AB School Information

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Overview

The AB Schools District consist of the following schools:

• Acton-Boxborough Regional High School ("High School") - for grades 9 -12 (typically ages 14-18)

• RJ Grey Junior High School ("Jr High")  (in some towns this would be called a "Middle School") - for grades 7 and 8 (typically ages 12-13)

• There are 6 Elementary Schools - for grades K (Kindergarten) till 6th grade , (typically ages 5 - 12).  

Acton and Boxborough residents can share their list of preferred schools for school placement (except sometimes if you register in the middle of the school year or for special requirements).

• • • Blanchard Memorial School ("Blanchard" - Boxborough)

    • Luther Conant School ("Conant" - Acton)

    • CT Douglas Elementary ("Douglas" - Boardwalk school - Acton)

    • Gates School ("Gates" - Boardwalk school - Acton)

    • McCarthy-Towne School ("McCarthy-Towne" - Parker Damon Building - Acton)

    • Merriam School ("Merriam" - Parker Damon Building - Acton)

• Carol Huebner Early Childhood Program ("Preschool" - Boardwalk school - Acton) - Integrated Pre-School (limited spots), (typically ages 3-4).  Enrollment for this program is by lottery, which typically happens in January/February for the coming fall. (You can find a list of other preschools in the area here)

Registration (including Kindergarten information)

• Find all info on how to register new students here.

• If prospective families have questions, they can contact 

  • for the Carol Huebner Early Childhood Program (preschool) : Joseph Gibowicz  jgibowicz@abschools.org

  • elementary, Jr High, high school : see "contact information" at the bottom of the AB Student Registration website.

• Online Kindergarten registration for each fall typically opens mid-January, with applications due by the end of March to be included in the school choice lottery.  Information sessions for each of the schools are held through February and March.   Sign up here to receive email updates on Kindergarten registration and to let the school know about potential sibling and All Day Kindergarten (ADK) requests. This sign-up is not registration.    If you have any questions, please contact the Elementary Registrar, Candace Doncaster, at registrar@abschools.org  or 978 264-4700 x 19201.

• You need a "physical" - medical record and list of immunizations for registration.  Your primary care physician (your main doctor) typically provides this during the annual visit (ask them for a copy) but you need to book these in advance.    If you can't get an appointment, Emerson Health Urgent Care (Maynard, Littleton, Hudson) , Acton Urgent Care (they accept Masshealth)  ,  CVS  Minute Clinic and several Community Health Centers offer physicals.  See more info here.  Not all are free.

Steps to Follow After Registration - Services Offered

You can go to the AB Resource Center to get help with any of the following.  If you require a specific language, please make an appointment here as much as possible.

• Powerschool

  • You will receive an email from the new school of your child with your "Powerschool Parent Portal" login and password (1 login for the family).  All families need to log in to the Parent Portal at https://powerschool.abschools.org/public/ once they get the login information or every year before school starts,  to update emergency contacts, demographic information, who to contact in case of a snow day, and medical permissions.   If you have issues logging in, contact the main office (Office Administrator) of your school (see this list).

  • You can find your children's school ID, lunch ID , lunch balance, teacher name(s) and for Jr High and High School their locker number & combo and counselor name in the Powerschool Parent Portal.  For the Jr High you can also find the advisory teacher there, and for High School also the assistant principal name  for your child. 

    • For Elementary schools: login, select the right student at the top and choose "My Class Schedule" Page link - scroll down. 

    • For the Junior High: login, select the right student at the top and click on "Team Assignment" on the left 

    • For the high school : login, select the right student at the top and click on "School Information" on the left 

  • You can find your children's bus number on the home page after selecting the right student at the top.

• Food Services / Cafeteria

  • AB Food Services prepares breakfast and lunch daily.   Breakfast is available at all schools 20 minutes before the start of the school day.    ALL students are eligible to receive 1 breakfast and 1 lunch every school day at no charge for the 2023-2024 school year.  Additional items or a la carte items need to be paid (using the School Café app or cash/via check).  Limitations on what the students can buy extra can be set in the School Café app.   Children can also bring their own breakfast and/or lunch.   No knifes are allowed to be brought in the school (you can cut the food upfront)

  • You can find all information regarding food services at the schools, including lunch menus,  here.

