PTA News and Announcements
CMS PTA Courier
January 22, 2023
HEADLINES
- Purchase CMS Ice Skating Party Tix HERE!
- Monday’s Board of Education meeting will include discussion about the 2023-24 proposed budget and redistricting – please attend or watch to stay engaged and informed.
- Donate basketballs that still inflate to CSB’s drive to support Trumbull Gardens Community Center in Bridgeport. Collection bin in front entryway.
- CMS yearbooks now on sale! Ordering instructions below and here.
IMPORTANT DATES (This week’s dates in BOLD)
|
Date |
Time |
Event |
|
Jan. 23 |
7pm |
Board of Education Meeting – Staples High School. Agenda HERE |
|
Jan. 24 |
7pm – 8:30pm |
Board of Education- Community Conversation @ Westport Public Library |
|
Jan. 26 |
10am |
Westport PTA DEI/SpED PTA Mix and Mingle Event |
|
Jan. 30 |
7pm |
Board of Education Meeting – Staples High School |
|
Jan. 31 |
11:59pm |
Deadline to order a personalized cover yearbook. |
|
Feb. 6 |
7pm |
Board of Education Meeting – Staples High School |
|
Feb. 9 |
6:30pm – 8:30pm |
Joint CMS/BMS General PTA Meeting at BMS Auditorium |
|
Feb. 10 |
5:30pm – 7:30pm |
CMS Ice-Skating Party @ Longshore PAL Rink. Get tickets HERE |
|
Feb. 20 – Feb. 27 |
All Day |
No School - February Break |
A HUGE THANKS TO:
· Dione Bazile, Suzanna Hack, Zeal Patel and Tabitha Nguyen for setting up the Ice Skating Party, including making the flyer and setting up ticketing!
CMS HAPPENINGS
1. Buy your tickets HERE for the CMS Ice Skating Party at Longshore! Join us for some skating on Friday, Feb. 10 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Every child in attendance must have an adult present who is responsible for them. Draw straws with your friends to see who gets to take this one on! Tickets are $20/skater and includes skate rentals, hot chocolate and a snack. Spots are limited so get your tickets soon before this sells out and don’t forget to sign the waiver!
2. CMS Intramurals
Activity: Floor Hockey (though Feb. 9, culminates with CMS CUP CHAMPIONSHIP)
Days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday mornings
Time: 7:40 am - 8:20 am (Drop-off at Main Entrance)
Please complete the permission slip and return to your PE teacher. (CLICK HERE for permission slip)
Students are not required to attend everyday -they may attend as often as their schedule allows.
3. SpEd - Westport PTA DEI/SpED PTA will be hosting a joint Mix and Mingle on Thursday, Jan 26 at 10am. Please email westportdei@gmail.com for location details. All are welcome. Celebrate the start of the new year with friends- new and old!
Learn more about events and opportunities for you and your SpEd kid! Subscribe to the Westport SpEd PTA newsletter Here.
4. CMS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Our next district wide DEI mix & mingle will be a joint event with SpED PTA on Thurs. Jan 26th at 10am. Please email westportdei@gmail.com for location details.
The WestportREADS 2023 book is The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley. Boulley will be at the Westport Library in the Trefz Forum on Thursday, Feb 16th at 7pm for a conversation about her remarkable debut novel.
Please reach out to join our enthusiastic and friendly CMS DEI group at cmsdei2021@gmail.com!
5. CMS 2022-23 Yearbooks Now on Sale! Check out the flyer HERE. It’s super easy to order! Just:
1. Go to www.coffeepond.com.
2. Click on the Order Yearbooks button.
3. Enter the password “CMS_YB2023” and select online order and continue.
4. Enter the child’s name & grade and the book quantity.
5. Enter your email under contact and select add to cart.
6. If you have another child to order for, please select order for another child. If not, you can finish checking out.
Orders for personalized cover yearbook must be placed by end of day on January 31st.
8th GRADE ONLY - The CMS tradition will continue as we highlight our graduating 8th grade students in the yearbook. Parents/students are asked to send in a digital photo from their preschool/toddler years (age 2-4). Submission due date is Friday, March 24, 2023.
