TPWK...update! SB 2-12-21
My daughter introduced me to the song “Treat People With Kindness” by Harry Styles. With National Random Act of Kindness Day taking place next week (2/17), it seemed like a good choice to use again for dismissal into the vacation week. Of course, we should focus our goals on making acts of kindness so prolific that their randomness becomes obsolete.
Translations via Google Translate
The SB PTO continues to help with that goal as they once again showered our staff with kindness on Wednesday. They sponsored a wonderful grab and go lunch from Paul’s Diner and made wonderful gift bags of sweets with heart charms and notes proclaiming, “ We simply cannot MASK HOW MUCH WE LOVE Everything you do!” Very sweet indeed.
Ironically, our first full remote day this past Tuesday was also #SaferInternetDay. Ms. Smith shared this resource with us about TikTok that I thought could be very helpful for all of you, as well.
The Rolling Raffle got off to a great start this week. Mrs. Hanly and Mr. Buxton were able to visit all of the Advisories to sell tickets for chances at winning some super cool headbands, hats and masks. B Pod students will have the opportunity when we come back from the vacation and RLA students in either Pod can participate as well by swinging by the school to pick up tickets while school is in session. The hats and headbands being raffled are made by the company "Love Your Melon," who donates 50% of their proceeds to cancer research. These hats were graciously donated by Chris Roberge, who is the administrative assistant at Abbot and Nab. Thank you very much!! Raffle tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5. The drawing will be on February 26! All proceeds will go to the Go Fund Me account set up to help with costs related to Ali's treatment.
When we return from the vacation break, a number of things will be happening that will specifically shift our focus towards the future…
For all of our Gr8 families, the course selection process for Westford Academy will be starting very soon. See the proposed timeline below including information to attend the upcoming Parent Orientation:
March 10, 6:30 pm, 8th grade Parent Orientation for WA
Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82664644152
Join us to learn more about course offerings by department for incoming 9th graders as well as an overview of the online course selection process. This same information will be shared with 8th graders during advisory. Mrs. Pechacek, 6-12 Guidance Coordinator will share a presentation and then be available to answer general questions at the conclusion. Parents with questions about a specific course or department can follow up via email with that department’s curriculum coordinator.
Note: This presentation will be posted on the WA Guidance website the following day for interested parents who are unable to attend.
March 23, 2 pm
IStudent and IParent portals will open for Gr8 families to view current teacher recommendations for next year’s courses at WA.
March 23 - April 2 at 2 pm
Gr8 Students and parent/guardians review recommendations, enter elective choices and submit their requests for next year.
April 2 at 2 pm.
Deadline to submit requests in iStudent for WA 2021-2022 school year.
Deadline to submit override requests for WA courses
For all of our Gr7 students, the placement letters regarding next year’s math classes will be sent via email from WPS 6-12 Math Curriculum Coordinator Ms. Bold. Students qualifying to participate in the placement exam will be given all of the necessary information as to when and where those assessments will take place. So, keep an out for that email for more information and then reach out to your team’s Gr7 math teacher if you have specific questions.
For all of our Gr6 students, start pacing yourself as you will finally get to see what other parts of Stony Brook look like as we begin transitioning to other classrooms more frequently when we return from break. Yes, there is a third floor...no, there is not a pool. ( Of course, all of our students will be moving, but Gr6 isn’t going to have to wait until next year to see what Gr8 & Gr7 has been able to enjoy more freely in the past)
This week’s notes from the clinic...brought to you with kindness:
Happy February vacation!
Several of you have asked what I think about moving forward and bringing more students into the building: I have been an advocate of moving ahead since the fall. As a member of the COVID committee (which is made up of doctors, nurses, administrators and some parents), we have worked hard to bring data forward demonstrating that we can and should move toward a return to more in person schooling. We have not had one single case of transmission in the school building since we came back in September. In my opinion, the social emotional impact of the virus on children and families far outweighs the physical risks. If you would like to speak to me about this individually, please do not hesitate to reach out by phone or email.
A new study from the CDC says that wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask can offer more protection against the coronavirus. Minimizing the number of gaps around your face by tying the ear loops, or by wearing masks with a tighter fit, can also diminish the spread of the virus.
There seems to be some confusion about the travel order. If you travel out of state during this vacation week, you can be tested up to 72 hours prior to returning or upon return. You do not have to do both. Please see this paragraph from our travel order: (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order)
All visitors entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, who do not meet an exemption, are required to:
Complete the Massachusetts Travel Form prior to arrival
Quarantine for 10 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered up to 72-hours prior to your arrival in Massachusetts. If not obtained before entry to Massachusetts, a test may be obtained after arrival. However, all such arriving travelers must immediately begin the 10-day quarantine until a negative test result has been received
Finally, there are some local sites offering COVID tests. The CVS in Westford now has Point of Care antigen testing for symptomatic individuals. Please visit this website for more information: https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing (There is no charge for testing)
Walgreens in Westford and surrounding towns are also offering testing. And they offer PCR and antigen testing. They are utilizing the drive in pharmacy window. There turnaround time for the PCR test has been about 36 hours: https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/covid19/testing
Please remember for travel purposes, you do need a negative PCR test. An antigen test is not accepted.
I will be checking email over the vacation week. Stay safe.
