June 4 ~ Spring Concert for students only 9:00AM & 6:30 PM at Oakmont for family & friends

June 5 ~ 5th Grade Field Day (rain date June 6)

June 7 ~ Oakmont Music visits WES

June 7 ~ Last Day of Preschool

June 7 ~ 5th Grade Picnic on Academy Hill

June 7 ~ PTO Daughter's Choice Dance 6:30-8:30 PM WES

June 8 ~ Great East Festival for WES Music

June 9 ~ PTO Son's Choice Event 2:00-4:00 PM WES

June 10 ~ 5th Grade BBQ

June 10 ~ MHS Preschool Graduation 1:30-2:30 PM

June 11 ~ 5th Grade Promotion Night 6:30 PM

June 12 ~ 5th Grade students VS. Staff Basketball Game at 1:30 PM

June 13 ~ Last Day of School ~ Noon Dismissal

This year has gone by so quickly! It feels like just yesterday we were greeting our new students and getting to know each other; now they are moving onto 5th grade. They have worked so hard this year, and they have grown and matured so much! They are certainly ready to become the 5th grade role models of our WES community.

We were also so proud to see how hard students worked during the MCAS testing. It was a long 4 days of testing, but students had the stamina and focus necessary to complete it to the best of their ability!

We are finishing up our final math units of the year, and working through the different perspectives of the American Revolution. Students had fun picking a side - Loyalists vs Patriots! Ask your child what side they would have been on and why! In addition, we are finishing our trip around the regions of the United States and the final energy unit in Science. As all of our academic units come to a close, we look forward to lots of end of the year activities and wrapping up our time together in 4th grade.

We hope everyone has a wonderful summer break.

We can’t believe the end of the year is upon us! We are currently working on our final writing piece, which will be an opinion essay based on the non-fiction book we’ve been reading in class– The Boy’s War. We wrapped up unit 6 in math before Nature’s Classroom. For the next couple weeks, we are going to be touching upon the concepts in unit 7 so students are prepared for middle school!

We had a ball at Nature’s Classroom. We can’t wait for you to see pictures at the slideshow that will be on display on Promotion Night. Reading through their journals, it seems students took away a lot of new tricks and information. Some favorites were the Predator versus Prey game and the delicious food. It was awesome to see students grow throughout the week! Students who attended Ms. Morel’s Nature’s Classroom at WES had a lot of fun, too! They learned how to start a fire, went for nature walks, and did really cool hands-on activities (lava lamps, slime, and the egg drop were a few memorable ones!).

When we visited the Middle School, they gave students a heads up on summer reading expectations. Students came home with more information about that and school supply orders for next year.

The end of the year is approaching fast! Here are some important dates to keep in mind:

June 3rd- please send in a plain white t-shirt (the sooner the better). June 5th- 5th grade field day (rain date- June 6th). June 7th- picnic. June 10th- BBQ. June 11th- Promotion Night @6:30. June 12th- teacher versus student basketball game. June 13th- last day, half day!

Our recent fundraiser for Relay for Life raised a total of $267.64! This was donated to Rosa’s Warriors and The Power Team. Thank you for everyone’s contributions. This week, The Student Council is holding the final food drive of the school year. Donations of non-perishable food items are greatly appreciated and will be collected this Friday, May 31.

For the month of May, we have been learning Wiffle Ball in PE class. Wiffle Ball is the same thing as baseball and softball, but plastic equipment is used for safety reasons. This is a great unit to learn near the end of the year as Wiffle Ball is a popular summer game that can be played in your backyard, at the beach, at a park or anywhere really!

Students have been working on throwing and catching, running the bases, batting, and fielding skills all of which provide strength and cardiovascular benefits. In addition, wiffle ball also develops hand-eye coordination, quick thinking and reaction skills, as well as communication and social skills. The younger grades have mostly been working on throwing and catching, batting from a tee, and running the bases, while the older grades got into gameplay with pitching as well.

After Wiffle Ball, we have been practicing Field Day stations to get ready for the big day! To finish out the rest of the year we will do mini-golf and revisit some of our favorite games we learned earlier in the year. I am looking forward to a great end of the school year!

Greetings to all families as we all approach the end of the school year. As usual, the music rooms are very active with lots of learning, playing of instruments, and singing! Below are some insights to what students are learning as well as schedules for events.

Grade K and 1 - The students have been learning about America through singing several patriotic songs/books and were part of an in school assembly for Memorial Day on Friday. Veterans from the local VFW in town were present to observe the students, and our superintendent Dr. Stewart also spoke to the kids. They looked great wearing patriotic colors on Friday, thanks!.