Photo Submission:
· Email a digital photo to - Ms. Quinn at cquinn@westportps.org
· Include your child's FIRST and LAST name, Team name or homeroom name.
· ONE picture only.
· Photo should be high resolution and ONLY include the eighth grader in the photo.
· A confirmation email will be sent when the photo is received.
· Photo does not need to be a school portrait.
6. Coleytown Spirit Board (CSB) Updates
· Basketball Drive – Please bring in any gently used or new basketballs that still inflate to support Trumbull Gardens Community Center in Bridgeport. Balls can be put in the collection bin in the front entryway of CMS. For more information, check out the flyer HERE.
· CSB Meetings are every FIRST WEDNESDAY of the month before school (7:45-8:25) in Mrs. Beggs' Art room (or occasionally in Mrs. Webster's room). This is a great club that packs a lot of spirit and service!
7. 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 (Copy HERE) 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, 2022. Please submit health forms via email to cms-nurses@westportps.org or fax to 203-341-1633.
8. World of Fitness & Sports - Calling All Middle Schoolers! Please join our talented physical education instructors at the end the day from 3:20 – 4:20pm with focused fitness in the CMS gym with a wide range of sports and activities.
· Tuesdays: Jan. 10 - March 7 [no class on 2/21]
· Thursdays: January 12 - March 9
Check out the flyer HERE and register HERE.
SUPPORT THE CMS PTA
1. The next CMS/BMS PTA General Meeting is on February 9th from 6:30 – 8:30pm in the BMS Auditorium! We are pleased to welcome Darby Fox as the featured guest speaker. Darby is a child and adolescent family therapist with over 25 years of experience with children and families from diverse backgrounds.
2. Join the CMS PTA! It’s SO easy! For $30, you’ll get access to the school directory, MobilArq – Next, which is worth its weight in gold when you’re trying to figure out a student or parent’s name and contact info! Please click this LINK for the directions. Contact CMS PTA Directory/Membership Chair, Tanya Kanchanagom if you experience any issues.
3. Amazon Smile – Your Amazon purchases can help support the PTA! Just go to smile.amazon.com and select “Ptsa Connecticut Inc Coleytown Middle School” as the charity you’d like to support and a portion of eligible purchases will support our org. This program ends 2/20/23 so STOCK UP NOW to make your donation count!
4. Mabel’s Labels - Buy labels through Mabel’s Labels - the CMS PTA makes a 20% commission on all sales – search for Coleytown Middle School.
PTA/WPS
1. Upcoming BOE Meetings - The BOE will have meetings every week this month during budget season. We encourage you to attend and stay engaged. The next meeting is Monday, January 23rd, and the agenda will include redistricting. Meetings are also televised live on Optimum public access channels 78, Frontier TV Channel 99 or live streamed here.
Written comments, concerns and/or suggestions may be sent to the Board of Education, the Board of Finance and/or the Administration at the e-mail contacts below. There is also a time for public comments at the meetings.
· Board of Education members BOE@westportps.org
· Tom Scarice, Superintendent tscarice@westportps.org
· Anthony Buono, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning abuono@westportps.org
· Board of Finance members BOF@westportct.gov
2. Board of Education - Community Conversation – Tues. Jan. 24 7:00-8:30pm at the Westport Public Library. This discussion will cover topics including books in the high school library that are being challenged and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion action planning. Come with your questions for a back-and-forth exchange among community, board of education, and administration. They will also save time for open discussion.
3. Strategies for Parents in Supporting Young Children in the Digital World - The PTA Council is excited to host a parent workshop to help parents support their young children as they begin to navigate the Digital World. This workshop will focus on strategies that will promote open family communication and build good digital citizenship skills to help their children thrive. The workshop will be held January 26, 2023 from 12:00-1:30 pm in the Town Hall auditorium. The presenters will be Westport Public Schools own Director of Technology, Natalie Carrignan, and Coordinator of Psychological Services, Valerie Babich.
4. Westport PTA Council - Visit the PTA Council Sites for information on ArtSmart, Authors Series, Cultural Arts, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Health, Wellness & Positive Youth Development, Special Education, Workshop, and the Community Bulletin Board (CBB).
