The Mustang Minute
August 25, 2023 - Issue 2
CMS Community rebuild - Year 2
With 10 days to go, CMS is getting busy! Teachers are returning, the school is gleaming, and a bit of construction is making sure we are ready for the new year! I have kept all of the information from last week's newsletter below for your convenience. This week I wanted to share about some important work that occurred this summer.
Community Rebuild
As our 7th and 8th grade parents are aware, the Coakley Staff worked last summer on a plan to help rebuild our community by promoting positive behaviors and using a variety of measures to discourage negative behaviors. This summer that same group returned to the table to reflect on the successes and failures of that plan, determine next steps, and update our Rebuild handbook and focus for the upcoming year.One focus that we took was bringing back some of the joy into Middle School. The pandemic years saw a loss of social opportunities for students and an inability to get out of the classroom and building. This year we are planning several activities that we hope will excite our students to come to school! These range from our grade 8 trip to Washington DC, to team building days, school dances, and more. We recognize that schools are both academic and social places!
The updated rebuild handbook is attached to this newsletter and to the parent square message. We ask that our families review this together and teachers will be going over it at the start of the school year as well.
Please see Nurse Leader Jill Driscoll's information about the Dental Clinic that will occur this fall.
Welcome to Coakley!
Welcome to the 2023-2024 year! We have had a busy summer here at Coakley and it was great meeting so many of our new grade 6 students through Coakley Connects. Many educators also joined us this summer to create new programming and improve existing to help the Coakley get ready for an amazing year! One focus area for CMS this year is bringing some joy back into middle school. we are focused on engaging students through exciting content, making time for community and team activities, and bringing back some of the fun parts of a being a middle school student. Stay tuned throughout the year for more information!
This first newsletter contains all the nuts and bolts for the first few days of school. With all the construction that is underway, it is important that all students, staff, and parents are aware of procedures.
Communication
For our new parents, I send out this email newsletter every week (typically Friday/Saturday) providing highlights of student activities from the past week and providing information on upcoming events. While I will occasionally send out direct messages or send home paper fliers - this is really your one-stop shop for CMS School News. Below you will see information about drop off and pick up, attendance and tardies, and other first day of school items. I will resend this communication next Friday as well. For any of our new to Norwood Families, all of our schools utilize the parent square app for all communication. This is a tool used by both administration and teachers and allows for translation into many languages. I STRONGLY recommend downloading the App from the Apple or Google store into your phone (image below). It allows you to choose your method of delivery and allows for communication with all the school at one place!
I also have an Instagram Account where I post pictures from school activities and events and repeat information from the newsletter. My Instagram Account handles are at the bottom of this email.
Schedule Release in Aspen
Students and families will have access to their new school schedules starting on Friday, August 25th. Middle School students follow a six-day rotating schedule. They have six 50 minute blocks that rotate each day and one stationary Mustang Block at the end of the day. During Mustang Block, students receive intervention help, start homework, get organization assistance, do team building, and so much more.
Our goal with building the schedule is to create balanced teams of students, balanced in terms of numbers, academic needs, social needs, and elementary school make-up. We do not change a student's team without a significant reason to do so. We encourage families to talk to their students about how middle school is a time to expand friendships, get to know new people, and explore their own learning.
Please note that we continue to make slight changes and adjustment's to student schedules up to and including the first day of school.
If your child's schedule has an error (wrong language, blank spot, etc.) please reach out to your grade level guidance counselor for assistance. The guidance staff returns later next week.
Grade 6 - Allyson King acking@norwood.k12.ma.us
Grade 7 - Ashley McCaffrey amccaffrey@norwood.k12.ma.us
Grade 8 - Jennifer Tucker jtucker@norwood.k12.ma.us
You will need access to Aspen in order to see your child's schedule. If you have any questions or problems accessing the portal, please send an email to: npsaspensupport@norwood.k12.ma.us
Building Tours for New and Returning Students
Is your child nervous about coming to CMS or returning to in person learning? We would be happy to give a tour of the building. Any student that is new to CMS is welcome to join us at the Ice Cream Social. If you are not available on that date, feel free to email me at mfraczek@norwood.k12.ma.us to set one up!
Supply Lists
The school supply lists are linked below. We also recommend that students bring their own combination lock into school for their locker. This allows students to practice opening and closing their lock at home. We do have locks available at CMS as well. Please note that we are happy to provide for any family that needs supplies for their student. You may email me or your grade level guidance counselor and we can get you everything you need. We will also have some backpacks available at the ice cream social.
Drop Off and Pick Up
Drop Off and Pick-up
If you are driving your child to CMS we have one drop off location. Due to construction, only buses and staff may enter the north (Hawes Pool) entrance. Please enter at the south or Auditorium entrance (the one closest to the Walpole line), drive into the drop off lane located next to the auditorium. Please PULL ALL THE WAY UP to allow for the maximum number of cars to drop off at once. Students will get out of the car at this location and walk to the auditorium or main entrance doors. Students that arrive between 8:15 and 8:30 should go to the cafeteria doors for entrance. Cars then loop through the parking lot and back out to Washington Street. Please be aware that buses may be entering the lot after dropping off CMS students. We do not anticipate this causing any major delays but we want parents to be aware.
No cars should drive down the front drive until after 9:00AM.
Pick-up begins at 3:20 PM when ALL students are dismissed. Parents should wait in the south lot (near the auditorium) for pick up. Please pull into a parking space. There is no access to the front drive at pick-up as that is where the buses are parked.
Please also note that there will be limited parking at Hawes Pool as it has been designated as construction parking.
Buses
Students in Grades K through 12 who plan to ride a bus must register, including students eligible for town-provided (free) transportation. Please note that the new full rate bus fee is $300 per student with a family cap of $750. Students in grades 1-6 who live more than 2 miles from school, and all kindergarten students, do not have to pay a full rate fee.
Bus Stop listing are posted on the NPS Website: https://www.norwood.k12.ma.us/about/transportation-services
Lunch
We have three lunches divided by grade. School lunch is free for all students. Students are welcome to bring a lunch from home. We ask that students DO NOT bring soda or large amounts of candy. Please no glass containers. We encourage students to bring water bottles to school each day. Please have students use a reusable water bottle as we do not allow disposable water bottles in classrooms. Transparent water bottles are preferred.
Chromebook Deployment
There will be a final opportunity for Chromebook pick up and the grade 6 Ice Cream Social. Any remaining Chromebooks will be issued on the first day of school.
The PTO Needs You!
PTO Board Openings
With the new year comes new opportunities to be involved with CMS. We are looking for two PTO Board members that collectively make decisions about activities for the school. Please email coakleynorwoodPTO@gmail.com or mfraczek@norwood.k12.ma.us if you are interested.
Open House
The Coakley Middle School Open House will be on Wednesday, October 4th from 6:00-8:00PM
More details to come!
News From the Nurse
Please see the attached letter about Massachusetts 7th grade physical and immunization requirements. If your student has had a physical since 9/1/2022, and you have not yet sent in a copy, please bring/send in a hard copy, email to jkozol@norwood.k12.ma.us, or have the doctor fax to 833-704-1903.
If your child still needs the physical and/or immunizations, please schedule an appointment as soon as possible so that the requirements will be met by the first day of school in September.
Dr. Margo Fraczek
Email: mfraczek@norwood.k12.ma.us
Website: https://sites.google.com/norwood.k12.ma.us/cms-principal/home
Phone: 781-762-7880
Facebook: facebook.com/CoakleyMIddleSchoolPTO
Twitter: @mfraczek