Dear Families,

We are thrilled to share that our recent Boosterthon was a tremendous success! Thanks to your generosity and enthusiasm, we raised over $33,000! These funds will help support special school events, field trips, new playground equipment, classroom supplies and so much more. It is a wonderful reminder of what we can accomplish when our community comes together for our kids.

We would also like to extend a special thank you to our PTO Board for their amazing work organizing and supporting this event. Your time, energy, and dedication made this fundraiser possible, and our students and staff are so grateful.

To our families, thank you for cheering on your children, sharing the fundraiser with family and friends, and giving so generously. To our students, you worked hard and had fun doing it, and you've earned a special reward: the chance to dunk your principals in a Dunk Tank! This splashy event will take place in the spring when the weather is warmer, so stay tuned for the date and details. We'll be ready (and hoping for a warm/sunny day)!

With gratitude,

Kathy and Mike

October 8: Thursday ~ PTO Meeting 6:00 PM, MHS Cafeteria

October 8: Thursday ~ Grade 5 Parent Meeting for Outdoor Classroom 7:00 PM, WES Cafeteria

October 21: Wednesday ~ Half Day/Noon Dismissal

October 28: Wednesday ~ MHS/WES Picture Retakes

October 30: Friday ~ MHS Costume Parade, 9:15 AM

October 30: Friday ~ Grade 5 Vocabulary Parade, 2:10 PM

A friendly reminder that we require notes or emails when there is a change in your student's end of day dismissal. Be sure to include the date and student's last name. If you need to send an email to either school you may use mhsoffice@awrsd.org for MHS and wesoffice@awrsd.org for WES.

Our school year is off to a great start! Kindergarteners are learning classroom routines, practicing independence, making friends, and building a strong community together.

We've launched our ELA (CKLA, Wit & Wisdom) and Math (Bridges) programs and look forward to the learning ahead!

Monthly trips to Forbush Library have begun this month! Students will get library cards to check out books—please help care for them at home. You can return your child’s book to Forbush or send it back to school before the next class trip. 

With cooler weather coming, please dress your child warmly for chilly morning recess.

We appreciate seeing so many of you at the MHS Open House and thank you for supporting our successful Fun Run!

Be on the lookout for information about our annual Costume Parade….. Coming soon! 

Warmly,

The Kindergarten Team

Hello 5th Grade Families!

We hope everyone enjoyed coming in for the open house. It was fun to see the students be so excited to show their families all of the hard work they do everyday. 

Homework Reminders: Students will have homework Monday through Thursday each week. Please help your child build good study habits by setting aside a consistent time and quiet space to complete their assignments. It can be helpful if you encourage your child to double-check that all work is finished and packed in their backpack before bedtime!

Chromebook Care: Please make sure Chromebooks are fully charged each night and brought to school each morning. Having a charged device helps students start their day ready to learn and participate in class activities without interruption, and is also part of their nightly homework. 

Vocabulary Parade: 5th grade students participate in our annual vocabulary parade on Halloween! Please be on the lookout for information coming home this week. Families are welcome to attend the parade around the Meetinghouse Playground starting at 2:00 PM. 

Outdoor Classroom Information Session: Guardians are welcome to WES cafeteria this Thursday (10/8) at 7:00 for an information session about Outdoor Classroom. If you have any questions regarding Outdoor Classroom, please email WESOutdoorClassroom@awrsd.org. 

Thank you for your continued support — it truly makes a difference!

Warmly,
 The 5th Grade Team

Greetings from the Purple Palette & Paintbrush!

We are off to a great start! Lots of creative ideas and fun projects. So far both studios have only had a few centers open to experiment with.

Grades 3,4 and 5 recently worked on skill-builders: Squishmallow Portraits,

One-Point Perspective, Radial Symmetry and Dragon Eye Designs!

Ms. Banning

Grade 5 Outdoor Classroom at Camp Cody 2024

Monday, May 24th - Friday, May 28th

Each year our 5th grade students travel to Camp Cody in Freedom, NH for an outdoor classroom experience. The trip is 5 days/4 nights. Next year we are going the week of May 24-28th. Please mark your calendars for October 8th at 7:00 PM for our Outdoor Classroom Parent Information Meeting. Our fifth grade teachers have prepared a presentation to explain all the details of our Outdoor Classroom experience. 

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Walk to School Day! It was a perfect fall morning for a brisk walk to school. Our students were amazing, walking with lots of happy energy and smiles. We’re so grateful to the families, staff, WPD and community members who came out to support them along their walk. Events like this make our school community shine!

Please reach out with any questions you may have. We are happy to help!

