9/18/26

 

🍎It was so nice to see so many of you at Open House!  I hope you enjoyed having the time to meet your child's teacher and to see their classroom! 

⚽👟🏈We had an exciting week in TPS sports this week!  Our first ever Lady Warriors soccer team started their season on Monday! The team is coached by Renee Nelson and our home games are played at Krashes Field.  Be sure to check out the schedule on the TPS calendar and come cheer them on!  The TPS Cross Country team also had their first meet yesterday!  Coached by Jonnie Coutu, the team is already making waves in the cross country world!  Eight of our middle school boys are playing for the Wachusett District Middle School Football Team and they started their season yesterday with a win! There is so much to be excited for in middle school sports this fall!

🐾Meet Roxy, our school’s certified therapy dog! Roxy is a 3-year-old English Labrador Retriever who will be visiting our school periodically to provide comfort, encouragement, and a little extra joy throughout the school day. Her handler is Mrs. Kristoff, our school’s MTSS Intervention Teacher. Roxy is a certified therapy dog through Therapy Dogs United. You can spot her wearing a blue vest. 

    Roxy is a friendly and loving pup who enjoys swimming, cuddling, playing, and of course, treats! During her visits, students may have opportunities to spend some time with Roxy as part of our school’s efforts to support student well-being and create positive connections at school. Roxy Time will also be available for purchase through the Prince Plaza.

    If you have any information that we should be aware of regarding your child and Roxy, please feel free to reach out to the school nurse at Jocelyn_Martin@wrsd.net.

    We are so excited to have Roxy as part of our school community and look forward to sharing some special moments with our students!

🏥A Note from Nurse Jocelyn: 

State Mandated Hearing, Vision, and Height/Weight screenings will take place on October 7th and 8th.  The following grades will be screened:

Grades K, 2, & 3: vision and hearing 

Grades 1 & 7: vision, hearing, height, and weight

Grade 4: vision, height, and weight 

Grade 5:  vision

Please complete this Google Form, if you wish to OPT OUT your student from any or all of the screenings.  If you do not opt out, your student will be screened according to their grade.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding the screening, please call or email me at 978-464-5507 or jocelyn_martin@wrsd.net

🎨A Note from Mrs. Finkler about the Square One Art Fundraiser:

Dear families,

Your talented artists have been creating artwork for you, which you will see soon in their personalized catalog, coming home in late October or early November. This is an annual fundraiser to raise extra funds for the art room. You will be able to order timeless keepsakes to cherish for years to come. Check out Square1art.com/shop for gift ideas. 

👀Please read the message below from the PTA: 

Hello from the PTA,

• We hope you'll join us for our first PTA meeting of the school year: Tuesday, September 22nd at 6PM in the TPS Library or via Zoom. All are welcome! 
• Spirit Wear Flash Sale runs through Tuesday, September 22nd. Shop the sale, show your spirit, and support TPS! Order here.  
• We're looking for volunteers to help staff our table at Princeton Touch-a-Truck in the afternoon on Saturday, September 26th. Sign up here!
• Interested in getting involved? If you haven't already returned the paper copy, please feel free to fill out the volunteer registration form. 
• Follow the TPS Princeton PTA Facebook page to stay up to date. This is open to all TPS families - no PTA membership required to join and follow along!

Thank you for your support!

-The TPS PTA Board

Have a great weekend!

       Electronic Blue Folder

Looking Ahead:

• Monday (9/21) - E Day
• Girls Soccer Game - Krashes Field @ 3:30
• Tuesday (9/22) - F Day
• PTA Meeting @ 6:00-7:00 (TPS Library or  Zoom)
• Wednesday (9/23) - A Day
• Girls Soccer Game - Mountview @ 3:30
• Thursday (9/24) - B Day
• Middle School Football Game - Tyngsboro @ 6:00
• Friday (9/25) - C Day
• Wear your TPS gear or red/white/black!

