The Curtis Connection

In today's Connection:

• Mr. Mela's Message
• Brief Screen for Adolescent Depression
• Mark Your Calendar
• ECMS Theatre Troupe
• ECMS MCAS Schedule
• Reminders from the Office
  
• A Message from the ECMS Health Office
• A Message from the Curtis Counselors
• Curtis Is Going to Washington in 130 Days!
  
• A Message for 8th Grade Families
• Curtis Schedule
• Lunch Menu for the Week of 1/8/2024
• Kickoff to Kindergarten
• CPO News
• Curtis Core Values
• Contact Us
• Community Notices

Dear Families,

We hope you enjoyed a restful and healthy vacation. We wanted to send a few reminders about arrival and dismissal to ensure safety for everyone.

Morning Drop Off:

• Please pay attention to all STOP signs when entering and exiting the parking lot.
• Please make sure your child is prepared to exit the car when they arrive to school.
• Please keep the line of traffic "tight." When there are gaps in the line, people behind you are tempted to pass and this can lead to accidents. Students must exit on the right side of the car for safety reasons.
• No one should make a U-turn at any time. Please stay in the line of traffic and exit cautiously.

• If your child is on crutches, has a wheelchair, or otherwise needs help loading, you may stop directly in front of the main entrance and let us know. We will move other cars around you while you wait.

Afternoon Pickup:

• Please pay attention to all STOP signs when entering and exiting the parking lot.
• Some of our students are walkers and will be walking along the sidewalk to exit the school grounds. All students who get picked up should wait along the PICK-UP AREA.
• Parents should keep the line of traffic "tight," continuing to move until their car reaches the PICK-UP AREA.
• To respect our neighbors, no cars should be parked on McLean Drive in an effort to avoid the pick-up line. This scenario forces students to cross through two lines of traffic to cut through the trees to get to McLean Drive. This is not safe for students and is prohibited.
• No parents should make a U-turn at any time. Please stay in the line of traffic and exit cautiously.
• If your child is on crutches, has a wheelchair, or otherwise needs help loading, you may stop directly in front of the main entrance and let us know. We will move other cars around you while you wait.

Thank you and enjoy the weekend,

Jeff

Dear Parents and Guardians:

To proactively address the mental health and well-being of Curtis students, the school counselors will screen approximately one-third of the 7th and 8th-grade students for depression and suicide in the coming weeks. The screens will take place during Health class or Team time.

The Curtis mental health team will review the results of the screen and provide immediate follow-up for students whose scores indicate a risk of depression and/or suicide ideation. Parents and guardians will be notified if the assessment indicates any risk for their child.

The objectives of these efforts include:

• Educating students about the signs and symptoms of depression and suicide ideation.

• Helping our students understand that depression is a treatable illness.

• Encouraging our students to reach out to trusted adults when they need help or are concerned about a peer’s well-being.

• Identifying students who may be at-risk for mental health concerns.

• Partnering with families to coordinate appropriate intervention plans.

• 
  

Sudbury youth health data collected from the 2021 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey show that among Curtis students:

• 17% of 7th and 8th graders reported having depressive symptoms in the past 12 months

• 13% reported having considered suicide during their lifetime

These statistics are comparable to regional and national data. The seriousness of these health issues requires open discussion, prevention education, health screening to identify at-risk students, and collaborative efforts to coordinate appropriate support. The staff of Sudbury Public Schools is committed to partnering with families to meet the diverse needs of all of our students.

If you do NOT want your child to participate in the depression and suicide risk screening, please contact Angela Menke, Assistant Principal, or by telephone at 978-443-1071, ext. 7120.

Sincerely,

Betsy Grams

Wellness Coordinator

Jeff Mela

Principal

Wednesday, January 10 - 12:45 Early Release

Monday, January 15 - No School: Martin. Luther King, Jr. Day

Wednesday, January 24 - No School: Professional Development Day

Wednesday, January 31 - 12:45 Early Release

Please know that on days when the temperature is below 32 degrees, no student will be allowed out at recess without adequate winter clothing.

