TPS Principal's Page: April 2025

Friday, April 18, 2025

Happy Vacation

🎨This week, all schools in the WRSD celebrated the District Art Show at Wachusett. Mrs. Finkler has the unique opportunity to work with a group of artists spanning 9 grade levels! Choosing pieces was no easy decision, and I was honored to be a part of choosing this year's pieces. It really is amazing to see the amount of talent we have here at TPS! I'd like to take a moment to recognize the TPS artists who were chosen to have their art displayed: Justine Root, Benny Wojnarowicz, Effie Ciara, Emma Whitcomb, Cortland Finkler, Flora Trowbridge, Maddie Melehov, Carter Chabot, and Elianna Serewicz.

🏀This afternoon we celebrated the kick off of vacation with a student/staff basketball game! Middle school students who signed up to play battled staff in what was a very entertaining game! I'm sorry to say, the staff won! It sure was fun and what a perfect day to have it outside! I always love an opportunity to get our entire student body together for a special moment and memory.

♬Mark your calendars that on May 30th, there will be two music performances during the school day at TPS! At 9:00 the band and chorus (grades 5-8) will be performing for parents. At 1:00, grades k-4 willbe peforming. More details will come, but I wanted to give you the heads-up so you can plan to attend!

🎓Eighth Grade Families: The middle school team will be sending home some important eighth grade-related important reminders in the next few weeks. The biggest thing to note is the tentative scheduling of the graduation for 6/10 at 6:00pm @ WRHS.

🠞A Message from Nurse Karina to Seventh Grade Families: During the week of April 28nd, as required by state law, TPS is conducting a screening program related to the use of alcohol, marijuana, and other substances. The Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) process will screen all 7th graders. All screenings will be conducted confidentially by our school nurse in private one-on-one sessions. We will utilize the CRAFFT screening tool, the most commonly used substance use screening tool for adolescents in Massachusetts. The goal of this program is to let the students know that we are available to reinforce healthy decisions and to assist them in obtaining support if needed for substance use-related problems.If you would like to opt your student out of the screening, please fill out the form in this link and send it to the school nurse before 4/28/2025. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to Karina at (978)464-5507 or email at Karina_Abbascia@wrsd.net.

🌞Reminder vacation is next week! I hope you and your family find some time to enjoy what I hope is spring-like weather and to decompress and reset! We'll see you back on 4/28!

Electronic Blue Folder

Looking Ahead:

Monday (4/28) D Day
Tuesday (4/29) A Day
Wednesday (4/30) B Day
Thursday (5/1) C Day

Kindergarten Field Trip to the Hanover Theater

Friday (5/2) D Day

Celtics Spirit Day - Let's support our hometown team during the playoffs! Wear your Cetlics gear, green or your favorite basketball team gear!
1st Grade Field Trip to the Ecotarium

Friday, April 11, 2025

So long ELA MCAS & Spirit Week ahead!

👊ELA MCAS is behind us. I'd like to celebrate all of our TPS students who worked hard, put forth their best efforts, and maybe even overcame technology glitches! Looking ahead, Math MCAS is scheduled for grades 3-8 on May 5th and May 6th.

⭐Reminder that report cards are posted for grades 6-8 today through the Powerschool portal!

🎓Parents of 8th Grade, we are tentatively scheduled for graduation on 6/10 barring any more snow days or scheduling conflicts! Pencil it in on your calendars!

🚙I'd like to take this opportunity to revisit the parent pick up line in the afternoon. We've been having some difficulty with cars doubling up in line a little too early, making it hard for families who are dismissing their students. Moving forward, please don't start doubling up until 2:40 PM and stay in the line on the left until then. Please let grandparents, babysitters or other caregivers know this too. I might suggest to the families who are dismissing their students that you arrive before 2:40 so you can get easily in and out of the parking lot!

😀Next week we'll celebrate spring and vacation with a Student Council sponsored Spirit Week! The flyer is in the Electronic Blue Folder, but you can find the spirit days listed in the Looking Ahead dates and photo below!

