The Common

Dear Nashoba Families,

It gives me great pleasure to announce to the community that I am recommending to the Nashoba Regional School Committee for Ms. Roanne Demanche to take the helm as Nashoba’s Director of Student Services beginning July 1, 2024. Ms. Demanche is currently the Director of Student Services in Fitchburg, where she has done tremendous work serving children and families. Ms. Demanche stood out in a field of candidates that included three sitting directors. With confidence and enthusiasm, I look forward to presenting Ms. Demanche to our School Committee on February 28, 2024.

Next week is February vacation week, and I hope you all have a wonderful time with your friends and family. We look forward to students and staff returning on Monday, February 26th.

Peace,

Kirk Downing

(He/Him)

“Be your best self. Pave your path. Impact the world.”

Over the past month, we have been sharing updates with our community in The Common about the important work we are doing in our school system to improve. A cornerstone of our efforts involves gaining deeper insights into the school experiences of the families, students, and staff our district serves through an Equity Audit. Having completed a series of surveys for caregivers, students, and faculty, we are now focusing our attention on gathering valuable perspectives through focus group discussions.

If you are interested in participating in a focus group, and you have not already provided your contact information through our surveys or forms, please complete this form by next Wednesday, February 21st.

K-5 Student Focus Groups

In an effort to capture the voices of our younger students during our Equity Audit process, we will host K-5 Student Focus Groups. We recognize that the voices of our youngest learners are powerful and provide an important perspective of student experience. If you are a parent/caregiver of a K-5 student and would like your child to participate in a focus group discussion, please complete this form to provide your contact information. Please be aware that K-5 Student Focus Groups will be held outside of school hours, and parents/caregivers will be asked to accompany their child.

Please complete this form by next Wednesday, February 21st.

Nashoba students Nathan Machado, Devin Smith, and Curtis Roth presented to members from the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley on Thursday to explore a partnership for the Innovation Pathway program. Nashoba Regional High School is actively seeking internship opportunities within our local community to support the experiences of future programming for our Business Pathway and Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Pathway. Interested companies can fill out our Pathway Partner Interest Survey for more information.

Students participating in our Pathways program would benefit from Nashoba's robust academic offerings while also gaining hands-on, practical experience. This includes acquiring industry-recognized credentials in one of the Pathways fields and enriching learning through internships or capstone projects. We extend our gratitude to the Rotary Club for their warm hospitality and unwavering support!

Mark your calendars for our Kindergarten Information Night! Explore our kindergarten program, meet our dedicated teachers, and learn about the exciting spring events ahead. Don't miss this opportunity to see what a day in our kindergarten looks like. Please note, this is an adults-only event geared towards preparing caregivers for the exciting year ahead! Please attend the information night hosted by your child’s future school. Questions? Reach out to Early Childhood Coordinator/Team Chair, Kristen Ryan, kryan@nrsd.net.

NRSD is excited to announce the launch of Great Road, our podcast designed to highlight the innovative and impactful learning experiences happening up and down Route 117. Episodes will focus on educators, leaders, and learners sharing the things that make the Nashoba Regional School District special.

Great Road will be featured on the district website and new episodes will be pushed out through the live feed as well as The Common. Hosted by Director of Digital Learning and Innovation Jed Stefanowicz, episode one features our first guest Stavros Andreopolous showcasing DECA in advance of the upcoming competition season.

Listen here! Or, on our District Homepage!

The Extended Learning Program is excited to host a variety of fun enrichment options this Spring, all tailored to your Enrichment Survey responses! We're confident there's something in the mix that every student will enjoy. These enrichment activities aren't exclusive to just our Extended Learning Program students; we're opening the doors to K-5 students across the district. Please note, students not currently in the ELP will need to be dropped off by their guardians right in time for the start of their enrichment. Check out our Extended Learning Program website for programming and registration!

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is pleased to announce its new, free MPY Parenting Solutions Library. To date, over 2,200 videos have been borrowed. MPY is offering the MPY Parenting Solutions Library in partnership with Peace At Home Parenting Solutions, a non-profit located in Mansfield, Connecticut. Peace At Home Parenting Solutions is a dynamic hub of trusted knowledge and compassionate support that inspires parents to create positive change for their children, their families and themselves. Through this new partnership, MPY is pleased to offer proven resources to help students’ families thrive.

Peace At Home Parenting Solutions specializes in empowering parents with evidence-based strategies to foster nurturing connections that safeguard their children's mental well-being. When parents grasp the interconnection between the brain, body, and behavior, they experience reduced stress levels, resulting in less stress for their children.

The Peace At Home Parenting Solutions team, comprised of experts with advanced degrees, stays abreast of the latest advancements in child development. With more than 30 specialists focused on child and adolescent development, including specific issues such as difficulties in school, mental health challenges, neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ identity formation, handling racism, navigating grief, and other matters parents and our partners identify. These experts present easy-to-use strategies for long-lasting change. Parents can watch or just listen to experts who get right to the point solving big and small challenges. The 24 library presentations focus on the topics below. Each presentation includes a 10-minute videos and handouts.

· Inspire School Success for Elementary, Middle and High School Students

· Parenting Principles for Progress Not Perfection

· Mental Health Knowledge and Skills

· Support Your Anxious Child Library

· ADHD and Autism: How to Help Your Child Thrive

The Home Parenting Library may easily be accessed using the link on MPY’s home page (www.mpyinc.org). No log in or passcode is needed.

Celebrating everyday greatness! Is there a Nashoba teacher or staff member out there who you think deserves some special recognition? Send a Nashoba Notable Award their way! Fill out the form below and thank a Nashoba employee today!

Nashoba Notable Awards thank Nashoba employees for supporting students, families, and their school communities in all ways great and small.

Employees will receive a certificate that includes a brief explanation from the nominator of why they are Nashoba Notable. This form is open to everyone. Students, families, staff and community members can send a Nashoba Notable Award to any Nashoba employee.

There is no limit to the number of Nashoba Notable Awards someone may receive. Thank a Nashoba employee today!

Click here to tell someone they are Nashoba Notable!

NRHS students, family and staff joined the NRHS National Art Honor Society inductees for a keynote talk from muralist Sophy Tuttle, a Boston-based artist specializing in nature inspired murals and artwork. Congratulations to all of the NRHS inductees!

The Florence Sawyer School boys basketball team wraps up a successful season!

A Grade 2 and a Grade 3 class at Center School collected 1800 cans of food for the Stow Food Pantry! Their classes ran the All School Meeting on Empathy, and organized a canned food drive as a result.

5th graders at the Christa McAuliffe Center

The Children's' Discovery Museum working with Florence Sawyer School Kindergarten