Center Connection

Dear Center School Families,

I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy the beautiful fall weather this weekend. We had a lunchroom challenge this past week where the grade levels were challenged to be the grade that kept the lunchroom the cleanest. I am thrilled to share that all grade levels really did a great job but grade two students exceeded the ask. Great job everyone!

One of my goals this year is to deepen the sense of community here at Center School. We are lucky to have such a wonderful staff and incredible families so looking for opportunities to bring us all together throughout the year will be an area I am excited to dig into.

We are excited to announce our upcoming Pasta Dinner on October 9th. Our Pasta Dinner will be one of our first community events of the school year and we are hoping for a full turn out. Our fifth grade students are being asked to volunteer at the event if they are able to as the money raised is to support the bus cost of the Grade Five Outdoor Classroom Field Trip. If you can make it, please sign up here. If you can't make it, the sign up sheet also has an option to order take out. We appreciate your support and partnership as we work together to make our school the best that it can be.

In partnership,

Kerryann Coppinger

Principal

kcoppinger@nrsd.net

September 23: Fun Run Fundraising Kick Off

September 24: School Council (3:30pm in the conference room)

Attendance & Dismissal Updates: No more phone calls, paper notes, or emails!

Now that the school year is underway, we’d like to remind families that PickUp Patrol is the program we use to share important daily information. Parents should use PickUp Patrol to report:

• Absences

• Late arrivals

• Any changes to dismissal plans
  
  

Using this program ensures that the school office, your child’s teacher, the health office, and the dismissal team all have the same, up-to-date information each day. Families can access PickUp Patrol through the mobile app or the website dashboard.

Join The Center School Chess Club!

Calling all young thinkers and future chess champions! The Center School is excited to launch a brand-new Chess Club just for elementary students. We'll meet weekly for a fun and engaging mix of chess puzzles, short lessons, match play, and exciting mini-tournaments. Students will get regular reminders of the rules, practice good sportsmanship, and explore cool chess-related games and activities — all in a supportive and playful environment. Whether you're brand new to the game or already love to play, there's a seat at the board for you!

Parent volunteer Mark Gruman will be running the club on Mondays after school until 4:30pm starting October 20th.

If interested please fill out this google form. We will send out the district Extra Curricular Form to those students that get in the club, please note seats are limited.

September 23, 2025: Grade Five Outdoor Classroom Guardian Zoom at 5:00pm

September 24, 2025: School Council in the conference room (3:30pm)

September 29, 2025: Virtual Listening Session with Mrs. Coppinger at 5:00pm

October 1, 2025: Fun Run

October 8, 2025: Picture Day

October 9, 2025: Pasta Dinner 5:00 and 6:00pm seating times

October 13, 2025: No School

October 14, 2025: SPTO Meeting 7pm in the library at Center

October 16, 2025: Coffee Hour with Mrs. Coppinger (9am); Virtual Listening session 4:00pm)

October 16, 2025: Multi Lingual Learner Night at Center (6:00-7:30pm)

October 24, 2025: Early Release (12:15 Dismissal K-5, 11:15 Dismissal Pre-K)

Welcome Back 2025-2026 News from NRSD Health Services

Welcome back! We are looking forward to a safe and healthy school year. A few health-related notes:

HEALTH FORMS:

1) Please review/complete/update and submit your child’s “Student Emergency and Health Record” located online as part of PowerSchool’s Returning Student Registration. We use the information that you submit through this process to make sure that we have updated contact numbers to call if your child is sick or injured, and updated information about medical information and medication consent.

2) Be sure to provide the school nurse with new medication orders from your healthcare provider, care plans and a fresh supply of medication if your child needs it at school.

3) If you would like to inform the bus company/bus drivers of a medical condition, complete the School Bus Medical Emergency Information Form (sent home, emailed or available on the Health Services website) and send it to the address at the bottom of the form.

