Dear Parents and Guardians:

To proactively address the mental health and well-being of Curtis students, the school counselors will be screening 7th and 8th-grade students for depression and suicide throughout the school year. Students will complete the Brief Screen for Adolescent Depression (BSAD) during the Health classes or Team block.

The Curtis mental health team will review the results of the screen and provide immediate follow-up for students whose scores indicate a risk of depression and/or suicide ideation. Parents and guardians will be notified if the assessment indicates any risk for their child.

The objectives of these efforts include:

• Educating students about the signs and symptoms of depression and suicide ideation.
• Helping our students understand that depression is a treatable illness.
• Encouraging our students to reach out to trusted adults when they need help or are concerned about a peer’s well-being.
• Identifying students who may be at-risk for mental health concerns.
• Partnering with families to coordinate appropriate intervention plans.

Sudbury youth health data collected from the 2021 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey show that among Curtis students:

• 17% of 7th and 8th graders reported having depressive symptoms in the past 12 months
• 13% reported having considered suicide during their lifetime

These statistics are comparable to regional and national data. The seriousness of these health issues requires open discussion, prevention education, health screens that aim to identify at-risk students, and collaborative efforts to coordinate appropriate support. The Sudbury Public Schools staff are committed to partnering with families to meet the diverse needs of all of our students.

If you do NOT want your child to participate in the depression and suicide risk screening, please email Angela Menke, Assistant Principal, or by telephone at 978-443-1071 extension 7120.

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Frozen Fundraiser results are in!

Thank you to all who participated in the fundraiser for the 8th grade Washington, DC trip. You did an outstanding job. Here are the results:

• Number of items sold: 1,239
• Total dollars sold: $22,528.80
• Total profits earned: $9,653.32
• Total # of pies: 531
• Total # of boxes of cookies: 218
• Total # of Simply Shipped items: 490

And now for the winners:

• Top seller for Team Integrity and winner of a $50 Amazon card is...Connor Griffin!
• Top seller for Team Tenacity and winner of a $50 Amazon card is...Nikhil Luthra!
• Top seller OVERALL and winner of a $100 Amazon card from Team Unity....Addison Tierney!

Way to go, everyone!

Enjoy the weekend,

Jeff

Tuesday, October 25th - Picture Retake Day (please see note below)

Wednesday, November 2 - 12:45 Early Release: Parent/Teacher Conferences

Wednesday, November 9 - 12:45 Early Release: Parent/Teacher Conferences

Friday, November 11 - No School - Veterans Day

Wednesday, November 16 - 12:45 Early Release: Parent/Teacher Conferences; 5-6:30 pm Frozen Fundraiser curbside pickup

Wednesday, November 23 - 12:45 Early Release: Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 24 - Friday, November 25 - No School - Thanksgiving Recess

Thank you for your Curtis Student Portrait Package order.

About Your Order

If you pre-paid for your child’s /children’s Portrait Package, all packages have been received and will be handed to your child/children by end of the day (Friday Oct 21st). Please be sure to check their backpack when they return home on Friday. If your child is absent on Friday, they should check with their homeroom teacher when they return to school.

The only exceptions are if you pre-paid for a Digital Only package, or if your child was absent on Picture Day. If our photographers didn’t take a picture of your child on Picture Day because they were absent, please sign up for Retake Day below.

If You Missed the Cut Off for Pre-Pay:

If our photographers took your child’s picture on Picture Day (September 21st) but you missed the pre-pay cut off, please email the studio: yearbook01776@gmail.com and provide them with your child’s name and grade.

The studio will email you a link to order your child’s picture when the website is reopened, after retake day.

Note: Pre-pay packages will no longer be available if you missed the cut off, but you can still order any a la carte items.

About Retake Day

Student Picture Retake Day is being held in the cafeteria between 9.00 am and 11.30 am Tuesday, October 25th

Retake Day is available to students who:

1) Missed Picture Day

2) Would like a retake*

*IMPORTANT: Retakes are only available for pre-pay orders. If our photographers have already taken your child’s picture on Picture Day, and you haven’t ordered already, you have the option to order your child’s picture (from Picture Day), once the studio website is re-opened.

If you are requesting a retake because you are not happy with the first picture, we ask that your child bring

the original print package in the original envelope with them on the day, and hand it to the photographer.

Sign Up for A Retake

We cannot accommodate walk-ins on Retake Day! You must sign up for a slot using the link below. The deadline for a retake request is 6 pm on Monday, October 24th. The registration link closes after that.

REQUEST A RETAKE

If you have any questions about Picture Day or Retake Day, please email: yearbook01776@gmail.com

THANK YOU!

