Wachusett News

Dear Wachusett Families and Staff,

As you know, this week, there was another school shooting, this time taking place at Oxford High School in Michigan. This tragedy could possibly impact both adults and children in our own schools as they struggle to make sense of this event. Below are a few resources that provide guidance about ways to talk to children about these events when they are negatively impacted or scared:

Resources:

1. Talking to your children about school shootings (American Psychological Association)

2. Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers (National Association of School Psychologists)

Over the past several weeks, the WRSD and our five towns, have been experiencing the same uptick in COVID cases as Massachusetts has experienced as a whole. The increase in case numbers is to be expected in part due to colder temperatures and people remaining indoors for longer periods of time. Please know that we continue to do our best to provide the safest learning environment possible, including daily symptom monitoring, hand hygiene, masking, physical distancing, testing, vaccination and other mitigation strategies.

In-School COVID-19 Positive Cases
Community Cases and Vaccination Rates
COVID-19 Quarantine Protocols
Self-Screening Form

Sincerely,

Darryll McCall, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Students, families, and coaches are all excited to begin the Winter Athletic Season for our middle schools. Following guidelines from the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, this season, all student athletes, coaches, and officials must wear a mask. Please contact your school to find out more about middle school athletics.

Each year the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requires that school districts assess students’ developing English language skills. All Wachusett students who are English learners will be assessed between January 6, 2022 and February 10, 2022, using ACCESS for ELLs.

ACCESS for ELLs (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English learners) is an English proficiency assessment given to all Kindergarten through 12th grade students who have been identified as English learners in the state of Massachusetts. The ACCESS test includes four components: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing. Prior to the end of the year, parents will receive a report which will provide information about their child’s English language proficiency.

As you may know, there is a currently a shortage of substitute support for schools throughout Massachusetts and all states. We continue to accept applications for substitute teachers, nurses, paraprofessionals, and custodians to help support the 1,100-plus employees in our district. If you or someone you know are interested in becoming a substitute teacher or a sub for other district positions, please contact our Human Resources department or follow the links below to the substitute application and the Criminal Offense Record Information (CORI) forms. Both forms must be filled out prior to being considered for any position.

Substitute application

CORI application

WRSD Human Resources - 508-829-1670 x228

The Wachusett Regional School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, English Language Learner (ELL) status, housing status, or other protected status. Please read our full Non-Discrimination Policy for more details.

Email: feedback@wrsd.net
Website: www.wrsd.net
Location: 1745 Main Street, Jefferson, MA, USA
Phone: 508-829-1670
Twitter: @WachusettReg