Panther Pride
From the desk of Mr.McElhinney
November..... the Thanks-giving month
Thank you to our Armed Forces for the safety, security, and freedoms they provide all of us with the many sacrifices they make. We can still choose our schools, religions, places to live, employment, vacations, and we educate ALL children, etc., etc. all things that are not automatic in many countries around the world.
Thank you to the great teachers and support staff at Stony Brook. They continue to support, challenge and guide your children to find their strengths and achieve their fullest potential. I am very lucky to work with this incredible group of educators.
Thank you to the Westford Fire Department for their support during our Evacuation Tuesday morning. They were on the scene quickly, thoroughly investigated the issue, and provided us with a safe return to our daily regime. Our students were safe throughout the situation and during the days following.
Finally, a thank you to Mrs.Sullivan for her tireless efforts to run Ski Club. Her eleventh-hour pitch is to ask parents to drive their children to and from the Nashoba Valley ski area. There was a brief meeting for the Stony Brook Ski and Snowboard Club right after announcements this morning. Mrs. Sullivan handed out a permission slip and sign up sheets. Signups are due by November 30. Please check in with your children.
Lots of updates below, Phizer clinic, Homeless students info, Clinic, PTO, SEPAC, and many other nuggets of info.
Thank you,
Mr. Mac
TIERED FOCUS MONITORING- DESE visit in January
During the week of January 9, 2022, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of Westford Public Schools. The Office of Public School Monitoring visits each district and charter school every three years to monitor compliance with federal and state special education and civil rights regulations. Areas of review related to special education include student assessments, determination of eligibility, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team process, and IEP development and implementation. Areas of review related to civil rights include bullying, student discipline, physical restraint, and equal access to school programs for all students.
In addition to the onsite visit, parent outreach is an important part of the review process. The review chairperson from the Office of Public School Monitoring will send all parents of students with disabilities an online survey that focuses on key areas of their child’s special education program. Survey results will contribute to the development of a report. During the onsite review, the Office of Public School Monitoring will interview the chairperson(s) of the district’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). Other onsite activities may include interviews of district staff and administrators, reviews of student records, and onsite observations.
Parents and other individuals may call Alaena Podmore, Public School Monitoring Chairperson, at (781) 338- 6706 to request a telephone interview. If an individual requires an accommodation, such as translation, to participate in an interview, the Department will make the necessary arrangements.
Within approximately 60 business days after the onsite visit, the review chairperson will provide the (district or charter school) with a report with information about areas in which the (district or charter school) meets or exceeds regulatory requirements and areas in which the (district or charter school) requires assistance to correct or improve practices. The public will be able to access the report at http://www.doe.mass.edu/psm/tfm/reports/.
Roudenbush Community Center Speaker series (Former Westford Parent Connection)
As you may know, the Roudenbush Community Center has taken over the Westford Parent Connection speaker series. We have held 2 speakers with very low turnout and so I am trying anything to get the word out.
We are hosting or next speaker virtually on Wednesday, Nov 17th at 7pm and we are hoping you all could spread the word in your weekly emails if possible (I realize this is super late notice so please forgive me and if this can’t happen or is an inappropriate ask again, please forgive me).
Here is the description:
Overcoming Stress and Burnout in the time of Covid
Parenting is one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences in life; during the pandemic both the challenge (and the reward) has grown significantly for most families. While we have more time with our children, we are also more responsible, perhaps, for their learning, for keeping our families safe and healthy, and maintaining and thriving in our careers - add to this the uncertainty in the world in general and you have the perfect recipe for burnout. Join us to learn to recognize signs of burnout and some concrete strategies for mitigating stress.
About the presenter:
Mary Ellen Rogers Mary-Ellen Sposato RogersMary-Ellen Sposato Rogers, ICF certified Executive Coach and acclaimed corporate trainer, was the founder and former CEO of Work/Life Innovations, acquired by a Fortune 500 health care provider in 2008; the company provided EAP, wellness, and work/life resource & referral services to major corporations including Bank One, The University of Illinois, McDonald’s Corporation, ESPN and United Technologies, to name a few. Under Mary-Ellen’s direction the company was the first vendor ever to be named an Innovative Excellence Award Winner by The Alliance for Work Life Progress, an honor they received twice (2003 and 2005).
