Linscott-Rumford Newsletter

Tuesday, November 3: No School (Election Day)

Friday, November 6: WMHS presents Annie the Musical at Linscott

Friday, November 6: Student photo retake day

Tuesday, November 10: Linscott Veterans Day program (grades 3-5 performing)

Wednesday, November 11: No School (Veterans Day)

Friday, November 13: PTO Enrichment: Grooversity (9:00am all classes)

Wednesday, November 18: WPS early-release day (elementary 12:30pm dismissal)

Friday, November 20: Linscott Kindergarten field trip

Wednesday, November 25: WPS early-release day (elementary 12:00pm dismissal)

*School is closed Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27 (Thanksgiving)

Monday, November 30: Linscott Character Awards

Linscott-Rumford Elementary School Calendar

WPS 2026-2027 District Calendar

Get ready to cozy up with a good book because our annual "Fall into Reading Challenge" is here! It will run from November 2 through November 20. We're inviting all of our students and families to join in the fun with a daily goal of reading 20 minutes (or more!) each night at home.

Every kind of reading counts, whether it's diving into a chapter book independently, enjoying an audiobook, or reading aloud together at bedtime. Please be on the look out for information packets and leaves coming home soon. For every 20-minute milestone reached, students can fill out an autumn leaf and bring it to school to help our school reading trees grow! Additional leaves are available when needed.

The grade level that reads the most minutes by the end of the challenge on November 20 will get a special edition Reading Championship belt and will do a special activity with Mr. K. We are hoping we can beat last year’s reading total of close to 35,000 minutes read as a school. Together we can turn every page into a celebration and build strong reading habits that last a lifetime!

Students in grade 5 participated in a visit from Jonathan, a senior at Lexington High School and founder of Open Apparatus. Students learned about 3D printing, Lenz's Law, and STEM Week activities.

On Tuesday, students in kindergarten and grades 1 & 2 participated in the Woburn Fire Departement's Fire Safety and Prevention program. Firefighters from WFD visited the Linscott and shared tips for fire safety and prevention.

All fourth graders are required by law to have a current physical exam on file in the health office. Please send in any physical exam forms dated September 2025 or later. If your child hasn't had a physical exam since September 2025, please call their pediatrician and make an appointment.

Hearing and vision screening will continue for the next week or two. You will receive a letter if there are any concerns. If you have any concerns, please contact me.

PLEASE consider packing an extra set of clothes in your child's backpack-regardless of their age. I continue to have many visits for ripped clothes, muddy clothes, wet clothes, etc. Most of these students do not have any extra clothes to change into. Sending in an extra pair of pants, a shirt and underwear, prevents me from having to call you to bring clean clothes to school and also prevents your child from missing class time.

Thank you,

Mrs. Wackrow RN

awackrow@woburnps.com

For families in need of assistance now and through the holidays, the Linscott partners with community organizations to support families. If you are in need of assistance, contact the school office. All conversations are confidential. The following are some available opportunities:

Photography:

Reduced student photo packages from O’Connor Studio

Food:

Backpack snacks program

Thanksgiving:

Food baskets from Social Concern

Christmas:

KMS Giving Tree

Jamie’s Joy

Corey's Christmas

O'Connor Studio has a limited number of reduced photo packages available for families in need of assistance. If you would like more information, please contact the school office. All communications are kept confidential.

Retakes and photos for students who were absent in September will be Friday, November 6.

Thank you to our PTO volunteers and families who came to cheer on the students in their quest to raise money through our Walkathon on Friday. Total amounts are being tallied and we will report final totals and prizes once all donations are submitted.

Which grade has the best attendance rate this year?

Grade 2: 98.0%

Grade 5: 97.6%

Kindergarten 97.5%

Grade 1: 97.5%

Grade 4: 97.0%

Grade 3: 96.0%

Which grade has the fewest tardies this year?

Kindergarten: 13

Grade 1: 15

Grade 3: 31

Grade 5: 32

Grade 4: 54

Grade 2: 70

Your child's consistent attendance is critical to their success in school. Please be aware that although schools can differentiate between excused and unexcused absences, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education does not.

Last year, we raised our attendance rate from 93.8% to 94.4%. Thank you for impacting this positive change!

This year, we are aiming to reduce the frequency of students arriving late to school. School doors open at 8:15am each morning and students are marked late if they arrive after 8:25am. Please make every effort to help your child arrive to school on time.

If you're child will be absent from school, please leave a voice message on the school's absentee line at 781.937.8239 or email using the link below. If we do not receive notification, we will attempt to contact the family to verify the absence. If we are unable to connect with the family, the attendance liaison or a school resource officer will attempt to visit the family to verify the absence. Thank you for your communication around student absences.

September's character trait was respect. On Wednesday, students were recognized demonstrating respect throughout the month. The character trait for October is responsibility.

We are proud of our respectful Linscott bulldogs!

Kindergarten: Ari, Millie, Christian, and Laksh

Grade 1: Avery, Niko, Juby, and Tyler

Grade 2: Ayaan, Meilie, Christian, and Rylee

Grade 3: Colton, Nate, Sophia, and Lilah

Grade 4: Aiden, Elle, Valentina, and Joey

Grade 5: Enzo, Tae, Hima, and Kelsey

This fall, students will have the opportunity to sample fruits from the Linscott garden. Permission slips will be sent home by classroom teachers. We believe that this will be a unique experience for students after participating in the planting, growing, and nurturing of the various fruits and vegetables. All food will be prepared in accordance with district guidelines.

This year, Linscott students will be introduced to two food-based programs. We will send separate information for each. One of the programs is the Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Program through the Food & Nutrition Administration.

