Florence Sawyer School Happenings
Monday, November 19, 2018
Principal's Message
Dear Parents,
I'm sorry to write that the weather will not allow us to play our Annual Student-Faculty Flag Football Game tomorrow. I had hoped that the rain and temperatures would dry out the field, but that does not look like it will happen so we will err on the side of safety and postpone the game to a warmer, drier day in the future. The most important aspect of our game; the Student Council Food Drive, will go on as scheduled. The Student Council has identified grade span donation suggestions detailed here. Wheat Kitchen Food Drive. Nonperishable items will be donated to United Way of Tri-county Wheat Community Cupboard & Cafe in Clinton. All non-perishable items are welcome. We are asking students to bring in items by Tuesday, November 20 to their homeroom. Student council will have boxes for classrooms for donations.
As you may be aware, we have been without a dedicated Instructional Technology teacher for the middle grades since the start of the school year. Ms. Stephanie Potito, who held the position for the past two years resigned before the start of the school year. I have been filling that role in the interim. We completed several unsuccessful searches and decided ultimately to look internally. I am now pleased to announce that Mr. Gary Kozloski will step into that role next week. Mr. Kozloski has long been an advocate for the integration of technology in the teaching and learning process.
Additionally, Mr. Tom Warren has been hired for the remainder of the school year to teach grade 6 social studies. Mr. Warren was the successful candidate in a highly qualified field of candidates. He has been transitioning with Mr. Kozloski, and I am confident he will be a terrific addition to the sixth-grade team.
Please note that tomorrow is a full day of school. The school will be closed on Wednesday for the Thanksgiving break through Friday.
In the spirit of the season, I want to take this opportunity to offer my thanks for the following...
- Thank you, parents, teachers, student performers, local artisans and all of the families who came out and made our Family Fun Pasta pARTy a success! We don't have the final total yet, but I'm told we may be close to $2000 which goes toward a Nashoba scholarship.
- Thank you first responders, former teachers, current staff members, and other community readers for spending some time with our classes and sharing favorite books on Thursday. You can check out a slideshow from the Item below of our Community Readers.
- Thank you to our Nashoba student-athletes for returning to FSS and joining us as well on Community Reading Day. Members of the NRHS Field Hockey and Football teams joined us Thursday in what had to be a pretty chaotic week for them. The NRHS Field Hockey team played on Saturday for a Division 1 state championship. The NRHS Football team beat Gloucester in the state semi-final Saturday evening and will play on Friday, November 30, at 5:00 at Gillette Stadium in the State Final. Please join me in wishing them well and thanking all of our former FSS Eagles for representing our school and community as stellar examples for our younger students on the fields, on the stage, in the classroom, and our community.
- Thank you, PAC for your support of our Enrichment! The PAC section details a list of enrichment dates this year.
- Thank you, Bolton School Donations Committee for funding $12,000 in new classroom and instructional materials. We are incredibly fortunate and deeply appreciative of your efforts. For more information on ways to support the BSDC, please check out their box below.
- Thank you for your continued support! We recognize how fortunate we are to be able to work with such a fantastic group of kind, hardworking, thoughtful students and their supportive parents. I hope that all of you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Yours in partnership,
Joel Bates,
Principal
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THIS WEEK and Next:
11/19 B Day 11/20 C Day 11/21 - 11/23 No School Thanksgiving Break
11/26 D Day 11/27 E Day 11/28 F Day 11/29 A Day 11/30 B Day
LOOKING AHEAD: November/ December
11/20 Student-Faculty Flag Football Game / WHEAT Collection
11/21, 22, 23 No School / Thanksgiving Break
11/22 Thanksgiving Football Classic / Clinton HS @ Nashoba 10:00AM
11/28 Picture Retake Day
11/30 First Trimester Marks close
12/4 Chorus Concert Gr 4, 5
12/6 PAC Meeting / 7:00 PM
12/ 7 Early Release for students / 12:15
12/11 Chorus Concert (6,7,8)
12/14 Trimester 1 Report Cards go home
12/18 Band Concert (Gr 5 - 8)
12/21 FSS Winter Break Sing-A-Long
12/25 - 1/1 No School, Winter Break
Further Ahead:
2018-2019 Year at a Glance Calendar
Helpful Links
Florence Sawyer School Website
Community Based Enrichment and Opportunities Site
2018 - 2019 Parent Student Handbook
NRSD Free/Reduced Lunch Application Online Application
My School Bucks Online Lunch Payment
Helpful Emails and Extensions
Dee Bus Company
Dispatcher Donna Hunter (978) 733-1047
Extended Learning: Director Raina Rago
rrago@nrsd.net (978) 779-0539, Ext. 3356
Snow gear and creative storage
Family Fun Pasta pARTy!
