Florence Sawyer School Happenings
Monday, November 5, 2018
Principal's Message
Dear Parents,
Last week held the potential for a teacher's trifecta of terror with the confluence of Halloween, a full moon and the trimester beginning to wind down with professional development, projects and events disrupting the typical flow of the day. That said, our students could not have been better in their approach to learning. There were a variety of pumpkin projects from three-dimensional book characters come to life to hand-drawn globes to "kinder-pumpkins" smothered in glitter. Our students also participated in the National Mock Election with the results at school mirroring the bipartisan perspective of our commonwealth. The students sent Governor Baker and Senator Warren back to their jobs and in a local first and second-grade citizen's petition named our new floor cleaner, "Wishy-Washy." Each day, I try to get into classrooms and each day last week I found learning experiences, some typical, some unique where students and teachers were hard at work and having fun.
There are times during the school year when it is harder than others to keep our eye on the ball but of the many things about the Florence Sawyer School of which I am so proud last week was a shining example. I am proud of our teachers for their dedication to keeping the students engaged while always looking for the learning opportunities and I am proud of our students for staying in the struggle. Our students come to school, ready to learn and for that, I thank all of you.
Please note that next week, there will be no school on Monday, November 12, in Observance of Veterans' Day.
The Pasta Party is seeking students in grades 4-8 to perform in our annual Student Showcase! Whether you sing, dance, play an instrument or do magic, we’d love to have you perform. Students must audition their prepared act for Mrs. Frederick by Monday, November 12 for the performance on November 15 at 5:45 PM. Check Mrs. Frederick’s website for more details!
Basketball signups are now open. Please use the following link. Sawyer Winter Athletics Information and Sign-up Link
The lockdown drill went very well on Monday. We were able to debrief with Chief Nelson of the Bolton Police.
PAC Family Bingo was sold out! I'd like to extend my thanks to everyone that was able to come out, organize the event, or donate time or resources to make the night such a success for PAC's biggest fundraiser.
Friday, November 9, we will host the first FSS Dodgeball Tournament in the Sawyer Wing Gym for middle school students as a fundraiser for the 8th grade trip to Washington, DC. Students can sign up with Mrs. Cavaioli. Doors open at 6:00. Games begin at 6:30. We thank you for supporting the 8th-grade class.
On Wednesday, November 14, FSS will be hosting one of three district Parent Information Nights; The New Look of Nicotine Addiction, Vaping and our Youth What You Should Know. More information follows below.
Sawyer School Staff invites you to dine with us and more at our annual Pasta pARTy scholarship fundraiser. Enjoy a delicious meal prepared and served by your child’s teachers. This year’s dinner, art show, musical display, and craft sale will be Thursday, November 15. Order your tickets now using this link...November 15, 2018 Pasta pARTy ticket form
We are seeking Parent Volunteers to assist with our brand new Book Room in the Sawyer wing! As part of our new district-wide literacy initiative, our staff has spent hours sorting through and organizing our collection of books. The book room will be open to all teachers, thus giving every student access to a huge selection of wonderful books to read every day. Now that we're organized, we'd love your help to get it all up and running! Tasks that still need to be completed are: laminating bin labels, applying stickers to books and bookshelves, and (the most daunting task of all!) inventorying our huge collection of books. If you have a few free hours, and, especially if you have experience typing and using Google Sheets/Excel, we would love your help! Please sign up here, or reach out to one of our literacy specialists to get more information: Katie Salois--ksalois@nrsd.net, Liz West--ewest@nrsd.net, or Genie Collins--ecollins@nrsd.net. Thank you in advance to our wonderful Sawyer parents!
Yours in partnership,
Joel Bates,
Principal
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THIS WEEK and Next and Next :
11/5 X/C Day 11/6 No School 11/7 A Day 11/8 B Day 11/9 C Day
11/12 No School 11/13 D Day 11/14 E Day 11/15 F Day 11/16 A Day
11/19 B Day 11/20 C Day 1121 - 11/23 No School Thanksgiving Break
LOOKING AHEAD: November/ December
11/9 Nashoba Junior Chess Club / NRHS/ 5:30 PM
11/9 Dodgeball Tournament 6-8. Doors open at 6:00. Games at 6:30
11/12 No School / Veterans' Day
11/13 PAC Meeting / 9:00 AM
11/14 FSS School Council / 3:30 PM
11/14 NRSD Parent Information Vaping Awareness Night (See Below)
11/15 FSS Family Pasta Night
11/15 Community Reading Day
11/15 SEPAC Presentation (Link Below)
11/16 Grade 8 trip to EMK Center and JFK Library
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/ 7 Early Release for students / 12:15
12/11 PAC Meeting / 7:00 PM
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
Flying Soarer visits Florence Sawyer!
Building critical reading skills
Hooked on Books!
Showing off the literary pumpkins!
First Rate Teachers, Second Grade Crayons
PAC Family Bingo
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
NRSD Parent Information Night - Vaping and Youth What You Should Know
Vape pens and e-cigarettes are not harmless, yet 20% of high school students report currently using them, and 40% have tried them at least once.
Learn more about what these products are, why they are harmful, and how to protect our kids from this latest trend.
Contact
For questions about the presentation, please contact Lesa Breault-Gulbicki, Nurse Coordinator of Health and Wellness at lbreaultgulbicki@nrsd.net
Dates & Locations 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. at all locations
Wed., November 14 / Florence Sawyer School, Bolton
Thurs., November 15 / Center School, Stow
Mon., November 19/ Mary Rowlandson School, Lancaster
Wednesday, Nov 14, 2018, 06:00 PM
Florence Sawyer School, 100 Mechanic Street, Bolton, MA, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Parents Advisory Council
Thanks to all fo the volunteers who helped out on Picture Day last Wednesday! Retake day is scheduled for November 28, 2018.
PAC Monthly Meeting- Next meeting in scheduled for November 13th 9am in the Sawyer cafeteria. Hope to see you there.
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
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 has an event coming up...
Decoding the Neuropsychological Evaluation - Thursday, November 15 - 7:00 PM - The Center School, Stow - (Science Room C131)
We send out a monthly newsletter via email.
Check out our SEPAC flyer, click here
Bolton School Donations Committee
Follow us on Facebook
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 visit our table during the Teacher Conferences on November 5 and 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
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 11/9, 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