Panther Pride
From the desk of Mr.McElhinney
Math MCAS week
We will continue with our MCAS testing next week (May 11th and 12th). Students will be tested in the mornings beginning at 7:45. Please make every effort to be on time (7:35). This will complete this years testing for 6th and 7th graders. Our 8th graders will complete the Science/Technology/Engineering test the following week (May 17th and 18th).PLEASE remind your children to shut down their Chromebook and charge them the night before..... a good night sleep for the computer is good.
Next week we celebrate National Nurses Day, May 11. These individuals have gone above and beyond over the last 2 years. We are extremely grateful for our Nurse, Mrs. Hanly! Thank you Mrs. Hanly for all your support through these trying times.
8th grade Update
I have received a couple of requests for the end of the year event dates for the 8th graders. At this time, we have the class trip scheduled for June 15th, Awards Ceremony June 16th, End of the year celebration June 17th.
Reminder
In order to participate in afterschool activities a student needs to be present for at least 1/2 of the school day. Students who arrive after 10:45 cannot participate in any after school activity (Clubs, Sports or Theater, etc.) unless they have documentation of the reason for the missed day (ex. Doctors note, orthodontist or other)
Mr. Mac
STONY BROOK THEATER ARTS DINNER THEATER MAY 13TH
Westford Education Foundation
Give The Gift That Keeps On Giving! Can’t find just the right gift to show your appreciation for the wonderful job your child’s teacher or special staff member has done? Consider sending a WEF note to your favorite teacher, counselor, teacher’s aide, school nurse, office staff member, or principal. It’s the perfect way to say thank you and support innovation at Nashoba Valley Technical High School and in Westford Public Schools at the same time!
Proceeds from these notes will be used to fund grants for innovative educational programs for NVTHS and WPS. This is also a great idea for class gifts!
Just make a tax-deductible donation (minimum of $10 per honoree) to the Westford Education Foundation and we will send your honoree an email from WEF with a personalized note. The email will state your name and your message, but will not disclose the amount of your gift.
Note: Donations made to WEF in honor of NVTHS and WPS staff members comply with the state ethical regulations for gift-giving and acceptance. The Westford Education Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization that promotes excellence in education. We fund grants to teachers, staff, and the community for innovative educational initiatives, professional development, and life-long learning ventures.
Visit our website at https://www.westford.org/wef for more information on the programs we have funded in your school. All of this would not be possible without the support of our community and people like you.
Please visit https://www.westford.org/wef/thank-a-teacher_winter/ to complete your donation. You can complete your donation using your PayPal account or credit card. You will receive a confirmation email when your note is delivered. Questions? Contact WEF at wef@westford.org. Thank you!
Please check to see if your company has a matching gift program. Your gift may be doubled, or even tripled! Check with your human resources office for a matching gift form to submit with your donation.
Westford Education Foundation
P.O. Box 535
Westford, MA 01886
978-418-9179
World Language selection for CURRENT 6th graders
Next week 6th graders will make their choice for the language they would like to study in 7th and 8th grade. The World Language teachers will review the process with them at the beginning of the week and the GoogleForm to make selections will start accepting responses on Wednesday, May 11 starting at 5 PM. The form will close on May 18 at 8 PM at which time any student who has not made a selection will be placed in a 7th grade language class based on space availability. We encourage parents and guardians to review the presentation explaining the process and the options with their child before Wednesday to be prepared to make their selection.
Stony Brook World Language Presentation
Link to Google Form to make selections - This should be posted on the school website where parents can access it. It is the same link and form for both SB and Blanchard.
THank you for your help and please let me know if you need any more info from me.
Stephanie Grabowski-Devlin
Spanish Teacher
Curriculum Coordinator for World Languages, 6-12
Westford Public Schools
She / Her / Hers
Protecting our Tweens and Teens
Protecting our Tweens and Teens:
Anxiety Awareness and Suicide Prevention
The tween and teen years bring an explosion of developmental milestones. Coupled with the excitement of personal growth, adolescents are already anxious about grades and college admissions, relationships, finances, and a host of unknowns. Adding the wallop of an endless pandemic, plus global concerns such as the war in Ukraine, today's young people are living with unprecedented stress. This special forum offers practical strategies to help youths in the face of anxiety, mental health issues, and the risk of suicide.
