Hello Coolidge Corner School Families and Friends,

We hope that you all enjoyed the extra long weekend and found time to reconnect and reflect.  Our staff was busy and fully engaged in our Professional Development Day on Friday striving to continuously improve our practices and community.  As we approach a very busy season for many of us, let us all commit to slowing ourselves down, taking time to reflect and be curious, and finding moments to share our gratitude and appreciation for one another.  

Below you can find information and updates about all our learning on our Professional Development Day, the Jolly Jaunt for Special Olympics MA, Family Conferences on Early Release Days, and reminders about picking up students early. 

Professional Development Day at CCS 

This past Friday, November 8th, our educators at Coolidge Corner School spent an entire day together engaged in professional learning.  We are grateful to work in a town that values professional growth and dedicates an entire release day for us all to learn and grow together.  

In the morning, Jessica Minahan returned to follow up on her presentation on reducing and responding to anxiety in the classroom.  During this two hour session, Ms. Minahan shared concrete strategies to set up spaces and routines as well as make accommodations and modifications that support our students who may be communicating their unmet needs through more challenging or unexpected behavior.   We then shifted our focus to digging deeper into the new Code of Conduct and examined tiered responses and interventions. We revisited the list of ways we at Coolidge Corner School work to educate not just the mind, but the hearts of our students as well. We also revisited our list of ways in which we communicate the behavioral expectations of our community to our students and share with them ways in which they can succeed not only academically but socially as well.  Our staff was engaged in lively conversations and shared their own strategies with one another on how to intervene early and work in collaboration with families when unexpected behavior occurs. Having Jessica Minahan fill our educator toolboxes with strategies and suggestions really compliments our work with Code of Conduct this year!

In the afternoon, our staff split into two groups.  Our K-5 classroom teachers worked with our Literacy Coaches on developing and using portable data walls to help monitor progress and hone in on students’ needs for reading instruction.  The rest of our staff worked with our Inclusion Facilitator Riley Bellao and our BCBA Mike Leonard on understanding and implementing de-escalation strategies in the classroom.  

Our staff wrapped up their professional development day by spending collaborative time in self directed and selected groups.  

Jolly Jaunt

Our speedy bees are back at it again this year racing the Jolly Jaunt 5K for Special Olympics MA!  We hope to have our largest team yet this year. This fun and flat 5K run/walk is a great way to get out and active and connect with other families and staff members on a crisp almost winter morning on December 7th.  Please consider joining or donating to our team by visiting our Hive at 345 Team Page.

Family Conferences and Early Release Days 

This week marks the beginning of our Fall Conference and Early Release Days (listed below).  If you have a student in grades K-5 and haven’t already signed up for a conference with your child’s classroom teacher, please reach out over the next couple of days to get one scheduled.  Middle school families should be hearing shortly about the opportunity for conferences.  

As a reminder dismissal for Early Release Days is 12:40p.m. If your child is not registered to participate in the Half Day Matinee or an after school program they should be picked up by 12:40p.m.  

CCS Fall Conference and Early Release Day Schedule

Thursday, November 14th K-6

Wednesday, November 20th K-8

Thursday, December 5th K-8

Wednesday, December 11th K-12

Picking Up Students During the School Day

We wanted to share a friendly and gentle reminder that ALL students MUST BE signed out by an adult if they are being released during the school day.  Adults picking up students during the school day must enter the school building and wait in the main office. We will bring the student to the main office to be dismissed.  We appreciate everyone following this procedure to help us keep all of our students safe and dismissed as quickly as possible.  

We are looking forward to another amazing couple of weeks at the Hive.  Our beehive is filling fast with many examples of students working hard, being kind, and helping others.  We have loved watching students proudly show their families and friends their bees in the hive. Be sure to stop by and check it out when you are in the building for your conference over the next few weeks.  See you all soon!

Jen