ATTENDANCE MATTERS: As we look ahead to the upcoming holiday season, remember to plan your vacation weeks around the school calendar so that attendance stays strong! A student who misses 10% or more days of school are considered chronically absent. If your family is struggling with attendance, and you are having trouble getting someone to school, you can reach out to our district Dean of Students and Attendance for help.
Cranston Public Schools Mission Statement: The Mission of the Cranston Public Schools is, through collaboration with the entire community, to deliver a high-quality, aligned and evidence-based instructional system that is accessible and responsive to diverse learners, which is supported by finances and facilities for the 21st Century and promotes student achievement and success through active learning and personalization.
Cranston Public Schools Vision Statement: The vision of the Cranston Public Schools is to continue to build and support an educational community that:
*Reflects the diversity of all stakeholders including students, families, educators, as well as civic and community partners. *Allows students to direct their own learning, monitor progress and set goals. Implements high-quality aligned and evidence-based curricula which meets the needs of all learners through personalization. *Provides facilities that are flexible, clean, safe, and conducive to an aligned instructional system and responsive to the needs of diverse 21st century learners. *Works together in order to instill a sense of pride and purpose in our students, in schools that instill a sense of belonging and excitement.
Social Media Policy for Site Visitors: Our Social Media Policy for Site Visitors can be found on our district website. Please be sure to take a look.
Come Work With Us! Our Transportation Department is hiring! We are in need of drivers and monitors. Please reach out to Robert Fitzgerald or Catherine Perez (Spanish speaking) at [email protected].
If you would like to join our Cranston Public Schools community you can find job opportunities on our website here. We are hiring a wide variety of positions. You can also visit SchoolSpring for a more comprehensive list of openings. Come and be a part of building Cranston's Future, one child and one school at a time.
News from our student journalists: Thanks to our students at East and West for their contributions to our district news. Click to hear Episode 8 of the TSM podcast from Thunderbolt Sports Media (TSM) at East read on to see the latest articles from CHSW's West Wind and West Watch: Mock Trial, Athletics and Spirit Week.
NEWS FROM AES: Our third high school, the Apprenticeship Exploration School, or AES is our public charter high school. AES students have the opportunity to have a comprehensive high school academic program in a small school setting, while being trained and prepared to work in heavy highway construction or to enroll in our travel and tourism CTE program. Our students are ready for an apprenticeship, a career, or their college experience upon graduation. Check out the website here.
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Veteran's Day, No School
11/13/2023
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No School, Thanksgiving Recess, November 23-24, 2023
11/23/2023
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HOW CAN WE HELP YOU? Check out all of the links to resources you might need in the list below. Don't see something you need? Reach out to your teacher or building administrator and let them know so that we can direct you to the help you need.
Affordable Internet: Is your family in need of affordable internet? "The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) helps to ensure that families can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more. The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month towards internet and eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 towards the purchase price." Learn more here.
Adult Education: Are you or someone you know in need of adult education? You can find programs all over the state here, and note that you'll find our Cranston Public Schools adult education program on the list.
Looking for a tutor: Are you looking for some extra help for your child? Check out tutor.com for free tutoring options made possible through our partnerships.
Clothes for school: Clothes to Kids RI is offering qualifying families in need from grades K-12 or working toward their GED the opportunity to shop for free clothes. Families who are in crisis due to natural disaster, poverty, homelessness, or displacement can qualify. Each child will receive 5 tops, 4 bottoms, 5 new underwear, 5 pair new socks, a pair of shoes and a coat. For more information, hours, guidelines and eligibility, click here.
STAY IN THE LOOP! If you've read this far down in the newsletter, that means you are utilizing one of our many means of communications here in Cranston Public Schools and we are grateful to you! This Family Message goes out each Friday afternoon, recapping our week and giving you a heads up to anything coming up on the horizon. Additionally, you can check out our newly designed website, our mobile app, and find us on social media ( LinkedIN, Instagram, (X(formerly Twitter), and Facebook). We always encourage you to look to us for your news in order to make sure that the information you are getting is correct.
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November 3, 2023
Dear parents and guardians,
It's hard to believe that November has arrived so quickly. We have lots of great events coming up this month! Whether it's athletics, theater, the Park View Veterans Day 5K, or musical performances, our school district is vibrant and active and offers something for everyone both during and outside of the school day.
To support our families in being able to stay well, we still have several flu shot clinics throughout the district in November. Be sure to check out the Mark Your Calendars section for our school-based flu shot clinics as well as our other community events.
Questions about our school lunch program and application process?