Welcome to the winter sports season at ECMS! We have an online sports registration process to register students for 7th and 8th grade boys and girls basketball. Our online registration is through FamilyID (www.familyid.com). FamilyID is a secure registration platform that provides you with an easy, user-friendly way to register for our sports, and helps us to be more administratively efficient and environmentally responsible. When you register through FamilyID, the system keeps track of your information in your FamilyID profile. You enter your information only once for each family member for multiple uses and multiple programs.

The winter sports offerings are:

• 7th/8th grade girls basketball

• 7th/8th grade boys basketball
  
  

The $195 athletic fee must be paid by check made out to “Town of Sudbury” and given to your child’s coach after the rosters are finalized. Practices will be from 3:20 -4:30pm Monday thru Thursday. The game schedules can be found on the ECMS Athletics under the individual sport. Team updates and any cancellations of sessions due to weather by 1pm on that day may also be found on this website.

The tryouts will begin on during the week of November 28, 2022:

The tryout schedule will be on the sports website by November 16, 2022

To be able to try out, Family ID must be fully completed. Students will also have access to the locker rooms..

BEFORE YOU REGISTER:
Have your child’s latest physical exam from within the last 13 months available to upload during the registration process.

INFORMATION NEEDED TO REGISTER:
It will be helpful to have the following information handy to allow for accurate completion of your online registration:
Doctor information
Health insurance information

REGISTRATION PROCESS: Our sports registration process is now open and will close on Nov.16, 2022. A parent/guardian should register by clicking here.

Follow these steps:

1. To find your program, click on the link and select the registration form under the word Programs.

2. Next click on the blue Register Now button and scroll, if necessary, to the Create Account/Log In green buttons. If this is your first time using FamilyID, click Create Account. Click Log In, if you already have a FamilyID account.

3. Create your secure FamilyID account by entering the account owner First and Last names (parent/guardian), E-mail address and password. Select I Agree to the FamilyID Terms of Service. Click Create Account.

4. You will receive an email with a link to activate your new account. (If you don’t see the email, check your email filters (spam, junk, etc.).

5. Click on the link in your activation Email, which will log you in to FamilyID.com

6. Once in the registration form, complete the information requested. All fields with a red* are required to have an answer.

7. Click the Continue button when your form is complete.

8. Review your registration summary.

9. Click the green Submit button. After selecting ‘Submit’, the registration will be complete. You will receive a completion email from FamilyID confirming your registration.

10. Athletic fee in the amount of $195.00 must be paid by check made out to “Town of Sudbury” and given to your child’s coach when the team’s roster is finalized..

At any time, you may login at www.familyid.com to update your information and to check your registration(s). To view a completed registration, select the 'Registration' tab on the blue bar.

SUPPORT:
If you need assistance with registration, contact FamilyID at: support@familyid.com or 781-205-2800 x1. Support is available 7 days per week and messages will be returned promptly.

If you have any medical questions, please contact the Curtis Health Office at 1-978-443-1071 x 7528 or x7509. For schedules or cancellations, please visit the ECMS athletics website. General inquiries regarding fall intramural sports, please email David Jurewicz.

Sincerely,
David Jurewicz
Director of Athletics

An informational meeting for parents of students interested in the ECMS Theatre Troupe will be held on Monday, October 24th at 7 PM in the Curtis Auditorium.

We will announce the show for March 2023 and provide other important information about this year’s production. This includes audition and crew interview information, attendance policy, mandatory dates and more. Learn more about the show and get your questions answered. This meeting is extremely important to attend if your child is at all interested in participating in Theatre Troupe this year. The Theatre Troupe website also has important dates and other information listed.

All Curtis students will have the first Spirit Day on Monday, October 31st. With a $2 donation, students may wear a costume to school. The donation will benefit the D.C. Supply Fund.

Costume guidelines are as follows:

• Donate $2 to the D.C. Supply Fund

• No face paint

• No weapons of any kind

• No plastic or rubber masks

• No inappropriate themes or content (offensive language, profanity, etc.)

• If you are dressed inappropriately, you will be asked to change.

• Have fun!

The Pennies for Hope fundraiser competition at Curtis runs through Friday, October 28th. Collection jars for donations are located in each homeroom. On the 28th, donations will be collected and consolidated for each grade. The grade that raises the most money will win a prize, such as an extended recess or a movie to be shown at school the day before one of our upcoming vacations.

The money collected at Curtis will be presented to HopeSudbury during their telethon in early November. Last year, Curtis raised more than $3,000 for HopeSudbury. In the past, money raised by HopeSudbury has helped families cover expenses such as medical bills, household repairs and utility bills.

