Fun! And Running!

Bus riders! The DPW has been working overtime to get the roads back to where we need them to be. Starting on Monday most families can return to their typical bus stop. We will reach out specifically to those who need a new community stop. Thank you all for your patience on this!

Despite the rain, there were so many cool things going on in the building this week I just have to share. In the 4th grade, students enjoyed a lesson about the migration patterns of monarch butterflies with special guest Jessie Trowbridge. Students learned about their migratory journey to Mexico and read the story "Ghost Wings." Afterward, they tagged a monarch and sent it on its journey outside. Did you know TPS had a monarch waystation garden for butterflies to stop at on their journey south?  

The 6th grade started off the week with a challenge. Students were challenged to travel across "molten lava" (i.e. the outdoor basketball court) across "igneous rocks" (i.e. small dots). They had to work together, plan, and communicate clearly to get their whole group across the lava. This is one of my personal favorite activities. I love it because the group isn't successful if they leave anyone behind. Also, it takes communication and synchronized movement to be successful. The kids did a great job! They initially struggled but persevered and both groups found a way. 

This week, I joined the kindergarten outside in the Bangrazi Courtyard as they completed a volcano experiment. It is such a cool space but so difficult to maintain. It is predominantly maintained through the generous work of volunteers twice each year. Once again we will be opening our school on a Saturday for just this purpose. On Saturday, October 12th we will host our Fall Cleanup! We'll be open from 8:00-2:00. Anyone is welcome to come for the day or even just an hour. You can sign up here. If you have any questions, Elaine Santello is leading the work and can be reached at elaine_santello@wrsd.net. You can learn more about our outdoor spaces on our website. 

This week, the PTA also kicked off their Boosterthon fundraiser! You may have seen some young people dancing outside at drop-off and pick-up or hearing stories of their adventures. We are already off to a great start! If you haven't registered already, simply doing so gets our kids closer to a pajama day. And already, in the first 24 hours since the kickoff, the kids are a third of their way to getting to duct tape me to a wall. I'm starting to wonder if they really like me at all! This will all culminate in our Fun Run and Color Run next Friday afternoon. Keep up the great work! 

A quick reminder about bus changes. If you want your student to ride a different bus or get off at a different stop, along with noting this in School Dismissal Manager, the student needs a physical note to hand the driver. The drivers do not get the SDM reports and often times we do not want to rely on the students for this information. My concern is that eventually, the bus company will not let kids make these adjustments without a note and we'll have a bunch of kids getting off at "unexpected" locations or returning to the school. 

The town rec has asked me to share this survey around Trick or Treating this year: Attention Princeton Redisdents! When do you think our town should Trick or Treat?! Please fill out this survey to let us know! 

Electronic Folder 

The week ahead: 

• Monday (9/18) 
• Day A
• School Council Meeting
• Tuesday (9/19) 
• Day B
• Wednesday (9/20)
• Day C
• TPS Track Meet
• Thursday (9/21)
• Day D 
• Friday (9/22)
• Day A
• Fun Run and Color Run

And further ahead: 

• Thursday (9/28) 
• Curriculum Night/Open House
• K/3 - 5:00-6:00
• 1st/2nd/6th - 5:30-6:30
• 4th/5th - 6:00-7:00
• 7th/8th - 6:30-7:30
• Specials/Special Education 5:45-6:45

It was a hot one!

We managed to survive the heat this week and I realized I never shared the approach we were taking. Based on the weather advisory, when the temperature was at or near 90 degrees and the humidity was over 60% (basically Wednesday and Thursday) we followed the guidance provided by our Nurse Leader and kept the kids inside. Believe it or not, it was actually cooler inside. We discovered quickly that if we kept the windows closed we could maintain the temperature inside better. It was still hot though as I'm sure you heard. We also encouraged plenty of water drinking and identified different spaces in the building that did have air conditioning that classes could visit. It was rough but the kids did great and the staff were the real heroes of the week. Thank you to everyone for your support. 

This week, we kicked off with our first fire drill of the school year. We were all out of the building in about 2 minutes and everyone accounted for in about 3. It was a tremendous job by all. I'd like to thank the Princeton Fire Department for their support. It's great to be a part of such a small supportive community. 

