BW Update - January 7, 2026
Message from Superintendent Ana C. Riley
Happy New Year 2026 to our entire Bristol Warren Regional School District community! We're excited to welcome you back and look forward to an inspiring, collaborative, and successful year filled with new opportunities for learning and growth for all our students, staff, and families. Wishing you health, happiness, and bright beginnings in the year ahead!
With our children in mind,
Ana C. Riley
Superintendent of Schools
Included in this Update:
Updated Phone Number for School/District SMS Text Messages November Construction Update Cartwheel’s Free Monthly Webinar Series Helpful Links
Updated Phone Number for School/District Text Messages
Dear Bristol - Warren Families and Staff,
To improve how we communicate with you, we’re updating the phone number we use to send text messages from the Bristol Warren Regional School District and our schools. All text messages will be sent using the local 10-digit phone number listed below.
General Text Messages: 401-386-8589
We recommend saving this in your contacts as “BWRSD Alerts” so you always recognize messages from us.
Why the change?
Our mass communications vendor, Finalsite, is moving away from short codes in favor of local phone numbers, in line with industry best practices. Local numbers are more familiar and trusted by recipients, improving message delivery and recognition.
One important clarification:
This change applies only to text messages sent by the district and schools
Recorded voice messages (such as attendance calls or emergency school closures) will continue to come from the main school phone number, as they always have.
While it might seem logical to use the same number for text and voice messages, federal regulations require separate numbers for each type of communication.
Thank you for staying connected with us — we’re committed to making sure you receive timely and clear communication from the district.
November Construction Update
To view previous monthly updates, please visit our Capital Projects Construction Updates page on our website.
To view previous monthly updates, please visit our Capital Projects Construction Updates page on our website.
Cartwheel’s Monthly Webinar Series - January 14th, 7pm
Cartwheel’s 2025-26 Webinar Series - January 14th, 7pm: For Parents, Caregivers and School Staff
Cartwheel’s free webinar series provides caregivers and school staff with practical tools to support student and family wellness and mental health. Can’t attend live? Register to get the replay.
The upcoming monthly webinar is scheduled for January 14, at 7pm ET and will focus on Building Resilience and Emotional Exposure in Kids (Register Here)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19e2bJ9TuKfpdxSq1CeGKD4MryB0Pj_VK/view?usp=drive_link
BWRSD’s Partnership with Cartwheel Offering Mental Health Services to Students
The Bristol Warren Regional School District is pleased to partner with Cartwheel again for the 2025-2026 school year to offer mental health services to BWRSD students. Cartwheel is a trusted mental health partner that works with schools to provide mental health services to students in grades PK--12 through a telehealth model. As we know, access to mental health services for children is often challenging given the increases in demand for care. Waitlists are long, providers have limited capacity, resulting in students who do not have access to care.
Cartwheel is an insurance based service that works like out-patient mental health services that your child may access in the community. Cartwheel ensures that students have rapid access to care once a referral is made by a BWRSD School Based Mental Health Staff. Cartwheel is not a replacement for the school based mental health providers and services in our schools.
A few highlights about Cartwheel:
Within 7 days, students see a licensed therapist – no waitlists
For our youngest learners in grades PK-2 the model of service focuses on Parent Guidance where the focus is on parenting challenges.
Students can see their therapist weekly for 2-4 months on average
Additional services may include referral for medication evaluation and/or parent guidance support
Services are offered at flexible times, including evening hours and some Saturdays
For longer-term needs, Cartwheel can support your family with referrals for ongoing care
Affordable for families regardless of insurance
While telehealth may not be for every student, it is becoming an increasingly utilized platform for accessing mental health services. Cartwheel will work with your school based mental health staff and you to determine if your child is a good match for telehealth services through Cartwheel.
If you wish to talk about working with Cartwheel on behalf of your child, please contact your child’s school based mental health staff. Here is a family flier with some additional information; we hope that you will find the BWRSD’s partnership with Cartwheel helpful to assist your child with mental health services should your child have the need.
Helpful Links
BWRSD Volunteers in School Information (Volunteer Applications open from January 1, 2026 through January 31, 2026)
2025 -2026 School Year Calendar
2025-2026 Virtual Learning for School Closures: Information for Families
Follow Us on Social Media
Bristol Warren Regional School District
Website: www.bwrsd.org
Location: 235 High Street, Bristol, RI, USA
Phone: 401-253-4000
The Bristol Warren Regional School District is committed to maintaining and promoting an educational environment free from all forms of discrimination, including harassment. The civil rights of all school community members are guaranteed by law, and the protection of those rights is important to the District. Discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, genetic information or testing, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability (hereinafter "membership in a protected class") will not be tolerated. The BWRSD will take steps to assure that lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in all educational and vocational programs. Special accommodations for district events can be arranged through kathryn.brown@bwrsd.org and through school principals for school events.
The Bristol Warren Regional School District does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, religion, national origin, color, disability or sexual orientation in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.