Day School News
September 9, 2023
Dear Day School Community,
What an end to absolutely blistering week at the Day School! We were amazed by the deluge of a late summer storm and thunder and lightning right at dismissal time. Many thanks to our staff members and bus drivers for getting our students safely home on Friday afternoon.
At our first all school meeting of the year, students were encouraged to have positive attitudes when forming their goals for the school year. We considered this quote from Oprah Winfrey "The greatest discovery of all time is that people can change their futures by merely changing their attitudes." We then talked about having Day School SPIRIT by thinking about our core values: Safety, Perseverance, Inclusion, Respect, Integrity, and Teamwork.
We are excited to welcome all families to our Back to School Night on Thursday, September 14. Please see the details in this newsletter.
Finally, the PTO needs you! Please see information below about how to get involved in our upcoming fundraiser and many other fun events this school year.
Sincerely,
Chris Louis Sardella, Principal
Chrissy Michaud, Assistant Principal
Norman E. Day Elementary School
CORI’s and Fingerprinting
Field trip chaperones will be required to complete the fingerprint obligation in addition to the annual CORI background check. Please refer to the following link for more information regarding fingerprinting - Fingerprinting Information.
Classroom volunteers will not be required to submit to fingerprint based background checks but will still be required to complete an annual CORI background check. If you are interested in volunteering please be sure to complete a new CORI application for this school year. (Applications done during the 22-23 school year are no longer valid.) CORI applications can be completed at any of our school offices. If you have children that attend more than one school in Westford, only one application is required. If approved, your approval will be valid at any Westford school.
Back to School Night
The Day School will have an in-person back to school night on Thursday, September 14. To kick off our night, all parents and guardians are invited to the cafeteria to meet our principal and assistant principal, guidance counselors, school nurse, literacy specialist, and library media specialist. Additionally, we will be sharing information about our art, music, and physical education programs. A representative from our PTO board will also be part of this opening meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting, you'll be invited to visit your child's classroom to meet the teacher and learn about the curriculum.
5:30PM-6:00PM Welcome Back Meeting to Meet Day School Staff in Cafeteria
6:00PM-6:30PM Classroom Meetings with Teachers
Additional parking will be available at the back of the school and in the church parking lot on North Main Street. All visitors must enter the doors to the front lobby. There will be no admittance to classrooms before 6:00PM so teachers have an opportunity to prepare for your arrival.
Don't forget to stop by the office to complete your CORI form. This form is needed if you plan to volunteer this year or chaperone a field trip. Be prepared and get it done early!
Day School PTO
Welcome Back Day School!
We are so excited for all of the fun things happening this year—especially our biggest fundraiser, Boosterthon! Stay tuned for more info! Our first PTO meeting of the year will be via zoom on Thursday, 9/21 @ 8PM-9PM.
To get involved, find out what is going on, send us an email: dayschoolptopresident@gmail.com
We look forward to seeing you all on Thursday 9/14 @ Back-to-School Night!
Day PTO
Yearbook
Interested in joining the Day School Yearbook team? It is a great role for someone who works during the day to be part of your child’s school experience! Join our yearbook team by emailing:
dayschoolptopresident@gmail.com
WestFest
On Sunday, September 24th, Day PTO would love your help running our fun Duck Racing Booth at WestFest! Please Sign-up HERE.
Boosterthon
Our biggest fundraiser of the year is kicking off on Monday, October 2. Many volunteers are needed to help make this PTO fundraiser a success. This year we are excited to announce the color run! Get involved by emailing: dayschoolptopresident@gmail.com
Day School students harvest potatoes, beans from school garden
ByBen Domaingue September 5, 2023
WESTFORD — Fifth graders at Day Elementary School pulled their first harvest of the season on Tuesday.
Fresh Start Food Gardens, which installed gardens at each of Westford’s schools between 2016 and 2017, continues to manage the garden at Day School. Here – volunteers grow a variety of produce alongside students.
After produce is ready to harvest, students can pick their own vegetables from the garden during recess with volunteer supervision. This fall, students picked potatoes and green beans.
“They’re really curious,” Fresh Start co-founder Christine Berthold told WestfordCAT. “It’s so much fun that they get to explore on their own. They always bring great questions and a lot of enthusiasm.”
She added, “they have a love of learning at this school.”
