PTA News and Announcements
I
If you need this communication translated or made more accessible for you or if you have any questions, please contact us at cms_pta@westportps.org
CMS PTA Weekly Update
March 31, 2024
CMS Logo Wear online store is now open only until April 13. Click Here to purchase. We have many new styles to choose from and great gifts for moving up ceremonies!
IMPORTANT DATES – dates in bold happening THIS WEEK
|
Date |
Time |
Event |
|---|---|---|
|
April 4 |
7:00 PM |
Board of Education meeting - Staples High School |
|
April 5 |
School Hours |
Spirit Day - Wear your best interpretation of ‘80s clothes to help celebrate Footloose opening night. |
|
April 5 |
7:00 PM |
Footloose - CMS Auditorium |
|
April 6 |
1:00 PM and 7:00 PM |
Footloose - CMS Auditorium |
|
April 7 |
1:00 PM |
Footloose - CMS Auditorium |
|
April 10 |
10:10 - 10:45 |
Dolphins and Orcas Cluster Meetings - CMS |
|
April 11 |
10:00 AM |
SpEd Sip N Chat - Westport Library Room 210 |
|
April 15 - 19 |
School Hours |
Spring Recess |
|
April 24 |
6:00 - 7:00 PM |
5th to 6th grade Transition Night - CMS Auditorium |
|
April 24 |
7:00 PM |
Board of Education meeting - Staples High School |
|
Apr 26 |
7:00 - 8:30 PM |
CMS Spring Dance - CMS Cafeteria |
|
April 27 |
1:00 - 3:00 PM |
SpEd Community Fun Day - Saugatuck Elementary School |
Shout Outs
Thank you Bernadette Lee for helping to select our Logo Wear. Our online store is now open! (Link to purchase is at the very top of this email!)
A look ahead:
SAVE THE DATE: Parent Social and Silent Auction - May 16 - The Boathouse
6th Grade Social - May 10 - SkyZone. Purchase tickets and sign both waivers HERE
Spring Dance - LET’S GLOW!
Please join us for our annual all school spring dance. Tickets are $20 and available only to CMS students. Please contact a grade level counselor for confidential financial assistance. Click here to purchase
Parents - We need your help. Sign up to chaperone the dance. It is a lot of fun and we cannot pull this off without you. Thank you so much! Click here to sign up.
April Spirit Day
Friday, April 5th will be EIGHTIES DAY! To celebrate opening night of Footloose (buy your tickets HERE), CMS will throw it back to the 1980s so dig around for some leg warmers, bangle bracelets and some Aquanet! Click HERE for some inspo!
COLEYTOWN COMPANY Presents - FOOTLOOSE
Save the dates of April 5th @ 7pm, April 6th at 1pm & 7pm, and April 7th at 1pm to enjoy the show!!! Tickets are on sale NOW at showtix4u.com. Everybody's gotta cut loose, Footloose!
CLUSTER MEETINGS
|
DOLPHINS - Wednesday, April 10 at 10:10-10:45 am |
|
ORCAS - Wednesday, April 10 at 10:10-10:45 am |
CMS YEARBOOK SALE 2024
Yearbooks are now on sale. Click HERE for ordering information. ONLINE ORDERING CLOSES APRIL 10!
FROM THE CMS HEALTH OFFICE
6th GRADE FAMILIES- IMMUNIZATIONS AND PHYSICAL EXAM:
The State of CT requires ALL 6th grade students to have a physical exam and up-to-date immunizations before entering 7th grade. Please have your child’s health care provider complete the attached State of Connecticut Health Assessment Record and be sure to submit the necessary forms to the CMS health office by June. The completed health assessment must be dated on or after June 1, 2023. Please submit health forms via email to cms-nurses@westportps.org or fax to 203-341-1633. Click HERE for form.
CULTURAL ARTS
The CMS PTA is excited to bring Crocodile River Music to our school! CMS students will enjoy the performance on June 4 from 2:00 - 3:00. Thank you for your generous donations which allow us to continue this tradition!
"African rhythms, history, and culture merge into an evening of movement, cultural exploration, and joy. Internationally recognized, the group consists of members from Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and the US. Crocodile River Music’s mission is to connect audiences with African artists and cultures through performance and education. They are a diverse group of people committed to presenting African art, music, and culture to audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and capabilities."
2024-2025 Westport Youth Commission
The Westport Youth Commission is responsible for promoting the positive development of all youth in their families, schools, and community, and among their peers. The Youth Commission assesses the needs and interests of young people in Westport, encouraging programs, and developing resources to respond to these needs.
Applications are now open for rising 9th-12th grade students. They're available here: https://forms.gle/
March Madness Athletic Shoe Drive
Please help support a group of 7th graders who will be traveling to Cuba this summer with the organization Full Court Peace. The students wish to bring gently used athletic sneakers with them to give out to the children and teens in the community as many children and teens often do not have any shoes to use during activities. There are TWO bins (Green Teams:Dolphins, Falcons & Wolves vs White Teams: Orcas, Owls and Tigers) in the Rotunda and we will be calculating which teams bring in the most shoes. This drive will run until April Vacation.
CMS PTA NEEDS YOU!
Please fill out this survey to let us know how you would like to help CMS PTA Next Year
Don't worry, you are not committing yourself to anything. We will be in touch when we need help with events and initiatives. Any questions? Contact Sandy Friesen, CMS Nominating Committee Chair at cmsptanominating@gmail.com Thank you!
