Florence Sawyer School Happenings

Dear Families,

I’m thrilled to share some exciting news! Adriana Pape, an eighth grader, has been selected by the eighth-grade team as Florence Sawyer School’s Ambassador to Project 351! This remarkable initiative unites eighth graders from each of the Commonwealth's 351 cities and towns to foster a community of service. Congratulations, Adriana! Thank you for proudly representing our school and community in this statewide effort.

It was wonderful to see so many of you at PTO's Annual Family Bingo Night on Friday! A heartfelt thank you goes out to Sara Brazer and her incredible team: Jennifer Balester, Teri Carey, Amy Cohen, Colleen Corcoran, Lynne Coviello, Kalyn Dudley, Nicole Fanning, Kristen Frye, Kathryn Fulginiti, Kateri Kaloyanides, Wendy Karlon, Chris Bielick Kotkowski, Lauren LaRosa, Heather MacFarlane, Joel McCarthy, Abigail McLaughlin, Roy Mulcahy, Laura Roberts, Kristen Saltzman, Sarah Shaw, Stephanie Weinfurt, and Karen Yesue.

A special shoutout to our amazing Bingo Caller, the incomparable Dr. Matthew Beyranevand, for adding so much energy and fun to the evening!

In other FSS news:

Thank you to everyone who attended our Fall Conferences. As a learning-focused organization, we are continually striving to improve our practices and strengthen our partnership with families. To help us grow, we kindly ask for your feedback via our brief survey:

Florence Sawyer School - Student Conference Survey - Fall 2024

Your insights are invaluable!

Yours in partnership,

Joel Bates,

Principal

We are very excited about our new lunch options and I hope that your children are enjoying them. To access the menus for each wing of the Florence Sawyer School Emerson Wing (PK-1) and the Sawyer Wing (2-8) there are different menus. We have included them below.

We are excited to share a new process for lunches in the Emerson Wing K-1 (only). To expedite the morning routine for our classroom teachers we are asking for all families to partner with us and please complete the Google Form by 8am each Monday. This will be the new way that K-1 students in the Emerson-Wing order their lunch choice. We will send a new form home on Friday so you can make selections over the weekend for the upcoming week.

We have created the Virtual Backpack as a convenience for our families to capture forms, flyers, calendars, and other information that might have traditionally come home in a backpack.

Included on the Virtual Backpack page is a Community Events and Activities page where you can find non-school sponsored activities such community events, youth sports, community information for families, and other activities for children. We do our best to keep the CAEP updated.

Families,

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has announced a rise in cases of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, particularly among school-age children and adolescents. Pertussis is a very contagious bacterial respiratory illness that can be severe in infants, and also children with underlying conditions such as asthma. Symptoms can begin like the common cold, but the cough can last for weeks or even months.

Children are fully vaccinated for pertussis before beginning kindergarten ("DTaP"), however, they require a booster vaccination ("TDaP") at the age of 11 or 12 years, before entry into 7th grade.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health is asking school healthcare providers to ensure that all students are up to date on their DTaP/ TDaP immunizations. Please contact your child's pediatrician as soon as possible if you are unsure of your child’s immunization status in regards to pertussis.

Please note that students without documentation of immunization, or documented religious/ medical exemptions from immunization, may need to be excluded from attending school if cases of pertussis were to arise within the district.

Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.

Karin Frostholm, RN, Sawyer Wing

Audra Maria, RN, Emerson Wing

Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Club – Open to students in grades 3-8

The first meeting of the 2024-25 RAK Club will be on Wednesday, October 16th at 7:45 am in Mrs. Scudiere’s Room #160. Interested students in grades 3-8 who wish to continue in or join the club should complete a permission form and return it to Miss Richards by the first meeting.

Drop off for RAK Club: Mrs. Scudiere or Miss Richards will be at the front door of FSS from 7:40-7:50 am to let club members into the building. We ask that students be on time for club.

We will meet Wednesday mornings throughout the school year to organize and plan a variety of new kindness activities leading into Kindness Month currently scheduled in May 2025 (more details to come).

Dear Florence Sawyer School Families,

We are excited to announce an opportunity for you to become an integral part of our school community! We are currently seeking enthusiastic individuals to apply for the position of Paid Lunchroom Monitor at Florence Sawyer School.