In the coming weeks, we will be welcoming pre-practicum students from Assumption College. We will have these students coming into classrooms in 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 6th grades to support and learn about our math instruction. Math instruction is an area of strength for our school and I'm excited to share our teachers' expertise with the next generation of teachers. 

For 5th -8th grade Families: Strings start on Monday! Don't worry if you don't have instruments yet. Mrs. Haynes will be in the building and we're excited to get this program off the ground this year! 

Electronic Folder

The Week Ahead: 

• Monday (9/11) 
• Day D
• Tuesday (9/12) 
• Day A
• Wednesday (9/13) 
• Day B
• Boosterthon Kickoff
• Cross Country Meet
• Staff Meeting
• Thursday (9/14) 
• Day C
• Faculty Council 
• Friday (9/15) 
• Day D 

3 days in the books

It was a wonderful week back at TPS! I'm not sure what these kids ate over the summer, but they came back taller and with bigger smiles on their faces. It was fun to hear about everyone's summer vacations and the kids seemed genuinely happy to be back, even if the morning seemed to come earlier than they would have liked. We jumped right into routines and by today, the building was humming right along like we never left. Just a quick reminder that if you drop off after 8:25, you need to bring your students into the building and sign them in. 

When I was talking with the incoming Kindergarten parents on Wednesday, I realized there was something I forgot to talk about in my lengthy back-to-school communication (can you imagine if it was longer!). We value communication here at TPS and I try to model that by sharing out information every Friday. However, this only works if we have two-way communication. We need to hear from you if you have questions and/or concerns. We want to be partners in this endeavor to educate our children. It helps no one to ask questions into the void of social media. You will find myself and our staff always willing to engage in conversation. Please reach out. We're in this together! 

The PTA Boosterthon is in full swing! If you haven't registered yet, you can do so here. It's easy to do and share with family and friends. The goal is $15,000 for playground beautification and outdoor upgrades. Rumor has it, that reaching this goal will result in yet another embarrassing event for the principal! Something with duct tape. You can register here. Anyone who registers by midnight on Monday (9/4) is entered to win a pair of Ulitmate Obstacles passes. If you've already registered you're already registered with double the entries for being an early bird! 

We were fortunate to add to our staff this week and hired Henry Alter in the eleventh hour! Henry comes from us after working in the language-based program in Paxton. He attended Fitchburg State and we feel lucky that he will bring this knowledge and experience to our students in K-2 as our new Special Educator. I owe the Paxton principal big time! 

Note from the nurse: 

With the start of the new school year rapidly approaching, here are some reminders from the Health Office:

• 
  All medication orders must be renewed each school year. New medication orders and medication should be brought in the day before or on the first day of school. Students are not allowed to transport medications to school with the exception of EpiPens or rescue inhalers that a student carries in their backpack. I must be notified of any self-carry medications. Medication order forms can be downloaded off the school website using the Health Services tab.

• All medications administered at school must have a physician's order and parent permission. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medications. Please see the medication policy on the school website if you have any questions.        

• All students must be fully immunized by the first day of school. The only exceptions are written documentation from a doctor for medical exemptions or a written document stating that due to religious beliefs your child has not been vaccinated. The exemption forms must be renewed at the beginning of each school year. 

• Students entering the 4th grade and 7th grade must have an updated physical and immunization record on file in the health office.  Please send these updated documents in as soon as they become available to you.

• If you have an incoming kindergartener or have a child transferring to TPS with any health issue that may affect them during the school day please reach out to me at karina_abbascia@wrsd.net 

• Please review the district guidelines on when your child should remain home due to illness. 

I hope your child has a happy and healthy school year!

The electronic folder

The week ahead:

• 
  Monday (9/4) 
• No School - Labor Day
• Tuesday (9/5) 
• Day D
• School Picture Day
• Wednesday (9/6) 
• Day A
• Thursday (9/7) 
• Day B
• Friday (9/8) 
• Day C
• 8th Grade class picture

New year, same great experience!

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. Also, for parents of Middle Schoolers, your student(s)' homeroom may come up as a specialist. You are reading this correctly. We are transitioning to an Advisory model where our middle schoolers meet in small groups with a teacher each day. This is taking the place of the traditional "homeroom" block.  

