Colrain Central School News
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December 9, 2022
A Note From Mrs. Looman
- It is with sadness that I inform you all that Ms. Newland, our school psychologist, will be leaving us to take a position in Northampton, closer to her home. Her last day with us will be on Monday, Dec. 19th. We wish her all the best in her new position and will miss her greatly. I have posted the position and am in the process of finding her replacement and arranging to have her students serviced in the interim.
- I want to welcome Casey Chadwick as our newest parent representative to the LEC. Casey is relatively new to our school community as her daughter is in 1st grade. We look forward to welcoming her to the committee.
- For those of you who might be interested in a tangible way to support the Donahue family, there has been a GoFundMe page set up. If you are interested in donating, you can do so through this page. https://gofund.me/4a0f9214
- The Buckland Library is having a couple regularly scheduled activities for children every week: Tuesdays 4:30-6pm Crafternoons are geared for ages 3 - 11 and feature different crafts, stories, & activities Fridays 4-6pm LEGOS together with our newly acquired, huge LEGO collection in our community room
Students in grades 7-12 are currently in the final stage of preparing for the MTRS Winter Play which will be performed on December 9th and 10th. We are already looking forward to planning and preparing for the Spring Musical, a production of Guys and Dolls, to be performed on 5 & 6th May, 2023 and would love to involve students in Grades 5 & 6 in this show.
To help Director Eva with the planning and casting, we would like to invite care providers of students in grades 5 & 6 who might want to participate to complete this informational survey.
In January, Director Eva will schedule a student meeting for students in grades 5 & 6 at MTRS to see which roles students will take in the show. A parent information meeting will also be scheduled for early January with information about rehearsals at MTRS and an opportunity to ask Eva logistical questions.
The specialist's scoop; Valerie Lively, Special Education Teacher
What is subitizing?
Subitizing is the ability to instantly recognize the number of objects without actually counting them. Much like the importance of being able to calculate estimates, subitizing is something that comes up in the everyday lives of students. An example of subitizing is when rolling dice; when you roll a dice and you see two dots on top, you instantly recognize it as representing a quantity of two. Young children or children that have difficulty with subitizing will need to count each dot to know that quantity the di is displaying.
Why is subitizing important?
The ability to subitize is an important part of developing a strong mathematical foundation and understanding of number (Baroody 1987,). Playing with dice, dominoes, and asking children to find a specific number of items will help them develop subitizing skills and a sense of quantity.
How can I help my child(ren) with subitizing?
This link has some great resources for you to use with your child(ren) and subitizing!
PTO News
The Children's Shopping Room will be open from school dismissal, 3:15pm until 6pm on Monday December 12th.
Children can purchase gifts for the holidays for 25 cents each and have them gift wrapped and all set to go under the tree.
The PTO will also have CCS Clothing for sale as well!
We are asking donations of the following:
*Gently used school appropriate household items, please drop off at the school before Monday December 12th at 9am.
*Wrapping supplies-paper, tape, tissue paper, gift bags etc.
To make this happen for the Children at CCS we are asking for volunteers.
We need for the following shifts:
Monday Set-up 1pm-3pm
Monday Wrapping and Assistance 3pm-6pm
Tuesday Clean-up 3pm-till we're done, about an hour or so!
Also: The Original Works are in and they will be available for pick-up that evening as well.
If any student is not able to come to the shopping room on Monday but would like the opportunity to purchase some gifts, they will be able to visit the shopping room during the day on Tuesday.
Ski & Snowboard Club
upcoming events
12/6: 3:30-PTO Meeting
12/12: PTO Children's Shopping Room
12/13: 3:30-LEC Meeting
12/14: 1:50 dismissal
12/14: 6:30-School Committee Meeting
12/23: 12:30 dismissal
12/26-1/2: No school: Winter break
1/11: Picture Retake Day
December early release dates:
1:50 dismissals: 12/14
12:30 dismissal: 12/23
From MTRSD Special Education Department
During the week of December 13, 2022, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional School Districts. The Office of Public School Monitoring visits each district and charter school every three years to monitor compliance with federal and state special education and civil rights regulations. Areas of review related to special education include student assessments, determination of eligibility, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team process, and IEP development and implementation. Areas of review related to civil rights include bullying, student discipline, physical restraint, and equal access to school programs for all students.
In addition to the onsite visit, parent outreach is an important part of the review process. The review chairperson from the Office of Public School Monitoring will send all parents of students with disabilities an online survey that focuses on key areas of their child’s special education program. Survey results will contribute to the development of a report. During the onsite review, the Office of Public School Monitoring will interview the chairperson(s) of the district’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). Other onsite activities may include interviews of district staff and administrators, reviews of student records, and onsite observations.
Parents and other individuals may call Marc Oldenburg, Public School Monitoring Chairperson, at 413-314-6703 to request a telephone interview. If an individual requires an accommodation, such as translation, to participate in an interview, the Department will make the necessary arrangements.
Within approximately 60 business days after the onsite visit, the review chairperson will provide the (district or charter school) with a report with information about areas in which the (district or charter school) meets or exceeds regulatory requirements and areas in which the (district or charter school) requires assistance to correct or improve practices. The public will be able to access the report at http://www.doe.mass.edu/psm/tfm/reports/.