Warren School Weekly Update

There is no school tomorrow in observance of Eid. This is an important holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world, marking a time of joy, reflection, gratitude, and community. Families often gather for special prayers, share meals, give to those in need, and spend time together celebrating. Eid Mubarak to all of our families observing this special holiday.

We had a lot of fun this week with our Book Fair and some “underground” staff spirit days! Students were not given any clues and had to try to figure out what the staff was up to each day. The themes included mismatched shoes, drink out of “anything but a cup,” mustache day, and today’s Rock Your Socks celebration. It was great to see the students so engaged and curious!

Thank you to Katie Kriete, our incredible PTO volunteers, Ashland High School students, and our staff for creating such a memorable Literacy Night for our students and families. It was truly a special evening filled with reading, creativity, and community.

Raffle tickets are still available through tomorrow morning. Each child will receive one free ticket from the PTO on Monday and will have an opportunity to place their ticket in the basket of their choosing before the drawings take place later that day.

We were also excited to welcome visiting author Meghan Litwit, who worked with students and families last night to create poetry during Literacy Night. Families still have the opportunity to purchase her books and have them personally signed. Any books ordered will be signed and delivered to your child at school.

Meghan's books can be ordered here: https://out.smore.com/e/vp0qy/MkQ0S4?__$u__

At today’s assembly, we revealed our Masked Readers, which was another fun way to celebrate reading! Be sure to check out the video clip shared to see who was behind the masks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0HMkyyQpJ8

Cat: Mrs. Carroll

Unicorn: Mrs. Marquez

Duck: Mrs. Ferrecchia

Our students absolutely crushed their reading goals!

Kindergarten: over 2,000 books

Grade 1: over 1,500 books

Grade 2: over 5,000 books

Our school-wide goal was 4,000 books, and together our students read over 8,000 books! Our hallways are filled with paper rings representing each book read, an incredible visual of their hard work and enthusiasm for reading.

Next week includes early release days for Parent-Teacher Conferences on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Students will be dismissed at 12:00 PM, and lunch will not be served on those days.

Have a great long weekend,

Pete

Kindergarten reading

Grade 1 reading

Grade 2 reading

(kindergarten to grade 1 and grade 1 and to grade 2 will be shared next week)

March 19, 2026

Dear Families,

Each spring, the Mindess staff works thoughtfully and collaboratively to determine class placements for the upcoming academic year. Our goal is to create balanced, heterogeneous classrooms where students can learn and grow within a supportive community led by a teacher who understands and responds to their individual learning styles. This is a complex process that takes many factors into consideration.

If there is information you believe would be helpful for us to consider, please complete this form. Please note that information shared directly with teachers will not be included in the placement process; only information submitted through this form will be reviewed.

While we value and appreciate parent input, there are many factors that influence class placement decisions, and we may not be able to honor all requests.

Requests for specific teachers or for particular students to be placed together will not be considered.

Please note that Mrs. Knox, Ms. Bouvier and Mrs. Hall will be moving to grade 5 next school year. As a result, there is a possibility that your child could be assigned the same teacher they had previously. If you would prefer that your child not be placed with the same teacher again, please indicate this on the form.

This form must be completed by April 8, as we will begin the placement process on Thursday, April 9. Information submitted will be shared with our counseling staff and Special Education staff when appropriate.

Class placements will be developed this spring and may be adjusted over the summer as additional students enroll. Families will receive a letter in August with the name of their child’s teacher and homeroom number.

Sincerely,

Kate Altman

Principal, Mindess School

Spring Picture Day is coming up on Friday, April 10. I will be placing flyers in your mailboxes soon.

Please note that only students who pre-order Spring photos will be photographed on Picture Day. All orders must be placed before Friday, April 10.

Families can place their order at mylifetouch.com using the Picture Day ID: EVTHT8P6J.

The ARTs make life better!

Hooray for the arts!

All Warren school students have been busy since our All School Sing-a-long in December strengthening their rhythm reading skills. All students learned about various New Year celebrations from around the world and got to watch some traditional Lion and Dragon dances for Chinese New Year.

Kindergarten students participate in Rhythm clap-a-longs almost every week. They just recently learned what a half-note looks like, how long to hold it, and how to clap it. First and Second grade students just love playing Poison rhythm. We have been able to conquer the following poison rhythms games: Volcano, Winter, snowman, Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day.

In addition, the Warren students learned about the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, The Grammy Awards, various music performances at the Super Bowl, as well as artists that represent Black History Month.

Kindergarten students have been learning about high and low pitches and understanding the difference between high and low (pitch) vs. loud and soft (dynamics.) They listened to some classical music and used scarves to move to the sounds, raising the scarves higher as the melody moved higher and lowering the scarves when the melody went down. Another concept learned with that study is how small instruments make high sounds and big instruments make low sounds. Once this concept was understood we moved on to learn about melodic direction For games they participated in Popcorn Popper energizer, Flea FLy Mosquito and movement activities with scarves.

First Graders at Warren School learned about sound effects and how they aid in the making of movies. Then I read the book, ‘The Rooster Who Would Not be Quiet.’ The students made several connections from the book to the song “How Can I keep from Singing” as well as to the many musical ideas presented in the book. The following week each class “brought the book to life” by using instruments to create the sound effects for the parts of the book that needed sound!

