CUE PTO Newsletter - DECEMBER 2025

Hold onto your hats, it’s Busy Season… There’s not a lot left of 2025, but that won’t stop us squeezing in more PTO happenings! And check out the line-up of good things to come in 2026…

(Btw click “VIEW ENTIRE MESSAGE” at the bottom of this email so you don't miss any content)

We hope you enjoyed the Fall Session of After School Extracurriculars (ASEs) - it’s already nearly time to sign up for the next Winter Session!

See a preview of activities HERE and full details soon on the After School Enrichment registration page. 

Get ready to sign up on Wednesday Dec 3.

ABOUT ASEs

CUE PTO After School Enrichment is an optional program of fun extracurricular activities for Chenery students - it's an easy, sociable way to explore a wide range of hobbies, like crochet, coding or chess. It’s also a great way to hang out with friends from other classes/teams who students may not get to see during the school day.

Registration opens on Wednesday Dec 3 at 7am. Activities start on Monday Jan 5.

How Does It Work?

How Much Does It Cost?

Financial Aid is available and easily accessible - see the PTO ASE webpage for details.

Questions? Please email us: CheneryPTOClubs@gmail.com

After cooking all those Thanksgiving sides, give yourself an excuse to order takeout this week! Head to Fiorella’s on Thursday Dec 4, they’re open 11AM-9PM.

That night is also Belmont's 'Turn On The Town' in Belmont Center - so plan your Fiorella's order to stoke up beforehand or on your way home after!

Fiorella’s will donate 15% of CUE-related proceeds to the PTO.

Just remember…

- If you call to order or dine in, mention the CUE Fundraiser

- If you order online, select the CUE Fundraiser and add it to your order before checking out

Thank you, Fiorella’s!

We’re helping our CUE Librarian spread the word about the Book Fair they’re organizing Mon Dec 8 - Fri Dec 12. Shop for books AND help raise money for our very own CUE library!

Students will have allocated time to visit during the school day. 

Parents & Caregivers, are invited to come visit and shop from end of school through 5PM every weekday that week.

To help your student make their own purchases, consider setting up an eWallet - and take a preview of books and goods on offer at the Fair, all details here:

About Chenery Scholastic Book Fair

Want To Volunteer?

If you can spare an hour any time 8AM-5.30PM to help guide students at the Book Fair during the school day or assist with check-out, please sign up below:

News of the Book Fair set us aflutter with cozy bookworm vibes - so we’ve added a special event: 

Parent Book Swap Night - WITH HOT COCOA!!

Parents and caregivers are invited to the CUE Library on Thursday December 11, 5.30-7pm.

Bring a book to swap; grab a hot cocoa for all the winter hygge feels; get chatting with other CUE community members about your book, favourite authors, Chenery life, pre-holiday season panic…. And walk away with a new book to cozy up with!

No book to swap? No worries! Just come for the hot cocoa and shop the Book Fair. We won’t be holding back with the marshmallows…

And while we’re on a Library theme…. Fourth Grade Families, please watch for an email coming your way soon so you can sign up to be Mystery Reader for your class.

There’ll be one monthly slot for each class starting in January.

You choose a book to read aloud, and submit some cryptic questions so the class can try to guess your identity - and you get to come out for the big reveal and basically feel like a celebrity to a crowd of fourth graders!

Just make sure you’ve got a valid CORI check before signing up - scroll on down for how to get yours.

Our next Coffee with Dr. Smith is another virtual version - join via Google Meet for Chenery chats:

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/zih-wqry-owp

Or dial: +1 727-697-2155 PIN: 232 760 777#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/zih-wqry-owp?pin=6681494282286

Mark your calendars and start dreaming up your project ideas!

The CUE PTO is hosting its 3rd Annual Science Fair on Tuesday Feb 3 & Wednesday Feb 4, 6:30-8PM.  

All students from 4-6th grades are welcome to present a project. You can sign up individually or as a group.

Whether you choose to present or not, the entire CUE community is invited to join some sciency fun. 

If you know you want to take part but don’t have your project idea fixed yet, you can still sign up now! The deadline for submitting the ideas part is February 1 - so don’t hold back!

We SO appreciate the generosity of all those who’ve donated - you’ve helped us raise over $10,000 which is over 40% of our fundraising goal.

Your donations are setting us up to subsidize in-school enrichment and Field Trips, organize PTO Events, fund school supplies, and more.

Every dollar donated will help us nudge this thermometer up to cover more costs and boost Chenery events. 

We’re making great progress and we can’t reach our goal without you!

SO If you’re still thinking about it, please make that next step to click and donate!

