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Happy Thanksgiving!
Dear Students, Families & Caregivers, Happy Thanksgiving! For those that celebrate, it marks a time to gather with family and friends, share a meal, and express gratitude. It can also be a time of service to others in the community. In this season of thanks, we are reminded of the amazing community we have here in Westborough. Your dedication to learning, support for one another, and commitment to each other inspire us daily. I wish our students, families, and staff a relaxing long weekend! Our Holiday Homework Guidelines provide a process to allow students from all religious faiths to receive time off from school assignments so that they may celebrate important religious and cultural holidays with their families. This is important because the assignment of homework during religious and cultural holidays prevents students from fully engaging in their families religious and cultural practices. Thanksgiving in our guidelines is a Category 1 holiday which means no homework will be assigned in any class for all students on the last day of school before the holiday. Homework assignments, projects, presentations, or other assignments cannot be due until at least the second class meeting after the holiday, even in the case of a longer school vacation. The same policy applies for the administration of tests. For more information on our Holiday Homework Guidelines, please click Here . SOME MORE NEWS..... Before we take a break for a long weekend, I wanted to share some information about revisions to the Student Handbook with regards to our Student Discipline Procedures and Bullying Prevention Plan . These updates are based on state revisions of policy. Our school committee voted the updates as part of their regularly scheduled meetings and annual policy updates. Congratulations to the WHS Girls Volleyball team on their incredible achievement of winning the State Championship. Your hard work, dedication, and teamwork are admirable and we are very proud! Lastly, Kindness Week celebrated across our community was a huge success. Schools had a whole week of special events. Here is a small video clip from our WHS Journalism students weekly TV show highlighting one small act of kindness. Enjoy a long weekend and travel safely. Amber Bock Superintendent
Tuesday, Nov 21 2023
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Westborough Students Enjoy Outside Learning!
Dear Families and Caretakers, One of the core goals of our Strategic Plan has been to extend outdoor spaces and opportunities for outdoor education. All of our schools have made excellent gains with curriculum innovation and new additions to how they manage the school day to get our students outdoors! Across the district we have new field trips, outdoor classrooms, new gardens, and authentic learning opportunities that have extended learning to the amazing outdoor trails and settings available in our community. Enjoy some pictures, just a few of the many experiences students are having at school. Amber Bock - Superintendent NATURE'S CLASSROOM The Trip to Nature's Classroom instills a lasting passion for the environment, empowering our 6th graders to become responsible global citizens. By nurturing curiosity, fostering connections, and promoting environmental stewardship, this transformative experience shapes their education and appreciation for nature - Peter Guellnitz, Mill Pond Principal WESTBOROUGH STUDENTS ENJOYING OUTDOOR LEARNING! The BORO visits Shrewsbury Scarecrows WHS Marching Band!! Hastings Kindergarten Fall Nature Walk Pictured Above: Fales Students working and learning in the school garden! Pictured to the Right: WHS Beekeeper Club members prepping the colonies for the winter. Pictured Below: Gibbons outside classroom learning! Sixth Graders from Team Exploration out on trails behind Mill Pond....Westborough's own Nature's Classroom! Pictured below is Ms. Meehan's class visiting the Acton Discovery Outdoor Classroom!
Thursday, Nov 09 2023
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Happy Diwali
Dear Families & Caregivers, Diwali (also called Divali or Deepavali) is a "festival of lights" that celebrate the triumph of light over dark, good over evil, and the blessings of victory, freedom, and enlightenment. The name comes from Sanskrit dipavali, meaning "row of lights." On the night of Diwali, celebrants light dozens of candles and clay lamps (called diyas), placing them throughout their homes and in the streets to light up the dark night. This year Diwali will be celebrated on November 12th. Our Holiday Homework Guidelines provide a process to allow students from all religious faiths to receive time off from school assignments so that they may celebrate important religious and cultural holidays with their families. This is important because the assignment of homework during religious and cultural holidays prevents students from fully engaging in their families religious and cultural practices. Diwali in our guidelines is a Category 1 holiday which means no homework will be assigned in any class for all students on the last day of school before the holiday. Homework assignments, projects, presentations, or other assignments cannot be due until at least the second class meeting after the holiday, even in the case of a longer school vacation. The same policy applies for the administration of tests. For more information on our Holiday Homework Guidelines, please click Here . Sincerely, Amber Bock Superintendent of Schools
Wednesday, Nov 08 2023
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Día de los Muertos- October 27th 6:15 pm & Town Tric...
Dear Families & Caregivers, Part of our wonderful fall season is the celebration of Halloween and Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. The celebration happens each year from October 31st - November 2nd. Attached below is a document with more detailed information on the history and meaning of the celebration. Fales Elementary School will be co-hosting an event with Westborough Connects and Westborough Youth & Family Services for Día de los Muertos on Friday, October 27th from 6:15 to 8:30 pm. Below are pictures of ofrendas at Fales Elementary school and the High School. An ofrenda is a space in the home where items are placed to honor the deceased. We hope to see you at Fales for this event! A big thank you to the trick or treaters that joined us for Town Trick or Treat Night! We had so much fun decorating, dressing up, and seeing the children in their costumes when they visited the School District Offices on the 3rd Floor of the Forbes Building!