Cindy Cabrera is the Cranston Public Schools School Lunch Liaison and speaks Spanish. Ms. Cabrera helps families who would like to fill out the school lunch application for free or reduced lunch pricing, or who may have already filled it out but haven’t heard back, or who would like to pay for their school lunch bill.
Effective October 16th any family that has not submitted an updated School Lunch application has been changed to a status of “paid” and will no longer have free or reduced lunch pricing.
If you are in need of assistance with school lunch applications or payments, please contact Ms. Cabrera at [email protected] or 401-270-8142.
Free and reduced lunch pricing are available by filling out a free, confidential application. Learn more about the pricing and the application process by clicking on any of the links to resources below:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
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Review our Inclement Weather/Early Dismissal procedures here.
- Please read and be sure you understand the Student-Family Handbook (Spanish here) guidelines for being able to participate in school events. Remember that there are academic, attendance, and behavioral expectations that are upheld all throughout the school year in order to be able to participate in any of the special events taking place. We do not ever want anyone to miss out!
- Security Protocols: Although we cannot disclose the specific details of our security measures to the public, we cannot emphasize enough how important it is for our families to embrace and follow our security protocols every day, all year long, even if you may think they are inconvenient to you or to those picking up your children. We have them available here for you to read here. Familiarize yourself with our procedures, be ready to follow them, and be sure that your emergency care cards are up to date and accurate. Make sure that anyone listed as being allowed to pick up your children on your emergency care card is ready to follow them as well. Without exception, no one will be allowed to pick up a child if they are not listed on the emergency care card.
Sincerely,
The Cranston Public Schools Leadership Team |
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Easy online School Lunch Application
Be sure to fill yours out now!
Read More...
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ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A...
We hope you've been studying! This week's question is an eighth-grade selected response question from the 2023 ELA RICAS test. You can click on the link to see the question and the correct answer. For reference, our eighth-grade students are approximately 13 years old.
Speaking of studying, for those studying for the SAT, the information below from the RI Department of Education about tutor.com may be helpful to you.
NEWS FROM RI DEPT. OF EDUCATION:
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Important Notice about FAFSA! FAFSA DELAYED FOR 2023. Receive FAFSA updates: FAFSA Notification.
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Tutor.com Can Help High Schoolers on Their Paths to College
Are your high schoolers preoccupied with the SAT or ACT? The score is a key component of the college admissions process. Check out Tutor.com’s SAT/ACT Essentials service (includes full-length practice tests, test-taking strategy videos and more), free with AskRI.org’s Tutor.com service. SAT/ACT Essentials, powered by the world leader in test prep, The Princeton Review, will give students the edge they need to reach their target score. Tutor.com is FREE 7 days a week to all Rhode Island students via AskRI.org, Rhode Island’s Online Resource Center.
Opportunities for students
The Huddle Center has shared several opportunities for families to attend events and access important resources during the month of November. You can see those opportunities here.
November is STEAM Month! RI Dept. of Education has shared this calendar of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics family events.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest: The State of Rhode Island Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission presents the annual essay contest. Entries must be from Rhode Island middle and high school students. Four winners will be chosen. Prizes of $100 for first place and $50 for second place will be awarded for each level. The entry deadline is Friday, December 15, 2023. Essay prompts for middle and high school students can be found in the contest rules here. Permission forms can be downloaded here. Students will read their submissions at school and at the annual MLK State Commission Ceremony on Monday, January 15, 2024.
Write Rhode Island Short Fiction Contest Write Rhode Island is a short fiction competition for Rhode Island students in grades 7-12. The competition is open to all public, private, parochial or home-school students throughout the Ocean State. Winners in various categories by grade level will receive prizes, awards, and an opportunity to be published. Write Rhode Island guidelines for submission are simple, it must be a work of fiction by a RI student in grades 7-12 and incorporate Rhode Island in some way. Stories can be submitted online November 20 through midnight on December 10, 2023. Winners will be announced in February 2024.
Additional information and full competition guidelines can be found on their website.
How has Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) inspired me? Essay/Art Contest
Roger Williams University School of Law announces RBG Contest for K-12 Students - Rhode Island elementary, middle, and high school students are invited to submit drawings, essays on how iconic U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has inspired them. Details may be found here. Contest Deadline: Thursday, February 1, 2024 by 5:00 PM EST. [email protected]
Enter the 17th Annual Create-a-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest: Would you like your artwork featured by the leading publisher of premium quality cards in the United States? Here's your chance! The Gallery Collection formally invites high school and college students to enter the 17th Annual Create-A-Greeting Card $10,000 contest. Students can design a greeting card for the opportunity to win a $10,000 scholarship and $1,000 for their school. Plus, the winning entry will be made into a bona fide greeting card by The Gallery Collection. To learn more about the contest, official rules, and FAQs, visit the Gallery Connection's website.