9/11/26

🏫Next Thursday, 9/17, is Open House!  Come in, meet your child's teacher, take a walk around TPS, see their classroom!  Don't forget this opportunity is not meant for parent conferences, those will be happening in October! The times for each grade level are below: 

k/3 5:30-6:30

1/2 6:00-7:00

4/5 6:30-7:30

6/7/8 6:00-6:15 middle school presentation in the cafe and 6:15-7:00 visit rooms

specialists 5:30-6:30

special ed 6:00-7:00

👟Still looking for Girls on the Run participants! Students in grades 3-5 are welcome to sign up! More information is in the Electronic Blue Folder! I've had a few parents ask me - it isn't just running. Honestly, a lot of it is community building, growth mindset and confidence building... and a lot of fun!

🏀Check out the Electronic Blue Folder for new flyers! This week I have added Wachusett Travel Basketball try out information! Don't forget the TPS Spirit Wear flyer is in there too!

👋This week we welcomed Nurse Jocelyn to TPS. Please find her welcome message in the Electronic Blue Folder.

😎Don't forget to follow us at @tpswarriors on Instagram! Ms. Nowd in the STEAM Classroom has an account too - @nowdsteamtps! Mrs. Robichaud (7/8 math) posts on @robichaudmathtps!

👀Please see the message below from the Director of Student Support, Ace Thompson.

Dear Wachusett Parent/Guardian,      

In order to learn more about student experiences at school, we will be asking for your child’s feedback via an online survey that they will be completing at school. The WRSD will administer a student Universal Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Survey to all students in grades 3 through 12 at two separate points across this school year. The survey windows will occur in the Fall between October 5-23, 2026, and in the Spring between March 1-19, 2027.

The Student SEL Survey was developed by Panorama Education and is utilized by your child’s school as a universal screener to help gather information about students’ perceptions of their competencies and perceptions of SEL supports and their environment. School staff will have the ability to explore the results with interactive reports and identify actionable strategies to build students’ SEL skills both individually and collectively. The survey is widely used in school districts nationwide to gather information about:

• Self-efficacy

• Self-management

• SEL Competencies

• Well-being

• Supports and Environment

The information gathered through the survey will be used to review WRSD’s SEL programming and make improvements designed to increase student SEL skills, which are critical to school, career, and life success.  

You have the right to inspect the survey.  The survey, as well as additional information, is available on the Office of Student Support website and can be accessed by clicking this LINK.   

We are asking that all of our students participate in the surveys, as their feedback will provide invaluable insights into their experiences and how we can improve and adapt our district to their needs; however, you may elect that your child not participate in taking the Panorama Student Survey this academic year. To opt out, you must complete the Opt Out Form by Friday, September 25, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. The Opt Out Form is available by clicking this LINK. If you elect to opt out of having your child complete the surveys, they will be provided an academic activity during the 15 to 20 minute administration time while other students are completing the survey. 

If you have any questions about the survey administration, please don’t hesitate to contact me or Ace Thompson, Director of Student Support, at ace_thompson@wrsd.net or (508) 829-1670 ext. 1253. 

Sincerely,

Ace Thompson

Director of Student Support

Have a great weekend!

       Electronic Blue Folder

Looking Ahead:

• Monday (9/14) - F Day
• FIRST Girls Soccer Game - Dudley Charlton @ 3:45
• Tuesday (9/15) - A Day
• Wednesday (9/16) - B Day
• Girls Soccer Game - Krashes Field @ 3:45
• Thursday (9/17) - C Day
• Open House!  (see schedule above for the time)
• Cross Country Meet - Chocksett @ 3:30
• Friday (9/18) - D Day
• Wear your TPS gear or red/white/black!

9/4/26

😁Friday mornings are fun around here.  We welcome the PFD and the PPD to join in on High Five Fridays and they love it too!  Last year we started the weekly tradition and it continues this year!  We even have fun music playing at both the front entrance for parent drop off and in the back at the bus lobby!  What better way to start the last day of the week than with a pep in your step and an opportunity to dance! 

⭐Just a reminder to fill out those electronic emergency/medical forms in Powerschool please! Thanks!

