Happy Vacation!

February 16, 2024

We're excited to share that town resident Dot Odgren, with the support of staff and community members, has been awarded a $500 grant by Wild Ones' Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant. This money will go into moving our pollinator garden, currently hidden behind the baseball fields, to the other side of the building where it is more likely to thrive and attract pollinators. Wild Ones supports efforts to positively impact dwindling biodiversity. They note that in the last century alone, we’ve lost millions of acres of diverse ecosystems to urbanization. Wild Ones’ vision is to support native plants and natural landscapes in every community and the Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Program helps achieve this. Wild Ones is a nationally recognized, membership-based, non-profit organization with a mission to promote native landscapes through education, advocacy, and collaborative action. Thank you Dot Odgren, and everyone who has helped with this process! Want to get involved? They are looking for feedback on the garden project. It can be provided through this form.

I've received some questions about Middle School Math and figured if there were some, there are probably more. TPS has long had "compacted math" where select students are determined in the end of 5th grade to learn 6th and 7th grade standards. This group continues on in 7th grade to learn 7th and 8th grade standards before moving into Algebra in 8th grade. We are the only school in the district that has this practice. While it was great for accelerating some students, it had an impact on those not in the class, and due to our size, created cohorts that were tracked across content areas. Last year, we did some work on defining the group and the process of moving in or out of the program to create pathways for students. This year, we reviewed research around leveling students as a school council and there are many drawbacks to the practice. Thanks to Mrs. Rozniak and Mrs. Robichaud (our middle school math teachers) we were able to map out the standards in a way where we feel like we can cover all the middle school math standards in 6th and 7th grade allowing all students to have the opportunity to access algebra in 8th grade. This alignment would allow all student in 6th and 7th grades to be challenged while at the same time not missing key standards that are foundational to their math classes in high school. For those who struggle, 8th grade can be a time to review and master the standards they did not the first time around. The cliff note version? The notion that we are getting rid of "compacted math" is wrong. We are actually working on a way to expand it in a more inclusive way by giving ALL students this opportunity to excel and not putting students into a track after 5th grade. We are continuing to discuss this so nothing is set in stone. If you have any questions, I will always make myself available.

I was excited to hear that some of our students spoke at the recent school committee meeting. Thank you to Mrs. Gill who helped me summarize what was said: "At Monday night's School Committee meeting, a group of youth girls hockey players and parents from the district towns addressed the SC about their desire to create a girls ice hockey team at Wachusett High School. Some of the girls in attendance were TPS students! It was impressive to see their courage to get up and speak and share their dreams for the future. If there are any other TPS Warriors who are looking to get involved in the sport of ice hockey, girls OR boys, there are some great local options coming soon for novice skaters and players. See the electronic folder for fliers about an upcoming "Try Hockey for Free" event, as well as a Bruins Girls Learn to Play Hockey session. For other information about the above, or to join the working group dedicated to the future of the sport in WRSD, reach out to Allyson Gill at allyson.gill0386@gmail.com"