CFB SCHOOL COMMUNITY

BACK-TO-SCHOOL UPDATE – August 2018

Welcome back to a new year of fun and learning at CFB!  We are busy preparing the school for our students’ return – we can’t wait to see our students’ smiling faces and excitement about beginning a new year!

Below is some news and information that you might find helpful as you begin to prepare for the first days of school.  Should you have questions, please feel free to give us a call at (508) 376-7003 – we’re happy to help answer questions you might have!

We look forward to welcoming our students and families back to school – please enjoy the remaining days of summer!

NEW SITUATIONS

Retirements  - We are grateful to Mrs. Paula Lang, Mrs. Diane Cotter, and Mrs. Marguerite Casey for their many years of service to the CFB community; these educators retired in June 2017.  Though we will sorely miss you all, we do wish you the very best as you begin this new chapter of life!  Thanks for all the great memories!

Changes in Staff

Mrs. Janine White, who formerly taught Kindergarten, will join the Grade 2 team this year, replacing Mrs. Paula Lang – we are so glad to have Mrs. White’s early learning experience on board for our Grade 2 students!

Mrs. Mollie Perachio, who formerly taught in Kindergarten for many years and, more recently, in PreK, will join the Grade 1 team this year – she is excited to begin in this new role at CFB!

Mrs. Jessica Kepple joins the Early Childhood Program PreK team as a AM PreK teacher at CFB – we are excited to have “Miss Jessica” join the CFB family!

Mrs. Jaime Giordano will return to her Grade 1 role, joining Mrs. Amy Ball in co-teaching as partners who will job-share a classroom position.  This partnership, because of the teachers’ commitment to ongoing continuity in instruction, has made for a wonderfully enriching educational experience for their students – so glad to have “Team Ball/Giordano” back together!

Mrs. Liz Shea moves on to other endeavors in the business world, feeling mixed emotions about this exciting change – sad to leave her students and friends in the CFB community, but looking forward to new horizons!  Best of luck to you, Mrs. Shea!

Mrs. Jackie Mellin returns this year from her family leave to rejoin the Grade 3 team as the Spanish Immersion teacher – nice to see you back, Mrs. Mellin!

Mrs. Anne Valluzzi returns this year from her family leave to join the Grade 4 team for this year – welcome back, Mrs. Valluzzi!

Mrs. Christina Kalaitzidis joins Team CFB as a special educator, replacing Mrs. Diane Cotter – we’re glad to welcome you to CFB, Mrs. K!

Maker/STEAM Lab

Last year, CFB opened our new Maker/STEAM lab.  With the help of a dedicated team of teachers and staff, the Lab was fully up and running as of the winter.  Some members of the CFB School Council and volunteers, Mrs. Jaime Scavone and Mrs. Pamela Ahmad, created a STEAM integrated unit of study for each grade level; teachers used these lessons and unit materials to expand classroom learning by promoting the engineering design process in ways that challenge our students to develop solutions to problems.  Students learned deeply about a Science-based concept, connected to the Science Standards, through a blend of technology, experiential learning, and problem solving as they created solutions to problems; literacy and Art options within this curriculum provide our students with more choices in thinking about how to approach solving a problem. During the upcoming SY 2018-19, we will move our lab to a larger classroom space (we found we need LOTS of room to spread out!), and will continue our work in creating additional curriculum units at every grade level - we are grateful to all who helped make our inaugural year of the Make STEAM Lab such a success and look forward to expanding learning for our students this year!!

CFB School Council – SY 2018-19

Looking to make a difference at CFB?  Please consider joining the CFB School Council!  Our council identifies an area for school improvement and works together to make positive changes in this area for our students.  Please look for more information about the School Council during the first weeks of school!

OPEN HOUSE DATES

• Grade 1 Spanish Immersion Only – Wednesday, August 29 at 3:15pm

• Grade 1 – Monday, September 24 at 6:00pm

• Grade 3 – Monday, September 24 at 7:00pm

• Grade 2 – Wednesday, September 26 at 6:00pm

• Grade 4 – Wednesday, September 26 at 7:00pm

• Kindergarten – Monday, October 1 at 6:00pm

School Supplies for SY 2017-18

Here are the school supply lists, by grade level, for the upcoming school year:

School Supply Lists - SY 2018-19

Kindergarten

● 1 plastic pencil box – 8.25” X 5.25” X 2”

• 1 pkg crayons – 16 count

● 4 glue sticks – Elmer’s washable, purple (dries clear)

● 1 pkg colored markers, wide tip, 8-set

● 6 dry erase markers, black, low-odor

Grade 1

● 1 marbled composition book, 100 sheets

● 1 2-pocket folder, plastic, 3 hole, white ● 1 2-pocket folder, plastic, red

● 1 2-pocket folder, plastic, blue ● 6 dry erase markers, black, low-odor

● 6 glue sticks – Elmer’s washable, white

● 1 plastic pencil box – 8.25” X 5.25” X 2”

● 1 dozen #2 pencils, latex-free erasers

● 2 large pink erasers, latex-free

Grade 2

● 1 2-pocket folder, plastic, 3 hole, red

● 1 2-pocket folder, plastic, 3 hole, blue

● 1 dozen #2 pencils, latex-free erasers

● 2 glue sticks – Elmer’s washable, purple (dries clear)

● 1 marbled composition book, 100 sheets, blue

● 4 dry erase markers, black, fine-tip,low-odor

● 1 dry erase eraser

● 2 large pink erasers, latex-free

● 1 plastic pencil box – 8.25” X 5.25” X 2”

● 1 clipboard, hardboard, letter size, brown

Grade 3

● 1 pkg Post-It notes, 3” X 3”, yellow, 100 sheets/pad

● 1 plastic pencil box – 8.25” X 5.25” X 2”

