Updates and information!

Your student may or may not have come home talking about new cameras at school or the principal watching TV in the main office. These reports are partially correct. At the end of the last school year, the town of Princeton earmarked money for security updates to the building. We are tremendously thankful for all the support and care the town gives to us here. I knew there were plans to get started over the April break but was ecstatic to learn that it was also completed in that time. Staff now have "access control" to the building so we don't need external keys floating around and the doors can be locked all the time. The kids are right, we do have cameras but their primary purpose is to locate unsafe events, particularly for the Princeton Police Department.  This represents a huge step in keeping our building safe. 

It's with sadness, that I share the passing of long-time Princeton resident, Roger Vaughn. This is of particular note for TPS as he was the benefactor and originator of our endowment that we use to maintain PLTW and other STEAM initiatives in the building. One of our courtyards is named in honor of his wife Elsie. I had the privilege of meeting him last year as we toured the building. The endowment will live on but he will be missed greatly. 


Every week I write down the "Week Ahead" at the end of the blog. Given that the year is winding down, and there are so many things going on, I will start writing down everything to come. Any changes or additions will be highlighted to draw attention to it. The end of the school year is exciting and exhausting but there is much to celebrate! Remember, the last day of school is a half day on 6/18. 


A note from Mrs. DiFonso and the PBIS Committee: 
The PBIS Committee made up of TPS staff, meets monthly to focus on positive behaviors and ways to celebrate our students.  The committee is excited to share the latest initiative to celebrate our student Warriors. Each month, one student per grade level and one student chosen by the specialists receives the "Warrior of the Month" recognition! These are students who demonstrate how to be respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. We are proud of our TPS Warriors every day and are thrilled to be able to celebrate them in this way! 

A note from our STEAM Night Committee: 
"Congratulations to seventh grader, Lauren Jones, who was chosen as the winner of this year's STEAM Night 2024 t-shirt design contest! Students were encouraged to participate in a school-wide t-shirt design contest for our upcoming STEAM Night (happening on Thursday, June 6th from 5:30-7:30p.m.) and needed to incorporate this year's theme of "amusement park" into their design. TPS students then voted on the top twenty submissions and ultimately helped to choose our winning design. Please be on the lookout in the coming days for an opportunity to purchase a STEAM Night 2024 t-shirt, along with more information about the night's events! Congratulations again, Lauren!"

A note from Mrs. Santello regarding our rescheduled courtyard cleanup: 

Dear Thomas Prince Families and Friends,

Spring is almost here and we have a volunteer opportunity coming up! Please join us for a Spring Cleanup of the Bangrazi Courtyard! Wednesday, May 1 is our Bangrazi Courtyard Spring Cleanup and Set-up Date! (Open hours 3:25-6) Rain date is Thursday, May 9. Come help us clean up raised garden beds, check the trails, and do a few more weeding/removal jobs left from the fall so the courtyard is ready for Spring planting! Our incredible fall volunteers accomplished wonders, come join us next week!   Sign-up is optionally here -thank you! Snacks and coffee provided :)

Email Elaine Santello at elaine_santello@wrsd.net with questions or for more info. Thank you!!


