The Coolidge Late-Summer Newsletter
August 12, 2022
Brought to you by Sarah Marchant, Principal
A Message from Principal Marchant
Upcoming Dates of Note
Future Important Dates:
- August 20 from 1:00 - 4:00: Multicultural Mash-Up Picnic! More info below.
- August 23 & 24 (9:00 - 11:00): Welcome to Coolidge. To register, fill out this form by August 12, and send in payment of $40 (made payable to the Coolidge PTO) by August 17.
- August 31 & September1: First days of school for students.
- September 2 & 5: No School/ Labor Day weekend.
- September 19: Picture Day
- September 22: Early Release/ 12:30 Dismissal
- September 22: Evening Open House for Caregivers (6:00 - 8:00 PM)
- September 26 - 27: Rosh Hashanah (begins at sundown the night before)
- October 5: Yom Kippur (begins at sundown the night before)
- October 10: No School/ Columbus Day
- October 21: Early Release/ 12:30 Dismissal
- October 24-26: Nature's Classroom field trip (grade 7)
To access the 2022-2023 District Calendar, click here.
Resources
News & Reminders
Schedules/ Teams/ Groups will be posted on Monday!
- Log into your Portal Account.
- Look for the "School" tab under your child's photo. If you don't see it, click the "More" button, and the "School" option should appear. Click on this.
- To find out your student's official group, homeroom, and locker number, click on the "Demographics" tab. The group will look something like "Voy 63" (Team Voyager group 63).
- To see your student's grid schedule, click on "Schedule". If there are any blanks, this is likely because your child will still be scheduled for a support service (academic support, Speech & language, etc.). Students will be given copies of their schedule the first day of school (as well as during Welcome to Coolidge).
- If you do not have a Portal account, directions will be sent on Monday to activate your account.
Some notes regarding schedules:
- Unless there was a blatant oversight on our part, we can't be fielding requests to change groups or teams. A tremendous amount of effort goes into scheduling, and there are many moving parts. We hope you understand, and we do hope everyone is relatively happy with the results!
- Some students who take Spanish are on Team Gemini. They will go to Spanish when others go to French.
- Kids, as always, will look to their parents to see how to respond when they feel anything but excited... and may also want you to take action on in turn. This is something to be mindful of once the schedules do come out. For example, the most common is that a student feels as if they "don't have friends" in their group. This can be seen as an opportunity rather than a negative, and could be something to embrace rather than try to change!
Locker Setup Opportunities
The following opportunities are available for locker setup:
- Tuesday, August 23 from 11 - 2.
- Wednesday, August 24 from 11 - 2.
- Monday, August 29 from 1 - 3.
If you do wish to set up lockers during this time, please follow these guidelines:
- Write down your locker number ahead of time so you know what number you are looking for.
- Make sure you set up the correct locker!
- Be sure to have finished by the end of the window of time (i.e. don't arrive at 2:55 if the window of opportunity ends at 3).
- Unpacking locker supplies can be messy. Please be considerate of our wonderful custodial staff, and remove any garbage from the hallways that you create/ throw in the proper receptacle, if available.
- Use magnets to hang things, whenever possible. Do not put sticky wallpaper in lockers (use the magnetic kind if you want wallpaper).
- Caregivers and siblings are welcome to help, but students are also free to come in without a caregiver.
- If there are any questions or issues, stop by the main office!
School Toolbox & School Supplies for Next Year
Do you appreciate the convenience of having all of the required school supplies sent directly to your home? And benefit the PTO at the same time? If so, School Toolbox ordering is for you! To see the list of next year's school supplies, and to order, please see this flyer!
Welcome to Coolidge - We Hope to See You (6th grade)!
To register, click here: https://forms.gle/mWYAaNP6z4Ws8SHDA. Please do so by August 12!
And please send in a check for $40 made payable to Coolidge PTO by August 17.
Thank you!
Multicultural Mash-Up Picnic! You're Invited!
Calling all RPS families and staff for a welcome back “multicultural mash-up” picnic for the 2022-23 school year, hosted by the Friends of Reading METCO!
Join RPS families and staff outdoors on Saturday, August 20 from 12:00 - 4:00pm for food, lawn games and music at 280 Bridge Street in Dedham. Restrooms and free parking will be available on-site. In case of rain, there is an indoor space nearby, but plan to enjoy the summer sun and bring lawn chairs or blankets. PLEASE PRE-REGISTER FOR THE EVENT ON OR BEFORE SATURDAY AUGUST 13 at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/370822468987/.
Main courses will be provided and anyone who would like to bring a side dish or dessert to share, please feel free to do so. We need folks to bring outdoor games to play and other items as well. If you plan to bring a dish, game, or something else, make sure to share what you will bring via our SignUp Genius at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050a49adae22a4ff2-2022. Dishes from all cuisines are welcome - bring something your family loves!
File attachments:
Metco event.png
"Found Family" Program Begins, Connecting Reading and Boston Famliies
Coolidge School Council: Spots are Open!
