Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we embark on a new school year, we want to extend a warm welcome to both our returning families and those joining our school community for the first time. The start of middle school is an exciting and pivotal time in your child's educational journey, and we are thrilled to have you as partners in this adventure.

Middle school is a time of exploration, growth, and discovery. Our dedicated staff is committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and challenging environment where every student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. We believe in fostering a culture of curiosity and respect, where each child feels valued and inspired to reach their full potential.

This year, we have several initiatives and programs aimed at enhancing the educational experience for our students. From our newly enhanced Digital Literacy Computer Science and Technology Engineering classes, projects to our expanded extracurricular offerings, there are numerous opportunities for your child to discover their passions and develop new skills.

Communication between home and school is key to your child's success, and we encourage you to stay informed and engaged. Our monthly newsletters, website, and parent-teacher conferences are just a few of the ways we aim to keep you connected with what’s happening at school. Please don’t wait until conferences or report cards to reach out to us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions throughout the year.

We are excited to work together to ensure that this school year is filled with learning, growth, and memorable experiences for all. Thank you for entrusting us with your child's education. Together, we can make this year a great success!

Warm regards,

Kristina Bogosh, Principal

Lori Shattuck, Assistant Principal

We are so grateful for the beauty by which our school is surrounded both inside with students and outside with its environment!

Our Welcome Night was a huge success! A huge thanks to the PTO volunteers and teachers who attended and made the night a great success!

In order to play fall sports, you must have an up-to-date physical in the last 13 months and must go to the Athletic website page and complete the online registration. Any questions please contact Athletic Director edawley@awrsd.org.

If your child received any immunizations over the summer, please send documentation to the health office. Incoming grade 7 students will typically receive TDAP (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) and meningitis vaccine at this age.

Also, please submit any doctor's orders for medications that need to be administered at school as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Nancy Taylor at ntaylor@awrsd.org

Fall Sports Contacts

Middle School Field Hockey

Coach: Gina McCullin ginerm@aol.com

JV girls field hockey/8th grade girls only

Coach: Brittney Field bfield@awrsd.org

Cross Country

Coaches: Jason Young, jyoung@awrsd.org; Caitlin Grady cmiller@awrsd.org

Boys Soccer

Coach: Marc Theriault mtheriault@awrsd.org

Girls Soccer

Coach: Jared Quinn jquinn@awrsd.org

JV girls soccer/8th grade girls only

Coach: Jen Groncki jgroncki@awrsd.org

Grade 8 students diligently getting down to work the first week of school reviewing their math skills!

Grade 8 students working on their biography poems.

September 23 and 30

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/ten-things-parents-can-do-to-prevent-suicide.aspx

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Handguns-in-the-Home.aspx

• NIH Articles: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6449671/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27247125/
  
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183915/
• VIDEO: https://youtu.be/kGZvNbfrNag
• WEBSITE: https://www.humanetech.com/youth
• https://www.humanetech.com/take-control
• https://www.humanetech.com/future-generations
  
• NYT Article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PdtQZAuVsflH0SuM9E6BMNyDkq9NPcjq/view
• NYT Article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zvHPmlIQios-a2llfLFyj6DbdMWB5h8S/view
• Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/smartphone-addiction-silicon-valley-dystopia
• PEW Research: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
• VIDEO: https://youtu.be/rv0g8TsnA6c
• TIME Article: https://time.com/5555737/smartphone-mental-health-teens/
• INFOGRAPHIC: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/technology-addiction-concern-controversy-and-finding-balance-infographic

• Smithsonian & NMAAHC WEBSITE (Race): https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race
• Anti-Defamation League WEBSITE: https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/talking-young-children-about-bias-and-prejudice
• Oakland Library Resources DOCUMENT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s0lCA3FlulVhK6DFE2d3uYCipc6ApY8Gn2rMwm6fYqw/edit
• PJ Library WEBSITE (Antisemitism): https://pjlibrary.org/beyond-books/pjblog/february-2022/how-to-talk-to-children-about-anti-semitism
  
• Nick Helps WEBSITE (Bullying Prevention): https://www.nick.com/nick-helps/bullying-prevention/

We see the school and home as a partnership. We ask to review these expectations with your child in an effort to create unified expectations from both the school and home fronts. Please see the matrix attachment below to review with your child.

