TPS District Newsletter
Tewksbury Public Schools
March 2024
Message from the Superintendent
Dear TPS Community,
As we find ourselves halfway through the month of March and Spring knocking at the door, I wanted to take a moment to extend my heartfelt appreciation to each and every one of you. Your dedication and commitment to the growth and well-being of our students is truly commendable.
Our ongoing partnership, patience, and mutual support for one another is invaluable and necessary, especially at this time as March is one of the longest months of the school year. I know firsthand that when the winter feels behind us, students (and our staff) can feel the mix of excitement, anxiety, and fatigue of the final trimester and the final term of the school year fast approaching. Many students will also struggle to stay focused and persevere. Our grade 3-10 students’ mid-year assessments have occurred and their statewide assessments are beginning in just the next few weeks. For our seniors, they are thinking about senior projects and end of year celebrations. Our youngest students may feel wiggly and distracted with the need to get outside and move.
I also want to remind you of the importance of open communication between home and school. During this time of the school year, it’s easy for our students to become overwhelmed with everything going on. As noted above, maybe your child may be sharing fatigue and frustration, or even impatience with their fellow peers that they have been sharing indoor space with all winter. Please talk to and listen to your child’s teacher if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback they need to know about. It’s important that we are committed to working together to ensure the best possible educational experience for your child.
Moreover, March is also an exciting time for extracurricular activities, and school events that help students unwind from day to day pressures. From sports competitions, PAC and school activities, and arts performances, there are plenty of opportunities for our students to get involved, showcase their talents, and cheer on their peers. Please stay updated on our PAC, school, and District calendars and newsletters.
Again, thank you for all that you do, today and every day.
Warm regards,
Brenda Theriault-Regan
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
Title I Information Night
RSVP Link: https://forms.gle/ZCfKsgJpsMRBgFcL8
TMHS BOYS HOCKEY MIAA STATE FINALS
TMHS Boys’ Hockey team MIAA State Finals game will be on Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 7:30 PM at the TD Garden in Boston. Please click here for ticket information. Please see this letter from Principal Long with more details.
Standards Based Report Card Update
Grades 1-4: Standards Based Report Cards
As a reminder, the Grades 1-4 standards based report cards for the second trimester will be available in Aspen starting on April 1st. Please take the time to review your child's achievements and areas for growth as we celebrate their progress throughout this term.
The standards are end of year expectations. In order to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the content covered during each term and to monitor progress throughout the year in English Language Arts and Mathematics, we have broken each standard down into three phases; the expectation at the end of the first term (i.e. term one benchmarks), the expectation at the end of the second term (i.e. term two benchmarks) and the end-of-year expectations (i.e. standard). We believe that this document will serve as a valuable resource for you to engage with your child's learning journey and support their continued success.
Please see the Standards Based Report Cards website here.
Teachers and students working the PACs will be celebrating the Solar Eclipse on April 8th to provide safe activities for students to learn more and track the Eclipse in our area. Please click the button above for information from NASA.
Next month's nearly complete eclipse (93.8% complete) is exciting. It is important to be safe when observing it. Because the eclipse is not 100%, no one should look directly at it at any time without proper solar glasses or using a viewing box. It will be at its greatest percentage at 3:29 pm. Here are some videos about solar eclipses and solar safety.
AlphaBEST is thrilled to share that April Vacation Camp and Summer Camp enrollments are live! Please use our website to register your child(ren) for these engaging opportunities. We look forward to seeing you soon!
AlphaBEST April Vacation Camp Registration
Summer Camp Opportunity for Students in Grades 5-12
UMASS Lowell is pleased to offer a STEM Summer Camp for students in grades 5-12. Please read the informational flyer for more details.
Center School STEAM Night: Volunteers Needed
The Center School PAC and Charity Legvold, STEAM teacher, are bringing back STEAM Night! Grade 4 STEAM Night is March 20th from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.
This month, it's fourth grade's turn! Reach out to Anna or Molly at CenterElementaryPAC@gmail.com if you are available to help.
SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
The School Committee has created a website for the community to stay up to date on contract negotions. Please click the button above.
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.
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.
School Committee has approved the official calendar for the 2024 - 2025 school year. You can access it via the button above.
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!
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.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
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.
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.
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.
Massachusetts Partnership for Youth - Parent Resources
We are pleased to share with you Massachusetts Partnership for Youth Parent Resources, which are as follows:
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