Week Ending on 10/23/26

Spartan Families,

Thank you to everyone who came in for Parent-Teacher Conferences on Wednesday and Thursday. Our teachers put a lot of time into preparing for each meeting, and the conversations are an important part of how we support students both academically and socially. If you weren’t able to schedule a conference, please reach out to your child’s team.

It was a busy and fun stretch at McGee. Students enjoyed the Fall Dance Party, and the Book Fair was an exciting edition to the LMC this week. Thank you to our PTO and all the volunteers who helped make both events happen.

As October winds down, we are wrapping up our Accountability theme. Students have been practicing owning their choices, following through, and fixing mistakes individually, or collectively, when things need to be adjusted.

A few things to be aware of:

• Pink Out Day is coming up. Encourage your child to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness on October 30.
• Operation Bundle Up is collecting warm winter items for families in our community. Details on what to donate and where to drop off are below.
• Veteran Volunteers: We’re looking for veterans in our McGee families to help with our Veterans Day recognition. If you or someone in your family has served, please see the information below.

Congratulations to all of our fall athletes (except for XC who finishes Thursday) on a successful season!

Thank you,

Chris

Thursday, 10/29: Afternoon Conferences; half day for students

Friday, 10/30: 7th Grade Field Trip

Monday, 11/2 and Tuesday, 11/3: Professional development for staff; no school for students

8th grade students spent the last couple weeks building robotic arms controlled by hydraulics, made with syringes and vinyl hose. Here they test their completed arms in a series of physical challenges such as moving foam balls or popping balloons.

Sound Express sang the National Anthem at the 34th Annual Cross Country Invitational on Saturday.

October is Augmentative and Alternative Communication Awareness Month. This week, Arthur used his AAC device to say the Pledge of Allegiance for the school.

Our students are so creative! For the month of October, the Library Media Center held a "Decorate A Duck" competition. Students received a small rubber duck and entered the contest in one of four categories: Characters, LOL/Funny, Scary/Halloween and Something Totally Original. Teachers will vote next week on the winner in each category for a fun prize!

The Scholastic Book Fair was a big hit among students and staff alike this week. Thank you so much to our parent volunteers, Jackie DeFrancesco and Michelle Travinski, who made it all possible- volunteering their time every day to assist with set up, check outs, and clean up!

Parent-teacher conferences will continue next week on Thursday, and we look forward to partnering with you in support of your child’s progress. To make the most of this time, our teachers prepare individually for each scheduled conference by reviewing student work and assessment data so they can share meaningful, student-specific information.

Because of this preparation, teachers will only be meeting with families who have signed up in advance, and we are unable to accommodate drop-in or “pop-in” visits on conference days. If you haven’t yet scheduled a time for next week, please sign up by Tuesday on ParentSquare.

If you are unable to attend or can’t find an available slot, please reach out to your child’s teacher or team directly. We’re happy to arrange a phone call, virtual meeting, or alternative time.

We look forward to seeing you!

Field trips are a highlight of the middle school experience, and a lot of planning goes on behind the scenes to make each one safe and successful. In the weeks leading up to a trip, our teams organize student groups and chaperones, confirm final numbers with the host site, and arrange the bus accommodations for everyone attending.

To make this possible, each team will send home permission form and payment deadlines well in advance of every trip. These deadlines must be followed. Once a deadline passes, rosters and transportation are finalized, and we are unable to add students after the fact.

Please watch for communication from your child’s team, mark the due dates on your calendar, and return forms and payments on time. If cost or another circumstance makes it hard to meet a deadline, please contact your child’s team or the main office before the due date so we can help.

Dear Families,

Do you know a veteran in your family or community? We would love your help making Veterans Day meaningful for our 7th grade students!

We are looking for volunteers and family contributions in three ways:

🇺🇸 1. Veterans Day Speakers

When: Wednesday, November 11

Time: 8:00–10:00 a.m.

Veterans will speak with small groups of students about their military experiences.

Coffee and donuts will be provided!

Contact Kevin Cormack at kcormack@berlinschools.org or Kathi Collins at kcollins@berlinschools.org

🎥 2. Veteran Interview Videos

Deadline: November 1

Veterans, their spouses, and adult children of veterans are invited to record answers to questions about military service.

You can record at home using a phone or camera, or arrange to record with us after school at McGee.

We will provide the questions, and participants may answer as many as they wish.

Contact Kevin Cormack at kcormack@berlinschools.org or Kathi Collins at kcollins@berlinschools.org

📸 3. Photos for Our Veterans Wall

We welcome photos of veterans in your family for our ongoing Veterans Wall, maintained by Ms. Rossi.

Please email any photos to drossi@berlinschools.org

If you send in printed photos, they will be scanned and returned.

Thank you for helping us honor those who have served and teach our students about their contributions to our community!

ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Cell Phones, earbuds, smart watches, and various other communication devices are not allowed to be used during the school day and are to be turned off and placed in the student’s locker. We strongly recommend that any valuable, portable device be left at home.