Position Highlights:

• Student-Facing Role: Engage with our students daily and play a vital role in their lunchtime experience.

• Collaborative Environment: Work alongside a supportive team of school staff and fellow monitors.

• Support Our School Community: Contribute to creating a positive and organized lunchroom atmosphere.

The role involves working approximately 3 hours a day, helping to ensure that lunch periods run smoothly. This is a fantastic way to get involved with our school, support our children, and be an active part of our community.

If you are interested in this rewarding opportunity, please apply here.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our school community. We look forward to hearing from you!

Wreath and Poinsettia Sale

Looking for wreaths and poinsettias for the upcoming winter season? Look no further. Our annual Wreath and Poinsettia sale is under way. You can order a wreath or poinsettia through this link. Orders are due by Monday, November 25th. The pick up day for orders is Friday, December 6th from 3:30 - 7 in the Florence Sawyer School lobby. The proceeds from this sale benefit the fundraising efforts of the 8th grade class. Thank you for your support!

Looking to support the Florence Sawyer School?

We are actively seeking volunteers to assist our on duty staff for both lunch and recess duties.

We are seeking individuals who would be willing to sign up for specific time intervals on a monthly calendar.

Lunch Duties in the Sawyer building run for 30 min intervals starting at 10:55 until 1:30pm.

Lunch Duties in the Emerson building run from 12:30-2:00pm.

You will be required to have a current CORI on file with the district.

If you are interested in helping us out please send an email to kdean@nrsd.net .

Additional information will be provided to those who reach out.

Any questions, please call 978-779-2821 X5106

The Nashoba Regional High School Basketball teams will be offering a fall basketball clinic for students in grades 4-8 in November. For more information and registration click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2zDx9QGd7YVCX-Y7GJks3o5E0eotSAEsq-NYfQdsMLl-yBQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Two students at Nashoba Regional High School created a brochure detailing all of the clubs and activities offered at Nashoba. For more information click on the QR code below.

Bolton PTO 2025 Auction

Save the date - Saturday, March 29, 2025

This is our biggest fundraiser and takes place every other year. If you would like to be part of the

committee for this fun event, please contact Event Fundraising Chair, Sara Brazer at

sarabrazer@gmail.com.

School Pictures Update

School pictures from November should be arriving soon. Picture re-take day will be December 4th. We will need volunteers again. Keep an eye out for an upcoming volunteer sign up link!

School Store

The next School Store will be open during recess on December 6, weather permitting!

Exciting News: Join the FREE Online Family Directory Today!

The Bolton PTO is thrilled to announce that our Online Family Directory is now FREE for all families! This is your chance to connect with other parents and families and build a stronger school network. To be included in the directory, all you need to do is visit our website, set up your profile, and add your child(ren) and their classroom(s). If you have previously had an account, please log in and update your child(ren)'s grade and teacher so that it is up to date. Information does not automatically update, unfortunately!

Remember, the directory is only as powerful as the number of families who join, so don’t miss out—get connected today! Get started here!

School Spirit Store Now OPEN!

If you’re looking for awesome holiday present ideas or just want to show your (or your kids’) school spirit, we have just the thing for you!

The store will be open for online ordering until December 1st, so don’t delay. All orders will be processed in time to receive before the holiday break.

There are three different logos to choose from as well as an assortment of colors and styles. Make your selections today at https://2024bolton.itemorder.com/shop/home/

A portion of each purchase will be donated to the Bolton PTO.

Registration for BOLTON Ski Club starts now!

Bolton Ski Club Registration is open to grades 3-8 from now through December 6th. We ski and board at Wachusett. Please see below for details:

Eligibility: Grades 3-8 (Wachusett rules). 3rd and 4th graders must have previous ski experience or be chaperoned by a parent or guardian. This is extremely important. If your child has not skied before someone needs to be on the mountain with them.

Dates: Six Fridays starting January 3 - February 7 (there are two half days, January 17 and February 7, where kids will get extra time at the mountain). Last year Wachusett implemented a new policy where it is $15 extra per child for the extended days. We will send out more information on this and how to pay for those days once final registrations are in.

