News Calendars Schedules

October 11, 2021

Dear CMS Community,

At the end of the school day on Friday, a student reported to a teacher that a small swastika was faintly carved into a stall wall in the 6th grade boys bathroom. This is extremely disappointing and conflicts directly with our core values and our goals to create a safe school environment for all community members. Any act of hate cannot be tolerated. 

As this information came to us late Friday afternoon, we will carefully investigate the details surrounding the issue early this week. Our school-based equity team will meet to strategize how we may best address this with our students and our whole school community. It is important that we directly address any action that does not adhere to our values of respect and inclusivity for all members of our school community.

In addition, we have had a rise in disruptive behavior on school busses that includes throwing things at other students and out windows, vulgar language, and inconsistent mask usage. While we will work to address these issues, we ask that you please set expectations for your child when he/she/they ride the bus. Safety is a priority and our drivers and other students should not have to tolerate bad behavior of others.

While most of our students do a wonderful job at adhering to our core values and expectations, it takes all of us to have the school community we all want and deserve. Please engage your child in conversations around equity, acceptance, and helping us all stay safe emotionally, culturally and physically.

Finally, a reminder for all students to bring charged chromebooks and a water bottle to school every day. Have a great week ahead.

Best Regards,

Karla B. Koza

Principal

Important Upcoming Dates

 

CHENERY MIDDLE SCHOOL - SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL 

As we turn the calendar to October, it is time to put together our School Improvement Council. The council is co-chaired by the principal and a parent. Meetings will begin in November and will be held the 2nd Monday of each month from 3:30-4:30pm.  The council consists  of administration, 2 parents,  2 upper school students, 2 educators and 1 community member not directly related to the school.  The goal of this group is to create a school improvement plan for the 2022-2023 school year.  If you are interested in joining, please complete this form by Friday, October 15th. Depending on parent  interest, the PTO  may need to hold an election for the positions.

REMINDER: PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES BEGIN THIS WEEK

Families received an email last week with information on how to register for conferences, 

• All conferences are virtual.
• All conference days are early release days (11:00am dismissal).
• The portal to schedule a conference opens on Monday, October 4th.
•  Please click HERE for information on how to set up a conference. 

SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS WITH INTERNET & SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Student Search Concerns

We have an automated system that identifies potentially concerning searches. Terms pulled often include the words “suicide,” “kill,” “guns,” “porn” and expletives. Our assistant principals receive these reports and email parents to make them aware of the concerning searches. They also speak with students to best understand the motivation for the searches. Often, the results are harmless, however, we want to ensure parents are aware and provide you with the opportunity to speak with your children. Please reach out to any assistant principal if you have any questions about this.

Negative Impacts of Social Media

As we learn more about social media platforms, we are learning about the negative impacts. Smart Social is a resource families can use to get information about social media and tips on how to navigate the online world with children. Please click HERE to learn more or sign up for email newsletters on the topic. Click HERE to read The Negative Impact of TikTok on Teens

PRIVATE SCHOOL APPLICATION PROCESS

2021-2022 Private School Application Process

The Chenery Middle School has developed the following guidelines to ensure that the private school application process runs smoothly for students, teachers, and counselors: CMS Private School Application Overview 2021-2022.  This information can also be found on the CMS website: https://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/bps/cms/School-Info/Departments/Guidance.  Please contact your student’s school counselor if you have any questions or need additional support with this process.

PTO Update

UPCOMING MEETING

Our first general PTO meeting is taking place virtually next Wednesday, October 13. We are excited to hear from our Assistant Principals, the FBE, and Principal Koza. If you have a question to submit in advance of the meeting for the Assistant Principals go to this form. We hope to see you there!  Here is the Zoom link for the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87828759598?pwd=R1Zza1dzUEZQd0ZkY3hvV1BCVVB3QT09

ANNUAL APPEAL

We are nearly three weeks into our Annual Appeal, and we’re so grateful for your generosity. To date, we have raised almost $17,000, which is half way to our goal! If you haven’t donated yet, we encourage you to do so here. Here is Principal Karla Koza on the positive impact that the Chenery PTO has on the school community: “The PTO truly supports us in our mission to help our students discover who they are, what they are interested in, and what it means to a productive member of our school and their world.” Thank you for your support!

DIRECTORY IN PROCESS

The Chenery Directory is in process. If you have any questions at all about the directory or about whether your information is included, please email Carrie Redi and Ying Tian at chenerydirectory@gmail.com.

ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITY

If you own a business, or have a favorite business owner, the PTO is offering the opportunity to place an ad in the Chenery PTO Family Directory. These advertisers get exposure to the families of over 1400 students and help offset the cost of printing the directory. For more information, please contact the Chenery PTO Fundraising Committee at chenerypto.ads@gmail.com. Because we would like to get the directory to families in a timely manner, the deadline is October 15.

Please see our website HERE to learn more about school and PTO sponsored clubs and activities. We are still working on final details for some clubs. To register or apply for a fee waiver, print and fill out The Application Form. You may pay the activities fee with a check made out to the Town of Belmont at the CMS main office or online here.

All students will get a photo taken on Picture Day. Whether you plan to order photos or not. The photo is used for the CMS Yearbook, Student Photo ID’s, and School Database. CMS Photo Day is on Tuesday, October 5th.

 

Does your child ride a school bus or can’t make it to the store when it is open? If so, they can pick up a green order form outside of the school store and follow the directions on the form. Students can use the order form to place and receive an order so they don’t miss the bus.