TPS District Newsletter

Dear TPS Community,

As we navigate through February and enjoy our first snow day of the season, I want to take a moment to commend our remarkable students and staff for their unwavering dedication and exceptional work in these cold winter months.

This month has been particularly meaningful as our schools celebrate Black History Month. Our classrooms are buzzing with enriching educational activities that honor the significant contributions of African Americans to our nation's history and culture. Students have been engaged in thoughtful book readings that celebrate Black joy, discovering the groundbreaking achievements of Black scientists who have transformed our world, and exploring specially curated displays in our school libraries. Our hallway message boards showcase important historical figures and events, fostering meaningful discussions throughout our school community.

As February break approaches, I want to extend my warmest wishes to all our families and staff. Whether you're planning to embark on an adventure to a new destination or enjoying the comfort of home, I hope this break provides you with opportunities for relaxation, joy, and quality time with loved ones. And don’t forget, if you are staying home, please take advantage of the special and FREE online puzzles and problem solving games we have made available through March in the MA Math Challenge (see link below).

Thank you for your continued partnership in making our school community such a vibrant place of learning and growth. Have a wonderful and refreshing February break!

Sincerely,

Brenda Theriault-Regan

The district is seeking nominations for the 2025 Annual Ginsburg Family Award to recognize an individual, a group, or a company/organization who has had a significant impact on the Tewksbury Public Schools in the area of physical, monetary, tangible contribution(s), or volunteering for the benefit of a school or the district, as well as the 2025 Annual Krissy Polimeno Outstanding Educator Award, given annually to honor an individual educator in the area of active involvement, volunteering, and giving a generous amount of time and energy to the quality of the educational system as an advocate for students in the Tewksbury Public Schools. We invite you to send in your nominations using the following forms:

Ginsburg Family Award Nomination Form

Polimeno Outstanding Educator Award Nomination Form

Kindergarten registration is now open! Parents / guardians of incoming Kindergarten students are welcomed to select a registration meeting date and time. Prior to the appointment, families must complete the online registration documents and upload the supporting documents.

Please click here to view the Kindergarten Parent Information presentation.

Please find our Kindergarten flyer here or via the button above. Also, take a look at a day in the life of a kindergartener via this slideshow!

We're thrilled to invite you to our upcoming AI in Education Focus Group, a unique opportunity to explore the future of learning in our school district! 🤖📚

Join us in our work to develop how artificial intelligence will be used to transform education and enhance our children's learning experiences. This is a chance for you to share your insights, ask questions, and collaborate with educators and district leadership. Your voice matters, and together, we can shape an innovative and inclusive educational environment.

The event will be held Monday, February 10th from 6pm - 7pm at the Center School.

Click the button above to RVSP!

The Greater Lowell YMCA will offer an indoor recreation camp for school vacation week February 17-21 for children ages 7-13 at the Tewksbury Recreation Center at 286 Livingston Street.

The YMCA will offer a variety of daily activities including games, indoor sports, arts and crafts, and more for kids to enjoy over the school break. There will be limited outdoor activities weather permitting, so campers should be equipped with coats, hats, gloves, and boots.

The camp will run Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily. There is a two-day minimum required for registration, but families may sign up for two, three, four, or five-day packages.

Residents of the Town of Tewksbury do not need to be YMCA members to register for these programs.

Registration links are hosted in the Recreation Resources page on the Town website under the YMCA’s subpage. The registration link will be directed to the YMCA's online portal dedicated to Tewksbury programming.

If you have questions or trouble registering for this camp, please contact David Dunne at ddunne@ymca.org or 978-454-7825.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan invites Tewksbury Memorial High School students to a special screening of Six Triple Eight, the inspiring story of Troop 6888, an all-black, all-female battalion that served in World War II. The screening will take place February 23rd at 3pm at the Emmanuel College lecture hall in Boston. Following the movie, there will be a panel discussion with distinguished female professionals about leadership. See the details via the flyer below.

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is still hosting PSA contest for students surrounding the theme of COMMUNITY!

The PSA contest is open to middle and high school students with a submission deadline of April 25, 2025.

