Shaw Community Update

Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, and Community Members,

Warm greetings to you and your loved ones as we approach this Thanksgiving and holiday season. This year at Shaw, our hearts are brimming with gratitude. Our exceptional and compassionate educators and staff, along with your wonderful children, form the core of the Shaw family, creating an environment where learning flourishes. We sincerely appreciate the privilege of working with each and every one of them.

The dedication and effort of our teachers and students have been truly commendable. We take pride in witnessing active engagement in classes and the development of reflective learning skills. While there may be moments of challenge, we encourage students and families to understand that learning often involves a productive struggle. This is when students grasp the strategies and tools teachers provide, fostering growth despite initial frustrations. Rest assured, our teachers consistently monitor student progress, offering tailored support whenever necessary to ensure the success of all students.

Your input and support continue to be invaluable to us. Our doors are always open, and we encourage you to reach out to us at any time.

Warm regards,

Andrew Tuccio & Erin Rosenkranz
Raymond E. Shaw Leadership Team

Throughout the school year if your student has a physical by their doctor please send in a copy of the physical and immunization list. There are mandated screenings and immunizations that are required and the forms show if those have been done or administered. When we receive the information we enter it into your student’s electronic health record. We are able to run a report to see who is compliant or who is not compliant. We must have this information in writing from their doctor in order to be compliant.

Here are the mandates we have to follow:

Grade 4 : A Physical within the last 13 months

Grade 5: Scoliosis screening by the doctor. (if we do not have proof in writing from the doctor that they were screened at an appointment in the last 13 months then we are mandated to screen them at school)

Grade 6: Scoliosis screening by the doctor.(if we do not have proof in writing from the doctor that they were screened at an appointment in the last 13 months then we are mandated to screen them at school)

Grade 6th to 7th grade: A current physical to enter 7th grade (no older than 13 months before the start of 7th grade) Mandated Immunizations to enter 7th grade: TDAP & Meningococcal

Please contact Mrs. Perkins Shaw School Nurse, with any questions.

Direct phone line 508-865-0870

Email: pperkins@millburyschools.org

Please consider supporting the 6th-grade students in hosting our 3rd Annual Holiday Pancake Breakfast. This community event helps raise money to defray the cost of the 6th grade Nature's Classroom trip this spring. Tickets for the breakfast are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Breakfast will be served from 8-11 on December 14, 2024. Tickets will not be sold at the door, so be sure to pre-purchase before the event. Many local businesses have generously sponsored tables, and loads of Shaw Staff will be on hand to assist in making this another successful endeavor. Thank you for being so supportive and we look forward to serving you your pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee.

Do you have an idea for an activity?

Are you interested in volunteering?

Please let us know!!

Mrs. Saari at msaari@millburyschools.org, Ms. Campbell at lcampbell@millburyschools.org, or Mr. Tuccio at atuccio@millburyschools.org

Our Sahw Spirit School Store fundraiser kicks off soon! Look out for our Charleston Wrap fundraising info coming soon and get ready to check off your holiday gift list! You’re going to LOVE what you see, and your support will help us reach restock the store!

Click Below to Register!

Art Club Grades 3 & 4: Mondays at 2:45-3:45, December 2 - February 3, 2025

Chess Club: Tuesdays at 2:45-3:45,December 3, 2024 - February 4, 2025

Pick-up begins promptly at 3:45.

Transportation is not provided.

Students may only register for 1 club at a time.

Space is limited in each club.

Additional sessions will be offered later in the year for all grades.

Did you hear the BIG news?!? Author, Jarrett Krosoczka is coming to visit in December and we are so excited!!!! Shout-out to the Parents’ Club for funding this event. We will be going all out this year to prepare for Jarrett’s visit, including a school-wide read aloud and a grade level hallway decorating contest. Woohoo!

Millbury Public Schools School Calendar 2024-2025

This year, we are happy to announce there will be four dates available for Student-Led Conferences. The dates and times are listed below. Once again, we will be using the website Pick-A-Time to schedule conferences. The scheduling window will open on Monday, November 11th, at 6:00 pm and close on Friday, November 29th, at 9:00 pm. Please sign up for only one 10-minute block with your child's teachers. All conferences will take place in person this year at Shaw.

