The Curtis Connection

In today's Connection:

• Mr. Mela's Message
• Mark Your Calendar
• Meet & Greet with the Directors of Student Services
• Curtis Cares Gift Card Drive 2024
• Food Drive for the Sudbury Community Food Pantry
• Scholastic Book Fair
• ECMS Theatre Troupe
• Sudbury's 2025 Project 351 Ambassador
• Thanksgiving Recess
• ECMS Spring 2025 MCAS Schedule (Tentative)
• A Message from the Health Office
• ECMS Winter Sports
• Curtis 2024-2025 MathCounts Competition
• Reminders from the Office
• ECMS Private School Application Procedures and Guidelines
• ECMS 2025 Yearbook
• Curtis Is Going to Washington in 179 Days!
• Curtis Schedule
• Lunch Menu for the Week of 11/18
• /24
• A Message from the CPO
• Curtis Core Values
• Contact Us

Dear Families,

This week was the end of the 8th grade Frozen Fundraiser for the civics trip to Washington D.C. Through the students’ efforts, they sold over $17,000 in products and earned more than $7,800 in profit toward their cost for the trip. On Wednesday, 868 pies and boxes of cookie dough were delivered to Curtis and distributed to families. Due to the generosity of the Curtis community, the Sudbury Food Pantry received 160 apple pies that will be included in their Thanksgiving meal packages for families in Sudbury and surrounding communities.

A special thanks goes out to the volunteers who helped that day with unpacking, filling, and distributing orders, and to Lauren Egizio, DC trip coordinator, for organizing the fundraiser.

Enjoy the weekend,

Jeff

Wednesday, November 20 - 12:45 Early Dismissal/PT Conferences

Monday, November 25 - Term 1 Ends

Wednesday, November 27 - 12:45 Early Dismissal

Thursday, November 28 & Friday, November 29 - Thanksgiving Recess

Wednesday, December 4 - 7:30 pm Theatre Troupe Mandatory Parent Meeting

Wednesday, December 11 - 12:45 Early Dismissal

Monday, December 23 - Tuesday, December 31 - No School: Winter Break

Wednesday, January 1 - No School: New Year's Day

Every year, staff and families contribute to “Curtis Cares,” a program designed to help Curtis families who are experiencing financial difficulties. We have been able to give back and help many families with necessary items such as groceries, winter clothing, holiday expenses, and gas. In the past, Curtis families have always responded generously and it has been greatly appreciated.

Curtis Cares is again seeking gift card donations of any amount. Gift cards to the following stores are most helpful:

• Target

• Amazon

• TJ Maxx/Marshalls

• Grocery stores (Market Basket, Shaw’s, Stop & Shop, Sudbury Farms)

• Gas cards

Gift card donations can be dropped off in the Curtis Front Office (no cash or checks, please). We would appreciate any gift card donations by Thursday, December 12th so we have adequate time to distribute them.

Please email or call your grade level counselor as indicated below with any questions or if your family would benefit from help through the Curtis Cares Gift Card Fund. All inquiries and gift card distributions are kept confidential.

Jenn Hymes, 6th grade counselor x7512

Ivar Henningson, 7th grade counselor x7511

Terry Miller, 8th grade counselor x7513

Please drop gift cards off in the Front Office by Thursday ,December 12th.

Thank you for your generosity,

The Curtis Cares Team

Curtis is hosting a food collection drive that will run Monday, November 18th, through Friday, December 6th. The collection drive has been organized by the Curtis Angels and will benefit the Sudbury Community Food Pantry and the hundreds of people that the Food Pantry supports.

Most needed items are snacks (full size cookies and crackers), boxed and canned meals (potatoes, stuffing, canned chili/beef stew/pasta), tomato sauce, large soups (Progresso/Healthy Choice), cake & brownie mix, and boxed rice (Near East/Rice-A-Roni).

A collection bin will be located in the front lobby at Curtis. Please contact Curtis Angels Faculty Advisor Ivar Henningson if you have questions. On behalf of the Sudbury Community Food Pantry, thank you for your support.

The Annual Book Fair is coming to Curtis the week of Dec 2 to Dec 6. We need volunteers to make this a success. Please consider signing up. In the Signup Genius you can see which teacher will be visiting with a class so you can figure out when your child will be there. It is really fun and not hard to do. Bring a coffee or tea, get some Christmas shopping done!

