The Common

Hello Nashoba!

Our Open Houses and Curriculum Nights for the 2025/2026 school year wrapped up this week. Each of our schools provided an experience tailored to their grade levels and community, giving parents and caregivers the chance to step into their child’s world and learn more about their classroom routines and curriculum. Events like these, along with Student Conferences, create meaningful opportunities for us to welcome families into our schools, build strong partnerships, and allow us to create a sense of community where each and every student and family feels seen, supported, and valued.

We’re excited to continue hosting events that center on students, support families, and engage parents and caregivers throughout the upcoming year. To help everyone stay connected and informed, we’ve made some helpful updates to our District and school-based calendars.

Here’s what’s new:

• You can now access the District Calendar by clicking the "Calendars and Events at Nashoba" button on our homepage (just below the photo carousel), or by scrolling further down and selecting "See All Events."

• To view school-specific events, use the new checkbox menu to filter by individual schools. From here, select only the calendars that matter most to you.

• To ensure you never miss an event, we’ve added a new “Follow Our Events” feature. You can now subscribe and add our school calendars directly to your Google Calendar.

Thank you for continued engagement with our school events. We look forward to seeing you at upcoming events and continuing to work together to support our students and our school community.

Peace,

Kirk Downing (He/Him)
Superintendent

Nashoba is now in its fourth year of implementing universal screening assessments through Renaissance Learning, using Star Early Literacy, Star Reading, and Star Math. These adaptive online assessments allow us to systematically assess students from grades K-10 three times per year. By using Star Assessments, Nashoba educators capture real-time data, which is then combined with classroom data, to guide targeted instructional decisions.

Our use of Star Early Literacy and Star Reading in grades K-3 helps us identify students at risk for reading challenges early on. It also ensures that our district complies with the universal early literacy screening requirements set by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), effective as of July 1, 2023. These regulations mandate that students in kindergarten through third grade are screened at least twice a year using a DESE-approved, developmentally appropriate early literacy tool. The regulations also require addressing the needs of students who fall significantly below benchmarks within the general education setting, along with timely notification and follow-up with families.

This fall, our assessment window coincides with parent/family teacher conferences in early November. Families will receive their child’s assessment results during these conferences. For families of students in grades 1-3 who cannot attend the conferences and whose screening results fall significantly below grade-level benchmarks, the school will notify families with a phone call and follow-up letter outlining the results and next steps the school will take to support the student's reading progress. Students in grades 1-3 will be screened this fall and again in the winter, while kindergarten students will be screened in the winter and spring.

As outlined by the Massachusetts Early Literacy Screening Guidance, "Early literacy universal screening is proactive and designed to gather information on the most predictive literacy skills, making it possible to identify each student's risk of experiencing reading difficulties."

The Innovation Pathways Program is thrilled to be entering Year Two! Over the summer, we’ve been hard at work creating fresh opportunities for our students. One exciting addition is our expanded Guest Speaker Series. We’ve enhanced the hands-on experience by designing events where students first hear directly from industry experts, then dive into a focused project related to the topic, and finally receive feedback from our guest speakers. That’s where you come in.

We’re building out our Guest Speaker Series, where professionals like you can:

• Share your career journey and insights
• Watch students tackle real-world challenges developed specifically for your area of expertise
• Offer advice and feedback to help them grow

We’re currently looking for guest speakers with experience in the following areas: Marketing, Accounting, Human Resources, Investment Advising, Product Development, Branding Management, Welding, Fabrication, CAD Design, Mechanical Engineering, Product Design, Robotics Engineering, Machining, Graphic Design, Professional Photography, Magazine Editing, Mobile App Development, Data Analytics, Technology Law, Cybersecurity, and IT.

Don’t see your role listed? No worries! Even if your role isn’t mentioned, please submit your interest anyway, you never know how your expertise might connect with our program.

What is NRSD SEPAC?

The NRSD Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is an all volunteer group with a mission to support students and their families by providing education and information on special education issues and services. Through their efforts, the organization aims to promote a better understanding of, respect for, and support of special education in the community. The Nashoba SEPAC works closely with the Nashoba Regional School District administration and School Committee to ensure that students' needs are being met in accordance with applicable laws.

SEPAC Does This By:

• Listening to families, our students and caregivers

• Participating in the planning, development, and evaluation of the school district's special education programs

• Advising the district on matters that pertain to the education and safety of students with disabilities

• Providing family-to-family support and networking

• Hosting presentations

• Making recommendations for professional development

Why explore SEPAC?

SEPAC welcomes everyone. We strive to build a community of support for those on the special education journey.

Get connected

Get in touch on Facebook or by emailing: SEPACchairs@nrsd.net. Each town has parent liaisons whose contact information names can be found on the district website at: https://www.nrsd.net/page/sepac-special-education-parent-advisory-council.

The annual flu and COVID vaccine clinic put on by the Nashoba Board of Health will be held Wednesday October 3, 2025 from 3:00pm-6:00pm in the Nashoba Regional High School cafeteria. For those interested, pre-registration is recommended! For the full clinic schedule, registration links, and our FAQ click here.

The Nashoba Athletics Booster Club is excited to offer two online apparel stores. Perfect for students, staff, families, and the entire Nashoba community! Stock up on hoodies, t-shirts, hats, and more to show off your school pride.

The Game One Store is focused on Wolf-themed gear and will be open until Sunday, September 21 at 11:59 PM. The BSN Sprint Store includes a mix of Wolf gear and Nashoba apparel with the “N” logo, and will stay open through Monday, September 22 at 11:59 PM.

The NRSD Performing Arts Department is excited to launch its 2025-2026 calendar of events. With over thirty performances scheduled throughout the school year, ranging from concerts to musicals, featuring students from elementary through high school, and taking place both in school and in the community, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Get ready for an enchanting evening of magic, mischief, and mayhem! Nashoba Drama is excited to bring Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to the stage this November. Don’t miss your chance to see this timeless classic performed by our talented cast. The show will run Friday, November 21st at 7:00pm, Saturday, November 22nd at 7:00pm, and Sunday, November 23rd at 2:00pm.

Celebrating everyday greatness! Is there a Nashoba teacher or staff member out there who you think deserves some special recognition? Send a Nashoba Notable Award their way! Fill out the form below and thank a Nashoba employee today!

Nashoba Notable Awards thank Nashoba employees for supporting students, families, and their school communities in all ways great and small.

Employees will receive a certificate that includes a brief explanation from the nominator of why they are Nashoba Notable. This form is open to everyone. Students, families, staff and community members can send a Nashoba Notable Award to any Nashoba employee.

There is no limit to the number of Nashoba Notable Awards someone may receive. Thank a Nashoba employee today!

Click here to tell someone they are Nashoba Notable!

MRE hosted their first assembly of the year to gather as a school community. Mr. Blanchard talked about high expectations, our role in the community, working hard and contributing to school culture.

FSS sixth grade students spent time taking notes and asking questions about artifacts.

Introduction to Business students at NRHS spent some time learning how to tie a tie!

Parents/caregivers at the FSS Middle School Open House had the chance to listen in to a presentation about the school day and Social-Emotion Learning before heading to classrooms for grade-level presentations.

The NRHS Open House brought attendees back to high school as they attended a shortened version of their child's school day! Every ten minutes parents/caregivers would rotate to a new course based on their child's daily schedule.