Mindess School Weekly Update

Dear Mindess Families,

We wrapped up another wonderful week here at school! Our 5th graders continued their Handball unit with lots of energy and teamwork. The final game is scheduled for December 23rd, and the excitement is already building!

Today, all students participated in Community Learning, where they created beautiful paper luminaries in celebration of the Winter Solstice. You’ll find some highlights below. These luminaries will be displayed around both the car drop-off/pick-up loop and the bus loop on December 19th and 20th. We invite all families to drive through, enjoy the glow, and take in this magical moment. We hope you’ll take the opportunity to see your child’s creation shining bright!

Report cards went home with students today. If you have any questions about your child’s report card or would like to discuss their progress further, please don’t hesitate to reach out directly to your child’s classroom teacher. They are always happy to connect and support you with any questions you may have.

Spirit Week will begin next Wednesday! We’re looking forward to some fun, school-wide festivities to help us celebrate the season together. More details will be shared early next week so your child can join in on all the themed days! Please see the list of themed days below.

One of our school goals this year is to strengthen our use of restorative circle practices. As part of this goal, all staff are being trained in restorative circles throughout the year. We have already begun using them in our daily practices and have found great success in helping students build relationships, reflect on their actions, and strengthen our classroom communities. A few months ago, I shared a video with staff that illustrates the power of circles in supporting students, and I recently shared it with our Site Council as well. I thought it might be helpful to include it here for families so you can better understand why this is an important focus for our school and how it benefits our students.

Wishing you a warm and relaxing weekend!

Kate Altman

Principal

DECEMBER

Tuesday, December 16

• 4th Grade Band Concert - 7pm to 8:00pm - AHS

Friday, December 19 -

• Winter Solstice Celebration

Friday, December 19 and 20 (rain/snow date the 22nd and 23rd):

• Families are invited to drive through and view the luminaries

Tuesday, December 23 - Early Release - After Lunch 11:55

Wednesday, December 24 - Friday, January 2 - WINTER BREAK

Students during community learning making their luminaries for our Winter Solstice. Please drive through the car pick up line/drop off line and the bus loop after dark on the night of December 19th and 20th to view their beautiful work!

Reminder from the Mindess Health Office

We have seen a significant increase in illnesses, including influenza and strep throat, this week.

To help keep our school community healthy, please check-in with your child each morning and keep your child home if they are showing signs of illness. Students should stay home if they have had any of the following symptoms in the last 24 hours:

• Fever of 100.0°F or higher
  
  

• Vomiting or diarrhea
  
  

• Persistent cough or difficulty breathing
  
  

• Sore throat, especially with fever
  
  

• Rash accompanied by fever or behavior changes
  
  

• Any illness that prevents them from participating comfortably in school activities
  
  

Please ensure your child is fever-free without medication and symptoms are improved for at least 24 hours before returning to school.

Thank you for helping us maintain a healthy environment for all students.

— Mindess School Nurses

December's SEL Theme of the month is Responsibility. SEL lessons in the classroom focus on how to be responsible for your materials, yourself, your actions, and for righting a wrong. At this age students are learning how to take responsibility for their actions by understanding their role in conflicts and how to own up to mistakes. In Restorative Circle Conversations, students are learning how to make things "as right as possible". This is a great age for students to explore the cause and effect of their actions and consequences of their behaviors. This can be a positive consequence for expected behaviors or a negative consequence when they do something unexpected by those around them.

The holidays can be a difficult time for families. If your family needs any support this holiday season, please contact your child's school counselor:

Grade 3 - Amanda Walker awalker@ashland.k12.ma.us, 508-881-0166x3

Grade 4 - Melissa Mespelli mmespelli@ashland.k12.ma.us, 508-881-0166x4

Grade 5 - Meghan McGuire mmcguire@ashland.k12.ma.us, 508-881-0166x5

Don’t forget to visit ashland.k12.ma.us/Flyers where we feature announcements and events offered by organizations, clubs and teams throughout our community that serve to enrich the lives of our students, families, faculty and staff.

With Thanksgiving behind us and winter right around the corner... we've got Spring 2026 on our minds!

That's right, registration is now open for the 2026 Spring Baseball and Softball season.

Click on the link below to register and enter today!

Register Here

You can find all of the program descriptions on the AYBS site by visiting the links below:

Baseball Programs | Softball Programs

We've also included tentative program schedules (practice and game days) in the descriptions on our site but we've also included them below for quick reference.

2026 Schedule by Division

Baseball
Tiny Tots (Age 4) - There will be 1 session per week on Saturdays.
T-Ball (Ages 5-6) - There will be 1 practice a week on either Mondays or Wednesdays. There will be 1 game per week on Saturdays.
A (Ages 6-7) - There will be 1 practice a week on either Mondays or Wednesdays. There will be 1 game per week on Saturdays.
AA (Age 8) - There will be 1 practice a week on either Mondays or Wednesdays. There will be 1-2 games per week on Fridays and Saturdays.
AAA (Ages 9-10) - Games and practices will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Majors (Ages 11-12) - Games and practices will be held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Softball
K-Ball (Pre-K and K) - There will be 1 practice a week - day TBD. There will be 1 game per week on Saturdays.
AA (1st Grade) - There will be 1 practice a week - day TBD. There will be 1 game per week on Saturdays.
Minors (U8) - Games are on Mondays and Wednesdays. Practices are on Saturdays.
Majors (U10) - Games are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Practices are on Saturdays or Sundays.
Seniors (U12 or U14/12) - Games could be on a Tuesdays, Fridays or Sundays. All will depend on # of teams across the League. Practice 1x during the week possibly or weekends depending on game schedule.

We look forward to seeing you on the diamonds next spring and good luck with the raffle!

Note: Schedules may change depending on number of players and teams. However, we anticipate following the above format for the 2026 season.

Registration Raffle Drawing Details:
One entry per a household.
Having multiple players in AYBS programs will not increase your number of entries or chances to win.
You must have a player registered for an AYBS program by 11:59 PM EST on November 30, 2025 to be eligible for drawing.
Random drawing from all eligible entries will be held on or around December 2, 2025.
We will contact the winner directly to notify them.
No purchase necessary. Email president@aybsonline.org and include "Register Today" in the subject line for alternative form of entry.