Please encourage your child to support this important fundraiser. If you have questions about the Pennies For Hope fundraiser competition, please contact Curtis Angels Faculty Advisor, Ivar Henningson.

Thank you for your support.

***GRADE 7 PHYSICALS***

Please submit a copy of your 7th graders most recent physical exam to the Health Office (within the past 13 months). If you have already submitted one, thank you! No need to submit another one. To date, we have only received about half of the required physicals.

***COVID GUIDELINES***

Please continue to remain vigilant for symptoms of COVID-19. If your student becomes symptomatic please test. If your student tests positive please notify the health office for isolation guidelines.

Reminder to 8th grade families: To register your 8th grader for the civics trip, go to Worldstrides AND Family ID. To seek financial aid, use the D.C. Scholarship Request Form. For other information and links, please visit the ECMS D.C. Website.

Frozen Fundraiser

Thank you to all who helped make the Frozen Fundraiser a huge success! We sold over $22,500 in products, and students earned over $9,600 toward the cost of the civics trip!

SAVE THE DATE: Curbside pickup for pies and cookies is on Wed. Nov. 16th at 5-6:30pm. More information is forthcoming.

Select members of the boys and girls cross country teams raced on a challenging 1.95-mile course at the Carlisle Invitational on Monday. The major meet, which was being held for the first time since 2019 at Great Brook Farm State Park, featured more than 500 runners from 19 schools in the Middlesex League.

Leading the way for the boys was Brandon Ma, who placed 16th overall in 12 minutes and 14 seconds. Reed Abbott, Casey Coleman, Elias Mould, Peter Zhou, Jackson Alderman, Brendan Atwater, and Connor Bonk also represented Ephraim Curtis Middle School at the meet.

Katelyn Arees paced a girls team consisting entirely of 7th graders by navigating the course in 14 minutes and 30 seconds. Defne Russo, Sophia Tholander, Ella Varner, Mila Gottesman, Riley Brown, Emma King, and Emily Anderson also represented Curtis at the annual event.

The Cougars will conclude their fall season when they race at Concord on Tuesday afternoon.

The Curtis Angels will be collecting unwanted/leftover Halloween candy which will be donated to the Homeless Veterans Centers in Worcester and Boston.

If you would like to donate Halloween candy, students can drop it off at Mr. Henningson’s office in Student Services. If you have questions about the candy collection drive, please contact Mr. Henningson.

Thanks for your support of U.S. military veterans.

I hope that your child is having a good transition to middle school. Students seem to be adjusting and settling in to the new experience of being a middle schooler. This is a big step for students and it usually takes some time for them to get fully acclimated and settled.

Throughout the course of the school year, I will be offering small groups for 6th graders on various topics, such as friendship (Make New Friends, but Keep the Old), transition to middle school (Middle School Conversations) and Relaxation/Stress Management Strategies (Keep Calm and Carry On). The groups will meet either during Team Time or Recess and will run for six weeks. I will be running groups during all three trimesters.

If you think your child might benefit from or enjoy one of these groups, please email me at:

terry_miller@sudbury.k12.ma.us and let me know which group your child might be interested in.

Thank you and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns about your child.

Terry Miller

6th Grade School Counselor

If your child is applying to private school, please contact your child’s grade level school counselor so that we can help facilitate the process. To ensure that this process is efficient and expedient, please follow these guidelines:

• Prior to submitting any forms (electronically or on paper), please ensure that your child contacts their teachers and the counselor to ask for their recommendation.

• Most schools are using on-line platforms for applications and recommendations. Please notify the grade counselor which schools your child is applying to and the platforms that these schools use.

• If the applications require paper forms, they should be dropped off at the ECMS main office to the attention of the grade level counselor. Please do not send any paper recommendation forms directly to teachers; the grade level counselor will distribute these to teachers.

• In order to send records and recommendations to the private school, we must have a signed release from a parent or guardian. This is usually provided with the private school application form or may be part of the on-line platform.

• We request that you submit all forms as early as possible to allow teachers and counselors ample time to complete recommendations. Please be aware of the following timeline for submitting forms to the grade level counselor:

By December 1, 2022 for a January 1, 2023 deadline
By December 15, 2022 for a January 15, 2023 deadline
By January 3, 2023 for a February 1, 2023 deadline

• In early spring after you have heard from the school’s admissions department, please contact the grade level counselor to inform us of the application outcome and private school decisions for your child.

• Please direct any questions about the status of recommendations to the following counselors.