Timeframe: 4:00pm - 7:00pm (bring equipment to school and ski clothes to school and home every week). Bus leaves FSS at 3:30 each Friday (except for half days when bus will leave at 12:30 and kids will ski from 1-7)

Transportation: We will be hiring a bus to transport kids to and from Wachusett. The cost will be between $135 and $165 per person (subject to change based on number of buses hired and amount of student per bus) and will be handled separately from the Wachusett sign ups along with an Agreement of Behavior for Transportation Participation. The cost for the bus is for a round trip whether you take it one way or round trip. Seats will be on a first come first serve basis. Once we have one full bus, we will start a wait list until we have enough students to make a second bus feasible. Please sign up early! Riding on the bus is a privilege. We have had inquiries about one-off rider ships in the past, we are not able to accommodate those requests. Bus transportation requires that skiing/snowboarding equipment be dropped off before the start of the school day each Friday. Dropping off during the day is not allowed- per school rules.

Click here for the Bus Registration: Ski Bus Sign up . This is separate from registering for the ski program through Wachusset. You are also welcome to drive your child or groups of children to and from the mountain if preferred.

Volunteering: Due to the growth of the program caregiver participation is mandatory for the program to run efficiently. Ski club is a parent-run program and it takes a village to make it run smoothly. We ask each parent to volunteer in some capacity so we can keep this treasured program going strong. We will have a meeting in early December to discuss these opportunities. You don’t have to be a skier to help out, here are some ways you can lend a hand:

• School Chaperone- Manage ski club meeting area in the Gymnasium and organize kids onto the bus

• Organize and maintain ski club records

• Traffic controller - keep communication going between chaperones, main lodge and parents (ETA for bus arrivals after ski club, etc.)

• Bus Loader: Help the kids and their equipment get loaded and unloaded onto the bus

• Lodge parent - hang out in the lodge to answer any questions, provide support to kids coming and going

• Ski Chaperone - partner up with another skiing parent and ski with a designated group of kids

• Lesson Chaperone: Walk skiers and boarders over to lessons and pick them up afterwards

Ski Club Registration:

Registration Deadline: December 6th

* Click on the link below for details on cost for ski club and lessons (if applicable) Ski Club Registration

Access code-BSASC

*Please click on this link to review and sign the Behavior Criteria Form with your student (fill out a form for each student)

Behavior Criteria Form

Lessons: These are 1 hour sessions and are meant for beginner skiers. Wachusett is no longer providing advanced lessons for these programs.

Terrain Park: There is an option to select a terrain park pass for $5. This pass is good all season

Rentals: Anyone in need of rentals should secure season long rentals rather than rent at the mountain. The logistics of splitting up the group, assigning chaperones, and the very long lines is a big hassle for coordinating and for the kids. Picking up weekly rentals at Wachusett eats up nearly the entire first evening and a chunk of time each week of our already short time on the mountain. Below is a list of local places you can look into:

• R.J. Bradleys-Littleton

• Summit Ski and Snowboard

• Zimmermans-Nashua

• Sport Loft- locations in Acton, Leominster and Boylston

• Ski Barn- Westborough

Registration Deadline: December 6th

Informational Meetings: There will be a mandatory in person meeting in the FSS Aduitorium on December 5th at 6:30 to share detailed information about the program. The reason this meeting is mandatory is to ensure all parents and guardians understand the safety protocols and rules of the program and of Wachusett Mountain. As always, please remember that Bolton Ski Club is a volunteer run organization and takes zero responsibility for the participants and properties

We are excited to be taking on the coordination of the Bolton Ski Program and look forward to seeing your kids on the slopes!

Bolton Ski Club,

Brenda Cullen, Lauren LaRosa and Mary Miskin

November

21 - Pasta Dinner

27-29 - No School - Thanksgiving Break

December 2024

4 - Picture Makeup Day

10 - Chorus Concert

11 - FSS School Council 6:30pm

13 - Early Release - Professional Development

17 - Band Concert - Grades 5-8

23 - Jan 1 - No School - School Vacation

Be your best self.

Pave your path.

Impact the world.

Website: https://sawyer.nrsd.net/
Location: 100 Mechanic Street, Bolton, MA, USA
Phone: (978) 779-2821

You can download the App by going to NRSD.net, scroll down to the bottom of the home page and click on the App Store or Google Play links.