  • You should setup an account on "School Café" app  here (you will need the student's student ID which you can find in   the "Powerschool Parent Portal").   ALL students are eligible to receive 1 free breakfast and 1 free lunch every school day for the 2024-2025 school year.   Additional breakfast, lunch and a la carte items are available for purchase at each school - more info here.    Easiest is to pre-pay in "School Café" using debit/credit card.   Find more information in the "Food Services Welcome Letter" on how to pay via cash or check.  Parents of Kindergarten students can read their Food Services Welcome Letter here.

• Transportation

  • Bus transportation is free and is available to all students.  You can find all information here.  The bus number for your child can be found on the home page of the "Powerschool Parent Portal" (select your child in the left upper corner after login.  You might need to click on the left on "class schedule" or "Team assignment" or "School Information")

  • You can find the bus schedule for your house here.  Type in your street number and name, zipcode, select your school from the drop down  and click "search".   It will show where the bus stop is, the bus number and the approximate time the bus will arrive.  Ensure to be at the bus stop 10 minutes before the expected time.

  • You can use the "BusRight" app to see the location of your child’s school bus on a smartphone. This way, you know when the bus is near your stop, so you can send your child out at just the right time. You can download the app from either the Google Play store (Android devices) or the App Store (Apple devices). Read the instructions here.

  • The Jr High and  High School have a late school bus. 

  • Need for a Parent / Guardian / other responsible person at the bus stop:

    • Kindergarten students need to be escorted to and from the bus stop by a parent / guardian or other responsible person. 

    • For grades 1 and 2, bus drivers expect to see a responsible person within the line of sight of the driver.  Parents / guardians of Grade 1 and 2 students can also send a request in writing to the Transportation Department (you can email in your own language) authorizing the release of their students without having a responsible person in the driver’s line of sight.

    • Grades 3-6 will be released at the appropriate stop by drivers at all times, unless parents / guardians express concerns to the Transportation Department regarding their individual situations. 

    • Parents / guardians are responsible for students’ behavior while waiting at the bus stop.

  • Bus Pass Information (if your child takes a different bus / needs a stop at a licensed daycare) can be found  here.

• Pickup Patrol

  • If your child goes to the Douglas, Gates or  McCarthy Towne schools,  you will  get an email from the school for the  Pickup Patrol website  to inform the school if your child will be absent/late/leave school early.   You will need to create an account :  click on the "here" button from the email.

  • All other schools use different systems that don't require an account.  (see more info below under "Attendance")

• ParentSquare (Parentsquare.com/signin  and the ParentSquare app)

  • ParentSquare provides parents with the ability to:

    • Receive all district and school notifications in one centralized place that is easy to use and intuitive

    • Choose your preferred mode of communication (text, email, app), including whether you want to receive messages immediately or all combined at once at 6pm. 

    • Send and receive district, school, and class information in your preferred language

    • Direct message your child's teachers and staff 

    • Choose your preferred language

The school has sent you login information.    Find all information on ParentSquare here.

• School Supplies

  • All elementary schools provide school supplies for the kids to use in school. 

  • For the Jr High you can find the school supplies needed here.

  • for the High school, the teachers will let the students know what school supplies they need to bring.  At least pens and paper.

• Snowpants and Boots

  • Every day that there is snow on the ground, elementary school children need to bring snowpants and snowboots to school, otherwise they are not allowed on the playground.    

  • Families are welcome to go to the AB Resource Center in the school's admin building, 15 Charter Rd, Acton, Monday till Thursday 10am till 3pm to receive snow pants and boots to keep.

• Athletics

  • The Jr High and High School offer sports after school, elementary schools don't.   

  • You can find the Jr High athletics information here, and the one for High School here.    Every sport only runs for 1 trimester (fall, winter or spring).  Some sports have tryouts (team selection), some don't.  Some sports have a team for 7th grade, 8th grade, Freshmen (9th grade), Junior Varsity ("JV") (grades 9-12) and Varsity (grades 9-12, top team), while other sports only have some of these teams.

  • You need to register in the Family ID website ,1-3 months before the start of the season.  More information on how to sign-up for the Jr High sports here, and for the High School sports here.    Note that you need to have a "physical" - doctor's note confirming that you are fit to do sports - before you can start playing.   Your primary care physician (your main doctor) typically provides this during the annual visit (ask them for a copy) but you need to book these in advance.    If you can't get an appointment, Emerson Health Urgent Care (Maynard, Littleton, Hudson) (accepts Masshealth), Acton Urgent Care  (Accepts Masshealth),  CVS  Minute Clinic (accepts Masshealth) and several Community Health Centers offer physicals.  See more info here.  Not all are free.

