Dewey's Details: Caregiver Update

Hello, Dutile Families!

What an amazing week we had at the Dutile School! Thursday's PTO Walk-a-Thon was such a fantastic event and a wonderful reminder of what makes our school community so special. It was great to see our students having so much fun, cheering each other on, and getting those laps in! A huge thank you to our PTO President Casey Clarke, Vice President Lauren Rousseau, all of our PTO members, and the many caregiver volunteers who worked so hard to make this event such a success. Thank you as well to our incredible staff for their support and to our students for their enthusiasm and outstanding fundraising efforts. I am so proud of our entire Dutile School community!

We have another exciting week ahead! Tuesday is School Picture Day, and we have some extra fun planned as our top Walk-a-Thon fundraisers will have the opportunity to pie the principals! I'm not sure Mrs. Fonseca and I are quite as excited about that as the students are! On Friday, October 23rd, our Student Council is sponsoring a Sports Day Spirit Day, and we encourage students to show their spirit by dressing to represent their favorite team or sport! We'll wrap up the week with our PTO Trunk-or-Treat on Friday evening, another great opportunity for our school community to come together and have some fun.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our students and school. Looking forward to another great week ahead at the Dutile!

~ Scott Middlemiss, Principal

Get those smiles ready! O’Connor Studios will be visiting Dutile School on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, to photograph our students and staff for this year’s school portraits!

Families will receive ordering information and portrait package details within 10 business days following Picture Day.

If you have any questions, please visit www.oconnorstudio.com/support.

We look forward to seeing all those wonderful Dutile smiles!

O'Connor Studios is offering a special discount for families with three or more students enrolled in Billerica Public Schools!

Families who purchase school picture packages for two children can receive a FREE picture package for their third child!

If your family has three or more children attending schools within the district, please reach out to our school office. We can provide you with an individual discount code to take advantage of this special offer.

Buy two picture packages, get the third FREE!

Get ready to show off your team spirit! Our Dutile Student Council is excited to announce Sports Day on Friday, October 23, 2026!

Students and staff are encouraged to dress in their favorite team's gear or represent a sport they love! Whether you're a football fan, basketball player, soccer enthusiast, or just love cheering on your favorite team, this is your chance to show your sports spirit!

We can't wait to see everyone sporting their favorite teams and sports!

We’re looking forward to connecting with our Dutile families! Caregiver–Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, October 29, 2026, with both afternoon and evening time slots available to best accommodate family schedules.

How to sign up:
Conference sign-up links and information will be shared with all caregivers via email (and posted on our Facebook page) on the afternoon of Monday, October 19, 2026. Families will be able to schedule conferences from Monday, October 19th through Sunday, October 25th. After that time, sign-up links will be closed to allow teachers time to organize and prepare for conferences the following week.

Thank you for your continued partnership and for working together with us to support your child’s learning and growth!

Get Involved with the Dutile PTO!
The Dutile PTO is already planning exciting events for the 2026–2027 school year—and we’d love your help! Whether you’re interested in leading a committee, helping plan behind the scenes, or just showing up to volunteer for an hour or two, we have a role for everyone. It’s a great way to stay connected, meet other families, and support our amazing school community.

Fill out our quick volunteer interest form here: https://dutilepto.com/volunteer/

Let’s make this year the best one yet!

Trunk or Treat is coming up on Friday, October 23, and we still need more families to sign up with their vehicles to make the event a success!

Decorate as much or as little as you would like, then hand out candy to our trick-or-treaters. The winner of Best Trunk will receive a $50 Amazon gift card!

Sign up here: https://signup.com/go/sqerrVZ

Trunk hosts should arrive by 5:00 PM to decorate. Trick-or-treating begins at 5:30 PM.

As the holiday season approaches, we recognize that this time of year can bring additional financial challenges for some families. At the Dutile School, we care deeply about our school community and want to do what we can to support families who may need a little extra assistance during the holiday season.

If your family could benefit from additional support, we encourage you to complete the confidential Holiday Assistance Google Form linked below. A member of our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) team may reach out to gather additional information and discuss available resources.

Please know that all information shared will be kept confidential. While we hope to assist as many families as possible, support will depend on available resources and cannot be guaranteed. We are grateful to be part of such a caring and supportive school community and want every family to know that they are valued and supported.

Please select your preferred language to complete the confidential form:

Holiday Assistance (English)

Holiday Assistance (Spanish)

Holiday Assistance (Portuguese)

We wanted to share an important update regarding student snacks. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to provide extra snacks through the nurse’s office. We understand that this may be an inconvenience for some families, but we kindly ask that caregivers make sure their child comes to school each day with a snack to enjoy during their scheduled snack time before lunch.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping ensure that all students have what they need to stay energized and ready to learn throughout the school day. Thank you for your support!

To help us maintain a safe and secure environment for our students and staff, all visitors and volunteers must report directly to the main office upon arrival. At the office, you will be asked to sign in and wear a visitor badge so that we can easily identify who is in the building. When your visit is complete, please remember to sign out and return your badge.