Sue Hanly, MSN, RN
Finally, I have had a few questions from parents about the recent survey regarding the impact merging the pods could have at Stony Brook. So, I thought it could be helpful to provide some additional information. While it is stated that a teacher/team change might be necessary for some students if we were to bring both pods together, that is most likely not the case as our enrollment numbers here allowed us to initially create the Pods to remain as balanced as possible in the event that we did bring both pods together either in person or if we needed to transition to full remote for a period of time. Balancing both in person Hybrid sections with RLA sections is very difficult and depending on the numbers in each model it could require us to make some adjustments. However, the majority of shifts that might need to be made would most likely be in the order of classes within the daily schedule not necessarily the teachers or teams as they already share these Advisory groups. Although we cannot guarantee that it wouldn’t be necessary, I highly doubt we would need to change any teachers.
Keep smiling…if you were already...or you can start now knowing that this message is almost over :-)
Cheers!
Chris
Dr. Christopher Chew
Principal
Stony Brook School
Parenting In A Pandemic
For nearly a year, families have been hit hard by COVID-19. Adults have had to have difficult conversations with their kids about illness and death while worrying about paying the bills. Kids are dealing with the loss of regular school and the accompanying social supports of being around peers. Remote learning has been a gift for some and torture for others. Parents are rightfully concerned about lasting trauma as a result of the pandemic. So, what are we to do?
Join the Westford Parent Connection Thursday, February 25, at 7:00 p.m. for an evening with Dr. Michael Thompson. Dr. Thompson is an internationally recognized, highly acclaimed speaker, author, and clinical psychologist who has presented many times for the Westford Parent Connection to glowing reviews. In this virtual talk, he will address the issues and fears affecting families and offer psychologically sound strategies with his trademark warmth, compassion, and humor. For more information about him, please go to https://michaelthompson-phd.com. To register for this Zoom webinar, please click on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dl3Nlqa_TyGrZ5Vjx2FD5A. If you have any questions, please contact Mary Anne Seraphin at mary.anne.seraphin@gmail.com.
SUMMER SCHOOL FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS OPEN HOUSE
SSPA offers exploration and exercise in Musical Theater, Dramatic Acting, Technical Theater, Shakespeare in the Park, and Film Production (New!)- all of which culminate in realized productions that give our students an understanding of the tremendous power of their voice and the beauty of their art. We look forward to making theater and building relationships IN PERSON again in the Summer of 2021!
Join us for an informational session where we will share our programming and the core principles of SSPA. Wednesday, March 3, 2021 (Virtual) - Sign up for Link http://bit.ly/sspa2021OpenHouse
Access Flyer here: SSPA Open House
F.A.M.E -- Friends Advancing Music Education
Volunteers Needed!!!
Who are we?
F.A.M.E is a non-profit parent volunteer organization that has been supporting music education, through advocacy and fundraising, at all grade levels of Westford Public Schools since 1983. F.A.M.E. ensures opportunities, for both music teachers and students, to enrich their educational environment through a variety of music endeavors.
Music projects funded in the past include:
Eagle Scout Project to digitize the Westford Academy music library
Headphones for Stony Brook chorus
Junior/Senior District Competition transportation
Valentine's Day Strings nursing home transportation
Music for WA Pep Band & WA Jazz Band
Xylophones and whiteboards for elementary schools
Music transposition software
Each year, F.A.M.E also awards scholarships to Westford Academy seniors who have participated in the music programs.
Over the past few years, the number of F.A.M.E volunteers has decreased dramatically, therefore F.A.M.E is in danger of not being able to continue the important work that we do. In today’s climate, with budgets being difficult, we are in need of a strong group of volunteers to both advocate to keep our music programs strong and to fundraise to help support our teachers and students. We are looking for K to 12 parents, as well as alumni of the music programs to help out! The time commitment is one meeting per month (via Zoom) during this school year.
Please join us to support our wonderful music programs! We will be holding an information meeting on Tuesday, March 2 from 7 to 8 PM via Zoom. Our immediate need will be to form a scholarship committee to evaluate scholarship applications from the Class of 2021 (sorry….senior parents cannot be part of this committee).
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/97111763240?pwd=aWdqMjhxaUJPd2N3MytDMk1XdTE5UT09
Meeting ID: 971 1176 3240
Passcode: c1TLqH
Westford Parks & Recreation
New Coding/3D printing/Math Program with BlocksCAD being offered for students in grades 3-6 from February 16 to March 23 (6 classes)
Access more information here: Blocks CAD Program
WESTFORD YOUTH LACROSSE (WYL) - WYL is accepting registrations for the Spring 2021 season for the boys and girls programs (Grades 1 - 8) as well as the mixed FiddleStix Program for Kindergarten age. Westford Youth Lacrosse play starts in mid-March with indoor practices. Games start in early April and run through mid-June.
FiddleStix is a great entry program for Kindergarten age children looking to try something new. No equipment needed. One day per week commitment. No weekends.
Go to www.westfordlax.org to learn more and to register for any of the WYL programs. Registration ends February 14, 2021. Uncertain about committing to spring registration now? Don't worry, no payment is required until the registration deadline. Don't miss out on registering now to guarantee your spot for the spring lacrosse season.
Lacrosse is the fastest sport on two feet and one of the fastest growing youth sports in the country. Help spread the word to your friends who may be interested in playing Lacrosse that registration is HAPPENING now!
Sincerely,
The Westford Youth Lacrosse Board
https://www.facebook.com/westfordyouthlax/