2020-2021 Back-To-School Newsletter

Back-To-School Newsletter ~ September 2020

The Public Schools of

Northborough and Southborough

"Ten Schools, Three Districts, One Community of Learners"

Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year

Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year. This annual Back-To-School Newsletter is an opportunity for you to learn more about our school community. This year we continue to offer this communication in a format that provides the maximum amount of information on topics of interest with ease of accessibility.

Please take a moment to visit each link to learn more about our ten schools and three districts, and become part of our one community of learners.

Quicklinks

Subscribe to NSBORO News

School Safety

K-12 Curriculum

2020-2021 School Committee Meeting Dates

Northborough School Committee

Southborough School Committee

Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committee

2020-2021 Student Calendar

District Calendar of Events

School Closings and Delays

Policies and Procedures

Transportation

Superintendent's Message

“Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second.”

― William James

I’ve recently been drawn to stories of what I consider to be extraordinary accomplishments that require commitment, discipline, and endurance. I’m sure I’m not alone. A recent article in the New York Times chronicled a sixteen-year-old’s feat of swimming across the English Channel. Vera Rivard began her journey from the United Kingdom and, 33-miles of swimming and fourteen-hours later, the teenager’s journey ended on a beach in Calais, France. The sixteen-year-old is the second American to swim across the English Channel, which is an incredible individual accomplishment. No, none of us are taking on swimming across the English Channel; however, what we are facing may seem even more challenging. We all have been asked to participate in an endurance event, which none of us have asked to participate in, and that is the Covid-19 Pandemic.

One year ago, I don’t think anyone of us could have predicted discussing launching a new school year in a hybrid or remote learning model. We all have developed new strategies and language to engage in Pandemic dialogue: ‘pods,’ ‘hybrid learning,’ ‘remote learning,’ ‘surveillance testing,’ to name a few. Although we are “all in this together,” each of us is uniquely experiencing the Covid-19 pandemic. This is no different for The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough. As an organization, we have been required to reinvent the 2020-2021 school year to meet the District’s mission: to Educate, Inspire, and Challenge. Educators have to rethink how to best meet our students’ needs, deliver instruction, and connect with their students in new mediums. Although much has changed for educators, much remains the same. As educators frame their lessons, they contemplate how to best engage and connect with their learners and make learning relevant and meaningful. Educators plan with “the end in mind,” and consider what they want students to know and do at the end of lessons, units of study, and the school year. Over the past months, weeks, and days, educators have planned the essential questions they want their students to engage with and have reviewed the enduring understandings they want their students to retain as they leave lessons, units of study, or courses. Educators planning and framing of teaching and learning are more critical than ever in the current context.

Nearly a decade ago, Nicolas Mahut was defeated by John Isner in the longest Wimbledon match. Three days or eleven hours and five minutes, the two tennis players recorded the longest Wimbledon tennis match. I’m confident that Nicolas Mahut and John Isner did not begin their match to set any records for the longest Wimbledon tennis match in history. Instead, I’m confident that each entered the match to defeat his opponent and move on to the next match. In a 2015 ESPN interview with Mahut, he spoke about the enduring lessons of the match. One of the questions asked was, “Any advice you’d give for an 11-hour match?” Mahut shared, “To go over your limits. By far, it is the greatest experience. I learned a lot about myself as a tennis player, as a person, and as a man. I believe I’m a better tennis player since that match, and I know more about myself. I know that I can push when I’m tired, and when I say I want to give up, I really know I can’t go further.”

No, we are not engaged in an eleven-hour and five-minute tennis match; I would argue we are involved in something much more challenging. As parents, students, educators, principals, and a superintendent, I’m confident that after our “record match” it will result in new learnings, lessons, and understandings about who we are and what we can overcome. None of us planned on a pandemic, but there will be enduring understandings that we’ve all learned due to this experience.

On June 10, 2018, the Opportunity rover sent its last communication to NASA, which ended 15 years of the rover exploring Mars’s surface and concluding one of the “most successful and enduring feats of interplanetary exploration.” Behind one of the “most successful and enduring feats of interplanetary exploration” were several hundreds of people: project managers, engineers, educators, students, scientists, and managers, to name a few. The mission was planned to last 90-days. The rest was history. The enduring feat was a team effort with everyone focused on a single mission.

