MHS/WES Newsletter

The end of the school year is fast approaching with only 26 days left of school. As excited as we are for summer fun, we honestly wish we had more time with your children. We have lots to accomplish in the next few weeks and we plan to make the most of it!

As we look ahead to our 2025-2026 school year together, we're reminded of something very special about children: each one comes to us with their own unique gifts, challenges, and ways of learning. It's a beautiful responsibility we share—to create classroom communities where every child feels valued and can grow in their own wonderful way.

When we plan our classrooms for next year, we think carefully about many important things:

• How each child learns best
• The familiar faces that help children feel safe
• The different strengths and needs each child brings
• How we can help everyone learn and grow together

While we try to ensure every child has familiar faces nearby who help them feel comfortable, we've noticed something beautiful happens when children connect with many new and different friends. When children build relationships with a variety of classmates, they discover new ways of thinking, develop deeper empathy, and learn to appreciate differences in others. These diverse friendships help children become more flexible in their thinking, more confident in new situations, and better prepared for the bigger world they'll grow into. Each new friendship is like finding another piece of themselves they didn't know was there!

Sharing Your Special Knowledge

You know your child in ways that no one else does. If there's something significant we should understand about your child as we create next year's class lists, please reach out to your child's classroom teacher and/or Mrs. Taylor by May 23rd.

A Gentle Reminder About Our Process

We've learned over many years of working with children that creating balanced classrooms is a delicate puzzle. While we truly value the important information you share, we are not able to accommodate all specific requests for pairing and separating classmates. Our primary goal must be creating well-balanced classrooms where every child can thrive and feel they belong.

Please also remember, we do not take requests for specific teachers. Certainly, if you have previous experience, concerns, or conflict with a teacher, we would love to hear from you. If this is the case, please email Mrs. Taylor by Friday, May 23rd.

Thank you for being such an important partner in your child's learning. We believe that when we work together with kindness and understanding, we create the most wonderful places for children to grow and learn.

Warm Regards,

Kathy and Mike

May 14: WES Creation Celebration 6:00-7:30 PM

May 15: MHS/WES School Improvement Council, 4:15 PM

May 16: Grade 3 ~ Colonial Day

May 26: No School ~ Memorial Day

May 19-23 Grade 5 ~ Nature's Classroom Week

May 28: 1/2 day, Noon dismissal

May 29: PTO Meeting at 6:30 PM

June 11: 5th Grade Promotion Night at 6:30 PM

June 16: Last day of school, Noon dismissal

The last day of school is: Monday, June 16 at NOON.

The Student Council organized an Earth Day cleanup! Student council members used their recess time to clean up all around Westminster Elementary School and Meetinghouse School. We love our school and our planet!

To celebrate all of the learning that has taken place this year, Grade 2 will be transforming our classrooms into Camp Learn-A-Lot on May 29th. Your child will be learning through creative and common-core-aligned activities.

Decorations will help convert each second-grade classroom into a campground. Tents will be set up, fake fires will be built, and students will work and read by flashlight.

We look forward to this special second-grade celebration of learning!

Third grade has been keeping busy! We have started Module 3 of our Wit & Wisdom curriculum in third grade, titled “A New Home.” In this module, students explore the essential question, “What makes a place feel like home?” Through rich literary and informational texts such as Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say, and The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco, students will learn about the experiences of people who move to new places and how they adapt, preserve traditions, and build a sense of belonging. They will analyze how authors convey these themes through words and illustrations, and develop their skills in reading comprehension, writing organized literary essays, and participating in thoughtful discussions.

We’re also excited to celebrate Colonial Day in third grade—a fun, hands-on event that brings history to life! Students will dress in colonial-style clothing and take part in activities such as candle making, tin punching, butter churning, writing with quill pens, and playing traditional games from the 1700s. This special day supports our social studies learning by giving students a chance to experience what daily life was like for early American colonists. It’s always a highlight of the year, and we can’t wait to see our third graders immerse themselves in this memorable learning adventure!

We look forward to continuing this learning journey with your child and appreciate your support!

