
The Common, Edition #6
September 30, 2022

September 30, 2022
Superintendent Update
Dear Nashoba Families,
On Tuesday, October 11th the architects from Kaestle Boos Associates will present to the residents of Bolton, Lancaster, and Stow the preliminary design options for the Nashoba Regional High School building project. Members of the community will have an opportunity to ask questions about the design options and provide feedback to the School Building Committee.
The School Building Committee will convene on Tuesday, October 18th to recommend a preferred design to the Nashoba Regional School Committee. The School Committee will convene on Wednesday, October 19th to deliberate a vote on the preferred option which will be submitted to the Massachusetts School Building Authority no later than October 27, 2022.
It is important that the residents of our three towns appear and participate in this process of selecting a design option. Our communications team will work with all three towns to disseminate this information to residents who do not have children in the school system. You can help that effort by forwarding this email to friends and neighbors who live in our towns.
I look forward to seeing you at the community forum.
Peace,
Kirk Downing
(He/Him)
NRHS School Building Committee Public Forum
Please use this link to view or participate in the forum in real time; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CZSFloESzA
Please use this link to provide feed back to the School Building Committee; https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeqTUOY8Pe6T-lkjvIvN3PrtjdjomUu85TwzyMHqmAPAiuGSw/viewform
News from the Department of Teaching and Learning
Yesterday, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the results from the 2022 MCAS Comprehensive Assessment (MCAS) administered last spring. Last year’s MCAS testing marked the first year of full test administration in grades 3-8 and at the high school since 2019. Simply put, it has been awhile since our students have been fully assessed via our statewide assessment system. Due to the pandemic, MCAS tests were not administered in 2020, and in 2021 modified MCAS tests were administered with the scope of the tests shortened and the structure adjusted.
As a District, we recognize that MCAS is only one measure of student performance captured in a relatively short period of time.We have multiple measures of assessment data to support our understanding of student learning needs at Nashoba. And, this year, with our implementation of Renaissance Learning and our universal screening approach through Star math and reading three times per year, our assessment portfolio has grown even stronger, providing our teachers with easy to access, diagnostic information about student learning throughout the school year.
With that, we recognize that MCAS results occupy an important place in our Nashoba assessment portfolio. Results from MCAS provide valuable information about student performance based on our curriculum, and as well as how our schools are performing alongside other schools across the state. To this end, the Department of Teaching and Learning, in conjunction with each of our schools’ leadership teams, is deeply engaged in the review, discussion, and analysis of the 2022 MCAS results. MCAS results provide us with critical information about our students’ learning needs. The Department of Teaching and Learning looks forward to sharing the results of this collaborative MCAS analysis, along with highlights of achievement and recommendations for next steps at an upcoming School Committee meeting.
Families should be aware that information about individual student performance will be forthcoming with parent/guardian MCAS reports mailed home in the upcoming weeks. School and district level MCAS scores are currently available online at the following school and district report link. Click HERE.
As we look ahead, we will continue to work towards continual improvement for all students. We see parents as critical partners in the success of our students and school, and we are grateful for your continued support.
News from the Health and Wellness Department
Repost from September 23, 2022
Nashoba Regional High School will be hosting a flu clinic and health fair on Oct. 13, 2022 for all community members. Pre-registration is required using the links posted on the Nashoba Associated Boards of health website at https://www.nashoba.org/calendar. If you are unable to attend this evening, other locations and times are on the website.
Flu Clinic FAQ:
- Because there are different vaccine formulations for different age groups, registration links are divided by age group. Please select the link for the correct clinic location and your age group to register.
- Flu clinics are open to the public (ages 6 months and up). Not all clinics will be open to all ages; some will be designated specifically for adults/seniors, so please check the details of the clinic prior to registering. Residents of Nashoba towns can attend any clinic in the region serving their age group.
- When registering, please note: You may see a list of other clinic locations, but only one can be selected- the “Book Here” button for the correct clinic will be purple, while the others will be greyed out.
- People should bring their insurance cards to the clinic.
- No insurance? No problem. A person that does not have insurance may still receive a vaccination.
- There will be high dose flu vaccine available for those age 65 years and older
- We ask anyone feeling sick to stay home
This Week at Nashoba
Third grade independent reading time at Mary Rowlandson School.
Hale Middle School students working on “flexible thinking activities in S3”.
The Nashoba Field Hockey program hosted their annual Michelle Game in honor and memory of former player Michelle Farnsworth. The team collected donations towards the Michelle Farnsworth scholarship.
Together, we inspire and challenge all learners to reach their unique potential and become active contributors to their community.