TPS District Newsletter
Tewksbury Public Schools
February 2024
Message From the Superintendent
Dear TPS Community,
Wow…what a jam packed week full of events, celebrations, and amazing learning activities throughout our schools and classrooms. The month of February is nationally designated as Black History Month. In our schools, we strive to honor and recognize the contributions of African Americans to our U.S. history. Our schools have been celebrating and educating our students accordingly. Some of these lessons have included book readings, facts about black scientists that have positively changed our world, postings and highlights on the school’s message board, showcasing story books in our school libraries, and in so many other ways. Earlier this month, we also shared special dates and activities with you, regarding the Tewksbury Public Library hosted events for February. Please see that information posted below.
We had our first snow day this year…without the snow! I am sorry for making the wrong call on this one, folks. Truthfully, this is why we (myself and my internal weather team) usually try to wait until the morning to make the best call with the most up-to-date information. Yet, in trying to give our parents and traveling staff peace of mind, we decided to make the call the evening before (together with most of the state of Massachusetts). Thank you for your grace and understanding on this one; I do hope our students and teachers enjoyed a restful (dry) day off.
Below, there is quite a bit of information in this short month but a full newsletter, so I will keep my message here brief. In closing, whether you're traveling to a sunny or new destination or enjoying a staycation at home, I hope this vacation brings you peace, happiness, and an abundance of cherished moments (with or without snow).
Wishing you all a happy and rejuvenating February vacation!
Sincerely,
Brenda Theriault-Regan
SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently made the 2023 school and district report cards available on the report cards website. The site also contains supporting documentation and FAQs, both of which are available in English and nine other languages.
Standards Based Report Card Update
Kindergarten report cards and progress reports were issued on February 14th. If you're having trouble accessing the report cards, please refer to the emailed instructions from your school principal.
The second trimester marking period end date for our students in grades 1-4 has been changed to March 8. This change was approved by School Committee at the February 14th meeting.
Please see the Standards Based Report Cards website here.
School Committee has approved the official calendar for the 2024 - 2025 school year. You can access it via the button above.
Ginsburg Family Award & Krissy Polimeno Outstanding Educator Award Nominations
The Tewksbury Public Schools is seeking nominations for the 2024 Annual Ginsburg Family
Award to recognize an individual, a group, or a company/organization who has had a
significant impact on the Tewksbury Public Schools in the area of physical, monetary, tangible
contribution(s), or volunteering for the benefit of a school or the district, as well as the 2024 Annual Krissy Polimeno Outstanding Educator Award, given annually to honor an individual
educator in the area of active involvement, volunteering, and giving a generous amount of
time and energy to the quality of the educational system as an advocate for students in the
Tewksbury Public Schools. We invite you to send in your nominations using the following forms:
Ginsburg Family Award Nomination Form
Tewksbury Public Schools participated in National No One Eats Alone Day activities a day early on Thursday, February 15th (due to the half day on February 16th.) This movement, which was started by an organization called Beyond Differences and supported locally by District Attorney Marian T. Ryan, aims to combat the loneliness which students may experience during the school day, particularly at lunch. The mission of National No One Eats Alone Day is to encourage students to include everyone at lunch so that not even one student is left alone to eat.
MSLA Bookmark Contest
Two Center School students have been entered into the Massachusetts School Library Association bookmark contest. Congratulations to third grader Kelly Kim and fourth grader Ivy Wickham for being selected from the dozens of school entries to represent Tewksbury. This year's theme was "Every Story Matters"
Spotlight on Pathways To Criminal Justice
Plans for this year’s All Night Long Graduation Celebration are underway! The All Night
Long party begins at 10:00 pm on graduation night, Friday, June 7th and ends at 5:00 am on Saturday, June 8th. Your graduate must pre-register to attend! Please note that while ANL is part of senior week, it is not included in senior week activity fees, it is a separate event fee. You can access more information and the registration form here.
Center School STEAM Night: Volunteers Needed
The Center School PAC and Charity Legvold, STEAM teacher, are bringing back STEAM Night! Second grade's night in January was a huge success.
This month, it's third grade's turn! Reach out to Anna or Molly at CenterElementaryPAC@gmail.com if you are available to help.
Did you know that we have an App?
This App makes finding information about your child's school much easier. This FREE app is available on the Apple App store for iOS devices and Google Play store for Android devices. Check it out!
