Abbot Update 5.24.19

Dear Abbot Families,

We shared in a wonderful Memorial Day Ceremony outside at the flagpole this afternoon. Student Council members told the history of Memorial Day, conducted a flag folding ceremony, shared the history of Taps and conducted a Roll Call of Heroes. The Abbot School Band, led by Mrs. Gately, played Cassions Go Rolling Along and Marines Hymn. Mrs. Tietze led all of us in seeing the Star Spangled Banner and America The Beautiful. It was a wonderful way to kick-off the long weekend.  

We are looking forward to our school-wide Field Day on Tuesday. Please remember to send your child to school with sunscreen, a hat, sneakers and a water bottle. Our theme this year is "Abbot is on Island Time" so students are encouraged to wear hawaiian/tropical attire. This is sure to be one of the most memorable school days of the year!

Please see below for important updates.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Sincerely, 

Lori McDermott

Abbot School Principal ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MCAS

We are thrilled to have completed all MCAS testing for the year. Congratulations to all students for persevering and keeping a positive attitude. Your children continue to make me so very proud!

School Advisory Council (SAC)

We held our last School Advisory Council meeting for this school-year and I am sad to say that two of our parents are ending their terms with us as their children move on to Stony Brook. A huge thank you to Mr. Brookings and Mr. Ghanta for their partnership this year. This means we will have two seats open for next year on our School Advisory Council. Please email me at lmcdermott@westfordk12.us if you are interested. We meet once a month on Tuesdays from 3-4pm and we always have fun. :)

Parents of Incoming 3rd Graders

T-shirts (action needed!)

Thanks to the Abbot School PTO, all second grade students will be given an Abbot School t-shirt as a welcome gift.  These shirts will be distributed to the second grade students at the end of this school year.  We ask all parents to please complete this electronic form by May 28 so we can order the proper size. A Youth Size Large will be purchased for any students we don’t have a size for by May 28.

Please find additional important transition information here.

REMINDERS FROM PREVIOUS UPDATES

Updated 2019-2020 WPS Calendar

The 2019-2020 School Calendar has been updated due to the change of a professional development day (March 12th changed to May 19th).   Attached please find the newest version, Rev. A.  A hard copy on green paper was also sent home with students.

A Message From the PTO

Nab/Abbot Baseball Outing Update:

If you ordered tickets to the Spinners Game for Wednesday 6/19 those tickets will come home in an envelope with your child the week of June 10th.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Westford Public Schools Diversity and Inclusion Team is a committee made up of staff looking to promote diversity and inclusion within the district.  We are looking for parent volunteers who are interested in being part of a group of parents who can be a peer contact for immigrant families in the district.  This group would be a resource to help immigrant families access district information and resources while also providing a contact who can relate to their situation. If you are interested in this opportunity please contact Mary Mathew at mmathew@westfordk12.us.

Dates to Remember

May 27     NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)

May 28     Before School Orchestra (7:30am)

                 FIELD DAY

May 29     Parkerville (Breen)

                 Grade 5 Panoramic Photo (11:45am)

                 PTO Meeting (2:50-3:50pm)

May 30     Chorus Rehearsal (7:30am)

                 SPRING CHORUS CONCERT (9:00am)

May 31     Chess Club, Session 3 (2:30-3:30pm)           ________________________________________________________________________________________________________COMMUNITY NEWS

3rd Walk-a-thon to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell

Westford Girls for a Better Tomorrow (WGBT), a group of middle school aged girls, will host their 3rd Walk-a-Thon on Saturday,  June 8th 2-4 pm at the Stony Brook Middle School Track to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell.  Rain date is Sunday, June 9th.    Adults & children of all ages are welcome to join the fun!  We will have raffles, snacks & games for kids.  Registration begins at 2 pm with the walk-a-thon starting at 2:30 pm, but walkers can begin walking anytime between 2:30 – 4 pm.   Suggested Donation to Walk: $10 per person or $25 per family.  For more information or to donate, please visit https://fundrazr.com/wgbt_walk2019  or contact us at wgbt.westford@gmail.com .  Thank you for your support!

Challenge Success

Please read the latest Challenge Success Newsletter http://bit.ly/WestfordCSMay19Newsletter

Girls' Basketball

Any girls interested in playing basketball this summer should come to the Grey Ghost Basketball Clinic from June 18 through June 21st.  This clinic is run by the WA Girls' Basketball program and is appropriate for all levels of players from recreational to AAU/travel basketball players.  Counselors include current members of the WA Varsity Girls' Basketball team plus current NCAA college basketball players Emily Bramanti (Stonehill - NCAA D2) and Cammy Desrochers (Framingham State - NCAA D3).  Please see the flyer that was sent home with your student or email Coach Russ Coward at rcoward@westfordk12.us.  Thank you very much for your support!

WESTFORD ACADEMY BOYS’ BASKETBALL SHOOTING CLINIC is now Open to All Boys Entering 2-9 Grade (Entering Fall of 2019). Westford Academy Boys' Basketball Head Coach Chris Bramanti, and members of the Westford Academy Boys' Basketball program will host a four day, three hour per day shooting clinic from Tuesday, June 18th through Friday, June 21st from 8:30am to 11:30am.  Registration can be found on www.basketballwa.com or you can email Coach Bramanti at cbramanti@westfordk12.us.

Westford Summer Music Program -  The Westford Summer Music program is now accepting registrations for band and orchestra students entering grades 5 through 9 in September 2019. Band and orchestra ensembles will rehearse daily from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at the Stony Brook School on July 8th through July 12th .  During the week, the students will prepare new music and give a free performance on Friday, July 12th at 11 a.m.

For more information and registration please visit:  www.westfordk12.us/summermusic

For questions, please contact:

Julie Ottesen - jottesen@westfordk12.us