Carmen Arace Chronicles
September 8, 2025
Principals' Message
Message from the Principals
Dear Arace families,
We’ve had a fantastic start to the school year! Students are settling into routines, building connections, and engaging in meaningful activities. Thank you for your continued support at home—it truly makes a difference!
To help us maintain strong home-school partnerships, we encourage your involvement in the following ways:
Ensure your child attends school daily and arrives on time
Monitor student progress through PowerSchool
Stay informed about school events via the district app, Apptegy
Download for iPhonehttps://apple.co/3K8mhbR
Remain in contact with school staff
Support school and district initiatives
Talk regularly with your child about their school experiences
Drop-Off and Pick-Up Reminders
Morning Drop-Off: Begins at 7:50 AM in front of the building. Please do not drop students off earlier, as supervision is not available before this time.
Afternoon Pick-Up: Begins at 2:45 PM. If your child needs to be picked up early, please notify the office by 12:00 PM, and plan to complete early pick-up by 2:15 PM.
District Assessments
Our first cycle of benchmark assessments in Reading and Math will begin next week. Please help your child prepare by ensuring they get a good night's sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and arrive at school ready to do their best.
Open House
We invite all families to join us for Open House at Arace on Thursday, September 18, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM.
The evening will begin with a brief presentation in the auditorium, followed by the opportunity to meet your child’s teachers.
Attendance Matters
Consistent attendance is key to student learning and success. We love seeing our students at school every day!
If your child is feeling unwell, please keep them home until they are healthy enough to return. To report an absence, email Tammy Broxton at tbroxton@blmfld.org.
We are proud to share that the current attendance rate for CAIS and CAMS is 97%!
As we move forward, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or considerations. We’re looking forward to a positive and productive year together!
Diana Bunting, Intermediate School Principal
Anjanée Wright, Middle School Acting Principal
Message from the Deans
September’s Theme at Arace is Community Building
The school year will bring Responsive Classroom elements to Arace. The teaching approach known as Responsive Classroom uses academic and social-emotional learning methods to develop secure learning environments which foster student engagement and better academic results.
SEL programs statistically result in an 11‑percentile gain in academic performance, along with improved student achievement, enhanced student-teacher interaction, reduced aggression and bullying, and better psychological outcomes.
In the Intermediate School our day begins with Morning Meeting. There are four elements of Morning Meeting that tie into our monthly themes: Greeting, Sharing, Message and Activity.
1. Greeting:
Students and teachers greet each other by name, often with a handshake or song, to build personal connections.
2. Sharing:
Students share information about their lives, which could be news, ideas, or responses to a teacher's prompt.
3.Group Activity:
The class participates in a game or activity designed to practice social skills, emotional awareness, or academic concepts.
4. Morning Message:
The teacher presents a short message that the students read and interact with, often incorporating academic content.
In the Middle School, students gather as a whole class each morning to greet one another, share news, and warm up for the day ahead during Advisory.
1.Greeting
Students and teachers greet one another in a variety of ways. It sets a positive tone for the day and creates a safe space in which students feel emotionally safe.
2.Announcements
The objective of announcements is to introduce the daily topic, prompt student thinking, and connect students to the greater school community.
3.Acknowledgements
A prompt is on the board for students to interact with. Students greet each other by name, share a piece of information about themselves, or share ideas about an assigned topic. This allows students to strengthen the class community by interacting with each other positively.
4.Activity
The objective is to create a whole-group activity which provides an opportunity for all students to participate. This allows students to strengthen their academic and social-emotional skills.
5. Reflection
The activity ends with a reflection. The teacher poses a question to the whole group related to why students engaged in this particular activity and how the activity can positively impact the rest of their school day.
How Morning Meeting and Advisory Meeting Benefits Your Child
Community Building:
It helps students feel connected and cared for as part of a group.Social-Emotional Learning:
It provides a space to practice crucial social skills like active listening and communication.Academic Preparedness:
By building a safe and trusting environment, it sets a positive tone for productive learning and engagement.Voice and Choice:
Students have opportunities to participate and voice their ideas, making them active members of the classroom.
Responsive Classroom strongly promotes SEL, academic engagement, and teacher–student relationships—all of which research supports as crucial for school success.
Eileen Richters, Intermediate School Dean of Students
Ryan McCormack, Middle School Dean of Students
Important Reminders
School Hours
- Regular Dismissal: 7:50 A.M.-2:50 P.M.
- Early Dismissal: 7:50 A.M.-12:50 P.M.
Students may be dropped off at 7:50 A.M. Please note that there is no adult supervision before that time.
Bloomfield Public Schools Hours
Uniform Policy
TOPS: Solid colored polo/collared shirts, sweaters, and cardigans. Hoodies are not permitted.
CAIS (grade 5-6) colors: white, black, or navy
CAMS (grade 7-8) colors: white, black, or yellow
BOTTOMS: Pants or knee-length shorts or skirts. Jeans, leggings, and sweatpants are not permitted.
CAIS and CAMS colors: Khaki, navy, or black
If a student is not in compliance with this policy, a parent/guardian will be asked to bring in appropriate clothing to school.
Lockers
Please provide two locks one for PE (Gym) and one for personal lockers. It will be necessary for students to provide homeroom teachers with the combination and/or extra key for emergency purposes. Locks ensure the security of your child's belongings.
Late Buses
Late buses are available to students who remain after school to receive support or participate in extracurricular activities. Our late buses pick up students at 4:10. Late buses will run on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Late buses begin this week. Please note they are not available tomorrow due to the early dismissal schedule.
Message from the School Nurse
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Welcome back to a new school year! As we begin, I’d like to remind families of some important health requirements to ensure all students are safe and prepared for school activities.
Medications in School: If your child requires medication (including inhalers, EpiPens, or daily prescriptions) during the school day, the medication must be provided to the school nurse along with a completed authorization form signed by both the healthcare provider and parent/guardian. Without this, we cannot administer medication at school. Please note: if medication and authorization are not received, your child will not be permitted to attend field trips.
Sports & Activities: Any student who wishes to participate in school sports must have a current physical examination on file. Physicals are valid for 13 months from the date of the exam. If your child’s physical has expired or will expire soon, please schedule an updated exam and submit the documentation to the nurse’s office. We also have a school-based health clinic, that can assist you with physical examination for your child. You can register at http://www.integratedhealthservices.org/registrationforms, and one of the providers will contact you.
Thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep all students safe, healthy, and ready to learn. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the nurse’s office. My office number is 860-286-2638 and my email is nnestor@blmfld.org or nnestor@bloomfieldschools.org
Wishing everyone a healthy and successful school year!
Natacha Nestor, School Nurse
Upcoming Events
- Tuesday, September 9th-Primary Election/Professional Development for Teacher, EARLY DISMISSAL
- Wednesday, September 10th-Professional Development for Teacher, EARLY DISMISSAL
- Thursday, September 18th-CAIS and CAMS Open House, 5:30-7 PM
- Tuesday, September 23rd-CAIS Picture Day
- Wednesday, October 1st-CAMS Picture Day
School Contact Information
Carmen Arace Intermediate School
Principal: Ms. Diana BuntingDean of Students: Ms. Eileen Richters
CAIS Main Office: Mrs. Donnalee Copeland
Website:https://cais.bloomfieldschools.org/o/carmenaraceinter
Carmen Arace Middle School
Acting Principal: Ms. Anjanee Wright
CAMS Main Office: Ms. Scherell Smith
Website: https://cams.bloomfieldschools.org/o/carmenaracemiddle
Phone: 860-286-2622
"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." --Harriet Tubman