4) If your child is entering the school system (preschool, kindergarten or transfers into any grade), or is entering 4th, 7th or 10th grade, please supply a physical (within the last year) and updated immunization record to the school nurse.

SCHOOL MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION: Each year the district’s school nurses work with parents and guardians to develop plans for prescribed and over-the-counter medications that may need to be administered to students during the school day. In the case of certain over-the-counter (OTC) medications, our district physician writes standing orders that allow nurses to dispense ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), acetaminophen (Tylenol), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), antacids (Tums) some topicals (calamine lotion, hydrocortisone cream, bacitracin), throat lozenges, sunscreen and bug spray, with additional written and sometimes verbal permission from the parent or guardian. All medications must be administered under the direct supervision of the school nurse in the Health Offices unless specific criteria are met that would allow a student to self-carry and self-administer certain medications. As with any medication, parents must consult with their child’s school nurse to develop a medication plan. If you have any questions about the protocol for the administration of these or any other over-the-counter medicines, please contact your school's nurse.

For prescription medications and OTC medications not covered by district standing orders, the following applies:

· Medications (both over-the-counter and prescription) may be administered at school by the nurse with a written order from a licensed health care provider and with parent permission.

· No student may carry prescription or over-the-counter medication, including inhalers, at school without prior approval of the parent and school nurse.

· All medications should be delivered to the school nurse by a parent or responsible adult. Children are not allowed to carry medications to school. All medications must be in the original pharmacy or manufacturer’s container. No other containers will be accepted. Your pharmacy will provide you an additional labeled prescription container at no extra charge for the school.

All Medications require a Prescriber’s Order signed by the Prescriber and Parent.

Forms can be found on the NRSD website www.nrsd.net under Departments - Health & Wellness Services - Health Documents and Forms - Medication Order Form.

MANDATED HEALTH SCREENINGS: All schools are mandated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to perform health screenings, including hearing, vision, growth/BMI (height/weight), postural (scoliosis), and SBIRT each year in certain grade levels. If you have any questions or concerns contact your school nurse. If you would like your child to be excluded from any of these screenings, please fill out the School Screening Opt Out form and return to your student's nurse by 9/25/25.

Opt Out Letter can be found on the NRSD website www.nrsd.net under Departments - Health & Wellness Services - Health Documents and Forms - Mandatory Screening Opt Out Form.

ATTENDANCE: Please notify the school daily as soon as you determine that your child will be late or absent due to an injury, illness or other “unscheduled” circumstance via PickUp Patrol.

We are so excited to welcome back your children for another year! THE NASHOBA REGIONAL NURSING TEAM

Thank you for your support in having a clear streamlined process for attendance.

If you haven't confirmed your default plan please click the link in your email and do so as soon as possible. This is critical to ensure we have the proper end of day plan for each student Pk-5.

All attendance changes will be communicated through PickUp Patrol. If your child is going to be absent for the day please confirm the absence in the app before school starts. The app will close to absence edits at 9:30am. Any afternoon dismissal changes must be submitted prior to 2:00pm.

Thank you for your support in getting this awesome new program up and running!

Wednesday, October 8th

School Picture Day is scheduled for Wednesday, October 8th.

Please note: ordering photos is optional, but every student will be photographed, and their photo will be added to their cumulative school file.

Families who wish to purchase photos may order using the form that was sent home, or place an order online at www.coffeepond.com.

Sign Up for our Center School Fun Run!

Substitutes play a critical role in helping our school succeed and Center School needs more of them! If you have the flexibility in your schedule or know someone who does, it is an incredible way to support our school community. Please reach out with any questions.

Apply Here

We appreciate your help in growing our substitute pool!

If you are looking for a way to help support your child's school experience please consider applying to be a lunch monitor. The lunch monitor is a paid position that works 2.5 hours as day, (11:00-1:30) 5 days a week. If you are interested please apply here. Filling this position helps make our school be the best it can be!