MHS/WES Newsletter

November 7: Booster Fun Run

November 11: No School ~ Veteran's Day

November 14: Picture Re-Take Day for both MHS and WES

November 21: School Improvement Council WES Principal's Office @ 4:15PM

November 21: PTO Meeting MHS Library @ 6:30 PM

November 27: 1/2 day of school

November 28-29: No School ~ Thanksgiving break

We are overjoyed to share that, thanks to your incredible generosity, we have raised $27,065 for our schools! This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without each and every one of you who contributed, spreading the word, and showing unwavering support for our students and staff.

Your donations are a powerful reminder of the strength and dedication within our community. The funds raised will directly enhance our students’ learning experiences and help us continue to provide an enriching, inspiring environment for them to grow and thrive.

Thank you once again for your generosity, kindness, and commitment to our school’s vision. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of our students and building a brighter future.

With heartfelt gratitude,

MHS/WES Staff and Students

If your child forgets to bring their water bottle or Chromebook, you DO NOT have to bring it to the school. They can use the bubbler and borrow a Chromebook. This helps not to interrupt the classroom teaching that is taking place. Thank you for your time.

Did you know that MHS/WES is on Instagram? Check it out!! principalkt24

Fourth grade has been hard at work learning about prime and composite numbers, and reviewing multiplication and division facts. We have wrapped up Unit 1, and begun Unit 2. Unit 2 focuses on place value, multi-digit multiplication and early division facts.

We are continuing our work in ELA, discussing what is a figurative and literal heart. For a literal heart, we have read “A Circulatory Story” to learn about how red blood cells move through our bodies. We have begun our novel study of “Love That Dog” which focuses on how the main character Jack shows figurative great heart as he explores the joy and healing powers of poetry.

Our new Social Studies unit will focus on continents and oceans, latitude and longitude, and using a compass rose.

Socially, we continue to work with students on how to effectively communicate with one another and how to handle unexpected set-backs throughout the day. Specifically, we are practicing what it means to work with a team and be a contributing team player.

Thank you to all parents and guardians who met with us earlier this week– we love having the opportunity to invite you into the classrooms and discuss the successes of your children. We appreciate your support at home and open communication, our partnership is so important to us! Our Vocabulary Parade was a huge success. Students showed their creativity and imagination with their costumes. Thank you for the help and support at home, pictures will be shared with Fifth Grade Families soon!

Currently in math, we are wrapping up our second unit– adding and subtracting fractions. Next we will get into place value and decimals. In ELA, we are still in module one– Cultures in Conflict. We are well into our novel Thunder Rolling in the Mountains. Students have been enjoying it and get excited on days we read new chapters. We are working up to our next writing assignment, which will focus on comparing and contrasting two of the main character’s beliefs and values.

A huge thank you to everyone for signing up and raising funds for our school through the Boosterthon. Students had a blast at the Fun Run and the weather was perfect.

In Physical Education, we just finished Soccer which is the most popular sport in the world and is played in most countries. Soccer is a non-contact sport that teaches coordination, builds strength, flexibility and endurance, plus it is great for fitness and cardiovascular health. Soccer is a team sport that everyone can play and students developed skills such as dribbling with their feet, running, passing, communication, and decision-making. Students used these skills and transferred them into game play which promoted physical fitness, teamwork, and most of all fun! Students in the younger grades worked on skills such as dribbling with control, passing, scoring, and defending. They played lead up games and at the end of the unit, the older grades played a modified soccer game.

Many students shared stories about the skills they learned during practices and how they played on soccer teams. I was very excited to hear about so many students being active outside of class and enjoying it so much. Great job keeping them active!

Next up, we will be starting a Team Building/Cooperative Games unit, in which students will need to work together to solve challenges. During this unit, students will work on communication, listening skills, and brainstorming to come up with many different strategies to help make their group successful.

I also encourage you to be active at home! Play a flag football game in the yard, rake leaves, or play pass. Not only will this be good practice for students to master skills learned in PE class, but it is also a great way to spend time together! Any movement is good movement that will make a difference!

Both the MHS/WES Nurses would like to remind students that they need to bring their own snacks from home. The nurses do not provide snacks.

Also, both nurses are in need of gently used or new sneakers in children sizes only, new underwear, socks and soft pants. Any donations would be greatly appreciated.

All students have a bus number assigned to them as well as stops. Please click on the button at the end of this newsletter to see your child's bus number and stop. HOWEVER, if your child is going to be a parent pick up, walker, walker to MHS, or going to extended day, it is VERY IMPORTANT to send in a note with your child's first and last name to the school. One note is sufficient for the year with their schedule, but if it changes at all, we need to know. The safety of your child is our priority. Thank you

Emergency Early Dismissal Policy

In the event of an unforeseen emergency that necessitates the dismissal of students prior to the end of the school day, parent notification will be provided through the automated phone and email system. Typical emergency situations that may precipitate an early dismissal include, but are not necessarily limited to, severe weather conditions, fire and absence of heat or water.

