Below are the JCS guidelines on Non-Traditional Instructional Days (NTIDs) due to weather closures. At this time, we have utilized (2) NTIDs:

• Grades PreK-2: Students will complete activities from a choice board provided by their teacher.
• Grades 3-12: Students will access daily assignments through Canvas.
• Teacher support will be available in Canvas (via Teams link) from 9:15 am through 12:00 pm.
• Jefferson Virtual Academy (JVA) students will continue instruction as usual.

If NTIDs are activated, families will receive communication through the usual JCS communication channels.

If the district exceeds its five designated snow days and five designated NTIDs, then makeup days may be added to the calendar, which could affect Spring Break or other days off.

JCS weather updates are shared through:

• The JCS website and Facebook page
• JCS app notifications and text alerts
• Local radio and TV stations (Full list here)

We invite all parents and caregivers of students at Charles Town Middle School to participate in the 2026 West Virginia School Learning Environment Survey.

Who should participate?
The survey should be completed by parents and caregivers of students currently attending our school.

Participation is voluntary.
Parents and caregivers may choose not to participate, may skip any question(s), or may stop the survey at any time without penalty. All responses are anonymous and confidential.

Survey Window:
The survey will be open through Friday, March 20, 2026.

Time Commitment:
The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Your feedback is incredibly valuable and helps us better understand our school climate, strengthen family partnerships, and continue improving the learning environment for all students. We encourage every family to take a few minutes to share their voice!

Parent/Caregiver Instructions Letter

WVSLES Parent/Caregiver Survey, Spring 2026 Link

Please review the Parent/Guardian Letter regarding the upcoming West Virginia General Summative Assessment (WVGSA).

GSA Parent Letter

Mark your calendars for the CTMS 2026-2027 Scheduling Night on March 31st!

Next year's 7th & 8th graders (current 6th & 7th graders) will be at 5:00 pm.

Next year's 6th graders (current 5th graders) will be at 6:00 pm.

We hope to see you there!

See the latest Athletics News from Athletic Director, Mr. Daly:

 Upcoming Track & Field Tryout Information

Track conditioning (boot camp) is currently taking place this week after school from 3-4:30pm. Bring running gear including your own water.

If students have not participated in a school sport this year, they MUST have a completed physical form with them to be able to participate in conditioning. 

Track & Field Parent Meeting: Thursday, March 12 @ 4pm!

Parent Volunteers are needed to run the Concession Stand during home track meets! 

See Coach Daly or Coach Mendez for more information!

Check Out the Media Center News from Mrs. Reilly:

Get Excited for the Spring Book Fair!

Book Fair E-Wallet Set up: ELA teachers will receive the link/website the second week of March to give to students and post in Canvas.

Students will get a preview of all the books to make wish-lists and add up their costs.

Book Fair: March 27-April 2nd

Family Night: Wednesday March 31st 3p-7p

Does your child have an overdue book, please ask them! Please return overdue books to the Media Center ASAP!

Check out our new books in the library, be sure to access our online library catalog through Clever or use this link: Online Library Catalog

Here are upcoming dates for Kona Ice Fridays!

Friday, March 6th

Friday, April 17th

Wednesday, May 27th

CTMS participated in National FFA Week which was held from February 23-February 27th. 

A number of exciting games and activities were offered for students and staff throughout the week including a fake axe throwing contest, cornhole games, hay bale tosses, and a tractor show!

FFA Spirit Week was also a fun success. Students and staff took advantage of the FFA Week Spirit Days including Blue & Gold Day, Tractor Gear Day, Work Attire Day, Camo Day, and Flannel Friday! Students participating in dress up days had the chance to be entered into prize raffles during lunch. 

A HUGE thank you goes out to CTMS FFA Sponsor Mrs. Friend and the FFA Students for hosting a delicious Teacher's Breakfast on Thursday, February 26th! CTMS Staff was so grateful for their efforts and for the always-yummy breakfast spread.

FFA students stayed extremely busy! They worked tirelessly to build picnic tables that will be used at the Jefferson County Fair. Students were instrumental in arranging all the fun activities and games enjoyed by their teachers and peers. They also were up bright and early to prepare and serve the Teacher’s Breakfast. There was also time for fun- the group celebrated in fellowship by going snow tubing and bowling!

