• Upcoming Dates and Reminders
• Private & Technical School Application Information
• Nashoba Valley Technical High School
• Community Resources
• Human Rights Day
• Articles, Webinars, and Resources for Students/Caregivers
• Social Media Awareness
• Requesting Parent/Team Meetings
• PowerSchool

The deadline to receive Private or Technical school recommendation requests was December 1. Any requests received after this date will be addressed in the order that they are received.

Last minute recommendations may not be possible and are not the best practice for recommendations that speak personally to a student's individual strengths.

Mrs. Leone has been meeting individually with students applying to private or technical schools to discuss the application process and answer any questions.

Please see the document below for further information on applying to a Private or Technical school.

Students who are applying to NVTHS should be in communication with Mrs. Leone by December 1, 2022. The application deadline is 1/15/2023.

Click here to view the NVTHS admissions criteria and process and to apply.

After the December break, Mrs. Leone will be meeting with those students who applied to discuss Nashoba Tech interviews and answer any questions.

Salvation Army of Lowell

Thanksgiving & Christmas assistance for families in need

For more information, see flyer here.

Applications open 10/3. Apply here: https://www.saangeltree.org/

This is time sensitive and they do have limited capacity.

St Vincent de Paul

We realize that the holiday season can be hard for many. For residents in Westford who are in need of financial assistance, the St Vincent de Paul organization provides numerous services (see below).

Direct Phone Line: (978) 320-4214

Email: email here

Examples of services offered by SVdP include:

Rent / mortgage assistance

Food / meals programs

Transportation

Utilities

Urgent home repair / maintenance

Shopping / errands

Assistance with funeral expenses

Handhold (mental health resource website)

Handhold was created by a team of mental health and child development experts with tips, tools and resources created especially for parents. See here for more information.

Every year on December 10, the world celebrates Human Rights Day, the very day when, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Articles of human rights: https://commit.standup4humanrights.org/en/index.php

Campaigns for Human Rights: https://www.standup4humanrights.org/en/index.html

To learn more about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, see here: https://www.ohchr.org/en/what-are-human-rights

Click on the image to view the full 2022-2023 bryt Family Engagement Team calendar, which lists the FREE Monthly Virtual Speaker Series for ALL CAREGIVERS of students in K-12.

Parents Learning with Parents (PLP)

December 14th, 7pm

Navigating white-centered services and systems as a BIPOC parent/caregiver

*For BIPOC parents/caregivers

Speaker: JaLisa Williams, Smith College School for Social Work and Soul Shift Consulting

Link: https://youtu.be/_sQ7ncpwoXs

For Teens - 5 Ways to Stay Healthy for the Holidays

Holiday stress for teens is real; here’s how to cope

Stress, depression and the holidays: Tips for coping

McLean’s Guide to Managing Mental Health Around the Holidays

This service is for Westford families who are experiencing a mental health challenge and currently awaiting care or on a waitlist for care. This service can help shorten this wait time by offering short – term mobile clinical services in Town buildings to those in need.

See below for detailed information.

"Paqui" brand hot chips are not allowed at school. These extremely hot chips are being brought to school as part of a social media "challenge" encouraging other students to eat one. Students across the nation have been hospitalized as a result of a reaction to the heat index of the chips. We encourage our parents and guardians to speak with their children about the dangers of participating in this and other potentially harmful internet challenges.

Please use the link below to email the School Counseling Department for assistance in setting up a 20 minute meeting with your child's core teachers (Math, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts, School Counselor). Meetings take place on certain days of the week based on teacher planning time, the grade and cycle day of the week. If you would like any additional Blanchard teacher or staff member to attend, please note that in the appropriate field as well. Thank you.

Click this LINK to request a 20 minute parent/team meeting. We will respond to your request very soon.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jennifer Schaffer at 978-692-5582 x 6172 or at jschaffer@westfordk12.us

Not sure how to access your student's schedule and/or Progress Report? Please see below:

1. Use your device (Go to: https://westford.powerschool.com/public).
2. Download the 'PowerSchool Mobile' app on your phone - see image on the right for how to access your account. Once logged on, click on the "My Schedule" icon in the left nav and you'll see your student's schedule.

Lisa Searl - 6th Grade School Counselor

Julie McCoy - 7th Grade School Counselor

Paige Leone - 8th Grade School Counselor

Jodie Voutselas - 6-8 School Adjustment Counselor

Jen Schaffer - School Counseling Administrative Assistant

Website: https://sites.google.com/westfordk12.us/bmsguidance/school-counseling-home
Location: 14 West Street, Westford, MA 01886
Phone: (978) 692-5582

October 2022

November 2022