Warren School Weekly Update

This week, our students came together for our monthly Whole School Assembly. During the assembly, students from Mrs. Forrest’s kindergarten class, Ms. Elbaum’s first-grade class, and Ms. Farrell’s second-grade class each presented to our 602 students and staff, sharing messages that recognized and celebrated diversity in our school and world. Please see photos below, as well as the photo above highlighting our second-grade role models.

In addition, students from Ashland High School’s Concert Choir and the Bel Canto Society performed a concert for our students. At the conclusion of the performance, Warren School students, led by Mrs. Noel, sang and signed One Human Race. This song will be performed again during our Drop Everything and Sing Day next week.

For all of our families who have been celebrating Hanukkah since Sunday, we wish you a festive final few nights of the holiday.

Have a great weekend,

Pete

Mrs. Forrest's kindergarten class

Ms. Elbaum's first grade class

Ms. Farrell's grade 2 class

AHS Concert Choir and The Bel Canto Society

Warren Students singing and signing One Human Race

December 22, 2025

Let's spread holiday cheer together!

On Winter Spirit Day, wear your favorite festive winter clothing to school. Fun hats and headbands are welcome, as long as they don't cause distractions.

We can’t wait to see everyone’s holiday spirit!

MetroWest Food Collaborative

Dear Families,

I want to share a helpful resource: our local partners at the MetroWest Food Collaborative have created an easy-to-use website where food pantries, community meal sites, farmers markets and more are listed for our region. You’ll find flyers and calendars in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and you can search by town to see what’s available. MWFC

Please check it out if you or your family ever need additional support: metrowestfoodcollaborative.org/find-food

Dear Families,

K–2 Reading & Writing – December Update
Our K–2 students are finishing the calendar year with strong reading and writing growth. Each grade is wrapping up current units and getting ready to begin exciting new work after the break.

Kindergarten
Kindergarteners are wrapping up their nursery rhyme unit and practicing early reading and writing skills through rhyme, repetition, and familiar characters. After the break, they will begin the Superpower Unit, where students become “heroes-in-training” who learn decoding skills with the help of their mentor, Mighty Reader.

💡 At home ideas:

Read nursery rhymes together and listen for rhyming words.
Play “I Spy” using letter sounds (e.g., “I spy something that starts with /m/”).
Have your child draw a picture and write a label or simple sentence to match.
Practice writing their name with proper capitalization.
Point out letters and words on signs, packages, or in the home.

First Grade

First graders are finishing their narrative reading and writing unit, focusing on story elements and adding details to their writing. After the break, they will begin reading and writing nonfiction, learning how to gather information and teach their readers.

💡At home ideas:

Ask your child to retell a story using “beginning, middle, end.”
Read a nonfiction book together and talk about interesting facts.
Encourage your child to write lists, notes, or short stories.
Have them draw and label a picture of something they know a lot about.
Practice reading with expression by switching voices for characters.

Second Grade
Second graders are wrapping up their nonfiction reading and writing work, practicing how to read for information and explain ideas clearly. When they return from break, they will begin writing fictional stories and learning more about characters, motivations, and story structure.

💡 At Home Ideas

Share the most important fact from a nonfiction page or something they learned about at school.
While reading ask your child about:

How do you think the character is feeling right now? Why?
What makes the character happy, sad, or frustrated?
Has the character’s feelings changed during the story? How?

Brainstorm characters or story ideas together to get ready for writing fictional stories.

Wishing you a joyful and successful start to the new year of learning!

Kathy Ferrecchia

kferrecchia@ashland.k12.ma.us

All Warren school students have been busy in the first three months learning about Beat and Rhythm in their music classes. In the month of September and into October the students learned about several Latino musicians for Latin Heritage Month. In addition, all students have been working to learn the song One Human Race while also learning to use ASL to tell the story we sing about in sign language. We are all engaged in preparing for our All School Sing-a-long which will take place on December 22. We are set to sing 11 songs during that gathering. Finally all students have had a chance to play along to music during this term using the following instruments: drums, maracas, shaker eggs, jingle bells, triangles and rhythm sticks.

Kindergarten students learned the Warren School song, they also learned how to read and clap simple rhythms using Ta, Ti-ti and Rest. They have engaged in movement exercises using scarves, marching in class and body percussion. Further, they learned how to use the four different voices we have in music, Whisper, Talk, Shout and Sing. For games they participated in Beat Simon Says and the Apple Tree Game. Ask your child which game they have enjoyed the most.

First Graders at Warren School have been engaged in learning about Meter, meaning how many beats are in each measure. They have learned to identify the meter in various pieces of music by finding the strong and weak beats. They have learned 2, 3 and 4 meter songs. We have played Beat Bounce, Find that Beat, and can you keep the beat in your head. These students have also participated in Apple Tree Game, Beat Simon Says and many poison rhythm games which they love!

Second Graders have been working on Meter (how many beats in the measure), Ostinatos (short repeated rhythm patterns added to a song,) how w to read notes on the lines and spaces of the Treble staff and little bit about Form in music. They have played poison rhythm, Beat Bounce, Find that Beat, Can you Keep the Beat in your head, Beat Simon Says, Apple Tree Game, and Charlie Over the Ocean. The second graders will sing Si Si Ni Moja with the first graders during our all-school sing-a-long.

Warren School's Social Emotional Learning Update:

Hello Families,

This month we are learning about DIVERSITY.

We have defined DIVERSITY as: understanding and appreciating our differences.

