • 8:00 AM Load Buses
  • 8:30 AM Depart for Carrollton High School Band Room
  • 9:00 AM Perform for the CHS Band, then the CHS Band performs for us
  • 10:00 AM Pack up and depart for the University of West Georgia School of Music (Humanities Building)
  • 10:15 AM Tour the Humanities Building
  • 11:00 AM Lunch at UWG Dining Hall
  • 12:00 PM Depart for CMS
  • 12:20 Arrive at CMS and return to class

Click here: https://form.jotform.com/260624945029157

Pre LGPE Concert

The students from both the High School and Middle School ensembles performed wonderfully on Tuesday at the Mabry Arts Center. Congratulations to all six groups and thank you to Dr. Carr and Mr. Nelson for having judges come out to support us and give us valuable feedback! We are excited to work hard the next week and a half on this music and perform again on March 19th at the Carroll County Performing Arts Center!

Upcoming Dates:

  • LGPE Concert: March 19th (7th and 8th grade only)
  • Raffle Party: April 2nd
  • Carowinds Field Trip: April 24th-25th
  • Spring Concert for all CMS Students: May 7th

Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday!

Sincerely,

Ms. Maria Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

3/2-3/6 Concert on Tuesday for 7th/8th Grade

Happy Sunday and we are back in full swing with a busy week ahead of us!

Week at a glance:

Pre LGPE 3/2/2026 7th and 8th Grade only


On Tuesday, March 3rd our 7th and 8th graders will have their Pre Large Group Performance Evaluation concert at the Mabry Arts Center on Carrollton High School. This is a required concert for our Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble. The schedule has been posted below:

  • 5:15 PM Report time for all students
  • 6:00 PM Concert Band performance (students are dismissed after their performance)
  • 6:30 PM Symphonic Band performance (students are dismissed after their performance)
  • 7:00 PM Wind Ensemble performance (students are dismissed after their performance)

We hope that you will consider viewing the performances of the other ensembles as well as the high school ensembles that will perform after us!

Large Group Performance Evaluation is our version of the Georgia Milestones. Bands must perform three pieces from a pre-approved list of repertoire and have adjudicators who provide feedback and ratings based on a criteria that the Georgia Music Educators Association has formed. This is an important part of our year and we look forward to getting a run through next Tuesday in front of some colleagues of our who will give us important feedback leading into LGPE in Mid March.

CMS Jazz Band

Congratulations to our Jazz Band on a stellar performance at both Black History Month Assemblies on Friday. They represented our program well and played music from some of the greatest Jazz artists of all time! We are excited for even more performances for the rest of the semester. If anyone has any pictures to share we would appreciate it!

West Georgia Winds Concert: 7 PM!

Some of our students will perform a concert at the Mabry Arts Center on Monday as members of the West Georgia Winds Middle School Ensemble! We hope that you will consider coming out to support some of our own students and students from around our area as they perform an incredible concert!

Have a wonderful rest of your night!

Sincerely,

Maria Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

2/23-2/27

Happy Sunday!

Week at a glance:

  • Tuesday: Jazz Band 3:30pm-4:30pm
  • Wednesday: Jazz Band 3:30pm-4:30pm
  • Friday: Jazz Band 7:45am-8:10 am/Black History Month assembly performance during school

Jazz Band Performance

Our Jazz Band will have a busy week with two afternoon rehearsals and one morning rehearsal this week preparing for their performance at the Black History Month Assembly on Friday during the school day. Please ensure that all Jazz Band members are at all three rehearsals and that they have a semi formal outfit for Friday. No jeans, sweatpants, or t shirts permitted. Khakis, dress pants, skirts and dresses as well as dress shirts and polos are permitted. Ms. Menendez will review the uniform for Friday with the students.

Pre LGPE Concert 7th and 8th grade only


On Tuesday, March 3rd our 7th and 8th graders will have their Pre Large Group Performance Evaluation concert at the Mabry Arts Center on Carrollton High School. This is a required concert for our Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble. The schedule has been posted below:

  • 5:15 PM Report time for all students
  • 6:00 PM Concert Band performance (students are dismissed after their performance)
  • 6:30 PM Symphonic Band performance (students are dismissed after their performance)
  • 7:00 PM Wind Ensemble performance (students are dismissed after their performance)

We hope that you will consider viewing the performances of the other ensembles as well as the high school ensembles that will perform after us!

Large Group Performance Evaluation is our version of the Georgia Milestones. Bands must perform three pieces from a pre-approved list of repertoire and have adjudicators who provide feedback and ratings based on a criteria that the Georgia Music Educators Association has formed. This is an important part of our year and we look forward to getting a run through next Tuesday in front of some colleagues of our who will give us important feedback leading into LGPE in Mid March.

Upcoming Dates:

  • Pre LGPE Concert at the MAC: March 3rd (7th and 8th grade only)
  • LGPE Concert: March 19th (7th and 8th grade only)
  • Carowinds Field Trip: April 24th-25th
  • Spring Concert for all CMS Students: May 7th

CMS Band

Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday!

