NBPS Welcome Back Letter

Dear North Brookfield Families and Students,

Welcome back! We hope this letter finds you well and filled with anticipation for the new school year. As we prepare to embark on another exciting journey together, we want to express our deepest gratitude for the support and contributions from our entire school community over the summer.

First and foremost, a heartfelt thank you goes to our dedicated custodial staff. Their tireless efforts in maintaining a clean, safe, and welcoming environment ensure that our school continues to be a second home for students and staff alike. Their hard work does not go unnoticed, and we are truly grateful.

We also want to extend our sincere appreciation to our Extended School Year (ESY) staff. Their commitment to our students’ growth and well-being throughout the summer is invaluable. We appreciate their dedication to providing continued support and education during the break.

As we look forward to the upcoming school year, we are excited to announce that the first day of classes for students in grades K-12 will be Wednesday, August 28th. Pre-K students will begin on Tuesday, September 3rd. Our team has been working diligently to create a safe and enriching learning environment, and we can’t wait to see our halls and classrooms filled with energy and enthusiasm once again.

This year, we are thrilled to introduce several curriculum enhancements for the 2024-2025 academic year:

• PLTW Launch: Last June, NBES became a Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Launch district (grant-funded). Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Launch is a STEM program that believes that all students -- beginning at a young age -- need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive as they move throughout their school journey. This program provides hands-on, minds-on learning opportunities from grade three through grade five. This summer, Mr. Pfefferle and Ms. Maher underwent training, allowing us to implement this program in grades 3 and 5.

• New Reading Curriculum: After a year of piloting and vetting, the district has adopted "Into Reading" as the new reading curriculum at NBES, which will be used with fidelity starting this school year.

• New Student Information System (SIS): We are phasing in a new SIS called ALMA for 2024-2025 that we feel will be a significant upgrade from our current system in regards to ease of use and teacher support. Mr. Hackenson, along with select teachers, will provide training during our opening days, and parents will receive information on accessing the system as the school year begins.

• Open SciEd: NBHS (Grade 7) has adopted the Open SciEd curriculum for this year. OpenSciEd attempts to solve this by creating a science storyline, where questions of phenomena lead to investigations, which link together to give students a good understanding of the topic. Ms. Malone attended training earlier this summer to prepare for this implementation.

• Creative Action and Thinking (CAT Lab): This fall, NBPS will introduce the CAT Lab experience, which will integrate creative musical and artistic experiences into existing lesson plans while supporting and enhancing the current curriculum. The brain child of Bonnie Milner and Channing LeBlanc, this initiative aims to brand North Brookfield School District as a leader in addressing the national creativity crisis.

• Universal Design for Learning (UDL): We are partnering with Novak Education for professional development around UDL, an education framework based on decades of neuroscience research. UDL is endorsed by the Every Student Succeeds Act and is considered best practice for teaching all students in an inclusive learning environment. Throughout the year, NBPS will provide building-based professional development and leadership training to support UDL implementation.

• 6th Grade transition to NBHS: We are thrilled to welcome our new 6th graders to North Brookfield High School as we complete our middle school model. This transition marks an exciting time for our students, who will benefit from enhanced educational opportunities and a supportive environment designed to foster both academic and personal growth. We look forward to helping them thrive in this next chapter of their educational journey!
  

In addition to these curriculum updates, we remain committed to aligning our curriculum across all grade levels, from Kindergarten through Grade 12. This alignment ensures a consistent and well-structured educational experience, providing a strong foundation for our students’ academic journeys.

As we get ready to kick off the new school year, we encourage you to stay actively engaged with our school community. Please visit our website frequently for important updates, events, and resources. If you have any questions or concerns, our administrative team is always here to help.

We are eagerly looking forward to the year ahead and are excited to welcome our students back into the classrooms. Let’s make this year one filled with growth, learning, and endless opportunities!

Thank you for your unwavering support.

Best regards,

Tim

Please take a few minutes of your time to check out the new NBHS video made by Mr. Bilz and several members of our NBHS student body. It highlights some of the amazing things happening everyday in North Brookfield Public schools!