Presentation is on November 17 at 7 pm via zoom please register at https://www.roudenbush.org/events/overcoming-stress-and-burnout-during-a-pandemic-with-mary-ellen-rogers. We are also hosting a follow up coffee talk the next morning for people to discuss what the learned and to share thoughts. The Roudenbush Coffee Connection will be held on Thursday No 18th from 9 to 9:45ma via zoom, please can register here https://www.roudenbush.org/events/roudenbush-coffee-connection-overcoming-stress-and-burnout for the zoom link
Attendance Reminder
Buy a Yearbook
"YEARBOOK! There is still time to purchase a 2021-2022 yearbook for your child! Click on this FLIER to order!"
Substitute Teacher Needs
We/I would like to invite you to sign up to be a substitute teacher at our school (please feel free to modify the message).
Kindly find the link to the application here Substitute Teacher Application.
8th graders interested in attending Nashoba Tech next Fall
On Wednesday, counselors from Nashoba Tech visited Stony Brook to present to our 8th graders. They provided our students with more information about their school, the different shops and programs they have available, the various sports and clubs they offer and how students can apply if they are interested in considering attending Nashoba Tech for high school. For families whose children are planning to apply to Nashoba Tech or for those who are interested in learning more about it, we wanted to also provide parents with the information we have shared with the students through the following links:
How to register for the NVTHS Open House (which is happening this Sunday, 11/7 from 12-3pm:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemTGTueF9mXD_5DNv9YJ8GMj62gNxbkkG4EhIWvn_i3DJDlw/viewform
How to submit a High School Admissions Application to attend NVTHS: https://nashobatech.go2cte.com/
If your child has submitted an application to NVTHS or is planning to do so, please encourage them to email me or see me in guidance so that I can help to support them along the way in their application process.
PTO UPDATE
Thanks to parent donations to our annual ‘No-Fuss’ Fundraiser, the PTO will sponsor a staff dinner consisting of individually packaged meals created by FeastTivities Catering, on Mon, Nov 22 during the Parent-Teacher Conferences. In addition, we plan to provide beverages and snacks earlier in the day for which we are seeking donations from parents. Donations can be dropped off at a table in the school lobby between Mon, Nov 15, and Fri, Nov 19. Please sign up here Teacher Conference Snack/Drink Donations Thank you for your support!
Don’t forget to ask your Gr.7 students about the PTO-sponsored Academic Enrichment Program ‘Ancient Egypt:Pyramids & Pharaohs’ they saw this Wednesday.
All PTO initiatives like Enrichment Programs, Teacher-Appreciation events & Mini-Grants, are funded entirely by parent donations so please continue to donate to the Annual 'No-Fuss' Fundraiser. We are 3/4ths of the way to our goal so please support us to get to our goal of $12000. DONATE at https://tinyurl.com/SBSPTODonation (No PayPal account needed) or, send a check payable to WEPTO-Stony Brook School to the school.
Get more PTO information at https://tinyurl.com/SBSPTO
If you have questions or comments please email us at stonybrookschoolpto@gmail.com
PHIZER CLINIC
November 12, 2021
Dear Parents and Residents,
The Westford Health Department is offering a COVID19 clinic for children 5 to 11 years old. Two doses are needed to complete this series. Pfizer is the vaccine that is being offered at the clinics.
- Parents/Guardians must complete the registration for each child.
- Children should wear clothing conducive to receiving a vaccine shot in the arm.
- Please arrive a few minutes prior to your scheduled time. The process will take about 30 minutes which includes vaccination and observation time.
