Snowy Friday

As we focus on our dismissal process incorporating School Dismissal Manager, it seems like a good time to remind folks about a few procedures that have been getting loose. In the morning and in the afternoon, please don't pull up to the front doors until staff come out and wave you on. We need to leave this space available in the event emergency personnel need to get it. There is a fire lane there. Also, if you are bringing your students in after 8:25, please walk them in and sign them in. This includes times when you may have dismissed them for an appointment and are returning them. Thanks for helping us keep our systems running like clockwork!

A note from Mrs. DiFonso: The new TPS Lego League is up and running!  I am so excited about the response and interest in the program!  Our coach and instructor, Jennifer Stander, has settled in nicely and has made the TPS STEAM Lab her new home!  I've had the opportunity to poke my head into a few of the sessions and the ingenuity is bursting at the seams!  In week one the students learned what energy was and how it is used in the home. This week, their focus was on how energy is generated and distributed in our homes! Not only are the students having the opportunity to build and be creative with legos, but they are learning and applying this knowledge in their builds! I am excited to see what they learn and create in the weeks ahead! 

After School Programs/Courses: It has been awesome to see the kids getting excited about programs/courses being offered after school.  I will make a plug once again, encouraging any parent/family member/family friend to reach out to Jaime at Princeton Rec and organize an offering! There has to be an avid baker out there willing to take on the challenge of teaching kids to bake or decorate cookies/cupcakes!  What about an artist or someone passionate about arts and crafts that wants to inspire our Warrior artists?  There are so many options!  If you are willing to offer a course but you are stuck on an idea, I am more than willing to help you think of one! 

Three times each year our 3rd through 8th graders take a Panorama study to help us gauge social and emotional needs in the building. It provides a wealth of knowledge that we are still unpacking and learning. Our last staff meeting we reviewed much of this data and discussed ways to support our students. Our wonderful Adjustment Counselor, Alina Budrys, has been leading the charge. Our goal has been to find a way to incorporate her skills into a regular class rotation. This coming quarter, we are able to offer an SEL class in the middle school rotation and she has offered the following description. The class is intended to foster the development of social-emotional skills relevant to middle school students as part of our schoolwide curriculum. Her ultimate goal with this class is to support students in building the skills they need to be successful academically, personally, and interpersonally. The course will be experiential in nature and will cover topics like executive functioning, self-advocacy, stress management/self-care, conflict resolution, and community building. We can't wait for this to get started! Feel free to reach out to her with any questions at alina_budrys@wrsd.net.

Electronic folder

The week ahead: 

• Tuesday (1/24) 
• End of 2nd Quarter
• Boys basketball at Central Tree
• Friday (1/27)
• BraveHeart Baseball visiting at lunches
• Boys basketball at Mountview
• Saturday (1/28) 
• Princeton Winter Carnival

MLK Weekend

Our 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Dolat, has organized a building wide reading challenge this year. Our reading challenge is a great opportunity to expand horizons and broaden our knowledge. It allows students to delve into new worlds and explore different perspectives through the written word. Whether already an avid reader or an emerging one, this challenge is open to everyone. Participation can help improve reading skills, increase vocabulary, and stimulate minds. It can also be a fun and social activity, as they can discuss the books read with others as well. The reading challenge is a great way to enrich their lives through literature. You can learn more about the challenge and see staff recommendations here. 

The state has recently released additional supports for student mental health. A Behavioral Health Help Line that people can call or text is 833-773-2445. This resource is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in more than 200 languages. The helpline can help individuals and families navigate the behavioral health system and access treatment. More information can be found in this FAQ. Questions can be directed to the helpline director at Mio.Tamanaha@mass.gov. 

Having so many after school activities return to the building has been a wonderful thing! It is great to hear kids engaged and excited after 3:00. This does come with a new set of challenges though. Dismissal and dismissal changes have become more hectic. To help solve this problem, we will be instituting a new system. Keep an eye on your emails next week for something from School Dismissal Manager. This online program will eliminate the need for phone calls, paper notes that don't always make it out of the backpacks, or emails that can go unnoticed by teachers with a class full of students in front of them. The added bonus of the program is it should save parents a few steps in calling your child out. More information to follow.  

The new middle school basketball team had its first game in years, and the atmosphere was electric. Many of their friends and family came out to support them, filling the stands with cheering and excitement. The team, who had been working hard to get to this point, were thrilled to see such a supportive crowd. Their fans were loud and passionate, cheering the team on through every play and helping to create a fun and exciting environment. 

Keep an eye out for the upcoming PT newsletter to read about the tremendous work they have been doing in support of our school and our students. 

