TPS District Newsletter

Dear TPS Community,

Did you know that today is 3.14 PI Day, the only math holiday of the year? On this PI Day, our teachers and administrators enjoyed a full day of Professional Development focused on a primary District Goal: “Strengthening Instructional Supports to Improve Student Learning.” It was a great day for all, with assorted teacher workshops both yesterday and today that inspire and invigorate our educators’ practice in planning lessons for diverse student learning needs.

So, it’s mid-March and Spring is right around the corner. We see the warm sunshine on the horizon as we limp through the longest month in the educational year. I want to express my deep appreciation for the dedication I see every day in supporting our students. Our student needs are very diverse, and they certainly require us to do our best on their behalf. As I shared with our staff this morning, “the work is hard because it matters!” That is why your support, patience, and partnership are invaluable, especially during this long stretch of the school year.

Don’t forget, the Spring also brings exciting extracurriculars, from sports to arts and school events. Please stay connected through the PAC, school, and district updates and newsletters. With that, there are so many updates below that may interest you, so I’ll keep this message brief.

Happy PI-Day, happy FRI-day, and thank you for all you do. Let’s make this transition into Spring a successful one!

Sincerely,

Brenda Theriault-Regan

In the event of an emergency, it is crucial that every student's emergency contact information is current. You can view your emergency contact information via Aspen. If your emergency contact information is out-of-date, we encourage you to please reach out to your school secretaries to update it as soon as possible. Remember, this update could be imperative to your child's safety.

The district is seeking nominations for the 2025 Annual Ginsburg Family Award to recognize an individual, a group, or a company/organization who has had a significant impact on the Tewksbury Public Schools in the area of physical, monetary, tangible contribution(s), or volunteering for the benefit of a school or the district, as well as the 2025 Annual Krissy Polimeno Outstanding Educator Award, given annually to honor an individual educator in the area of active involvement, volunteering, and giving a generous amount of time and energy to the quality of the educational system as an advocate for students in the Tewksbury Public Schools.

Nominations can now be completed via Google form at these links:

Ginsburg Family Award Nomination Form

Polimeno Outstanding Educator Award Nomination Form

The grades 1-4 report cards and progress reports will be issued and available on Aspen on Wednesday, March 26th.

On Tuesday, February 25th the Board of Education voted to solicit public comment on the Regulations on MCAS and Standards for Competency Determination, as presented by the Commissioner.

Public Comment Deadline: April 4, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. with an anticipated Board Vote: May 20, 2025

If anyone is interested in providing comments on the proposed amendments, please click the button above to view the Public Comment page.

To support individuals with disabilities under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act,) the district has recently implemented an accessibility widget on our website. This widget, labeled "Accessibility Access," floats on the right side of every page and provides accessibility adjustments such as larger text, contrast changes, and other features.

Kindergarten registration is now open! Parents / guardians of incoming Kindergarten students are welcomed to select a registration meeting date and time. Prior to the appointment, families must complete the online registration documents and upload the supporting documents.

Please click here to view the Kindergarten Parent Information presentation.

Please find our Kindergarten flyer here or via the button above. Also, take a look at a day in the life of a kindergartener via this slideshow!

The Greater Lowell YMCA will offer an indoor recreation camp for school vacation week, April 21st - 25th, for children ages 7-13 at the Tewksbury Recreation Center at 286 Livingston Street.

The YMCA will offer a variety of daily activities including games, indoor sports, arts and crafts, and more for kids to enjoy over the school break. There will be limited outdoor activities weather permitting, so campers should be equipped appropriate outdoor clothing.

The camp will run Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily. There is a two-day minimum required for registration, but families may sign up for two, three, four, or five-day packages.

Residents of the Town of Tewksbury do not need to be YMCA members to register for these programs.

Registration links are hosted in the Recreation Resources page on the Town website under the YMCA’s subpage. The registration link will be directed to the YMCA's online portal dedicated to Tewksbury programming.

If you have questions or trouble registering for this camp, please contact David Dunne at ddunne@ymca.org or 978-454-7825.

We are pleased to announce the MSBA's 16th Annual "My Ideal School" Contest. The primary goal of the "My Ideal School" contest is to promote discussion among students and teachers as to how thoughtful design and construction of schools in Massachusetts supports student engagement and 21st century learning. This contest is open to all first-grade students currently attending Massachusetts public schools and contest submissions must be postmarked by April 18, 2025 for consideration.

This year, regional winners will be chosen, each of whom will receive a special prize generously donated by M&T Bank. One lucky grand prize winner will also have their "My Ideal School" contest picture featured on the cover of the MSBA Annual Report. Also, winners will be honored at a special awards ceremony at the Massachusetts State House on June 11, 2025.