Families in grades 5 through 8: Music in grades 5 through 8 will look a little different this year as we try to balance band, strings, and chorus. I am asking families of students in those grades to please complete this form and let us know your students' preferences if you haven't done so already. If kids haven't made their selection by the first day of their music section, they may not have a special to attend.

For families in grades 5 through 8: Cross Country signups are still open and we seem to be short some athletes. We are looking forward to another great season! TPS is traditionally a Cross Country powerhouse. Sign-ups can be found here and there is a hard deadline of August 29th. We will not accept registrations after this date as we require the time to make sure physicals are all up to date. I know students have been disappointed to miss the deadline in the past, so I'd encourage everyone to sign up sooner rather than later and risk missing out.

For Everyone: The Library Needs You! The TPS Library is seeking volunteers for the 2023-24 school year!  We will have volunteer times throughout the school day, so if you think you might have interest and availability, please email Jessie at jessie.trowbridge@gmail.com for more information.

For Everyone: We have a few new faces joining us in the building this year. 

Susan Robichaud is a town member and a highly regarded math teacher. She will be taking over 7th and 8th-grade math instruction this year. She joins us from Grafton schools and is a welcome new addition! 

Destiny Keough, our new 1st-grade teacher, is a Wachusett High graduate and comes to us fresh off a half-year stint at Boylston Elementary School. She is extremely student-focused and is a welcome addition to the team.  

Carrie Califano will be joining our team as a part-time ELE teacher this year. She is a resident of Holden/Jefferson. Carrie comes to us with a master's in applied linguistics and has taught ELE at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston as well as an elementary school in South Korea. 

For Everyone but Elementary take notice: One of the interesting things about being a K-8 building is trying to share our wonderful specialists between 9 levels while making sure everyone gets equal time in each special and while still accounting for band/chorus/PLTW in the middle school. The logistics are an interesting math problem to solve. With that said, we are going to try something different this year and have the whole school on a 4-day rotation (yes, even you, elementary). That will likely mean a student who has PE on Monday gets it again on Friday that week but will double dip in a different special the next week. Your child's teacher will let you know which day of the rotation your child has which special and I will include the rotation in my weekly blog for the following week. Also, we are experimenting with adding Library into the elementary specials rotation with the support of our Specials teachers and our wonderful parent volunteers!

Everyone: Arrival and Dismissal- Drop off and pick up are always tricky at every school the first week back from the summer. We will be continuing the process from years past. The school day starts at 8:25 and ends at 2:55. Buses will continue to drop off and pick up at the front of the building. Parent drop-off (starting at 8:05) will occur along the side (near the main office entrance). Before the doors open, we ask that cars stop by the fence before turning to pull up against the building. Once we open the doors, cars will loop around the "island" and can start dropping off at the crosswalk. If you are stopped at any point along the sidewalk, please ask your child to exit the vehicle so we can keep the line moving. After a group of cars pull away, the next car with children should pull up all the way to the crosswalk. Children should be able to open the door, grab their things, and exit the car quickly. I know many parents have their kids start to prepare their belongings ahead of time and strategically place backpacks where they are easily accessible. If they cannot do this independently or they have things in the trunk, parents should pull up to an empty spot along the "island" after the crosswalk and park to help their little ones. This is a great area to pull into also if they (or you) need that last squeeze after a hectic morning. We leave those spots open just for you and there is no rush there. Using these also shows respect for other people who are trying to get places and may be running late. I also appreciate everyone's patience, especially during these first few days, while everyone is getting back in the flow.

The end of the day will follow a similar procedure with the only difference being, cars will form two lines side by side. A staff member will signal the drivers when each group is loaded and can go. 

Everyone: School Dismissal Manager - After our inaugural year with School Dismissal Manager we are moving forward with it as veteran users. You will receive an email from the program inviting you to set your student(s)' default dismissal. Please remember that despite the name of the program, this is one-stop shopping. In addition to dismissal changes, you should enter all attendance-related notifications here. This includes tardies, absences, and early dismissals. 