Students will have an opportunity to sample various fruits and vegetables, by grade, throughout the school year. You may opt your child out of the program by contacting the school office.

October

Grade 2: tri-color pepper strips and watermelon chunks

Grade 1: green bean with cucumber and sliced red & green apples

Kindergarten: carrot sticks and sliced red apples

Grade 5: sliced radish with sugar snap peas and orange cara cara wedges (with skin)

Grade 4: cauliflower florets and kiwi wedges (with skin)

Please note that this program is separate from our food services department and is not a replacement for snack or lunch.

The Linscott-Rumford Elementary School Council met on Monday, September 28, 2026. Points of discussion included:

• overview of year two of our two-year school improvement plan
• how to improve school attendance
• upcoming Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day
• tentative plans for Math Night in April and Multicultural Celebration in May

Council members:

Ken Kessaris, co-chair

Erica Skafas, co-chair

Sue Plamondon, school representative

Connie Bardascino, school representative

Danny O'Donnell, community representative

More information on school councils is available here.

The Linscott-Rumford PTO is actively seeking parents to join in various roles. If you have thought about volunteering or helping in an increased capacity, now is a great time to reach out to the PTO to discuss opportunities. The PTO plays a vital role in raising money for school events and coordinating community events like the Ice Cream Social and Pizza Bingo. Other activities include:

• Enrichment programs such as the Discovery Museum and Manny Noguiera BMX Show
• Student events such as the Halloween Float, Walk-a-thon, Holiday Shop, and raffles
• Teacher Appreciation Week
• Field Trips

Here are some easy ways to support the PTO through everyday activities:

• Turn your old clothes into cash with the Baystate Textiles Box located behind the school near the parking lot (details below).
• Register for the Box Tops for Education app and link to the Linscott (details below)

Email: linscott.rumford.pto@gmail.com

Linscott-Rumford PTO Facebook

Linscott-Rumford PTO:

Allison Rindone, President

Heather Calvey, Secretary

Brian Provencher, Treasurer

Malia Campbell, Enrichment Coordinator

Krystle Kelley, Fundraising Coordinator

Kaitlin Provencher, Communications Coordinator

The Linscott-Rumford offers a Before the Bell program daily from 7:15-8:15am for a cost of $7 per day. We are now accepting registrations. See the button below for more information. The program will begin on Wednesday, September 9.

Additionally, we offer a variety of after school program options:

• Project Learn (located on site hosted by the James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club)
• YMCA (bus transportation to the Malcolm White Elementary School)
• After School Club (bus transportation to the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer)

Bus #21 will also transport registered students (age 8 and older) to the James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club at Charles Gardner Way.

School supply lists for each grade are listed below. This year, due to a generous gift from Lexington Toyota, all Linscott students will receive a backpack with a small school supply kit consisting of pencils, crayons, and folders. We are planning to begin distributing backpacks next week. Any student who does not receive a backpack prior to the start of school will receive one on the first day of school.

Woburn Public Schools partners with North Suburban Transportation to provide bus service before and after school, as well as school field trips.

Registration is not required. However, we encourage families to use the BusRight app to track bus routes and receive updates. More information can be found at the button below.

Please remember that all students are expected to follow the guidelines in the WPS Elementary School Handbook. This applies to the bus as well. Please review the handbook and the bus guidelines.

We are happy to offer a new and improved breakfast to go bag this year.

Each bag will include:

• Kashi Strawberry Banana Loop (or an item below)
• Lite Smartfood Popcorn
• 100% Juice Box
• Small Bottle of Water

The bags are designed for students not only to enjoy free breakfast at the beginning of the day, but we have also included a FREE SNACK and water for snack time or after school.

*Please encourage your child to utilize the Share Bucket located in each classroom for items they don’t want.

WPS Food Services page

What's Cooking This School Year?

Guide to Student Nutrition

Child Find Notice

Free Early Childhood Program

Woburn Early Childhood Program

Each year, students and staff participate in school safety drills. This year, in addition to the regular fire drills, we will be practicing the Standard Response Protocols, or SRP. These protocols include the Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter procedures. We will be practicing these protocols under the supervision of our Student Resource Officer, Joe Wells on Tuesday, September 30.

Woburn Public Schools staff have been trained in the Standard Response Protocol and more information can be found here as well as by visiting the I love u guys Foundation. If you have any questions about the drills or protocols, please contact the school office.

Students who complete 50 hours of community service per each school tier (K-5, 6-8 and 9-12) are eligible to receive the Youth Engaged in Service (Y.E.S.) award at the end of grade five, grade eight and grade 12.

Community Service hours can be earned by volunteering (not being paid) to help others. Routine school chores (clapping erasers, cleaning cafeteria tables) and household chores (shoveling snow or washing dishes at the student's own house) do not count as community service hours.

WPS Y.E.S. form

Please contact Jean MacLeod in the Assistant Superintendent's office 781-937-8233 Ext 11208 with any questions.

The Woburn Public Schools family engagement office offers assistance to all families. If you have any questions about the school or community, you can contact:

Nelly Alonge

Family & Community Engagement Liaison

Phone: 781-460-9068 (text or call)

Email: nalonge@woburnps.com

Working hours: 9:00am - 2:00pm Monday - Friday (hours may vary)

• WPS Youth Engaged in Service (Y.E.S.) Information
• WPS Elementary Art
• WPS Grade 4 & 5 Instrumental Program
• MA DESE School Report Card
• MA DESE School Profile

Email the Linscott-Rumford PTO

Linscott-Rumford PTO website
Linscott-Rumford PTO Facebook page

Email: kkessaris@woburnps.com
Website: Linscott-Rumford Elementary School
Location: 86 Elm Street, Woburn, MA, USA
Phone: 781.937.8239