- If your child will be absent or tardy from school, please call 978-443-1071, press 1, and leave a message on the absence line or email ecms_office@sudbury.k12.ma.us. Please state your child’s name, the date(s) of their absence/ tardiness and the reason. If there is a planned absence, you are welcome to call ahead of time -- you do not need to wait until that day.

- If you will be taking your child out of school for an appointment or picking them up early, please write a note and have your child drop it off in the front office. You must come into the office to sign out your child; if they return to school that day, they may come back on their own and stop by the office.

- We do not need to know about a change in dismissal plans at 3:10 dismissal time (or 12:45 on an Early Release day).

- Students may only ride the bus to which they are assigned.

- We will interrupt class to have students pick up eyeglasses or Chromebooks dropped off in the office. All other items will be placed on the table outside the office. If your child calls and asks you to bring something to school, please tell them they must come to the office to retrieve.

- Students' cellphones are expected to be turned off during the school day, so they will not see a text you send them.

Dear Parents/Guardians of 7th Grade Students,

We will be holding height, weight, and postural screening of Curtis students during team blocks beginning the week of January 16, 2024.

The purpose of the Postural Screening is to identify early signs of potential spinal problems in children in grades 5-9. This is not a diagnostic service, but rather a program to identify those young people who should have further medical evaluation. The majority of students exhibit no unusual findings in this screening, however, if your child does exhibit anything unusual, you will be notified and asked to take your child to a physician as a precaution.

If they prefer, students are asked to bring or wear a swimsuit top, sports bra or a halter top to school the day of the screening. This type of clothing permits a more accurate observation of the child’s back. Students will be notified via Schoology message in advance of their screening date.

Also, Massachusetts schools have taken students’ heights and weights each year since the 1950s. According to the state’s new screening regulations (approved in 2013), schools must now collect the heights and weights of students in grades 1, 4, 7 and 10. Data collected for all children in these grades will be gathered and reported to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as a combined number. No individual student’s results will be shared with anyone..

The school nurse will supervise your child’s screening and will make sure your child’s privacy is respected at all times. Your child’s height and weight measurements are strictly confidential – results will be kept in your child’s school health record and will not be shared with anyone without your written permission.

Parents and/or legal guardians can request that their child not participate in this screening by filling out this opt-out form. You may access the state’s resources at www.mass.gov/massinmotion/.

If you have any questions, please contact us at (978)443-1071 x7509.

Sincerely,

Anne-Marie Hultin RN, BSN & Kiersten Varner RN, BSN

ECMS, School Nurses

If your child is applying to private school, please contact your child’s grade-level school counselor so that we can help facilitate the process. To ensure this process is efficient and expedient, please follow these guidelines:

• Prior to submitting any forms (electronically or on paper), please ensure that your child contacts their teachers and the counselor to ask for their recommendation.

• Most schools are using on-line platforms for applications and recommendations. Please notify the grade-level counselor which schools your child is applying to and the platforms these schools use.

• If the applications require paper forms, they should be dropped off at the ECMS main office to the attention of the grade-level counselor. Please do not send any paper recommendation forms directly to teachers; the grade level counselor will distribute these to teachers.

• In order to send records and recommendations to the private school, we must have a signed release from a parent or guardian. This is usually provided with the private school application form or may be part of the on-line platform.

• We request that you submit all forms as early as possible to allow teachers and counselors ample time to complete recommendations. Please be aware of the following timeline for submitting forms to the grade level counselor:

By December 1, 2023 for a January 1, 2024 deadline
By December 15, 2023 for a January 15, 2024 deadline
By January 3, 2024 for a February 1, 2024 deadline

• In early spring after you have heard from the school’s admissions department, please contact the grade-level counselor to inform us of the application outcome and private school decisions for your child.

Procedure for applications requiring direct mail:

• Include a large (10 x 13) stamped standard mailing envelope for each school with the forms, so that we are able to mail them out quickly when the applications are complete.

• On each mailing envelope, include a postage amount of $4.23.

• Print the specific name and address to whom we are directing the application.

• Leave the return address blank as we will fill this in indicating that the materials came from Curtis.

Please direct any questions about the status of recommendations to the following counselors:

Ivar Henningson - 6th grade counselor

Terry Miller -7th Grade Counselor

Jennifer Hymes - 8th Grade Counselor

Thank you very much for your assistance and cooperation with this private school application process.

