Florence Sawyer School Happenings

Dear Families,

Tis' the season wherein I have the unfortunate obligation to inform you about the Massachusetts Ethics Commission's Advisory on gifts to teachers. Please know, as always, how grateful we are for the opportunity to work with your children (and your family), and that is gift enough.

The Ethics Commission created an exemption to permit class gifts to teachers. A teacher may accept a gift, or several gifts during the school year, from public school students and/or their parents and guardians, with an aggregated value of up to $150, if the gift is identified only as being from the class. The identity of the givers and the individual amounts given are not identified to the recipient. Gifts received pursuant to this exemption are not required to be disclosed. The donor is unknown, so a reasonable person would not conclude that the gift would influence the teacher's conduct with regard to any individual or would cause the teacher to favor any individual.

Example: A teacher has a class with 23 students. Parents of 20 of the students collect money and give the teacher a $150 gift certificate to a bookstore, indicating that it is a class gift. The teacher may accept the $150 class gift certificate and no disclosure is required. The teacher may not knowingly accept any additional gift from any of the parents who participated in the class gift.

A teacher may accept a class gift and also individual gifts from persons who did not contribute to the class gift. Unlike class gifts, which are not required to be disclosed, individual gifts must be disclosed if, based on the specific circumstances, a reasonable person might think that the teacher's actions would be influenced by the gift.

Example: A child who did not participate in the class gift gives a plate of homemade cookies to the teacher. The teacher may accept the cookies, and no disclosure is required because a reasonable person would not think that the teacher would be influenced by a gift that has no retail value. Similarly, a teacher would not be required to disclose acceptance of other homemade food items, hand-picked (not purchased) bouquets of flowers, and handmade gifts, candy, or other gift items worth less than $10, because a reasonable person would not think that the teacher might unduly show favor to the giver of such gifts or the giver's child, or be influenced by the giver.

Example: Parents of a child who did not contribute to a class gift and whose child is awaiting a college recommendation gives the teacher who is writing the recommendation a bottle of wine worth $40. The teacher must disclose the gift in writing to her appointing authority because a reasonable person might think that such a gift might influence the teacher to write a better recommendation for the student.

In other FSS News...

• Please note that this Friday, December 8, is an early dismissal for students. Students will be dismissed at 12:15.

• This Wednesday is the second of our Parent Forums presented by DA Early's office. Hope Rudzinski from DA Early's office will conduct a virtual seminar for parents about the warning signs and symptoms of an unhealthy relationship. Her talk will include a discussion of domestic violence laws, including who qualifies for and how to obtain a restraining order, and ways to seek assistance and resources to help keep teens safe. The presentation is Virtual on Zoom. You can find the link here. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88496144631?pwd=XUgtZ4NYnaJw4khhNPS6h0UgOfZjMa.1
• Join Zoom Meeting ID: 884 9614 4631 Passcode: 259704

• We have two Chorus Concerts this week. Grades 4 & 5 will perform tomorrow night at 7:00 in the auditorium. Thursday, Grades 6, 7 & 8 will be performing at 7:00, also in the auditorium.

Yours in partnership,

Joel Bates,

Principal

If parents have ordered a print package and would like a re-take, please remember to send the envelope with the original prints in with your student on Wednesday, 12/6.

If you forget to do so, the student's picture will still be taken; families will just need to send the original print package envelope back to CoffeePond at:

Lifeguards Coffee Pond Photography
3 Speen Street, Suite 200
Framingham, MA 01701

All students will be receiving either a class or grade level group photos in the coming weeks, whether they have ordered a photo package or not. Our apologies as we have experienced some delays, but these should be on the way soon!

We're excited to share the new NRSD App with you. The app posts the daily lunch as well as the school calendar and a feed where we will share pictures and other information about the goings on at school.

NRSD App for Google Play

NRSD APP for IPhone

The Sawyer Student Council is sponsoring its annual Marines Toys for Tots collection. The Marines have come to depend upon our school’s generous donations. Please consider donating a new, unwrapped toy for children of any age, by Friday, December 8th. The Student Council thanks you in advance for years of continued support. Donation boxes can be found in the lobbies of Emerson and Sawyer Wings.