Some of the popular books we will have are the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Taylor Swift All Access, Five Nights at Freddy's, Dork Diaries and many more.

You will need an active CORI form on file (the front office can help with that if you do not have one already)

Please come join us!!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050F4FA8A722A13-53184422-curtis

Contact Surene Pretorius with any questions.

Congratulations to Mackenzie Jones, who has been selected as Sudbury’s 2025 Project 351 Ambassador. Project 351 is a nonprofit youth service organization whose mission is to develop “community-first” leaders through the engagement and enrichment of an 8th grade Ambassador from every town and city in Massachusetts. Ambassadors are chosen based on an exemplary ethic of service and the values of kindness, compassion, humility and gratitude. Mackenzie is a model citizen at ECMS and has been involved with community service projects through the Curtis Angels since the beginning of 6th grade.

Crew Interviews for ECMS Theatre Troupe’s production of The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition

Crew Interview sign-ups will be posted on the Auditorium doors beginning Friday, November 15th until Thursday, November 21st.

Students choose ONE interview date:

• Wednesday, November 20th is Early Release. Students will meet in the cafeteria for lunch with Mrs. Rose and then go to the Auditorium at 1:15 pm. We hope to finish by 3:15 pm.
• Thursday, November 21st afterschool. Students should go to the Auditorium. We hope to finish by 5:15 pm.

• Students must bring a completed Crew Interview Form with them. Forms can be found here.

The crew list will be emailed by the school in the afternoon on Monday, November 25th.

NOTE: If your student was selected for cast or crew, there is a Mandatory Parent Meeting on Wednesday, December 4th at 7:30 pm at Curtis.

If your family will be traveling over the Thanksgiving weekend and your child will miss any school, please call into our absence line -- 978-443-1071, press 1 or email ecms_office@sudbury.k12.ma.us. We must receive a notification from a parent/guardian in order to verify an absence.

Hygiene:

Hand washing has always been the best way to prevent getting sick. After using the bathroom, before meals, and when students return from school are key times.

Nutrition:

A balanced diet is the foundation of good health. That means three wholesome meals a day, and nutritious snacks in between. To get there, fill your kitchen with washed fruits and vegetables, cheese sticks, or single-serving packs of yogurt and nuts. Having healthy options within easy reach guides children toward a healthier life.

Hydrate:

Most kids don’t drink enough water. Without enough water, their brains and their bodies aren’t working as well as they could. They might also have low energy, or trouble maintaining a healthy weight. Drinking enough water is key to overall health.

Exercise:

There are a lot of benefits to physical activity. For children, physical activity brings stress relief, disease prevention, energy boosts and better sleep. It can also be serious fun for kids who find an activity they like.

Sleep:

Adolescents need about 9 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Getting those hours helps with performance in school and sports, and makes a big impact on physical and emotional health.

Stress Management:

Stress is a fact of life. And while adolescents may seem emotional at times, they can learn to manage stress in healthy ways. In addition to the suggestions above, taking time for fun and quiet, getting outdoors, talking to a trusted adult, mindfulness and writing about positive feelings are healthy habits to manage stress.

Parents can help by modeling healthy coping, letting kids solve low stakes problems, limiting screen time, teaching kids to be savvy digital consumers, and combating negative thinking by asking if what they are saying is really true. Reminders of working hard and improving, and positively framing situations help develop resilience to stress.

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

Curtis School Nurses

Online sign-up for winter sports 2024-25 season is now available! Tryouts will start after Thanksgiving break. If your child is interested in playing a winter sport, please sign up early! Tryout schedules will be posted by November 22, 2024, on the ECMS Sports & Activities page. We are offering: 7/8th grade girls basketball and 7/8th grade boys basketball. These are travel teams. Registration is currently open and will close on November 21st. Please click here to access the online registration. Our Health Office must approve all registrations before a student can participate in a sport. Please make sure that your child has a current physical. This is mandated by the state and current physicals are valid for 13 months. There are no exceptions to this rule.

The ECMS website provides details on all sports we offer, schedules, tryout dates, and practice times. There is a time commitment to playing for our travel teams. Practices/ games are Monday through Thursday. Returning from away games is typically between 6-7 pm. Home games end by 6 pm. The schedule is on the athletic website and is subject to change. If you have questions regarding the winter sports we offer, please contact David Jurewicz.