Procedure for applications requiring direct mail:

• Include a large (10 x 13) stamped standard mailing envelope for each school with the forms, so that we are able to mail them out quickly when the applications are complete.

• On each mailing envelope, include a postage amount of $2.94.

• Print the specific name and address to whom we are directing the application.

• Leave the return address blank as we will fill this in indicating that the materials came from Curtis.

- Terry Miller, Grade 6 ext. 7513

- Jennifer Hymes, Grade 7 ext. 7512

- Ivar Henningson, Grade 8 ext. 7511

Thank you very much for your assistance and cooperation with this private school application process.

ECMS Counseling Department

Our students would love to have more recess equipment! Please consider donating a used or new ball or jump rope to help our kids enjoy their recess time. Supplies needed:

• Rubber balls for 4 Square
• Basketballs
• Footballs
• Soccer balls
• Tennis balls
• Any other balls that are not hard
• Jump ropes

We are looking for School Council representatives for the Curtis School Council this year.

What is School Council?

A school council is a representative advisory group that collaborates in planning for and implementing school improvement. It is a form of site-based management that places the school at the center of planning, goal setting, and budgeting for improvement.

Who serves on a School Council?

It is composed of representatives of the school and community. Members of the council include:

~principal

~teachers

~parents of students attending the school

~community representatives

If you are interested in serving on the school council, please submit a brief statement about why you wish to serve on the Curtis School Council. Please send this information to Jeff Mela.

Curtis Directory

You can still purchase online access to the Curtis directory and make a donation to

Direct Appeal in one easy step. Online access for the directory is $10 and you will

have access right after you place your order. Visit this link to get Directory access

today !

Direct Appeal

Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the CPO to help support Curtis’ cultural, creative, and educational programming. The CPO supports a variety of programs and initiatives, including cultural enrichment, the 1:1 computing program, the Curtis Messenger newsletter, student scholarships, student social events, technology, end-of-year activities, classroom curriculum aids for teachers, UA supplies, recess equipment, uniforms for school sports teams, library furniture, the student counseling department, the tile project in the school hallways, outdoor beautification projects, and much more. These are all important additions to the Curtis community and they truly improve the students’ experience at Curtis Middle School. This is all possible because of the generosity of the Curtis parent community.

We suggest a $75 donation—but no donation is too small—and all are appreciated! Also, please check if your company offers a matching donation. Click here to donate.

Please note that donation acknowledgment letters will be provided by request only. If you require a letter for tax purposes, please email a request to cpotreasurer@gmail.com.

(You can also make a donation when you order your directory!)

Lost & Found

Please remind your student to check the Lost & Found in the cafeteria for missing items. There are a lot of clothes, shoes, bags and water bottles and other items that need to go back home. On our Facebook page you can find a recent post with videos/photos of items in the Lost & Found. It is important to note that there are multiple sizes of several items, so please check before taking what is yours.

CPO Facebook Page

The CPO Facebook is a great resource to get information and ask questions. Please remember to answer the required questions to be approved. This is important for us to keep the membership contained to Curtis families.

Curtis Gear

The Curtis online store is now open with lots of Curtis spirit wear and gear, including clothing, hats, bags, and more!

8th Grade Events and Washington DC Trip: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are still looking for volunteers to form a team to help with various aspects of the DC trip.

Additionally, we need a team of parent volunteers to start planning the 8th Grade events including the end of the year Social.

Please reach out to the 8th Grade Co-Chair Nalini Luthra via email nluthra647@aol.com if you would like more information or sign up to help.

CPO Messenger

Please share this newsletter with others who are new to Curtis and encourage them to sign up for their own copy!

If any 8th grade girls are interested in playing ice hockey this upcoming season for the Lincoln-Sudbury Girls Hockey team please go to this website for information: https://lsrhs.rschoolteams.com/

Please register on familyid at: https://www.familyid.com/organizations/lincoln-sudbury-regional-high-school-4ac54fb4-90ee-4280-a244-e2025e662db0

If you have any questions please contact art_reilly@lsrhs.net or call 978-443-9961 x3100.

Thank you,

LS Athletics

Boys in grades 5-8 and their parents are invited to a Halloween pizza party on October 27th at 7pm to learn more about BSA Scout Troop 63. Join us at St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church for the following fun activities:

* Scout videos and troop activities slideshow

* Story of High Adventures

* A taste of camping (indoor virtual campfire, stations for test setup and knot tying)

* Parents Q&A with Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters.

* Guests will mingle with the troop while enjoying pizza, cobbler, ice cream, and snacks!

Learning ~ Respect ~ Responsibliity

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