Brown Elementary Update

February 6, 2026
A note from the principal
Greetings Brown Families and Caregivers,
I’m excited to share how our students have been living our PAWS core values: Practice Empathy, Act Respectfully, Work Hard, and Solve Problems Together.
- Schoolwide Goal: classes have been working to earn 20 Golden PAWS. Each classroom earns a Golden Paw after collecting 20 individual PAWS, and when our school reaches 20 Golden PAWS we’ll hold a special schoolwide celebration. Today we reached our goal of 20 Golden PAWS. We are planning a special celebration for Friday, February 13th.
- Cafeteria Paws: students can also earn Cafeteria Paws for acting respectfully and practicing empathy by using indoor voices. This week, Grade 2 was the first grade to reach the goal of 10 Cafeteria Paws — they celebrated with music at lunch.
- PAWS Assembly: today we held our fifth PAWS assembly of the year and launched a new focus on Solving Problems Together. We discussed a simple problem‑solving routine students can use:
- What can you do to calm down?
- What is the problem?
- What ideas can you try?
- Which will you choose?
- What is your plan?
You can reinforce this at home by asking these same questions when your child has a problem with a sibling or peer. Practicing this routine helps children pause, think, and choose kind, respectful solutions.
Thank you for supporting our PAWS values at home and at school. Your partnership makes a real difference in creating a caring, respectful, and hardworking community.
Warmly,
Dr. Even
PAWSitive Office Referrals
Congratulations to the students who earned PAWSitive office referrals for demonstrating our PAWS core values in the last two weeks: Connor and Lucas from Ms. Culverhouse's class, Atharv from Ms. Tilden's class, Alex from Ms. MacInnes', and Jaydeep from Ms. Schmid's class.
Free Dental Care Event - February 28
Notes from the Nurse
If your child has illness symptoms:
Please keep your child home and refer to the Reasons To Keep Your Child Home From School guidelines.
Reminder to parents:
Students will be going outside if we are not experiencing severe weather. Please pack appropriately for outdoor play, including boots, coats, snowpants, waterproof gloves/mittens and hats, as well as a change of clothes to be kept in their backpacks in case they get wet while playing.
Hydration:
Please send your child with a water bottle each day. It is important to hydrate even in the colder months!
Also: If anyone has any extra hand-me-down pants that they could contribute to the clinic for “emergency” situations, the nurses would greatly appreciate it!
DESE School Report Card Available
Each year, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) publishes a school report card that shares information about student learning, school climate, and other key indicators. Please read the attached letter for a link to our school’s report card and additional information. If you have questions after reviewing the report, please contact the school office.
Natick Public Schools Strategic Plan Feedback Survey
Please see information below regarding the upcoming survey to inform the NPS strategic planning process. Please share your thoughts and help us ensure that Brown voices are represented! To access the survey, use this link or scan the QR code below.
Reminders
February Vacation
Brown School will be closed from February 16 through February 20th for February Vacation. Students return to school on Monday, February 23rd. Please enjoy a safe and restful break!
Drop-Off Safety
Drop-off begins at 8:20. For the safety of all Brown students, please confirm that a staff member is on duty prior to letting your child out of the car.
Pick Up Patrol
Make sure to update your default pick up plans in Pick Up Patrol (PUP). Any daily changes to your default plan must be entered on PUP by 1:30PM (11:30 on early release days). Please help us ensure that dismissal is safe and efficient for all Brown students!
Upcoming Events
February 16-February 20th - February Vacation
Active Kids Registration
Registration is now open for Active Kids! Please see link below to download the registration form.
Natick Food Resources
Please see the flyer below for food resources available in the community. Please use this link to access live links and translations.
Lunch Menu
School Calendar
Pages to Bookmark
Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor its educational programs, services, and activities based on race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Please be aware all electronic communication to and from Natick Public Schools is public record and subject to public disclosure per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 66, Section 10.