● 1 pkg colored markers, wide tip, 8-set

● 4 dry erase markers, chisel tip, black, low-odor

● 2 felt tip Flair pen, medium point, black

● 2 large pink erasers, latex-free

● 2 dozen #2 pencils, latex-free erasers

● 1 marbled composition book, 100 sheets, black

● 1 pkg crayons – 24 count

● 1 glue sticks – Elmer’s washable, purple (dries clear)

● 1 clipboard, hardboard, letter size, brown ● 1 2-pocket folder, plastic

Grade 4

● 1 pk 3” X 5” ruled index cards (100/pk)

● 1 dozen #2 pencils, latex-free erasers

● 1 pencil/crayon sharpener, double barrel canister

● 2 spiral bound notebooks, 70 pages

● 1 highlighter, chisel tip, yellow

● 1 fabric pencil case, 3-hole w/grommets, 10” X 6”

● 5 large pink erasers, latex-free

● 2 ball point pens, medium point, green

● 1 pr scissors, 5”, pointed top, latex free

FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL FACT SHEET

OPENING DAYS OF SCHOOL:

First Day of School, Grades 1-4 – Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Kindergarten Screening – Wednesday, August 29 2018 and Thursday, August 30, 2018

No School – Friday, August 31, 2018; Monday, September 3, 2018

First Day of School for Kindergarten – Tuesday, September 4, 2018

PreK Visits - Thursday, August  30, 2018

First Day of School for PreK - Tuesday, September 4, 2018

START-OF-SCHOOL FAQs:

What is the school start time?

• School starts at 8:30 am; students may enter the building at 8:25 am.

Where are Bus Students dropped off at school?

• All busses drop off students in front of CFB; designated staff will assist them in lining up in the appropriate spots – they will line up in the same spots each morning.

Where do Student Riders get dropped off and picked up?

• All students who are driven to school are dropped off behind the school; parents should enter the Spring Street parking lot and follow the arrows on the pavement, dropping off children under the canopy where the crossing guard is located.

Where do parents park at drop off and dismissal times?

• Parents of students in Grades K through 4 should park ONLY in the Spring Street lot – as there is much activity during school start and at dismissal, please use extreme caution when driving through the lot – thanks!

• Parents of PreK students only should use the side parking lot in front of the school – the parking spots here are “5- minute parking spots” designated for parents of PreK students and Extended Day Program as they deliver children to the building.

• The road in front of the CFB building is designated for bus traffic and emergency vehicles only – no parking is permitted in front of the school at any time.  Thank you for your assistance in keeping our students safe!

Where do students wait in the morning?

• Bus riders – line up, with adult assistance, in front of the school

• Student Riders/Drop-Offs, Grades K through 4:

*K – students may be walked by an adult to the front of the school (all K students wait in front of the school); please park in the Spring Street lot and walk to the front of the building where staff will assist students in finding the correct spot to line up

*Grades 1 and 2 – Line up outside of Outside Door #12 in the courtyard

*Grades 3 and 4 – Line up outside of Outside Door # 11 adjacent to the parking lot

How much is hot lunch/milk?

• Hot lunch - $2.50 (includes milk)

• Milk - $0.50

Lunch menus can be found at:

https://millis.nutrislice.com/menu/clyde-f-brown/lunch

How do I contact the school nurse?

Our school nurse, Mrs. Diane Danehy, can be reached during the school day at (508) 376-7004.  In order to protect the confidentiality of the students we serve, and to ensure that families have confidential access to a private time to meet, we ask you to kindly contact the school office at (508) 376-7003 where we will be happy to arrange a time for a private consultation - thank you for your understanding!  

SCHOOL CONTACT INFORMATION:

CFB Office Phone: (508) 376-7003

Email:  

      Mr. Phelps (Principal) – jphelps@millisps.org

       Mrs. Elise Molloy (Assistant Principal/ School Counselor) - emolloy@millisps.org

       Mrs. Diane Danehy (School Nurse) - ddanehy@millisps.org

Student Support Services (Special Education) Office:  (508) 376-7021

      Dr. Sue Anne Marks, Director of Student Support Services – samarks@millisps.org

Office of Curriculum and Instruction:  (508) 376-7021

Ms. Joan Lynn (Director of Curriculum and Instruction) - jlynn@millisps.org

FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH INFORMATION

As a reminder, all Millis Public Schools will distribute information to families about Free and Reduced Lunch at the start of the school year.  This information, kept confidential, is useful to families in need who may qualify for free or reduced lunches, sliding scale rates for bus transportation, etc., and is useful to the district in qualifying for state and federal funding.

It is important to note that Free and Reduced Lunch forms must be completed by families and returned to school each year in order for students to qualify for this consideration – please be sure to return all Free and Reduced Lunch forms to school on or before Friday, September 7, 2018.  Free and Reduced Lunch forms may be downloaded from the Millis Public Schools website homepage at: http://www.millisps.org/

Have questions or need more information?  Please feel free to contact Mr. Phelps at (508) 376-7003.

COMMUNICATION

CFB is committed to paper-free communication; we will communicate information to our school community in the following ways:

• List Serve – List serve occurs via email notification

• Facebook – We are pleased to offer our school community a Facebook page!  Designed to offer information quickly for our families, we do not encourage comments on our posts; please enjoy this new communication tool!  Don’t forget to Like us at: Clyde F. Brown Elementary School

• Website – http://cfb.millisps.org/

• Twitter – We use Twitter to keep our school community informed about activities and learning in and around our school!  Check us out: @cfbprincipal

Why 3 forms of communication?  What is the difference between each mode of communication?

New Mobile App!

We now have a mobile app available for iOS and Android phones.
Click here for more info!

Click here for privacy information.