Thank you,

Sawyer Student Council

FSS Basketball began today with the first tryouts of the 2023-2024 season.

Our middle school schedules are located on ArbiterLive. These schedules are subject to change, but this will always be the site with the most up to date schedule.

The Florence Sawyer Robotics Team Tek-Kidettes had a great day at their Qualifier today! On that team are Kyle M., Jackson Y., Wesley W., Madeleine W., Lydia Fantana, John M. They achieved a team-best score of 370 points, which put them in 2nd place for robot score in the qualifying matches, they also took second place in the elimination rounds, and won the Champion’s Award! They also got a GOLDEN TICKET to Robonautica! Way to go Kidettes!

Good luck this weekend to the 4 Florence Sawyer Robotics Teams competition gin their Qualifying events this weekend: NextGen Chefs, Pandas Programming Python, The Trolls: No Troll Left Behind, and Thought Process. They will all compete in the FIRST Lego League Masterpiece season qualifier competitions this weekend in Leominster, WPI and Northborough. Good luck with your presentations and the robot competition!

Florence Sawyer School Clubs and Activities

NRSD Before and After School Program (Extended Learning)

Chorus Concert Grades 4 & 5 * December 5 * 7:00PM * FSS Auditorium

Chorus Concert Grades 6 - 8 * December 7 * 7:00 PM * FSS Auditorium

Band Concert Grades 5 -8 * December 14 * 6:30 PM * FSS Auditorium

Are you ready to embark on an exciting journey in education? Are you interested in supplementing your income, but would like a work schedule that is within your control? Are you interested in a position that matches your child's school day schedule? Florence Sawyer School is thrilled to offer you the opportunity to join our dynamic team of substitute teachers!

📚 Why Choose Florence Sawyer School?

🌟 A Welcoming Community: Join a warm and welcoming community of educators and staff dedicated to creating a positive learning environment for all students.

🌟 Varied Opportunities: Experience teaching in diverse grade levels and subjects, gaining valuable insights into different teaching styles and classroom dynamics.

🌟 Flexibility: Enjoy the flexibility of choosing your assignments and schedule, allowing you to balance work with your other commitments.

🌟 Professional Growth: Build your teaching portfolio and expand your skill set as you collaborate with experienced educators and staff.

🌟 Make a Difference: Have a meaningful impact on the lives of young learners and contribute to their educational journey.

Qualifications:

• 2 Years of College are required for Substitute Teachers.

• Certified Teachers for assignments of eight weeks or more.

For more information, click here.

We have created the Virtual Backpack as a convenience for our families to capture forms, flyers, calendars, and other information that might have traditionally come home in a backpack.

Included on the Virtual Backpack page is a Community Events and Activities page where you can find non-school sponsored activities such community events, youth sports, community information for families, and other activities for children. We do our best to keep the CAEP updated.

FSS Family Directory is now available!

You can sign up to access the School Directory on the BoltonPTO Website. Directory memberships are $5 and you will be able to customize your directory listing and connect with other FSS Families. Visit https://boltonpto.membershiptoolkit.com/directory to update or create your directory listing!

Bolton Ski club is open to grades 3-8 from now through December 5th. We ski and board at Wachusett. Please see below for details:

Eligibility: Grades 3-8 (Wachusett rules). 3rd and 4th graders must have previous ski experience or be chaperoned by a parent or guardian. This is extremely important. If your child has not skied before someone needs to be on the mountain with them.

Dates: Six Fridays starting January 5 - February 9 (there are two half days, January 12 and February 2, where kids will get extra time at the mountain). Last year Wachusett implemented a new policy where it is $15 extra per child for the extended days. We will send out more information on this and how to pay for those days once final registrations are in.

Timeframe: 4:00pm - 7:00pm (bring equipment to school and ski clothes to school and home every week). Bus leaves FSS at 3:30 each Friday (except for half days when bus will leave at 12:30 and kids will ski from 1-7)

Transportation: We will be hiring a bus to transport kids to and from Wachusett. The cost will be between $135 and $165 per person (subject to change based on number of buses hired and amount of student per bus) and will be handled separately from the Wachusett sign ups. Seats will be on a first come first serve basis. Once we have one full bus, we will start a wait list until we have enough students to make a second bus feasible. Please sign up early!

