Worthington School District
147 Huntington Road
Worthington, MA 01098
413-238-5856
gmorsedobosz@hr-k12.org
Dear Community:
Have a wonderful winter recess! We look forward to seeing students back on Monday, February 26th.
All School Meeting: The ⅚ students led All School Morning Meeting and shared an array of poems. This poem below was called a concrete poem and they used R.H. Conwell and words that represented Conwell inside the building!
New Last Day: Preschool ‘s last day is June 7, 2024, and K-6 students’ last day is June 14, 2024.
FY 24 – 25: The FY24-25 calendar was approved by the School Committee during the February 8, 2024 meeting. You can find a copy here.
School Choice: For the FY 24-25 school year we have one kindergarten seat and two third grade seats open for School Choice. Applications are due no later than March 8, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.
Conwell Adventurers Summer Program: Registration forms for the summer program are now available and have been handed out to students this week in their classrooms. Registration forms should be returned to their classroom teacher or e-mailed to smadden@hr-k12.org by March 15th.
The summer program will start July 8th and end August 1st. The program will run Mondays through Thursdays from 8:45 am to 2:45 pm. Students enrolled in R.H. Conwell in grades K to 6 are eligible to attend (K to 6 for the 23-24 school year). There is no fee for attending the program due to funding through the DESE 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant. Students must enroll/attend 80% of the program days. This is a grant requirement and the program will be working on projects and activities that build off of each other each day. Students will be going on fun field trips that will connect with our projects.
Message from Mrs. Todd: Great Backyard Bird Count 2024
Babysitting Course OFFERING: We are partnering with UMASS Amherst’s 4-H Youth Development program to offer a full day babysitting course to students over April break for students 12 years and older. Mature 11 year olds will be considered as well if availability allows. The training course teaches youth what they need to know to be caring, trustworthy, responsible, and competent babysitters. The course will help develop confidence in handling various situations while babysitting, and will cover topics such as general safety, first aid, child development, nutrition, entertaining children, and the business of babysitting. All youth that complete the course will receive a babysitter’s ID, certificate of completion, 4-H babysitting manual, and first aid supplies. We have confirmed the class will be held Wednesday, April 17 from 8:30am-3pm at R.H. Conwell. If interested, please contact Nurse Steph at sfaas@hr-k12.org. Please register soon so we know if we have enough participants to run the class!
Preschool Open House: Are you interested in signing your little one up for preschool? Come join us on March 9, 2024 from 9-11 a.m. to meet the preschool team and tour the preschool classroom. All interested families are welcome to join us at 8:00
a.m. for a homemade pancake breakfast and then join us in preschool at 9:00. All proceeds will be for future Nature’s Classroom trips.
News from Hampshire Regional: Calling all members of the greater Hampshire Regional School community! Come and be a part of an exciting basketball clinic hosted by the coaching staff of Hampshire Regional Boys and featuring current HRHS varsity players. Not only will this event be a fantastic opportunity for your young athlete to enhance their skills, but it will also contribute to the growth and success of the HRHS Boys basketball program.
This year’s clinic is open to students in grades 2-6 and will be held on Sunday, February 25:
- Grades 2-3: 10:30am-12:30pm
- Grades 4-6: 1-3pm
Click here for more information and to register. Reach out to varsity basketball coach and HRHS teacher Dylan Rickles (drickles@hr-k12.org) with any questions.
News from the school nurses: As we head into Winter Break, we wanted to send out a gentle reminder about how essential maintaining normal routines during vacation as much as possible, especially around bedtimes, is to promote the well-being of your student(s). Maintaining these routine practices can also aid in an easier transition for your students returning to school, for both them and their caregivers!
Sleep is critical to maintaining good health. During deep and REM sleep (rapid eye movement- when most dreams occur) amazing things are happening in the body! Growth hormones are released for regeneration of muscles, certain components of our immune system ramp up, and learning and memory consolidation takes place to name a few.
The amount of sleep a child needs varies by age, and of course- every child is different. That said, experts recommended:
● preschool (3–5 years): 10–13 hours, including naps
● school-age (6–13 years): 9–12
For tips on sleep hygiene habits, please take a peek at this reader friendly handout!
Sweet dreams!
News from the cafeteria:
February HOTM: www.massfarmtoschool.org Winter Squash! This month we will be making some menu items with different winter squashes! If you see it on the menu ask your child if they tried it and if they liked the different squashes we will be using.
Have a Great Weekend! Mrs. Ashley & Mrs. Jaime🙂
We are able to provide treats for special celebrations in the classrooms. Please check out
the link here for more information and the order form.
The cafeteria now has a peanut free table at lunch time due to the presence of a
student in the school with a severe peanut allergy.
Upcoming Events:
March 8, 2024: Noon Dismissal
March 9, 2024: Pancake breakfast beginning at 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. AND Preschool Open House from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
March 14, 2024: School Committee Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Have a wonderful winter recess!
Warmly,
Gretchen Morse-Dobosz
Superintendent/Principal