Our students are counting on us: educators, parents, and community members. The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough’s mission has not changed as a result of the pandemic. No, we’re not swimming across the English Channel, engaged in a marathon tennis match, or on a NASA mission. However, each of us is involved in a pandemic that requires us to think differently and stay focused on our mission. In five or ten years, when we look back on educating during a pandemic, I’m confident that there will be many lessons that will have been learned. As a learning organization, The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough will be a stronger, agile, and innovative learning organization. It will take all of us working in partnership to achieve our mission: to Educate, Inspire, and Challenge. I want to wish all Northborough and Southborough families a safe and successful 2020-2021 school year.

Respectfully,

Gregory L. Martineau

Superintendent of Schools

District's Reopening Plans - Fall 2020

As we assist families in preparation for the first day of school, the District has developed a District Reopening Website. The Website contains a wealth of information. Additionally, I want to share a new resource that was added on Friday, September 4, 2020. The resource was designed to assist families in finding community resources and helping connect families to resources.

(I'd like to thank Johanna Sheyner for developing and organizing this new resource)

Subscribe to

NSBORO News

School Safety

K-12 Curriculum

School Committee Information

Northborough School Committee

Southborough School Committee

Regional School Committee

Calendars

Student Calendar

District-Wide

Calendar of Events

District Policies,

Procedures,

and Notices

Annual Notice Regarding Website Accessibility
Asbestos Policy
Free and Reduced Meals Information
Non-Discrimination Notice
Notice of Destruction of Student Records
Parents' Right to Know
Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) Notice
Rights Under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
Tobacco Ban
Student Insurance Brochure
Rights

Transportation Information

The safe transportation of students to and from school is a critical part of The Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough's operation.

The District will be publishing the 2020-2021 bus routes on the District's Transportation Webpage as well as a detailed Transportation Reopening Plan on Friday, September 11, 2020.

Food Services Information

The districts' food services programs are excited to reopen and welcome back students. It is important to note that, as a result of the pandemic, there are new procedures and guidelines.

To support families, a detailed food services plan is now available, which highlights a variety of important topics. Included in the Plan is a form to sign your child up for the Remote Lunch Program. This Program allows families to access the lunch program on days of remote learning.

The District is encouraging families to participate in the food services programs as the meals are free of charge until December 31, 2020. The USDA has extended a waiver to schools to give access to food during the pandemic.

If you have any questions, please email Keith Lavoie, Director of Operations, for support (klavoie@nsboro.k12.ma.us).

‌

Ten Schools, Three Districts, One Community of Learners

Northborough-Southborough Regional School District

Sean Bevan

Principal

ALGONQUIN REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

79 Bartlett Street

Northborough, MA 01532

508.351.7010

Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year! Returning to school from the summer is always exciting. This year will be all the more exciting since we have all been learning from home for so long. For me, “returning” takes on a different (but also exciting!) meaning: after eleven years at another school, I am thrilled to return as the principal to Algonquin, where I spent almost a decade as a teacher. I look forward to discovering, in the coming school year, how each of you will contribute to the academic, co-curricular, and social life of our wonderful school.

Algonquin Regional High School has a long-standing commitment to excellence. To that end, the faculty and staff work hard to create a broad range of opportunities for students to explore their interests, discover their potential, and achieve their goals. As a community, we encourage each other to challenge ourselves, work hard, and try new things without fear of making a mistake. While we work on our personal goals, we share a responsibility to provide a supportive, respectful climate for all members of our community. If you have questions now or at any time in the future, please email me or stop in to my office. Or, contact the administrator assigned alphabetically to your grade. They are:

AP McGowan H212 (Maroon Office) – Grade 9 All, Grade 10: A-C

AP McDonald A101 (Gold Office) – Grade 11 All, Grade 12: A-C

AP Carmignani A101 (Gold Office) – Grade 10: D-Z, Grade 12: D-Z

My best wishes to each of you for an exciting and rewarding school year!

ARHS Webpage

Cathleen Carmignani

Assistant Principal

Timothy McDonald

Assistant Principal

Andrew McGowan

Assistant Principal

Northborough K-8 Schools

Jennifer Wright

Principal

LINCOLN STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

76 Lincoln Street

Northborough, MA 01532

508.351.7030

Lincoln Street School’s mission is to prepare our students to become lifelong learners in a nurturing environment with high expectations for academic, social and emotional development. We are grateful for the strong partnerships that we share with our families and dedicated volunteers. We intend for our students to become responsible, respectful and productive citizens in an ever-changing, diverse society. We strive to create learning experiences that encourage and extend individual talent, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and curiosity. We aim to develop students who believe that hard work ignites their ability and turns it into accomplishment.

