Day School News
October 28, 2023
Dear Day School Community,
This year students in grades 3-5 in each of three elementary schools are participating in a new English language arts core curriculum called EL Education. We have had the opportunity to observe students participate in engaging reading and writing lessons. They are tackling complex text like expert readers, having collaborative conversations, learning new vocabulary words, and participating in activities that promote knowledge building. If you would like to learn more about our new ELA curriculum, please check out the informational video created by Humanities Coordinator Erin Hogan. You can find this video in the newsletter below.
We have two organizations generously offering holiday assistance for families: Beacon Santa and Grace Community Church. Applications are due on October 30 and November 1 respectively. Please check out the information in the newsletter below to take advantage of this opportunity.
Look for a flyer this coming week for our annual food drive for the Westford food pantry. We appreciate the generosity of Day School families during this season.
Sincerely,
Chris Louis Sardella, Principal
Chrissy Michaud, Assistant Principal
Norman E. Day Elementary School
Literacy Informational Videos
Interested in learning more about our new literacy program? Click on the video link for more information from Erin Hogan, WPS 3-5 Humanities Curriculum Coordinator. It highlights the reason behind the switch, grading, and may answer questions you may have. Stay tuned for additional Literacy informational videos throughout the year! Click on link: EL Education and the Science of Reading
EL Education and The Science of Reading Caregiver Video: Oct 13, 2023 1:09 PM.webmWatch the video above.
Day School PTO
To get involved, find out what is going on, connect with us on Slack, or join our yearbook team, send us an email: dayschoolptopresident@gmail.com
Go Green BMX Show
Special thanks to our Day School Families for helping us reach our $25,000 goal during our Boosterthon fundraiser! Thanks to your generosity, Day School students will have an extra enrichment program in the Spring - Go Green BMX Bike show! Pro BMX Athletes perform an unforgettable BMX assembly for Day School with an important anti-bullying message. The PTO is so excited to bring this amazing show to our school.
PTO Meeting
Thanks to all who joined in our PTO meeting this week. Check out our plans on our MEETING MINUTES and join us on SLACK to get involved.
Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, Nov. 15 @ 6:30 p.m. via Zoom (please note date change due to Thanksgiving).
School Apparel Store
Get your Day School SWAG today! Our Apparel Store is now open. SHOPPING NOW will ensure gifts in time for the holidays.
School Store
Special thanks to those parents who helped run our first Day School Store of the year! We had many students participate and it was so fun to help them shop!
Caring for Mental Health
National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) - Ending The Silence Presentation
Learn about the warning signs of mental health conditions and what steps to take if you or a loved one are showing symptoms of a mental health condition. This presentation is designed for parents/guardians and family members of K-12 students. Presentations include two leaders: one who shares an informative presentation and a young adult with a mental health condition who shares their journey of recovery. Audience members can ask questions and gain an understanding of an often-misunderstood topic. Through dialogue, we can help grow the movement to end stigma.
Date: Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Time: 7:00 PM-8:15 PM
Location: J.V. Fletcher Library 50 Main Street, Westford MA, Main Meeting Room
Register: Email Brittany Nash, bnash@westfordma.gov
Basketball season is almost here!
Westford Youth Basketball Association’s programs are open for registration. Programs available for students in grades K-12th.
But don’t delay! The early bird discount ends on October 31st!
Drop-Off & Pick-Up
In the morning when dropping off students before 8:25 AM, please
Drive past the flagpole, turn right and pull around by the playground.
DO NOT STOP by the flagpole waiting to pull up to the platform, as it blocks traffic and doesn’t allow staff and visitors to park, as we have people arriving at various times.
At both morning Drop-Off and afternoon Pick-Up, be mindful
DO NOT BLOCK the handicapped spots alongside the building just before the platform.
Thank you for keeping Drop-Off and Pick-Up both safe & efficient!
News from the School Nurse
Strep Throat
Does my child have strep?? Strep throat is a contagious bacterial infection which requires treatment with an antibiotic. Currently Day School is seeing a bump in cases. Prevention includes attention to handwashing, not sharing utensils and covering your cough. As always, please keep your child home if they are feeling sick.
Check out this site for more information, including symptoms.
https://www.cdc.gov/groupastrep/diseases-public/strep-throat.html
Cheryl Carpenter, MEd, BSN, RN, NCSN
Norman E. Day Elementary School Nurse
(978) 692-5591 ext. 3655
Fax (978) 692-8476
ccarpenter@westfordk12.us
ATTENTION: Child Find Obligation
It is the responsibility of Westford Public Schools to identify any child who may have a disability who is either a resident of Westford or who attends a private school within the geographic boundaries of Westford even if the student is not a resident of Westford. This also includes students who are homeschooled.
Westford Public Schools is also responsible for the evaluation of those students to determine if they are eligible for special education or related services under Federal law, IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) or, Massachusetts State Law, 603 CMR 28 (Massachusetts Special Education Regulations).
