Our third marking period has come to an end. Grades 5-8 will receive their report cards Tuesday, April 12. Gr. 5-8 summer school information will also be going home Tuesday, along with our school's NCLB report card.

As always, please review the card carefully. Praise your child if he/she did well. Encourage your child to do better if he/she did not do as well. If your grades 5-8 students need more help, they have the option of attending the after school programs sponsored by Title I and GEARUP every Tuesday and Thursday (grades 5, 6 and 8) and every Monday and Wednesday (grade 7). Contact your child's teacher(s)to make a phone or in-person appointment (978)441-3707 if you have questions or concerns.

Assuming there are no more snow days, the last report card will be issued for all students on the last day of school, Monday, June 20. Our last CMS Grade 8 Recognition Ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Friday evening, June 17 in our Theatre.

Our school's No Child Left Behind Behind school report card is going home Tuesday with all students. This information tells us what we did well in as a school and what we need to do to improve. We take this report seriously. The staff and I are doing our best to make needed improvements.

In addition to report cards, Gr. 5-8 summer school information will also be going home on Tuesday. Please review this gold sheet to see what you child needs to do over the last marking period in order to avoid going to summer school.

Our annual spring vacation will be next week April 18-22. We hope our students and families enjoy this time off. We would like to suggest that families where possible spend this time together visiting educational sites in and around Greater-Lowell and Boston. There are plenty of libraries, museums and educational sites that are available to enjoy. In the mean time, we encourage all our students to stay safe.

Our last MicroSociety Night and Ethnic Dinner at CMS is sheduled for Tuesday, May 4, 6:00-8:00 PM. The Ethnic Dinner will precede Micro Night and start at 6:00 PM. Micro Night will start at 6:45 PM. Families who attend the dinner should be prepared to bring a family-size dish from their culture or another culture to share with other families. Closer to this date a flyer will be sent home to parents to suggest what you may bring to the Dinner. Students MUST come with an adult for the dinner. They may come without an adult for Micro Night at 6:45 PM. Let Mrs. Sok (978) 441-3707 know if you can help out in any way.

On Wednesday April 27, there will be a School Site Council meeting at 4:45 pm in the conference room. Thanks to Carrie Johnson, Danezza Torres, Diane Goyette for representing the parents on the School Site Council. If you are interested in becoming a member, we have another slot available. Let Mr. Malone or Mrs. Sok know (978)441-3707.

On Monday April 25, the 2nd and 5th graders will be involved in a dental screening program offered by the City of Lowell Health Department. The dental screening will provide a brief, non-threatening examination of your child's teeth using a disposable mirror and explorer. The program coordinator will send a report on your child's dental condition home to you. If your child needs dental treatment, you will also receive information about affordable dental screening.

On Saturday, April 16, 2005 there will be a Cambodian New Year Celebration at the South Common Park (Behind the Rogers Middle School). The celebration will host performances, traditional games, arts and craft and more by Khmer Cultural Preservation. The event is held from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF OUR CAMBODIAN FAMILIES!!

There will be a FREE parents education series offered at Lowell High School that is open to all LPS parents. Contact LHS 978-937-8900 for more info. The schedule will be:
Adolescent Substance Abuse
Tuesday, April 12, 2005, 6:30pm-8:00pm. Presented by Daniel Jacobs, Psy.D.

Helping Children Deal with Divorce
Tuesday, May 17, 2005, 6:30-8:00pm. Presented by Maxine Weinreb, Ph.D.

Parents/Guardians of 6th Grade Students should watch for immunization and physical reminders to be sent home with your child over the next couple of months. Massachusetts State Law requires that children in grades K-4-7 & 10 have physical examinations. Many of our 6th grade students are overdue for immunizations. Notices will be sent home in March, April, & May. Students who do not meet 7th grade immunizations requirements will be excluded as of the first day of school 2005/2006.. If your child just needs a physical exam please send in updated form.

Your cooperation in this matter is appreciated and it will avert your child from having to miss school unnecessarily. If you have any questions please contact our school nurse, Cynthia T. Cisowski,at 978-441-3707.

Please save all General Mills "Box Tops for Education". We are also a registered school with the Hannaford General Mills coupon promotion. When you shop at any Hannaford/Shop N Save store, please get the General Mills coupons from the cashier and write our school's name (McDonough City Magnet School)and send them and/or box tops into school.

We would also like to let you know that we have registered with Verizon Extra Credit for Schools program. This extra credit for schools, sponsored by Verizon Long Distance, benefits public and private K-12 schools that have been registered for the program. Verizon Long Distance makes quarterly cash donations to schools nominated by customers who participate in the Extra Credit for Schools program. This program is for new and existing Verizon Long Distance customers. So, if a person already has Verizon Long Distance, all they have to do is call 1-877-X-CREDIT(1-877-927-3348) and give the name of the school they would like the 5% to go to. If you are not a Verizon Long Distance customer, you could also call 1-877-X-CREDIT to sign up for the Verizon Long Distance and for the Extra Credit for Schools program.

Every other Monday we send home with your child our version of the school's MicroSociety news--MICROWAVES. Make sure you ask your child for it. You can also read MICROWAVES online at our school's web site cms.smartedu.net (click on enews)