Thursday, Oct 26 2023
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What's Happening in Westborough
What's Happening in Westborough Dear Families, Science is everywhere! In a recent visit to the schools, I noticed some wonderful examples of how our teachers make science engaging for students every day. I asked teachers to forward me some pictures of different science lessons they are working on this week. Here are several great examples that I want to share with you. Westborough High School Students designed their own experiment to determine under which conditions radish seeds would grow the longest roots and shoots. Students then did the statistical analysis to determine if their data was statistically significant. Students pictured above are doing a synthetic biology lab using synthetic DNA to determine which cells are making the most enzyme by measuring the products of an enzyme digest. Jo-Anne Purdy, WHS, Biology Teacher Fales Our class is working on their science unit on trees. They went outside and observed the trees and drew what they saw. They colored and labeled the parts of the tree. - Ms. Torres, Kindergarten Hastings We went out to "see, think, wonder" about the summer season in the garden and then we harvested and ate tomatoes. Ms. Hodgdon, Grade 2 Armstrong Ms. Ekwall visited Ms. Conley's Grade 1 class to read a book called "An Apple Tree's Life Cycle". Students investigated the wide variety of apples and learned about the importance of bees in producing apples (and other fruits and vegetables). Here are some students in Ms. Peterson's and Mrs. Spencer's Grade 2 classrooms in vestigating what happens when rocks rub together. Ms. Ekwall visiting Ms. McNeil’s Kindergarten class and teaching about the solar eclipse taking place this Saturday. Students listened to a read aloud, made predictions about what was happening in the story A Few Beautiful Minutes: Experiencing A Solar Eclipse , and got to experience a pretend solar eclipse. Ms. Enberg's 3rd grade students have been learning about different weather components in their first science unit. They were given the challenge to design a hat that could protect them in a weather condition such as rain, wind, or snow. Students brainstormed problems that people face in these conditions and explored the materials available to come up with a solution to the problem. Mill Pond Ms. Meehan's 4th graders are exploring science . In these photos , students explore the Transfer of Energy, Potential and Kinetic Energy, and Sound Energy. Gibbons Middle School , Thank you to all of the teachers that shared pictures with us!
Friday, Oct 13 2023
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Homecoming Weekend and More!
Dear Families, We want to let you know about all the wonderful events happening this upcoming weekend in our district! Two of our elementary schools, Hastings and Fales, are hosting fun events for their families and let's not forget it is Homecoming at the High School. In addition to the football game, the WHS Student Council is sponsoring the WHS Homecoming Festival which is open to the entire Westborough Community. Please read below for details on all of the activities. We hope to see you there! Go Rangers! HASTINGS FALL FESTIVAL 10/13/23 We hope you can join the Hastings Parent Group and Community at our Annual Fall Fest on October 13th from 4:30-6:30 (Rain Date: October 20th) . It is a family fun event to kick off the school year as a Hastings community. Families are invited to spend the evening outside, bring a picnic dinner, and get to know other Hastings families. There will be an ice cream truck, a DJ, face painting, a photo booth, a book fair, raffle, and more! We hope to see you on Friday, October 13th at 4:30 on the Hastings Field! WHS HOMECOMING 10/14/23 Homecoming Football Game on 10/14 will be held at Westborough High School this year with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. against Fitchburg. Cost: $5 adults, $3 students and seniors, WHS students are free. Girls Soccer will host Oakmount at 5:00 p.m. Two great games to come see! Homecoming Festival brought to you by WHS Student Council who invites you and your family to join them on , October 14th from 11:00am to 2:00pm at Westborough High School's lower parking lot. The event is open to everyone of all ages, regardless of whether they attend Westborough High School. The Fest features 16 student council booths, 23 WHS club booths, 4 class office booths, and 5 food trucks. There are activities for young kids such as face painting, a cotton candy machine, crafts, and a bouncy house, as well as activities for older kids, such as a video game booth, a hot dog eating competition, a cake walk booth and more. A few of these booths require money but many are free and open to everyone. Come get ice cream from the Frosty food truck, Mexican Cuisine from The Taco Dude food truck, coffee and pastries from Jackson Effie Coffee Cabin, and healthy, nutritional choices from VegOut! Attached below is the flyer for the event! If you have any questions, please reach out to Georgia Tyrrell, student council Event Overseer, at tyrrellgeo25@student.westboroughk12.org .” FALES FAMILY FUN DAY 10/15/23
Tuesday, Oct 10 2023
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Westborough Connects
Dear Families, Providing quality parent educational support to families is part of our core mission. We collaborate with many wonderful organizations to provide for you the content that you request about the joys and challenges of parenting. One of our partners, Westborough Connects , has several upcoming programs for families. I wanted to share these opportunities. I hope that if you have time, you will be able to attend one of these informative sessions or enjoyable community events. For more information on these Programs and Registration, please click HERE .
Wednesday, Oct 04 2023