👫Extended Day Update: Good news!  We are well on our way to staffing the program!  At this point, I am thinking we would be able to start offering the program the week of 10/5.   I will be keeping families updated if we are able to start it a week earlier.  Please know I  recognize how inconvenient this is for families and I am sorry!  I am celebrating that people finally applied! I will be in touch with how to enroll/sign up soon, so keep an eye out!

👉I am looking for School Council members! The School Council meets one Monday every month. You may be asking, "well, what is the School Council?" Basically you'd be joining  a school advisory/shared planning group made up of teachers, admin, community members and parents.  We discuss school needs, establish priorities, and plan and/or celebrate the growth and progress of TPS!  Send me an email at bethanne_difonso@wrsd.net if you are interested in joining!  Thanks in advance!

🛻Just a reminder about parent drop off!  Drop off begins at 8:05. Doors close at 8:25 when school officially begins. If you arrive after 8:25, please walk your child in and say "Good Morning" to Mr. Cormier as you sign your Warrior in late. Also, please don't drop your child off in any other part of the parking lot unless you are going to walk them across to the entrance. I just want to make sure everyone arrives to school safely. :-)

👟Attention parents of girls in grades 3-5!  Thomas Prince is excited to announce our partnership with the Girls on the Run Program!  Girls on the Run not only provides an opportunity for elementary-aged girls to develop a love for running, while working on growth mindset, confidence and team building!  The flyer to sign up is in the Electronic Blue Folder (and looks like the picture to the left).  The coaches for this program will be Marci Driscoll (our OT) and Kaydi Barber (our 6th grade special ed teacher).  Both have experience with this program and are very excited! We will need 2 additional coaches! If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to me!  I am so excited that we are able to provide another after school experience for our elementary-aged students! 

👀Keep an eye out for the Spirit Wear flyer coming home on Tuesday! You can also find it in the Electronic Blue Folder! We wear TPS gear most Fridays, so you'll get your money's worth!

Have a great long weekend!

                                                                Electronic Blue Folder

Looking Ahead:

• Monday (9/7) - NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday (9/8) - B Day
• Wednesday (9/9) - C Day
• Thursday (9/10) - D Day
• Friday (9/11) - E Day
• Wear red, white and blue!

Save the Date!

9/17 - Open House  (5:30-7:30 with details to come) 

9/22 - PTA Meeting

8/28/26

 

😊It was a great first week back! It was SO good to see everyone's smiling face and hear all about summer adventures.  

👀We have so many new TPS families this year!  I wanted to explain what the Electronic Blue Folder is and where you can find it.  The Electronic Blue Folder is a digital folder that contains all handouts and flyers that would have been sent home as a paper copy back when we were kids!  The link to the folder can be found at the bottom of every one of these Warrior Wrap-Up posts.  

📸Mark your calendars! Picture Day is 9/3 - that's next Wednesday! The flyer for purchasing online is in the Electronic Blue Folder, but paper copies will be sent home next week. 

👟Attention parents of girls in grades 3-5!  Thomas Prince is excited to announce our partnership with the Girls on the Run Program!  Girls on the Run not only provides an opportunity for elementary-aged girls to develop a love for running, while working on growth mindset, confidence and team building!  The flyer to sign up is in the Electronic Blue Folder (and looks like the picture to the left).  The coaches for this program will be Marci Driscoll (our OT) and Kaydi Barber (our 6th grade special ed teacher).  Both have experience with this program and are very excited! We will need 2 additional coaches! If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to me!  I am so excited that we are able to provide another after school experience for our elementary-aged students! 

⭐IMPORTANT: A reminder about two things we need you to do for your child/children on Powerschool. Please take the time to go through and fill out all of the forms. We have many who have not yet filled out the new electronic emergency card and haven't either granted or denied photo taking.  Please follow the directions sent out by the District below. Thank you!

