The Common

Dear Nashoba Community,

If you have visited Nashoba Regional High School recently, you may have noticed large piles of soil and rocks in the campus construction zone, as well as large trucks entering and exiting loaded with dirt. However, it may be difficult to see the project's progress. To help with that, we are providing this drone video of the campus, so you can see what we have been working on in recent weeks.

Throughout September and October, construction teams have been preparing the foundation soil that will support the new building. In the drone video, you can see an outline of the Northwest wing extending toward the north fields. Over the next few months, foundations will be set, and by early spring (March), we expect to see the building's steel framework begin to take shape.

One of the exciting events in a school building project is the "topping-off" ceremony for structural steel. Students, staff, residents, and government officials will have the opportunity to sign the final steel beam before it is raised. It will be made available for signing in the weeks before the raising, and I will send out notices about these activities in the spring. We expect the structural steel to be completed sometime in July, and anticipate that signing activities will take place in June.

The building project is progressing well and remains on track for timely completion within budget. For more information about the building project, you can visit the School Building Committee page for agendas and materials or check the School Building Committee website.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Peace,

Kirk Downing (He/Him)
Superintendent

Innovation Pathways Coordinator, Bridget Hannigan, explained, “This funding will play a pivotal role in our ability to maintain relevant and up-to-date course offerings that allow our pathways students to explore different focuses while preparing for post-high school life. It will allow us to increase guest speaker and field trip opportunities and it will enable us to create a more robust set of internship and capstone offerings, building even more choice for Nashoba students.”

Our Business & Finance and Advanced Engineering & Manufacturing pathways were identified as high-demand fields by the state of Massachusetts. Through these pathways we will provide students with hands-on learning opportunities through focused coursework followed by internships and capstone projects. With the support of strategic partnerships and local employers, participating students will gain early exposure to various career options, enabling them to build skills and make informed decisions about their future paths. Learn more about Nashoba's Innovation Pathways Program here, or by checking out our September Innovation Pathways Newsletter!

The Student Services Department and the Nashoba Community Partnership for Children have an exciting lineup of virtual and in-person events planned in the coming month! Take a look at the offerings and register below!

NESCA's Director of Transition Services Kelley Challen, Ed.M., CAS, will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday, October 30th, at 6:00 PM, geared towards learning about IEP transition planning and the most important skills to develop while students are still in middle and high school. Participants will learn about key concepts for transition planning, including visioning and postsecondary goals, requirements for transition services, basics of transition assessment, and critical elements of an effective transition planning process. This workshop is especially relevant at this time as student involvement in transition planning and services are much more prominently featured in the new MA DESE IEP. Register Here.

We invite you to participate in a virtual discussion to provide parents with effective strategies to help their children manage worries and build resilience. Led by: Liz Daniels, LMHC, ECMH-E, a Licensed Psychotherapist and Early Childhood Family Specialist. This virtual event will take place Wednesday, November 6th, 2024 at 7:00pm. Register here!

Join Mister Vic and Kristen Ryan, Director of Early Childhood & CFCE Coordinator, for an exciting interactive event that highlights the remarkable benefits of music in fostering child development. This FREE family enrichment event is designed for children aged six and younger. This event will take place Wednesday, November 13th, 2024 at 6:15pm, and will run out of the Florence Sawyer School (Emerson Building Gym). Register here!

Students in Bolton's Pre-K made "Exploding Apples" with hollowed out apples, baking soda and vinegar this week. What a fun hands-on science activity! There are still open spots remaining in our half day integrated pre-kindergarten programs for students who are 3 and 4 years old. Please reach out to Kristen Ryan, Director of Early Childhood at kryan@nrsd.net for more information.

October marks the 20th Annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Cybersecurity Awareness Month focuses on "taking daily action to reduce risks when online and using connected devices." Some of the easiest tips for staying safe online include: using strong passwords, turning on multi-factor authentication (MFA), recognizing and reporting phishing, and updating software. For additional resources and information on cybersecurity check out America's Cyber Defense Agency's Secure World page!

Nashoba Drama is exciting to present A Christmas Carol this November! 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. Tickets are available for Friday, November 22nd at 7:00 PM, Saturday, November 23rd at 7:00 PM, and Sunday, November 24th at 2:00 PM. Check out the flyer below and click here or scan the QR code to get your tickets!

Celebrating everyday greatness! Is there a Nashoba teacher or staff member out there who you think deserves some special recognition? Send a Nashoba Notable Award their way! Fill out the form below and thank a Nashoba employee today!

Nashoba Notable Awards thank Nashoba employees for supporting students, families, and their school communities in all ways great and small.

Employees will receive a certificate that includes a brief explanation from the nominator of why they are Nashoba Notable. This form is open to everyone. Students, families, staff and community members can send a Nashoba Notable Award to any Nashoba employee.

There is no limit to the number of Nashoba Notable Awards someone may receive. Thank a Nashoba employee today!

Click here to tell someone they are Nashoba Notable!

Superintendent Downing visited MRE First Graders to read and talk about tools!

Eighth Graders at LBMS took a field trip to the Harvard Natural History Museum on Tuesday.

Students and families from across the district gathered this week for the annual EL Family Night!

Innovation Pathways students in the Business and Finance Pathway visited Bentley this week. They toured the school and had to chance to sit down for lunch with Nashoba Alum currently attending Bentley!

Middle School Cross Country runners came together for the annual Tri-Town Meet this week!

Center School students took part in the big PTO fundraiser, Boosterthon!

Students at LBMS collected data and applied their knowledge about chemical reactions and bath bombs to a new phenomena about what is causing the break down of marble in the Taj Mahal.

Second Graders at MRE practiced 3-digit numbers and place value with counting beans.