Everyone: Buses- Routes have been published on PowerSchool under "Forms". 

Go here if you want to do any of the following you can do that here: 

• Add to your list of people approved to get your student off the bus. 
• Give permission for the driver to let your student off the bus without an adult if you want them to and they are under 4th grade. 
• Request a different bus route than the one that corresponds with your home address.   

Everyone: 1st Day Goals- On the first day of school we will jump right into the day. We will help all students off the bus or out of cars to get right down to their classroom. This is a great time to start building routines from day 1. I generally have 4 goals for the first day of school. 1: Get all the kids in the building. 2: Make sure they all eat. 3: Get them all home safely. 4: Have as much fun as possible. 

Kindergarten: Come meet the teachers! While the rest of the building starts on the 30th, Kindergarten
will start on the 31st. However, we invite all kindergarteners to come in on the 30th for Orientation and to meet their teacher. 

On August 30th from 9:30-10:15, we invite you to come and see the classroom! Caregivers and kindergarten students may come (we will gather in the cafeteria), and walk together to the kindergarten classroom. Once there, we will have a quick scavenger hunt to complete together, and then access table toys while the teachers go over a few last-minute things for the school year! Afterward, students are invited to go outside and enjoy the playground with their new friends. We ask that all families head to their cars by 10:15 so the playground can be used for recess. 

Everyone: Lunch- I think many of you have already heard that lunches are once again free to all those who would like them. What people might not realize is that filling out the free and reduced lunch paperwork supports the district in recouping the costs of meals. You can find the necessary paperwork here. Everything you need to know about the meal program should be found in this letter from the kitchen. Milk costs $0.75 and additional breakfasts ($2.50), additional lunch $4.50. We are still looking for help in the kitchen for anyone interested!  

And speaking of job openings...We have found ourselves looking to fill a paraprofessional role here late into the summer. If you're interested or would like to learn more about the position, please reach out. 

Everyone - Substitutes wanted: We need you...to substitute teach! That is right. We are anticipating a continued shortage of substitute teachers. These people help keep the school running smoothly and it could be you. The work isn't glamorous nor well paid, but you get to work with amazing children and some of the best teaching staff in the state. Never taught before? That is ok, we'll work with you. Must love kids! Added bonus: tell Central Office you only want to sub at TPS and I'll buy you lunch on your first day :) Get your application here. 

Everyone: The Thomas Prince PTA Fun/Color Run fundraiser is kicking off soon! Look out for more information in the coming weeks. For now, mark your calendars with these key dates! 

• Registration opens 8/25 Mybooster.com 
  
• Fun/Color Run Kickoff 9/13
• Event Day 9/22

The Electronic Folder

Looking ahead: 

• Wednesday (8/30) 
• Day A
• First day for 1-8! 
• Kindergarten Orientation
• Thursday (8/31) 
• Day B
• First day of K!
• Friday (9/1) 
• Day C
• Let's celebrate our return with a TPS pride day! Wear your TPS gear or Red! 

Mid-Summer Family Check-In

Even while the students aren't here, there is plenty of work being done in the building. The custodians are hard at work waxing, washing, and cleaning. We have also had some room changes, so that always adds to the summer work. We are fortunate to be having a facelift completed in the cafeteria kitchen Painters have covered the institutional blue and we've had some new equipment already installed. It should make for a nice surprise for the kids and I know the kitchen staff are excited. Additionally, we are seeing progress made toward new building locks and the water tank replacement project. Little by little, we will be ready for the kids to return at the end of August. 

Speaking of the kitchen, we are hiring a kitchen staff member this fall. It is a part-time position in a great kitchen. They have a lot of fun and really love interacting/feeding the children. If you are interested or would like to learn more, the posting can be found here or you can reach out directly to the district  Supervisor of School Nutrition at margaret_barton@wrsd.net. If TPS is a little too close to home, there are numerous other openings across the district as well. 

Families in all grades: Extended day sign-ups are here! Please check this link if you want to access the program this year. We do not intend to set a cap for attendance but will look to add staff if the number of students requiring the program outpaces the staffing currently in place. You are required to pick specific days, though so that we can plan appropriately. 

