Warren School Weekly Update

Last Friday, we celebrated our February Whole School Assembly with wonderful performances by students from Mrs. Canney’s second grade class, Mrs. Tripp’s first grade class, and Miss Bailey’s second grade class. Their presentations focused on the importance and power of generosity.

Below are some photos from the performances, along with a picture of our amazing second grade role models who sit with our kindergarten and first grade students during assemblies. These students help demonstrate what it should look like and sound like to be a respectful and attentive audience member.

Today, in your child’s folder, you will find a letter from Erica Linares and me regarding assessments that were recently completed. These computer-based standardized assessments are administered through our Amplify and iReady platforms. The results provide information about how your child is performing in reading and mathematics.

If you have any questions about the assessments, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher. These results can also serve as helpful talking points as we prepare for Parent-Teacher Conferences later this month.

Starting next week, students will have an opportunity to shop at our Scholastic Book Fair during their scheduled library class. Families will also have an opportunity to visit the book fair during our upcoming Literacy Night!

Literacy Night is on Wednesday, March 18th. Literacy Night is a fun, literacy-themed event open to all Warren families, parents, caregivers, and siblings are welcome!

A sensory-sensitive session will be available from 5:30–6:00 PM. If you have any questions about this time, please contact me at pregan@ashland.k12.ma.us. Literacy Night will be open to all families from 6:00–7:30 PM.

Activities will include:

• Crafts
• Book swap
• Scavenger hunt
• Photo booth
• Active book walk
• Games and more

Literacy Night is also a major fundraiser for our PTO, which supports so many amazing programs and opportunities for all of our students! The popular Basket Raffle serving as the primary fundraiser. Each classroom has created an amazing basket to be raffled off. Stay tuned for link for raffle tickets!”

New this year: Some of our incredible Warren teachers have partnered with the PTO to create special teacher experience opportunities for students. Stay tuned for more information about these exciting opportunities!

I also want to apologize for any confusion I may have caused regarding our current reading incentive program. The pages sent home refer to this program as our Read-a-thon, and I apologize for my earlier phrasing. This activity is part of our school’s literacy initiatives, along with programs like the Masked Reader videos that I will begin sharing next week, to help motivate students to read.

We will still be holding our traditional PTO Read-a-thon, which serves as a fundraiser to support various student programs throughout the school year. The Basket Raffle also helps support field trips and other PTO-funded school programs.

Finally, don’t forget to turn your clocks forward this weekend for Daylight Saving Time! I always look forward to the extra daylight at the end of the day.

Have a great weekend,

Pete

During the week of March 12th to March 18th, your student will be able to shop for books during their library time. When kids choose their own books they are empowered and inspired to become bolder, prouder and stronger readers! And -- as always -- every book purchased earns rewards for our school library.

We will be including the option for an eWallet, a digital payment account allowing you to fund your student's purchases in advance. Empowered to choose books without handling money, kids focus on what matters most at the Book Fair: discovering a lifelong love of reading. You can share out the eWallet for others to add to. After the Fair, your remaining eWallet balance becomes a gift card to shop online with Scholastic or to fund a future eWallet. You can sign up for an EWallet at the Warren Book Fair Scholastic page.

*As a reminder, we do have sales tax on purchases *

If you would like to volunteer during your student's class time, you can sign up here!

Ms. Ferron

The ARTs make life better!

Hooray for the arts!

All Warren school students have been busy since our All School Sing-a-long in December strengthening their rhythm reading skills. All students learned about various New Year celebrations from around the world and got to watch some traditional Lion and Dragon dances for Chinese New Year.

Kindergarten students participate in Rhythm clap-a-longs almost every week. They just recently learned what a half-note looks like, how long to hold it, and how to clap it. First and Second grade students just love playing Poison rhythm. We have been able to conquer the following poison rhythms games: Volcano, Winter, snowman, Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day.

In addition, the Warren students learned about the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, The Grammy Awards, various music performances at the Super Bowl, as well as artists that represent Black History Month.