Finally, in honor of National FFA Week, 1st Period classes participated in a Donation Drive benefiting the Jefferson County Community Ministries for the entire month of February. Over 15 classrooms participated, and this year’s efforts brought in the most donations ever! Mrs. Allen’s 1st Period brought in the most items at 265! We’re so proud of our CTMS family’s efforts to support our local community and those in need.

National FFA Week Photo Slideshow

Yearbooks are available for purchase for $30. The deadline to order is March 31st! Go to Yearbookordercenter.com and use our order number 14008.

For questions, contact Ms. Hall: brhall@k12.wv.us

The next PTO Meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 9th at 6pm! 

CTMS Team Throw Blankets are still available for purchase for $25 each.

Proceeds benefit the CTMS Cross Country and Track Teams. 

For more information, please contact Diana Valdez: diphoto@proton.me

Get excited for our upcoming Winter & Spring Pep Rally and Spirit Week!

National Pencil Day Pencil Drive!

In celebration of National Pencil Day on March 30, we’re hosting a Pencil Drive from March 16–27!

How it works:
For every box of pencils donated, a student earns a chance to win a $25 gift card!

Winners announced:
Monday, March 30

Help us make sure every student is ready to write, draw, and create!

CTMS ELA teacher Mrs. Triggs introduced her 8th grade students to the classic version of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” with an exciting AI project! 

Students were asked to use AI programs to create visual representations of each character introduced in the first chapter of “Frankenstein.” Students based their AI prompts on Shelley’s rich textual character descriptions, details of their relation to the Frankenstein character, and quoted character traits. Partners then created slide shows of their AI images to present to their fellow classmates for peer review.

According to Mrs. Triggs, this project provided students with surprising results that forced them to consider the accuracy of AI that is often taken for granted. “Students were surprised at how the same image was produced as their partner when using the same character descriptions to create the AI image. Because Hollywood created "Frankenstein" to be the creature in Mary Shelley's novel, AI is actually wrong. This was quite surprising to many students.”

Kudos to Mrs. Triggs and her 8th graders for their creativity and exploration!

The Charles Town Middle School Jazz Band has been selected for the 2026 West Virginia State Honor Band. One middle school jazz band is selected each year. This is the first time Charles Town Middle has received this honor. The band will perform at the West Virginia Music Educators Association conference on March 5th at 8pm in the Little Theater at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia. The band is under the direction of Rachel Allen who has been the director of bands since 2008. Please congratulate the members of the CTMS Jazz Band on this prestigious award!

Math Field Day County Competition Results

6th Grade:

1st Place as a Team Overall!

1st Place: Harper Leach

2nd Place: Maddox Yohler

4th Place (1st Alternate): Jace Moreno

7th Grade:

2nd Place: Bruno Grozinsky

5th Place (2nd Alternate): Mason Selonke

8th Grade: 

1st Place as Team Overall!

2nd Place: Remmy Kerrigan

4th Place (1st Alternate): Amelia Mabry

Good luck to our Math Field Day Sponsor, Ms. Hollis, and students who will compete in the Regional Math Field Day Competition on March 16th!

History Bowl Competition Results

The CTMS History Bowl Team recently competed at the regional competition on February 20th, where they demonstrated impressive knowledge and teamwork. Now, with their sights set on the state championship, the team is preparing for the Play-In on March 14th—their opportunity to earn a spot at states. This crucial competition will determine whether they advance to compete at the state level. The team remains focused and motivated as they continue their preparation, wish them luck as they will compete against teams from all over the state on the 14th.

Regional Science Fair

Congratulations to our Regional Science Fair Participants!

Individual Participant: Jace Moreno and Team Participants: Cael Young and Duke Fleet

There students will be going to the State Science Fair on March 9! Best of luck!!

Robotics Team

The CTMS Robotics Team has been working on building and coding a robot to play this year's game (Mix n Match) for the VEX IQ Robotics Tournaments. 

These students have been working tirelessly on their robots since the first few weeks of school. They competed in tournaments in January and February and did an amazing job!

Students on the team: Ezekiel Caldwell, Brantley Menser, Lucian Ruck, and Caleb Cruse. The team is coached by Mr. Baker. 

A job well done for CTMS Robotics!

Read the latest news from our amazing team in the Guidance Office!