The boys soccer team closed out their season hosting Beman Middle School on the McGee pitch. The Spartan's jumped to an early 2-0 lead thanks to two goals from David Abramek with assists from Ivy Souza and Adrian Sznaj. Beman scored 5 straight goals to take a 5-2 lead at the half. McGee controlled the second half behind Abramek's third goal off and assist from Marshall Maksymiuk and 2 goals from Zawdiel Cruz but the rallly fell short in a 6-5 loss. Evan Schreiner, Wil DeLorenzo, Finn Cabalus, and Xawdiel Cruz had outstanding games for the Spartans. Coach Crean and Coach Bengiovani would like to thank the 8th graders for an outstanding season and wish them well in high school.

In the JV game, McGee unleashed its secret weapon as Adrian Sznaj scored a hat trick en route to a 4-0 win. Kristian Maselek had the other goal for McGee. Thomas Nowak had the clean sheet in net.

The team was able to celebrate some great results on Saturday. James DiLoreto medaled in the boys 6th grade race. Harper Kissane earned a trophy for her second place finish, while Kennedy Oszmian, Charlie Oszmian and Morgan Rossi earned medals. Sam Anderson earned his medal in the boys 7th grade race, while Calina Baggiero, Fiona Gonsalves and Evalyn Currao medaled in the 7th grade girls race. JJ Brusznicki had the best finish of the day as he won the boy’s 8th grade race and earned the fastest time award along with his 1st place trophy. Daniel Bouchard earned a medal in the 8th grade boys race. The 8th grade girls race saw 5 McGee girls win awards. Kailyn Larson earned a trophy for 3rd place, while Bree Akier, Ally Bownan, Abby Georgini and Shannon Cavanagh earned medals. The boys and girls 8th grade teams earned 2nd place in the 8th grade coed challenge.

The boys and girls cross country teams also participated in the MMSL Invitational on Thursday at Cromwell Middle School. The girls team finished 2nd in the six team league. The team placed three girls in the top ten as Kaylin Larson led the way with a fifth place finish. Bree Akier came in 9th and Julia Mullally 10th. All three earned medals for their effort. There were 136 girls in the race.

The boys finished 4th overall and were led by JJ Brusznicki who finished 2nd overall. Daniel Bouchard finished 8th as both earned medals. There were 124 boys in the race.

Great job team!

Next practice is on Monday.

The McGee Girls Soccer Team finished the 2026 season with a record of 6-4-1. Following a slow start to the season, the girls came together as a cohesive unit, winning 4 of their last 5 games. Coaches Centurelli and Beaupre would like to thank all of the girls for their tremendous effort and commitment to the team. A special thanks goes out to the 8th graders: Maddie Glidden, Riley Gonzales, Lilly Maselek, and Team Captains Sydney Graby, Sadie Banas and Andrea D'Arena.

Join the McGee PTO and Help Our Students Thrive!

Your PTO membership directly supports our McGee students, teachers, and school community throughout the year.

Your membership helps provide:

• 🎉 School activities that bring our McGee community together
• ⭐ Classroom Extras that enrich students’ everyday school experience requested by teachers and staff
• 🎓 8th grade graduation and promotion activities to celebrate our students
• 💙 Hardship assistance for students who need extra support

Every membership makes a difference. Join the McGee PTO and help us make this a great year for every McGee student!

Direct link to zeffy:

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/mcgee-school-2026-2027-pto-membership

Sixth Grade

• Co-Leader of Team Green: Cindy Botticello - cbotticello@berlinschools.org
• Co-Leader of Team Green: Scott Rossi - srossi@berlinschools.org
• Co-Leader of Team Gold: Danielle McCorkel - dmccorkel@berlinschools.org
• Co-Leader of Team Gold: Susan Zibell - szibell@berlinschools.org

• Leader of Team Green: Jen Stiger - jstiger@berlinschools.org
• Leader of Team Gold: Kristy Peterson - kpeterson@berlinschools.org

Eighth Grade

• Co-Leader of Team Green: Gabby Garncarz - ggarncarz@berlinschools.org
• Co-Leader of Team Green: Abby Rogers - arogers@berlinschools.org
• Co-Leader of Team Gold: Sue Harmon - sharmon@berlinschools.org
• Co-Leader of Team Gold: Chris Jud - cjud@berlinschools.org

• Co-Leader: Bryan Plona - bplona@berlinschools.org
• Co-Leader: Dave Holland - dholland@berlinschools.org

6th Grade Counselor: Jess Stevenson - jstevenson@berlinschools.org

7th Grade Counselor: Ashley Barton - abarton@berlinschools.org

8th Grade Counselor: Sarah Hughes - shughes@berlinschools.org

Nurse: Lisa Alger - lalger@berlinschools.org

Assistant Principal: Deven Constant - dconstant@berlinschools.org

Principal: Chris Sullivan - csullivan@berlinschools.org

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