Gammbassadors (Youth Ushers) Program Kicks Off Second Year at The Gamm Theatre
Are you a high school student who loves theater? If so, you can learn about professional theater and see shows for FREE — plus earn community service hours. It's easy and fun! For details, click the link below. Gammbassadors must be aged 16-18 and willing to fulfill the same roles as any other usher: scanning tickets, directing patrons in the lobby and the theater, stuffing and/or passing out programs, seating patrons, and answering patrons' questions. In return, you have the option to earn community service hours and see Gamm productions for free! Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Lauryn Sasso at 401-723-4266 x 163 or email [email protected] with any questions and to let us know if you want to earn community service credits. Performance Dates: Hangmen Nov 2 - 26, 2023, It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play Dec 9 - 24, 2023, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Jan 25 - Feb 18, 2024, Twelfth Night Mar 21 - April 14, 2024, Doubt: A Parable May 9 - June 2, 2024. More information is available on their website.
GOOD NEWS!
We look forward to spotlighting all of the good news that happens throughout the year. This section becomes one of our longest sections of the newsletter as the school year goes on!
Congratulations to: us! Did you know that Cranston Public Schools was recently recognized as one of Niche's Best School Districts in Rhode Island? The rankings are derived from a variety of information sources including student and family input and data from sources such as the US Department of Education. Cranston ranked #19 out of 40 ranked districts and public charter schools. Additionally, our district's rising test scores were also highlighted in this Cranston Herald article. All of that and our recent Blue Ribbon School designation for Woodridge Elementary School only pushes us to keep working harder and achieving more!
Congratulations to: the school community at Rhodes Elementary School who recently welcomed an in-"person" visit from their mascot, Crusty the Horseshoe Crab. The school was very grateful to be able to use Feinstein program funding to purchase their mascot. Back in 2017 the school community voted to change their mascot to one with a particularly local connection, the horseshoe crab. You can read all about that here and see photos of Crusty's arrival at the school last week here.
Congratulations to: CHSW girls volleyball player Olivia Venagro, who was chosen as this week's Cranston Herald Athlete of the Week for her part in the team's recent win over North Smithfield . Read more about Olivia here.
Congratulations to: several of the CHSE and CHSW athletic teams who are featured in this Cranston Herald article highlighting recent team accomplishments.
Congratulations to: the CHSW girls volleyball team who is spotlighted in this Cranston Herald article as they advance to the DII playoffs. Good luck to the team!
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
We look forward to being able to spotlight our recent grads in the news throughout the year!
WELLNESS CORNER
Did you know that practicing gratitude is good for your mental health AND your physical health? The American Heart Association has shared these tips as part of their Healthy for Good initiative that you can practice as a family to increase not only your feelings of gratitude, but your overall physical wellness too.
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FOR
FAMILIES OF KIDS UNDER 18
Kids’ Link RI™ is a behavioral health triage service and referral network. A program offered in collaboration with Gateway Healthcare, Lifespan, Hasbro Children's Hospital and Bradley Hospital, Kids’ Link RI is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help triage children and youth in need of mental health services and refer them to treatment providers.The free, confidential phone line, 1-855-543-5465, connects parents and caregivers to an experienced clinician that can help them access children’s services in Rhode Island, and determine the best place to go for treatment and counseling.
Contact Kids’ Link RI™ if your child is: Feeling excessive anger or sadness, lashing out at siblings, friends, and adults, having behavior problems at school, having severe worries, or hurting himself/herself or others.
Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse
Resources for anyone 18+
BH LINK is A comprehensive program intended to serve those individuals 18+ who are experiencing behavioral health crises (mental health and/or substance use) by establishing a community-based, 24/7 hotline and triage center.
BH LINK Provides immediate access to behavioral healthcare in a community-based, 24/7 facility, ensures stability, provides seamless transfer to ongoing care, and reduces unnecessary use of hospital-based services, and delivers better, more cost-effective behavioral healthcare in Rhode Island.
BH Link Hotline, (414-LINK; 414-5465): a one-stop, statewide 24/7 call-in center that connects people to appropriate care and resources, when they or someone they care about is experiencing a behavioral healthcare crisis
BH Link Triage Center: a 24/7 community-based walk-in/drop-off facility where clinicians connect people to
immediate, stabilizing emergency behavioral health services, and long-term care and recovery supports.
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