• Before/After School Program

  • Information about the Extended Day Program (before / after school program at the elementary schools) is available here.   Extended Day Program often fills up quickly - you can find a list of alternative after school programs here.

  • Jr High and High School students can stay in the school library after school during its opening times (not on early release days).

• If you think you are eligible, apply for financial help

  • see the information below.

• Resource Center

  • Located at the District’s Administration Building (15 Charter Road, Acton), the Resource Center is a partnership with Acton-Boxborough Community Compass.  You may drop in Monday through Thursday 10:00am - 3:00pm or Wednesdays till 7pm to learn more about community and school resources, to get help filling in forms and for free clothing, backpacks, lunchboxes, water bottles and school supplies.  More information here. 

If you qualify through "Free & Reduced Price Lunch" according to the table above, 

• *If you received an email from AB Food Services informing you that your family qualifies for Free or Reduced Price lunch, you are automatically qualified for full financial assistance.  You only need to ensure that you have approved to share this information with other programs : in the Powerschool Parent Portal,  for each of your students (top tabs), click on "Forms" on the left hand side, then on "4. School/Parent Group Permissions" and scroll down to "Sharing Information with Other School Programs".  Ensure that all boxes are checked.

• If you didn't get an email from AB Food Services, apply here.  Afterwards ensure that you have approved to share this information with other programs : in the Powerschool Parent Portal,  for each of your students (top tabs), click on "Forms" (or "Parent District Group Permissions") on the left hand side, then on "4. School/Parent Group Permissions" (or similar) and scroll down to "Sharing Information with Other School Programs".  Ensure that all boxes are checked.

If you must submit a "Financial Assistance Application"  according to the table above, you need to fill in the Financial Assistance Application form, either online or on paper.  All information and links are here.

----

Extended Day (After School Care)

Extended Day has a separate process for financial assistance.   You can find the extended day financial assistance eligibility criteria here (click on eligibility guidelines and scroll down), and the forms here.  You can email the filled in form to extendedday@abschools.org or bring it in to the Comm Ed desk (next to the AB Resource Center) .  You also need to provide documentation to show that you are working or in school during the time your child will be at extended day. Funds for Extended Day financial assistance are limited and are first come first serve, so it is important to apply as soon as registration opens in the spring (April/May) for the following school year.  

Communication with the School

If you want to share information about your child or have questions related to your child, you should contact the following people, via Parentsquare (which has built-in translation) or via email (staff email is always first letter of their first name, then last name, then "@abschools.org".  eg John Smith would be jsmith@abschools.org.  Feel free to email in your own language - the school will use translation tools):

• elementary schools and pre-school : contact your child's teacher.  The teacher will involve other people (counselor, psychologist, nurse, assistant principal...)  as needed.  If needed, you can find your child's counselor in the  Family Communication Map.

• Jr High and High School : if the question is about a specific class, contact your child's teacher for that class, otherwise contact  your child's counselor.   You can find the names in Powerschool - for Jr High under "Team assignment", for the High School under "My class schedule".   For other contact points, see the Family Communication Map.

Special Education

If you have a question about your child's IEP,  special education support and  services or disabilities, contact the Special Education Coordinator of your child's school - you can find the list here - scroll down to "Special Education Administration Team".

Others

If you need to contact someone else in the district around a particular question or concern, you can find the contact details in the  Family Communication Map.

School Experience in the USA

New to the USA

An overview of navigating your child's school in the US: English | Spanish | Dari | Pashto 

In the USA, the school works together with the parents/guardians to ensure the best education experience.  Parents/guardians are expected to be involved.  Teachers will communicate with parents in case of concerns or questions or behavioral issues, parents should communicate with teachers and/or counselors about any concerns and questions.  

You can find useful strategies for parents of English language learners here.

Attendance

It is mandatory for children to go to school every  school day.   If your child cannot go to school, or will be late or will be picked up early, you need to notify the school (you can email in your own language).    The exact process is always mentioned on the school's home page.

