The Mustang Minute
September 7, 2018 - Issue 1
First Day Fabulous!
Even with the shortened day we had plenty of time to get to know our students, find out a little about their summer, and show them lockers, schedules, and all the other nuts and bolts that make up middle school. Teachers used these couple of days to learn about the new students, see how their former students had changed, and get caught up.
On Friday we had a full day and everyone was in full swing. In sixth grade science, students were practicing collaboration and innovation skills while trying to build the highest tower they could out of index cards. In Spanish, students were working in pairs to decide what skills would be the most helpful while learning a new language. All in all, a lot of exciting activities were underway!
We also wanted to let you know that we are doing a last few changes to our schedule. We have a few classes (primarily in foreign language and STEM) that are larger than we think is best for students. We have created a few additional sections in order to reduce class sizes. This does mean we will be changing some student's schedules. This will NOT require any team changes, just individual class changes for some students. Guidance will be informing students next week if their schedule is affected.
We have a lot of new initiatives happening this year including a focus on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and our one-to-one Chromebook roll out. I will share information about the SEL program as it continues to grow and please read below for more details about the Chromebook Rollout.
Chromebook Roll Out
The most important first step is getting the user agreements signed and back into school. We cannot give your student a Chromebook until we receive this signed agreement. We will also have copies of the agreement in Portuguese, Spanish, and French available next week.
In next week's newsletter I will talk more about how the Chromebook will be used in school and at home. Below is the link to the NPS deployment resources web page:
https://www.norwood.k12.ma.us/tech/nps-1-1-chromebook-program
Notes from the Nurse
Attention 7th Grade Parents:
All seventh graders must have updated physicals and proof of Tdap immunization by October 12. Physicals dated September 2017 or later are acceptable. If you are unsure of whether you have handed this in, please call the nurse's office at 781-440-5926 or email tsperber@norwood.k12.ma.us. Providing this documentation is a Massachusetts law; please call with any questions. You can have your doctor's office fax the physical directly to 781-769-4458, the dedicated nurse fax line.
New Staff at CMS
Lisa Fenton: Lisa has joined CMS as our new PACS program teacher. Lisa comes to us with a wealth of experience from the Kennedy Day school at Franciscan Childrens. We are very excited to have her on board!
Sean Igoe: Sean is our new TASC instructor. Sean spent several years working in New Bedford after obtaining his degree from Boston College.
John GIlbert: John is our new wellness teacher joining Mr. Dupuis and Mr. Nimblett. John comes to us with a lot of coaching experience and from Plymouth North High School. He is a great addition to our staff!
Merritt Garofalo: Merritt joins CMS in our TASC program. She has been a paraprofessional for many years working with students with special needs at the May Institute, the Therapeutic Learning Center, and the Lawrence School. We are excited to have her level of expertise at CMS!
Waterbottles
PTO Corner
The PTO meets the second Thursday of each month to hear an update from the principal and discuss planning related to enrichment, fundraising, activities and other topics of interest. You can also stay up to date with the CMS PTO by following us on Facebook. You can contact the PTO at coakleypto@gmail.com.
First Meeting of the year is September 13th at 6:30pm. Come be a part of an amazing partnership between school and home!
Need some new Coakley Apparel for the 2018 School Year? Click the link below and see what's available!
Students in Need of Supplies
Box Top Summer Drive
Important Dates
September 13th: PTO Meeting
September 25th: Open House
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
Twitter: @mfraczek