CFB Family Bear's Den
October 2024
October 16, 2024
Important Dates
Tuesday, November 5th - Professional Development Day - No School for Students
Previous Newsletters
All-School Assembly Today
Character Traits Focus and Lessons
Our PBIS Team is focusing on Character Traits each month during our all school assemblies. Our school counseling team is continuing and expanding on this focus by conducting grade level lessons on each character trait.
The Character Trait for September was Responsibility and students discussed expected and unexpected behavior within the school. This month’s focus is Kindness. We held our All School Assembly this morning and grade levels began meeting with Mrs. Annunziato, Mrs. Molloy and our two counseling interns this week to explore ways to practice kindness at school and at home.
In addition to our discussion about kindness, our school community was also introduced to Matilda, our new CFB service dog, at today’s assembly. We discussed ways we can show kindness to Matilda and our students did a great job welcoming Matilda in a calm and responsible manner.
Sports Day - Friday, October 18th
Our students have done a great job of earning over 30 bears since school began. In order to celebrate as a school community, we will have Sports Day this Friday. Students are encouraged to wear their favorite team colors or apparel on Friday.
Clothing Guidelines
We encourage our students to take pride in their personal appearance and to consider school to be their “job”, as the job of learning is very important. Although there is no formal dress code, it is our hope that parents will ensure that children dress appropriately and seasonally according to the weather conditions. Because we believe that school is a place of learning, and that some manners of dress may interrupt this process, we request that parents and students please be aware of the following:
● Clothing that displays inappropriate language or pictures will not be worn in the school building.
● To prevent playground injuries, please make sure that shoes/sandals have straps across the
heels to hold them securely to the feet.
● Hats and hoods will not be worn in the school building.
● Warm weather dress should be appropriate for school.
● Coats, snow pants, hats/hoods/ear muffs, gloves/mittens, and boots are required for outdoor snow play during the winter months.
Please be sure to put your child’s name on each article of outdoor clothing, lunch box, book bag and/or pocketbook to prevent loss.
From the Health Office
In accordance with the Mass Department of Public Health (MDPH), schools are required by law to have vision, hearing, height, weight and postural screenings, at certain grade levels in school.
School Health Services will begin these Mandatory Health screenings next week. The screenings will be occurring throughout the fall, until completion. For those of you who have not seen the Health Suite, it offers the utmost privacy for the screenings. Parents also have the option to opt out of these screenings. If you choose to do so, please send in a letter stating what screenings you opt out of. If no letter is received, all screenings will occur.
Below is a list of what screenings will occur for every grade:
PreK Vision
K Vision, Hearing
1 Vision, Hearing, Height, Weight
2 Vision, Hearing
3 Vision, Hearing
4 Vision, Height, Weight
5 Vision, Postural
(5th grade will be notified separately when postural screening will occur.)
Families will be notified if their child does not pass the screening and will be given a referral to their health care practitioner. Please email Kathleen Kavanagh, RN, MSCSH, if you have any questions or concerns. kkavanagh@millisschools.org
Distractible Items / Toys / Key Chains
We ask families to keep small toys, cards, and other collectible items at home due to the distraction they create in the school environment. Students trade small toys and cards or lose them, and this takes their attention away from classroom instruction.
Electronic/Communication Devices
Personal electronic media/communication devices (cell phones, smartwatches, iPods, iPads, tablets, and all other electronic media/communication devices) are prohibited during the school day. Personal electronic media/communication devices should be turned off upon entering the building and securely stored in the student’s backpack throughout the school day.
Lost and Found for the 24/25 School Year
Please click the section below to view the pictures of the items and claim them if they belong to your student.
If you wish to have your student(s) added to the Bear's Den Directory, please click on the button above and complete the Google Form.
October 10, 2024
Early Literacy Screening Grades 1 - 3
Each year, all students in grades K-3 are screened multiple times throughout the year to assess early literacy skills, per the Massachusetts’ Early Literacy Screening regulation. Early literacy universal screening assessments are brief tests that provide information about a student’s foundational reading skills. Screening makes it possible to see if a student is at risk of developing reading difficulties, including risk of dyslexia. This screening does not diagnose dyslexia or other disabilities, but it does help us understand which students may need additional support to become successful readers.
We have completed our Early Literacy Screening for students in grades 1 through 3. The screening results for these grades are being sent home today. Please check your student's backpack for information about their performance on the screening.
October 4, 2024
MCAS Results
The 2024 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) results were mailed home today to the families of students who participated in the assessment last year. If you have a fourth or fifth grade student, you will receive your student's results via the US Postal Service.
Fire Safety & Prevention at CFB
Earlier this week, Millis Firefighters visited each classroom at CFB teaching students about fire safety and prevention. We appreciate the partnership with fire educator Jason Wilson and his team from the Millis Fire Department: Andrew O'Reilly, Shawn Kubaki, and Bret Mathews.
Thank you for teaching CFB students about Fire Safety!
Picture Day October 10th
Orders may be placed by completing the order forms that will be sent home or online at www.coffeepond.com.
If your family could use assistance with photos, please contact Elise Molloy, assistant principal / school counselor, at (508) 376-7003 ext 517 or email her at emolloy@millisschools.org Her voicemail is confidential and you can leave any information regarding your circumstances.
Clyde F. Brown Elementary School
Email: tjango@millisschools.org
Website: millisps.org
Location: 7 Park Road, Millis, MA, USA
Phone: 508-376-7003