The Curtis Connection
November 20, 2020
MR. MELA'S MESSAGE
Dear Families,
It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is coming next week, and before long, the winter holidays.
At Curtis, we are certainly thankful for our kind and dedicated students, our committed and invested staff, our caring and involved families, and our healthy school year. Today is our 45th day of school and we are so pleased with the first months of the year. Please keep us informed about how we can work together to answer questions, support your concerns, and plan for the future.
We understand that with the travel restrictions and guidelines about gatherings that this Thanksgiving will look very different from other years. Please be aware that the CDC has urged all Americans not to travel and to keep celebrations within single households. This warning was issued yesterday as positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations reached a record high across the U.S. Please be aware that IF families travel out-of-state they will need to quarantine and provide negative PCR Covid-19 results before entry into school. The SPS Travel Advisory is updated regularly, please refer back to it as needed.
We appreciate the safety precautions that you are taking and we ask that you continue to be very careful and thoughtful so that we can keep Curtis operating in a healthy manner.
As a reminder, there is school for students on Monday, November 30.
Take care and thank you,
Jeff
THANKSGIVING RECESS
"QUARAN-STORY" TIME
COLLECTION DRIVE FOR TOYS FOR TOTS
Curtis is hosting a toy collection drive for Toys For Tots, an organization that provides toys, books, and other gifts to less fortunate children. The drive has been organized by members of the Curtis Angels and will run from Monday November 23rd through Friday December 11th. We are asking for donations of new and unwrapped toys and books for children ages 2 to 12 years. A collection box will be located in the front lobby of Curtis. Please contact Curtis Angels Advisor Ivar Henningson if you have questions. Thank you in advance for your support.
COVID-19 TRAVEL ADVISORY
Please carefully consider your travel plans over the Thanksgiving break as it could potentially impact our school community and our ability to have students remain with in-person learning.
Massachusetts residents are urged against traveling out-of-state.
Please be aware that the CDC has urged all Americans not to travel.
The MA Travel Order requires a 14-day quarantine period upon your return unless you have a negative PCR COVID-19 test result. We recommend quarantining and testing on day 3-5 of your return in order to detect possible exposure that may have occurred during the travel period.
If you travel to a higher-risk state, a molecular diagnostic COVID-19 PCR test result is required upon your return to MA. A rapid test or a serology test will not be accepted. Documentation of results must be submitted to your school nurse before your child can return to school.
The MA Travel Order is for anyone entering Massachusetts from out-of-state and includes Massachusetts residents returning from second homes or weekend trips to any state not considered to be lower-risk.
As of November 20, 2020 the current list of Lower-Risk States Includes:
Vermont
Hawaii
*Maine & New Hampshire will be high-risk effective November 21, 2020
Rhode Island and Connecticut are currently listed as Higher-Risk States
Please refer to this link as you make travel plans as it is continues to be updated by the State of Massachusetts: Link to List of Lower Risk States
A MESSAGE FROM THE ECMS HEALTH OFFICE
Happy Thanksgiving from the Health Office
We are THANKFUL to all of you who help us keep Curtis safe by:
Informing the nurses if you travel - But please Stay Home!
Quarantining at home if you leave the State for the safety of others
Informing the nurses if a family member/child is a close contact of a positive case
Informing the nurses if their child has a positive test result
Informing the nurses if their child is on quarantine
Sending your child to school with masks
Keeping your child home when they feel sick
Getting a PCR COVID-19 test for your child to return to school
Getting your children’s flu shot done and sending us the proof
Getting the required booster vaccines for meningococcal & Tdap
Sending us your child’s 7th-grade physical exam
Providing us with information so we can complete contact tracing
Sending your child to school with a water bottle
Not hosting sleepovers
Coming to pick up your child when they need to be dismissed for illness
Calling our office for your child to be brought outside to you for illness dismissal
Reinforcing hand washing at home
Keeping gatherings to less than 10 people inside
Keeping masks on when talking with friends and neighbors
Avoiding out-of-state travel to high-risk states
Understanding we are working hard to keep school in-person but we need your help!
With tremendous gratitude,
Katelyn & Lynn
Resources for a safe celebration of giving thanks:
https://www.mass.gov/news/thanksgiving-during-covid-19
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order
Be Safe * Be Smart * Do Your Part
STOP THE SPREAD!
ECMS PRIVATE SCHOOL APPLICATION PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES
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 15, 2020 for a January 15, 2021 deadline
By January 5, 2020 for a February 1, 2021 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.
- Ivar Henningson, Grade 6 ext. 7511
- Terry Miller, Grade 7 ext. 7513
- Jennifer Hymes / Alyssa O'Hare, Grade 8 ext. 7510
Thank you very much for your assistance and cooperation with this private school application process.