- No WALKIN’s please
Please pre-register your child at the link below for the Pfizer covid-19 clinic for the 5-11 year old’s:
https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/westford
- 1st Dose Clinic
Location: WA Cafeteria
Date: Thursday, November 18, 2021 1st Dose
Time: 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
- 2nd Dose Clinic:
Location: WA Cafeteria
Date: Thursday, December 9, 2021 Second Dose
Time: 4:00pm to 6:00 pm
Thank you,
Rae Dick BS. CP-FS Gail F. Johnson, BSN, RN
Interim Health Director Public Health Nurse
Westford Health Department Westford Health Department
COVID TESTING CONSENT LINK
Please visit this link to the online consent form through CIC-health: https://www.cic-health.com/consent/ma?district=Westford#consent
Additionally, you can access this link to receive more specific information about Contact Tracing and Quarantining under the most recent DESE/ DPH protocols: Family Information Regarding DESE testing and Quarnating Protocols
Covid Testing reminder
"As was mentioned before school started, WPS has elected to participate in the DESE-sponsored COVID-19 testing program supported by CIC-health. The overall program includes multiple testing options for districts. We are initially exploring the “test and stay” program which will allow students identified as close contacts while at school the opportunity to take a rapid COVID test at school to see if they remain negative in order to stay in school. We are working with all of the school nurses to assess whether or not also implementing symptomatic testing throughout the day would be a benefit or create a more challenging scenario for our already busy health clinics. All COVID testing requires parent or guardian permission in order for students to participate. The consent form is accessible online and covers all of the potential DESE testing programs: the two previously mentioned (Test and Stay, Symptomatic) along with the Routine COVID testing (which was previously called “pooled” testing). We are not considering Routine COVID testing at this time; however, the consent form is for all available testing. It clearly states that the school district must inform parents of any changes before implementing them. So, we are asking you at this time to consider consenting to both “test and stay” testing and “symptomatic”. If we ever decide to consider Routine COVID testing, you will be informed ahead of time and given the opportunity to change your consent.
Homeless Students
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-November 12, 2021
7th and 8th grade parents: Basketball tryouts will be starting soon. Please make sure your child has a current physical on file with me in the clinic. Do not assume that if they did a fall sport, they are all set. Physicals are current for 13 months. Some of our fall athletes had physicals that would have been out of date in November.
I will continue to encourage vaccinations for all. Ages 5-11 are now eligible. Westford is holding Pfizer clinics on November 18th for the first dose and Dec 9th for the second dose at WA cafe from 4-6P. Registration is required. No walk-ins allowed and it is only for this age group. If your child is over 11 and still not vaccinated, please call their pediatrician or look into getting the vaccine at numerous CVS sites. Here is the link to the registration for the school site: https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/westford
We have had an increase in positive cases across the district this week. In many cases, individuals were fully vaccinated. We cannot let our guard down even if vaccinated. Please monitor for symptoms prior to sending your child to school. I would recommend having at home tests available in case your child does wake up with symptoms that are not severe enough to keep home from school but questionable. BinaxNow kits are easy to use and you have the results in 15 minutes. They can be purchased at some Walgreen’s and CVS sites or ordered online.
If your child is fully vaccinated and identified as a close contact, they will not need to quarantine or get tested unless symptomatic. The CDC does recommend testing 5-7 days after exposure to a positive case regardless of vaccination status. Please note this paragraph from a CDC link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html
Fully vaccinated people who have come into close contact with someone with COVID-19 should be tested 5-7 days following the date of their exposure and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result. They should isolate if they test positive. Fully vaccinated people who live in a household with someone who is immunosuppressed, at increased risk of severe disease, or unvaccinated (including children <12 years of age) could also consider masking at home for 14 days following a known exposure or until they receive a negative test result. Most fully vaccinated people with no COVID-like symptoms do not need to quarantine or be restricted from work following an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, if they follow the testing and masking recommendation above. Fully vaccinated people should monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days following an exposure.
Have a good weekend.
Sue Hanly, MSN, RN, NCSN
Friends Advancing Music Education
Calling all Music-Lovers!
Are you in need of a night out for a great cause?
Come listen to some live music and support FAME!
When:
Friday, November 5th from 7:30pm – 10:00pm
What:
Enjoy tunes from a great local cover band while socializing with friends! There will be a cash bar and you are welcome to bring your own food. FAME will provide cookies and coffee!
Where:
Franco American Club
55 W Prescott St, Westford!
Cost: $20/person or $120/table (six people per table)
Buy tickets at https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=VNYUBNAW5S39A
ATHLETIC UPDATE
ATHLETIC BUS SHORTAGE
From the Desk of Jeff Bunyon, Athletic Director
If you recall last school year, we asked WA parents/guardians to provide transportation to away athletic events. We really appreciated your support. As we enter the fall season, at times we may need that support this season at the Middle Schools. Dee Bus Company is struggling to find bus drivers. This is not just a Westford Public Schools issue, this is a national issue. In fact, in some areas of our country the National Guard is being used to assist with school bus transportation. With that being said, I wanted to keep you informed that we may require you to provide transportation for your student-athlete to an away athletic event in order for an away competition to be played.