Attention, all math enthusiasts! We’re excited to announce that the MATHCOUNTS Competition is returning to Curtis this year. All Curtis students are eligible to participate in a school-level MATHCOUNTS practice competition. From this group, up to 14 students will be selected to represent Curtis at the Chapter Competition.

What is MATHCOUNTS?

The MATHCOUNTS Competition Series is a nationwide middle school mathematics competition that allows students to challenge themselves and compete alongside their peers. It takes place annually at four levels: school, chapter, state, and national.

This will be Curtis Middle School’s ninth year participating in MATHCOUNTS! Our goal is to have fun, build confidence, and enhance our critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Registration and Cost

School Practice Competition

Date: TBD before end of December 2024 (after school or weekend)

Cost: free

How to register: Complete the registration form here by Nov 30th

Chapter competition

Data: February 2025

Cost: $40 per student

Details: Up to 14 students per school will represent Curtis at the Chapter Competition

Who leads the Chapter team?

This year, the Curtis MATHCOUNTS team will be led by volunteer parents from Curtis. Practice sessions will be offered online or in person before the Chapter Competition, but there are no weekly meetings. This year’s coaches will be Junling Zhou and Shanhong Ji.

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Junling Zhou at junlingz@gmail.com.

- 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 send an email to ecms_office@sudbury.k12.ma.us, stating 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/email 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 in 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.

If your child is applying to private school, please contact your child’s grade-level school counselor so we can help facilitate the process. To ensure that 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 that 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 the forms 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 2, 2024 for a January 1, 2025 deadline

By December 16, 2024 for a January 15, 2025 deadline

By January 3, 2025 for a February 1, 2025 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.

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

Jennifer Hymes - 6th grade counselor

Ivar Henningson -7th Grade Counselor

Terry Miller - 8th Grade Counselor

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

ECMS Counseling Department

Hello, Curtis parents! Your children are creating memories this school year. The yearbook is created and designed with student input. With pictures taken all throughout the school, they are creating a memorable book for you and your children to look back on their year.

When ordering, please be sure to use your child's formal name. Jostens uses a computer database to produce the emails that are sent to you. If you order using your child's nickname, your child's name will not be removed from the list and you will continue to receive emails. After placing your order, please be sure to save your email receipt, if needed for future reference. Please email our yearbook coordinator, Liz Kerrigan, if you have any questions.

Let's remember this year together! The price is $50. Please click here to order your yearbook today!

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

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

Click here to see the 2025-2026 Sudbury Public Schools calendar.

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

Calling All Bakers and Volunteers!

The beloved tradition of the holiday treat sampler is coming up on December 11th! Please help us make this event a huge success by checking out all the ways to volunteer here.

CPO Volunteers Needed:

● Business Sponsor Liaison

● Fundraising (i.e. Dining Out Night Coordinator)

Please contact board@curtiscpo.org to learn more or if interested.

8th Grade Families - Volunteers Needs

● 8th Grade Social Committee

● 8th Grade Year End Events Committee

● DC Trip - Fall Volunteers Needed

● Frozen Fundraiser Coordinator

● Volunteers to fill orders (Wednesday Nov. 13th)

● Volunteers for cafeteria pickup (Wednesday Nov. 13th)

Contact christinescanga@gmail.com if interested.

Support the Curtis Annual Fund

Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the CPO to help support Curtis’ cultural, creative, and educational programming.

The CPO supports 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. This is all possible because of the generosity of the Curtis parent community.

Your money goes directly to work for the students and the school, improving your child’s learning experience. Also, please check if your company offers a match to your donation.

Please support the CPO with a tax-deductible donation! We encourage a $100 donation, but welcome any amount.

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 Gear

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

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 2024-2025. Please reach out to the CPO at board@curtiscpo.org

Earn Money for the CPO

The CPO earns money by filling the textile bins located in the Curtis parking lot. A check is sent to the CPO based upon the weight of the monthly donations.

The company takes footwear, clothing, linens, and stuffed animals. When cleaning out, bring those bags of textiles to the bins to earn money for the CPO! Please remember to bag your donations. For a complete list of items acceptable for recycling, please visit:

Bay State Textiles – Acceptable Items for Recycling

SPS Community Notices Page

Learning ~ Respect ~ Responsibliity

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