Click here for the full informational flyer

Each participant must complete the student application form signed by a parent/guardian consenting to the student's involvement in the PSA Project. The form is available to download below and can also be found on MPY’s website, along with upload instructions for entries. Please return these permission slips to school staff to be kept on file. When uploading a student’s project, please check the box acknowledging receipt of the signed permission slip.

Tewksbury Public Schools is proud to celebrate National School Counseling Week from February 3rd - 7th. Our school counselors are an invaluable part of the TPS community and their hard work does not go unnoticed. Please click the button above to read a proclamation celebrating our team during National School Counseling Week.

Students and staff are busy completing our middle of the year literacy benchmark assessments! We are utilizing DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) in Grades K-8 as both our universal screener for Dyslexia and to assess and monitor the acquisition of literacy skills. Early literacy universal screening is a way to collect and analyze reliable and valid data on the most predictive literacy skills, helping to identify each student's risk of experiencing reading difficulties. Screening does not diagnose dyslexia or other disabilities, but it does help us understand which students may need additional support to be successful readers. Following the screening assessment, literacy team members and teachers will review all student data. If your student is in Grades K-3 and scores "significantly below benchmarks", we will contact you within 30 school days of testing to discuss how we can support your child.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for EL Education: Behind the Books for Grades K-6! If you were unable to attend, we invite you to explore the slide deck presentations, where we shared insights into how EL Education is transforming literacy instruction in our elementary schools. These presentations provide an overview of the curriculum, highlight how it builds content knowledge and literacy skills, and offer ways to support your child’s learning at home. Click the link below to access the materials.

Kindergarten - Grade 1 Presentations

Grades 2 - 4 Presentation

Grades 5 - 6 Presentation

TMHS's World Language Department hosted their Cultural Fair last month. These English Language Learners presented Compare and Contrast posters about their native school compared to TMHS. The countries represented were Uganda, China, Kosovo, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Philippines, Peru, El Salvador, and Haiti. Great job, student presenters!

Thank you community members like Tewksbury Federal Credit Union for helping us host the Credit for Life fair for our junior class. Students selected careers and learned how to budget their resources. Students got to select a local nonprofit to support. Thank you Greater Lowell Community Foundation for supporting the impact award to the Tewksbury Community Pantry.

Ryan Elementary School (grades 5 & 6) hosted Center Elementary School's 3rd and 4th graders for an Extreme Zoo Makeover in January. During iSTEM class, students researched, designed, and built animal habitats. Students built physical 3D models as well as digital models using CoSpaces Edu. Ryan students did a great job!

TMHS students had many opportunities to connect with field experts in recent weeks. In the past month, students have chatted with NASA Astronaut Chris Williams, simulated a DEA raid, and spoken with project manager Dave Evancho of Studio G architects.

One Call Now, our emergency alert system, will notify parents of school closures, cancellations, early dismissals or delays via phone call or text.

Every student parents/guardians' first two phone numbers in our student database, Aspen, are automatically enrolled for One Call Now phone calls. For the fastest possible notification, we highly recommend opting into text messaging. Text the word ALERT to 22300 via a contact number listed in Aspen to receive text messages.

Please see a full breakdown of opt in and opt out procedures, plus additional information on when calls and texts are utilized here.

Are you looking for activities or available camps for your child(ren) during February Vacation? If so, check out the Macaroni Kid Winter Vacation Guide for up-to-date information on local events, activities, and camps.

The Office of Student and Family Support developed a comprehensive website designed to provide a wide range of resources aimed at supporting student and their families.

In addition, the Massachusetts Partnership for Youth (MPY) has curated an outstanding resource library offering valuable tools and information to families at no cost. These resources cover topics such as mental health, wellness, and more. We encourage you to visit both sites to explore the support and information available to help your family thrive!

Our English Language Education department is pleased to announce three upcoming ELE Parent Advisory Council meetings that will directly support the parents of English Language Learners!

If you or someone you know would like to make a difference in our students' lives by providing exceptional transportation service, Tewksbury Transit is hiring. You can find out more information via their website or give them a call at 978-851-9863.

Website: https://www.tewksbury.k12.ma.us/
Location: 139 Pleasant Street, Tewksbury, MA, USA
Phone: (978) 640-7800