Westford Public Schools is also committed to identifying children before their third birthday in order to provide early intervention services for three and four year-olds with disabilities. If you have questions or concerns regarding your child's development and would like to have them screened, please contact Gerard Coughlin, Director of Special Education & Social Emotional Learning, at gcoughlin@westfordk12.us
If you suspect that your child may need an evaluation to determine eligibility for special education services, you may request an evaluation, at no cost, through Westford Public Schools, Office of Special Education & Social Emotional Learning.
Please contact us at the following:
Westford Public Schools
Office of Special Education & Social Emotional Learning
23 Depot Street
Westford, MA 01886
gcoughlin@westfordk12.us
Day School Library Wishlist
The Norman E. Day School Library has an Amazon Wishlist! Ms. McGann, our School Librarian, has created an Amazon Wishlist of books consisting of popular and award-winning titles, teacher recommendations, and requests by students. At this time, Ms. McGann is encouraging Parents/Guardians/Caregivers to help build our School Library Collection by donating a book from the List. Once a book has been received, it will be added to the Day School Library Collection and a personalized, permanent bookplate will be added to thank those individuals who donated the book. We greatly appreciate your generosity to our School community and thank you for your continued support.
Wishlist link: https://a.co/7QNNGQX
Day School Job Opportunities
Substitute Teacher Job Opportunity - Interested in being a substitute in WPS? We are looking for substitutes across all grade levels. If you are interested, please see the following application - Substitute Teacher Application
Night Custodian at Robinson and Day Schools Responsible for the custodial services and the supervision of the clean and orderly conditions of the buildings and grounds. Duties are to be completed through knowledge, sound judgment and resourcefulness consistent to the negotiated contract and School Committee policies.
Duties include but are not limited to:
Day to day cleaning of the building.
Cleaning bathrooms, classrooms, gymnasium, cafeteria and administrative offices on a daily basis.
Maintain corridors daily with floor machines.
Report any maintenance issues to the Head Custodian
Ability to lift furniture or heavy equipments
Set up for any and all events as needed for chairs, tables, desks and trash receptacles.
During winter months be available 24 hours / day for snow and/or ice removal, including sand and salt treatments.
All other duties as may be assigned
Substitute Nurses Needed
If you or someone you know is a licensed nurse and would be interested in finding out more about what a substitute school nurse does, please feel free to contact School Nurse Cheryl Carpenter by phone or email: (978) 692-5591 ext. 3655 or ccarpenter@westfordk12.us
If interested in applying to be a nurse sub, please contact Nurse Leader Joan Mitchell at jmitchell@westfordk12.us
Recycle Sneakers and Raise Money for Day School
Did you know that in the U.S., roughly 200 million pairs of shoes and sneakers end up in landfills each year?
Did you know that more than 600 million people worldwide don’t even own a pair of shoes?
The GotSneakers recycling organization will help us to recycle our sneakers! We will ONLY accept athletic sneakers and sports related footwear. Ideally, unused and gently used sneakers will raise the most money for our school. But, if you have sneakers with holes, mold/mildew or detached soles, GotSneakers will take them as well. By participating, you’ll help keep sneakers out of landfills while also putting shoes on the feet of people living in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, West Africa, and Europe. Some of the unusable sneakers will even be made into new athletic surfaces! Your old sneakers will make a huge difference; reducing what we throw away and raising money for our school is a win-win!
Please drop off all donations to the box outside near the Day School’s main entrance doors. We encourage you to bring all non-athletic shoes/boots to the drop-off bin in the St. Catherine’s Church parking lot, to Savers in Nashua, or to other local thrift shops for resale. Thanks so much for your support!
Holiday Assistance
Beacon Santa Applications
Apply for financial assistance during the holidays. Click on the PDF below for the application. Deadline is Monday, October 30, 2023.
Please note: We will NO LONGER accept completed applications by email. Rather, they should be sent by mail to: Beacon Santa Fund, PO Box 643, Maynard, MA 01754
Applicants can also call Kim Lalli at 978-897-9907 to arrange to drop off the application.
All applications must be signed by the applicant and co-signer, as well as, accompanied by a letter from the applicant stating how Beacon Santa can help them this year. Applications without a letter, or required signatures, will not be processed.
If you have any questions, please call Kim at 978-897-9907 or email: beaconsanta1965@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Brenda Sullivan, Board President
Kim Lalli, Treasurer
Carol Collins, Clerk
Beacon Santa Application.pdfGrace Community Church Holiday Assistance
Families looking for assistance during the holidays - Grace Community Church would love to provide 3 gifts for your school age children (up to age 18). Each child will receive a winter wear item (snow pants, boots OR jacket), an outfit and a toy OR Target gift card. Please use the link below to find out more information and to fill out the form. All forms are due back by November 1, 2023. Unwrapped items will be ready for pick up on December 9th from 10am-12pm at 275 Billerica Road, Chelmsford.
Grace Community Church - Christmas Surprise 2023