Highlights & Spotlights

I wish all good things for families, students and staff in the new year!

The FY26 Budget cycle begins in earnest this month. We will present a proposed budget to the School Committee at the January 22 meeting. The budget will be fine tuned and finalized by vote of the School Committee in March. The School Department Budget will become part of the Town's omnibus budget which will be voted at the Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, May 3, 2025.

We will provide updates along the way in this newsletter. All budget related documents will be posted on the district website. Anyone with a budget question, comment or concern is welcome to send them along to the Superintendent via lps@lunenburgschools.net.

School Committee Meetings

Wednesday, January 8 @ 6:30pm -Hybrid from Town Hall

Wednesday, January 22 @ 6:30pm - LMS Collaboration Room (Hybrid via Zoom)

Schools & Offices Closed

Schools and School Offices will be closed Monday, January 20 as we observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

The next PTO meeting will be held on Monday, January 6th at 7pm in the LMS Collaboration Room.

The following is a list of meeting dates for the rest of this school year:

• Monday, Feb 3rd
• Monday, March 3rd
• Monday, April 7th
• Monday, May 5th
• Monday, June 2nd

The Lunenburg PTO meets monthly, on the first Monday of each month (with occasional exceptions for holidays) at LMHS in the Middle School Project Room at 7:00 pm. Attendees should use the main entrance and turn left. The Middle School Project Room will be on your left just before the cafeteria.

Meeting agendas are posted prior to each meeting and discussions generally involve community-building activities, fundraising and fostering communication between parents and caregivers and the schools in our district.

Upcoming PTO Events

Saturday, February 1, 2025 - Special Someone Dance - 3 to 5pm & 6 to 8 p.m. (Snow Date - February 8, 2025)

Friday, February 28, 2025 - Railers Game - Tickets will be available and Turkey Hill planning to sing!

Thursday, March 20, 2025 - Launch Trampoline Park Fundraiser

For more than 25 years, Box Tops for Education has given families an easy way to earn money for their schools with products they already buy! Learn more about how you can help your school receive donations through Box Tops for education at this link .

Learn more about this new organization just beginning to form here in Lunenburg and how you can be involved by visiting leafboardinfo.com (site coming soon) or emailing LEAFboardinfo@gmail.com.

Here are just a few of the things that happened across the district last month!

Thank you to all who contributed to this year's Gift Card Drive. $6,700 in gift cards was donated and disseminated to families.

The Annual Tree Lighting was well attended and Mother Nature provided just enough snow to make for a festive backdrop for the tree lighting! Shout out to all who help make this a special annual event - Lunenburg Turkey Hill Lions Club, Lunenburg Fire Department, Lunenburg Police Department, Scouts Pack 1728, LHS Student Council, LHS Band, Lunenburg Public Access Cable, and the DPW (special thank you for clearing the snow to the gazebo for Santa)! If you have never attended, this event is held annually on the Thursday after Thanksgiving. Please mark your calendar for next year. It is one of the events that make Lunenburg a special community!

Lunenburg Primary School in partnership with the Lunenburg Public Library hosted a Book Swap. Students headed off on school vacation with a gently used book and their library cards! We are grateful to the Lunenburg Library for partnering with us on this first annual event! A great big thank you to the many volunteers who helped organize and manage the books. This event was an amazing way to foster a love of reading and provide new books for our students to enjoy.

Students in 6th grade Social Studies class acting out an old African folktale

The LMS and LHS Choirs and Bands gave wonderful performances for all in attendance!

LMS students in Ms. Cormier's ELA class move their magnets to track how sympathetic or antipathetic they feel about the creature.

Band, choir, and art students took a field trip to Mechanic’s Hall and Hanover Theater and represented Lunenburg amazingly! Shout out to some awesome chaperones!

7th grade science class working on the Energy Transfer Lab activity, part of the Thermal Energy Unit. The lab activity - create a cooler. Now that's really cool!!

The Lunenburg boys ice hockey team opened the season winning the Lowell HS Cobblestone Tournament with two shutouts.

Student's in Turkey Hill's TLC class enjoyed the Polar Express!