The Year Ahead: 
  • Monday (4/29) Day A
  • Tuesday (4/30) Day B
    • MCAS Math
  • Wednesday (5/1) Day C
    • MCAS Math 
    • Courtyard Clean up after school
  • Track Meet - Quabbin
  • Thursday (5/2) Day D
  • Friday (5/3) Day A
  • Week of May 6th - Teacher Appreciation Week
  • Tuesday (5/7) Science MCAS Grade 5 & 8 
  • Wednesday (5/8) Science MCAS Grades 5 & 8 
  • Thursday (5/9) Track Meet - Lunenburg 
    • PTA Meeting 
  • Friday (5/10) MS Talent Show
  • Monday (5/13) Town Elections 
    • School CouncilTrack Meet - Overlook
  • Tuesday (5/14) MCAS Civics 8th grade 
  • Wednesday (5/15) Half Day - Teacher PD
  • Thursady (5/16) Track Meet - Tahanto
  • Wednesday (5/22) District Track Meet
  • Thursday (5/23) K-4 Field Trip
  • Friday (5/24) Memorial Day presentation by PFD
    • MS Spring Fling Dance
  • Sunday (5/26) TPS Chorus at Princeton Memorial Day Parade
  • Monday (5/27) No School - Memorial Day
  • Wednesday (5/29) Band/Chorus/Strings Concert at WRHS
  • Thursday (5/30) Track Meet - WRHS
  • Friday (5/31) 5th grade KNEX Challenge
  • Tuesday (6/4) Grade 6 Field Trip
  • Thursday (6/6) STEAM Night
  • Friday (6/7) Family Movie Night
  • Tuesday (6/11) Town Meeting
  • Wednesday (6/12) Last day for Kindergarten
    • Field Day
    • 8th Grade Graduation
  • Thursday (6/13) New Kindergarten Open House
    • 8th Grade Dance
  • Tuesday (6/18) Last Day of School 11:55 Dismissal

A note from WRHS:
Girls in CompSci is a free two-week program open to all middle school girls in the Wachusett school district. Come join us to make websites with HTML and CSS and do other coding activities. Girls of all coding levels are invited, no previous experience is needed. Scan the QR code to sign up, space is limited to 20 spots, first come first serve. We hope to see you there!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New year, same great experience!

Image
For everyone: Popsicles On the Playground! Or as I've decided to call it, POP   is scheduled for this Friday (8/25) from 4:00-6:00. Enjoy some community and popsicles while your kids reacquaint themselves with our playground and each other. I am monitoring the weather closely and will make a decision on Friday if the event needs to be moved inside. Following the event, the Princeton Police Department will be hosting an event on-site, showing a movie and selling refreshments.  For everyone (Middle School take notice): The district has opened  up   PowerSchool   so you should be able to see your child's teacher/schedule. I know this is an exciting time for kids! It is for us, too! I'm asking that you don't look too deeply into the special classes as these typically take us a few weeks to iron out. Don't worry, your students will be in specials but how they are input into PowerSchool over the summer and how they look in the building don't always align perfectly. Al
Read more

All the things!

Image
The Middle School started the week off with a special presentation from Mr. John Frost. He travels the world witnessing and documenting eclipses. He shared his passion with the Middle Schoolers and explained the coming eclipse to them. The kids left excited about this upcoming phenomenon! Just a reminder that April 8th is a school day.  The bus company has asked me to remind parents that any balls transported on the bus should be tucked into backpacks before boarding. Apparently, there have been some issues with loose balls rolling around buses and this can be a safety hazard. Thanks for your attention to this matter.  As you may know, our courtyards are maintained by volunteers. They are due up for their spring cleanup . Ms. Santello will be leading a group of volunteers to tackle the Bangrazi courtyard on Saturday, April 6th from 9:00-2:00. Help clean up the raised garden beds, rake leaves, weed, and plant. Snacks and coffee provided. Contact Ms. Santello at elaine_santello@wrsd.net
Read more

Fun Run!

Image
I'd like to introduce our newest staff member. This week, we were lucky to have Caitlyn Lafleche join our team as a paraprofessional. She mostly works in 5th and 6th grades but we all know our paraprofessionals jump in to help everywhere so you may hear her name. This means we are nearly fully staffed! We are, however, still looking for help in the kitchen. We have a great team down there in a newly updated kitchen. If you'd like to learn more about joining us, please don't hesitate to reach out with questions or even better, apply here .  As we look ahead to next week I wanted to remind everyone that Wednesday is a half day with dismissal occurring at 11:55. Please make sure to update your School Dismissal Manager if your child's dismissal will be different on that day. If your child will be taking a different bus or getting off at a different stop, please send them in with a paper note as well to give to the driver.  This is followed by our Open House on Thursday even
Read more