PAPER Emergency Cards have been replaced by two electronic forms in PowerSchool:

Contact Information WRSD Health Information

These forms are essential to ensuring that our schools have accurate and up-to-date information to support your child’s health, safety, and well-being throughout the school year. The forms include important information such as:

Guardian and emergency contact information Authorized school pickup information Student health and medical information update Medication update Parent/guardian permissions for the administration of medications, when applicable

Please complete both forms as soon as possible. It is especially important that families review and update this information each year and whenever there is a change to your contact information, authorized pickup persons, or your child’s health needs. You will find Forms in the left hand menu on the PowerSchool website or in the More menu if using the PowerSchool mobile app.

👍Meet our newest Warrior Staff Members!

Meet Peter Weisman, our new 7/8 special education teacher!  Peter grew up in Princeton and even went to Thomas Prince!  Peter joins TPS with a lot of special education experience, beginning as a residential case worker, teaching special education at You Inc. and most recently working as an middle/high school special ed teacher at the Robert Goddard Academy in Worcester. We are excited about the experience that Peter will bring to TPS!  Peter's starts on Monday!

Meet Jocelyn Martin, our new school nurse!  You may recognize Jocelyn as a Princeton resident whose kids (Katherine, Amelia and Abigail) came through TPS!  Jocelyn joins us from Paxton Center School
where she has made a huge impact from the health office. We are excited to welcome Jocelyn to TPS!  During the transition, we are so happy to have Lavinia Hand here to support the health office and our students!

👋Please see the message below from the TPS PTA!

Hello from the PTA,

We hope you had an incredible summer! We're excited to be back in action! A few quick updates to start the school year:

• We're looking for business sponsors for our fall Calendar Raffle fundraiser. Learn more here and please be in touch if you'd like to donate. The fundraiser kicks off at the end of September - more to come!
• Join us for our first PTA meeting of the school year: Tuesday, September 22nd at 6PM in the TPS Library or via Zoom. Come see what we're all about!
• We're looking for volunteers to help staff our table at Princeton Touch-a-Truck on Saturday, September 26th. Sign up here!
• Follow the TPS Princeton PTA Facebook page to stay up to date. This is open to all TPS families - no PTA membership required to join and follow along!

Thank you for your support. Here's to a great year!
-The TPS PTA Board

Have a great weekend!!!!

                                                                

Electronic Blue Folder

Looking Ahead:

• Monday (8/31) - D Day
• Tuesday (9/1) - NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday (9/2) - E Day
• Thursday (9/3) - F Day
• Picture Day
• Friday (9/4) - A Day
• Wear your TPS gear or red, white and/or black!

Save the Date!

9/7 - No School 

9/17 - Open House  (details to come) 

9/22 - PTA Meeting

Welcome Back August 2026

It's that time!  Back to school has crept up upon us! 

🍎Teacher assignments and middle school class schedules have been posted!  Be sure to check out Powerschool. 

👉To begin, I do have some staffing updates to share:  

Lindsay May has moved on to be a Team Chair at Mountview! We are currently working through the hiring process for her replacement. 

Nurse Karina has resigned. We are currently working through the hiring process for her replacement! 

We welcome Betsy Soderberg who joins us as a paraprofessional!  

We welcome Kendra Henrickson, our new Team Chair!  Kendra will work part time at TPS and PCS. 

👧Extended Day Update:  We are currently in the process of hiring for a coordinator and staff to work the program. As of right now, we do not have the staffing to run the program, but we are hoping that changes very soon!

👪Kindergarten Families, just a reminder that the first day for kindies is on 8/27! On 8/26, we will hold a visit to the school/mini orientation 9:15-10:15.  We'll give the students a chance to see their classrooms, give you an opportunity to ask any last minute questions, and have a little fun on the playground for a few minutes! 

👟Fifth Grade & Middle School Families, sports sign ups have been posted! Sign up HERE! We are offering a TPS Cross Country (grades 5-8), Boys and Girls Soccer Team (grades 6-8) , and the District is offering a 7/8 Football Team.   If you are registering for football, please do so on the Mountview's athletic sign up link. 

🍧Don't forget about Popsicles on the Playground tomorrow, 8/20, from 3:30-5:00. Thanks to the PTA for helping to organize it! 

