The Center Mile

Hello Center Students, Families, and Caregivers,

The Center School is a true community. Even for students who have attended Center for a number of years, each new school year presents the opportunity to continue building and deepening connections. At this point in the year, students have truly settled into their classroom communities and the school community as a whole.

You can "feel" community throughout our school. From watching a preschooler pick up a friend's dropped glove and hurriedly run to return it, to the 5th graders comforting a friend struggling with new, more grown-up emotions, caring and community are here.

This past week we had a chance to take our sense of community and share it across the world by supporting families in Turkey and Syria affected by the horrific earthquake. The Center School is honored to be a collection location for continued donations. Please see below for more details.

Each morning every member of our school community recites our "Bucket Filler Pledge" together: I promise to do my best to be a bucket filler every day at school, at home, on the bus, and everywhere I go. As we celebrate daily examples of filling buckets, we are all learning the importance of giving our best self to our community - locally and globally.

Wishing everyone a wonderful February Break!

Shelley Dulsky

Principal

sdulsky@nrsd.net

BE YOUR BEST SELF. PAVE YOUR PATH. IMPACT THE WORLD.

Facebook: facebook.com/u

• February 20-24, 2023 // February Vacation
• March 2, 2023 // Early Release - Spring Conferences
• March 10, 2023 // Early Release - Spring Conferences

The PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run) is a 15-meter straight-line run to a cadence that progressively quickens as time goes on. We typically run the PACER for Grades 3-5, every 6 weeks or so. We collect the students' results and compare the data to previous test data. This week we have seen four students break grade or school records. Ryan Graves broke the Grade 3 boys' record by running 69 laps. Arianna Pucillo set a new Grade 4 girls' record by posting 60 laps. Kate Salamone set a new Grade 3 girls' record by completing 51 laps to beat the previous record of 48 that was set in 2020. Finally, Jack Sadler broke the Grade 4 boys and Center School overall record by completing 90 laps.

DREAM STREET by Tricia Elam Walker

Based on the author’s childhood neighborhood in Roxbury, anything can happen on this magical street. Stressing the importance of community and coming together with your neighborhood, you can become anything you want, and achieve anything you dream of. Bright collage-style illustrations evoke a feeling that Dream Street can be your own street if you let it.

Spring Caregiver-Teacher Conferences will take place on March 2nd and March 10th. Please sign up through the Pick-A-Time process. Pick-A-Time opens for scheduling on

February 15, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. and closes on February 27, 2023, at 7:00 a.m. Instructions for signing up for conferences will be sent out through School Messenger.

Parents and Caregivers have the option to choose an in-person or virtual conference. Simply let your student's classroom teacher know which format you prefer. We look forward to meeting with all of you soon!

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has released 2022 School Report Cards. DESE states, Families and communities are critical partners to a school's success. Just as a student's report card shows how they are performing, the school report card shows how a school is performing in multiple areas. It shows the school's strengths and the challenges that need to be addressed to ensure the school is meeting the needs of all students.

School and District Report Cards

Our community has students with family members in Turkey who have been directly affected by the massive earthquake that occurred. We want to help. The Lorenzo-Say family is spearheading local efforts to send support to those in need. If you would like to help donate needed items to the survivors of this tragedy you can do so in two ways:

· Bring items directly to The Center School

o If you choose this method, please do not send students with any medications or toiletries.

· Drop items at the Lorenzo-Say home in Stow. The address is 87 Adams Drive, Stow

Parent Christine Lorenzo-Say has provided us with the following important details about how we can help:

By now you will have heard about the catastrophic earthquakes which struck Turkey and Syria on Monday. As many as 5,000 people have been killed with thousands still missing and assumed buried in the rubble. Thousands of buildings have collapsed prompting a massive rescue operation. The initial, 7.8-magnitude quake was felt across four countries and was followed by aftershocks and then a second (7.5-magnitude) quake in the afternoon.

At the time of this message, search teams have rescued almost 2,500 people caught under debris in Turkey. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the earthquake could cause up to 10,000 fatalities with initial damages of $1B in economic losses.