Every effort will be made to provide you with 24 to 48 hours notice.
Thank you in advance for your support and understanding!
Respectfully, Jeff Bunyon
Be sure to check the Stony Brook Sports Page for up to date information on Games (location & times).
https://sites.google.com/westfordk12.us/sbsports/home
Pick Promptness
Please be mindful of the end times for your children's practices and games. Please be available to pick up at the designated end times for the day's event (game/practice). Coaches have other commitments, responsibilities and families to get to after coaching. Our coaches do not want to leave children alone after games or practices so your promptness will guarantee their safety and security after events. Your prompt pick up supports your children's continued participation.
MathCounts Competition
The 2021-2022 MathCounts competition is here! This year's contests will be in-person. It is a great opportunity to meet young Mathletes across Massachusetts. The MATHCOUNTS Competition Series, created in 1983, is the longest-running MATHCOUNTS program and is open to all 6th-, 7th- and 8th-grade students. You can learn more info from https://www.mathcounts.org/ Here, we are calling all students with any sort of math skill to come join us and have fun! The first official practice competition round is mid-Nov. Please contact the school team coach, Jinqi Xu, before that. His contact information is xujinqi@hotmail.com
SEPAC
This month, the Westford Special Education Parents Advisory Council is hosting a virtual “Open House” with Superintendent Dr. Christopher Chew, Director of Pupil Services Courtney Moran, and ELA Curriculum Coordinator Jenn Traverso. We’d like to make sure members of the Westford Public Schools community are aware of these meetings, so we’re asking that you include the following information in your upcoming emails to your parent community.
We’ve also finally finalized our SEPAC meeting calendar. Please feel free to share this; we have some exciting programs this year (including Dr. Ross Greene, author of The Explosive Child, Lost at School, and Raising Human Beings).
And finally, we have a new logo (attached) and we’d love it if you used it in your newsletter. It was created by a Westford parent. Suzanne Eaton. And we love it!
Thank you for sharing this information! If you have any questions, please reach out to the SEPAC at sepacwestford@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
The Westford SEPAC Board of Directors
Chair: Ilene Tatroe
Vice Co-Chairs: Jill Atkins & Melissa Mackey
Secretary/Treasurer: Katherine Steele-Dantin
-- Text to include in your newsletter --
Westford SEPAC Virtual Open House Nov. 17 with Dr. Christopher Chew, Courtney Moran, and Jenn Traverso
On November 17 at 7PM, the Westford Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC) is holding a virtual open house -- via Zoom -- with Westford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Christopher Chew, Director of Pupil Services Courtney Moran, and ELA Curriculum Coordinator Jenn Traverso.
This public meeting is open to all parents and families of students with special needs who live in Westford or who have a child attending school within the district, as well as to other interested parties.
The meeting will be held via Zoom; attendees must pre-register.
The SEPAC has also published its schedule for the 2021-2022 school year. You can find the list of meetings and workshops here.
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.
Blanchard Theater Arts
Blanchard Theatre Arts will present its “master-peach,” a production of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach JR. beginning Friday, December 3, 2021. A delightfully offbeat adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl adventure, James and the Giant Peach JR. is a fantastical tale of a boy, his insect friends, and their amazing journey across the ocean on a giant piece of fruit.
Featuring music and lyrics by the Tony-nominated songwriters Justin Paul and Benj Pasek and book by Timothy Allen McDonald, James and the Giant Peach JR. is based on the beloved book by Roald Dahl and tells the story of a young orphaned child who finds a loving family in a most peculiar way. Sent by his mean, conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, James discovers a magic potion which results in a tremendous peach occupied by some not-so-normal characters. From the center of the gigantic fruit, James and the unlikely crew launch a journey of enormous proportions. Together they discover that while we are all born into a family, we then go on to create a family of our own.
Blanchard Theatre Arts will present Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach JR. on Friday, December 3, 2021 at 7PM and Saturday, December 4 at 2 PM and 7PM at the Katie Enos Performing Arts Center at Blanchard Middle School, 14 West Street Westford, MA. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased online or at the door. For general information, please email Karen Sacco (ksacco@westfordk12.us) or, for tickets, email Julie Ottesen (jottesen@westfordk12.us).
James and the Giant Peach JR. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 www.MTIShows.com.