Florence Sawyer School Happenings

Dear Families,

This week, we begin our MCAS testing for students in grades 3-8. Please refer to the calendar posted in Happenings and on our website to find which day your child will be testing and in which subject. Testing in ELA (English Language Arts) will begin Wednesday through April 26. Mathematics and Science, Technology & Engineering testing will take place between April 23 and May 24. This year, for the first time across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, our 8th graders will also be taking a Civics test at the end of May.

Families can find more information about the MCAS Assessments at MCAS Resources for Parents/ Guardians

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our Dean of Students, Dr. Mark Levine, for his hard work in organizing the many necessary components for MCAS testing.

Next week, our Interscholastic teams, Track and Field, Baseball, and Softball begin their tryouts and practices. You can find more information about registration and participation below.

Coach Michele Kelly and Coach Corey Brownell (Track and Field), Coach Karl Vinacco (Baseball) and Coach Mike Caligiuri (Softball) will be reaching out to registered student-athletes in the coming days.

Student athletes need to be registered by Friday, March 29th.

Finally, tonight, I want to encourage you to attend the session, on Calm, Compassionate Teaching, detailed in Superintendent Downing's latest edition of "The Common" excerpted below,

Dr. Epstein will be presenting to the Nashoba Regional School Committee on Wednesday, March 27th, where he will provide a summary of the Calm Compassionate methodology. This approach aims to address negative behaviors by recognizing them as stemming from skill deficits that hinder individuals' ability to navigate social norms effectively. Through this methodology, Dr. Epstein assists faculty and staff in anticipating challenging moments and breaking the cycle of negativity by employing calm and compassionate strategies.

Following his presentation to the School Committee, Dr. Epstein will be conducting a more in-depth session for the community on Thursday, April 4th, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. This event will explore the Calm Compassionate approach in greater detail, offering attendees valuable insights into supporting students with social/emotional skills deficits. Specifically, the focus will be on how the pandemic has adversely affected the development of crucial skills such as emotion regulation, flexibility of thinking, and problem-solving, leading to an increase in negative behaviors, notably non-compliance and emotional dysregulation. During the session, Dr. Epstein will dedicate time to outlining problem-solving techniques aimed at addressing these behaviors in a manner that reinforces these vital life skills.

I encourage you to attend either or both of these presentations to gain a better understanding of the Calm Compassionate methodology and how it can positively impact our school community.

When: April 4th, 6:30-8:00 PM

Where: Virtual, Zoom Link

Yours in partnership,

Joel Bates,

Principal

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.

Project 351 is an independent nonprofit organization that builds a movement of youth-led service by engaging an unsung hero from each of Massachusetts' 351 cities and towns. United for a year of leadership and service, Ambassadors transform communities, elevate kindness, advance social justice, and gain the courage, compassion, and capabilities to lead change.

8th-grade student and the Florence Sawyer School Ambassador to Project 351, Livi Goegel, is running a clothing drive to help prevent clothing insecurity among children. There will be two bins. One at Emerson and one at Florence Sawyer. The bins will be in the lobby of both schools. Livi asks that clothes, size adult medium (for children 12 years old and under) be donated. As for the condition of the clothes, please make sure the clothes are gently used/worn (no holes, stains, etc.). If your family decides to donate pajamas or socks, please make sure they are brand new. Shoes can be donated, but please place them in plastic bags before putting them into the donation bins ( so the clothes won’t get dirty). The clothing drive will last from March 25 - April 4. Bins will be placed at the Saint Francis Xavier Church, the Bolton Public Library, Bolton Bean, and Bolton Orchards. Feel free to donate any unused clothes or shoes!

Looking to support the Florence Sawyer School?

We are actively seeking volunteers to assist our on duty staff for both lunch and recess duties.

We are seeking individuals who would be willing to sign up for specific time intervals on a monthly calendar.

Lunch Duties in the Sawyer building run for 30 min intervals starting at 10:55 until 1:30pm.

Lunch Duties in the Emerson building run from 12:30-2:00pm.

You will be required to have a current CORI on file with the district.

