The Curtis Connection

In today's Connection:

• Mr. Mela's Message
• Mark Your Calendar
• Parenting Today's Super-Connected Kids
• ECMS Theatre Troupe
• Halloween Candy Collection Drive
• ECMS Cross Country
• Veterans Day Weekend/Thanksgiving Recess
• ECMS Spring 2025 MCAS Schedule (Tentative)
• ECMS Winter Sports
• Curtis 2024-2025 MathCounts Competition
• Reminders from the Office
• ECMS Private School Application Procedures and Guidelines
• ECMS 2025 Yearbook
• Donations for the Health Office
• Curtis Is Going to Washington in 186 Days!
• Curtis Schedule
• Lunch Menu for the Week of 11/11/24
• A Message from the CPO
• Curtis Core Values
• Contact Us

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This week, our students participated in the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System (SS-ARS) program. This valuable program equips students with skills to recognize and report concerning behaviors to a trusted adult. Below are the main points discussed with students:

• Recognize Warning Signs and Threats: Students learned how to identify warning signs, understand where they’re likely to appear, and recognize them in various contexts.

• Act Immediately; Take it Seriously: Students were encouraged to take action as "upstanders" who help prevent violence, victimization, or self-harm, rather than remain "bystanders."

• Say Something: Students learned how to intervene by informing a trusted adult and were guided on whom to approach if they need help. They are encouraged to report warning signs and threats through the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System—accessible by text, app, phone, or website—or to a trusted adult in their lives.

For more information about the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System, please click here. The program officially launched on October 28, and specific details on how to submit an anonymous tip are available on the SPS website. As a trusted adult in your child’s life, you may also choose to use this system if needed. We encourage everyone to contact a school administrator directly if there are concerns about an individual’s or the school’s safety.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Jeff

Attention Curtis families! Due to the overwhelming demand to attend the upcoming talk by Dr. Jean Twenge on Nov. 12th, the venue has been moved to LS High School to accommodate the families, teachers, staff, administrators and community members who have registered to attend. Please note that the talk will now begin at 7:30pm.

If you plan to attend but have not yet registered, please do so as soon as possible here: https://bit.ly/TwengeTalk Questions? Email: info@sudburyfordigitalbalance.org

We look forward to an informative night of community conversations!

Monday, November 11 - No School - Veterans Day

Tuesday, November 12 - 7:30 pm Parenting Today's Super-Connected Kids @ LSRHS

Wednesday, November 13 - 12:45 Early Dismissal/PT Conferences; 3:00-5:30 Frozen Fundraiser Pick-up

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

Cast Auditions for ECMS Theatre Troupe’s production of The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition

Cast Audition sign-ups will be posted on the Auditorium doors beginning Wednesday, November 6th until Thursday, November 14th.

Students choose ONE audition date:

• Wednesday, November 13th 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 4 pm.
• Thursday, November 14th after school. Students should go to the Auditorium. We hope to finish by 6 pm.

• Students must bring a completed Cast Audition Form with them. Forms can be found here.

Parents will be notified late Thursday evening by email if their student is called back. The Callback list will also be posted on the Auditorium door on Friday, November 15th AND callbacks will be that day, Friday, November 15th after school until 6 pm.

NOTE: If a student is NOT called back, it does not mean that they are NOT cast!

The cast list will be emailed by the school in the afternoon on Monday, November 18th. Anyone not cast can be considered for the production crew if they attend a crew interview the following week.

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

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 crew, there is a Mandatory Parent Meeting on Wednesday, December 4th at 7:30 pm at Curtis.

The Curtis Angels will be collecting unwanted/leftover Halloween candy which will be donated to the Homeless Veterans Centers in Worcester.

If you would like to donate Halloween candy, students can drop it off at Mr. Henningson’s office in Student Services. If you have questions about the candy collection drive, please contact Mr. Henningson. Thanks for your support of U.S. military veterans.

A school-record 32 students from Curtis raced at the 2024 Massachusetts Middle School Cross Country State Championships on Saturday, November 2nd. The major meet, which was held at Willard Field in Devens, featured more than 1,900 athletes from 175 middle schools in the state.

The boys placed ninth and the girls were 10th in the Division 1 Team Championship races, which was the best combined finish in school history. In addition, a school-record three students earned a medal.

The girls team’s 10th-place performance was the best finish in school history for the program. Avery Gibson medaled by placing 14th overall and navigating the challenging 1.86-mile course in 12 minutes and 29 seconds. Leah Larson, Sophie Rip, Ramona Berry, Sasha Romig, Zara Ghalib, and Nalini Fischer also contributed to the historic effort.

Josh Gamel and Ben Scanga medaled by placing 14th and 22nd, respectively, to lead the boys. Gamel registered a time of 11 minutes and 17 seconds, while Scanga followed close behind in 11 minutes and 23 seconds. The group also included Ethan Treanor, Cameron Firth, Colton Parker, Oliver Ciaccia, and Cole Rooney.

Furthermore, Curtis had students participate in various grade races. Top finishers included Yulia Cheng in the girls seventh grade race, Chase Morton in boys seventh, and Nikhil Kashem in boys eighth.

The following individuals all proudly represented the school at the state championship meet:

Students

Ramona Berry, Seamus Carmody, Benji Chang, Yulia Cheng, Oliver Ciaccia, Max Clontz, Rowan Ferrari, Cameron Firth, Nalini Fischer, Josh Gamel, Zara Ghalib, Avery Gibson, Eli Gottlieb, Cooper Haas, Leo Ioanilli, DJ Jackson, Nikhil Kashem, Leah Larson, Nick Maidment, Lev Meltzer, Chase Morton, Asher Munro, Ashmit Newman, Micah Nottidge, Ishika Panda, Colton Parker, Conor Riordan, Sophie Rip, Sasha Romig, Cole Rooney, Ben Scanga, and Ethan Treanor.

Coaches & Staff

Matt Chmura, Deb Shute, Wendy Gilman, & Allison Risser

If your family will be traveling over the holiday weekend(s) 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.

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!

Are you going through clothes to see what still fits? Please keep the Curtis Health Office in mind for any donations!

In particular, we are seeking SHORTS, LEGGINGS and SWEATPANTS in solid colors, (please no jeans/pants that button/zip) to keep in the event a student needs to change clothing during the school day. Stretchy bottoms accommodate a wide variety of sizes. Sizes Adult S, M, L are appreciated! Plain T-SHIRTS (no crop tops) and sweatshirts in adult sizes S,M,L are also needed.

We have also created an Amazon wishlist if you would like to provide clothes to help a Curtis student who visits the Health Office for a change of clothes.

Thank you so much for keeping the Curtis Health Office in mind for donations!

With thanks,

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

Curtis School Nurses

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

Click here to see the 2024-2025 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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