🛠️ Innovation Station: K–5 Technology & Engineering Newsletter | Spring 2025 🌱

Hello Families!
We’re springing into an exciting season of creativity, engineering, and innovation across all grades! From robots on Mars to wind turbines and artistic circuitry, our young learners are exploring how technology solves real-world problems — Here's a peek at what each grade is working on:

🚀 5th Grade: Mission to Mars with LEGO Robotics

Our 5th graders are learning about robotics, coding, and the engineering design process using LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kits. Students are programming robots to complete space-themed challenges — simulating a Mars mission! This integrates DLCS Standards: Computing Systems & Algorithms and STE: Engineering Design, as students build, test, and refine their designs. Expect a few future NASA engineers to emerge from this group!

🎨 4th Grade: Art That Makes Art – Circuits + Creativity!

We’ve combined art and technology in a project inspired by the imaginative Mrs. Scribbles! She’s “hired” our students to create interactive art pieces powered by circuits — think spinning, moving, or lighting art. This collaborative project is a favorite, and we’re thrilled to showcase their creations at our Creation Celebration Night on May 14, 2025. This connects to STE: Electrical Circuits and DLCS: Computing Systems & Creating Digital Artifacts.

🌬️ 3rd Grade: Renewable Energy & Wind Turbine Design

Third graders are becoming renewable energy engineers! After exploring how wind turbines generate power, they’re now using CAD (Computer-Aided Design) with Fabmaker Studios to create their own turbine blades. Students will cut their designs using paper cutters and prototype them. Then comes the fun part — testing them with low wind (a hairdryer) and high wind (a leaf blower). This project aligns with STE: Energy & Engineering and DLCS: Digital Tools & Design.

🧊 2nd Grade: Computer Fabrication & 3D Shapes

Our second graders are diving into the world of computer-aided design and fabrication. Using Fabmaker Studios, students begin by designing 3D shapes, like cubes, and gradually move to more complex structures. This supports DLCS: Digital Tools for Designing and Math & STE Standards involving geometry, spatial reasoning, and engineering design.

💡 Massachusetts Technology Standards in Action:
Throughout all grades, we’re focusing on:

• DLCS Standards: Digital Tools, Algorithms & Programming, and Computing Systems
  
  

• STE Standards: Engineering Design, Energy, and Technology Systems

💻 1st Grade & Kindergarten: Learning to Code with Code.org!

Our youngest learners are starting their journey into computer science and coding using the Pre-reader/Reader Express courses on www.code.org!

This unit helps students:

• Access and navigate a website
  
  

• Create simple computer programs
  
  

• Develop problem-solving skills
  
  

• Work through fun, interactive challenges at their own pace
  
  

This foundational experience supports DLCS: Computing Systems, Algorithms, and Programming while building confidence and independence in using technology.
Students often say, “I can access a website!” and “I can create a program and solve problems!” — and they truly can!

We are proud of our students’ curiosity, teamwork, and creative thinking. These projects are more than just fun — they build lifelong skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, and digital literacy.

- SUMMER BAND CAMP at Westminster Elementary School!!!!

The WES Music Department would like to invite all upcoming 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders for the 2025-26 school year to attend an Instrumental Band Camp to be held at Westminster Elementary School on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday (June 17th, 18th and 20th), AND Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (June 23rd, 24th, and 25th), from 9-10:30 am each day. Our goals for these 6 six days are to let the student be able to try an instrument for three days, have an instructor work with them at the camp, the child can bring home the instrument during the 1st and 2nd days, and then at the end of the 3rd day, we will try to have a short 5-10 minute performance for parents, and then repeat the process for days 4, 5, and 6. At that point, parents will have the option of starting summer lessons/learn how to rent an instrument, or wait until September, and know what instrument they would like to start taking lessons on when we return in the start of school.

For anyone who might be interested in trying snare drum, there will also be an introduction to playing snare drum on Thursday, June 26th, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at WES. Regardless if you want to attend the 6 days of camp, or the 6 days + the 1 day of snare drum, or just the snare drum day, please fill out the entire form below, so we can prepare enough instruments for the kids. There will be a nominal charge of $10 for band camp that will be added to our Music Scholarship Fund for students/families in need financial assistance through the school year. Checks should be made payable to "WES Instrumental Program". Please view the instrumental videos embedded below prior to completing this Form. We understand vacations are coming, so if you can only make one of the weeks instead of both, that works too. For those families who will be gone and can't attend the camp, you can still look at these videos, come back in September and attend our sign up/rental night. We will contact you with further details if needed as we get closer to the camp dates.