We are a phone free school. If a student brings a cell phone to school, it must be kept off and in student's locker for the entirety of the school day.

SMART watches are considered a personal device. Teachers have found that they can serve as a considerable distraction to students during class. They are also banned by the state during MCAS testing. We ask that all SMART watches be left at home or in the lockers during the school day. Please and thank you.

Students are only allowed water for drinks in class. There have been some young business entrepreneurs at OMS that have been selling things such as candy. Students are not authorized nor allowed to sell anything at school.

Students should not be wearing pajamas or slippers to school. This is part of our dress code. We do on occasion have a spirit day where students are allowed to wear pajamas as a "treat" but appropriate, everyday school attire does not include pajamas or slippers.

Also, please be sure that shorts and tops do not expose buttocks, chest or abdomen. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for school. Thank you!

If your child is dressed inappropriately, we will require parents to bring a change of appropriate clothes to school.

Students cannot enter the building before 7:10am as there is no supervision.

Between 7:10-7:20, drive around the back of the building and have student exit by south side of building and walk up the front sidewalk to the front doors.

Between 7:20-7:30 drive around back of building and have student exit through the back door monitored by a staff member.

Breakfast begins at 7:20 (students can exit the bus at this time if eating breakfast only).

Students exit bus at 7:30.

Classes begin at 7:35am.

Dismissal is at 1:50pm.

Please be sure to not park in the general parking areas to let students off or pick them up. Use the line that goes behind the school. This is a safety concern with students running through parking lots and parents disrupting traffic patterns.

Also, please pay attention to staff members directing traffic. Do not drive-by when they ask you to stop.

Passing busses with flashing lights is a $250 traffic citation.

OMS does not have an extended day program. Students must be picked up after school or take the bus home at the conclusion of the school day at 1:50pm if not participating in a club/sport. Also, students must be picked up at the end of the activity. If students are not picked up on time, they will not be allowed to continue participating in the after school activity.

Club info coming soon!

If you feel inundated with emails or have trouble keeping up with email, Parent Square has a great feature if you download the application to your phone. The application will allow you to receive text notifications on school information/updates without having to rummage through your email's inbox to find them.

Lots of PTO stuff.....

1. Thank to all our donors and volunteers who helped make Overlook's Teacher and Staff Back-to-School luncheon a success. It was a big hit with our staff. We couldn't have done this without all of your generous contributions. And on behalf of the Overlook Middle School PTO and the entire Overlook Middle School community, THANK YOU!

2.We invite YOU to become a MEMBER of the Overlook Middle School PTO.

We appreciate the support you’ve given over the years at your elementary school and hope you will consider becoming a member at Overlook to continue your Support of the teachers, staff, students and community at Overlook.

This past year was our first year of the new PTO at the middle school and we are proud of all we accomplished: Teacher appreciation week activities, Holiday Hot Cocoa, Concessions at Drama Club performances, and more. We have big plans for MORE this next school year and need your support to make it happen.

To become a 2024-2025 PTO member:

● Fill out the membership Google Doc: https://sites.google.com/awrsd.org/overlookmspto/home

● Pay the $5 dues with cash or check to “OMS PTO” and bring it to the office. Or Venmo @overlookmspto and comment “2024 membership for (your name).”

Take a look at our website https://sites.google.com/awrsd.org/overlookmspto/home or our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram OverlookMSPTO for all the latest information.

Please check the Portal regularly. Google Classroom is not an accurate indicator of grades. Please reach out to the teacher directly if you have any questions.

General membership to the Ashburnham-Westminster Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is open to all AWRSD parents/guardians of children with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and Section 504 Plans and other interested parties. We are in need of 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. We welcome you to learn more about SEPAC 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. Please contact Jennifer Ramsdell if interested in SEPAC jramsdell@awrsd.org

See attachment below for more information on renewing MassHealth coverage.