As a Turkish-American family with relatives living in the area, we are trying to get our heads around the impact this disaster is having on our loved ones. My husband's hometown, Adana, was struck directly by this earthquake. His sister’s and father’s homes have been destroyed. We are thankful they were not physically harmed. They are evacuating the area with only the clothes they slept in. Communications are spotty right now but we know they are making their way outside the destruction zone.

Obviously, with our direct and deep connections to Turkey, we want to help all those impacted. We are reaching out to our family, small-town, artisan and entrepreneurial communities to rally support.

Ways to help:

1. If you are local, we will be collecting much-needed donations at our home (87 Adams Drive, Stow).

I’d like to have the first batch of items ready for delivery by 2/13 to the Turkish Consulate in Boston, which will handle shipping donations via Turkish Airlines. Local organizations on the ground will distribute items to those impacted.

We will continue to gather items and deliver them to the Turkish Embassy, most likely through March and deliver on a rolling basis.

ITEMS CURRENTLY NEEDED (UPDATED AS OF 2-12-23)

We will stop collecting clothing for now.

We do appreciate the local support. Here is what we will continue to accept.

NEW ITEMS ONLY:

• blankets

• sleeping bags

• tents

• pocket warmers

• over the counter pain relievers (Tylenol, Advil)

• basic toiletries: toothpaste, toothbrushes, tampons, diapers, wipes, non-aerosol deodorant, non-liquid soap

Health Supplies (For use in the Field and Field Hospitals):

• ECG Device

• Defibrillator

• Glucometers

• Portable ultrasound

• Surgical kits (Abdominal set, retractor set etc.)

• Generator (35KWA LIGHT TOWER, 110 KWA, 56 KWA, 165KWA)

2. If you prefer to donate cash we will purchase items to add to our delivery through our GOFUNDME Link: https://gofund.me/9208d914

3. Donate to these on-the-ground organizations which will have an immediate impact on both Syria and Turkey.

• Save The Children

https://support.savethechildren.org/site/Donation2?df_id=4988&mfc_pref=T&4988.donation=form1

• White Helmets.org

https://www.whitehelmets.org/en/

4. Share this with your connections across your socials and email lists.

Please connect with me directly via email if you have any questions sari@sariblue.com

We are so thankful for any help you can offer.

Burak, Christine, Mazin, Maggie and Gigi

Best regards,

Christine Lorenzo-Say
christinehlorenzo@gmail.com
mobile +1 (978) 833-2501

MCAS testing will take place beginning in March this year. Please note the dates and help ensure that your student is well-rested and fed and at school on these days. Reminders, and more information, will be sent out as we get closer to the actual administration dates.

3rd Grade

April 11, 2023 – English Language Arts Test 1

April 12, 2023 – English Language Arts Test 2

May 9, 2023 – Math Test 1

May 10, 2023 – Math Test 2

4th Grade

March 29, 2023 – English Language Arts Test 1

March 30, 2023 – English Language Arts Test 2

May 3, 2023 – Math Test 1

May 4, 2023 – Math Test 2

5th Grade

April 4, 2023 – English Language Arts Test 1

April 5, 2023 – English Language Arts Test 2

May 1, 2023 – Math Test 1

May 2, 2023 – Math Test 2

May 16, 2023 – Science/Technology/Engineering Test 1

May 17, 2023 – Science/Technology/Engineering Test 2

Dear Parents,

Just a friendly mid-year reminder to always call or email centerattendance.net when your child is absent as early as possible. Also, please state the reason for your child's absence. I still track Covid numbers along with Flu and Strep Throat.

Parents of 4th-grade students, I need a current copy of a physical with immunization records. Thank you.

Carla Dumas, BSN, RN, NCSN

Center School

cdumas@nrsd.net

We are renewing our connections with Substitute Teachers. If you or someone you know is interested in substitute teaching at The Center School please contact our Assistant Principal Lenore Zavalick: lzavalick@nrsd.net