Florence Sawyer School Happenings

Dear Families,

I hope this finds you well and dry. It was wonderful to connect with so many of you during our Back to School Open Houses for grades 6-8, two weeks ago and K-5 last week. I hope that you found the evenings helpful.

We tried a new 'Drop In" format for our K-5 Open House, similar to the model that has been used at the Middle level. A survey was sent to K-5 families for their feedback on the format. The data is included separately below.

With the volume of attendees that we expected, we were afraid we wouldn't fit everyone in the auditorium. As a result, we had to pivot from our half hour welcome from administration. To that end, I have scheduled a Virtual Coffee with the Principal on Monday, October 2, 2023 at 7:00 pm. The link will be sent to families separately. This will be the first in a series of events that I will host for families as part of one of my goals. I hope that you can join us.

Yours in partnership,

Joel Bates,

Principal

Thank you for attending last week's reimagined Open House for Kindergarten through grade 5. Thanks also, if you were able to share your feedback in our post Open House survey.

The results follow.

169 surveys were completed.

80.9% were satisfied (19%) or Very Satisfied (61.9%) with the overall organization and presentation of Back-to-School Open House Night?

89.3% Chose yes for the question - Did you find that the format of tonight's Open House offered flexibility for your family to connect with teachers?

77.8% responded yes to the question - Did you find the information available during Back-to-School Open House Night to be informative and helpful in understanding the school year ahead?

84.6% Responded yes to the question - Did you have sufficient opportunities to ask questions and interact with teachers and staff during Back-to-School Night?

Additionally, there were a number of suggestions that we will take into consideration in our planning for future Back to School Open House Nights.

On Thursday, September 28th we will be holding our annual bus evacuation drills at both wings at the end of arrival time. The students will be instructed by the drivers in the safety measures on the bus followed by an evacuation drill through the back of the bus. We expect that it will take no longer than 15 minutes.

Working in partnership with our PTO, Fall School Pictures have been scheduled for Thursday, October 19th. More information will be coming home in the weeks ahead."

On October 4, we invite students to join us for our annual Walk to School Day from the Bolton Common to school in partnership with the Bolton Police Department. More information will appear in next week's Happenings.

FSS would like to welcome Nurse Audra Maria to our team! She is the new elementary school nurse for grades PK-5 and is located in the Emerson Wing Health Office, with our preschool, Kindergarten, and 1st grade students. All medical documentation and questions concerning students in PK-5 should be directed to Nurse Audra, at amaria@nrsd.net, or at X5107.

Nurse Karin Frostholm will continue her role in the Sawyer Wing Health Office as the middle school nurse for grades 6-8, and all medical documentation and questions concerning students in these grades should be directed to Nurse Karin at kfrostholm@nrsd.net, or at X5103.

We look forward to working with you to help keep our school community healthy and engaged in learning this school year!

Please continue to instruct your child on the importance of proper handwashing, and the proper way to cover the mouth when coughing or sneezing!

As a reminder, following are the circumstances in which your child should stay home from school:

• If your child is unable to participate fully in school activities because of illness

• When your child has a contagious condition or a rash with an unknown cause

• When your child has had a fever of 100°F or more within the last 24 hours when not taking fever-reducing medications

• If your child has had vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours or is unable to eat normally

• If your child has been diagnosed with strep throat and has not been taking antibiotic medication or at least 24 hours

• If your child requires medication for fever or ongoing pain relief

• If your child has red/pink eyes with drainage

• If your child has chicken pox, he or she must stay home until all lesions have scabbed over

• If your child has active head lice he or she must be treated and be seen by the school nurse prior to returning to school

As always, please contact your school nurse if you have any questions about whether your child should attend school, or whether they can return to school. Please also contact us if your child has a change in their medical condition, or is prescribed a medication that needs to be administered in school.

We are here for you! Don’t hesitate to reach out to us, and we are looking forward to a great school year!

Nurse Karin and Nurse Audra

The NRHS Instrumental Program has 2 great events coming up in the month of October. First, the NRHS Pep Band is holding it's 9th Annual Nashoba Band Day at the Homecoming Football Game on Friday, October 13th. This event is where we welcome all of the 7th and 8th grade band students from across the district to come and play with our Pep band. This event is co-hosted with all of our amazing middle school music teachers. Nashoba's Concert Choir will be singing our National Anthem at this event.

