Mindess School Weekly Update

Dear Mindess Families,

We have many exciting events and learning opportunities coming up at Mindess, and we are looking forward to sharing them with you. As always, thank you for your continued partnership and support of our school community.

We are excited to announce that the first official Heart Challenge is coming to Mindess! This educational opportunity is being organized by Ms. Plichta, our Wellness Teacher, and will focus on heart health and helping students learn how to care for their bodies while supporting a meaningful cause. Additional information about the Heart Challenge can be found below in this newsletter.

The annual Ashland Clocker Classic is also just around the corner. This much-loved community event brings together teachers from each Ashland school for a friendly game of basketball. Students and families always enjoy attending and cheering on their favorite teachers and administrators. A flyer with more details is included in the Community Section of this newsletter.

Our second Kids Night Out (KNO) is fast approaching. Please be sure to review the information below if you are interested in participating. As a reminder, families only need to complete the permission slip once for the school year. If you signed it earlier in the fall, you are all set and only need to submit payment this time. If you are unsure whether you already submitted the form, feel free to complete it again.

Mrs. Krashin is already hard at work planning this year’s Science Symposium, one of our most exciting and impactful events. During the symposium, presenters from a wide range of STEM fields visit Mindess to share information about their professions and experiences with students. Last year, we welcomed over 50 presenters from many different fields. A letter with additional details, including how to sign up as a presenter, can be found below.

Our next round of i-Ready assessments is also right around the corner, with dates listed below in the newsletter. Please note that if a student is absent on a scheduled assessment day, they will absolutely have the opportunity to make up the assessment upon their return to school.

We are also thrilled to share the incredible projects our Grade 5 students have been creating during computer class. A huge thank you to Ms. Breault for engaging students in such a creative and meaningful project. A video showcasing one of the final projects can be found in the highlights section below, and we hope you enjoy seeing the impressive work our students are doing.

As a reminder, there will be no school tomorrow due to a teacher professional learning day, and there will also be no school on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We hope families enjoy the long weekend.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of Mindess. We look forward to all of the learning, celebrations, and community events ahead.

Warmly,

Kate Altman

Principal

Mindess families,

We are excited to continue to create a community of lifesavers this school year.

Sign up for the Kids Heart Challenge under our school link.

Check this off your list in less than one minute and receive a wristband just for joining the team.

This year, we have an important goal: 100% of our families learning the lifesaving skill of Hands-Only CPR! It only takes a few minutes to learn, and it can make all the difference in an emergency.

1. Sign Up: heart.org/schools and download the free “AHA Schools” app.

Or use: http://www2.heart.org/goto/davidmindesselementary

1. Raise funds to help kids with special hearts.

1. Complete Finn’s Mission: Complete all 7 steps, learn Hands-Only CPR, and be entered to win two Super Bowl tickets!

If 50% of our families sign up our school will earn a $500 gift certificate for physical activity and recess equipment to support the health of our school community.

For additional information please see the Ashland PTO website.

JANUARY

Friday, January 16 - Professional Development for Staff - NO SCHOOL for Students

Monday, January 19 - NO SCHOOL - M.L.King Jr. Day

Wednesday, January 21

• Grade 5 iREADY ELA

Thursday, January 22

• Grade 4 iREADY ELA

Friday, January 23

• Grade 3 iREADY ELA

Monday, January 26

• Grade 5 iREADY Math

Tuesday, January 27

• Grade 4 iREADY Math

Wednesday, January 28

• Grade 3 iREADY Math

Thursday, January 29

• Heart Challenge Presentation - Cafeteria Heart Challenge (more information to come)

8- 8:30 Grade 4

8:35 - 9:05 Grade 5

9:10 - 9:40 Grade 3

This video highlights the creativity, collaboration, and digital skills of our 5th grade students during computer class. Through hands-on projects, students explored technology tools, practiced problem-solving, and brought their ideas to life in creative ways. We are proud of their hard work, teamwork, and growing confidence as digital learners. Enjoy this glimpse into learning in action!

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

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.

Mindess School will be taking part in the Great Kindness Challenge again this January! This is the 15th annual National Great Kindness Challenge. Students will receive a checklist with 50 kind acts to complete that week. Ask your child to show you their checklist! For more information or to download the Great Kindness Challenge Checklist Family addition, click on the parent letter here!

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.

Tick, Tick, Tick, it’s time for woodworking! Utilizing equipment and provided materials, participants will create their own little clocks! Following the direction of their mentors, participants will learn how to handle various tools in order to precisely cut the wood provided to them. Throughout the program, the creative freedom of the participants will be brought to action. They will design and customize the faces and overall designs of their individual clocks. Ready to get handy? Sign up for woodworking today!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfO8BR_lcgQCQxM2UCKDv-cCLaxBWrj9hVy6W16X9dt_hiSqA/viewform?usp=dialog

Our AMS actors are working hard under the direction of Mr. Langmeyer to bring this powerful historical production to the Little Theater. Performances will be held:

• January 23rd at 7:00 p.m.

• January 24th at 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
  
  

The show explores the true stories of more than 250,000 children who were relocated from Eastern cities to the Midwest in the late 1800s and early 1900s. With themes of resilience, social responsibility, and belonging, the production reflects on the courage of young people and the impact one person can have on others. The show is rated G, appropriate for all ages, runs 1 hour and 15 minutes, and tickets are $10 cash.

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.