Student-Led Conferences Dates & Times

• Monday, December 2nd -2:45-3:25

• Wednesday, December 4th - 12:15-6:45

• Thursday, December 5th -12:15-2:35

• Wednesday, December 11th - 2:45-3:15

An email address is required to sign up. The link is available on the Raymond E. Shaw Elementary Website, or you can type in this link: https://pickatime.com/client?ven=11611646&event=399643

Conference slots will only be created for classroom and special education teachers. If you would like to schedule a meeting with your child's Unified Arts Teachers(s), please email them directly to arrange a time.

• Mr. Rollins - Music/Band: jrollins@millburyschools.org

• Ms. Shedden - Art: kshedden@millburyschools.org

• Mr. McKeon - PE: mmckeon@millburyschools.org

• Mr. Lachance - PE:mlachance@millburyschools.org

• Mr. Gervais - Technology: egervais@millburyschools.org

• Mrs. Hahn - Digital Literacy: khahn@millburyschools.org

If you do not have computer access or have questions, please email Mr.Tuccio at atuccio@millburyschools.org or call the office for assistance at 508-865-3541.

We are currently in the initial planning phase of this years Nature's Classroom trip. Our tentative dates are currently April 9 - 11. We plan to offer three options again this year.

• Nature's Classroom Informational Meeting: To Be Determined
• Cost: $350 Overnight / Ext. Day $265 / $120 Days Only

• The Millbury Parents' Club fully funds transportation

• Overnight: Depart 8:30 Wednesday April 9th & Return 1:30 pm Friday, April 11th

• Day: Depart at 8:30 am and return at 1:30 pm. Daily

• Ext. Day: Depart at 8:30 am and return at approximately 9:15 pm. Daily

• (Depart Charlton at 8:45pm)

• Students will be able to take a bus to and from school and have breakfast at Shaw

• Lodging and all meals (Overnight / Sleep Away)
• Lunch (Day)
• Lunch & Dinner (Ext. Day)

• Limited financial assistance is available for students. If you are in need of financial assistance, please contact Mr. Tuccio at (508) 865-3541 or atuccio@millburyschools.org

  
  

The Shaw Spirit School Store is open, and we need your help to keep it going. Shaw’s school store allows students to use their Woolie Bucks to purchase various fun and educational items. We're seeking your support to help start keeping it stocked. If you’d like to help enhance our selection, please consider donating items from our Amazon Wishlist. Your generosity will benefit our students, giving them more choices and encouraging DREAM behavior. Some more expensive items will be used for school-wide raffles as part of the school store. Thank you for supporting our school community!

For the second and third trimesters this year, our 6th graders will have the opportunity to take either Unified Arts classes of their choice or participate in Project Lead the Way (PLTW). All students will complete one trimester of PLTW and one trimester of Unified Arts. During the Unified Arts trimester, students will select two classes to attend three days per week. Midway through the trimester, they will have the chance to choose two new Unified Arts classes. In the trimester dedicated to PLTW, students will attend PLTW for six sessions per week only.

The Millbury Parents Club will be having their November meeting on Tuesday, 12th at 7 p.m. in the Shaw Elementary Library. We'll have our usual faculty presentations and business but will also be hosting a number of members from the MPS district leadership team for a meet 'n greet. It's a fantastic opportunity to get to know our leaders and their roles within the district in a casual setting.

As usual, we will have our Kidz Korner open and it will be staffed with members of the National Honor Society that will be available to play and do crafts with small children. We hope to see you there!

In our STEAM classes, we've been making exciting strides! In 3rd grade, students are exploring programming patterns through Rodocodo, laying a solid foundation for coding concepts. In 4th grade, they're diving into input and output with MakeCode (Kindling), creating interactive projects that respond to user inputs. By 5th grade, the focus shifts to the future of AI and robotics, using resources like the inspiring YouTube video "The Future is Now" to ignite their curiosity about technology. Finally, our 6th graders are embracing teamwork through collaborative problem-solving, learning the value of communication and productive struggle as they tackle challenges together. It's a fantastic journey of growth and innovation!

