Colonia Middle School Families,
One month into our second semester, I wanted to express my appreciation to our entire school community. I continue to live by my professional motto, “It is a PRIVILEGE to work at this school.” The meaning is very simple:
-It is a PRIVILEGE to work with your children.
-It is a PRIVILEGE to work with our families.
-It is a PRIVILEGE to work with our dedicated staff.
-It is a PRIVILEGE to work with our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).
-It is a PRIVILEGE to work with our stakeholders in the community.
I am very proud of what our students have accomplished so far this year and we will continue to work in providing the best possible middle school experience.
We collected 774 pounds of non-perishable food for the township-wide “Have-A-Heart” food drive to support our local food banks. In addition, we raised $730 for perishable food items. Thank you to the entire school community for your participation.
There is no school for students on this Monday, March 2, 2026 for the Staff In-Service Day.
Thank you and enjoy your weekend.
Joseph A. Short
Principal, Colonia Middle School
Crews are continuing to work on our schools thru tonight and tomorrow morning. With almost 2 feet of snow in parts of our township, we recognize not all residential and business walkways and sidewalks will be cleared for use. We anticipate certain roads being difficult to navigate as cars were left on the streets when plow trucks came through. If your child is a walker, we encourage parents and guardians to review their route or consider driving them if possible. Bus routes will also likely be impacted so please allow extra time for pick up and drop off.
As we reach the end of Marking Period 2 & Semester 1, I would like to acknowledge our students for their hard work and dedication to Colonia Middle School. I would like to thank our families for their continued support of our school. Here are a few updates & reminders for your review:
1) The CMS Community Service Club is sponsoring the "Have a Heart" Food Drive to help fill the Woodbridge Township food pantries. Please support this important cause by donating non-perishable food items. During the week of February 2nd - February 6th, we are holding a theme week, with chances for students to earn extra Patriot Points: 5 points for every item donated and 10 points for those that fit the theme of the day! Please see the attached flyer for details: https://aptg.co/pLCDkR
2) Beginning on Friday, February 13, 2026, Colonia Middle School will be piloting "Chromebook Free Fridays". The goal is to reduce digital dependency and screen fatigue while boosting interpersonal interaction in the classroom. Students are encouraged to leave their school-issued Chromebooks at home on Fridays. Should they bring them to school, they should be left in their locker for the day.
3) Report cards will be available in Genesis Parent Access at 8:00 AM on Friday, February 6, 2026.
Best wishes & stay warm.
Joseph A. Short
Principal, Colonia Middle School
Our school spirit and family support continues to be second to none.
We would like to wish our entire school community a joyous holiday season and a very happy new year.
School resumes on Friday, January 2, 2026.
Warmest wishes,
Joseph A. Short
Principal, Colonia Middle School
CMS 8th Grade Families,
Our PTO will be purchasing a yearbook for all 8th grade students this year. A very special THANK YOU to our PTO for this generous donation.
Best regards,
Joseph A. Short
Principal, Colonia Middle School
Colonia Middle School Families,
We would like to wish all of our families a Happy Thanksgiving.
I am proud to report that this year over 81% of our students made the honor roll for Marking Period 1.
Thank you for your continued support and best wishes.
Joseph A. Short
Principal, Colonia Middle School
Colonia Middle School Families,
On behalf of our entire staff, we would like to wish our families a safe and enjoyable Fall Break. The students have had an outstanding first two months and we hope they enjoy their time off. School resumes on Monday, November 10, 2025. A special Thank You to our United States Veterans for their service to our country. Marking Period 1 Report Cards will be available on the Genesis Parent Access at 8:00 am on Thursday, November 20, 2025.
Best regards,
Joseph A. Short
Principal, Colonia Middle School
CMS Families,
Our students are having a great month of October with our PBIS Kickoff and Week of Respect & Inclusion. Our school community continues to work hard and show outstanding school spirit.
Congratulations to our Baseball and Softball teams for finishing the season undefeated and winning the District Championship.
Thank you for your continued support and have a great weekend.
Joseph A. Short
Principal, Colonia Middle School
CMS Families,
1) Please review the attached car arrival procedures for student drop-off at Colonia Middle School: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v4eZa8FET0cY9n_aMoZXcVvo_mwBntW534YFyL9Zv1s/edit?usp=sharing
2) Picture Day is Monday, September 29th!! https://5il.co/3q25n
3) Colonia Middle School's "Pink-Out" Spirit Day is on October 9th. Please see the attached flyer if you'd like to purchase a T-Shirt for your child to wear on that day. All proceeds will go to support the Colonia Breast Cancer Walk on Saturday, October 11th. https://5il.co/3q2xe
Thank You
CMS Families,
Please see the following link for information regarding the Colonia Middle School Open House on Tuesday, September 16th. We look forward to seeing you there. https://5il.co/3picm
Thank You
1.) Thank you for an outstanding opening week of school, we are very proud of our students.
2.) CMS Upcoming Date Reminders:
9/11/25-CMS Patriot Day (Wear Red, White, & Blue to School)
9/16/25-CMS Open House
9/29/25-CMS Picture Day
Enjoy your weekend.
Joseph A. Short
Principal, Colonia Middle School
We look forward to seeing our students.
It is going to be a great year!