ECMS Counseling Department
ASSABET VALLEY REGIONAL TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS UPDATES
Important information and dates regarding applying for the 2021-22 School Year:
Pre-recorded Information Session (30min) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OuFnZtnUiJNmz6nEFPhUIqaN164ktI9y/view
Virtual Open House 12/2
Live tours to begin 11/18, please register here.
Live REMOTE tours are available, please register here.
For more information, look on Assabet Valley Admissions Website or contact Jennifer Hymes, 8th Grade Curtis School Counselor.
CURTIS CARES GIFT CARD DRIVE
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Every year staff and families contribute to “Curtis Cares," a program designed to help Curtis families who are experiencing financial difficulties. We have been able to give back and help many families with necessary items such as gas, groceries, winter clothing, and holiday expenses. In the past, Curtis families have always responded generously and it has been greatly appreciated.
Curtis Cares is again seeking gift card donations of any amount. Gift cards to the following stores are most helpful:
Grocery stores (Market Basket, Shaw’s, Stop & Shop, Sudbury Farms)
Target
Amazon
Walmart
TJ Maxx
Gas cards
Drugstore cards (CVS, Walgreens)
Gift card donations can be dropped off in the Curtis front office (no cash or checks, please). We would appreciate any gift card donations by Monday, November 30th so we have adequate time to distribute them.
Please contact Emily Ambeau, School Adjustment Counselor, or you may call her at 978-443-1071 ext. 7219 with any questions or if your family would benefit from help through the Curtis Cares Gift Card Fund. You may also contact your child’s school counselor with questions or to request assistance. All inquiries and gift card distributions are kept confidential.
Ivar Henningson, 6th grade counselor x7511
Terry Miller, 7th grade counselor x7513
Jennifer Hymes, 8th grade counselor x7510
Now more than ever families need our help! Please drop gift cards off in the Front Office by November 30th.
Thank you for your generosity,
The Curtis Cares Team
PROCEDURE FOR STUDENT DISMISSALS DURING THE DAY
If a student has an appointment during a hybrid remote day or Sudbury Remote, please leave a detailed message on the absentee and tardy line (978-443-1071, press 1) with their departure time, approximate time that the student will be returning to remote learning, as well as the reason for dismissal.
For students who are "in-house" who have appointments during the day, please continue to have them bring a note to the front office first thing in the morning. The note should include time of departure and reason. Parents must come into the front office to sign the student out. The student can sign themselves back in when they return.
CURTIS SCHEDULE
Please click here to access the SPS 2020-2021 School Calendar. The calendar is color-coded by cohort for easy reference.
IMPORTANT DATES
Thursday, November 26 - Friday, November 27 - Thanksgiving Recess
Thursday, December 10 - End of Trimester 1
Thursday, December 24 - Friday, January 1 - Winter Break
NOVEMBER LUNCH MENU
CPO NEWS
The CPO needs YOUR help!
Has your child used a standing desk while at school? Shot hoops using one of the new basketball nets? Enjoyed an enrichment activity in past years? The CPO funded all of these—and more! Consider grabbing some friends and planning an online fundraiser for Curtis this year—could be a traditional auction or any other creative idea you have. Please volunteer to help so the CPO can continue to provide enrichment activities and fund classroom resources and initiatives not covered in the SPS budget. Thank you!
Save the date: The next CPO meeting will be on February 10th, at 7:00pm.
Direct Appeal
Thank you to the many families who have already contributed to the 2020–2021 CPO Direct Appeal! Your donations help to provide enrichment activities and fund classroom resources and initiatives NOT covered in the SPS budget. The CPO's fundraising efforts this year will go towards additional standing chairs and active boards for the classrooms.
The Direct Appeal is the only fundraiser this year, and our goal is to get 100% participation! If you have not yet donated, please take a moment to donate online. Simply click here or make a donation. We suggest a $75 donation—but no donation is too small—and all are appreciated. Thanks in advance for your contribution!
HOLIDAY GIFT CARD DRIVE
During this difficult time, it may be challenging for families to purchase gifts this holiday season. Please consider donating a gift card that can be given to a Sudbury family to bring a smile to the face of a child.
Please mail your gift card by November 30th to:
Sudbury Neighbor Brigade
P.O. Box 735
Maynard, MA 01754
Any questions, please contact Emily Hayes at: SudburyMA@neighborbrigade.org.
*Mailing a gift card requires more than one standard postage stamp.
CURTIS CORE VALUES
Learning ~ Respect ~ Responsibliity
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