IF INTERESTED, PLEASE COMPLETE 1 FORM PER CHILD BY FRIDAY, MAY 29TH, 2025.

Any questions can be directed to Mr. Lucander, Music Teacher/Band Director: klucander@awrsd.org or Mrs. Popik. Assistant Band Director, wesmusicprogram01473@gmail.com. We are looking forward to playing music with your students at band camp, to get them excited for the upcoming school year!

https://forms.gle/hpAXPnhLe5FGHno28

GENERAL SCHEDULE:

WEEK #1

Tuesday June 17 -9am - arrive in the WES cafeteria, get assigned one of your two instrument choices.

-Lessons (play in your instrument group) with with our team of instructors

-10:30am - get picked up, take instrument home to practice!

Wednesday June 18 -9am - arrive with your instrument, go to Lessons.

-10:30am - get picked up, take instrument home again to practice!

Thursday June -9am - arrive with your instrument, go to Lessons.

-10am - Parent meeting (find out more about our band program)

-10:30am - student performance for parents

-10:45am - students leave instrument #1 at WES, get picked up

WEEK #2

Monday June 23 -9am - arrive in the WES cafeteria, get assigned of your two instrument choices.

-Lessons (play in your instrument group) with with our team of instructors

-10:30am - get picked up, take instrument #2 home to practice!

Tuesday June 24 -9am - arrive with your instrument, go to Lessons.

-10:30am - get picked up, take instrument home again to practice!

Wednesday June 25 -9am - arrive with your instrument, go to Lessons.

-10am - Parent meeting (find out more about our band program)

-10:30am - student performance for parents

-10:45am - students leave instrument #2 at WES, get picked up

SNARE DRUM DAY (optional)

Thursday June 26 -9am - arrive in the WES cafeteria,

-Group rhythm lesson, develop hand coordination, counting/reading skill

-10am - Parent meeting (find out more about our band program)

-10:30am - student performance for parents

-10:45am - students leave

NEXT POSSIBLE STEPS...

Information available to learn how to:

-start summer private lessons before September (to get a jump start)

-learn how to rent to own an instrument with David French Music Co. (see online for more)

-wait to sign up in September at WES for private lessons/beginner band/rent to own an instrument

https://forms.gle/hpAXPnhLe5FGHno28

Please remember when you are calling your child out absent, to call the school that they attend.

MHS~ Pre-K , K and 1: 978-874-0163

WES~2, 3, 4, and 5 grade: 978-874-2043

Westminster Elementary School is excited to partner once again with Hannaford grocery stores for this year's Hannaford Helps Schools program, running from March 16 to June 7!

Through this program, shoppers will earn 3 School Dollars for every 4 participating products purchased. At checkout, customers will receive a School Dollar printout they can redeem online to donate to any school in this program.

To redeem School Dollars, all shoppers need to do is enter the unique printout code and store number on the Hannaford Helps Schools program website and select their school. Each School Dollar printout has a QR code that will bring shoppers directly to this link, ensuring that redeeming School Dollars is as easy as possible. Please note that the in-store collection tower has been eliminated.

In the past, Westminster Elementary has earned anywhere from $500 to $1000. This money goes to scholarships for field trips that support students in both MHS and WES. Thank you for your continued support!

If your child forgets to bring their water bottle or Chromebook, you DO NOT have to bring it to the school. They can use the bubbler and borrow a Chromebook. This helps not to interrupt the classroom teaching that is taking place. Thank you for your time.

Did you know that MHS/WES is on Instagram? Check it out!! principalkt24

All students have a bus number assigned to them as well as stops. Please click on the button at the end of this newsletter to see your child's bus number and stop. HOWEVER, if your child is going to be a parent pick up, walker, walker to MHS, or going to extended day, it is VERY IMPORTANT to send in a note with your child's first and last name to the school. One note is sufficient for the year with their schedule, but if it changes at all, we need to know. The safety of your child is our priority. Thank you

Emergency Early Dismissal Policy

In the event of an unforeseen emergency that necessitates the dismissal of students prior to the end of the school day, parent notification will be provided through the automated phone and email system. Typical emergency situations that may precipitate an early dismissal include, but are not necessarily limited to, severe weather conditions, fire and absence of heat or water.