A Message from the Open Space Committee: 

The Open Space Committee along with others in town are moving forward with making  the TPS trails All Person  Trails, We have applied for a ADA grant and in the meantime we plan to start to clear the trails. We are hoping to make them four or 5 feet wide and we especially need to cut back the vegetation that’s growing into the trail at this time. We are having a workday Monday, August 24 from 8:00-12:00. BRING CLIPPERS AND GLOVES!

😊See you real soon!

                                                              

Electronic Blue Folder

Looking Ahead:

• Thursday (8/20) - Popsicles on the Playground @ 3:30-5:00
• Monday (8/24) - NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday (8/25) - NO SCHOOL
• Wednesday (8/26) - A Day
• FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (grades 1-8)
• Kindergarten Visit/Mini Orientation @ 9:15
• Thursday (8/27) - B Day
• Kindergarten's 1st Day of School
• Friday (8/28) - C Day

7/31/26

 🌞I hope you are enjoying every second of your summer!  I wanted to reach out and touch base with the latest TPS news and a few reminders!

👏First, a HUGE thanks to Mr. Westerlind  and Mr. Hall (and their high school assistant, Colin) for working so hard this summer to make TPS look beautiful and clean! They have done a tremendous job and I am so grateful. 

✎Just a reminder that the school district is purchasing supplies for all students this year and parents do not need to purchase school supplies for their students!

👍I'd like to congratulate Mr. Nichols on his new position as middle school social studies teacher!  Mr. Ruppert has left TPS and has moved into a history position at the the high school!

🍎Next, I'd like to welcome a few of our new staff.  I still have some hiring to do, but at least you have the opportunity to meet our newest Warrior staff! 

Meet Sherry Trainque, our new Assistant Principal!   Sherry comes to us from the Berlin-Boylston School District where she was the Special Education Coordinator for the Berlin Memorial School and Boylston Elementary School. Sherry joins TPS with a great deal of experience in special education. She has experience teaching in both middle and high school and has a depth of knowledge in supporting all students as learners.  I am very excited at the strengths she will bring to TPS!  

Meet Katie Blake, our new middle school 7/8 science teacher!  Katie joins us from Chocksett! Katie has years of experience teaching science and has a true passion for it!  

Meet William "Billy"  Helfrich, our new 7/8 ELA teacher! Billy comes to TPS with experience teaching both middle and high school English!  Once you talk with Billy, you'll realize how much he loves teaching and being an active part of a school community!

Meet Kaydi Barber, our new 6th grade special education teacher!  Kaydi brings with her experience teaching special education in both elementary and middle school. In her interview, it was apparent that Kaydi is dedicated to seeing her students grow and succeed. 

🛝We will be having Popsicles on the Playground on August 20th at 3:30-5:00!  Join us for a cool treat and to catch up with friends before school starts! Thank you to the PTA for sponsoring this event and donating the popsicles! I'll look forward to seeing you all there!

👉A Message to Kindergarten Families: 

Hello Kindergarten Families!

We're happy to share that an informal Kindergarten Meet Up has been scheduled at the TPS Playground on Thursday, August 13th at 5PM!

Come meet other incoming kindergarteners and their parents, and chat with seasoned TPS parents who can answer your questions. It's a great chance for the incoming class to meet and play together, and for you to get any questions answered.

Popsicles provided! Feel free to reach out to Janna Millette (janna.millette@gmail.com), parent of a TPS 1st and 4th grader, with any questions.

We hope to see you there!

😀 Enjoy the last month of summer! I'll be in touch in August with any updates and some reminders!

Looking Ahead: 

August 13th @ 5:00 - Kindergarten Meet Up at the TPS Playground 

August 20th @ 3:30-5:00 - Popsicles on the Playground - Thanks PTA!