ECMS Counseling Department

Read the latest D.C. Digest for reminders, deadlines, links, and more.

Please click here to view the SPS 2023-2024 School Calendar.

Please click here to see the complete Curtis schedule for this school year.

Click here to see the 2024-2025 Sudbury Public Schools calendar.

Curtis Annual Fund

Thank you to families who have already contributed to our 2023-24 CPO Annual Fund! Your donations help to support a variety of programs and initiatives, including cultural enrichment, Curtis Messenger, student scholarships, student social events, technology, end-of-year activities, classroom curriculum aids for teachers, UA supplies, recess equipment, teacher appreciation events, library furniture, the student counseling department, the tile project in the school hallways, outdoor beautification projects, and much more. These are all important additions to the Curtis community, and they truly improve the students’ experience at Curtis Middle School.

If you have not yet donated, please take a moment to make a contribution and show your Cougar Pride. We are behind in our fundraising and have not yet hit 55% of our goal. No donation is too small. The majority of the CPO's funds are generated from the annual fund. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the CPO to help support Curtis’ cultural, creative, and educational programming. Also, don't forget to check if your company offers a match to your donation.

Thanks in advance for your contribution!

Please note that donation acknowledgment letters will be provided by request only. If you require a letter for tax purposes, please email a request to cpotreasurer@gmail.com.

Curtis Online Directory

You can still purchase online access to the Curtis Directory and make a donation to the Annual Fund in one easy step. Online access is only $12 and is available as soon as you place your order. Click here to get Directory access today!

Questions? Email curtiscpodirectory@gmail.com

CPO Volunteers Needed

The CPO still has a few open volunteer committee positions. Limited, flexible hours involved for all positions:

Business Sponsor Liaison (1 person needed): Reach out to Curtis-family and local businesses to sponsor school initiatives.

Fundraising (1-2 people needed): Partner with local restaurants and boutiques for restaurant nights and shopping days. Promote in Messenger, Connections and CPO Facebook page.

If interested in any of the above positions, or if you'd like more information, please email cochairs@curtiscpo.org. To learn more about the CPO, visit curtiscpo.org. Thanks for your interest!

Business Sponsorship Opportunities

Are you a Curtis Family who owns a business or do you work at/know a business that would be interested in exposure to over 800 local families? Becoming a business sponsor of Curtis provides great marketing opportunities for businesses while supporting our school at the same time! We have very affordable sponsor opportunities available for 2023-2024. Please reach out to the CPO at board@curtiscpo.org.

Curtis Gear

The Curtis online store is now open with lots of Curtis spirit wear and gear, including clothing, hats, bags, and more!

Learning ~ Respect ~ Responsibliity

Join us for a night of music in an intimate musical setting featuring a capella groups, vocal soloists, symphonic and concert jazz ensembles and Jazz combos.

L-S Cafeteria, 390 Lincoln Road, Sudbury.

Admission is $5. L-S Friends of Music will sell snacks and beverages.

In partnership with Lincoln and Concord, we are proud to offer free English lessons to adults in our community.

Inspired by topics in Lisa Damour’s book, "The Emotional Lives of Teenagers," this program is about understanding and supporting teens through the ups and downs of academic stress, social media, friendships, setbacks, and more. An insightful panel of Sudbury-based speakers, including a psychotherapist, parent coach, and school counselors, will offer their suggestions to help strengthen your relationship and connection with your teen.

If you need this information translated, please copy and paste it into Google Translate. The link to Google translate ishttp://translate.google.com/

Spanish

Si necesita que se le traduzca esta información, por favor, copie y pegue en Google Translate. El enlace de Google Translate es http://translate.google.com/

Portuguese

Caso precise traduzir esta informação, por favor, copie-a e cole-a no Google Tradutor. O link para o Google Tradutoré http://translate.google.com/

Mandarin

如果您需要翻譯該資訊,請將其複製並粘貼到 Google 翻譯。 Google 翻譯的鏈接是 http://translate.google.com/

Russian

Если вам нужен перевод этой информации, скопируйте и вставьте ее в Google Переводчик. Вотссылка на Google Переводчик: http://translate.google.com/