If you are interested in helping us out please send an email to kdean@nrsd.net .

Additional information will be provided to those who reach out.

Any questions, please call 978-779-2821 X5106

With the mild winter, and the prospect of spring weather soon, we are expecting an early and active tick season. We have already had reports about ticks in the community. As our days begin to get longer and we spend more time enjoying the outdoors and athletic fields, here are a few tips to help prevent tick bites:

• Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter. Stay on trails while hiking.

• Wear light clothing, long-sleeved shirts and long pants, since ticks are easier to see on light clothing. Place your white socks over pant legs.

• Perform tick checks on yourself and your children after being outdoors. Have someone check areas you cannot see. Small ticks are hard to notice and prefer underarms, in and around ears, between legs, around the waist, and hair.

• Check your pets for ticks too.

• Ticks can enter homes on clothing then attach themselves to people. We encourage you to throw clothes in a dryer on high heat for 30 minutes to kill any ticks remaining on clothes, backpacks, stuffed animals, etc.

For additional helpful information about tick bite prevention, removing ticks, and tickborne diseases from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, please visit the following link:

https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/index.html

Students that are absent will make up a test upon their return to school.

Recommended Testing Times: ELA 2-2.25 hrs/session; Math: 1.5 hrs/session; STE: 1-1.5 hrs/session

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

Dear NRSD Middle School Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

We are preparing for the spring season! The middle school spring season will begin on Monday, April 1, 2024. We offer baseball, softball, and track & field.

I am enclosing information that is critical for all spring student-athletes. Please read the information carefully.

Please note that before being able to tryout or participate in a spring sport, all student-athletes must have the following on file:

ONLINE REGISTRATION PLATFORM - FINALFORMS! Click here

We are very excited to announce that Nashoba Athletics has partnered with FinalForms, an online forms and data management service. FinalForms allows you to complete and sign athletic participation forms for your students. The most exciting news is that FinalForms saves data from season-to-season and year-to-year, meaning that you will never need to enter the same information twice!

FinalForms also pre-populates information wherever possible, for each of your students, saving you time. You may review your data at any time to verify it is current. You will be required to sign your forms once per year and after any update.

Click on the Parent Playbook (attached) to get started in FinalForms. If you require any support during the process, scroll to the page bottom-right and click “Get Help”.

Please register at: https://nashoba-ma.finalforms.com/ and follow the prompts to create your account, create your students and sign your forms.

Physical Examinations – Submit a valid physical to the nurses’ office. Physicals are valid for 13 months to the day of the exam – students with expired physicals will be ineligible to participate until a current physical is submitted. We highly encourage all physicals to be emailed to the school nurse.

Florence Sawyer - Karin Frostholm - kfrostholm@nrsd.net

Spring User Fees - Spring user fees are due by April 12, 2024. User fees for middle school sports are $55.00 per student per season. User fees can be paid by check or online through the district's Unipay site.

Checks can be made payable to the specific school (Luther Burbank MS, Florence Sawyer School, or Hale MS) and given to the coach or dropped off in the main office.

The online payment center can be found at the following link: https://www.nrsd.net/o/nrsd/page/online-payment-center

The school and coaches will communicate the tryout schedule with students and families when it gets closer to the season. Lastly, 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.

I wish you the best of luck this season!

Go Nashoba!

Tania Rich

Director of Athletics

Friday Night is Sold Out! Limited tickets are still available for Saturday night.

Mark your calendars! Florence Sawyer Drama will present The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6 at 7:00 PM.

Public ticket sales start on Thursday, March 14th and can be accessed at: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/80584

Similar to last year, tickets are for general admission (Adults $10, Students/Seniors $8) and seating will be determined on a first-come, first-served basis the day of the show. This year we are hoping to streamline the ticketing procedure by processing all tickets online. If you have any limitations or concerns regarding online purchasing please email Stacia Downey at adowney@nrsd.net.