August 25th - Staff Orientation

August 26th - First Day of School Grades 1-8

August 26th (time TBD) - Kindergarten Visit/Mini Orientation - details to come

August 27th - Kindergarten's First Day of School

6/19/26

🌞Field Day was a blast and the weather was just perfect! A huge thank you to Mrs. McDonald for all
of her efforts to organize such a fun-filled day! Thank you to the many parent volunteers who helped make the day go smoothly! And thank you to the PTA for their contributions to the fun!  Overall, field day was full of smiles and laughter. We ended the day as an entire school out on the basketball court for a PBIS Assembly challenge of Party Pantaloons!  There were 8 teams which consisted of a staff member and 6 Warriors who used their Tommy Tickets to enter for a chance to participate!  The team who was able to toss the beach balls into the Party Pantaloons the quickest was the winner!  Check on the reels on the TPS Instagram to see what I mean.  It was very entertaining!

🎓This week we celebrated the 8th grade.  On Tuesday night, we held their graduation at WRHS.  On
Wednesday night we danced the night away at Harrington Farm. On Thursday they walked the TPS  halls lined with the entire school for the last time as a class and celebrated together for their last TPS field trip at Six Flags. Somewhere else during the week they signed yearbooks and played on the TPS playground for the last time as TPS Warriors! This is always an emotional time of year. It truly is bittersweet to watch a group of kids you have watched grow up over the last 9 years spread their wings and fly. We wish every single graduate the very best as they head off to high school! We will surely miss them.

⚽I know it is only June, but we are already thinking ahead to the fall. I wanted to let the families of grades 6-8 know that we are planning on having two MS Soccer teams (boys and girls)! This is SO exciting!  More information will come late summer/early fall, but I wanted to let you know now so your middle school Warrior can plan ahead! If you are interested in coaching (or know someone who is), it is not to early to reach out to me! 

📕I'd like to take a moment to thank Jessie Trowbridge and Nicole Abady for their dedication to our TPS Library. Without them and their crew of volunteers (thank you, too, volunteers!), we would not have a fully functioning library for our Warriors to access each and every day.  They volunteer their time and efforts out of the goodness of their hearts and their love for books/reading.  We are so grateful!  Check out this amazing graphic (also in the Electronic Blue Folder)that captures just how impactful our library truly is!

🏈Wachusett Youth Football is trying to field a 12U football team!  Check out their website for more information and to register. I hear they only need 6 more players to the field the team! 

😊From the PTA:

 Hello from the TPS PTA and Happy Summer!

We can’t believe the school year is coming to an end! It’s been an incredible year, and we’re so grateful for the continued support from the TPS community.

As the year comes to a close, we’d like to celebrate all that the PTA was able to support:

• Popsicles on the Playground

• Bren Bataclan’s Cafeteria Mural

• Viking Challenge Fundraiser

• Fall Mini-Grants Cycle

• Holiday Shop

• Egyptian Presentation

• Winter Mini Grant Cycle

• Community Reading Day

• Spring Movie Night

• Spring Mini Grant Cycle

• Family Glow Dance

• Craft Night

• Teacher Appreciation Week

• Caterpillar Lab

• Kindergarten Orientation

• Field Day

We were honored to support multiple celebrations throughout the year including birthdays, going-aways, retirements, and more.

We purchased the new speaker system, sponsored buses for every field trip, and supported field trips, class supplies, enrichment opportunities, recess equipment, Field Day, and more.

Thank you to our community partners and sponsors:

• Princeton Cultural Council

• Princeton Library

• The Barn

• Community Readers

• Parent & Community PTA Volunteers

And a very special thank you to Mrs. DiFonso for being an incredible partner to the PTA. We appreciate you!

Looking Ahead: Our new fall fundraiser is already underway. And we’d love your help! Please reach out if you’d like to get involved in the early planning: tpsprincetonpta@gmail.com. Through your generosity, we’re able to enrich the lives of our students, teachers, staff, and community. We couldn’t do it without your help. Happy Summer!-The TPS PTA Board

👉Be sure to check the Electronic Blue Folder for more summer opportunities!

                                                                

Electronic Blue Folder

Looking Ahead:

• Monday (6/22) - E Day
• Tuesday (6/23) - F Day LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!
• Early Release at 11:55
• Happy Summer!