Day School News
April 17, 2021
Dear Day School Community,
I was shocked to see the plows in our school parking lot on Friday afternoon! So much for spring has sprung. I am certainly looking forward to warmer days for our vacation week beginning on Monday, April 19. In this newsletter you'll find the updated travel advisory. It is critical that everyone follows the precautions when they return from their vacations. Thank you to all of the Day School families who help to keep our school community safe.
Don't forget to order your Day School yearbook! Please see the flyer in this newsletter for ordering information. Our yearbook committee is putting together some fantastic memories of this most unusual school year. Since I am hoping to return to normalcy in September, I look forward to this yearbook becoming a collector's item. Don't miss out!
Have a great April vacation week! See you back on Monday, April 26.
Sincerely,
Chris Louis Sardella, Principal
Norman E. Day Elementary School
News from the School Nurse
Massachusetts Travel Advisory
As of Monday, March 22, all visitors entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, are advised to quarantine for 10 days upon their arrival. Travelers in the following categories are exempt from this quarantine advisory:
Travelers who have received a negative COVID-19 result on a test administered not more than 72 hours prior to their arrival in Massachusetts. Travelers may also test out of the quarantine advisory after arrival in Massachusetts, as long as they quarantine until receiving a negative test result.
Anyone who is entering Massachusetts for fewer than 24 hours
Anyone who is returning to Massachusetts after being out of the State for fewer than 24 hours
Workers who enter Massachusetts to perform critical infrastructure functions (as specified by the Federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) during required commuting to or from work and while at work.
Travelers who are fully vaccinated (i.e. who have received two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines OR who have received a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 14 days or more ago) and who do not have symptoms.
All travelers are encouraged to consult and follow the CDC’s guidelines and requirements for travel.
For more information, visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-advisory
Return to Sports and Physical Activity
Children or adolescents that have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 within the prior 6 months should visit their pediatricians for a post-illness visit prior to return to physical activity, inclusive of but not limited to, organized sports and physical education class within school.
Please see the full AAP recommendation for students who have tested positive for covid in the last 6 months. If you have not already done so, please reach out to your child's primary care physician for a post-covid follow-up appointment.
Nurse's Blog
Did you know that the WPS nurses have had a blog since May 2020? Please visit the link to see our up-to-date information on COVID-19 as well as a variety of other topics.
Contact Cheryl Carpenter, Day School Nurse
(978)692-5591 ext 3655
ccarpenter@westfordk12.us
Earth Day
By Anneleen Van Herck and Adriaan Van Herck, Day School Fifth Graders
With Earth Day coming up next week, we would like to propose two simple and easy things we can do to help our environment. You can help at your own pace however much as you wish!
Bags to Benches Challenge
The first is bags to benches challenge. The company, Trex, has garbage cans which we can put our plastic in. They target recycling plastic bags that we cannot put in the recycle bin. This will reduce your trash. And Trex will recycle these plastics and make benches for our community in Westford! Their goal is to collect 500 lbs of plastic in six months. The challenge started on April 10th and will last until October 10th. They have different drop-off locations in Westford, please look at the attachment for details. So, let’s all participate! Anyone can help, and it’s easy!
TREX-Rotary-Flier.pdfClick PDF above to find out more about the Bags to Benches Challenge.
Litterati App
The second is an app called LITTERATI. Litterati is an app that documents any trash you pick up. How? You download the free app. When you open the app, you will see “challenges” - search nearby for “Westford 10k” or put in the code “615012” to join the Westford 10k challenge. You may want your parents to take photos of the trash before you pick them up. You can take some bags with you when you hike/walk in Westford and start to collect trash on your way home. You may want to separate those trashes into “regular trash”, “recyclables” and “plastics for bags to benches challenges” after you get home.
That way Litterati keeps track of all the trash that is picked up and the location of the pick up. Why? By documenting the trash, the town has detailed information of where the problems of littering exist. Then they can develop actions to prevent the littering. So by cleaning up we can help our community, and provide useful information to our town of littering problems. The goal is to reach 10,000 pieces by the end of the year in Westford, currently the app recorded about 1,200 pieces. Please join this community effort! The app is easy to use. Anybody can help, and as much or little as you wish! We hope you will be able to join the Westford 10k Litterati initiative with your parents to help clean our neighborhood and clean Westford!
Check out the Litterati App Website above.
These two simple and easy things will have an immediate impact on our community here in Westford. We hope many will join us!
For information about the Litterati app, see https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.wickedlocal.com/amp/4667373001
DaySchoolYearbookReminder.pdf
The Cameron Senior Center has become a SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Outreach Partner. If you are experiencing financial hardship and/or food insecurity, call Alison Christopher LICSW at 978-399-2325 to inquire about eligibility. The social services staff can assist with online applications, recertifications, and communication with the Department of Transitional Assistance for families of all ages. https://www.mass.gov/service-details/snap-outreach-partners
Stony Brook PTO
We want to welcome the 5th Grade Parents to the Stony Brook PTO for the 2021-2022 school year. Please use this link to see our newsletter which contains some information about who we are and the types of events we run. It also has all our links for you to keep connected while your child is at Stony Brook.
We are always looking for volunteers for lots of different roles throughout the year. Next year we are in need of few new Board Members, if you are interested please email us stonybrookschoolpto@gmail.com by May 1s t.
WA Girls' Basketball Summer Clinic
The WA Girls' Basketball program is happy to offer several options for outdoor basketball clinics at the Blanchard School this summer! Members of the Girls' Varsity basketball team are ready to teach all levels of players how to become better basketball players while participating in a fun, supportive environment. Please check out the new WA Girls' Basketball website for clinic dates and registration information. All proceeds go to the WAGB program account. Thanks for your support!
WA Boys' Basketball Summer Sizzler Clinic and the 29th Annual 4 on 4 Summer Basketball League
The WA Boys' Basketball program is happy to offer several options for outdoor basketball clinics at the Stony Brook and Blanchard Middle Schools this summer! Members of the Boys' Varsity basketball team are ready to teach all levels of players how to become better basketball players while participating in a fun, supportive environment. Please check out the Westford Academy Boys’ Basketball website for clinic dates and registration information. All proceeds go to the Westford Academy Boys’ Basketball program account. Thanks for your support! Email Coach Bramanti if you should have any questions at cbramanti@westfordk12.us or go to our website at https://www.basketballwa.com/
WA Last Night
This has been a tremendously difficult year for all Westford families and students. So much has been lost. However, the Westford Academy Class of 2021 has lived through a truly trying and unique experience for a senior class. They have been unable to experience or celebrate, as an entire class together, much of the milestones that come with senior year. The high school years seem so far in the future when your children are in elementary school, but they will be walking through the doors of Westford Academy before you know it! Hopefully they will get the senior year and experiences they will have worked so hard for and will deserve.
While WA Last Night is unable to host its traditional all night lock in at WA, we are planning to give the Class of 2021 a Carnival Celebration to remember. WA Last Night is appealing to the entire Westford community again this year to rally behind the Class of 2021. We understand that the pandemic has adversely impacted many families in the community. If there is any amount you are able to donate to help us, we would greatly appreciate it!
Please donate by sending a check to WA Last Night, PO Box 4079, Westford MA 01886 or
donate via PayPal by using this link: