Data, data, everywhere…a WPS Update! 10-1-26
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October 1, 2026
Word Count: 789
Approx Reading Time: 3 minutes 10 seconds
I’d like to start this month’s update with a special thank you to the Rotary Club of Westford. They recently received a significant donation of a wide variety of school supplies from an area vendor and they immediately thought of us! We greatly appreciate their efforts in securing these high quality resources for us as it will certainly help defray some of the cost of replacing items students and teachers need to use as we go through the school year. Special shout-out to Patti Mason for delivering all of the boxes and enthusiastically ensuring they are shared with everyone.
Collaborative Data Meetings (CDMs)
This month we will have the opportunity to hold our first Collaborative Data Meeting (CDM) on the early release day scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, 2026. This dedicated time built into the school calendar provides teachers and staff the opportunity to come together to review student progress and refine how they teach. Instead of individual teachers working in isolation, CDMs allow teams to look at student work, performance trends, and learning needs as a group to ensure every child gets what they need to succeed.
What does this look like for your child? Dedicating time to review data provides students proactive support: teachers notice subtle learning gaps early before they become bigger hurdles, adjust daily lessons to match what works best, and care for their students' social and emotional well-being alongside academics. Whether a student needs extra help to master a concept or new challenges to keep growing, their teachers will have been able to collaborate more with their colleagues to ensure students experience more tailored classroom instruction, smoother transition across grade levels, and a learning environment where every teacher has a clear, shared picture of how to help their students thrive.
RSBC Community Meetings
Thank you very much to all of you who either joined the September Forum and or provided questions and comments in the previous ThoughtExchange survey. The feedback and input is incredibly valuable as we navigate this process of determining how to best address some of the aging elementary schools within our district.
Another friendly reminder as to where we are in this process, the study has narrowed to 7 scenarios. Under 5 of the 7 proposed options, a key pathway involves closing Robinson in the future and consolidating it with Abbot within a larger renovated or new building, with select designs also incorporating Day. No final option has been recommended yet. Opportunities for additional community input are still available.
During this month, the WPS School Committee is deliberating which one of the three different enrollment options should be selected for any preferred project. This decision directly impacts the potential size of the project and whether or not consolidation and or reconfiguration of the grade levels within the elementary schools will be included. Those conversations and subsequent votes will be included on the agendas for the regularly scheduled School Committee meetings this month on October 5 and October 19.
Upcoming Community Forums:
- Wednesday, Oct 14 at 6:30 PM: on Zoom and in-person at Stony Brook MS Auditorium
Zoom registration
Topic: HVAC recommendation and revised alternatives - Tuesday, Nov 17 at 6:30 PM: on Zoom and in-person at Stony Brook MS Auditorium
Zoom registration
Topic: Final Alternatives
A preferred option is expected to be selected this upcoming December 2026 and a town-wide vote will take place in the Fall of 2027. If approved, a building project would be completed in 2031. For more information, the project website is updated regularly and contains a great deal of information.
October Community Coffee
These monthly informal meetings provide participants a chance to ask questions and share thoughts about a wide variety of things within our school system without following a specific agenda. This month’s event will be Friday, October 9 from 12-1 in Room 13 here in the Millennium building. Delicious coffee and other assorted beverages will once again be available for purchase from our ROUTES Roasters program.
TOW Special Town Meeting
Westford’s Special Town Meeting is taking place this year on Monday, October 26, 2026 at 7:00 at Westford Academy. For more information about Town Meeting, including logistics for the event as well as access to 2026 Special Town Meeting warrant, please visit: https://www.westfordma.gov/
The deadline to register to vote is Friday, October 16, 2026 at 5:00 PM! Register online or at the Clerk's Office.
Once again, childcare is available free of charge for any Westford voter. Advance registration is required by October 16. To register call 978.692.5532 or please click here to register.
Cheers!
Chris