For more information, view the 2025 Contest Invitation and Entry Form via the button above.

Please click the button above to view the Tewksbury Historical Society's March Newsletter, featuring the upcoming 250th Anniversary of the start of the American Revolutionary War event on Town Common on May 4th!

This will be starting at 1:30 pm and the Historical Society strongly recommends arriving early to be in place on the Common. The 2nd Massachusetts Regiment will conduct a reenactment march along the route taken that day- down East Street, to Lee Street and to the Library. The public is invited to take this walk behind the reenactors. We will have refreshments outside at the Library.

Congratulations to our DECA team for their success at the MA DECA State Career Development Conference last week. TMHS sent 33 students. Nine of our teams went to the finals where thirteen students qualified for the international conference and five more for the Leadership Academies. The International Conference is in April in Orlando, FL.

To connect directly to their Kindergarten EL Module on Weather, the Dewing PAC invited NBC Meteorologist Tevin Wooten to present to students. It was a GREAT way to connect our learning to real-life content. While Tevin did not predict a snow day, he did accurately predict some funny weather the next morning, shared some fun weather patterns with our K students, and even showed off a tornado machine!

Students love to learn from experts in their fields. Recently theoretical physicist Dr Angela Collier visited a first grade classroom at Dewing in connection to their study of space. Casie White from Tewksbury School Nutrition join Ryan's 5th grade health classes to speak about healthy food. Lastly, children's book illustrator Scott Magoon inspired students at Center to share their stories.

Tewksbury hosted an AI for Education Focus group in February as part of a first step in building a framework for AI implementation for the Tewksbury Public Schools. Parents and district leadership had great discussions about the role of AI in schools.

Please click the button above to view a slideshow from the event.

Food & Nutrition Services is having a fantastic month as we celebrate National School Breakfast Week and National Nutrition Month with both students and faculty. We’re thrilled to bring fun, engaging events to our school community, all while promoting healthy eating and nutrition education.

Throughout the district, students are enjoying a great start to their day by joining in breakfast to fuel and energize them for the day ahead. Not only are they savoring healthy fruits and vegetables, but they're also having fun "eating the alphabet through the rainbow!" Fun activity pages are being shared in classrooms to keep learning interactive. Our elementary schools are introducing daily nutrition facts and collaborating on "My Plate" posters to help students understand how to build a balanced meal. Principals are kicking off each morning by sharing “Eating a Rainbow through the Alphabet” facts with their students, helping everyone grasp the power of eating a colorful, nutritious plate.

In addition, our FNS Dietitian has been visiting Ryan School’s Health Class, providing students with valuable lessons on nutrition, including topics like MyPlate: Eating Local, Make It Your Plate, Sugar: How Much is Too Much, and Sodium: Understanding Sodium Intake. At Wynn Middle School, students are contributing to nutrition education through poetry! This creative opportunity allows them to showcase their artistic talents while learning about healthy eating in a way that connects with their curriculum.

And last, but certainly not least, the students at TMHS will have a chance to test their nutrition knowledge with a fun and exciting trivia game – Wheel of Nutrition! The game features ten nutrition-related questions, giving students a chance to learn while having a blast.

We’re so proud to make the connection from the cafeteria to the classroom and support students in their nutrition education. Together, we’re making a difference, one healthy meal at a time!

Check out all the fun and exciting things happening -- follow us on Facebook at Tewksbury School Nutrition.

Let’s keep the momentum going and celebrate good health, good food, and good fun!

One Call Now, our emergency alert system, will notify parents of school closures, cancellations, early dismissals or delays via phone call or text.

Every student parents/guardians' first two phone numbers in our student database, Aspen, are automatically enrolled for One Call Now phone calls. For the fastest possible notification, we highly recommend opting into text messaging. Text the word ALERT to 22300 via a contact number listed in Aspen to receive text messages.

Please see a full breakdown of opt in and opt out procedures, plus additional information on when calls and texts are utilized here.

The Office of Student and Family Support developed a comprehensive website designed to provide a wide range of resources aimed at supporting student and their families.

In addition, the Massachusetts Partnership for Youth (MPY) has curated an outstanding resource library offering valuable tools and information to families at no cost. These resources cover topics such as mental health, wellness, and more. We encourage you to visit both sites to explore the support and information available to help your family thrive!

Our English Language Education department is pleased to announce three upcoming ELE Parent Advisory Council meetings that will directly support the parents of English Language Learners!

If you or someone you know would like to make a difference in our students' lives by providing exceptional transportation service, Tewksbury Transit is hiring. You can find out more information via their website or give them a call at 978-851-9863.

Website: https://www.tewksbury.k12.ma.us/
Location: 139 Pleasant Street, Tewksbury, MA, USA
Phone: (978) 640-7800