Since it is impractical for school officials to personally contact every parent in the event of an early dismissal, parents and particularly the parents of elementary age children, are encouraged to develop a clear and well-defined plan with their children in case of an early dismissal. Since children will be dismissed to their home, it is imperative that children know how to gain entry into their home and how and whom to call once they are there.

ABSENCES: Please call WES (978-874-2043) or MHS (978-874-0163) when your child will be absent or late for school. Please state your name, your child’s name, teacher, and the reason for absence. If you must speak to someone, please call after 7:45 AM. This system is to ensure the safety of your child. If we do not hear from you, we will contact you at home or work, and if we can’t reach someone we may send a school resource officer to the house to do a well child check. Absent notes are required when children return to school.

AM Arrivals: Bus drivers do not let children off the bus until 8:20 a.m. There is NO Supervision before 8:20 a.m. Walkers/students being dropped off should not arrive before 8:20 a.m. School starts at 8:30 a.m.

PM Dismissals: The school day ends at 2:55 p.m. The office needs to know your dismissal plan. If your child is a car-rider, you will be given a sign to display on your car dashboard to be used each day. Car riders will be dismissed to the cafeteria and called outside in the order cars line up. Please remain in your car. Signs will be posted. If you would like your older sibling to walk from WES to MHS pick-ups for dismissal in the afternoon, please send a note to the office and your child’s teacher.

If your child needs to be dismissed early, please send a note to his/her teacher stating the time and reason for dismissal. Early dismissals will be handled through the main office.

NOTES: Please use student’s (and parent’s) last names in all notes to the teacher/office. Please also date all notes so that we can be sure we are dealing with current messages. Notes are required for any change in dismissal. You may also email a note to mhsoffice@awrsd.org (MHS) or wesoffice@awrsd.org(WES).

MEDICATIONS: ALL Medications must be brought to the nurse by an adult at the beginning of the day. Medication is NOT TO BE TAKEN by any child on his/her own. The school nurse under the following circumstances will administer medication:

• A signed and dated note from a doctor and a parent is sent with the child’s name, dosage, reason for medication and time to be given.

• The prescription bottle is sent with only the amount which will be needed for the administration at school. (Pharmacies will dispense in two bottles if you ask.)

School Announcements:

Please make sure all phone numbers and email addresses are updated throughout the school year to ensure you receive all messages sent from the school or district.

RESTRICTIONS: Please provide the office with any LEGAL DOCUMENT which indicates any legal restrictions on the release of your child as per district policy. These restrictions CANNOT be honored unless we have a copy of the legal documents in your child’s file. Please remember that it is MOST IMPORTANT that your child knows who he/she is allowed to leave school with and restrictions of the same.

TARDINESS: It is important that your child be at school on time. Tardy students need to stop at the office for a tardy slip when they arrive later than 8:30 a.m. If excessive tardiness continues, it will be necessary for the parent and child to meet with the Principal so that we may remedy the situation.

ARRIVAL

8:20 - 8:30 AM

DISMISSAL

2:55 PM

HALF DAYS - DISMISSAL

12:00 PM

AM Session 8:45-11:10 AM

PM Session 12:00-2:30 PM

Full Day Session 8:45-2:30 PM (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday)

Please reach out with any questions you may have. We are happy to help!

• MHS - Kathi McCarthy 978-874-0163 ext. 0
• WES - Liz Maillet 978-874-2043 ext 0

General Ashburnham-Westminster Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) membership is open to all AWRSD parents/guardians of children with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and Section 504 Plans and other interested parties. We need volunteers to help plan workshops, staff tables at local school and community events, become future leaders, assist other parents, and plan new activities and projects. Learn more about us and our work on our website https://sites.google.com/view/ashburnham-westminster-sepac. You can also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ashwestsepac.

Bus passes will be issued for students riding their ASSIGNED bus but getting off at a different stop. A note or phone call from the parent/guardian is required to your child’s school office. The office will then issue the bus pass. Bus passes to ride a DIFFERENT bus will ONLY be issued in the event of an emergency. The school office must be notified by a parent/guardian that there is a circumstance beyond their control/emergency causing a student to ride a different bus. Bus passes are not issued for going to a friend’s house, dances, etc.

If you have specific questions or concerns regarding your child’s bussing, please reach out to bussing@awrsd.org.