The Mustang Minute

Another busy week at CMS ended with one of my favorite events of the year, grade 8 Promotion! It is always so wonderful to have our families and communities come together to celebrate the achievement of our grade 8 students. All of them have come so far in three very fast year and we are excited to see what they will do in high school!

I want to thank the parents that helped to decorate the field yesterday and Mike Kelley and the Norwood Little League field for letting us borrow their space as our normal outdoor space is a bit under construction! Also a big thank you to Jack Tolman and Norwood Community Media for their help with a sound system and for broadcasting the awards and the promotion ceremony!

This Week's Events

There were several other excellent events this week including the grade 8 trip to New York City. Despite a few transportation issues along the way, the students enjoyed seeing the sites and exploring the Big Apple! They also had their yearbook signing and Orange Leaf party on Thursday. Thank you to Orange Leaf Norwood for the generous donation each year!!

Grade 7 had their annual trip to Everwood Camp on Friday. Students were able to spend the day outdoors having fun engaging in a wide variety of activities. Thank you to the PTO for sponsoring the delicious end to the day with Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt! Grade 7 also held their annual Geography Fair. Students did an excellent job presenting their countries. They shared facts about governments, foods, education, landforms and more! I was truly impressed by their knowledge and ability to share that information with multiple people!

Grade 6 completed a long time tradition this week with Culture Day! Students brought in foods that are traditional to their families and everyone gets to sample and share a bit of their home culture with CMS. It is so wonderful to hear students talk about the many countries and cultures they come from and it is truly the most delicious day of the year!! Grade 6 also started a new tradition on Thursday, having a kickball tournament! The start of construction made outdoor activities a bit more challenging this year but the grade 6 teachers came up with an excellent new tradition!

And the CMS production of Suessical took the town of Norwood by storm! I am so amazed at the hard work and dedication of all the young people involved! The dancing was spectacular, the singing fantastic, and the whole production was amazing!

End of Year Important Dates

June 20th - Grade 8 Field Trip to APEX

June 21st - Last Day of School (early release at 12:00pm)

As we continue to grow the membership of our curricular and extracurricular programs, the annual PMA music camp will be held at Norwood High School this summer from August 13 through August 18th and the 21st. This program is open to all students entering grades 8-12 interested in Marching Band or Color Guard.

Please see the flier attached to this newsletter for more information.

A team of researchers from Wellesley College and Boston Children’s Hospital are partnering to learn more about how young people’s media use and online social interactions are linked to their mental health and wellbeing. The team is currently enrolling students in a week-long study.

Students are eligible to participate if they are aged 13-17 (up to 10th grade), own a smartphone (iPhone or Android), and attended Coakley Middle School or Norwood High School at any point from 2019-2022. If your child agrees to participate, they will install a temporary research app on their phone and complete 4-5 quick daily surveys for one week about their phone and media use, what they are doing, who they are with, and how they are feeling. The app will also collect information about the amount of time your child spends on the device and specific apps your child uses. Your child will be asked to carry their phone with them at all times, during the week long study, except when restricted at school. Participation in this study is completely voluntary and your child can opt-out at any time.

As a thank you for your child’s time, they will receive up to $125 in Amazon gift cards, depending on the number of surveys completed. If your child is interested, please email ampstudy@childrens.harvard.edu for more information.

**Your child does not need to complete the study prior to the end of the school year. They can register now and schedule their study week for a convenient time over the summer if needed.

Any students (6-8) transferring to another school district, attending a private school or another high school other than Norwood High, please make sure to contact your child's guidance counselor before the end of the year. Attached is the release form that must be filled out in order to ensure that your child's new school receives the pertinent school information (Transcripts, attendance, testing results, health record, discipline, etc.).

Ashley McCaffrey (6th grade) - amccaffrey@norwood.k12.ma.us

Jenn Tucker (7th grade) - jtucker@norwood.k12.ma.us

Allyson King (8th grade) - acking@norwood.k12.ma.us

Coakley PTO meetings are the 4th Tuesday of the month at 7:00pm. Most will be virtual with some a hybrid of in-person and virtual. If you have questions please email CoakleyNorwoodPTO@gmail.com.

Notes from each meeting will be sent out via Parent Square.

PTO Board Members (One opening Remains)

Rob Lamberti - Treasurer

Lauren Brent - Board

Gwendolyne Noj-Board

Samantha Bradley - Secretary

Instagram - coakley_principal

Email: mfraczek@norwood.k12.ma.us
Website: https://sites.google.com/norwood.k12.ma.us/cms-principal/home
Phone: 781-762-7880
Facebook: facebook.com/CoakleyMIddleSchoolPTO
Twitter: @mfraczek