Center Connection

Dear Families,

As we approach the Thanksgiving break, I find myself reflecting on the past few months and the journey we have started together. This is my first year serving as your principal, and I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for the incredibly warm welcome I have received.

Stepping into a new community is always a significant transition, but your kindness, openness, and support have made Center feel like home very quickly. Whether it was a conversation at Open House or a simple email of introduction, I am thankful for the trust you have placed in me to lead this wonderful school.

During this season of gratitude, I am also reminded that the success of our students relies heavily on the strength of our community. We often talk about academic achievement and social growth, but neither is fully possible without the strong partnership between home and school. Thank you for collaborating with our teachers, for staying engaged in your child’s learning, and for working alongside us to ensure every student feels valued and capable of greatness.

I hope that this break provides you and your loved ones a well-deserved opportunity to rest, recharge, and enjoy time together. Whether you are traveling or staying close to home, I wish you a Thanksgiving Break that is filled with joy, good food, and happy memories.

As a final note, please be sure to take a look at our Virtual Backpack for some new additions. We are also very excited to welcome Laura Schmidt as a new instructional assistant here at Center.

In partnership,

Kerryann

November 24: Virtual Listening Session (4:00)

November 26-28: No School

Dear Families, 11/24/25

Last week at our All School Meeting, Lindsey Dyda from the Stow Food Pantry came to talk about how cooperation works to help collect food to distribute to people in need. We will be doing ONE

Day of Giving on Wednesday 12/3. The items will be delivered to the Food Pantry on Friday 12/5 to be given to the public on 12/13 (and thereafter). Please see the list below of specific items to be collected by each grade level. Please remember to just bring your item on the ONE day, Wednesday 12/3!!!

THANK YOU!

Pre-K and Kindergarten: Toothbrushes

1st Grade: Deodorant

2nd Grade: Shaving Cream

3rd Grade: Decaf Coffee

4th Grade: Crackers

5th Grade: Cereal

STAFF: Any of the items

December 2: Picture Day Retakes

December 3: Day of Giving

December 8-12: Spirit Week

December 8: Mis-Match Day

December 9: Tuesday will be Class Color Day (Pre-K- Blue, K-Purple, 1- Orange, 2- Green, 3- Pink, 4- Red, 5- Yellow)

December 9: SPTO Virtual Meeting (7pm)

December 10: Sports Day

December 11: Sweater Day

December 11: In Person Coffee Hour with Mrs. Coppinger (9:00am)

December 11: Virtual Listening Session with Mrs. Coppinger (4pm)

December 12: Pajama Day

December 12: Early Release (11:15am Pre-School Dismissal; 12:15 K-5 Dismissal)

December 12: Report Cards Sent Home

December 17: School Council (3:30pm)

December 24-January 4: Winter Break- No School

January 9: Early Release (11:15am Pre-School Dismissal; 12:15 K-5 Dismissal)

Follow Our Events by subscribing to The Center School Calendar.

Colds, flu, and other respiratory illnesses are common in the colder months. As we begin to enter the Winter season, I thought I would share the chart below with you as a resource, if needed. As a reminder, handwashing is easy and it is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. At school we are encouraging our students to be frequently washing their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, encouraging them to not touch their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, cover their coughs and sneezes, and are continuing to clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects such as tables ,toys, and doorknobs. Thank you for your efforts in helping to promote a health school environment for all of our children at The Center School.

Nurse Audra

Attendance & Dismissal Updates: No more phone calls, paper notes, or emails!

Reporting Absences, Late Arrivals or Early Dismissals
All student absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals should now be entered through PickUp Patrol. This allows the school office, health office, and classroom teacher to access the information directly.

• Absences (Please enter as soon as you know of an upcoming absence. It helps us a lot when they are in prior to the day starting).

• Late arrivals

• Any changes to dismissal plans (before 2pm)
  
  

Using this program ensures that the school office, your child’s teacher, the health office, and the dismissal team all have the same, up-to-date information each day. Families can access PickUp Patrol through the mobile app or the website dashboard.

Hello Nashoba Community,

We’ve heard from families interested in supporting others in need, as well as from those seeking assistance. The resources below are meant to connect families with the many supports available within our community. If you need assistance beyond what’s listed, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s school counseling team.

Stow Resident Resources:

• Holiday gift assistance:

• Toys for Tots: https://local.toysfortots.org/request_toys/toys-city-county.aspx?txtState=MASSACHUSETTS

• Beacon Santa

• beacon-santa@wickedlocal.com

• Beacon Santa Fund, c/o Wicked Local Media, 150 Baker Ave. Ext., Suite 201, Concord, MA 01742

• Catholic Charities of Worcester County Phone: (508)-798-0191 Address: 216 W. Boylston St #300 West Boylston 01583

• Additional resources for Stow Residents

• Warm Hearts of Stow 549 Great Rd, Stow, MA 01775 (978) 897-4569

• Stow Town Social Workers: https://www.stow-ma.gov/social-worker

• Brian O’Sullivan LICSW, Town Social Worker 978-897-2638

• Rachel Michalczyk LICSW, Town Social Worker 978-897-2638

• Stow Food Pantry

• Call 978-897-4230 or email at stowfoodp@gmail.com

• Metrowest food collaborative: https://www.metrowestfoodcollaborative.org/_files/ugd/cc164f_091452b5037e4584a9969f041047c201.pdf

• United Way for Stow: https://www.unitedwaycm.org/

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): https://www.mass.gov/snap-benefits-formerly-food-stamps (upper right hand corner of website has languages to translate)

• Fuel Assistance: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-home-heating-and-energy-assistance

• Lunch Application: (there is a place in the upper right hand corner to translate language) https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application

• Free of Reduced Cost Services: CommunityHelp.net

Food Pantries and Meal Programs

• Find a food pantry near you- Food pantries provide free groceries to those in need.
• Find a meal site near you- Community meal sites offer free meals to individuals and families.
• Use the Food Bank's Food Finder- A tool to help you locate food assistance in your area.
• Call Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline: 1-800-645-8333.

• Call Mass 2-1-1.

• Contact the Food Bank in your area:

• Greater Boston Food Bank: GBFB.org/need-food
• Food Bank of Western MA: FoodbankWMA.org/get-help/
• Worcester County Food Bank: Foodbank.org/find-food/

• Merrimack Valley Food Bank: https://mvfb.org/pantry-schedule

• There are many foodbanks across the state. Here is a list of foodbanks on the south coast.

• Mutual Aid Networks

• Buy Nothing groups on Facebook are organizing for food share. Check your local Buy Nothing group.

Substitutes play a critical role in helping our school succeed and Center School needs more of them! If you have the flexibility in your schedule or know someone who does, it is an incredible way to support our school community. Please reach out with any questions.

Apply Here

We appreciate your help in growing our substitute pool!

If you are looking for a way to help support your child's school experience please consider applying to be a lunch monitor. The lunch monitor is a paid position that works 2.5 hours as day, (11:00-1:30) 5 days a week. If you are interested please apply here. Filling this position helps make our school be the best it can be!