Grade 2 - Students in Grade 2 finished up their Boomwhacker unit recently by playing tone chimes, which are used in bell choirs. Currently, they are learning about the Beatles and learning several of their songs, and I am planning a fun sing along with some guest musicians who should be coming in towards the end of the year! They will also soon learn about all of the instrument families of Brass, Woodwind, Percussion, and Strings. We will also talk about how to sign up for learning an instrument for the Band program which any student in grades 3, 4, and 5 can be involved in. Official sign ups are in September for the beginning instruments of flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and snare drum.

Grade 3 - All of the grade 3 students have been learning simple songs including Twinkle Twinkle, Ode To Joy, and Hound Dog on the keyboards. Each student has their own keyboard station, and access to a google classroom at home where I post videos on how to play a song as well as a performance video where they can play “keep up” with me.

Grades 4 and 5 - Ukuleles! Yes, that’s right, we are in our 4th year of having ukuleles in the classroom. Our students have been learning various chords, and will be playing along with videos of songs like Stand By Me, Surfin’ USA and more.

CHORUS - The grade 4 and 5 students in Chorus recently performed Don’t Stop Believing, and Eye of the Tiger at the opening ceremony for the American Cancer Society’s “Relay For Life” on Academy Hill recently. The students have been learning how to sing beyond unison singing and splitting into two sections for partner songs and harmony as well. Solos have been issued for the spring concerts. Upcoming performances include the Grandparent and Veteran Concert at 9am on May 31, and the Spring Concerts on June 4. Grade 4 students in particular recently performed at the in school Memorial Day Program hosted by the grade 4 students. A detailed schedule went home with kids recently, and Mrs. Popik sent a copy in a recent email. Also, Mrs. Popik has sent families a detailed Music Memo with directions for the spring concerts and more. Please see the schedule below for basic events.

A BAND - Our A Band students have been working on 12 selections for the Spring Concerts, including the hard classical piece Raider’s March. Grade 4 students in particular recently performed at the in school Memorial Day Program hosted by the grade 4 students. All students marched in the Town Memorial Day parade and then performed at WES on Memorial Day. Three of our top Trumpet players performed services for Taps at all of the town cemeteries and monuments with the Veterans in the morning as well. Upcoming performances include the Grandparent and Veteran Concert at 9am on May 31, the Spring Concerts on June 4, and the Great East Trip/Competition at Cannobie on June 8. The students will reform in the fall to perform the concert one last time at the Westminster Cracker Festival at 10 am on October 19. Also, Mrs. Popik has sent families a detailed Music Memo with directions for the spring concerts and more. Please see the schedule below for basic events.

JAZZ BAND - Our Jazz Band has 5 selections including What a Wonderful World and Soul Man. They performed well at the WES Creation Celebration Night recently. Upcoming performances include the Grandparent and Veteran Concert at 9am on May 31, the Spring Concerts on June 4, and the Great East Trip/Competition at Cannobie on June 8. The students will reform in the fall to perform the concert one last time at the Westminster Cracker Festival at 10 am on October 19. Also, Mrs. Popik has sent families a detailed Music Memo with directions for the spring concerts and more. Please see the schedule below for basic events.

MUSIC SCHEDULE - MAY and JUNE

5/30 -Last chorus rehearsal 7:30-8:15am

5/31 -Spring Concert #1 - 9am WES Cafeteria - full dress (A Band, Chorus, Jazz Band)

-All Grandparents and Veterans are welcome to attend

6/3 to 6/7 -Last week of normal scheduled lessons

6/4 -Spring Concert #2 - 9am WES Cafeteria - full dress (A Band, Chorus, Jazz Band)

-In school concert - only for our grades K-5 students and staff

-Parent Help Needed to load vehicles at 12pm at the WES cafeteria entrance. We then travel to Oakmont, unload and set up stage for the evening performance. Please contact Mrs. Popik if you can help. Time involved is 12pm to roughly 1:15pm.

-Spring Concert #3 - 6:30pm Oakmont - full dress (A Band, Chorus, Jazz Band)

-For parents/public - limited seating so please be thoughtful of keeping your numbers low for attending family members. There are only 430 seats and people have been turned away in the past. Any grandparents should attend concert #1 on June 4 as noted above.

6/5 -Jazz Band Reh - 3-4pm (Only members going to the Great East Festival)

6/6 -A Band Reh - 3-4pm (Only members going to the Great East Festival)

6/8 -Great East/Cannobie Competition/Field Trip (Grade 4+5 A Band, Jazz Band)

6/3 to 6/7 -Last week of scheduled lessons

6/10+11 -Any rescheduled make up lessons

6/11 -Grade 5 Promotion Night - 6:30pm -Grade 5 Chorus students will perform

10/19 -Westminster Cracker Festival - 10am

(Current A Band and Jazz Band students form the June 2024 Spring Concert)

"REMINDER:

END OF YEAR MEDS: Please have an adult pick up any student medications, including inhalers and epipens, from the Nurse's office before Noon on Thursday June 13th. Any medications not retrieved will be disposed of properly."

