The Mustang Minute
October 15, 2021 - Issue 8
We Are Unified Champions!
Unified Champion Torch Relay
We had an amazing Torch relay event this past Thursday to kick off our second year as a Unified Champion School. the Norwood Fire Department and Police Department joined us on our back field as twelve of our students relayed the Torch around the field. Students from several homerooms joined us to cheer on the runners with gorgeous sign and some very loud voices! Check out some photos below and ask your students to share ways they can #choosetoinclude at CMS!
Mr. Nimblett and Ms. Doliner have some excellent activities coming up!
Welcome Sue Fontecchio
I want to extend a warm welcome to Mrs. Sue Fontecchio who will be working as our grade 6 Assistant Principal for the next couple of months. Mr. Freeman needed to take some time off for personal reasons and we were very lucky to bring Mrs. Fontecchio into the CMS Community. Mrs. Fontecchio is a retired administrator that has worked in several districts including Dedham, Holbrook, and west Bridgewater at both the middle and high school levels. If you have any questions or would just like to reach out and say hello, Mrs. Fontecchio's email is sfontecchio@norwood.k12.ma.us.
THANK YOU!
The staff at CMS would like to say a big thank you to the PTO and our parents for restocking the teacher's cafeteria. We had so many snack and drink donations! It may not seem like a big deal to others - but to our teachers it means the world! We truly have some of the best parents and families!
Real Mustangs Wear Pink!
It's October and we are launching into our Real Kids Wear Pink Breast Cancer fundraising campaign. Each year several staff members organize this campaign to bring awareness to breast cancer in honor of the several staff members we have lost to this insidious disease. In November we will have a PINK DAY to honor their memory. Located below you will see an order form for students and families to order a "Real Mustang's Wear Pink" t-shirt for that day in November. The order form is also attached at the end of this newsletter.
Intramural Sports Sign Up
Intramurals start on Monday! Please send in any final permission slips to the main office on Monday!
Unified Champions!
MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey
To make sure we give the best possible education and services to children in Norwood, we want to learn about their attitudes and behaviors with regard to a variety of health issues. In order to accomplish this, students attending Coakley Middle School are being asked to participate in a survey called the MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey. Coakley Middle School has been participating in this survey since 2018. The questions on the survey cover many topics including alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; violence and safety; nutrition and physical activity; sexual behaviors; online behaviors; and mental health. This project will help our district develop and enhance its health education and prevention programs. We will be giving this online survey to students in grades 6-8 on October 28, 2021.
Please see the attached MetroWest parent letter for more information and for an opt out option. A copy of the survey will be available for viewing in the CMS main office next week.
Equity Audit of NPS
As you may know, Norwood Public Schools is working with Mass Insight Education & Research to conduct an Equity Audit for the district. This process is part of Norwood’s commitment to provide a high quality, equitable education for all of our students and families. The Equity Audit will give the district a clear understanding of our current strengths and areas for growth regarding equitable opportunities for all students, provide recommendations for improving equitable practices, and lead to the development of a strategic plan that will focus attention and resources on supporting Norwood’s diverse students, staff, families, and community.
We want to include the perspectives of a broad range of students, staff, families, and community members to inform this audit. To that end, be on the lookout for opportunities to share your experiences through surveys, focus groups, and interviews.
we will be looking for student volunteers to participate in several focus groups over the next few weeks. We wills end out emails to the students and ask them to fill out a form if interested. All student that would like to participate will be given a permission slip to return to ensure that our families are aware of their participation.
We are also looking to include voices from the many families in our community. We want to hear as many perspectives as possible, so I’m hoping you’ll do two things:
Sign up for a virtual focus group at this link to share your experiences with a staff member from Mass Insight, and
Complete the online family survey I’ll be sending home soon.
If you would like to learn more about the Norwood Equity Audit, please click the button below which will take you to the website.
PTO Dues Letter
The PTO Needs You!
PTO Board Openings
With the new year comes new opportunities to be involved with CMS. We are looking for PTO Board members that collectively make decisions about activities for the school. We are also in need of a PTO treasurer. The treasurer maintains the records and bank account for the PTO. Please email coakleynorwoodPTO@gmail.com or mfraczek@norwood.k12.ma.us if you are interested.
PTO Meeting Dates (4th Tuesday of the month)
October 26th
November 23rd
December - TBD
January 25th
February - TBD
March 22nd
April 26nd
May 24th
June - TBD
Clubs and Teams at CMS
This week, I have a list of clubs that will be starting soon. Next week, we will have start dates and meeting times listed as well.
Friendship Club - TBD
Student Council - First Meeting Thursday, October 14
Artist Circle - Wednesday 2:10-3:00pm
Yearbook Club - Grade 8 Only Starts October 6th in 201 (every other Wednesday)
Bowling Club - Begins in January 2022
Intramural Sports - Start Early October
Homework Club - Starting September 27th at 2:10 pm in the Library
Drama Club - 1st and 3rd Mondays starting October 4th in room 101
Rocket Club - Spring 2022
Cartooning Club - Meets Mondays, Starting October 25th
Math Team - First meeting Thursday, September 28th
More to come!
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