Since it is impractical for school officials to personally contact every parent in the event of an early dismissal, parents and particularly the parents of elementary age children, are encouraged to develop a clear and well-defined plan with their children in case of an early dismissal. Since children will be dismissed to their home, it is imperative that children know how to gain entry into their home and how and whom to call once they are there.

ABSENCES: Please call WES (978-874-2043) or MHS (978-874-0163) when your child will be absent or late for school. Please state your name, your child’s name, teacher, and the reason for absence. If you must speak to someone, please call after 7:45 AM. This system is to ensure the safety of your child. If we do not hear from you, we will contact you at home or work, and if we can’t reach someone we may send a school resource officer to the house to do a well child check. Absent notes are required when children return to school.

AM Arrivals: Bus drivers do not let children off the bus until 8:20 a.m. There is NO Supervision before 8:20 a.m. Walkers/students being dropped off should not arrive before 8:20 a.m. School starts at 8:30 a.m.

PM Dismissals: The school day ends at 2:55 p.m. The office needs to know your dismissal plan. If your child is a car-rider, you will be given a sign to display on your car dashboard to be used each day. Car riders will be dismissed to the cafeteria and called outside in the order cars line up. Please remain in your car. Signs will be posted. If you would like your older sibling to walk from WES to MHS pick-ups for dismissal in the afternoon, please send a note to the office and your child’s teacher.

If your child needs to be dismissed early, please send a note to his/her teacher stating the time and reason for dismissal. Early dismissals will be handled through the main office.

NOTES: Please use student’s (and parent’s) last names in all notes to the teacher/office. Please also date all notes so that we can be sure we are dealing with current messages. Notes are required for any change in dismissal. You may also email a note to mhsoffice@awrsd.org (MHS) or wesoffice@awrsd.org(WES).

MEDICATIONS: ALL Medications must be brought to the nurse by an adult at the beginning of the day. Medication is NOT TO BE TAKEN by any child on his/her own. The school nurse under the following circumstances will administer medication:

• A signed and dated note from a doctor and a parent is sent with the child’s name, dosage, reason for medication and time to be given.

• The prescription bottle is sent with only the amount which will be needed for the administration at school. (Pharmacies will dispense in two bottles if you ask.)

School Announcements:

Please make sure all phone numbers and email addresses are updated throughout the school year to ensure you receive all messages sent from the school or district.

RESTRICTIONS: Please provide the office with any LEGAL DOCUMENT which indicates any legal restrictions on the release of your child as per district policy. These restrictions CANNOT be honored unless we have a copy of the legal documents in your child’s file. Please remember that it is MOST IMPORTANT that your child knows who he/she is allowed to leave school with and restrictions of the same.

TARDINESS: It is important that your child be at school on time. Tardy students need to stop at the office for a tardy slip when they arrive later than 8:30 a.m. If excessive tardiness continues, it will be necessary for the parent and child to meet with the Principal so that we may remedy the situation.

ARRIVAL

8:20 - 8:30 AM

DISMISSAL

2:55 PM

HALF DAYS - DISMISSAL

12:00 PM

AM Session 8:45-11:10 AM

PM Session 12:00-2:30 PM

Full Day Session 8:45-2:30 PM (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday)

Please reach out with any questions you may have. We are happy to help!

• MHS - Kathi McCarthy 978-874-0163 ext. 0
• WES - Liz Maillet 978-874-2043 ext 0

General Ashburnham-Westminster Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) membership is open to all AWRSD parents/guardians of children with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and Section 504 Plans and other interested parties. We need volunteers to help plan workshops, staff tables at local school and community events, become future leaders, assist other parents, and plan new activities and projects. Learn more about us and our work on our website https://sites.google.com/view/ashburnham-westminster-sepac. You can also follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ashwestsepac.

Bus passes will be issued for students riding their ASSIGNED bus but getting off at a different stop. A note or phone call from the parent/guardian is required to your child’s school office. The office will then issue the bus pass. Bus passes to ride a DIFFERENT bus will ONLY be issued in the event of an emergency. The school office must be notified by a parent/guardian that there is a circumstance beyond their control/emergency causing a student to ride a different bus. Bus passes are not issued for going to a friend’s house, dances, etc.

If you have specific questions or concerns regarding your child’s bussing, please reach out to bussing@awrsd.org.