Sunny Days...update! SB 11-15-19 | Westford Public Schools

This week seemed to fly. Perhaps it is just a survival instinct to quickly forget about the super cold mornings and lean more hastily into the weekend. I almost played Everybody’s Working for the Weekend for our dismissal song but thought it was time to play something the students would actually recognize. With this week marking the 50th anniversary of the debut of Sesame Street, it seemed like a great idea to get that iconic theme stuck in everyone’s heads for the afternoon.

The cold weather this week was a grim reminder that there are many people without the resources and means for warmth or shelter and as the temperatures drop their living conditions become more dangerous. Some Stony Brook students from the First Parish Church United of Westford are collecting gently used winter clothing and new socks for the homeless in Boston. Our Leadership Council at Stony Brook is supporting their efforts and visited advisories this week to help spread the message. All items must be in to the school by November 20th. Your support is greatly appreciated.

With the time change and the quick approach of winter, the sun manages to glare directly into my office and shine on my computer screen in the early afternoon which makes for a great excuse to not be able to use my computer for a little while each day. I choose to think of it as a gentle nudge to unplug rather than a barrier to task completion...for now.

Two reminders from last week’s update:

Ski and Snowboard Club sign-ups have started! The club will be going to Nashoba Valley Ski Area on Thursdays this year. We are excited to offer transportation, season tickets, and lesson options for students. Please access the flyer here and return it to Mrs. Sullivan in Room 307. The deadline to sign up is December 7th. Please let Mrs. Sullivan know if you have any questions by email: ssullivan@westfordk12.us.

Parents of 8th grade students can enhance the embarrassment process by submitting baby pictures of your children for the yearbook. If you would like to do so, please access this survey (8th Grade Baby Photos) Parents can start submitting photos now, and we will close the survey on December 20th, the last day before winter break. We will also include a link on the yearbook home page.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Chris

Dr. Christopher Chew

Principal

Stony Brook School

November 16th, Winter Sporting Goods Sale

Boy Scout Troop #159 of Westford is sponsoring their 22nd annual Winter sporting goods sale on Saturday, Nov 16th from 10AM to 1PM at The First Parish Church United, 48 Main Street, Westford, MA. Half-price sale starts at 12:00PM! Donors can get cash for their used skis, boots, poles, snowboards, ice skates, hockey equipment and other winter sporting goods and clothing. Equipment drop-off time is Friday, Nov 15th between 7:00 and 9:00 PM, and Saturday, Nov 16th between 7:00 and 9:00 AM. Unsold equipment must be picked up between 1:30 and 3:00 PM on Saturday. There will also be participation from local area ski shops that will be selling new equipment. Any questions, call Maulik Shah at (339) 927-7250.

Be One Of The First To See Intelligent Lives

Join the Westford Parent Connection and the Westford Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) on Tuesday, November 19, for a screening of the highly anticipated film, Intelligent Lives. Intelligent Lives stars three pioneering young American adults with intellectual disabilities – Micah, Naieer, and Naomie – who challenge perceptions of intelligence as they navigate high school, college, and the workforce. This is one of the area’s first screenings of this important film. Filmmaker Dan Habib refers to the documentary as a catalyst to transform the label of intellectual disability from a life sentence of isolation into a life of possibility for the most systematically segregated people in the country. The screening with then be followed by a panel discussion, with panelists Melanie Perkins (Intelligent Lives producer), Sophia Johannson (MA Families Organizing For Change), and Jenny Lawton (Westford Public Schools). For more information, go to https://intelligentlives.org/. This event begins at 7:00 p.m. at the Stony Brook Middle School, 9 Farmer Way, Westford, and is free and open to the public.

The Westford Parent Connection has its next book discussion group on Tuesday, December 12, at 10:00 a.m. at the J.V. Fletcher Library in the Mary Atwood Room. The book being discussed is Michele Borba’s Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed In Our All-About-Me World. A limited number of books are available at the front desk for check out. Registration is not required. Questions? Go to https://westford.org/wpc/ or contact Mary Anne Seraphin at mary.anne.seraphin@gmail.com.