Brown Elementary Update

February 27, 2026
A note from the principal
Greetings Brown Families and Caregivers,
We hope everyone stayed safe and warm during the extended February vacation brought on by the Blizzard of the 26. Thank you for your patience as we navigated the weather closure, and we're grateful to be back together as a school community.
Mid-Year Renaissance Screening Reports
In the coming weeks, families will receive reports from our mid-year Renaissance screening assessments. These important assessments are administered three times throughout the school year and play a vital role in supporting our instructional planning and intervention strategies.
The Renaissance screening assessments help us gain valuable insight into each student's progress and identify the next steps in their learning journey. We are thrilled to share that we've seen tremendous growth across our school since the beginning of the year! These assessments allow our dedicated staff to better understand where each student is thriving and where they may benefit from additional support.
Understanding Your Student's Report
When you receive your child's assessment report, you'll find detailed information about their performance and progress. We encourage you to take time to review the results and reach out to your child's teacher with any questions.
Additional Resources
For more information about Renaissance screening assessments and how to interpret your student's report, please refer to the resources below:
*Please note that there has been a change to the literacy report for Grades K–3. Families will now receive the Star Student Report for literacy. Please review the resources below to help interpret the reports.
~ Family FAQs
Winter Benchmark Reporting Videos
~ Star Student Report (Gr. K-10, Rdg. and 1-10 Math)
~ FastBridge Family Report (K Math)
~ Closed Captions Directions for Translation
We hope these tools encourage meaningful conversations and continued partnership in your child’s learning journey. If you have questions about your child's specific results or would like to discuss their progress, please don't hesitate to contact your child's teacher.
Thank you for your partnership in supporting student success!
Warm regards,
Dr. Even
PAWSitive Office Referrals
Congratulations to the students who earned PAWSitive office referrals for demonstrating our PAWS core values in the last two weeks: Harper from Ms. Schott's class, Peter from Ms. Zeliger's class, and Elise from Ms. Fong's class.
MCAS BEGINS IN MARCH:
This spring, students in Grades 3 and 4 will participate in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), the statewide assessment that helps measure student progress and informs instructional planning across Massachusetts. Families can play an important role in helping students feel confident and prepared. A few helpful ways to support your child include: Maintain regular routines, including a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast Emphasize effort and growth rather than performance or scores Encourage a calm, positive mindset and remind your child that this is an opportunity to show what they know As a reminder, our MCAS dates are as follows: 3/31 & 4/1: Grade 4 English Language Arts 4/7 & 4/9: Grade 3 English Language Arts 5/6 & 5/7: Grade 3 Math 5/12 & 5/14: Grade 4 Math Thank you for partnering with us to support students as they approach MCAS with confidence and resilience.
Bookmark Contest Winners
With so many amazing entries into the Massachusetts School Library Association bookmark contest, the judges have selected the following entries from Brown School to compete at the state level:
- In Division 1 (grades K-1) Shree I.in K-Krug
- In Division 2 (grades 2-3) Eliza H. in 3-Kelleher
- In Division 3 (grades 4-5) Siya T. in 4-Nguon
Honorable Mentions include Aadhya H. in 1-Blake, Celia R. in 1-George, Amit P.in 3-Curtin, Agiran S. in 2-Fong, Sanukshika K. in 4-Quimby, and Hannah L. in 4-Tilden.
Wonderful job, and congratulations to all who entered! Your bookmark entries will be laminated and returned to you in the weeks following February break.
Free Dental Care Event - February 28
Active Kids Program - Starts This Week
Registration is still open for Active Kids! This is a great way for students to start the day! Please see link below to download the registration form. Spanish Flyer Portuguese Flyer
Notes from the Nurse
If your child has illness symptoms:
Please keep your child home and refer to the Reasons To Keep Your Child Home From School guidelines.
Reminder to parents:
Students will be going outside if we are not experiencing severe weather. Please pack appropriately for outdoor play, including boots, coats, snowpants, waterproof gloves/mittens and hats, as well as a change of clothes to be kept in their backpacks in case they get wet while playing.
Hydration:
Please send your child with a water bottle each day. It is important to hydrate even in the colder months!
Also: If anyone has any extra hand-me-down pants that they could contribute to the clinic for “emergency” situations, the nurses would greatly appreciate it!
Reminders
Early Release - Wednesday, March 11
Students will be dismissed at 12:15 on Wednesday, March 11. Please plan ahead and update any changes to your dismissal plan in Pick Up Patrol by 11:30AM.
Drop-Off Safety
Drop-off begins at 8:20. For the safety of all Brown students, please confirm that a staff member is on duty prior to letting your child out of the car.
Pick Up Patrol
Make sure to update your default pick up plans in Pick Up Patrol (PUP). Any daily changes to your default plan must be entered on PUP by 1:30PM (11:30 on early release days). Please help us ensure that dismissal is safe and efficient for all Brown students!
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, March 3 - School Council - 6pm, PTO - 7pm
Wednesday, March 11 - Early Release
March 30 & April 1 - MCAS Grade 4 ELA
April 7 & April 9: Grade 3 English Language Arts
May 6 and May 7: Grade 3 Math
May 12 & May14: Grade 4 Math
Natick Food Resources
Please see the flyer below for food resources available in the community. Please use this link to access live links and translations.
Lunch Menu
School Calendar
Pages to Bookmark
Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor its educational programs, services, and activities based on race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Please be aware all electronic communication to and from Natick Public Schools is public record and subject to public disclosure per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 66, Section 10.