🍃Yesterday was Trail Guides Day! Throughout the year volunteers/naturalists work with our middle school students teaching them about nature and exploring the nature trails around TPS. On Thursday, our Trail Guide Middle Schoolers lead grades k-5 through the trails, teaching them about their surroundings and the cool facts about nature they have learned! It may have been a little cold, but the sun was shining and everyone had fun. Such an awesome opportunity for all of our Warriors. Thank you to the volunteers, our Middle School Trail Guides and to Mrs. St. Pierre for organizing this program each and every year!

🎂Today was JiJi the Penguin's birthday! JiJi is the penguin is the character from ST Math. Students in grades k-5 use ST Math to stregthen their math reasoning and problem solving skills. Jiji is a beloved character that makes the challenges fun. He appreciated his visit to some classrooms today and the birthday cards and songs!

💬Please read the note below from the District's ELE Department:

Dear Families, We are excited to announce the launch of our new Facebook Group for Multilingual Families in the WRSD. This group is a space for parents to connect, share resources, and stay updated on events happening around the community. Click on the link ELPAC Facebook Page to access the Facebook page. You can also find it on the WRSD website under the ELE Department.

Electronic Blue Folder

Looking Ahead:

Monday (4/14) C Day

Pajama Day

Tuesday (4/15) D Day

Favorite Color(s) Day
District Art Show 6:00-7:30 @ WRHS

Wednesday (4/16) A Day

Sports Jersey Day
PTA Meeting @ 6:00PM

Thursday (4/17) B Day

Decade Day (Dress in a decade from the past!)

Friday (4/18) C Day

TPS Day - Wear your TPS gear!
Student/Staff Basketball Game
Earth Day Clean Up

April Vacation 4/21-4/25

Friday, April 4, 2025

Celebrating the Arts!

🎨This week we welcomed artist Bren Bataclan. Sponsored by the PTA, Bren shared his love of art and also his talent! On Monday he met with the entire student body and shared about his art journey. He involved students in drawing exercises and collected samples to be his inspiration for the cafeteria mural. He worked all week in the cafe drawing and painting. Even staff had the opportunity to paint! He incorporated students' designs and ideas into the mural and added life to the room! The students really loved watching him work, having the opportunity to talk with him and ask questions, and of course give him feedback that he was doing the best job! The mural came out amazing. It put a smile on everyone's face when it was revealed on Friday morning. A huge thank you to Bren Bataclan and to the TPS PTA for the opportunity and for the joy the mural has brought and will continue to bring to TPS. Be sure to check out the TPS Instagram (@tpswarriors) for pictures posted of the whole process and the finished product!

🎭Congratulations to the cast and crew of the The Outsiders and also to Mr. Nichols and Mr. Cormier! Last night was the opening night and boy was it great! I always enjoy seeing our TPS Warriors embrace their talents and share them with the TPS Community! If you didn't see it last night, don't forget you can come to tonight's show at 6:00! Bravo!

⭐MCAS is next week on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Grades 3-8 will take the ELA test on both of these days. Mrs. Andre's class made some amazing posters for the "big kids" wishing them good luck! So cute!

🕗Just a reminder that 8:25 is the official start of school. The office has received some recent questions about why the front door is closing at 8:25 and students are no longer being let in without a parent. I have noticed there is quite the back up around 8:22. To avoid that, I would suggest arriving a little earlier. Thank you for understanding!

🚒This morning we had a routine fire drill. Students and staff did an awesome job of getting out of the building quickly and quietly. The PFD was so proud!

📸On my walk throughs this afternoon, I captured this moment (pictured below) in kindergarten where a few 8th graders in Student Council were helping the kindergarteners to shop at the Prince Plaza. Moments like these remind me why TPS is such a special place. While it may sound cheesy, it's true! How amazing it is that we have 9 grade levels of students under one roof and have the opportunities for kids of all ages to interact with one another in different capacities?! I couldn't figure out who was enjoying this moment more - the 8th graders or the kindies! Thank you Student Council for your help with our PBIS Prince Plaza! I love a team effort.