Elementary schools : 

• Douglas, Gates, McCarthy Towne,  Merriam : use the Pickup Patrol website 

• Blanchard uses this form

• Conant uses this form

Jr High :  see all info here (scroll down - on the left).

• absent or tardy : email rjgrey_main_office@abschools.org or call 978-264-3350 option 2 (absentee line) before 8am or 978-264-3350 option 1 (main office) after 8am  

• early dismissal: email this form or a similar note to rjgrey_main_office@abschools.org or the student can bring a note to the office.

High School : see all info here.

• • absence : email hsattendance@abschools.org or call 978-264-3323

  • early dismissal : student must bring a note to the office in the morning to obtain a pass

  • late arrival : student must bring a note to the office when arriving in school and/or the caregiver must email hsattendance@abschools.org

School Calendar

You can find the school calendar here (scroll down to "Upcoming Events" - the link is in the first sentence below it);  it shows which days are school days, half day (1/2 Day) or early dismissal (in green) school days, No School days (marked in grey, also as "NS").

• Elementary schools have "early dismissal" every Wednesday, meaning that school ends at 12:50 pm instead of 3:20 pm

• Jr High and High School have "early dismissal" on some Mondays (1pm/1:25pm) - see the dates in green

• All schools have a few half days (marked 1/2 Day) (Jr High 11:10am, High School 11:22 am, Elementary Schools 12:50 pm)

• In addition, school might call for a delayed opening, early dismissal or no school eg on snow days - when it is unsafe for busses to drive in the snow or for kids to go to school.    The school will call / text / email parents/guardians early morning or the day before - ensure to set this up in the "Powerschool Parent Portal".  More information here.

• The last day of school is marked on the calendar, however for every snow day (when there is no school), an extra day of school gets added at the end of the school year.  

Lost and Found

Please ensure that all clothes, water bottles, lunch box, backpack of your kids have their name in it (you can just write it in "Sharpie" pen on the label!).  If the kids loose something at school, it will often end up in the "lost and found" bin.  Please have your children check the "lost and found" bin from time to time to take their own things back home!

School Conferences

 A "conference" is short meeting when teachers provide the parent(s)/guardian(s) updates of your child's learning, in person or via zoom.

Elementary schools have fixed dates when teachers organize a "conference" .   The school will provide information when these happen.

Jr High and High School have no fixed dates for "conferences", teachers will email updates to the parents.    Parents /guardians should request a conference with a specific teacher (contact the teacher via ParentSquare or email) or group of teachers (contact the counselor via ParentSquare or email) when needed.   You can find the names in Powerschool.  You can email in your own language.

Interpretation / Translation is available for conferences.

Special Education

 The AB Schools offer special education supports and services for the over 800 students with disabilities it serves. From  Learning Center programs and specialized programs, to related services, supports are provided to meet the needs of individual learners.  The goal of all programming is to support students with disabilities to access the general curriculum in their least restrictive environment and to be included within the general education setting to the greatest extent appropriate.  All special education programming emphasizes skill development,  self-determination, and self-advocacy skills for greater independence and responsibility for learning. 

More information can be found here. 

You can find a parent's guide to special education (in multiple languages) here.

All students with a confirmed special need (this might include severe disabilities but also a speech delay, ADHD, etc) are entitled to a full evaluation for possible accommodations through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and / or 504 plan.

If you suspect that your child has a developmental delay or needs specialized programs: 

• ages 0-3 : Minuteman Arc provides free screening and evaluation (no insurance needed)!  You can call their Early Intervention Office at 978-287-7950 or click here to make an appointment for an evaluation

• ages 3-5 : Contact Joseph Gibowicz, Early Childhood Coordinator at jgibowicz@abschools.org.  More information here.

• older children : contact your child's teacher or the school's Special Education Coordinator (see contact list here - section "Special Education Administration Team")

The Acton-Boxborough Special Education Parent Advisory Council  (AB SEPAC) is a volunteer organization comprised of parents and guardians of students with disabilities and other individuals interested in special education who reside in Acton or Boxborough.  They come together to share the experience they need to become empowered participants in their children’s education and ensure their families’ priorities stay on the school district’s agenda.  

The abspedpac.org website has a lot of resources for families with special needs, including community resources for special needs, local support groups, providers etc.  If you have further questions, you can contact one of the officers.