The Mustang Minute
April 27, 2018 - Issue 31
Welcome Back!
The final term of school always feels the most rushed! We are trying to slow it down and enjoy it a bit more here at the Coakley but I'm not sure how successful we have been! I am very proud of the excellent effort our grade 8 students gave to the English MCAS test this week. Students used the time well, wrote notes and created outlines while completing many difficult questions. We try not to over-emphasize the test (it's stressful enough as it is) or let it take over the entire school. However, we still appreciate the hard work our students do each day and look forward to seeing how they perform and what it can tell us about our programming. It's a very informative piece of data and having students take it seriously definitely helps!
Next week grade 6 and 7 take the ELA MCAS. They should not have homework the night before the test, nor any quizzes on testing days. Please make sure they get a good night's rest and eat a healthy breakfast before heading into school.
A more exciting addition this week was our new school store. The students in some of our programs have selected items, priced them for sale, and are running the store each week. We have a selection of pens, pencils, sharpeners, and other school items. There will be new merchandise on a regular basis as determined by the students running the store. most items are between 50 cents and $2. Thanks to Ms. Mottau and Ms. Healy for taking on this adventure!
We also celebrated National Poetry Day this week. In Mr. Oliver's class students wrote and presented poems today as a culminating project. Check out my twitter feed @mfraczek for a couple of examples.
Finally, if you are near the middle school please take note of two items. One, our newly cleaned and spruced up front area. Last Sunday was Earth Day and a fabulous group of students, parents, and community members came by and gave us a good spring cleaning! Thanks to all who helped with this endeavor! Secondly, the students in our PACS program have begun the spring garden. Their seedlings grew into solid plants and the first outdoor planting was done this week. Keep stopping by to see how our garden grows!
Have a great weekend!
Growth Mindset
Nurse's Corner
Teacher Appreciation Day!
Happy Secretaries Day!
PTO Corner
We need you!
We are looking for new board members and coordinators for 2018-19 school year. Positions include president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, fundraising, enrichment, hospitality, social media coordinator and more. If you are interested to help or you've held a role this year and would like to continue, please let us know.. We hope to have the new team signed up at our May 10 meeting. email us at coakleypto@gmail.com
Tree Top Adventures Fundraiser!
Looking for something to do outside next week and over the summer? TreeTop Adventures' 2018 season FUN-draiser (April 14-Nov 12th) means any time a customer uses the PTO promo code (COAKLEYNORWOOD) on their ticket purchase, $5 will be taken off of each ticket in their basket and $5 will be donated toward CMS PTO! www.tree-topadventures.com
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.
Have some time? Able to help out during CMS MCAS testing? Use the link below to sign up. Thanks in advance!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0a48abaf23a20-mcas
Ongoing PTO Activities
The PTO is still selling bulbs, 8th grade 31 bags, and Coakley Gear Store. We are working on an Orange Leaf challenge for end April/May, which we do every year, where each grade goes one night and 20% to PTO.
Amazon Smile
On your first visit to AmazonSmile smile.amazon.com, select Coakley PTO as your charitable organization and receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.
2017-2018 Meeting Schedule
Meetings are held the second Thursday of each month from 7-8 p.m. in the middle school library.
• May 10
• June 14
Check out the Coakley Apparel Store through the link below!
After School Club Updates
Bowling Club: Fridays 3:00-4:00pm at the Norwood Sports Center. No transportation provided.
Coakley Insider: Tuesdays at 2:10 in the library.
Drama Club: Mondays 2:15-3:00 pm
National History Day: Students choose either Tuesday or Wednesday
Friendship Club: Will meet Tuesdays starting later in October
Cartooning: Will meet Thursdays
SEARCH: Meets on Mondays
Student Council: Will meet on the last Tuesday of the month starting later this month.
Artists Club: meets Wednesdays starting October 18th.
CMS Book Club: This year we are reading “Ghost” by Jason Reynolds. Read the book and join us on October 26th after school in the library. See Mrs. MacTavish or Mrs. Lockwood with questions.
Math Club: Will be meeting on Thursday's
CMS Honor Chorus: Monday and Wednesdays 2:15-3:00 pm
CMS Jazz Band: Wednesday's 5-7:30 pm
CMS Honor Band: Rehearsal Mondays from 4:30-6 pm in the CMS auditorium.
CMS Honor Orchestra: Tuesdays 4:40-6:00 pm
Intramural Sports: please check the website (linked below) for all schedules.
Important Dates
MCAS Dates
ELA
Grade 7: April 30 and May 1
Grade 6: May 2-3
Math
Grade 8: May 7-8
Grade 7: May 9-10
Grade 6: May 14-15
STE
Grade 8: May 16-17
Guys and Dolls Jr.: Friday May 4th & Saturday May 5th @NHS
Wellness Night at CMS: May 8th 6-8pm
Grade 6 & 7 Game Night: Friday May 18th
6th Grade Spring Concert: Thursday, May 31 @CMS
7th Grade Spring Concert: Tuesday, June 5 @CMS
8th Grade Spring Concert: Tuesday, June 12 @CMS
Grade 8 promotion ceremony/dinner/dance: June 21st PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE
Big Y Education Express
We have 20 people signed up and close to 8000 points already! Join in and earn points for CMS!
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