Lincoln Street School Webpage

Mary Coakley

Principal

MARGUERITE E. PEASLEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

31 Maple Street

Northborough, MA 01532

508.351.7035

The Marguerite E. Peaslee School is a positive, student-centered learning community committed to nurturing our students’ love of learning. Providing positive and meaningful learning experiences contributes to our students' academic and social/emotional growth. Active and collaborative participation in a respectful environment is embraced. We value and appreciate how and why the differences among us enrich our learning culture. We are proud of our strong family/school partnerships and appreciate the amazing support of our PTO!

Peaslee School Webpage

Alana Cyr

Principal

FANNIE E. PROCTOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

26 Jefferson Road

Northborough, MA 01532

508.351.7040

The Fannie E. Proctor School takes great pride in the relationships that we cultivate with students and families. These partnerships allow all of our students to excel and succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. Our vision is that every child who leaves Proctor will have the tools, knowledge, and character to attain personal success and continue on a path of lifelong learning. Our Proctor Pride is evident in how we take care of ourselves, each other, our school, and the world around us.

Proctor School Webpage

Amy Souls

Principal

MARION E. ZEH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

33 Howard Street

Northborough, MA 01532

508.351.7048

The Marion E. Zeh School recognizes and values the strong support of the Northborough Community. In partnership with staff, students, and families, the Zeh School strives to achieve growth both academically as well as social-emotionally. It is the mission of the Zeh School to promote a learning environment that promotes acceptance, flexible thinking, and collaboration while developing students ability to persevere in times of uncertainty and challenge. Together we are #Zeh-STRONG.

Zeh School Webpage

ROBERT E. MELICAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

145 Lincoln Street

Northborough, MA 01532

508.351.7020

The Robert E. Melican Middle School understands the unique challenges of middle school and strives to help all students feel connected, supported, and safe, as they develop intellectually, socially, and emotionally. Our mission is to pursue the highest level of educational excellence for all students by encouraging them to continue to develop their strengths, work on weaknesses, refine interests, and become lifelong learners in a connected world. We offer a variety of extra-curricular activities and clubs to promote a sense of belonging and community.

Melican Middle School Webpage

Michelle Karb

Principal

Jennifer Callaghan

Assistant Principal

Southborough K-8 Schools

Clayton Ryan

Principal

MARY E. FINN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

60 Richards Road

Southborough, MA 01772

508.485.3176

The Mary E. Finn Elementary School supports a whole-child approach to learning. We believe that in order for every child to succeed they need to feel emotionally and physically safe, secure, valued, and connected with school staff. All of the Finn School staff nurture genuine positive connections with each child within our caring and supportive school community environment. Please visit our school to see first-hand what makes the Finn School such a wonderful learning environment.

Finn School Webpage

Steven Mucci

Principal

ALBERT S. WOODWARD MEMORIAL SCHOOL

28 Cordaville Road

Southborough, MA 01772

508.229.1250

The Albert S. Woodward Memorial School is a place that recognizes and values the strong support of the Southborough Community. In partnership with families, community members and stakeholders, Woodward School supports students in both their social-emotional and academic learning. It is the mission of the Woodward School to maximize academic achievement, social responsibility and lifelong learning by attending to the intellectual and developmental needs of each student in supportive classroom environments.

Woodward School Webpage

Kathleen Valenti

Principal

MARGARET A. NEARY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

53 Parkerville Road

Southborough, MA 01772

508.481.2300

The Margaret A. Neary Elementary School’s mission is to provide a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment, which embraces the diversity of all students. Each member of our Neary community works together with a shared commitment and goal of providing rich learning experiences focused on the academic, social and emotional growth and success of all learners. We strive to establish a community that fosters each child’s maximum potential as a kind, independent, and motivated learner. We are One School, One Team who understands the most important part of each child’s academic journey is a strong team with a collective ownership of all children. Our school motto is to #CHOOSEKIND and is quite visible in all that we do!

Neary School Webpage

P. Brent Trottier Middle School

49 Parkerville Road

Southborough, MA 01772

508.485.2400

At the P. Brent Trottier Middle School, we believe learning is maximized when it takes place within a culture that promotes respect, inclusion, and responsibility. Our vision is rooted in a community where all members feel supported, safe, and encouraged to take risks. We are committed to providing rigorous and compelling instruction crafted to students’ diverse needs and interests. We are looking forward to the new school year and welcoming our new and returning students.