Students in all schools had a little fun with Spirit Week (December 16-20). Here are a few pictures from the Primary School. SRO Munroe enjoyed spirit week too!

Emory Loughlin has been selected to represent Lunenburg Middle School as an Ambassador for the Project 351 program. Emory was selected because she has shown herself to be a quiet leader who has had a positive impact on the community. Project 351 provides an incredible opportunity for leadership and service for Emory, but also provides opportunities for all community members to learn and share from her experiences. Congratulations Emory!!

Here is a little bit more about Project 351:

Project 351 is a program introduced by Governor Deval Patrick in 2011 and is geared to celebrate youth leadership in the commonwealth. It focuses on the ethic of community service and an eighth grade “Ambassador” is chosen from in every city and town in Massachusetts. The program focuses on recognizing unsung heroes or quiet leaders that sometimes go unnoticed in their efforts to help the community and its members.

After being selected, Ambassadors then gather in Boston to embark on a 12 month journey of community service and leadership development through several community service opportunities. Ambassadors then bring back the knowledge and skills they have developed to their own home towns, and plan and implement a service learning project that will have a positive impact on their community.

The journey begins as a “launch “and service day in celebration of the 351 cohort in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Governor Healy and is hosted by John Hancock. The day focuses on leadership development and is a celebratory day of impact and unity.

Later in the year, ambassadors have Spring Service, where they support the organization Cradles to Crayons to participate in a one of a kind mentorship model. In May, Ambassadors are invited by Governor Healy to represent the commonwealth on Memorial Day with hometown remembrance ceremonies. And Fall Service brings the opportunity for ambassadors to mobilize school and communities to serve and support hometown food pantries.

Every year Project 351 Ambassadors are invited to attend a Leadership reunion that is hosted by the New England Patriots Foundation at Gillette Stadium. All former and current Ambassadors are welcome to attend and reunite with friends or attend leadership workshops. They also have the opportunity to participate in the Peace and Unity Walk in honor of Martin Richard.

Here are a few things coming up in January!

Quarter 2 ends on January 17th! Bring on Quarter 3!

In January students in Grade 4 will begin learning to play the recorder!

LMS will be hosting a dance for students on Friday, January 17, 2025

Turkey Hill Elementary and Lunenburg Primary School students will have an early release on January 30th for parent-teacher conferences. Conferences will be between 1:00-7:00pm by appointment. More information will be coming from the school principals in the coming weeks.

The iReady winter benchmark assessment will be administered in grades K-7 in January. Reading will be conducted on January 15 & 16; Math will be on January 22 & 23. Grade 8 will be assessed in February.

Students from Lunenburg High School, along with students from the Innovation Academy Charter School, Parker Charter School, Notre Dame Academy, Billerica Memorial HS, Groton-Dunstable Regional HS, Tyngsboro HS, and Lowell HS, will have art work on display at the 8th Annual Greater Lowell Regional Art Show. The art show will open on January 4th at the Loading Dock Gallery at the Western Ave Studios in Lowell.

Here are messages from our district department leaders!

Get outside in cold weather!

Cold weather does not have to keep you and your family from enjoying the benefits of time outside, which are important all year round! As we enter the colder, winter months, you don’t need to give up socializing, exercising, and gathering outside. Here are 5 great reasons to get outside:

• Breather in fresh air - it’s good for you and is your best source of vitamin D.

• Promotes physical activity - the best way to stay warm outside is to move!

• Reduces stress - time spent outside in nature can reduce stress.

• Sharpens thinking - Over a decade ago, a study by the University of Michigan found interacting with nature improved cognitive function.

• Connects you with your neighbors and friends - Ongoing research supports the positive health benefits of social connectedness

Here are some outside activity ideas:

• Nature walk: Go for a nature walk. How do your surroundings look different from last season?

• Tracking: After a fresh snowfall, go tracking. Do you see evidence of any wildlife?

• Playground Time: Visit your local playground, see how their experience is different… Or the same!

• Sledding Engineering: Carve/build a sledding path. For older kids, challenge them to build a banked turn.

• Fun on Wheels: No snow? Biking, scootering, roller blading.

• Scavenger Hunt: Go on a winter scavenger hunt!