The Electronic Folder

New: Sterling Girls Softball Registration

The Week Ahead: 

• 
  Monday (1/16) 
• No School - Martin Luther King Day
• Tuesday (1/17) 
• Boys Basketball at Chocksett
• PTA Meeting at 6:00

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had an enjoyable break. The students sure seemed to. I'm happy to report they seemed to return mostly happy and mostly healthy! I'm happy to say that our absent list has dropped by a third in the new year which definitely starts us out on a happier and healthier new year! 

In the new year, we brought back one old tradition. The return of bus buddies! One of the joys of being

in a K-8 school is that our older students are able to interact with and support our younger ones. Bus buddies are a great example of this. We have several 8th grade volunteers who walk down to Kindergarten and 1st grade at the end of the day and help to make sure these young students make their way onto the bus. It's fun to watch the little ones follow eagerly behind our tallest students in admiration. It is a fun way to keep the community spirit up and it's great to see our 8th graders giving back. 

Another opportunity afforded us this new year was the ability to join in our neighbor's celebration. Rutland is celebrating its 300th anniversary. As a part of the celebration, they were able to procure a Smithsonian Museum on Main Street. This unique look back at how rural communities have shaped our nation. We'd like to thank the Rutland Tricentennial Committee for paying for transportation so that our 3rd graders could attend. If you have the opportunity, the exhibit extends until January 23rd, and I'd encourage everyone to check it out. 

A note from our district nurses: 

The Wachusett communities are currently seeing viral illnesses in the school community, including flu, COVID, and RSV. In order to keep our school community as healthy as possible, we would like to remind you of the following: 

A Flu-Guide for Parents RSV Information COVID Guidance WRSD Guidelines for When your Child is Sick Find Vaccination Locations

• Keep your child home from school if they have a fever >100, and/or if they are experiencing multiple symptoms (cough, nasal congestion, runny nose, headache, unusual fatigue, etc); they should remain at home until they are fever-free for 24 hours without medications that reduce fever and their symptoms are improved
• Report diagnosed FLU, COVID or RSV to the school nurse (this helps in tracking illness rates across the district); keep your child home as directed by your healthcare provider. 
• Remind your child to wash their hands frequently
• Vaccinate children who are eligible for FLU and COVID vaccines
• Avoid social gatherings if you or your child are ill
• Contact your healthcare provider if you believe your child needs medical care
• Masks remain optional at school; if you would like your child to wear a mask, please send them to school with a mask and a small supply of replacement masks
• If you would like at-home COVID tests please contact the School's Health Office

Respectfully, 

The WRSD Health Team

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The Look Ahead: 

It promises to be a quiet week where everyone gets back in the rhythm. 

Let It Snow

It is officially winter and snow is on the ground! I'm a believer in you better find joy in snow or you'll have just as much snow but not as much joy. With that being said, the kids (all of them) seem to like to run around and play in it as much as possible. We are requiring snow gear to play in it (boots, snow pants, gloves) or are limiting students to the hard top for recess. It also seems like the right time to tell you we get out as frequently as possible. As a general rule, if the temperature with windchill is 20 or above, we go out. That being said, you may want to fight the good fight at home about making students bring a coat or wear pants. If that is a battle you chose not to fight, we completely understand (I am a parent too) and we will not enforce it here. Just know that they will still have to go outside with their class. Also, with the snow, comes cancellations and delays. The superintendent has shared that he plans on making decisions as early as possible to allow parents to plan accordingly. When we do have a delay, the cafeteria does not serve breakfast as they will already be starting to prepare lunch. 

Last call for lost and found! Our new lost and found system has already resulted in more clothing-to-student reunifications than I would have expected. However, we still have a pretty full rack of items. The plan is to clear these during the winter break in preparation for what will likely be an onslaught of snow gear in the new year. I'd encourage you to ask your child to look through or swing by yourself before we donate everything. 

I've had some conversations this week around CORIs and I wanted to address some misunderstandings. Anytime we have adults interacting or possibly interacting with students, I feel the responsibility to ensure that these are safe interactions. Volunteers are always required to be CORI checked, as are field trip monitors and obviously all staff. When we have school events during the day, it becomes a murky area. When it is a concert or a presentation where parents and students are clearly separated, it is less of a concern. However, if the event is more like a celebration of learning, a science fair-style event, or anything where there are too many adults to closely monitor while they intermingle with students, it is better to be safe than sorry and make sure everyone is safe to enter the school. My apologies for any inconvenience this additional step may cause, but I do count the safety of our students as my number 1 concern.  

