Concord Magnet Thursday Notice
December 15, 2022
Concord Magnet School K-8
A wonderful place where we all learn and grow . . .
Email: lakint@norwalkps.org
Website: cms.norwalkps.org
Location: 21 Hunters Lane, Norwalk, CT 06850
Phone: (203)899-2840
Important Dates
Thursday, December 15: 90-MINUTE EARLY DISMISSAL, 1:55 pm
Thursday, December 15: Conference Night, 6:00-8:00 pm
Tuesday, December 20: World of Wonder ASM, 2:00 pm
Friday, December 23: 2-HOUR EARLY DISMISSAL, 1:25 pm
Friday, December 23: Holiday ASM, 9:30 am
December 24-January 2: Holiday Recess
Tuesday, January 3: School Resumes
90-Minute Early Dismissal TODAY. School is dismissed at 1:55 pm.
TONIGHT IS CONFERENCE NIGHT!! 6:00-8:00 PM
reminder:
Parent/Teacher Conferences are from December 6 through December 21. Parents, if you have not yet scheduled a conference with your child's classroom teacher, please contact your teacher immediately.
Upcoming All School Meetings
Friday, December 23, 9:30 am: As of now, our annual Holiday Share ASM will include presentations by Jennifer Imhoff's 1st Grade, Ms. Zellermayer's 1st Grade, and both 2nd Grades. We will update our list of presenters on Class Dojo.
When to Contact Mrs. O'Reilly
Thank you!
Guidelines for Absence/Exclusion from School
Deciding when a child is to go to school can be a difficult decision for a parent. The following guidelines may be helpful.
La decisión cuando un niño debe ir a la escuela puede ser una decisión difícil para un padre.
Las directrices siguientes pueden ser útiles. Link to Spanish translation below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ro7vecgaL_av_nNBQt_q_mXWl_vzbtNV/view
Parents/guardians are asked to:
- Notify the school when a child is absent due to illness.
- Keep your child home from school if he/she has an active illness or communicable disease (such as the flu, persistent cough, or strep throat), until cleared to return by the physician.
- Keep your child home from school if he/she has a fever (100.4°F or higher). Your child may return to school once he/she is fever free without the use of fever-reducing medications (such as Tylenol) for 24 hours.
- Keep your child home from school if he/she has had vomiting and/or diarrhea within the last 24 hours, unless cleared by his/her physician. He/she may return to school 24 hours after the last episode.
- Keep your child home from school if he/she has symptoms of pink eye (red, itchy eyes, eyes stuck together with crusty discharge in the morning), until treated and cleared to return by the physician.
- Keep your child home for the first 24 hours on antibiotic therapy.
- Keep your child home from school if he/she has unexplained rashes, until cleared to return by the physician.
- Keep your child home if you suspect he/she has lice, and contact your child’s physician regarding appropriate treatment. Please inform the school nurse if your child has lice.
- Have your child evaluated by a physician if he/she has a serious complaint or a complaint lasting more than 48 hours.
- Make sure your child is up-to-date with all vaccines and physical assessments.
Medications in School
- Medication or treatment to be administered in school must have a written order from the physician on file in the school nurse’s office (authorization form available from the school nurse).
- Medication must be delivered to the school nurse (with the authorization form) in its original, unopened container by a parent or other responsible adult.
Do You Have a Child Entering CMS Next Year?
Last year, the NPS district started conducting all of Norwalk's School Choice Lotteries (including ours). Before the lottery drawing for next year's enrollment, we must let the district know how many seats need to be saved for incoming CMS siblings. To help prepare, we are asking parents of incoming CMS siblings to email Terry Lakin at lakint@norwalkps.org, specifying the name of your incoming child and the name and grade of your current CMS student in your email.
Parents will still need to fill out lottery applications, but our families will be given sibling priority. We will keep you informed of all important lottery dates and deadlines, and walk you through the process if necessary.
Eligibility:
- Children entering kindergarten must turn 5 on or before December 31, 2023.
- To qualify as a sibling and receive priority status, both applicant and sibling must attend CMS K-8 in the 2023/2024 school year.
- Even though your child is a CMS sibling, you must submit a lottery application. (You will be able to note on the application that your child is a CMS sib.) If you do not submit a lottery application, your child will be placed on our waiting list.
Updates from CMS Media Specialist Charles Duff
We Are Proud to Announce . . .
The CMS Library is ready to start checking out books today! We'll start with Mr. Duff's Media classes this week and next week so that students will have a book to read over break. For now, students will only be allowed to check out 1 book at a time. Books will be due back in 8 days so that it matches with the Media class rotation for Elementary. We'll talk about expectations for treating books responsibly. Our library catalog is operating, updated with our student rosters (minus Kindergarten...working on that), and on ClassLink. Here is our student resource list.
There is still a lot of organization and signage left to do, so we are still seeking volunteers to help. Please contact Mr. Duff at duffc@norwalkps.org or Terry Lakin at lakint@norwalkps.org if you are available.
Conference Night
Parents Please Note: Mr. Duff will be in the CMS Library, Room 23 tonight. He will be happy to show parents our Media spaces, as well as help them with technology needs related to their children's classes here at CMS.
Books, eBooks & Audiobooks!
Did you know that CMS students have access to eBooks, Audiobooks, and Research Resources at school AND home?
Click HERE for information on the various programs available and how to access them. Mr. Duff recommends the SORA eBook/Audiobook app.
CMS Lost & Found
Thank you Valerie Ingenito for posting several pictures of items in the Lost & Found on CMS Parents Group on Facebook last week.
Me, Myself and Eye
CMS Third Graders had the opportunity to work in partnership with the Silvermine Art Center. The Program was called "Me, Myself and Eye." During week one, the students created mixed media self-portraits with artist Marta Kot. During week two, the students worked with poet Adair Heitmann to write "I am" poems. The students enjoyed the residency and the ability to learn about themselves through art and writing.
Below is a sampling of their art work.
CMS PTA News
Amazon Smile
Holiday Shopping? Do you shop on Amazon?
PTA Spring Auction!
The auction is our biggest fundraiser for this school year and we need lots of help! Please consider joining the auction committee to plan the party and help gather donations. The committee will not start meeting until after the holidays, but information will be sent via email to committee members next week. Please email Tory Ferrara (vrc221@gmail.com) if you are interested in joining the committee or would like more information about the auction and/or auction committee.
Join the CMS PTA!
The Concord Magnet School PTA is asking for your support and is inviting you to join the PTA! A Family Membership is $10.00. As a PTA member, you have voting rights which will impact how PTA money is spent on your children and what programs the CMS PTA supports.
YOU MUST PAY THE MEMBERSHIP FEES TO BE AN OFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE PTA. Pay $10 through Pay Pal to @columbusmagnetschool or send a check into school for $10 addressed to CMS PTA in an envelope labeled CMS PTA.
Here is the Google Form for joining the PTA.
CMS on Facebook
"Concord Magnet School K-8" is our public page.
"CMS Parents Group" is a closed group open only to CMS parents. You will be asked a few questions before being approved, but it's only to ensure our members are CMS parents.
"CMS - en Espanol Group" is for our Spanish-speaking parents.