We still can’t quite believe the CUE Digital Directory launched into the CUE World!

There were highs and tech woes, but now everyone who wants to be in touch with fellow CUE Community Members can look up contact details and get planning those playdates 🙂

A reminder for accessing it…

HOW TO ACCESS YOUR DIRECTORY

🟠 If you opted in...

Contact details are listed alphabetically according to teachers' first names (so students are grouped by Homeroom).

There are also filter options to view select data - see the directory's cover tab for details.

🟠 If you opted out or didn't submit the form on PlusPortals...

The directory has not been shared with you - but you can ask for it.

🟠 If you did not receive the directory and would like to...

Please email chenerypto@gmail.com with:

- Your name

- Your child's name

- Whether you want to be included in the directory (if so, provide email(s) and phone number(s)) - or only receive a copy

🟠 If you'd like to switch your access to be linked to an alternative email address, please contact us as described above.

We will not grant access without verification.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Please treat this information with care, respecting the privacy of our community. The Digital Directory has 'View only' protections - it should not to be copied or shared.

✉️ School Newsletters

Did you notice anything different about school comms lately…?

The provider for all Belmont Public Schools’ newsletters listened to community feedback and made some improvements to the platform.

So for all your CUE (and other schools’) newsletters you can now access content and links directly (no more extra clicks to access links!) and content is now searchable (so you can type key words in your inbox to retrieve the news you need).

One more tip: with this new format, long newsletters don’t always show their full content in the email format - to be sure you don’t miss any PTO goodness, click on “VIEW ENTIRE MESSAGE” at the bottom of this email.

👍🧡 Talking Points: Emojis are good!

Sharing feedback that teachers appreciate when families respond to their Talking Points message with a heart/ thumbs up emoji.  It's a quick and easy way for teachers to know their message was seen and to acknowledge the content without requiring replies - so don’t hold back on that emoji love!

To volunteer at in-school activities (like the Book Fair, Mystery Reader, Field Day, and more!) you need an up-to-date CORI form (Criminal Offender Record Information background check).

It’s valid for 3 years - and the good news is that one form is valid across all Belmont Public Schools.

Get a form: either print yourself (BPS CORI form) or pick up a copy at CUE Main Office

Go in person with your ID (eg driver’s license, passport..) to the CUE Main Office (or to another Belmont Public School if you have children in another grade)

Submit your form, show ID, done!

If you want to check if your existing CORI check is still valid, please contact the CUE Main Office, either in person or by calling 617 993-5800 / CUE School Office Contact Details. 

Hope you’re still holding onto your hats, because there’s more PTO planning on the menu for 2026!

We’re keeping up the momentum of CUE events in the new year.

Start getting excited for…

Well, that was phat fun! Kudos for all the 90s plaid, Kris Kross reversed shirts, and healthy competitive bingo spirit in the cafeteria that Tuesday night.

Britney, MC Hammer, and the Spice Girls would have been proud - their 90s tunes brought nostalgic smiles for some (hello, parents!), some bopping for many, and victory prizes for a lucky few. And congrats to the raffle winners who walked away with Champions, Starbucks and Chocolate Dream baskets and an Underwood Pool membership, or are choosing how to spend their vouchers at Hanami, Linda’s Donuts, Number 1 Taste, Bakehaus and more local spots.

Thanks to DJ Carlo who spun the decks, to Ms Kelleher and Ms. Thayer for stepping up to the mic, and to our faithful PTO volunteers who made the whole night happen.

Thanks to those who joined for CUE updates and Q&A with Dr. Laura Smith and the PTO.

Join the next virtual versions:

Fri Dec 12, 9.15-9.45am

Fri Jan 9, 9.15-9.45am

Hope you enjoyed your pizzas, pastas and Comella’s company! Thanks for supporting the fundraiser and to Comella’s for the collab - we’ll share the total once the math is ready.

Keep up your appetites for the Fiorella Fundraiser this Thursday Dec 4, see details above!

Wishing you all a fantastic Holiday Season - see you in 2026 for more CUE collaboration and events!

- The CUE PTO Team 🐾

Cortney Eldridge (Co-President)

Sheena Patel-Roberts (Co-President)

Deepa Shakya (Vice President)

Georgina Lamont (Comms Coordinator)

Galdy Haces (Secretary)

Lee O'Neil (Treasurer)

✉️ Say hello: cheneryPTO@gmail.com

👍 Follow the CUE PTO Facebook page for news alerts

🌐 Find info and answers on the CUE PTO website

📰 Catch up on recent Newsletters

💲 Support the PTO

🧁 Contribute to the monthly Teacher Appreciation Drive