Please consider supporting WestfordCAT by donating online
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
HEROES LEAGUE 2023
The 2023 registration for the Heroes League division is now open! This Division is a program for children and young adults with disabilities of all ages. Our Heroes will participate in a program designed for them and is focused on having fun while they develop self-esteem, socializing skills and teamwork. This is a non profit league and will give players the chance to play ball at zero cost to the families. We are actively seeking new athletes. Come join the fun.
Registration will only be open until September 11th. We ask that you register as soon as possible so that we can place your Hero Player on a team. Games will begin on September 16th at 10:30am and will last 1 hour of baseball fun! The season will go through at least October 21st with extra games weather permitting.
VOLUNTEERS:
The WYBSL Heroes League gives disabled and special needs children of all ages the opportunity to join a team and play baseball and softball. The Heroes players participate in a program designed for them with the focus on having fun while developing self-esteem, socializing skills and teamwork.
The Heroes League is looking for volunteers to help with this program.
Youth Buddies: Assist and support all of the Heroes players - this includes assisting with fielding and running the bases with your Hero if needed. Providing moral support and being enthusiastic is a must. If you sign up as a Buddy you must be able to attend most if not all of the games. Ages 13 and older
Pitchers: Be able to deliver a wide variety of pitches (by variety, we mean just overhand and underhand). It's okay if your pitching range is a little short, we will allow you to pitch any distance from home plate needed. Pitchers will be using 11" extra soft softie balls. High school or older.
Catchers: No catchers gear needed here. Retrieve the passed balls and get them back to the pitcher or throw them around the infield if there is a hit (everyone gets to field!). Ages 13 and older.
Announcer: Are you a TikTok star? Do you love public speaking and theater? Do you think Bob Uecker was the best baseball announcer ever? Then this could be your big break! We need an energized and fun baseball sportscaster to narrate the game as seen through a Hero's eyes. That ball wasn't a hit to the infield, it was a grand slam and boy did that Hero speed around the bases like greased lightning! Any and all plays will need to be turned into an exciting narrative to make our Heroes feel extra special! Ages 13 and older.
Float: The “Float” is the GOAT! You are the most versatile of the volunteers and what you do depends on the needs of the day. This option is best for volunteers who cannot commit to weekly attendance.
Volunteers will need to be present on Saturdays from 10:15am to 11:45am Mid-September through Mid-October. Volunteer hours will count as community service.
All volunteers will be required to wear masks while attending the Heroes games.
Heroes Players and Volunteers can register at https://wybsl.sportngin.com/register/form/660289989
School Lunch Program
Click here for more information regarding the School Lunch Program. Please note, that all school meals will remain free to all students for the 2023-2024 school year. Food Services Website - Click Here.
Free and Reduced Lunch - An approved application may qualify your children for additional assistance with bus passes, kindergarten tuition, before and after school care and activity fees. The application can be found Here.
Bus Passes
BUS PASSED ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL STUDENTS RIDING THE BUS.
All students who plan to ride the bus during any point of the school year are required to register for a bus pass. Parents must register all children who plan to ride the bus, whether they qualify for fee-based transportation or not. All registrations for bus transportation will require online registration. Please visit: https://www.westfordk12.us/district/transportation to determine cost and to register.
Job Opportunities at the Day School
Please contact Day School Principal Chris Louis Sardella: csardella@westfordk12.us for more information and to apply for these positions.
Day School is looking for substitute teachers!
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
WestFest
Westford Education Foundation is gearing up for their annual Family Fun Food Truck Festival taking place on Sunday, September 24th from 12-4 at Stony Brook Middle School.
VOLUNTEERS: We are in need of volunteers. Please consider joining us to support our community together on this great event!
FUNFEST: Local clubs, sports teams, organizations and other non-profits are welcome to fundraise with us by hosting a carnival game or activity
SHOPFEST: We still have spots for crafters and vendors to sell their goods at our event.
SPONSORS: Work for a local business, consider one of our awesome sponsorship opportunities
For all information about Westford Education Foundation and WESTFEST 2023 please check out westford.org/wef. We could not do this community event without you! Thank you for all your support!
Destination Imagination
Science! Drama! Duct Tape! Write stories! Paint stuff! Rewire a microwave into a time machine! Do you have a Destination Imagination child? Parents, give your kid(s) a great opportunity to solve a DI Challenge in a fun team – adults can teach skills, but the final performance must be 100% kid-powered!
Please click here for more information. Register by Sept. 24, 2023 at http://www.westford.org/di
