Colonia Middle School

Please click on link below for a Welcome Letter from Mr. Short: https://5il.co/23hgh

CMS Families, As a reminder, if your child is planning on or even not sure they are going to try out for a sport (cheer included), they will need an approved sports physical before try outs. That means that it will need to be handed into the nurse 3-4 weeks before try outs to be sent to the township doctor for approval. If it is flagged for further evaluations (cardiac clearance, vision, etc.) it may take longer. Please make sure all pages are filled out with parent and athlete signatures. The "Athlete with special needs" page must be filled out by everyone, even if you don't have needs. Just mark yes/no and sign the bottom. All the forms can be found on my site under the "Athletic Forms". Forms required are: -History Form (parent fills out - please Explain all "yes" answers on bottom right side-it will save a phone call to you asking about it). -Physical Exam Form (Doctor completes)- Bring your glasses if you wear them. -Clearance Form (Doctor completes) - must have Dr. stamp on it. - Athlete with special needs form (parent completes). -Concussion forms (parent and athlete). - Sudden cardiac death sign off (parent and athlete) - pamphlet is on my site to read. - Health history update (parent completes if physical exam date more than 90 days). There are sports physical packets available for pick up in the main office as well. You can drop off completed Sports Physicals in the main office or email to me during the summer. Please make sure the email copy is legible (not blurry or cut off). The originals will need to be handed in in September but I will try to save you a trip. Excel Urgent Care in Iselin is offering FREE sports physicals, see my site for info. My site can be found at https://sites.google.com/wtsdnj.com/staceycacchionern/home Have a healthy and safe Summer! Mrs. Stacey Cacchione BSN, RN, CSN School Nurse Colonia Middle School 732-396-7010 stacey.cacchione@woodbridge.k12.nj.us

CMS Families, Thank you for an outstanding year! Enjoy your summer and remember to read. The link below provides information on a district summer book club for students: https://sites.google.com/wtsdnj.com/wtsdlibrarymediaprogram/book-club?authuser=0 Best of luck to our 8th grade class in high school. Best wishes, Joseph A. Short Principal, Colonia Middle School

The end of the school year is quickly approaching! The following schedule will be in place for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year: 6/14 - 6/21 is early dismissal for all schools. All schools will be closed on 6/19. EARLY DISMISSAL: Grades K-5 @ 1:10 pm; Grades 6-8 @ 12:45 pm; Grades 9-12 @ 12:10 pm

SCHOOL MEAL APPLICATION DEADLINE If your child(ren) are not signed up for free or reduced price school meals, you will have until 6/23/23 to submit an application to your school or to verify your information on file to be eligible for Summer 2023. Click here https://5il.co/1vn2w

CMS Families,  The “Fun Day” we have all been waiting for is almost here! The CMS PTO and PBIS Committee will be hosting our end of the year “Fun Day” on Thursday, June 8th (Rain date #1- Monday, June 12th, Rain date #2- Tuesday, June 13th).  This will be a full day event that will involve indoor and outdoor activities including inflatables, dunk tank, relay races, pep rally and more! The Woodbridge Township Police Department will also be competing against students in grade level kickball games! Lunch and drinks will be provided by The Clark Bistro as well as ice cream provided by the PTO.  The purpose of this “Fun Day” is to celebrate the accomplishments of the PBIS program that CMS implements in order to increase positive behavior throughout the building. CMS wants to acknowledge the positive behaviors exhibited by our students throughout the course of this school year. This event is free of charge.

CMS Families, On this Monday, May 15th we will be hosting our Spring Festival of the Arts.  The Art Show will be available for viewing in the Gym beginning at 5:30 PM.  The Band, Chorus, and Dance performances will begin promptly at 6:15 PM in the Cafeteria.  Please enter Door #11. With the arrival of warm weather, we will be reviewing the District Student Dress Code Policy #5132 with all students in homeroom on Monday, May 15th.  Please reinforce at home that, “Students may not wear short-shorts.  Shorts and skirts shall be mid thigh or longer in length.” Thank you for your continued support and have a very Happy Mother’s Day weekend. Joseph A. Short Principal, Colonia Middle School

CMS Families, NJSLA testing begins tomorrow for all grade levels.  Students will be testing during morning sessions based on the schedule below: Math for Grades 6, 7, and 8 – (5/9, 5/10, 5/11) English Language Arts (ELA) for Grades 6, 7, and 8 – (5/16, 5/17) Make-Up Testing – (5/12, 5/15, 5/18, 5/19, 5/22, 5/23) Students are permitted and encouraged to use their own wired headphones/earbuds for testing (WIRELESS NOT PERMITTED). Students should bring their wired headphones/earbuds to each testing session. If students do not bring wired headphones/earbuds they will be provided. No student is to be in possession of a cell phone, smartwatch, or any electronic device during a testing session. All students will be testing on their school-issued Chromebook. Please make sure it is fully charged on all testing days.  It is imperative that on testing days, students come to school rested, be on time, take the test, and give their very best effort. Thank you for your continued support. Joseph A. Short Principal, Colonia Middle School 

