Mindess School Weekly Update

Dear Mindess Families,

Welcome back! It was wonderful to see our students return on Wednesday, rested and ready to begin the second half of the school year. We held grade-level assemblies upon our return to help us hit the ground running and revisit our shared expectations for learning and community.

During these assemblies, we spent time reviewing the Mindess STARS:

⭐ Safety
⭐ Teamwork
⭐ Always Kind
⭐ Responsibility
⭐ Shows Respect

These core values guide our daily interactions and help us maintain a positive, focused, and supportive learning environment for all students. We are proud of how thoughtfully our students engaged in these conversations and recommitted themselves to being leaders in our school community.

Last night was another exciting moment for Mindess! The Clocker Classic Trophy has officially returned home for the second year in a row after an incredibly competitive and spirited game. Congratulations to Mr. Powers, who was named MVP, and to Ms. Nicholson for scoring the game-winning basket! We are so proud of our staff and grateful for the community support that makes this tradition so special.

As we continue through the winter months, this is a friendly reminder to please send your child to school prepared for outdoor recess. Students should come with snow boots, snow pants, coats, hats, and gloves when there is snow on the ground. Students who are not wearing snow boots and snow pants will not be permitted to play in the snow and will need to remain on cleared pavement areas. We want all students to be able to fully enjoy recess, and proper winter gear helps keep everyone safe, warm, and ready to learn when they return inside.

We have several exciting events coming up at Mindess:

• Annual Math Night – Join us next month for an evening of engaging, hands-on math activities designed for the whole family. More details can be found below!

• MCAS Informational Session for 3rd grade families and families new to Mindess – I will be hosting a session to provide an overview of MCAS, what families can expect, and how we support students in preparing for state assessments.

To help ensure the session is tailored to your needs, participants are encouraged to complete the linked survey (found below) in advance and submit any questions they would like addressed during the presentation. Your input will help us make the session as informative and responsive as possible.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. We’re looking forward to a strong and successful second half of the year at Mindess!

Warm regards,
Kate Altman
Principal

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/btu-yhic-ygb

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 218-414-3286‬ PIN: ‪314 287 624‬#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/btu-yhic-ygb?pin=5883957465307

Please submit any questions you may have in advance of the Google Meet. Doing so will help us prepare for the presentation and ensure that your questions are thoughtfully addressed.

March

Friday, March 6

• Grades Close

Tuesday, March 10

• MCAS info session for new families @1:00pm

• Site Council - 2:30pm

Thursday, March 19

• Report Cards Go Home

Friday, March 20 - NO SCHOOL - Eid al Fitr

Tuesday, March 24 - Conferences

• ½ Day Before Lunch 10:40 Dismissal

Wednesday, March 25 - Conferences

• ½ Day Before Lunch 10:40 Dismissal

Thursday, March 26 - Conferences

• ½ Day Before Lunch 10:40 Dismissal

Friday, March 27

• Hoedown

Clocker Classic Champions for the second year in a row!

A note from our school nurses:

Massachusetts state law mandates that all fourth grade students have a complete physical exam form on file in the school health office. A physical exam done after September 1, 2024 will meet this requirement. Please ensure that the nurses have an up-to-date exam form for your child. You can fax a copy of the form to 508-881-0189 or email it to mes_nurses@ashland.k12.ma.us.

Please call the health office at 508-532-8045 if you have any questions.

January's SEL Theme of the month is Empathy. SEL lessons in the classroom focus on how to put yourself in other's shoes and recognize how they might be feeling. In third grade, kids are learning to look at facial expressions and body language to guess how someone might be feeling. In fourth grade, students are learning to related to the feelings of another by thinking about how they have felt in a similar situation. By fifth grade, students work on thinking not only about how someone else might be feeling, but also what they can do to improve situations around them. Our restorative circles this month focused on making New Year's Resolutions about classroom expectations- what they can do better to make school be successful for all. Empathy is one of the biggest skills we try to get all students to work on at this age.

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.

Saturday, March 21

10:00 AM—4:00 PM

LibraryAshland Public Library66 Front St, Ashland, MA, 01721

Click here for more information.

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.