Thank you MA State Trooper Sergeant Cyr!
Health Notes
- 2018-2019 Welcome Back Letter from Health Services
- Health Screenings Opt-Out Parent letter -2018-2019
- 2018-2019 SBIRT parent letter
- 2018-19 NRSD School Bus Medical Emergency Information Form
- Medication Consent Form-Medication Administration Protocol
- NRSD Allergy Action Plan
- 10 Tips for LTA Students
- NRSD LTA IHCP for middle and elementary school
- The Price of Cool: A Teenager, a Juul, and a Nicotine Addiction New York Times
Parents Advisory Council
Picture Retake day is scheduled for Wednesday, November 28, 2018.
The next PAC meeting is scheduled for December 6, 2018 at 7:00 PM. Principal Joel Bates will be joining us for a Q & A.
The Bookfair is coming from February 7 to February 15! We need your help. If you can spare any time to volunteer or want to learn more about the Bookfair, please reach out at FSSPAC@nrsd.net
Want to be a PAC Buddy or are you in need of a buddy? PAC is happy to announce its new buddy system. Are you new to FSS or just maybe you just have questions about how things run at FSS. PAC will pair you up with a buddy that can mentor you and answer all your questions. Please feel free to email us at FSSPAC@nrsd.net
The following PAC Enrichment dates are coming up.
Discovery Museum (Nov 30) Kindergarten
Discovery Museum (Dec 11) Grade 2
National Book Award finalist and Newbury Honor Award-winning author Steve Sheinkin (Dec 6) Grades 4-8
Author Portrayal - Clara Barton (May 30) Grade 3, Anne Frank (May 30) Grade 7
Special Education Parents Advisory Council
The Nashoba Regional School District’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is a parent-led group providing support to parents & guardians of children who have an IEP or 504 Accommodation Plan.
SEPAC membership is open to everyone in the Nashoba Regional School District Community. Meeting dates and locations are included in the Nashoba Regional School District Calendar.
To join the SEPAC mailing list, send a request to nashobasepac@nrsd.net
Nashoba SEPAC's event Decoding the Neuropsychological Evaluation was postponed.
We send out a monthly newsletter via email.
Check out our SEPAC flyer, click here
Bolton School Donations Committee
Follow us on Facebook
The Bolton School Donations Committee has just had our Fall Teacher Wish List meeting and approved almost $12,000 of requests from our fabulous teachers! Soon the classrooms will be filled with document cameras, fun storage items, and so many books it will be a sight to see, and all to enrich the educational experience of our children!
We work hard as a committee to fulfill these requests and are so grateful for the support we get from the parents in the school. We raise the money through various fundraisers, with which most of you are likely familiar. Your children recently completed their Square 1 Art projects, and we are able to take online orders until next week! Make your selections for grandparents, baby sitters, and all those who need some fine art in their lives, and submit them by November 26 at the latest. Holiday shopping done!! The other program that is perfect for holiday gift giving for teachers, athletic instructors, administrative assistants, and of course for you is the Scrips Gift Cards program. In the Virtual Backpack you will find order forms to purchase gift cards from a variety of stores. Purchase the gift cards through our Scrips program and you receive the card in the denomination you ordered. The BSDC receives a percentage of that amount, at no additional cost to you! Everyone wins! Do your holiday grocery shopping with cards to Stop and Shop, Shaw's, or Whole Foods. Purchase holiday gifts with cards from L.L. Bean and Land’s End. If there are people for whom you never know what to buy, get them an Amazon gift card. Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Subway, Panera, and so many more. Orders for the Scrips program are due by December 10 and cards will be delivered December 17 in time for shopping and gift giving. We thank you in advance for your support and wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Become a member of BSDC Meetings are every second Tuesday of the month at 6:30. Contact Sarah Berube @ bsdcfss@gmail.com or sjaberube@gmail.com for more information. Also, come to visit our table during the wonderful Pasta Dinner on Nov. 15.
