Carmen Arace Chronicles
October 3, 2025
Message from the Principals
Greetings Arace families,
Welcome to a new month filled with opportunities for growth and learning! As we step into October, we want to thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child’s education.
Please remember to save the dates for our upcoming parent-teacher conferences from October 29th to 31st. This will be a valuable time to connect with your child’s teachers and discuss their achievements and goals.
Please follow the links to discover what your child will be learning at Arace in October:
Progress Reports
Progress reports for the first marking period are available within the Parent Portal. Log in to a web browser version of PowerSchool (not the app) to view the report. To do this, click on the “Student Reports” on the upper left of the page. Please contact your child's school counselor Ms. Glenney, aglenney@blmfld.org (grades 5 and 7) or Ms. Williams, ywilliams@blmfld.org (grades 6 and 8), if you need support accessing the progress report.
Attendance Matters
Consistent attendance enhances both students’ social development and academic success!
Our attendance for the month of September:
CAIS and CAMS: 96%
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.
Diana Bunting, Intermediate School Principal
Anjanée Wright, Middle School Acting Principal
Message from the Deans
At Arace, we focus on a monthly theme to help guide our students’ social and emotional growth. This October, our theme is Empathy and Kindness.
Throughout the month, students will participate in activities and mini-lessons that support this theme during CAIS Morning Meetings and CAMS Advisory Meetings. These experiences are designed to help students practice understanding others’ feelings, showing compassion, and fostering a positive school community.
We encourage you to talk with your child about what they are learning and celebrate the ways they show empathy and kindness at home and in school.
Internet Safety Today, our students participated in an Internet Safety Assembly. The program focused on helping students understand how to use technology responsibly, stay safe online, and make positive choices while using the internet and social media.
🔶CAIS 🔶
Our annual Grandma’s Gourmet Country Pies fundraiser orders are due on October 9th. Your participation helps reduce the cost of field trips and other enrichment activities for all students. Thank you for your continued support!
Student Leaders
Each month, we celebrate students who embody our school’s monthly theme. For October, students were selected for their outstanding demonstration of building community and belonging in our classrooms and school. October Student Leaders
Goals and Celebrations
⭐CAMS ⭐
We will be recognizing our student, staff, and teacher of the month for September. Candidates will be selected this week by their peers and colleagues. They will embody “The CAMS Way" which represents the following.
Compassionate- Cares for others and shows empathy.
Accountable- Shows responsibility and understands how their actions affect others.
Motivated- Tries 100% of the time.
Selfless- Puts others before themselves.
Eileen Richters, Intermediate School Dean of Students
Ryan McCormack, Middle School Dean of Students
Important News & Reminders
Staff Spotlight
For the month of October, we're excited to shine a spotlight on some of the newest members of our school team! We're also celebrating those who have stepped into new positions this year.
🌟 Spotlight on Elizabeth McDonald 🌟
We’re thrilled to welcome Elizabeth McDonald as our new Numeracy Coach at Carmen Arace School!
With an impressive 31 years in education, Elizabeth brings a wealth of experience and passion to our community. Although she’s already spent a year with us at Carmen Arace, we’re excited to see her step into this new role supporting both students and teachers in all things math! Elizabeth holds a B.A. from Trinity College, and both an M.S. and Sixth-Year Certificate from CCSU.
Her journey into education was inspired by the kindness of a single teacher — a reminder of how powerful one person’s impact can be. Her favorite teacher growing up was Madame Lessard, remembered for her care and kindness.
When asked about her favorite part of working at Carmen Arace, Elizabeth shared: “I get to work with teachers and kids with math!”
Welcome (again!), Ms. McDonald — we’re so lucky to have your enthusiasm, experience, and global perspective on our team!
🌟 Spotlight on Sara Baez 🌟
We are excited to introduce Sara Baez, our new Math Interventionist! Sara has been in education for 13 years, including two years at CAIS, and this year marks her first at CAMS. She earned her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction as well as a Master’s in Education Technology and Instructional Design from Western Governors University.
When asked why she chose to become an educator, Sara shared:
“I didn’t have many role models growing up, so I chose to become an educator because I wanted to be the person I once needed and make a difference in students’ lives. I want to help them see that learning can be fun.”Sara also reflected on her favorite teacher growing up:“My favorite teacher was my high school math teacher, Ms. Soucy. She always gave the best advice, had great style, and was patient with me. We’re still friends to this day!”
When asked about her favorite thing about CAMS and being part of the Arace family, Sara didn’t hesitate: it’s the students, staff, and the supportive community that make it such a wonderful place to work.
We are thrilled to welcome Sara to the CAMS family and look forward to the many ways she will inspire, encourage, and empower our students.
Stay Connected with Apptegy
Keep up with important news and updates by downloading our district app:
Download for iPhonehttps://apple.co/3K8mhbR
Download for Android https://bit.ly/3rG7qPC
Message from the School Nurse
Stay at Home Guidelines
Please review the Stay at Home Guidelines to determine when students should remain home when they are feeling unwell.
School-Based Health Center
Please check out this month’s wellness tips from our School-Based Health Center:
Tips to Stay Safe, Stay Healthy
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the nurse’s office.
Office number: 860-286-2638
Email: nnestor@blmfld.org or nnestor@bloomfieldschools.org
Natacha Nestor, School Nurse
Upcoming Events
- Monday, October 13th-Indigenous Peoples’ Day. No School
- Tuesday, October 14th - Professional Development for Teachers. No School
- Saturday, October 18th-Community Stem Expo, Bloomfield High School, 11 AM-3 PM
- Wednesday, October 29th-Friday, October 31st-Parent-Teacher Conferences. Early Dismissal
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