Here are some things you can do to help your child learn about diversity:

· Talk about it, try not to ‘shush’ difficult questions. Instead try to answer and talk openly about diversity in a developmentally appropriate way.

· Remember diversity is more than just race, it can include age, gender, ethnicity, religion, ability/disability, and more! For our students, we can even talk about diverse choices, such as adding new foods to their plates!

· Be mindful of toys and books you have in your home.

· Talk about the types of diversity you have in your family.

· Help your child to learn about different cultures.

· Check out this PBS article.

Books about diversity:

· The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

· Where Are You From? Yamile Saied Mendez

· My Food, Your Food, Our food by Emma CarlsonBerne

· Neither by Airlie Anderson

· The Colors of Us by Karen Katz

· All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

· The Sandwich Swap by Kelly Dipucchio

· Just Ask by Sonia Sotomayer

Warren School’s SEL Team

Our AMS actors are working hard under the direction of Mr. Langmeyer to bring this powerful historical production to the Little Theater. Performances will be held:

January 23rd at 7:00 p.m.
January 24th at 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

The show explores the true stories of more than 250,000 children who were relocated from Eastern cities to the Midwest in the late 1800s and early 1900s. With themes of resilience, social responsibility, and belonging, the production reflects on the courage of young people and the impact one person can have on others. The show is rated G, appropriate for all ages, runs 1 hour and 15 minutes, and tickets are $10 cash.

With Thanksgiving behind us and winter right around the corner... we've got Spring 2026 on our minds!

That's right, registration is now open for the 2026 Spring Baseball and Softball season.

Click on the link below to register and enter today!

Register Here

You can find all of the program descriptions on the AYBS site by visiting the links below:

Baseball Programs | Softball Programs

We've also included tentative program schedules (practice and game days) in the descriptions on our site but we've also included them below for quick reference.

2026 Schedule by Division

Baseball
Tiny Tots (Age 4) - There will be 1 session per week on Saturdays.
T-Ball (Ages 5-6) - There will be 1 practice a week on either Mondays or Wednesdays. There will be 1 game per week on Saturdays.
A (Ages 6-7) - There will be 1 practice a week on either Mondays or Wednesdays. There will be 1 game per week on Saturdays.
AA (Age 8) - There will be 1 practice a week on either Mondays or Wednesdays. There will be 1-2 games per week on Fridays and Saturdays.
AAA (Ages 9-10) - Games and practices will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Majors (Ages 11-12) - Games and practices will be held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Softball
K-Ball (Pre-K and K) - There will be 1 practice a week - day TBD. There will be 1 game per week on Saturdays.
AA (1st Grade) - There will be 1 practice a week - day TBD. There will be 1 game per week on Saturdays.
Minors (U8) - Games are on Mondays and Wednesdays. Practices are on Saturdays.
Majors (U10) - Games are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Practices are on Saturdays or Sundays.
Seniors (U12 or U14/12) - Games could be on a Tuesdays, Fridays or Sundays. All will depend on # of teams across the League. Practice 1x during the week possibly or weekends depending on game schedule.

We look forward to seeing you on the diamonds next spring and good luck with the raffle!

Note: Schedules may change depending on number of players and teams. However, we anticipate following the above format for the 2026 season.

Registration Raffle Drawing Details:
One entry per a household.
Having multiple players in AYBS programs will not increase your number of entries or chances to win.
You must have a player registered for an AYBS program by 11:59 PM EST on November 30, 2025 to be eligible for drawing.
Random drawing from all eligible entries will be held on or around December 2, 2025.
We will contact the winner directly to notify them.
No purchase necessary. Email president@aybsonline.org and include "Register Today" in the subject line for alternative form of entry.

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December Warren Menu SY2526.pdf

January Warren Menu SY2526.pdf

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Check out what our Nutrition Services department is serving up for Warren students in December! Menu items are subject to change without notice, based on current supply chain issues or other factors. If dietary concerns are an issue, please contact us.

To view a translated version of the menu, please visit ashland.k12.ma.us/Nutrition.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As the holiday season approaches, we are excited to share our December menu with you,

featuring the vibrant and nutritious Massachusetts Harvest of the Month: Carrots!

This month, our menu includes delicious side dishes that highlight the wonderful flavor of

carrots such as Moroccan Carrot Salad, Carrot, Cabbage Slaw, Zesty Carrot Fries and Honey

Carrot Coins.

Carrots are a versatile and nutrient-rich vegetable that will be prominently featured in our meals

throughout December. Locally grown in Massachusetts, these carrots are an excellent source of

vitamins A, K, and B6, as well as fiber and antioxidants.

For more information on the benefits of carrots and fun recipe ideas, please visit the

Massachusetts Harvest of the Month page: Massachusetts Harvest of the Month - Carrots.

We are committed to providing fresh, locally sourced produce to our students, supporting local

farmers, and ensuring the best nutritional quality in our meals. We encourage you to incorporate

carrots into your meals at home to enjoy their many health benefits.

Thank you for your ongoing support and for trusting us with your children's nutrition and well-

being. We look forward to a healthy and delicious month!

Warm regards,

Regina Wilkinson
Director of Nutrition Services
Ashland Public Schools
Email: rwilkinson@ashland.k12.ma.us Phone: 508-881-0165

December 22: Drop Everything and Sing-along
December 23: Early Release at 1:15, lunch is served
December 24-January 2: No School Winter Vacation
January 5: Return to School, Wear Comfy Clothes Day
January 19: No School in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 23: Drop Everything and Create
January 27: Whole School Assembly, wear BLUE for Ashland pride
February 16-20: No School, February Vacation

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.