• Photo Walk: Go for a photo walk, noting the particular beauty of the season.

• Birdwatching: With fewer leaves on the trees, birds can be easier to spot in the winter. Using binoculars and an identification book or app, see how many different birds you can name. (Better when the temperature doesn’t dip too far, since this activity requires less movement!)

• Tree identification: Check out the evergreen trees nearby and see how many you can name. Study their bark, cones, needles and note any differences. Check out this resource: https://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/whatTree.cfm?ItemID=E6A

• Stick collection: Fun with sticks - Gather a collection of sticks and see where inspiration takes you!

Helping your family stay active outside this winter (beyond snowballs and sledding!) can bring many rewards. See this as an opportunity for adventure. Here’s a link to a resource, Winter Family Plan, to get started. Make a plan, get out there, dress appropriately and find joy in being outside on a cold day!

Upcoming PACSAL Meetings

Please join us for our PACSAL meeting on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 at 6pm. This meeting will be a virtual meeting only via Zoom. Please see agenda for meeting topics. PACSAL Agenda 1/2/25 meeting

PACSAL is a group that supports all our learners, including students on IEPs, 504 plans, English Language Learners (ELs), and Title I students - although everyone is welcome to attend!

Please join us if you can!

Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/78813215134?pwd=SkQrMXZ5ejltcURJSlc2S1FxZDRldz09

Meeting ID: 788 1321 5134

Passcode: C7Ec0X

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Cheri Cordella, the PACSAL Chairperson, at lunenburg.pacsal@gmail.com

Here is also the link for the PACSAL web page for more information.

Thry out this month's Harvest of the Month recipe!

Ingredients

• 4 qt of Pumpkin or Squash, cooked
• 3 lbs of Onions, chopped
• 3 lbs, 12 oz of Apples, diced
• 10 oz of Unsalted butter
• 5 qt of Chicken or Vegetable stock
• 1 qt 3.5 cups of Coconut milk or Light Cream
• 2 1/2 Tbsp of Ground ginger or Curry paste
• 2 1/2 Tbsp of Salt

Directions

1. Sauté onions and apples (peeled and diced) in butter until soft/
2. Add pumpkin, broth, and spices.
3. Remove from stove and process with blender or immersion blender
4. Return to saucepan and stir in coconut milk or cream
5. Heat until hot, but do not boil
6. CCP: Hot hold at 135°F or above for serving

Our winter athletic seasons are underway!

Boys hockey is off to a great start at 5-0. They will host the Bushnoe Tournament at Wallace Civic Center 12/27 & 12/28.

Boys basketball won the Bud Tackett Tournament to open their season. Bud Tackett was a local referee. The tournament was developed by his family to provide scholarships to local basketball players. Last year our very own Waleed Qasim was the recipient of one of the scholarships.

Girls basketball lost a close one in the Bud Tackett tournament championship to St. Bernard’s 36-34 as they attempted to defend last year's title.

Indoor track already has four trips to the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston under their belts on the young season. Many of our athletes have already qualified for the state meet. We look forward to watching the team progress and compete for a Mid Wach Title in February.

With the colder weather, our ski team now has a first race date. They will compete at Nashoba Valley on 1/9.

Both Girls and Boys Middle School Basketball opened with wins over Clinton before break. They will resume their seasons on January 7th, when they visit Hale Middle School.

Our girls hockey co-op at Leominster is off to a 2-2 start. Lunenburg has five girls competing on the team.

As always, please visit www.arbiterlive.com for all of the Blue Knight schedules.

January is National Blood Donor Month

The week of January 12th is National Pizza Week

4 National Spaghetti Day

9 National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

11 National Milk Day

13 National Rubber Ducky Day

15 National Hat Day

18 National Winnie The Pooh Day

21 Squirrel Appreciation Day

22 National Polka Dot Day

24 National Compliment Day

27 National Bubble Wrap Day

Do you know someone in the community who is retired and looking for a new way to stay engaged with the community? Are you are a parent, guardian, or family member of one of our students? We have lots of opportunities to engage in our school community by volunteering! On the district website, we have posted a flyer with just some ideas for the ways in which you can help the schools through volunteer work.