Join Dorothy and her loyal companion Toto as they “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” through the Land of Oz, determined to reach the Emerald City, where the great and powerful Wizard of Oz will help them get home. Of course, along the way, Dorothy encounters witches (both good and bad), Munchkins, talking trees and winged monkeys. But most importantly, she befriends three unique characters: a Scarecrow with no brain, a Tin Man with no heart, and a Lion with no “nerve.” Their journey to happiness – and self-awareness – is a glowing testament to friendship, understanding and hope in a world filled with both beauty and ugliness.

Skip cooking dinner and support the 8th grade at the same time! Join us at Panera Bread in Hudson, MA on Thursday, March 28th from 4-8. Show a physical or digital copy of the flyer below at check out and 20% of your order will be donated to the 8th grade. See you there!

"ATTENTION 6TH AND 7TH GRADERS: Middle school yearbooks are now for sale. The FSS Yearbook is developed and designed by a dedicated group of eighth graders. The 2023-2024 FSS Yearbook features portraits of our middle school students, club and sport photographs, and candid's from school events throughout the year. Please consider purchasing this keepsake as 2023-2024 has been a year to remember! Follow the instructions on this flyer to purchase your yearbook today! Orders are due by April 12, 2024."

Florence Sawyer School Clubs and Activities

NRSD Before and After School Program (Extended Learning)

Nashoba Regional High School Athletics Information

We are excited to have you become a part of the Nashoba Regional High School Interscholastic Athletics Program. Nashoba Athletics is rich in pride and tradition. NRHS offers 50+ teams across 21 sports!

Participating at the high school level requires a greater commitment compared to a club or recreational team. Members of a team are expected to attend all practices and competitions. Weekend practice sessions may vary by sport and should be anticipated. In addition, teams do practice and compete over vacations and many holidays (i.e. Columbus Day, Veterans Day, etc.).

Prior to the start of each season, the high school will host a meeting for students and their parent(s)/guardian(s). These pre-season meetings serve as an opportunity for coaches to provide information about their program, team philosophy, expectations, and more.

The athletics office will send out information via email prior to each season, but we wanted to share information ahead of time for all potential incoming ninth graders.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Tania Rich, Director of Athletics, at trich@nrsd.net

NRHS Athletics Site

NRHS Coaches Directory

NRHS Team Schedules - ArbiterLive

Two students at Nashoba Regional High School created a brochure detailing all of the clubs and activities offered at Nashoba. For more information click on the QR code below.

The Harlem Wizards are coming to Bolton to play our very own FSS staff!

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Game starts at 7pm (doors open at 6pm)

Nashoba Regional High School

A fun event for the whole family!

Purchase tickets here - http://harlemwizards.com/tickets/boltonmaMay1

FSS Family Directory is now available!

You can sign up to access the School Directory on the Bolton PTO 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!

SAVE THE DATE!! Worcester Woo Sox baseball game Friday 6/7 @ 6:45p. More details to follow.

Tom Denney Nature Camp at tomdenneynaturecamp.org

A fun outdoor camp in Bolton that kids love because the counselors play the games with them!

July & August from 9–3 weekdays

Before/After care available

Kindergarten – 9th grade campers:

Games and activities in the fields, woods and pond!

Swimming, Kayaking, Arts & Crafts, Laser Tag, Water Gun Fun, Hiking, Tracking, Shelter Building, Campfires to cook hot dogs and marshmallows, Ponding (catch and release frogs and fish), Predator and Prey (an all-camp tag game), The Amazing Race (group challenges), exotic and local animals from Animal Adventures & more!

High Schoolers:

Counselor-in-Training program for fun and also volunteer and leadership hours.

See the website for more details and to register: tomdenneynaturecamp.org

Questions: bcttdnc@gmail.com (best means of communication) or 978-429-3004 (voice mail)

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, 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.

This Month

March 27 - School Committee Meeting 6:30pm

Looking Ahead

April 5 - Early Release Day - Professional Development

April 5 -FSS Drama presents The Wizard of Oz - 7pm

April 6 - FSS Drama presents The Wizard of Oz - 7pm

April 15-19 No School - Spring Break

Field Day Dates

June 4 - Grades 4-5 Rain date 6/10

June 5 - Grades 6-7 Rain date 6/11

June 6 - Grades K-3 Rain date 6/12

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.