Panther Pride
From the desk of Mr.McElhinney
Mondays' Parent Conference Meetings will be VIRTUAL ONLY
As you are reading this newsletter you may already be aware that all Parent Conferences will be virtual-only meetings from 2 pm-8 pm Monday, and then again on Tuesday, with a delayed opening, from 7:30 am to 9:20 am. There is still NO SCHOOL on Monday and a delayed opening (9:25 start) on Tuesday of this upcoming week. You should also have a notice from the Superintendent regarding this change. Please see the Stony Brook webpage for the links to access your children at the times you selected.
The Anti-Racism and Social Justice Book Club will be starting up again. They will be reading; All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. If you have any questions please reach out to Mrs. Larkin at mlarkin@westfordk12. The google classroom code is: shb6d7y to access information about the club. This cub will be in-person beginning soon.
7th grade will once again take over the cafe and lobby area Wednesday morning for the annual
"Barter day". They will bring in items from home they wish to use to barter for "more stuff" in this ancient "Pheasant Lane Mall" setting. As always, we ask parents to check the items selected by your child for bartering (make sure it's not your good china or grandpa's silver coin collection from the 1800's), seriously, no weapons/weapon-like toys, buck knives, pocket knives, toy guns, nerf guns, etc. Common sense should rule out. Students will be trading these items and need to store them in lockers and bring them home on busses at the end of the day.... let's keep it fun.
We celebrated the Spirit Week Champions on Wednesday. Mrs. Phair's room 113 advisory was the overall winner of the 6 days of advisory events. Our Spirit Advisory event created a great deal of energy throughout the school. We will be looking at some dates in February to do it again. Keep checking in with your children for the latest news about spirit week.
Tune up your computer screens we will see you VIRTUALLY on Monday!
Virtually Yours,
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/.
Signs of Suicide student assessment
Dear Parent or Guardian,
The adolescent years are marked by a roller-coaster of emotions which may be difficult for youth, parents, and educators. It is easy to misread severe anxiety and depression as normal adolescent turmoil; however, depression (among the most common of mental illnesses) appears to be occurring at a much earlier age. Depression, which is treatable, is a leading risk factor for suicide. In addition, self-injury is a growing problem among youth. To proactively address these issues, The Stony Brook School offers depression awareness and suicide prevention training for students through the S.O.S. (Signs of Suicide) Middle School Program. This program, along with its high school version, has been used by thousands of schools nationwide since 2000. This is the fourteenth year we will be delivering this program in Westford.
Research indicates that adolescents are more likely to turn to peers than adults when facing a crisis. Adolescents communicate with their friends via cell phones, various apps and the internet. As a result, parents are often unaware of difficulties their child may be experiencing either personally or in helping a friend. We are hoping that with this program your children will learn some tools to help themself or a friend.
The S.O.S. program consists of video clips and class discussions with one of the Stony Brook Counselors or our School Nurse, and then each individual student will be screened by a short survey for Adolescent Depression. If any student is found to be at high risk, he or she will meet with a Stony Brook counselor, his or her parents or guardians will be contacted, and follow up recommendations will be made.
Stony Brook staff members will deliver the S.O.S. program to 7th grade students on team during their STEM classes on the following dates: December 6th & 7th (Team Plato), December 8th (Team Socrates) and December 9th &10th (Team Aristotle).
If you DO NOT wish to have your child to participate in the S.O.S Middle School Program, please fill out THIS GOOGLE FORM. You only need to open and fill out the form if you DO NOT want your child to participate.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact one of us.
Sincerely,
Laura LeBlanc - 7th Grade Guidance Counselor
Roberta Oehley - School Adjustment Counselor
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. 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
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 19, 2021
Notes from the Clinic 11/19:
If your child is 11 years of age and is a patient at Acton Medical, they still have slots available to receive the Pfizer vaccine. I received the following information:
I am writing to let you know that Acton Medical is hosting a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for children ages 5 through 11 this Saturday, November 20. The clinic is for existing Acton Medical patients only, who can sign-up on our website: www.actonmedical.com We still have some openings and would like to reach out to any of our existing patients in this age group to sign up for their vaccine this weekend.
I would urge all of you to get your children vaccinated particularly as we are heading into the holiday season. At the clinic in WA yesterday, 270 children ages 5-11 received their first Pfizer vaccine. Please note that the CDC has now recommended that all those over 18 who were vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna more than 6 months ago are now eligible for the Booster. If you received the J&J, as long as it has been 2 months ago, you can receive your booster. They do have a J&J booster now but if you had J&J, you can receive the Moderna or Pfizer Booster. Here is an update from CDC from 11/17: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html
If your child is trying out for basketball, please make sure I have an updated physical on file in the clinic. In looking at the list of students trying out, there are many who do not have a current physical with me. They cannot even participate in tryouts without one.
There has been an uptick in cases of COVID in Westford recently. If you are vaccinated, but become symptomatic and take a COVID test at home that is positive, please do not send your unvaccinated child to school while you are waiting for the PCR results. Assume you are positive and protect the rest of our students and staff. If your child is vaccinated and exposed to someone with COVID, they do not need to quarantine but do need to monitor for symptoms.
Have a good weekend
Sue Hanly, MSN, RN, NCSN
ATHLETIC UPDATE
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
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.
EXTRA SPONGE BOB- who doesn't need that?
Thank you for all of your generous support and feedback on The Spongebob Musical! The students of Westford Academy Theater Arts are overjoyed with the response and are excited to roll into our final weekend of shows! Seating is limited due to Covid Capacity Restrictions and masks must be worn at all times.
You have FOUR more chances left to snatch up tickets and see the show!
Performances are:
Friday, November 19th - 8:00pm (TONIGHT!)
Saturday, November 20th - 7:00pm
Sunday, November 21st - 1:00pm THIS PERFORMANCE IS ALMOST SOLD OUT, only a few tickets left!
And a very special performance for our returning alumni before Thanksgiving will be held on Tuesday, November 23rd at 7:00pm
THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL by Kyle Jarrow and Tina Landau, based on the series by Stephen Hillenburg. It features music from Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, T.I. Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, John Legend, the list goes on! It is PERFECT for families! And a wonderful way to celebrate and reflect collectively the work we’ve done to keep this school year going and take care of our community.
Thank you for your support. We will see you at the show!
Maggie Sulka
Interim Artistic Director
Westford Academy Theater Arts