We hope everyone has wonderful Winter Break. It is much deserved. We hope everyone stays safe and healthy! We will see you in the New Year.

Thank you,

Gavin

Salem Public Schools will be on Winter Break December 25th to January 2nd. We will return to classes on Wednesday, January 3rd.

Monday - No School

Tuesday - No School

Wednesday - 3

Thursday - Day 4

Friday - Day 1

This week held our first trimester Sharkie Awards. Students were recognized across a variety of domains for their achievement, perseverance and demonstration of the Collins Middle School Core Values. Each grade level met in the auditorium to celebrate the accomplishment of their peers. Here are some some clips of the events.

The House Point Race is heating up as we head into Winter Break!

This week every student participated in a Studio Activity. They were asked to build a rollercoaster in groups with certain materials and objectives.

• Studio: Dedicated time for expanding our thinking and building our collaboration skills so that students feel engaged and empowered!

• Students need to use thier CORE VALUES today of courage, mutual respect, and shared responsibility!

Over the past two weeks students have taken both the STAR Math and Reading Assessments. STAR is a dynamic standards based assessment that allows us to monitor individual student growth in specific academic domains. Teachers use the data to plan instruction and differentiate lessons based on student need. The assessments have also been an early indicator of achievement on upcoming MCAS assessments. We will be sending home the STAR Parent Report with students this week. Reports should have gone out with students to bring. If you did get the report please reach out to the teacher for a PDF.

Next Meeting: January 17th 6-7pm - Cafeteria of CMS. There will also be a virtual link.

Positions were elected for the upstart PTO Wednesday night. The following people were elected:

• Angel Nelson - President
• Amanda McLaughlin - Secretary
• Andrea Bennett - Treasurer ( Newly Elected on Wednesday Night!)

Who are we?

We are ELPAC!

We are parents or guardians of children who are learning English (ESL), or learning two languages (Dual Language) We also advise the school district and the School Committee about issues related to children who are learning English. All families of English Learners are welcome! We meet 5 times a year. If you are interested in joining us, we would love to have you!

2023-24 Meeting Schedule:

• Thursday, Feb. 8: ELPAC Meeting via Zoom (6-7:30 p.m.)
• Wednesday, Mar. 27: Multi-Language Learner Family Night at Saltonstall School (6-7:30 p.m.)
• Thursday, Apr. 4: ELPAC Meeting via Zoom (6-7:30 p.m.)
• June 2024/Date TBA: ELPAC Meeting at Horace Mann Field (6-7:30 p.m.)

8th grade families!

Online payments for the 8th Grade NY Trip are now live!

https://fourwinds.secure.force.com/TripRegistration/ - Our unique code is collins24

NY Trip Online Payment Registration (English)

NY Trip Online Payment Registration (Portuguese)

​If you have any questions while navigating this process, please feel free to reach out to Malcolm Pimentel, mpimentel@salemk12.org and Ben Chertok bchertok@salemk12.org