For safety reasons, entry during school hours is permitted only through the front door. If you are in the building and notice someone without a badge, staff members will kindly direct them back to the office. This is a standard safety practice, not a confrontation.

In addition, anyone wishing to volunteer at the Dutile School is required to complete a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) check each school year. Forms are available in the main office and must be completed in person, along with a copy of your driver’s license. Since processing can take several weeks, we strongly encourage you to complete this step as soon as possible. Please note that outside CORI approvals cannot be accepted, and volunteers may not begin until clearance is received.

For more details, please see the district website.

If your child will be absent or tardy, please call the Dutile Attendance Line at 978-528-8530 before 7:55 AM on the day of the absence.

This line is available 24 hours a day, so you may leave a message at any time. After the greeting, please provide the requested information about your child.

If your child is not in school by 8:05 AM and we have not received a call or email from you, we will reach out to confirm your child’s whereabouts.

For your convenience, you can click here for a printable version of this information.

For the safety and smooth dismissal of all students, please send any written notes regarding a change to your child’s dismissal plan to the classroom teacher on or before the day of the change.

Please do not email teachers with same-day or last-minute dismissal changes, as teachers are busy with students throughout the school day and may not see your message before dismissal.

If an unexpected or emergency change arises during the school day, particularly after 1:00 p.m., please call the school office directly. This allows us to make sure your child and the appropriate staff members receive the updated information before dismissal begins.

Thank you for helping us keep our dismissal process safe, efficient, and well-coordinated for all students!

Strong communication and close collaboration between home and school are essential to every child’s success. To support this partnership, we’ve put together some simple guidelines to help you know who to contact when you have a question, concern, or need assistance.

At the Dutile School, we take a team-based approach to problem-solving. Depending on the situation, several staff members may work together to provide support and determine the best next steps. While we always do our best to respond as quickly as possible, please keep in mind that teachers and staff are often working directly with students or participating in meetings throughout the school day.

To make communication as easy and efficient as possible, we’ve created a quick reference guide outlining who to contact in a variety of situations.

👉 [Click here to view the document]

Ms. Oestreicher is creating a Fit with Fam bulletin board to celebrate families staying active and healthy together. Families are invited to submit photos of their student(s) with family or friends doing something active or healthy. Photos will be printed and displayed at school. By submitting a photo, you give permission for it to be printed and displayed on the school’s Fit with Fam bulletin board. Use this link to submit throughout the school year!

Please follow and "like" the "Frederick J. Dutile Elementary School" Facebook page. I will be posting often to share examples of the incredible teaching and learning that takes place at our school each day!

https://www.facebook.com/dutileschool

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

• Dutile Fall Photo Day!

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

• 3:45 PM: Dutile School Advisory Council Meeting

Friday, October 23, 2026

• Student Council Spirit Day: Sports Day
• 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM: Trunk or Treat

Thursday, October 29, 2026

• EARLY RELEASE DAY!
• Dismissal @ 12:05 PM
• 12:20 PM - 2:20 PM: Caregiver-Teacher Conferences Afternoon Session
• 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Caregiver-Teacher Conferences Evening Session

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

• NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS: Election Day!

Wednesday, November 11, 2026

• NO SCHOOL: Veterans Day

Mark your calendars for the Billerica Wellness Festival on Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 10:00 AM–1:00 PM at Marshall Middle School (15 Floyd Street).

This family-friendly community event will focus on health, community, and fun and will include apple cider donuts and cider, pumpkin decorating, face painting, fire trucks, food trucks, games, local vendors, and more!

We hope many of our Dutile families can stop by and enjoy a fun fall day with the Billerica community!

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is inviting students to participate in its 2026–2027 Poster and Public Service Announcement (PSA) Project! This year’s theme, “Help You, Help Me, Help Us,” encourages students to celebrate teamwork, kindness, friendship, inclusion, and the power of working together to make a positive difference.

Students are encouraged to get creative and share their vision of how helping one another can build stronger, more connected communities. Whether through artwork or video, this is a great opportunity for students to showcase their creativity and spread a positive message!

Important Dates:

• Poster Submission Deadline: January 29, 2027
• PSA Submission Deadline: April 9, 2027

Families interested in learning more about the project, including submission guidelines and contest rules, are encouraged to visit the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth website.

We would love to see some of our Dutile students participate!

The Billerica Scholarship Committee invites families and community members to join them for their annual Trivia Night on Friday, February 5, 2027, at the Billerica Lodge of Elks!

This year's theme is "Battle of the Decades!" Gather your friends, form a team, and get ready for a fun-filled evening of trivia, prizes, and friendly competition—all while supporting Billerica's graduating seniors!

This event is the committee's largest fundraiser of the year. Last year, the committee awarded an incredible $189,650 in scholarships to the Class of 2026!

Interested in participating or supporting this great cause? Click here to register online!

For questions or more information, please contact Alyssa Bartlett at BillericaScholarship@gmail.com.

Join the fun and help support the future of Billerica's students!