Kindergarten students have been learning about high and low pitches and understanding the difference between high and low (pitch) vs. loud and soft (dynamics.) They listened to some classical music and used scarves to move to the sounds, raising the scarves higher as the melody moved higher and lowering the scarves when the melody went down. Another concept learned with that study is how small instruments make high sounds and big instruments make low sounds. Once this concept was understood we moved on to learn about melodic direction For games they participated in Popcorn Popper energizer, Flea FLy Mosquito and movement activities with scarves.

First Graders at Warren School learned about sound effects and how they aid in the making of movies. Then I read the book, ‘The Rooster Who Would Not be Quiet.’ The students made several connections from the book to the song “How Can I keep from Singing” as well as to the many musical ideas presented in the book. The following week each class “brought the book to life” by using instruments to create the sound effects for the parts of the book that needed sound!

Second Graders have been working super hard on how to read notes on the lines and spaces of the Treble staff as we prepare to play xylophones in the late spring. In addition, they have learned a little bit about Form in music. These students have also learned about Improvisation. They have learned how to sing partner songs as well as rounds. The second graders have played improvisational games of Statue and Sound Scapes, in addition to Popcorn’s in the popper, Flea Fly Mosquito and “Find the matching musical note sentence to the word.”

Dear Families,

I want to share a helpful resource: our local partners at the MetroWest Food Collaborative have created an easy-to-use website where food pantries, community meal sites, farmers markets and more are listed for our region. You’ll find flyers and calendars in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and you can search by town to see what’s available. MWFC

Please check it out if you or your family ever need additional support: metrowestfoodcollaborative.org/find-food

Hello Families,

This month we are learning about COOPERATION.

We have defined cooperation as: working with others to accomplish a goal.

Here are some things you can do to help your child learn to cooperate with others:

• Play games where they need to take turns.
• Have them help you build or make something. It could be working together on a lego set, cooking or baking something, assembling a puzzle…
• Schedule a time where all family members can work together on something, it could even be household chores!
• Praise them when you see them working with others. “You and your sister worked so hard cleaning up all those toys.”

Books about cooperation:

• Duck In The Truck By Jez Alborough
• Day At The Beach By Tom Booth
• Mighty, Mighty Construction Site By Sherri Duskey Rinker
• It’s Mine! By Leo Lionni
• Up The Creek By Nicholas Oldland
• The Little Red Hen By Lucinda McQueen
• Prince And Pirate By Julia Cook

Warren School’s SEL Team

SEASON RUNS MARCH 2026- JUNE 2026

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN Financial assistance is available.

Check out what our Nutrition Services department is serving up for Warren students in February! Menu items are subject to change without notice, based on current supply chain issues or other factors. If dietary concerns are an issue, please contact us.

To view a translated version of the menu, please visit ashland.k12.ma.us/Nutrition.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we step into March, we’re excited to share this month’s menu, featuring the Massachusetts Harvest of the Month: Dairy!

Dairy plays a vital role in a balanced diet, and we’re thrilled to highlight its delicious flavors and nutritional benefits in our meals. Throughout the month, students will enjoy locally sourced milk, cheese, and yogurt from Massachusetts farms. These dairy products provide essential nutrients like calcium, protein, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and potassium—helping to support strong bones and overall health.

We encourage you to explore the benefits of dairy and discover fun recipe ideas by visiting the Massachusetts Harvest of the Month page: March Harvest of the Month - Dairy

We are committed to providing fresh, locally sourced dairy products to our students, supporting local farms, and ensuring the best nutritional quality in our meals. We encourage you to incorporate dairy into your meals at home to enjoy its many health benefits.

Thank you for your ongoing support and for trusting us with your children's nutrition and well-being. We look forward to a month filled with wholesome and delicious meals!

Warm regards

Regina Wilkinson
Director of Nutrition Services
Ashland Public Schools
Email: rwilkinson@ashland.k12.ma.us Phone: 508-881-0165

• March 18: Literacy Night
• March 20: No School in observance of Eid at Fitr
• March 24/25/26: Early Release at 12:00 for Parent Teacher Conferences. Lunch will not be served.
• April 2: Early Release at 1:15 for staff professional development, lunch will be served.
• April 3: No School in observance of Good Friday
• April 20: Patriots Day and Marathon Monday
• April 20-24: No School April school vacation

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.