Sincerely,

Ms. Maria Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

2/9-2/13

Happy Sunday!

Week at a glance:

  • Wednesday: Jazz Band 7:45am-8:10 am.
  • Thursday-Saturday: District Honor Band (Itinerary emailed out already)
  • Friday: Jazz Band 7:45am-8:10 am.

District Honor Band

Congratulations to our CMS and CHS Students who participated in District Honor Band this weekend. These students practiced in the Fall for a difficult audition in early December and earned a spot this year! This is the largest group that Carrollton City Schools has brought and we are extremely proud of them for representing us in Ringgold, Georgia. Dr. Carr, Ms. Morrissey, Ms. Hanlin, and Yvonne Haley ensured that all students attended rehearsal on time, took the students bowling, to Krispy Kreme, and supported them the entire way. Thank you for your care this weekend and thank you to Carrollton City Schools for providing the charter bus for us to ride in comfort!

Band Store

Our store is open year round if you would like to purchase hoodies or shirts! Thank you to Ozier Apparel for making this happen!

https://ozierproducts.com/CMSBandSpiritWEAR/shop/home

Private Lessons

If your student is looking to improve on their instrument, whether that is to start as a beginner to advance to become competitive, private lessons are a game changer for band students. I have compiled a list of some incredible educators and I would love to see our students studying with these musicians!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16-5Fa9hyt6kdME0yC8L7wgpfHfuhyb8czdtLOUUaY7U/edit?usp=sharing

Carowinds 8th Grade Only

If you have not signed up your student, please do so ASAP. We will begin rooming selections for students this month.
https://superholiday.groupcollect.com/v2/go/cmsb30117-26
If it asks for a code it’s: cmsb30117-26 

West Georgia Winds


If your 6th-8th grader is interested in an honor band experience that meets right in our own band room, West Georgia Winds is the group for them! This is an honor band group with students from across the state who travel to practice and perform together. We have several Carrollton middle and high school band members who participate. If you would like to push your student and have them join this prestigious ensemble, let me know!

Upcoming Dates:

  • Pre LGPE Concert at the MAC: March 3rd (7th and 8th grade only)
  • LGPE Concert: March 19th (7th and 8th grade only)
  • Carowinds Field Trip: April 24th-25th
  • Spring Concert for all CMS Students: May 7th

Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday!

Sincerely,

Ms. Maria Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

2/1-2/6

Happy Sunday!

Week at a glance:

  • Tuesday morning: 7:45am -8:10am TBLA
  • Wednesday: Jazz Band 7:45am-8:10 am.
  • Thursday-Saturday: District Honor Band (Itinerary emailed out already)
  • Friday: Jazz Band 7:45am-8:10 am.

Carowinds 8th Grade Only

If you have not signed up your student, please do so ASAP. We will begin rooming selections for students this month.
https://superholiday.groupcollect.com/v2/go/cmsb30117-26
If it asks for a code it’s: cmsb30117-26 

West Georgia Winds


If your 6th-8th grader is interested in an honor band experience that meets right in our own band room, West Georgia Winds is the group for them! This is an honor band group with students from across the state who travel to practice and perform together. We have several Carrollton middle and high school band members who participate. If you would like to push your student and have them join this prestigious ensemble, let me know!

Upcoming Dates:

  • District Honor Band: February 5th-7th.
  • Pre LGPE Concert at the MAC: March 3rd (7th and 8th grade only)
  • LGPE Concert: March 19th (7th and 8th grade only)
  • Carowinds Field Trip: April 24th-25th
  • Spring Concert for all CMS Students: May 7th

CMS Band

Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday!

Sincerely,

Ms. Maria Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

1/19-1/23

Happy Sunday!

Week at a glance:

  • Wednesday: Jazz Band 7:45am-8:10 am.
  • Friday: Jazz Band 7:45am-8:10 am.

Jazz Band Concert

The Villa Rica High School Jazz Band is performing at the State Conference for music next week! They will have a send off concert on Monday, January 26th at the Carroll County Performing Arts Center. If you would like to support a local group of students and hear some incredible jazz playing, you may purchase tickets here.

Carowinds 8th Grade Only

If you have not signed up your student, please do so ASAP. We will begin rooming selections for students this month.
https://superholiday.groupcollect.com/v2/go/cmsb30117-26
If it asks for a code it’s: cmsb30117-26 

West Georgia Winds


If your 6th-8th grader is interested in an honor band experience that meets right in our own band room, West Georgia Winds is the group for them! This is an honor band group with students from across the state who travel to practice and perform together. We have several Carrollton middle and high school band members who participate. If you would like to push your student and have them join this prestigious ensemble, let me know!

Upcoming Dates:

  • District Honor Band: February 5th-7th.
  • Pre LGPE Concert at the MAC: March 3rd (7th and 8th grade only)
  • LGPE Concert: March 19th (7th and 8th grade only)
  • Carowinds Field Trip: April 24th-25th
  • Spring Concert for all CMS Students: May 7th

CMS Band

Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday!

Sincerely,

Ms. Maria Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net