AROUND TOWN
1. Parenting Workshop - Managing Homework: Parent Edition - Tips, Tools and Strategies for Helping Students: 2/7/23 from 7 - 9pm @ Staples High School, Rm 1036: Parents will gain clarity and get solutions to the struggles with schoolwork and homework that many students & parents face. Parents will learn ADHD/Executive Function strategies to improve life for their entire family. For more information, check out the flyer HERE and register HERE.
2. WestPAC Art at MoCA: New Exhibition! Come see works of art usually hanging in school and municipal buildings brought together in a beautiful museum setting! MoCA Westport and the Westport Public Art Collections Committee announce the opening of Paul Camacho: El Ritmo y La Unidad (Rhythm and Unity), a new exhibition featuring selected works by Paul Camacho (1929-1989) primarily drawn from the Westport Public Art Collections (WestPAC), on view at MoCA Westport from January 13 – February 26, 2023. MoCA's annual high school exhibition, entitled Who Are You When You Are Dreaming, will also be on view during this period. Learn more and register for events HERE
3. Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities – Smart Kids strives to educate and empower parents to support their children’s strengths, interests and abilities, to understand their learning and attention differences, and to address their social and emotional challenges. It’s hosting a Parent Conference in Norwalk on Saturday, February 11th. Please see their conference flyer and graphic for more details.
4. KHS Prom Fundraiser – Feb. 4th from 7-10pm @ Norwalk Inn – Go HERE for more info and to purchase tickets! Tickets include a full bar, passed hors d'oeuvres, charcuterie, crudité and pasta stations. There will also be an awesome auction!
5. High School Swimming Prep - Interested in competitive swimming in high school? Join Westport Swim Club at Staples and get ready!
1) Practice sessions are as follows. 100% attendance is not mandatory. The more you come, the more you learn!
· Mondays & Thursdays 5:30-7pm
· Saturdays & Sundays 11:30am - 1pm
2) Monthly fee is $200 (for 1-hour sessions) or $250 (for 1.5 hour sessions), payable on the 1st of the month. AAU membership is required for insurance purposes ($16 per year).
3) Requirements: Must be water safe and able to swim 25 meters (one length) on both front and back.
4) One tryout and one free trial session to see if you like it.
5) Coaching staff: 3 Staples Girls Swimming coaches:
- Head Coach Mike Anderson: Ex NCAA Division I coach with 12 Olympians, multiple Olympic Medalists, World Record Holders, and heaps of High School and College All-Americans to his coaching credits.
- Assistant Coach Elaine Rankowitz: Swam at Brown University, two-time Olympic Trial Qualifier and Brown University school record holder. Will be entering her 5th year coaching Staples Girls Swimming.
- Assistant Coach Kuku Fleming: Swam at Harvard, Thai National Team Member, international experience. Will be entering her 3rd year coaching Staples Girls Swimming.
For more information and registration, please contact Coach Mike at swimmike@usa.net or message 808-391-0584 or Coach Kuku at ktfdolphin@gmail.com or message 203-296-0763.
6. Toquet Hall Events
· Drop-In Middle School Hours! Beginning Mondays on 1/9 from 3-5pm are for the middle school students! This is a special time just for middle school students to come in and hang out at Toquet Hall. We'll have pool, games, foosball, and more! Snack bar will be open for those needing something to snack on.
· Queer History Jeopardy Night on 1/30 @ 6pm – 8pm – Kids in Crisis’ Lighthouse Program and Toquet Hall have teamed up for this event, which includes dinner and speaker Dan Woog! Lighthouse is a wonderful program through Kids in Crisis for LGBTG+ Youth to provide a safe place to talk and have some fun. This event welcomes allies of all ages, friends and families. Check out the flyer HERE.
HELPFUL LINKS/APPS
Have a great week!
Your CMS PTA Co-Presidents,
Sarah Caro and Lori Freemon
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 Sarah Caro at sarahdahancaro@gmail.com by Friday at 5pm to request submission in the following week’s bulletin. (Flyers or attachments need to be approved by PTA Co-Presidents Sarah Caro and Lori Freemon:cms_pta@westportps.org).