WHO: Concerned family members, emergency responders, school staff,
MRC volunteers, nurses, counselors, and care providers
WHAT: Forum on crisis mental health and our region's youths
FEATURED SPEAKER: Jon Mattleman, MS
WHEN: Monday, May 23, 2022
TIME: 6:30 p.m. – Registration with light refreshments
7 to 9 p.m. – Program with Q&A
PLACE: Stony Brook School Auditorium
ADDRESS: 9 Farmer’s Way, Westford
CONTACT: Nancy Burns, 978-399-2549, nburns@westfordma.gov
CONTINUING EDUCATION: 2.4 CEUs for nurses and 2 contact hours
for WPS staff. Requesting 2 OEMS hours for EMTs and 2 CMEs
for social workers.
Jon Mattleman, a mental health consultant, is returning to update our ability to help local adolescents through the current mental health crisis. Jon believes in teaching people the language to use when dealing with a mental health challenge in a family member, friend, student or colleague. Participants leave with proven tools that can be implemented immediately; who has time to wait?
This program is hosted by the Upper Merrimack Valley Medical Reserve Corps, the Westford Health Department, and Westford Public Schools.
Civil Rights Information
MySchoolBucks (MSB) Fees
As the district increases its use of MSB for payments, we wanted to call attention to the program’s One-Pay option. All individual payments incur a 4.95% processing fee, whether payment is made via credit card, debit card or e-check (authorization of a direct withdrawal from a checking account through the use of the bank routing and account number). Under the One-Pay option, a family can choose to either pay $12.95 for a single student or $26.95 for a family, and this would cover all e-check fees for one year from date of enrollment (note that credit/debit card payments would still incur fees). This can cross over school years. Enrollment in the One-Pay option is off of the MSB home page.
PTO UPDATE
Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2 to May 6)
Thanks to your generous donations the PTO was able to do one special thing for all SBS teachers and staff each day of this week including lunch, lanyards, and a lucky draw. See pictures HERE
PTO Team 2022-23
The PTO is in urgent need of parent volunteers to fill several open positions in the 2022-23 school year. We invite you to see the list of open positions and SIGN UP to join the PTO team. Help & support will be provided by current PTO members to all new team members.
PTO Meet & Greet
Come meet the Stony Brook School PTO team and get more information on ways to get involved at our next Meet & Greet scheduled for 6:00 PM on Thursday, May 12 at Evviva Trattoria, Westford. Please mark your calendar & RSVP HERE
Get more SBSPTO information from our website HERE
If you have questions or comments please email us at stonybrookschoolpto@gmail.com
Students Experiencing Homelessness
Child Search
If you know of any child attending public or private school, or who is homeless or has left school, and could benefit from a special education evaluation under Chapter 766 or educational services under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, please contact the Special Education Department in Westford. (978-692-5560 ext. 2111)
Every effort will be made to contact the parents to advise them of their rights under these laws.
Notes from the Clinic
Notes from the Clinic: April 29, 2022 (You will need to copy and paste my links into your browser)
Our COVID cases have been higher this week as we returned from the vacation week. There is a public site for you to see cases in each school. (https://www.westfordk12.us/district/news/covid-19-school-related-information-0)
School nurses are responsible for updating this daily. Please continue to let me know if your child has tested positive. We are following the guidance from Mass.gov to isolate for 5 days from symptom onset. (Symptom onset is day zero) If your child tests positive and is asymptomatic-the date of the test is day zero. They will also be required to mask indoors for an additional five days: (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-isolation-and-quarantine-guidance-for-the-general-public)
Thank you to the 6th grade parents who have been sending in their children’s physicals. Paper copies or emailed copies are acceptable. You can even take a picture of the physical and immunization record and send it to my email address. Notices will be sent out in early May letting you know what is missing. In the fall, the clinic is inundated with paperwork. Receiving this paperwork now is very much appreciated.