New Staffing
We welcome:
Carolyn Caffrey (Team Explorer Social Studies)
Stephanie Hughes (School Psychologist)
Victoria Lemaitre (Team Gemini French)
John Thomas (Team Infinity/ 7 & 8 Math)
Tracy Kelly (program paraeducator, SOAR)
We have the following openings:
Grade 7 Learning Center Teacher (new opening this week, as Ms. White is moving to Baltimore!)
Team Voyager ELA Long-Term Substitute (Mr. Henerberry intends to return in January)
Team Voyager Math Long-Term Substitute (Ms. Conry intends to return in January)
EMBARC Paraeducator
SAIL Paraeducator
Math tutor
Middle school REACH teacher (shared with Barrows and Parker)
We have the following staffing changes:
- Mr. Castriano will be moving from a Learning Center teaching position to a 7/8 math teaching position.
- Ms. Pendleton will move from SAIL to be a Learning Center teacher.
- Ms. Lozzi will move from REACH to be a SAIL teacher.
Summer Advisory Work/ Advisory Plan for 2022-2023
The more thorough explanation of Advisory is:
"The goal of Coolidge Advisory is to build relationships between staff and students and students with each other, to build empathy, and to support the development of students as informed, critical, and contributing members of society. Each advisory group will be a collaborative and safe space where students can use their voices to discuss, serve, and advocate for local and global issues, and where they can build their individual and community identities."
In the year ahead, we are grounding the Advisory activities in the CASEL framework, which includes themes of Self Awareness, Self Management, Responsible Decision Making, Relationship Skills, and Social Awareness. Under each of these themes, we have created activities and focus areas for all three grade levels. These activities that have been gathered/ vetted throughout the years, many of which are from: Facing History and Ourselves; Learning for Justice; and Sarah Ahmed's book "Be the Change". Last year, all grades focused Advisory lessons on "The Power Book". Themes from this book will also be integrated into each grade level for future grades that did not participate in last year's lessons.
The themes for each grade level for the year ahead will be:
- Grade 6: Getting to Know You; Identity; Community; Self Awareness; Social Media; Self-Regulation and Accountability; Anti-Bias.
- Grade 7: Getting to Know You; Identity; Community; Healthy Decision Making; Understanding and Acceptance; Agents of Change/ Leadership; Ethical Dilemmas; My Mirror (Personal Choices/ Self-Awareness).
- Grade 8: Getting to Know You; Identity; Community; Empathy Building; Who Am I?; Stress Management; High School Transition.
A special thanks to the teachers who dedicated hours of their summer to this planning: Matthew Darling, Marlene Lifshin, Mike Maday, Pauline Tsoutsis, Laura Warren, and Jane White.
Lunch Remains Free for 2022-2023 School Year
Financial Support for Activities & Field Trips - Fill out Forms!
We are best able to support families financially when they have qualified for Financial Assistance through the district. Please utilize the following to determine eligibility and to apply:
- Financial Assistance and Income Eligibility and SHARE form (you MUST complete the SHARE form in order to apply eligibility across all district programs, across all of your students and schools, etc.)
- Read the Financial Assistance Application Instructions
- Complete the Financial Assistance Application
Nature's Classroom Registration (7th grade)
- Fill out this permission slip,
- Send a check for $100 made payable to Coolidge Middle School.
The estimated total for the trip is $350, and we will need to collect the remaining payment soon after the start of the school year.
If anyone needs financial assistance, we are easily able to do so for those on Free/Reduced lunch. To qualify, please fill out the Free/Reduced lunch form (linked below) as well as the "Share" page. This allows the district to apply financial help to other areas beyond just meals. If there are other financial hardships that may not be met through this process, please reach out to me directly!
Family/ Caregiver Resources
SEPAC Updates
- Office hour on Wednesday June 29 from 5:30-6:00 (we can stay later if needed) if anyone wants to connect with us. Click here to join the office hour. (Meeting ID: 982 8952 5140 and Passcode: Xv19Xy)
- 😎Summer Patio Socials are scheduled! They will be held on Wednesday 7/27, and Tuesday 8/2! CLICK HERE to attend one (or more!). We hope you can join! Thank you to General Members Alicia & Seth Williams and Kit Lonergan & Chris Kowaleski for offering to host!
*Be sure you are connected to us! Plans for next year are already underway, and it will be a great one!
Support the Coolidge PTO!
How to Translate This Newsletter
- Portuguese: Na caixa preta na parte superior do boletim, selecione Traduzir Boletim informativo para escolher o idioma desejado.
- Spanish: En el cuadro de Negro en la parte superior del boletín de noticias, seleccione Traducir Boletín de escoger el idioma deseado.
Vietnamese: Trong hộp đen ở đầu bản tin, chọn Dịch bản tin để chọn ngôn ngữ mong muốn
Polish: W czarnym polu u góry biuletynu wybierz Przetłumacz biuletyn, aby wybrać żądany język
Contact Us
Brienne Karow, Assistant Principal (x12302)
Marianna Zanni, Administrative Assistant (x12303)
Karen Mungenast, School Secretary (x12304)
Cindy Ventura, School Nurse (x12305)
For a full staff directory, click here.
Email: sarah.marchant@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: reading.k12.ma.us/coolidge
Location: 89 Birch Meadow Drive, Reading, MA, USA
Phone: 781-942-9158
Twitter: @coolidgemiddle