COMMUNITY EVENTS
The Tewksbury Public Library is hosting a series of Black History Month and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programs throughout February and March. You can find all of the details by clicking the button above.
Public Health Museum Open February Vacation Week
The Public Health Museum will be open and offering indoor and outdoor tours during the February vacation week. Kids are free! They will also be hosting a family movie night featuring Balto on February 17th at 5:30pm.
Youth Mental Health First Aid Courses
The Town of Tewksbury invites parents, educators, and interested community members to participate in the free Youth Mental Health First Aid courses taking place February 21st and February 22nd. The program teaches adults how to identify, understand, and respond to mental health and substance abuse challenges among children and adolescents ages 12-18. There are two different events to choose from:
February 21, 2024
9:30am - 3:30pm
Tyngsborough Old Town Hall
10 Kendall Rd, Tyngsborough, MA
Registration contact: Ashley Pavlakos at apavlakos@tewksbury-ma.gov
February 22, 2024
9am - 3pm
Chelmsford Town Hall - Fire Training Room
50 Billerica Rd, Chelmsford, MA
Registration contact: Taryn Angel at tangel@chelmsfordma.gov
We are delighted to announce that kindergarten registrations for the Tewksbury Public Schools will be open from January 16, 2024 through April 26, 2024. To streamline the process families are required to complete online registration paperwork and upload necessary documents, including: Child's birth certificate, current mortgage statement / lease, current utility bill, updated physical and immunization record for the child and parent's photo identification (current driver's license). All this information is mandatory for all families, even if you have previously registered another child. During the registration appointment, you will have the opportunity to select a kindergarten screening appointment date, which will be in May. To provide essential information and guidance, an informational video will be available on our website and local cable access channel starting January 2, 2024. On this date, families can also begin scheduling virtual kindergarten registration appointments, unless an in-person meeting is requested. We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring a smooth registration process for your child's exciting educational journey with Tewksbury Public Schools.
REMINDERS FROM PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS
Accessing Grade 5-12 Published Report Cards in Aspen
It has come to our attention that "Published" report cards in Aspen only stay available (in the published widget section) for 2 weeks. In order to access it, the system automatically downloads the report to your computer or device. The system is purged after the 2 weeks. As a courtesy to our families, we are extending the window for 7-10 weeks. After 7-10 weeks, the report card will no longer be accessible in the published widget section. Be sure to access and store the report in a convenient place during that time frame. However, Aspen has informed us that there will be updates to our published widget section later this winter. We will keep you informed once new updates and/or changes occur in retrieving published documents.
As a friendly reminder, here is the video on how to retrieve a Grade 5-12 published report card in Aspen.
Grades K-4 Standards-Based Report Cards are stored in the "Documents" side tab.
Massachusetts Partnership for Youth - Parent Resources
We are pleased to share with you Massachusetts Partnership for Youth Parent Resources, which are as follows:
FAFSA Support for Senior Students & Families
The Department has partnered with the nonprofit uAspire to provide free support to students and school staff to help seniors complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
uAspire will offer a FAFSA webinar for students from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27. Registration is open online. In addition, FAQs are available in English and Spanish, and more resources are posted on uAspire.org/resources, uaspire.org/Checklist, and uaspire.org/FSAID.
MCAS
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is planning to administer the Next Generation Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (NG MCAS) test for all students in grades 3-10 this Spring. We have identified the planned testing weeks at each grade level with some helpful links (see MCAS Testing Schedule button above). Please note, the specific details in this testing memo may be subject to change if required or necessary.
Childcare programs will be scheduled during the February and April vacations. For more information, please click the button above.
TPS is looking for daily substitute teachers and daily substitute classroom aides for every grade level K-12. The daily substitute pay rate has been increased to:
- $110.00 daily rate for substitute classroom aides (this is a 6-hour 20 minute day)
- $150.00 daily rate for substitute teachers (this is a 7-hour day)
For more information, please click the button above and scroll down for links to the Substitute Application, CORI form and information on Fingerprinting.
Athletics and After-School Clubs: Sign-Up through Community Pass
All students should sign-up for Athletics and/or Clubs through Community Pass. Community Pass will automatically adjust fees for Family maximum amounts. If you have any questions, please contact your child's school.
Tewksbury Public Schools
Website: https://www.tewksbury.k12.ma.us/
Location: 139 Pleasant Street, Tewksbury, MA, USA
Phone: (978) 640-7800