7th and 8th grade parents, if your child is an athlete and you know they will be participating in a fall sport, please send in physicals that you are taking your children to now. They will be added to your child’s medical records. I am currently getting the 8th grade records ready to send up to the high school.
Have a great weekend.
Sue Hanly, MSN, RN, NCSN
978-392-6974
Boys Volleyball
Westford Middle School Boys Intramural Volleyball Program
Due to the increase of popularity in volleyball, an intramural volleyball program for middle school boys will be piloted this spring!
There has been some discussion at the middle school level to expand the current spring volleyball league to include both males & females. At this point in time, the majority of teams that the middle school’s will be competing against only have females on their teams. Until the division creates two separate leagues, an intramural boys’ volleyball program is a great way for both middle schools to come together and participate in this growing sport.
The objective of this program is to have any middle school boy at Blanchard or Stony Brook interested in participating in volleyball to compete and improve their skill set.
Location: Stony Brook Middle School Gymnasium
Timeframe: Six-week Program
Dates: Monday’s 4/11, 4/25, 5/2, 5/9, 5/16, 5/23
Time: 4:00pm-5:30pm
Registration: FamilyID
Price: $90 Per Player (Check written out to Westford Public Schools or an online payment through MySchoolBucks)
Please contact Roberta Oehley (roehley@westfordk12.us) at Stony Brook or Cathie Casey (ccasey@westfordk12.us) at Blanchard if interested.
Mission Statement
The purpose of the Westford Academy athletic program is to provide a safe opportunity for all student athletes to participate and share in an inclusive environment of spirited competition. Our goal is to instill basic values that build student-athlete character as an individual and member of a team through the involvement in the interscholastic athletic program.
SEPAC
What is the SEPAC? Massachusetts statutes and regulations require that every school district in the state establishes a SEPAC. This public body serves as an adviser to the School Committee on matters that pertain to the education and safety of students with disabilities. In addition, the SEPAC has a duty to meet regularly with school officials to participate in the planning, development, and evaluation of the district’s special education program.
For more information on SEPACs, please visit the Federation for Children with Special Needs’ MassPAC page.
The Westford SEPAC also encourages community members to follow our Facebook page or sign up for our mailing list to get information about upcoming Westford SEPAC events, as well as topics that the SEPAC Board of Directors believes is of interest to families of students with special needs in our community.
Westford Summer Music Program 7/11/22 through 7/15/22
Westford Summer Music Program 7/11/22 through 7/15/22
Come join the fun for a week-long program where band and orchestra ensembles will rehearse daily from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at the Stony Brook School! During the week students will learn new music while building community and friendships. We will conclude the program with a free performance on Friday, July 15th at 11 a.m. This program is open for band and orchestra students entering grades 5 through 9 in September 2022.
Summer Band directed by Mr. Adam Shekleton
Summer Orchestra directed by Mr. Todd Hamelin
For more information and registration please visit: www.westfordk12.us/summermusic
For questions, please contact:
Julie Ottesen - jottesen@westfordk12.us
Basketball Clinic
The WA Girls' Basketball program will be running basketball clinics for girls entering 2nd grade through those entering 9th grade. These clinics are coached by members of the WA Girls' Varsity basketball team. Dates are June 22, 23, and 24th at Blanchard and June 27, 28, 29, and 30 at Westford Academy.
Please go to the WAGB program website at www.wagb.webnode.com for registration information - dates, times, and forms. Also, please email Coach Russ Coward at rcoward@westfordk12.us if you have any questions. Thank you!
WEPTO
The last WEPTO meeting for this school year will be Tuesday, May 24 at 7:15pm. Roudenbush Room 105. All parents and guardians of WPS students are welcome.
Our annual elections will be held during this meeting. The positions up for re-election are:
Co-President(s)- Jamie Holmes
Treasurer - Jenn Smagula
Secretary - Janine Jones
All elected positions are open to any parent or guardian who will have a Westford K-8 student(s) for the 2022-2023school year. If anyone is interested in running for one of these offices or would like additional information: send a private message, email weptopresident@gmail.com, contact your current school PTO president or principal.