Colonia Middle School Families, Colonia Middle School’s cafeteria kitchen will be receiving a full renovation for the 2023-24 school year. Renovations to the kitchen will begin on April 28th and will continue through the summer. During this time, Pomptonian will deliver all meals and will utilize a temporary food service line. A full & complete lunch will be available daily which also includes fruits & vegetables from the farm stand as well as milk. In addition to the daily dish, there will be popular choices amongst students that include pizza, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, sandwiches and vegetarian options that will be available daily. These choices are indicated at the bottom of the Pomptonian lunch menu. Breakfast will still be served and consist of grab-and-go meals. Best regards, Joseph A. Short Principal, Colonia Middle School

Colonia Middle School Parents & Guardians, The New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) is the statewide assessment for the 2022-2023 school year. This computer-based assessment covers the areas of Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy. There is a Science section for 8th grade students ONLY. Students will be testing during morning sessions based on the schedule below: Science for Grade 8 ONLY – (5/1, 5/2, 5/4, 5/5) Math for Grades 6, 7, and 8 – (5/9, 5/10, 5/11) English Language Arts (ELA) for Grades 6, 7, and 8 – (5/16, 5/17) Make-Up Testing – (5/12, 5/15, 5/18, 5/19, 5/22, 5/23) Students are permitted and encouraged to use their own wired headphones/earbuds for testing (WIRELESS NOT PERMITTED). Students should bring their wired headphones/earbuds to each testing session. If students do not bring wired headphones/earbuds they will be provided. No student is to be in possession of a cell phone, smartwatch, or any electronic device during a testing session. All students will be testing on their school-issued Chromebook. Please make sure it is fully charged on testing days. Our goal for this year is to maximize results for both our Math and ELA scores, as well as, achieve our highest possible student participation rate. For schools that fail to achieve 95 percent participation, any student below the 95 percent threshold will therefore be counted as “not proficient” in the calculation of proficiency rates even though they did not take the exam. For this reason, it is imperative that on testing days students come to school rested, be on time, take the test, and give their very best effort. Thank you for your continued support. 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 relaxing Spring Break. The students have been working hard and we hope they enjoy their time off. I am pleased to report that 78% of our students made the Honor Roll for Marking Period 3.  School resumes on Monday, April 17, 2023.  Thank you for your continued support. Best regards, Joseph A. Short Principal, Colonia Middle School

EARLY DISMISSAL: ONLY Elementary & Middle Schools will follow the early dismissal plan on Tuesday, March 14. Grades 6 thru 8 will be dismissed at 12:45 pm; Grades K thru 5 will be dismissed at 1:10 pm; Pre K morning classes will be dismissed at 11:30 am; and, the Pre K pm classes will be held from 10:30 am - 1:10 pm

All schools will follow the early dismissal plan for Monday, March 6. Grades 9-12 will be dismissed at 12:10 pm; Grades 6-8 will be dismissed at 12:45 pm; Grades K-5 will be dismissed at 1:10 pm; PreK am classes dismissed at 11:30 am; PreK pm classes held from 10:30 am - 1:10 pm.

The Woodbridge Township Board of Education has adopted the 2023-2024 student calendar. Click here https://5il.co/1pex4

CMS Message from Principal Short: Colonia Middle School Families, As we approach the end of our First Semester next week, I wanted to express my appreciation to our entire school community. I have developed a personal catchphrase, “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. Here are a few reminders: Monday, January 30th – Last Day of Marking Period 2/Semester 1 Tuesday, January 31st – First Day of Marking Period 3/Semester 2 Friday, February 3rd – MP 2 Report Cards available on Parent Access at 8 AM We are participating in the township-wide “Have-A-Heart” food drive to support our local food banks. We are encouraging students to bring in non-perishable food items to homeroom up until 2/15/23. Thank you and enjoy your NFL Championship Game Weekend. Joseph A. Short Principal, Colonia Middle School (732) 396-7000 joseph.short@woodbridge.k12.nj.us

Colonia Middle School Families, On behalf of our entire staff, we would like to wish our families a safe and relaxing Fall Break. The students have had an outstanding first two months and we hope they enjoy their time off. School resumes on Monday, November 14, 2022. Marking Period 1 Report Cards will be available on the Genesis Parent Access at 8:00 am on Friday, November 18th. Best regards, Joseph A. Short Principal, Colonia Middle School

Please review the attached letter from Kendell Ali regarding the New Jersey School Climate Improvement Survey which will be administered to the students in the month of November. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Jaclyn Stracensky via email at jaclyn.stracensky@woodbridge.k12.nj.us or via telephone at (732)396-7012. https://5il.co/1jy0a

The CMS girls softball playoff game scheduled for today (10/17) against WMS has been postponed until tomorrow, Tuesday, October 18, 2022. The CMS girls softball team will have a practice after school today (10/17) until 4:30 pm.

The CMS girls softball playoff game will be played at CMS on Monday, 10/17. The game will match Woodbridge (#3) against CMS (#2); Both the Baseball and Softball CHAMPIONSHIP games will be played at CMS on Wednesday, 10/19

The Middlesex County Magnet Schools will be holding an information session at JFKMHS Thursday, October 13th at 6:30 PM in the auditorium. The presentation will review the Career Programs available in each Magnet School, the application process, and an overview of the Program Offerings. The target audience is for 8th grade families, but all families in grade 6-8 are welcome to attend.