Here At JRB

Our food drive has been amazing so far. The great news is that we still have two and a half days to still bring items in. So far our classes have brought in 572 total items. These items are able to shared after the Thanksgiving holiday and used during the month of December.

Dear Briggs Families and Friends,

Over the past 20 years, John R. Briggs has held a Turkey Trot & Food Drive the day before the student’s Thanksgiving Break. On average, as a school, we collect between 800-1000 food items each year that are then donated to Ashburnham’s local food pantries.

We are asking that the students bring in non-perishable food items to be donated between November 18th - 27th. Items in greatest need are whole grain pasta and pasta sauce, low sodium soups, canned vegetables, canned fruits in 100% fruit juice, tuna packed in water, beans, and oatmeal!

We are going to have some friendly competitions between grades as we have done in the past few years. When students bring in their food items they are to make sure they put their items in their grade level location. Each day the number of food items each grade brings in will be tallied. To show the students which grade is winning, 7 featherless turkeys have been placed in the lobby display cases. For every 10 food items brought in for that grade, that grade’s turkey will get a feather.

On November 27th, the students will take part in a walk/run trot on the front field at Briggs. This walk/run is not a race but a chance to get outside and get some exercise.

Here at J.R. Briggs Elementary School, we realize that there are many families in need. Through the Turkey Trot, we hope to educate the students of J.R. Briggs on the importance of giving to those in need. I hope you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

Mr. Berg

With Thanksgiving just around the corner (as crazy as that sounds), we are certainly looking to make sure everyone has what they need (or even some wants) during the holidays. If you could use some assistance, we have a few programs that are ready to help families. Please reach out to jrbholiday@awrsd.org and we will try our best to make the holidays as bright as possible. Again, if you want to help anyone during this time of year, we can assist you with that as well.

Hello Families!

***The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has observed a significant rise in cases of the respiratory illnesses caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae (walking Pneumonia and Bordetella pertussis (Whooping Cough) across the Commonwealth in recent weeks. Please see below for reminders for managing and preventing spread of these respiratory infections.***

If your student is experiencing a cough and/or severe cold that seems to be getting worse or not going away after a week, we strongly encourage you to have them seen by their Primary Care Physician. If you feel as though your student needs to be medicated in the morning to make it through the day, please consider keeping them home to rest. If your student is out sick with a fever, vomiting, and/or diarrhea, please see the following policies before you send them back to school:

• 24 hour Fever Free without the use of fever reducing medication
• 24 hours without vomiting/diarrhea
• If diagnosed with strep throat, 24 hours after first dose of antibiotic

Nurse Cassie

Nov 27- Half Day

Nov 28 & 29- No School