Monday, 10/5

Week of Respect — Wear Blue
CMS Choir (grades 4-8) in the Music Room from 3:00-3:45 PM
Soccer & Cross Country - Check the Gamechanger App
Drama Club - Check Remind App
Pickleball (grades 4-8) at Columbine Rd. 3:15-4:00 PM
Homework Club (for enrolled students) in Spanish Room 3:00-4:00 PM

Tuesday, 10/6

Week of Respect — Always Be Yourself Day — Wear Something that Represents You
Soccer & Cross Country - Check the Gamechanger App
Drama Club - Check Remind App
Pickleball (grades 4-8) at Columbine Rd. 3:15-4:00 PM
Homework Club (for enrolled students) in Spanish Room 3:00-4:00 PM

Wednesday, 10/7

Week of Respect — Team Shirt Day
Soccer & Cross Country - Check the Gamechanger App
Drama Club - Check Remind App
Pickleball (grades 4-8) at Columbine Rd. 3:15-4:00 PM
Homework Club (for enrolled students) in Spanish Room 3:00-4:00 PM

Thursday, 10/8

Week of Respect — Pajama Day
Soccer & Cross Country - Check the Gamechanger App
Drama Club - Check Remind App
Pickleball (grades 4-8) at Columbine Rd. 3:15-4:00 PM

Friday, 10/9

School Closed - Teachers' Professional Day

Other Upcoming Dates

School is closed for Columbus Day on Monday, Oct. 12th.
Picture Retakes are Thursday, Oct. 15th.
Friday, Oct. 30th is a 1:10 PM dismissal, with the Halloween Parade & Pumpkins: PK 9:00–10:00 AM and K-5 10:00–11:30 AM.
School is closed Thursday, Nov. 5th and Friday, Nov. 6th for the NJEA Convention.

Next Week's Lunch Menu

Monday, 10/5 — Chicken Tenders with Waffles or Beef Hot Dog on a Bun, with Vegetarian Baked Beans and Baby Carrots
Tuesday, 10/6 — Cheese Pizza Slice or Chicken Patty on a Bun, with Seasoned Green Beans and Caesar Salad
Wednesday, 10/7 — Breakfast for Lunch: Pancakes with Sausage or Turkey and Cheese Hoagie, with a Hash Brown Patty and Cucumber Slices
Thursday, 10/8 — Toasted Cheese Sandwich (vegetarian) or Bagel, Yogurt & Cheese Stick Meal, with Tomato Soup, Peas, and Broccoli Bites
Friday, 10/9 — No lunch served — School Closed

PB&J Uncrustable Meal is always a third lunch option.

Helpful Reminders and What’s New at CMS

School Store Closes Tomorrow: Tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 2nd, is the last day to purchase CMS gear from the online school store. Don't miss your chance to stock up on spirit wear, order at theshirtdr.chipply.com/creststore/ before the store closes.
Picture Retakes: Picture Retakes are Thursday, Oct. 15th. If your child was absent on Picture Day or you'd like a retake, watch for details in take-home folders.

PTC & 8th Grade Parent News

PTC Membership Drive: Thank you to everyone who has signed up and donated so far, the response has been wonderful! To make things interesting, the PTC is launching a contest: the grade with the highest percentage of signups and/or donations wins a pizza party. The drive runs through Friday, Oct. 9th, and cash, Venmo, or checks are accepted. Check the "Crest Memorial PTC Parents" Facebook page for details or pick up a membership form in the school lobby.
8th Grade Mum Sale: Mums are on sale for $10 each to support the 8th grade class. Tickets will be sent home for mums purchased, and cash or Venmo is preferred. Please see the "Crest Memorial PTC Parents" Facebook page for more details.

This Week's CMS Difference Maker is — Ms. Brooke Pruszinski

Ms. Pruszinski is a substitute at CMS, which means no two days look the same but you would never know if you saw all the ways she supports students and staff. From Preschool to Middle School, she jumps right in wherever she is needed without hesitation, always willing to help with anything asked of her. She has also been a huge help getting our newly renovated Library in order, the kind of behind-the-scenes work that benefits every student in the building. Ms. Pruszinski brings a smile and a positive attitude every day she is here, and it's clear she is happy to be at CMS. For being Caught Being Kind in every corner of our school, thank you, Ms. Pruszinski. If you know someone making a difference in the CMS community, please help us recognize their efforts by completing the following form: https://forms.gle/nxU6guDtB3aDy3wT8

The Group Chat Problem — Why Your Child's Phone Needs a Co-Pilot, Not Just a Passcode

This week's perspective comes from Dr. Devorah Heitner's book Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World. Heitner, who holds a Ph.D. in Media, Technology and Society from Northwestern University, has spent her career studying how children actually use technology and her central finding is one every parent needs to hear: kids don't need surveillance, they need mentorship. Handing a child a phone without ongoing supervision is like handing them car keys without driving lessons. The riskiest places aren't always the apps we fear most, often, they're the group text chats and social media posts that feel private but never are. Consider these research-backed insights:

Group chats are where supervision gaps hide. A group text feels like a private conversation, but it behaves like a public one. Anything said can be screenshotted, forwarded, and shared far beyond the original group in seconds. Heitner's research shows children consistently underestimate this. They write as if talking to three friends when they're effectively publishing. Pile-ons, exclusion, and cruel jokes that would never happen face-to-face flourish in group chats, where a screen reduces empathy and an audience raises the stakes.
Posts are permanent, even when they're "deleted." Children's developing brains are wired for the present moment, not for imagining how a post reads to a future teacher, coach, or employer. Research from Common Sense Media shows most kids get their first phone around age 10 or 11, years before the judgment to manage a public presence matures.
Monitoring works best in the open. Heitner's work finds that secret spying erodes trust, while transparent supervision builds judgment. Tell your child plainly: "I will be looking at your phone, including your group chats, not because I don't trust you, but because this is how you learn."
Try these this week: Sit with your child and read a group chat together, asking "How would this message feel if you got it?" Keep phones charging in a common area overnight, not bedrooms. Know every passcode. And before anything gets posted, teach the family test: "Would you be okay with this on the gym wall at school?"
At CMS, we see the fallout of weekend group chats walk through the door on Monday mornings. A few minutes of supervision at home prevents hours of hurt at school.

Question of the Week: When you look at your child's group chats, what have you learned about their social world that surprised you, and how did you turn it into a conversation rather than a confrontation?

Parents, we'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Share your perspective by going to: https://forms.gle/HDqEiGeikPjt5ahd8

About Launch Points

CMS’s weekly newsletter is focused on providing families with a list of upcoming events, a brief article on how to support student success and an opportunity for parents to share perspective on student support articles.