8TH GRADE PARENTS: SHS PTA Volunteers
Are you interested in becoming involved at Staples PTA as your child enters 9th grade next year? Staples PTA does so much to support the children, teachers/staff, administration and families in our school, and we can't do it without you! Please Click Here to fill out the survey if you're interested in volunteering. Don't worry! You are not committing yourself to anything. We will be in touch when we need help with events and initiatives. Any questions? Contact SHS PTA VPs Volunteers, Stefanie Shackelford and Sandy Srihari at staplesptavolunteers@gmail.com
PTA Council needs you!
We are working on filling the slate for our town-wide PTA Council. This is a great way to get involved and to meet people outside of your own school! We can’t do everything that we do without your help. Currently we still need volunteers for the following positions:
Treasurer (for Cultural Arts bank account) – parent from any school
Directory – parent from any school
If you have an interest in learning more about any of these positions, please reach out to PTA Council past president Tami Benanav at tbenanav@me.com or to your school PTA President. We have job descriptions to share and can put you in touch with current reps to share more about the positions.
SpEd Sip N Chat
Sip ‘n’ Chat Events (organized by Westport SpED PTA) - Westport Library, Room 210 at 10:00 AM
Please register for the Westport SpEd PTA newsletter here. No need to RSVP for these events.
-
April 11
-
May 9
SpEd Community Fun Day is back - Saturday, April 27th, 1-3pm
SpEd kids in preschool - Grade 8 and their families are invited to join us for good times at the Saugatuck Elementary School (indoor) on Sat., April 27, 1-3 PM. Ice Cream Truck! Robotics! Games! Police Car and Firetruck! And, most importantly, the fellowship of our SpEd families. Brought to you by the Westport Special Education PTA. Please RSVP here.
PTA Membership
Click here to join.
Click here for the Membership Toolkit instructions.
Contact our Directory Chair - cms_pta_membership@westportps.
DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION
April is Arab American Heritage Month! It is a time to celebrate and recognize the many ways Arab Americans have helped and continue to shape US society. Although celebrated sporadically in the US since the 1990s, the Arab American Foundation and Arab America began an initiative to have a national Arab American History Month in 2017. In 2019, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan.) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), introduced a resolution to Congress to proclaim April as National Arab American Heritage Month. Arab American Heritage Month was federally recognized by President Joe Biden in 2021. Click here to read President Biden’s letter commemorating this heritage month.
Want to get involved in the CMS DEI Committee? Email us at cmsdei2021@gmail.com to connect! Kristi Law and Crystal Norris, CMS DEI Reps
AROUND TOWN
COLEYTOWN COMPANY Presents - FOOTLOOSE
OPENS THIS FRIDAY!! Performances are April 5th @ 7 pm, April 6th at 1 pm & 7 pm, and April 7th at 1 pm!!! Tickets are on sale at showtix4u.com. Everybody's gotta cut loose, Footloose!
Near Peer Tutoring - Beginning on January 22nd, Tutors from Staples High School will be available in the Library to help elementary and middle school students with their homework. Tutoring hours are Monday-Thursday, 4-8pm. The schedule may change depending on tutor availability, so please check the library website before you come!
Click here for the tutor schedule.
Toquet Hall Middle School Events:
Register by going to www.toquethall.org
TOQUET HALL WILL BE CLOSED APRIL 16 - 21
What's New?!
Paint Along Night! Monday, April 8th 3:30 - 5:00 pm. Free and open to LGBTQ+ teens and their allies in 6th - 12th grade. Supplies and dinner provided.
Saturday, April 27th - Spring Field Day! Join the Library and Toquet Hall on Jesup Green for lawn games to celebrate the spring and de-stress before the end of the school year!
LiveGirl is bringing back their free Confidence Club here at Toquet Hall starting March 7th 4pm-5:15pm! This is a great opportunity to build yourself up and make some new friends! Create a Brave Space! There is still time to register.
Register for FREE at https://golivegirl.org/
Continuing Programs :
Mondays - 5 - 6:30pm meet up with Lighthouse! Snacks, crafts, & games await LGBTQ teens and their allies. Lighthouse is a safe space for teens to relax and find support. No bullying is allowed and everyone is given a chance to be heard. No registration needed, just come on by! Lighthouse does plan to meet on Monday April 15th during the break.
IMPORTANT LIGHTHOUSE ANNOUNCEMENT - Beginning April 8th, Lighthouse will be meeting 3:30 - 5:00 pm.
Support the PTA!
HELPFUL LINKS
-
Tools For Schools did you know…No Idling
-
PTA Council Links – This is where you can find the links to PTA Council Sites such as ArtSmart, Authors Series, Cultural Arts, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Health, Wellness & Positive Youth Development, Special Education, Workshop, and the Community Bulletin Board (CBB).
Your CMS PTA Co-Presidents,
Lori Freemon and Marisa Timperman
CONTACT THE WEEKLY COURIER: If you'd like your announcement or event to be included in a future edition of The CMS PTA Courier, email Lori Freemon at lori_koniski@hotmail.com by Friday afternoon to request submission in the following week's bulletin. (Flyers or attachments need to be approved by PTA C0-Presidents Lori Freemon and Marisa Timperman: cms_pta@westportps.org).