On Tuesday, October 24th, the NRHS Instrumental Ensembles will hold our annual Fall Concert. This concert will feature our 2 Jazz Bands and our Concert Band. The concert begins at 7pm in the NRHS Auditorium and admission is $5. Students, Seniors, and NRSD Employees are free. We hope to see you there and support our amazing musicians.

On Sunday, October 29th at 3 p.m., Nashoba Symphonic Band will open its 2023-24 season with a program entitled “Vive la France!” in the NRHS auditorium. The concert includes Norman Dello Joio's Scenes from “The Louvre,” Pavane pour une Infante defunte by Maurice Ravel, and the dazzling Paris Sketches by Martin Ellerby. The concert is free to one and all. Now in its eighth season, the 90-piece Nashoba Symphonic Band is a multi-generational performing group composed of students, parents, educators and members of the greater Nashoba community and surrounding towns.

On Wednesday, November 1st at 7 p.m. Nashoba Regional High School will present the Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, Tenor and Bass Choir, Unified Music, and the newly-formed Treble Choir for the Fall Choral Concert. Concert Choir will perform some of their exciting festival pieces, including a Haitian song, Wangolo. Look forward to singing along with Unified Music, and hearing Treble Choir's debut! The concert begins at 7pm in the NRHS Auditorium and admission is $5. Students, Seniors and NRSD Employees are free.

Are you ready to embark on an exciting journey in education? Are you interested in supplementing your income, but would like a work schedule that is within your control? Are you interested in a position that matches your child's school day schedule? Florence Sawyer School is thrilled to offer you the opportunity to join our dynamic team of substitute teachers!

📚 Why Choose Florence Sawyer School?

🌟 A Welcoming Community: Join a warm and welcoming community of educators and staff dedicated to creating a positive learning environment for all students.

🌟 Varied Opportunities: Experience teaching in diverse grade levels and subjects, gaining valuable insights into different teaching styles and classroom dynamics.

🌟 Flexibility: Enjoy the flexibility of choosing your assignments and schedule, allowing you to balance work with your other commitments.

🌟 Professional Growth: Build your teaching portfolio and expand your skill set as you collaborate with experienced educators and staff.

🌟 Make a Difference: Have a meaningful impact on the lives of young learners and contribute to their educational journey.

Qualifications:

• 2 Years of College are required for Substitute Teachers.

• Certified Teachers for assignments of eight weeks or more.

For more information, click here.

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.

Please join the FSS PTO and the chorus for a fun night at the Worcester Railers Hockey game. The 4th and 5th grade chorus has been invited to sing the National Anthem on opening night! This is FSS 3rd year attending and it's always a great school event. $5 from every ticket will go back to the PTO for our students and teachers.

https://fevogm.com/event/Florencesawyer7

Celebrate back to school in style with some new FSS Spirit Wear! Children's t-shirts and tote bags will be available tonight and next week at the Open Houses and at the school store. All other items can be purchased here:

https://boltonpto.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Order now! We will stop taking orders on October 6th. Items will be delivered to classrooms/homerooms in November. Get your holiday shopping done early and support FSS teachers and students!

The annual Bolton 5K Festival is coming up on Saturday, October 7th at Schartner Farms. Sign up now and lock in your t-shirt order! We can't wait to bring our community together - again - for a day of amazing activities including: 5K Run/Walk, Kids Fun Run around the Schartner corn maze, local food and craft vendors, raffle, auction and kids activities. All proceeds from the event will benefit The Bolton Community Fund, helping neighbors in need right in our own backyard. Please reach out to board@boltoncommunityfund.org with any questions.

Register for the 5K here.

Register for the Kids Fun Run here.

This Month

September 28 FSS Cross Country at Melican Middle School

Next Month

October 4 - Walk to School Day from the Bolton Common

October 5 - Cross Country at Marlboro Middle School

October 9 - Federal Holiday - No school

October 10 - Oakmont Regional at FSS Cross Country

October 12 - AMSA at FSS Cross Country

October 17 - FSS Cross Country at Westborough

October 19 - School Picture Day

October 20 - Early Dismissal for students

October 31 - November 3 - Grade 7 at Nature's Classroom

Looking Ahead

November 10 - No School

November 16 - Early Dismissal for students - Conferences

November 17 - Full day for Conferences

November 22 - School Closed - Voting Day

November 23 - Thanksgiving

November 24 - School Closed

December 8 - Early Dismissal for students

December 25 - January 1 - Winter Break

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.