WES Nurse Marissa is looking for new or gently used clothing donations;

Boys: Soft shorts sizes 7-12

Girls: Soft pants/elastic waist/leggings sizes 7-12

Boys and Girls Underwear (New ONLY please): S.M.L (or same as pant sizes above 7-12)

Thank you in advance

The Forbush Memorial Library is conducting a community survey for its 2025-2030 strategic plan. We would love MHS and WES parents, teachers, and staff to be a part of the process! Help us envision the future of this community destination and resource by completing this brief online survey: https://bit.ly/Forbush-Plan-Survey. Thank you!

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

NEW PARENTING SOLUTIONS LIBRARY

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is pleased to announce its new, free MPY Parenting Solutions Library. To date, over 2,200 videos have been borrowed. MPY is offering the MPY Parenting Solutions Library in partnership with Peace At Home Parenting Solutions, a non-profit located in Mansfield, Connecticut. Peace At Home Parenting Solutions is a dynamic hub of trusted knowledge and compassionate support that inspires parents to create positive change for their children, their families and themselves. Through this new partnership, MPY is pleased to offer proven resources to help students’ families thrive.

Peace At Home Parenting Solutions specializes in empowering parents with evidence-based strategies to foster nurturing connections that safeguard their children's mental well-being. When parents grasp the interconnection between the brain, body, and behavior, they experience reduced stress levels, resulting in less stress for their children.

The Peace At Home Parenting Solutions team, comprised of experts with advanced degrees, stays abreast of the latest advancements in child development. With more than 30 specialists focused on child and adolescent development, including specific issues such as difficulties in school, mental health challenges, neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ identity formation, handling racism, navigating grief, and other matters parents and our partners identify. These experts present easy-to-use strategies for long-lasting change.

Parents can watch or just listen to experts who get right to the point solving big and small challenges. The 24 library presentations focus on the topics below. Each presentation includes a 10-minute videos and handouts.

· Inspire School Success for Elementary, Middle and High School Students

· Parenting Principles for Progress Not Perfection

· Mental Health Knowledge and Skills

· Support Your Anxious Child Library

· ADHD and Autism: How to Help Your Child Thrive

The Home Parenting Library may easily be accessed using the link: https://peaceathomeparenting.com/mpy-solution-libraries/ No log in or passcode is needed.

REMINDER: Please take a look at how the PM pick up line at WES and MHS works. It is important that everyone follows these directions.

FOR WES Student Pick up: Please drive up Academy Hill Road and come down, park on the right hand side of Academy Hill Road and enter the parking lot on your left. Westminster Police have asked to NOT enter the parking lot when coming in from Main Street on your right because it starts a back up on Main Street. See map below.

For questions regarding your child's health, please use the following emails for our nurses.

MHS - MHSnurse@awrsd.org

WES - WESnurse@awrsd.org

We are seeking substitute nurses (RN’s/ LPN’s/ BSN’s) If interested, please email your resume to Ally Law: alaw@awrsd.org.

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.

ARRIVAL

8:20 - 8:30 AM

DISMISSAL

2:55 PM

HALF DAYS - DISMISSAL

12:00 PM

We discourage early dismissals from school and urge you to schedule doctor, dentist or other appointments outside of school hours, on school holidays, or during vacation time. Extra-curricular activities should also be scheduled to allow students to complete the school day. We will send a written reminder if the number of early dismissals becomes unreasonable or excessive.

On the day of a dismissal, the parent or guardian must send a note to school stating the time of dismissal and who will pick up the student. No student will be dismissed to anyone but a parent/guardian or authorized adult, who must report to the office to meet the student.

Dismissals prior to 11:30 am will be considered an absence.

Any changes to dismissal plans must be made in writing on or before the day of dismissal. In the event of an emergency, a phone call to the school office will need to be followed up by an e-mail or fax.

Written notes from parents/ guardians are required (in addition to excused absences), when your student will be:

1. Picked up by someone other than the parent/ guardian.
2. Dismissed during the school day.
3. Picked up at school rather than taking the bus home, or other similar change in routine.
4. Following a standing appointment one day per week such as Brownies, Boy Scouts, etc. One note at the start of the school year will suffice. If there is any change in the schedule, another note is needed.
5. Given permission to independently ride a bike to school. (Grades 4 – 5 only)
6. Cared for after school by a baby-sitter or family day care provider. Please provide the school with the names and phone numbers of all after-school care providers at the beginning of the school year..

Written notes are essential to insure your child’s safety. We would prefer notes over phone calls as it helps us to document your child's individual dismissal plan. (We have 611 students.) Thank you for your help.