It's hard to believe that in just a few short weeks the 2023/24 school year will begin!

Welcome to the newest members of our Concord Magnet Community! We look forward to greeting our kindergarten families at the upcoming Meet & Greets, August 12 and 15 and catching up with all of our families, returning and new, on August 19 and 22! (Details below.) We hope you will find the information in this newsletter helpful as you prepare for the upcoming school year.

Be on the look out for emails containing classroom assignments and teachers' letters next week.

Enjoy the rest of the summer! See you soon!

Terry Lakin, CMS Parent Coordinator

Saturday, August 12: Kindergarten Meet & Greet, 10:00-11:00 am

Tuesday, August 15: Kindergarten Meet & Greet, 6:00-7:00 pm

Saturday, August 19: All School Meet & Greet, 10:00-11:00 am

Tuesday, August 22: All School Meet & Greet, 6:00-7:00 pm

Monday, August 28: First Day of School (Kindergarten Staggered Entry - see below)

Monday, September 4: Labor Day, School Holiday

Monday, September 25: Yom Kippur, School Holiday

Monday, October 9: Indigenous Peoples Day, School Holiday

Tuesday, October 10: Professional Day for Staff, no school for students

Monday, October 23: 2-Hour Early Dismissal, 1:30 pm

Official School Hours are 9:05am to 3:40pm

Doors open for students at 8:50am

Dismissal begins at 3:25pm

Concord Magnet School K-8

21 Hunters Lane

Norwalk, CT 06850

Main Office: (203) 899-2840

Fax: (203) 899-2811

Website: cms.norwalkps.org

Principal: Medard Thomas thomasm@norwalkps.org

Assistant Principal: Jennifer Scanlan scanlanj@norwalkps.org

Administrator Assistant: Susan Mathews mathewss@norwalkps.org

School Nurse: Elizabeth (Libby) Connolly connollye@norwalkps.org

Social Worker: Elisa Campisi campisie@norwalkps.org

Parent Coordinator & Communications: Terry Lakin lakint@norwalkps.org

Bilingual Parent Outreach Liaison : Erick Rivera riverae@norwalkps.org

All CMS K-8 staff members may be reached by email. NPS emails consist of the person's last name and first initial @norwalkps.org

All Norwalk Public School Kindergarten students start kindergarten on a staggered basis. Half of the students will attend on Monday, August 28 and the remaining students attend on Tuesday, August 29. All kindergarten students attend on Wednesday, August 30. CMS Kindergarten parents will receive notification as to their child's starting date. Please contact the school office at (203) 899-2840 if you do not receive this information

If your child requires medicine to be administered during the school day, a completed “Authorization for the Administration of Medicine by School Personnel" form must accompany the medication. This form must be signed by the pediatrician's office and a parent/guardian. This applies to all medications including prescriptions, over-the-counter, and supplements. All medications must be in the original, properly labeled, unopened container.

Please Note: Medications must be delivered to the school nurse by a parent/guardian or other responsible adult. We cannot accept medications brought in by a student.

If you have questions, please contact Nurse Libby at connollye@norwalkps.org.

2023-2024 NPS Bus Routes will be posted on the NPS website (norwalkps.org) the week ending August 18th.

Bus Transportation is provided following the guidelines below:
1. Students in Kindergarten through Grade 3 who live more than 1 mile from the school.
2. Students in Grade 4 through Grade 8 who live more than 1-1/2 miles from the school.

For complete NPS Bus Transportation Information including eligibility, bus assignments, and schedules, please go to: https://www.norwalkps.org/departments/transportation

Correspondence and requests regarding buses should be sent in writing to the NPS Transportation Office.

Norwalk Public Schools
Transportation Office
125 East Avenue - P.O. Box 6001 Norwalk, CT 06852

If you need additional information, you may contact the Norwalk Public Schools Transportation Office at 203-854-4074 or send an email to Transportation@norwalkps.org.

Please make sure classroom teachers are aware of your child's afterschool transportation, especially on the first few days of school. It is also important for teachers to know when your child's afterschool transportation plans change. During the first few weeks of school, written notes to teachers are especially helpful.

Free Breakfast and Lunch will be offered to all Norwalk Public School students for the 2023/24 school year. This applies to One Breakfast and One Lunch per student daily. Students' "My School Bucks" accounts will be charged for any additional meals or a la carte items. Please Note: Cash is not accepted.

Breakfast and lunch are available to all students through the Chartwell’s Food Service Program. A monthly menu is published so that parents/students can select the dates that they wish to receive breakfast and/or lunch. Each meal is completely balanced and nutritious. Students may opt to bring a packed lunch from home if they prefer. Breakfast and lunch menus are posted on the CMS website: cms.norwalkps.org

All families are asked to open a “My School Bucks” account for their children to pay for additional items or a second meal. Please visit: https://www.norwalkps.org/for-families/food-services