• MHS - Kathi McCarthy 978-874-0163 ext. 0
• WES - Liz Maillet 978-874-2043 ext 0

AM Session 8:45-11:10 AM

PM Session 12:00-2:30 PM

Full Day Session 8:45-2:30 PM (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)

ARRIVAL

8:20 - 8:30 AM

DISMISSAL

2:55 PM

HALF DAYS - DISMISSAL

12:00 PM

Emergency Early Dismissal Policy

In the event of an unforeseen emergency that necessitates the dismissal of students prior to the end of the school day, parent notification will be provided through the automated phone and email system. Typical emergency situations that may precipitate an early dismissal include, but are not necessarily limited to, severe weather conditions, fire and absence of heat or water.

Since it is impractical for school officials to personally contact every parent in the event of an early dismissal, parents and particularly the parents of elementary age children, are encouraged to develop a clear and well-defined plan with their children in case of an early dismissal. Since children will be dismissed to their home, it is imperative that children know how to gain entry into their home and how and whom to call once they are there.

ABSENCES: Please call WES (978-874-2043) or MHS (978-874-0163) when your child will be absent or late for school. Please state your name, your child’s name, teacher, and the reason for absence. If you must speak to someone, please call after 7:45 AM. This system is to ensure the safety of your child. If we do not hear from you, we will contact you at home or work, and if we can’t reach someone we may send a school resource officer to the house to do a well child check. Absent notes are required when children return to school.

AM Arrivals: Bus drivers do not let children off the bus until 8:20 a.m. There is NO Supervision before 8:20 a.m. Walkers/students being dropped off should not arrive before 8:20 a.m. School starts at 8:30 a.m.

PM Dismissals: The school day ends at 2:55 p.m. The office needs to know your dismissal plan. If your child is a car-rider, you will be given a sign to display on your car dashboard to be used each day. Car riders will be dismissed to the cafeteria and called outside in the order cars line up. Please remain in your car. Signs will be posted. If you would like your older sibling to walk from WES to MHS pick-ups for dismissal in the afternoon, please send a note to the office and your child’s teacher.

If your child needs to be dismissed early, please send a note to his/her teacher stating the time and reason for dismissal. Early dismissals will be handled through the main office.

NOTES: Please use student’s (and parent’s) last names in all notes to the teacher/office. Please also date all notes so that we can be sure we are dealing with current messages. Notes are required for any change in dismissal. You may also email a note to mhsoffice@awrsd.org (MHS) or wesoffice@awrsd.org(WES).

MEDICATIONS: ALL Medications must be brought to the nurse by an adult at the beginning of the day. Medication is NOT TO BE TAKEN by any child on his/her own. The school nurse under the following circumstances will administer medication:

• A signed and dated note from a doctor and a parent is sent with the child’s name, dosage, reason for medication and time to be given.

• The prescription bottle is sent with only the amount which will be needed for the administration at school. (Pharmacies will dispense in two bottles if you ask.)

School Announcements:

Please make sure all phone numbers and email addresses are updated throughout the school year to ensure you receive all messages sent from the school or district.

RESTRICTIONS: Please provide the office with any LEGAL DOCUMENT which indicates any legal restrictions on the release of your child as per district policy. These restrictions CANNOT be honored unless we have a copy of the legal documents in your child’s file. Please remember that it is MOST IMPORTANT that your child knows who he/she is allowed to leave school with and restrictions of the same.

TARDINESS: It is important that your child be at school on time. Tardy students need to stop at the office for a tardy slip when they arrive later than 8:30 a.m. If excessive tardiness continues, it will be necessary for the parent and child to meet with the Principal so that we may remedy the situation.

For questions about transportation, please email bussing@awrsd.org and provide your child's full name, school, address, and the question/issue.

• IMPORTANT BUS NOTES for 2026-2027:

  • All students are expected to be present at their stop and visible to the driver 5 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. This includes all door-to-door stops as well as group stops. 

  
  

  • All K and 1st Grade students must have an adult at the stop to receive them in the afternoon, unless authorization to get off the bus alone or with an older sibling has been given to the school office or busing coordinator.

  
  

  • All 2nd & 3rd Grade students must have an adult/older sibling/designated person visible to the driver when dropping off. They don’t have to be at the stop location, they can be on a porch, in a doorway, etc., as long as the driver can see them.

  
  

  • Students who miss the bus in the morning can board at any other stop along the route, but the buses will not stop if it isn’t a designated stop location, for legal and safety reasons. However, in the PM, unless there is a pass indicating otherwise, the student will only be dropped off at their stop of record for legal and safety reasons.

  
  

  • Due to transportation limitations and the increasing number of requests, separate bus trips will no longer be provided for any student group traveling to a local organization for scheduled club or activity. For any outside organization in the student’s hometown/community, if a student’s designated bus goes by the organization location, the school may issue a bus pass. If the student’s designated bus route does not go by the organization’s location, and an alternate bus has space, the school may issue a bus pass. The district CANNOT guarantee a specific drop off time (i.e. start of the outside program) or space on an alternate bus. If there is a new request from a community organization to offer bus passes to students, it will need Superintendent’s office approval via bussing.