Birthday Lunches
Dear Caregivers,
One of my core values as an educator is community—building it, fostering it, and celebrating it. Being part of a community means coming together to share experiences that inspire us, challenge us, and bring us closer. This value has become the heart of a special tradition I started last year with our students.
Each month, I host a Birthday Lunch to celebrate students whose birthdays fall during that month. On the day of the celebration—always a Friday—I stand in the hallway with some upbeat, feel-good music as students head to the cafeteria. The music serves as a cheerful reminder that it’s time for Birthday Lunch!
In preparation, I decorate the conference room with a festive birthday banner, a colorful table setup, and fun decorations. When students arrive for lunch, they wave hello, grab their usual lunch in the cafeteria, and then join me in the conference room for our celebration.
Once we’re together, the students engage in a relaxed, fun conversation. We talk about when their birthdays fall, what gifts they might have asked for, and how they celebrate at home. What’s really special is seeing students discover shared traditions or birthdays, and connecting with classmates they might not usually interact with. These organic moments offer students the chance to practice important social skills like turn-taking, active listening, and building relationships.
We always end our Birthday Lunches by singing “Happy Birthday” in both English and Portuguese—a tradition that brings smiles all around. Then comes the grand finale: students get to choose two small gifts from our Birthday Basket. Believe me, a cool pencil, a scented eraser, or a quirky pencil sharpener can truly make a kid’s day!
These monthly celebrations are one of my favorite parts of the school year and today (3/21) was our March Birthday lunch; a perfect way to end the week. I truly love birthday lunches as they allow me to connect with students in a different, meaningful way, and help strengthen the sense of belonging and joy in our school community.
Warmly,
Anne (she, her, hers)
Anne Duke, Assistant Principal
C.A. Farley Elementary School
GRADE 4 PICTURES NEEDED!
Each year, Grade 4 caregivers and Home and School join forces to create our spectacular Farley yearbook. In order to have the most colorful yearbook possible, they needs lots of pictures! They are hoping to get a jump start on collecting pictures from families now. They have created an email where pictures from families can be sent. If you have any photos, both past and present (and future), that would be great for the yearbook, please email them to: farleyyearbook2025@gmail.com Thank you!
STILL HAVEN'T ACCESSED YOUR CHILD'S REPORT CARD?
Please read the following reminders from Ellen Schuck, the district's Head of Technology:
Aspen Parent Portal accounts are automatically created for new families at the beginning of the year. An email with account information is sent to a child's first contact. If you have not logged into your Aspen Parent Portal account and need help with your credentials, please fill out an Incident IQ ticket-directions can be found in the next paragraph. The district technology department will be happy to assist you.
The Technology Department uses a ticketing system for reporting all problems with hardware and software (Chromebooks, iPads, Aspen, student Google accounts, etc.). We ask everyone to complete an online ticket instead of sending an email.
- Parents can submit a ticket using the online Guest Repair Form.
- Students in Grades 5-12 are encouraged to use Incident IQ. You must sign into the program using your @student.hudson.k12.ma.us Google account.
- Please CLICK HERE for a video on how to submit a ticket.
Check out our other Aspen videos located on the district website.
THE FARLEY FAMILY DIRECTORY IS HERE and HAS BEEN UPDATED IN MARCH!
The FOURTH draft of the Farley Family directory is now available. Thank you to Sarah Tracy for creating this resource. If you still want to be part of the directory, please still sign up!
Here is the link to last year's directory: Farley Family Directory
Still want to sign up? Click this link: https://forms.gle/eEQg6ZaSBnDqoDko7
Please email her @ sarah.tracy97@gmail.com if you have any questions
JOIN US-ALL ARE WELCOME!
Here is the link to join online: meet.google.com/goh-pzio-oev.
WE ARE HIRING!
FARLEY'S NEW VISION AND MISSION STATEMENTS
Vision:
Farley Elementary School prepares all of its students with the academic and social-emotional skills they need to thrive as thoughtful, creative, and curious citizens who value diversity and lifelong learning.
Mission:
Farley Elementary School is a safe and inclusive community where everyone feels seen and valued. We inspire and empower all of our members to grow, explore, and ignite a love of learning. We value creativity, curiosity, global citizenship, and equity and believe our cultural and linguistic diversity makes us stronger.
Farley Elementary School
Email: rscanlon@hudson.k12.ma.us
Website: https://cafarley.hudson.k12.ma.us/
Location: 119 Cottage Street, Hudson, MA, USA
Phone: 978-567-6153
District Resources:
Civil Rights Coordinator- Jennifer Allard jnallard@hudson.k12.ma.us
Title IX Coordinator- Jennifer Allard jnallard@hudson.k12.ma.us
Director of Student Services- Catherine Kilcoyne cakilcoyne@hudson.k12.ma.us
District 504 Coordinator-Catherine Kilcoyne cakilcoyne@hudson.k12.ma.us
McKinney Vento Contact-Catherine Kilcoyne cakilcoyne@hudson.k12.ma.us
Foster Care Point of Contact-Catherine Kilcoyne cakilcoyne@hudson.k12.ma.us