I'd like to thank the PTA and all the volunteers for their efforts around the Holiday Shop this week! It was a staggering success and demand clearly outweighed supply at points. The shop volunteers took several trips out to restock shelves. The PTA has offered to open the shop one last time on Monday afternoon for anyone who was absent the first time around.  

A Note from Mrs. DiFonso

Digital Delivery - As the Team Chair here at TPS, I wanted to point out that the district shared some information with families earlier this week about the roll out of the PowerSchool Digital Delivery for Special Education paperwork.  Please check out the flyer, as well as this informational slideshow to gain a better understanding of what the Digital Delivery will look like for documents such as evaluation consents and IEPs.  As we roll out this process in the weeks ahead, I will be here to answer any questions/concerns and to help troubleshoot! We are all new to this together! 

Electronic Folder

New: Middle School Basketball Schedule, Digital Document Signing

The Week Ahead: 

• 
  Monday (12/19) 
• School Council
• Tuesday (12/20)
• Grade 6 field trip to Hanover theater
• Wednesday (12/21)
• 3rd grade STEAM Boat building
• 4th grade PLTW Celebration of Learning
• Thursday (12/22) 
• Festive Holiday Attire (Who can be the most festive!) 
• Monty Tech VIP
• Friday (12/23) 
• No School - Winter Break

The PTA!

Our PTA is a hard-working group that has already been a tremendous support to us this year. We spent much of the fall talking about our Fun Run and Boosterthon. I wanted to let you know what those funds go towards. This week, the PTA announced its first round of mini-grant requests. They awarded about a dozen grants amounting to over $2,400. All of these grants went directly into the classrooms across the grade levels, supplementing materials and/or providing resources for science experiments. There were many smiling teacher faces in the building as these grants were announced. In the vein of grant discussions, the PTA has been awarded a $1,500 grant from the Princeton Cultural Council for our Library rejuvenation project! Their poinsettia sale was a great success with the added bonus of donations being made to brighten up our entryway. Thanks to all who donated! If you'd like to know more about what they are doing you can become a member and get their regular communication. The last newsletter can be found here. 

And finally, you should be hearing about the Holiday Shop. Each class will take some time to go down and shop for gifts for whatever holiday they celebrate. Items are fairly inexpensive, ranging from $2 to $6, and the whole idea behind the shop is to give students an opportunity to think of others. If you have any financial difficulties that we can help with please don't hesitate to reach out. We would like to give every student the opportunity to purchase something if so desired. 

As we enter cold/flu/stomach bug season, absences are creeping up again. We encourage you to keep your student home if they are sick. We are also encouraging staff to stay home and not spread illnesses. With this comes the need for substitutes. Have your days started becoming mundane, boring, or too quiet? Looking to pick and choose some days to add some fun and excitement to your schedule? Would you like to help support your local school with the gift of time? If you answered any of these questions with "maybe" we should talk! You do not need to be a certified educator or have the experience to be a substitute. We can work with you to match you to positions you feel comfortable with and can train you if you feel the need. Consider substituting at TPS. You can learn more and apply here, or reach out to me and I am happy to answer any questions you may have. 

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Look Ahead: 

• 
  Monday (12/12) 
• PTA Holiday Shop
• Library Meeting (6:00)
• Tuesday (12/13) 
• PTA Holiday Shop
• 8th Grade Dance Committee Meeting
• Thursday (12/15) 
• Monty Tech VIP
• Friday (12/16) 
• Middle School Dance

Looking Way Ahead: 

• Wednesday (2/1) 
• TPS Band and String Concert

5 Day Week

If you have been in the building this week, you may have noticed our newest boutique in the main lobby. There are some nice brand names in there. This is actually our new lost and found display. The old box system was piling up and truthfully, was hard to manage for kids looking for lost items. This new display also shows the students that we value their belongings, hopefully instilling that value in them as well. The current lost and found will remain until we leave for the winter break before being donated to families in need. Please stop by before then if you know your child is missing something. I anticipate it filling back up pretty quickly once the snow comes. 

A note from our Student Council: 

Thank you to everyone who participated in Student Council's pajama drive! Because of the generosity of our community, we were able to donate 70 pairs of children's pajamas to LUK in Fitchburg. As part of this drive, Scholastic will match each pair of pajamas donated with the donation of a new book to a family in need. We deeply appreciate all of your help in making this initiative a success!  

Specifically for 7th and 8th-grade parents: As we head into winter, we found ourselves with an opportunity to reflect. One of the things we hear from our students is that they don't get to see their peers often enough because of the groupings. We heard that and have "shuffled the deck" and will be moving kids around in Homeroom/Advisory. Hopefully, this change in venue is seen as a positive by the majority of our students. At least they should know we were listening. 