Families in all grades: If you need to make any changes to your students' transportation please complete the linked form and send it to Tracy as soon as possible to ensure we have enough time to explore the request. 

Families in grades 5 through 8: Music in grades 5 through 8 will look a little different this year as we try to balance band, strings, and chorus. I am asking families of students in those grades to please complete this form and let us know your students' preferences if you haven't done so already.

For families in grades 5 through 8: It's hard to believe but Cross Country season is nearly upon us. We are looking forward to another great season! Sign-ups can be found here and there is a hard deadline of August 29th. We will not accept registrations after this date as we require the time to make sure physicals are all up to date. I know students have been disappointed to miss the deadline in the past so I'd encourage everyone to signup sooner rather than later and risk missing out.

Attention 8th-grade families: Last summer, a group of 8th-grade parents grouped together to raise money to offset the cost of our students' celebrations. These celebrations can take many forms, and I do seek feedback from the students themselves. This past year's 8th-grade class chose to have a semi-formal dance and go on a trip to Six Flags. If you are interested in fundraising, please reach out to me and I will help facilitate the creation of a committee.

SAVE THE DATE: Popsicles on the Playground is scheduled for 8/25 from 4:00-6:00. Enjoy some community and popsicles while your kids reacquaint themselves with our playground. Following the event, the Princeton Police Department will be hosting an event on-site, showing a movie and selling refreshments. Fingers crossed for better weather this year! 

In the event some people need the PTA update, I am linking their update here. Incoming K students will likely still need to be added to their communication list. You can log in to the PTA toolkit and join us through this link.

The Library Needs You! The TPS Library is seeking volunteers for the 2023-24 school year!  We will have volunteer times throughout the school day, so if you think you might have interest and availability, please email Jessie at jessie.trowbridge@gmail.com for more information.

Looking ahead:

• Friday (8/25)
• Popsicles on the Playground
• Wednesday (8/30)
• First day of school
• Thursday (8/31)
• First day of Kindergarten

School is out for the summer!

The school year has come to a close! It's been a great year from the Principal's office. I came in with a number of ideas based on the conversations I had this summer with families and staff members. I was able to support many of them but not 100% of them. Still, I love that I saw field trips back in the milieu. We already have some grade levels planning trips for next year! We saw the return of dances (thank you Student Council), and plenty of new academic challenges. The staff led the revival of STEAM night, which may have been one of my favorite evenings of the school year. And we were fortunate to have tremendous community involvement. Thanks to our volunteers, we were able to reopen the library. Families supported the reclamation of our outdoor spaces with plans to continue and expand. Our new PTA board recreated itself and was tremendously successful in supporting our building's efforts! On top of all this, we saw a resurgence in after-school activities, many in partnership with Princeton Rec, including Lego League, Woodworking, The Wizard of OZ, and too many more to mention. Middle School was new to me and so having sports teams was wonderful. I loved watching the kids learn and grow in Cross Country (the banner is coming!), Basketball, and Track & Field. One goal Mrs. DiFonso and I shared this year was in creating more opportunities to share the great work happening in the building each day. It's not too late to follow us on Instagram (@tpswarriors). But really, overall, my hope was to make TPS a fun and enjoyable place to grow and learn. I hope your children feel like that was a success! I'm looking forward to next year! Enjoy the summer break and the opportunity to spend time with your children. I will reach out mid-summer with updates and plans for Popsicles on the Playground and the return to school! 

As you ride off into the sunset or summer vacation, I wanted to bring it to your attention that the website has been updated with grade-level supply lists and summer reading recommendations. It's important for the kids to have summers off and rest but it is also important that they keep reading. If supplies become a financial issue for anyone, please don't hesitate to reach out. We have structures in place to support you and your child. 

Attention parents of rising 5th through 8th graders: We will be adjusting our specials schedule next year to try and maximize opportunities for our musicians in Band, Chorus, and Strings. To this end, I ask that families with students rising into 5th through 8th grade take a few minutes to talk to their student(s) and complete this survey once for each child. The intention is to have access to band and chorus twice every four days. Strings will be able to be seen weekly! 

The Electronic Folder

The Months Ahead: 

• Hopefully filled with blue skies and smiles!