The Peak - February 2024

Monthly News from the Wachusett Regional School District

Yes, it's the February Peak in early March. Between the school vacation week, the budget development process, and a plague (flu) that swept through the central office, things have been a little hectic. We'll get back on track with the March issue.

10 WRSD schools held Grant-funded Math Acceleration Academies during the February break. Over 230 students participated and, by all accounts, were happy and engaged throughout the week. One parent shared the following feedback:

“My daughter initially was mad that I signed her up to attend but she LOVED it and asked if there is an April program.”

The answer is yes and we're looking forward to it.

On February 9th, students and staff at Central Tree Middle School were thrilled to participate in a NASA In-Flight Education Downlink. This event, which is part of the NASA Next Gen STEM program, allowed students and educators to interact with astronauts on the International Space Station through a live video Q&A. CTMS students submitted pre-recorded video questions and, for about 20 minutes, the Astronauts responded to their questions live on a NASA web broadcast. If you missed it, you can watch it here:

Expedition 70 Space Station Crew Answers CTMS Student Questions

The Worcester Telegram, the Landmark, and Spectrum 1 News were all on hand to cover the story and gather student reactions. A thank you to Mrs. Beth Foley, School Psychologist, for her work in making this happen.

Students at Mountview Middle School experimented with Barbie dolls and rubber bands in a recent physics project. They observed and gathered data as the Barbies "jumped" from different heights. That data was then compiled and plotted to predict how many rubber bands would be needed for Barbie to safely jump from a given distance.

Legal Disclaimer: No Barbies were harmed during this experiment.

Houghton Elementary School students in grades 3 & 4 were treated to a PTO sponsored enrichment program from Crocodile River Music. This troupe provided children with a bit of African & Caribbean history, vocal & instrumental music. As a follow up to the general performance each grade 4 class experienced a drumming workshop on stage in the Chocksett Theater.

Our fourth graders are familiar with similar drums, purchased by our PTO, in their music classes. Our kids drive so much enjoyment from this program that it has become an annual enrichment program for them. Many thanks to our PTO Enrichment Coordinator Arielle Greenleaf for booking this group AND all of our enrichment programs throughout the year.

- Principal, Tony Cipro

The TPS advisory program meets with middle schoolers daily this year to build connections and community. Upon arrival each morning, there is an activity or some sort of check-in opportunity. Sometimes, they look over grades and missed assignments together. It has been a great way to build community this year. Since the winter break, the team has also joined weekly for a whole middle school team-building activity.

The picture below shows the students playing a levels communication game. Students were given a card from a typical deck of cards but were not able to look at what they had. Aces were the highest level and twos were the lowest. All three grade levels had to walk around the gym reacting to the cards to try and clue the holder into what they had. Then after a designated amount of time, the entire gym had to get in order (without saying or looking at their number) from least to greatest. At the end, we had a whole group conversation about what was hard and why communication is important.

Superintendent Jim Riley and Deputy Superintendent Jon Krol met with 2nd grade students at Dawson Elementary School earlier in the month. The pair discussed their roles in leading the district and supporting the work of our schools. Students were given the opportunity to ask questions, which they eagerly accepted. Based on student feedback, the most memorable and impactful moments of the visit involved discussions about family dogs.

Mrs. Gendron's 5th grade social studies classes have been traveling back in time to 1787! Each taking the part of a Founding Father, they researched "themselves" and held a meet and greet to exchange facts about themselves with their fellow delegates, all in preparation for role-playing the Constitutional Convention.

At the convention, delegates debated topics such as representation and agreeing to ideas like the 3/5 Compromise. They also used the 1790 census data to help them decide how their respective states would have voted. The delegates then took a day to acknowledge the groups (such as women and People of Color) who had not been invited to the table, and after reading letters sent to delegates by these people, students made predictions on what those groups might have suggested be added to the Constitution.

Students at Thomas Prince School welcomed internationally acclaimed storyteller, Len Cabral, in late February. His Cape Verdean ancestry came alive in his retelling of African, Cape Verdean, and Caribbean folktales. He was so engaging and entertaining that I'm not sure if it was more fun to listen or to watch the children's faces while they listened.

Thank you to the Thomas Prince School PTA for arranging this wonderful event, which was supported in part by a grant from the Princeton Cultural Council.

- TPS Principal, Ace Thompson

February 7th marked the 100th day of school in our district and Houghton Elementary School celebrated the occasion in a special way. Kindergarten students & staff dressed up as VERY senior citizens - 100 years old, to be exact. A rich variety of folks with silver hair, canes, mustaches, walkers, hairnets, and other trappings of the golden years were on hand. The event culminated in a parade of the Kindergarten "Seniors" through the school!

Grade 6 students at Mountview Middle School recently investigated the mysterious death of King Tutankhamun. They carefully re-examined the available evidence to form potential theories on the case. The work of the student detectives culminated in a report to summarize their findings. It's not yet clear whether Egyptian authorities will re-open the case in light of these efforts.