Square 1 Art:
For families of kids in grades K-8, the Bolton School Donation Committee's Square 1 Art fundraiser is off and running! Your kids and their art teachers have done their part and now all the fabulous artwork is on its way to Square 1 where it can be printed onto any number of cool products. I got a glimpse of all the artwork as I was compiling it to send in and they are all really great, we have some talented kids in this town! Keep an eye out the week of November 5th for the order catalog. You can then easily order online or fill out an order form and everything will arrive in time for Christmas.
Scrips:
Need Gift Cards for holiday gifts or everyday shopping? A portion of every gift card that is purchased goes directly to donations for staff and teacher classroom supplies. Watch for the scrips order forms coming the week of Nov. 26. Forms will be due back by Dec. 10 and the gift cards will be back to you before the school break.
NRSD Extended Learning
The popular Extended Learning February Vacation Camp is back and better than ever, now open to students from K - 8! Spots are limited and tend to fill up fast so please check out the link above. Please find the following Vacation Camp brochure for more information on the camp activities offered.
2019 Extended Learning February Vacation Camp Brochure
Community Events
Community Events, Opportunities and Announcements - Not necessarily school sponsored but of note and interest.
A Christmas Carol is coming to Nashoba Regional High School! Join Nashoba Drama as we kick off the holiday season with Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol. A Christmas Carol recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man. Performance dates are November 16 & 17 at 7:30 pm and November 18 at 2:00 pm at NRHS auditorium, 12 Green Road, Bolton. To order tickets in advance, please visit www.nashobadrama.com
Nashoba Junior Chess Club - The Nashoba Junior Chess Club will hold its first meeting of the 2018-2019 season on Friday, November 9th, from 5:30-7: 30 pm in the Nashoba Regional High School Cafeteria. The club is open to any child in grades K+ who has a love for learning chess. Instruction with Chess Master, Dr. Toth starts at 5:30 pm and peer games start at 6 pm. Admission is $2 to cover the cost of snacks. We kindly request the presence of a parent or caregiver at all times if your child is under 11 years old. Additional information can be found at http://www.nashobachess.org/. Dates for the 2018-2019 season are 11/30, 12/7, 12/14, 1/4, 1/18, 2/1, 2/8, 3/1, 3/29. - We hope to see you there!
Welcome to the 2019 Afterschool Ski Club! Ski Club is designed to be a fun opportunity for students to take lessons, practice and ski/board with their friends at Wachusett Mountain. Who: Students 3rd-8th grade and Parent Chaperones. Students must be able to ride the chairlift themselves and will be partnered to ski with a buddy who skis at their level. Any student not comfortable with the lift will be partnered with a parent. When: 6 Fridays starting on Jan. 4th. Weather cancellations will be attempted to be rescheduled. Where: Students will ride a bus to Wachusett, departing from and returning to Florence Sawyer School. Gear can be dropped off at the school Friday morning, kids will have time to change before leaving school. We are required to pay the bus fees even if parents choose to transport students themselves. How: Register! At www.wachusett.com/schoolgroups Use the code: SYER The bus fee is an automatic add-on, but you may also add lessons, a pass, a rental package, a park terrain passes and pre-loaded $ cards for use in the lodge. Lessons for all levels will be offered each Friday, they are a great deal and strongly recommended. Prices go up after 12/5/18, so try to register early! Chaperones! We need around 10 chaperones for the season, ideally 5 on the bus and 5 more on the mountain. Chaperones receive a free ski pass for the night and a free ski weekend during the season. Chaperone forms are needed by 12/15. We will have an informational meeting in mid-December, watch your email for details. There is an FAQ page on the Wachusett website under School Groups., Email Annie at bear2th@gmail.com with any other questions and to volunteer.
Florence Sawyer School
Website: sawyer.nrsd.net
Location: 100 Mechanic Street, Bolton, MA, USA
Phone: (978) 779-2821
Twitter: @Pk8SawyerSchool