Click here for the Bus Registration: Ski Bus Sign up . This is separate from registering for the ski program through Wachusett. You are also welcome to drive your child or groups of children to and from the mountain if preferred.

Volunteering: Ski club is a parent run program and it takes a village to make it run smoothly. We ask each parent to volunteer in some capacity so we can keep this treasured program going strong. We will have a meeting in early December to discuss these opportunities. You don’t have to be a skier to help out, here are some ways you can lend a hand:

• Create communications and tools for chaperones and parents

• Organize and maintain ski club records

• Traffic controller - keep communication going between chaperones, main lodge and parents (ETA for bus arrivals after ski club, etc.)

• Bus Loader: Help the kids and their equipment get loaded and unloaded onto the bus

• Lodge parent - hang out in the lodge to answer any questions, provide support to kids coming and going

• Ski Chaperone - partner up with another skiing parent and ski with a designated group of kids

• Lesson Chaperone: Walk skiers and boarders over to lessons and pick them up afterwards
  
  

Ski Club Registration: Click on the link below for details on cost for ski club and lessons (if applicable),

Ski Club Registration

Access code-BSASC

Lessons: These are 1 hour sessions and are meant for beginner skiers. Wachusett is no longer providing advanced lessons for these programs.

Terrain Park: There is an option to select a terrain park pass for $5. This pass is good all season.

Rentals: Anyone in need of rentals should secure season long rentals rather than rent at the mountain. The logistics of splitting up the group, assigning chaperones, and the very long lines is a big hassle for coordinating and for the kids. Picking up weekly rentals at Wachusett eats up nearly the entire first evening and a chunk of time each week of our already short time on the mountain. Below is a list of local places you can look into:

• R.J. Bradleys-Littleton

• Summit Ski and Snowboard

• Zimmermans-Nashua

• Sport Loft- locations in Acton, Leominster and Boylston

• Ski Barn- Westborough

• Registration Deadline: December 5th

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Informational Meetings: Two virtual meetings the first week of December to share detailed information about the program. There will be one parent meeting and one chaperone meeting.

We are excited to be taking on the coordination of the Bolton Ski Program and look forward to seeing your kids on the slopes!

Bolton Ski Club

Tonya Melillo and Lauren Larosa

Chess Club is open to any child in grades K-12 who has a love for playing chess and to those who want to learn.

Time: 5:30-7:00pm.

Where: Nashoba Regional High School-Cafeteria

When:

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Instruction with Chess Master, Dr. Toth starts at 5:30pm and peer games begin at 6pm.

We kindly request the presence of a parent or caregiver at all times if your child is under 11 years old.

Admission is $2 to cover snacks.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Lisa at landerson5@hotmail.com.

November 27 - December 5 - Student Council Toys for Tots Collection

This Month

December 1 - Dodgeball Tournament

December 5 Chorus Concert Grades 4 & 5 * 7:00PM * FSS Auditorium

December 6 - Virtual Family Presentation on Healthy Relationships

December 7 - Chorus Concert - Grades 6-8 - 7:00 Auditorium

December 8 - Early Dismissal for students

December 14 - Band Concert - Grades 5-8 6:30 Auditorium

December 14 - MS Basketball - Home - Luther Burbank MS

December 19 - MS Basketball - Home Lunenburg MS

December 21 - MS Basketball - @ Clinton Middle School

December 22 - Sing-A-Long

December 25 - January 1 - Winter Break

Looking Ahead

January 2 - MS Basketball

January 4 - MS Basketball

January 9 - MS Basketball

January 11 - MS Basketball

January 18 - MS Basketball

January 23 - MS Basketball

January 25 - MS Basketball

January 30 - MS Basketball

February 5 - MS Basketball

February 6 - MS Basketball

Be your best self.

Pave your path.

Impact the world.

Website: https://sawyer.nrsd.net/
Location: 100 Mechanic Street, Bolton, MA, USA
Phone: (978) 779-2821

You can download the App by going to NRSD.net, scroll down to the bottom of the home page and click on the App Store or Google Play links.