Mrs. Finkler has asked me to share with you: 

The deadline to order a keepsake with your children's art has been extended to December 5th.  Support your child's art room with this awesome fundraiser that makes a great gift for anyone.

Shop Online square1art.com/shop
Need to find your child's art?
Use the online Art Search.
Do you know you can upload additional art and make an order?
Use the online Art Upload

The FIRST Lego League Explore program is being run for children in grades K through 5. It introduces kids to STEM using legos and lego robotics. The program focuses on creativity, fun and teamwork. Each year there is a theme. This year's theme is SUPERPOWERED. Children will learn about different types of energy sources, storage and distribution methods and ways in which energy is consumed. In each of the early meetings, we will learn about the energy journey, draw and share our ideas about what was learned and finally build our ideas with legos and lego robots. Towards the end of the program, the children will work on a single team build and will present their build to their friends and family at the last meeting. 

This video is a nice overview of the FIRST programs. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkN08bDv9EI
Jennifer Stander will be coaching the Lego League teams. She is an Electrical Engineer working in the field of Robotics and also an Adjunct Professor at WPI teaching electrical and computer design courses. To help the students reach their goals, it is important to have additional volunteers to help at the meetings. If you are interested in helping out or coaching, feel free to email Jennifer at legofirst@js.mxpark.com. 

Electronic Folder

New - Middle School Dance Flyer, Square 1 Art, Lights on the Common, 

SEPAC Meeting Notice, Crossroads 

The Week Ahead: 

• Friday (12/2)
• Princeton Lights on the Common at 6:30
• Saturday (12/3) 
• Poinsettia pick up at TPS from 12:00-3:00
• Thursday (12/8) 
• MontiTech VIP
• PTA Meeting

Thankful!

This week and this time of year are all about being thankful. It's a time of reflection. I am thankful to be here at TPS. Thankful for the excellent staff I get to work with every day. For the children that make me smile. For the supportive families who clearly value the work being done in the building. I think we are all thankful for the PTA  and all they do. They recently reopened the mini-grant process for staff. And who can forget the first assemblies we've had in a few years. The Wingmaster assembly was a great opportunity to have a shared experience in grades K through 8. Obviously, the presentation was tailored a little for different age groups. Please continue to support the PTA however you can. 

Speaking of the PTA, please remember that the poinsettia orders are due the Monday we return from Thanksgiving break (11/28). Feel free to share this with family and friends at your holiday gatherings.

We wrapped up our week with our first maybe annual TPS Macy's day parade STEAM challenge (I'm working on the name)! Our middle school spent time today creating floats that showed examples of learning in different content areas. The balloons were required to "stay afloat" for a full orbit around the building without touching them. Floats had to roll smoothly through the hallways and the materials used were limited. It was a great exercise in the engineering process as well as a way to recap the lessons learned so far this year! 

For families of students in grades 6 through 8 interested in signing their students up for basketball. Please find the information to do so on the website here. 

And finally, before I let you begin your break, I give to you our 6th-grade recipes! Our 6th-graders have created this slideshow of family recipes. Some may come in handy this week. I'm definitely making the After Thanksgiving sandwich! 

A note from Mrs. DiFonso: 

The FIRST Lego League Explore program is being run for children in grades K through 5. It introduces kids to STEM using legos and lego robotics. The program focuses on creativity, fun and teamwork. Each year there is a theme. This year's theme is SUPERPOWERED. Children will learn about different types of energy sources, storage and distribution methods and ways in which energy is consumed. In each of the early meetings, we will learn about the energy journey, draw and share our ideas about what was learned and finally build our ideas with legos and lego robots. Towards the end of the program, the children will work on a single team build and will present their build to their friends and family at the last meeting. 

This video is a nice overview of the FIRST programs. 

Jennifer Stander will be coaching the Lego League teams. She is an Electrical Engineer working in the field of Robotics and also an Adjunct Professor at WPI teaching electrical and computer design courses. To help the students reach their goals, it is important to have additional volunteers to help at the meetings. If you are interested in helping out or coaching, feel free to email Jennifer at legofirst@js.mxpark.com. 

The week ahead: 

• 
  Wednesday (11/22) 
• No School
• Thursday (11/23) 
• Thanksgiving
• Friday (11/24) 
• No School
• Monday (11/28) 
• School Council
• Friday (12/2)
• Pajama Day! Student Council met their goal! 
• Saturday (12/3) 
• Poinsettia pick up at TPS (12:00-3:00)

Looking way ahead: 

• Friday (12/16) 
• Middle School Dance! 6:00-8:00