Mindess School Weekly Update

Dear Families,

We had such a great week in school! Students were engaged, curious, and eager to learn, and it’s been wonderful to see their growth already this school year. I’ve especially enjoyed watching students build relationships through games of Uno, partner reading, and exploring new tools in their classrooms. It was exciting to see students supporting each other and taking ownership of their learning!

We are also looking ahead to iReady assessments, which begin next week. These assessments help us understand your child’s strengths and areas for growth so we can tailor instruction to best support their learning. The assessment schedule is below for your reference.

Don’t forget, Picture Day is coming up on Thursday, September 25th, so please have your child ready to smile! Additionally, there is no school on Tuesday, September 23rd in observance of Rosh Hashanah.

Thank you for your continued support at home. We appreciate your partnership in making learning exciting and meaningful for our students. We can’t wait to see all the progress our students will make next week!

Warmly,
Kate Altman
Principal

• School Picture Day is Thursday September 25th! Mark your calendars!
• Back to School Night for grades 3 and 4 will be 6:00-7:30 on September 25th. We will start in the cafeteria for a grade level presentation and then families will be dismissed to their child's classroom. This is an adult only night.

• KNO dates are scheduled and will be October 24, February 6, and May 1st. Students MUST HAVE a signed permission form from a parent/guardian in order to attend. Please see the attached flyer below with more information.

BOY: Beginning of year

MOY: Middle of year

EOY: End of year

The Mindess nurses will begin mandatory state screenings beginning next week (week of 9/22/25) and will continue until screenings in all grades are complete. The screenings performed in each grade are as follows:

3rd Grade: vision, hearing
4th Grade: vision, BMI
5th Grade: vision, postural (postural to be completed in Spring 2026)

While vision and hearing screenings are required by state law, parents may choose to opt their child out of BMI and postural screenings. If you'd like to opt out of either BMI or postural screenings, please fill out this form to make the nurses aware of your decision to opt out.

Please see the letters below for more information on BMI screenings (grade 4 only):

If you have any questions, please reach out to our nurses at mes_nurses@ashland.k12.ma.us.

Ms. Jones, our new assistant principal, has been visiting classrooms since the start of school to read with students, introduce herself, and begin building connections. This has been a wonderful way for students to get to know her and start forming positive relationships!

Welcome back Mindess parents! Hope you and your child are transitioning back to school well. September is quite and overwhelming month but we will make it!

The counselors here at The Mindess School visit classrooms for weekly Social Emotional Learning lessons. Our lessons focus on different themes of the month: September's theme is Safety. We also will be reviewing the Zones of Regulation during our lesson (see below). Our SEL corner will give you updates about what your children are learning and will also include articles to help reinforce social emotional skills at home.

Finally, please see below a letter explaining additional services our counselors offer for students. Look forward to seeing you all at Open House!

Dear Parents/Guardians:

In addition to developing academic skills, school is a place where children work on social skills. The Mindess School Counseling Department offers the opportunity for students to meet with a school counselor or psychologist to help enhance their overall social and emotional adjustment in school. These meetings will be held during lunch or during Morning Meeting - but students will not be missing academics to meet with a school counselor.

As counselors, we will be meeting with students individually or in small groups to help facilitate positive interactions between peers. Sessions are geared toward encouragement of and practice in the areas of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision making, and optimistic thinking. Meetings may be held weekly or intermittently throughout the year depending upon the specific needs of the child. Students will be placed in groups with other students working on similar skills. Our goal is creating groups students enjoy being a part of and want to attend.

If you have any questions or concerns about our program or would like to opt out of having your child receive any services provided by our school counselors, please contact one of us to let us know..

Sincerely,

Mrs. Amanda Walker, School Counselor Grade 3

awalker@ashland.k12.ma.us or (508)881-0166x3

Ms. Melissa Mespelli, School Counselor Grade 4

mmespelli@ashland.k12.ma.us or (508)881-0166x4

Mrs. Meghan McGuire, School Counselor Grade 5

mmcguire@ashland.k12.ma.us or (508)881-0166x5

Don’t forget to visit ashland.k12.ma.us/Flyers where we feature announcements and events offered by organizations, clubs and teams throughout our community that serve to enrich the lives of our students, families, faculty and staff.

Interested in learning more about Girl Scouts? Stop by the Corner Spot between 1 pm and 4 pm on Sunday, September 21 for our annual Ashland Girl Scout Fest! There will be activities and games for all ages as well as snacks and crafts available for purchase. If you have weekend plans, there is another opportunity to meet Girl Scouts on Monday, September 22, from 5 pm to 6 pm at the Ashland Public Library Meeting Room. Please register for Monday's event here, www.gsema.org/eventrsvp3, and reach out to ashlandgsma@gmail.com with questions.