First (Inaugural) Newsletter from Westborough Connects

Volume 1 | April 12 2018

Happy Spring from Westborough Connects!

We are excited for this, our first Westborough Connects newsletter! The goal of this periodic communication is to shine a spotlight on the positive things going on in our community, including upcoming/recent events from Westborough Connects and other Westborough community organizations; interesting interviews with local people; examples of "connection" across our community; and noteworthy resources in Westborough and beyond. We welcome your input and would love to highlight the things that matter to you, so please send ideas/comments to WestboroughConnects@gmail.com.

Upcoming Event:

Elementary & Middle School Workshops - Hot Topics

May 14, 2018 at 6:30 pm at Mill Pond School

Westborough Connects will host an evening of workshops with school leaders and educators on issues that matter to you! For parents/caregivers of students in preschool through middle school. Potential topics: friendships, homework, technology in the classroom, social & emotional learning, "the life of a middle schooler," executive functioning and more! So that we can select the best topics to feature in the workshops, please give us your feedback here ! Thank you!

Screenagers Event Follow-up: Your input needed!

Approximately 600 local residents of all ages gathered together on March 22nd at WHS to view Screenagers and participate in a panel discussion about the impact of screen time on children. Brought to us by Westborough Youth & Family Services and Westborough Connects, it was a great (WY&FS) event to experience as a community. And it is just the start of a very important conversation. WY&FS has planned a follow-up discussion on April 30th. For more information on that, call the WY&FS at 508-366-3090 or email yfs@town.westborough.ma.us.

We'd also love to hear your feedback and suggestions for follow-up. Should we gather together for some community roundtables with parents, organize another panel discussion with experts on the topic? Please let us know here.

Westborough's Annual Earth Day Clean-up: Join the April 21st community effort!!

Each year, the Westborough Community Land Trust organizes an town-wide litter clean-up day around town. This is an easy and important way to get involved and make a positive impact on Westborough! Individuals can sign up here. Families with school-aged children are welcome to join Westborough Connects and the elementary schools & town sports teams at a child-friendly site (bigger area with wider roads) by signing up here. Following the clean-up, volunteers are invited to a free community picnic at 11:30 to re-fuel and celebrate a great effort to keep our town beautiful.

Let's talk about Westborough multi-use trails (and explore them!)

The Town of Westborough Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, in cooperation with the other towns, is hosting a series of walks and talks this year to introduce people to the proposal for a multi-use trail from Framingham to Worcester, with side trails to Marlborough and Berlin. The trail follows the route of the former Boston and Worcester Air Line Trolley (BWALT).

BWALT Walk – A look at the trolley line as a multi-use trail in Westborough

Sunday May 6th Car Shuttle 1:30PM Walk 2PM to 4PM Rain date May 20th

This will be a walk on the right of way of the Boston Worcester Air Line Trolley which the Town of Westborough is working to make a trail. We will discuss the progress and the problems of building on an old right of way that was broken up and sold off over 85 years ago. We will highlight our initial construction of the trail and what our plans are for connecting the MBTA station to the various office parks in Westborough. This is a fairly easy walk, good walking shoes are required.

Note: Meet at Park Street Dental parking lot, at Route 9 and Park St in Westborough, a car shuttle will be organized; Distance: 1 ½ miles short route, 3 miles long route

BWALT Talk – A look at the Boston Worcester Airline Trail and its status

Thursday May 17th 7PM in Westborough at the Westborough Town Hall - Memorial Hall

This talk will look at the history of the trolley, the aqueduct and the railroad that form the infrastructure of the proposed multi-use trail. The talk will discuss approaches to building the trail and the challenges and benefits of having the trail. The current status of the trail, and the plans for the immediate future will be discussed. Each talk will concentrate on the town it is being hosted in.

Additional events will be held in Westborough and surrounding towns later in the year and we will highlight them in this newsletter. The concept plan for the complete trail is available on the Town of Westborough website under the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. For more information, please contact Don Burns, burn@windrvr.com, 508-366-6458.

Westborough's 3rd graders prepare to "Move and Grove" into Mill Pond

Westborough's three elementary schools, in conjunction with Westborough Recreation, have planned a fun evening for all 3rd graders moving up to Mill Pond next year. The 1st Annual Move and Grove into Mill Pond will take place at Mill Pond on May 4th from 7-9 pm and will be a great opportunity for students from the separate schools to come together for the first time at their new school. Also a great way for parents from different schools to CONNECT with each other. For more detailed information and to register, visit the Westborough Recreation web site here. Cost is $10 per family. Thanks to the APG for this fabulous idea!!

Exciting News from Westborough Connects

At its March 27 meeting, Maureen Ambrosino, Director of Westborough Public Library, was voted in as the Chair of the Westborough Connects Steering Committee. The Westborough Connects Steering Committee is still forming and includes citizens, parents and leaders from organizations throughout Westborough.

Maureen has a passion for community-building (and for Westborough), and she brings extensive experience in organizational leadership. We are excited to have her on board!

Highlights from Some Recent Community Events

Youth & Family Services brought another important event last week to Westborough. A student panel discussion on stress featured Westborough teenagers talking about the impact of stress on their lives. The kids worked really hard on this event and did a great job sharing results and verbatim responses from a teen stress survey completed by over 340 Westborough teens. Parents and audience members engaged with the students to learn more about what causes stress and ways to alleviate pressure in their lives.

Chief Alan Gordon's retirement celebration on March 29th was the hottest ticket in town (thanks to the self-described Citizens Committee for organizing and hosting!), when residents joined state and local representatives in paying tribute to all of the amazing work he has done in his 43 years of service to the town of Westborough. Of particular note, Gordon's work with at-risk youth and his commitment to the food pantry and Westborough Behavioral Hospital have made lasting impacts on our town. Thank you, Chief Gordon! We look forward to tapping into your gifts of community volunteering and service as you transition to retirement! You'll find a great video capturing highlights from the evening on Westborough TV here.

CONNECTion Spotlight

On April 3rd, Armstrong Elementary students joined residents of Highlands Gracious Retirement Living for the 4th annual Planting Buddies. With more the 50 attendees, this inter-generational event partnered kids aged 5-9 with senior citizens to paint clay pots and plant flowers seeds while forming new connections and friendships. The event was very lively with lots of conversation and laughs and culminated with everyone singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in honor of this week's Red Sox homeopener. For more information on this event, check out the Armstrong Kids CARE Facebook page.

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