Below is a helpful resource for emergency support services for families with children experiencing emotional or behavioral crisis:

Children's Mobile Crisis Services Flyer

Contact a CTMS Guidance Counselor

Jen Mills (students with last names A-L): jennifer.mills@k12.wv.us

Jay Wilson (students with last names M-Z): jay.wilson@k12.wv.us

Auditions for the Washington High School Jazz Band will take place on Wednesday, March 18th in the WHS Band Room from 3:00-4:30pm. 

All audition information can be found in the below link:

WHS Jazz Band Information Packet

Please email WHS Director of Bands, Lisa Hazlett, at LHazlett@k12.wv.us by Tuesday, March 10th to inform her of your interest in auditioning. 

This email should include: full name, grade, name of current school, instrument(s), and years of jazz experience (if any). Band or Jazz experience is not required to audition.

All students in West Virginia schools entering 7th grade must have one dose of the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) and one dose of the Meningococcal vaccine (MCV4).

All students, including JVA and homebound students are required to be in compliance with immunization requirements. Please be advised that West Virginia does recognize religious exemptions, however, the parent must apply for the exemption through the state and comply with necessary documentation for state religious exemptions prior to the start of 7th grade.

Noncompliance with immunizations will require your student to be removed from school with unexcused absences. Please submit completed shot records to the nurse, emailing the record is suggested.

Immunization records can be dropped off in the main office or emailed directly to Principal Reed - Nreed@k12.wv.us

Attendance is key: Let's STRIVE FOR LESS THAN FIVE ABSENCES per semester. Click here to submit an absence for your child. CTMS attendance guidelines are as follows:

We are so happy to get another great year started here at CTMS.  With that being said there are a few key things that we want all families to know about concerning your students’ attendance.  The attendance campaign for JCS is “Strive for Less Than 5 Absences a Semester.”  I want to encourage all families to track your student’s missed days this year.  An attendance tracker was already sent home with your child during the first week of school.  When thinking about absences the graphic below will help to put into perspective the loss of academic instruction for your student.   

When your student is absent from school, please complete the online absence form that can be found on the JCS website.  If submitting online you can attach an uploaded note from your camera roll for convenience.  You also have the option to send in a written note.  Please submit those to the basket at the attendance window located next to our front office.  

If your student is absent for any reason the automated attendance line will make contact starting around 10:30 AM, even if a note was submitted that day.  Contact home will be made when your child has 3 unexcused absences and again at 5 unexcused absences until someone is reached.  This is a good time to discuss the accuracies of your students’ absences and anything that we can do to assist in getting your child to school.  The JCS Attendance Office will also send a formal notice through the mail at 5 unexcused absences.  If your student passes 10 unexcused absences your child is considered to be truant per WV state law.  At JCS we know life gets hectic and emergencies happen, therefore we try to work with families to put in supports to assist in getting your students to school.  At this point we will reach out to set up an attendance intervention meeting with both you and your student along with some support staff at CTMS.  Please have absent notes submitted as soon as possible to prevent the above contacts.  

When your student is absent, please send a note.  If you are sending in a parent verified illness note, there is a limit of 10.  After your 10th parent note they will be unexcused.  Any notes that are provided by a doctor are considered excused. If there is an excess amount of doctor’s notes a chronic medical condition form is something that we may need to consider.  Please reach out to the administration to discuss this further.   

This year we will also be taking a close look at students who are consistently tardy and/or leave school early.  Mr. Sarina, our Truancy Diversion Specialist and I will have conversations with students to help support and curb these issues.   

Just a reminder that there is no longer the Leave of Educational value for vacations.   

As always, we welcome the support and open communication with our CTMS parents and care givers.  Please do not hesitate to contact me concerning attendance questions and concerns. 

When coming in late and/or picking your student up early please reference the times below to minimize the time that your child is out of the learning environment. 

Doors open at 7:35 and the tardy bell for 1st period rings at 7:50. School ends at 2:47.

Late Arrival Times

If you arrive by 9:38 am and stay the entire day you are considered present for the whole day.

If you arrive by 11:19 am and stay the entire day you are considered half day present. 

Early Dismissal Times

If you arrive on time at school (by 7:50) and stay until 11:19, you will be considered present for half of the day.

If you arrive on time at school (by 7:50) and stay until 12:59, you will be considered present for a full day, and it will be coded as an early release.