Second Graders have been working super hard on how to read notes on the lines and spaces of the Treble staff as we prepare to play xylophones in the late spring. In addition, they have learned a little bit about Form in music. These students have also learned about Improvisation. They have learned how to sing partner songs as well as rounds. The second graders have played improvisational games of Statue and Sound Scapes, in addition to Popcorn’s in the popper, Flea Fly Mosquito and “Find the matching musical note sentence to the word.”

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

MetroWest Food Collaborative

Dear Families,

I want to share a helpful resource: our local partners at the MetroWest Food Collaborative have created an easy-to-use website where food pantries, community meal sites, farmers markets and more are listed for our region. You’ll find flyers and calendars in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and you can search by town to see what’s available. MWFC

Please check it out if you or your family ever need additional support: metrowestfoodcollaborative.org/find-food

Dear Families,

K–2 Reading & Writing – Update

Students returned from winter break eager to learn and share. During January and February, K–2 students continue to grow as readers and writers and are

Kindergarteners are working hard to develop their reading superpowers in the Superpower Unit! In writing students are finishing up writing narrative stories and will be gearing up to write How To books.

💡 At-home ideas:

Check out these videos from The Teachers Table:

To practice sounds and/or sight words try using a RAN chart with your child.
To practice segmenting words try these activities in this video

Practice letter sounds using names of people your child cares about.
Ask your child to draw a picture of a family activity and then write a sentence about it below the picture. Encourage your child to say the sentence and write letters to match the sounds in each word.

First graders are diving into nonfiction reading and writing, learning how to gather information and teach their readers. Students are practicing asking questions, noticing text features, and organizing facts in their writing.

💡 At-home ideas:

Read a nonfiction book and ask your child to share one fact they could teach someone else.
Encourage your child to write a helpful list or note for someone at home.
Look for nonfiction text features (headings, pictures, captions) in books or magazines.

Second graders are enjoying writing realistic fiction stories. They are focusing on characters, feelings, and story structure. In reading, students are thinking deeply about characters’ motivations and how events impact the story.

💡 At-home ideas:

Ask questions while reading:
How is the character feeling? What makes you think that? How do the character’s feelings change?
Talk about favorite characters and what makes them interesting.
Brainstorm story ideas where characters help others or solve problems together.

Thank you for supporting literacy learning at home. We are proud of the growth students are making as readers and writers.

Warm regards,

Kathy Ferrecchia

kferrecchia@ashland.k12.ma.us

Warren School's Social Emotional Learning Update:

Hello Families,

This month we are learning about COOPERATION.

We have defined cooperation as: working with others to accomplish a goal.

Here are some things you can do to help your child learn to cooperate with others:

Play games where they need to take turns.
Have them help you build or make something. It could be working together on a lego set, cooking or baking something, assembling a puzzle…
Schedule a time where all family members can work together on something, it could even be household chores!
Praise them when you see them working with others. “You and your sister worked so hard cleaning up all those toys.”

Books about cooperation:

Duck In The Truck By Jez Alborough
Day At The Beach By Tom Booth
Mighty, Mighty Construction Site By Sherri Duskey Rinker
It’s Mine! By Leo Lionni
Up The Creek By Nicholas Oldland
The Little Red Hen By Lucinda McQueen
Prince And Pirate By Julia Cook

Warren School’s SEL Team

PLAY LACROSSE THIS SPRING!

SEASON RUNS MARCH 2026- JUNE 2026

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN Financial assistance is available.

pdf

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AYL Registration Flier-2.pdf

March Warren Menu SY2526.pdf

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Check out what our Nutrition Services department is serving up for Warren students in February! Menu items are subject to change without notice, based on current supply chain issues or other factors. If dietary concerns are an issue, please contact us.

To view a translated version of the menu, please visit ashland.k12.ma.us/Nutrition.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we step into March, we’re excited to share this month’s menu, featuring the Massachusetts Harvest of the Month: Dairy!

Dairy plays a vital role in a balanced diet, and we’re thrilled to highlight its delicious flavors and nutritional benefits in our meals. Throughout the month, students will enjoy locally sourced milk, cheese, and yogurt from Massachusetts farms. These dairy products provide essential nutrients like calcium, protein, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and potassium—helping to support strong bones and overall health.

We encourage you to explore the benefits of dairy and discover fun recipe ideas by visiting the Massachusetts Harvest of the Month page: March Harvest of the Month - Dairy

We are committed to providing fresh, locally sourced dairy products to our students, supporting local farms, and ensuring the best nutritional quality in our meals. We encourage you to incorporate dairy into your meals at home to enjoy its many health benefits.

Thank you for your ongoing support and for trusting us with your children's nutrition and well-being. We look forward to a month filled with wholesome and delicious meals!

Warm regards

Regina Wilkinson
Director of Nutrition Services
Ashland Public Schools
Email: rwilkinson@ashland.k12.ma.us Phone: 508-881-0165

March 20: No School in observance of Eid at Fitr
March 24/25/26: Early Release at 12:00 for Parent Teacher Conferences. Lunch will not be served.
April 2: Early Release at 1:15 for staff professional development, lunch will be served.
April 3: No School in observance of Good Friday
April 20: Patriots Day and Marathon Monday
April 20-24: No School April school vacation

Don’t forget to visit ashland.k12.ma.us/Flyers where we feature announcements and events offered by organizations, clubs and teams throughout our community that serve to enrich the lives of our students, families, faculty and staff.