The Struggle is When Real Learning Happens

This month 3rd graders participated in many activities focused on the idea of “Productive Struggle”, and had discussions about what can be learned from working through and overcoming challenges. Each third grader completed a short writing assignment on the topic which will become a large display in the main hallway of the school. Stay tuned for updated pictures, or check out the display when you come in for Student Led Conferences in December!

This month the landscape architects responsible for the building of the new Shaw gave our fourth graders a tour of the landscape and what preventative measures were put into place to protect the building and its landscape from erosion. This tied in nicely with our weathering, erosion, and deposition unit in science by providing the students with a real life example of how erosion can impact our daily lives. Maybe we have inspired some future architects!

This month, 5th graders got to participate in a mobile classroom experience called Safety Quest. This was sponsored by UMASS Memorial and is a mobile and interactive classroom where students learn about safety hazards in our home and community, as well as fire safety. The students loved to be a part of this mobile classroom and enjoyed the interactive video games, too!

Our math classes are once again participating in an exciting research study led by WestEd, a non-profit education research organization in partnership with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and ASSISTments funded by the U.S. Department of Education. They are looking at the learning impact of mathematical review strategies that are known to boost students' scores on cumulative exams and high-stakes tests. All sixth-grade students participated in this study last year and we are looking forward to acquiring more data for this worthwhile endeavor.

In this study, the scientists want to learn if using different types of mathematical review helps students like ours. They would like to use the information from their responses to surveys, quizzes, and tests. Students don't need to do anything "extra" to be in the research study. We will be using specific mathematical review assignments in the classroom. These review assignments involve solving math problems that might be in different order. These math problems will be part of our curriculum. All students will try out one of two types of mathematical review assignments. Then, we will take some surveys and quizzes as part of what happens in our classroom. Either way, they will all receive the same math problems, they might be in a different order. This work is not counted towards any grades so there is no pressure to perform well. Data gathered is simply meant to help move the study forward.

Parents have received (will be receiving) an opt-out form from your child’s math teacher. Opting out means the parent has chosen to ensure their student’s data will not be used for the purposes of the research study. However, the opt-out form is not intended to be used to excuse students from participating in the study. All students will be participating in this study even if parents complete the opt-out form. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Mr. Tarka (mtarka@millburyschools.org).

Speaker Update: After term 1, our science program will shift our focus from how sound works to its connections with force. We have received approximately 10 speakers thus far. Thank you! We are still in need of old speakers (any size will do). Students will be investigating how speakers work by making incisions to the housing and opening them up. Needless to say, the speakers will no longer function after that and will be disposed of accordingly. If you have old speakers from a device that are mold and mildew-free that you no longer need, we will happily take them for our experiment.

Do you want to help promote the love of reading for students at Shaw? This year at Shaw we will once again have The Birthday Book Cart. Every day after a student has their birthday recognized during morning announcements they will get to choose a book they WANT to read and keep from The Birthday Book Cart. If you would like to support The Birthday Book Cart you can purchase a book from our Amazon Wish List or please feel free to drop off new books or donations to purchase new books at the main office at any time.

We are thrilled to continue offering lessons from the Choose Love curriculum to all students at Shaw. This curriculum teaches foundational concepts and skills of social-emotional learning through lessons on courage, gratitude, forgiveness, and compassion in action. Click the following link for an introduction to Choose Love.

Curriculum information can be found on the District's Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment website.

• District Curriculum Resources

• MA Curriculum Frameworks

School Nutrition Services is looking forward to a great year! We are mainly going digital. Please fill out the following information if you would like to sign your children up for half-day lunches or to sign off on sharing information with other departments in the district.

• Half-Day Lunch Order Form
• Millbury Nutrition Services Website
• Millbury Nutrition Services Facebook

Email: shawadmin@millburyschools.org

Website: https://shaw.millburyschools.org/
Location: 58 Elmwood Street, Millbury, MA, USA
Phone: (508) 865-3541
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raymond.shaw.3150

The Millbury Public Schools ensures equal employment and educational opportunities for its employees and students and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or sexual orientation, gender identity (M.G.L. c. 151B and 151C, Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX), or on the basis of disability (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973/ADA) or homelessness. In addition, the Millbury Public Schools does not discriminate against its employees on the basis of age (M.G.L. 151B/ADEA) on the basis of veteran's status, or genetic information.