Worthington School District
147 Huntington Road
Worthington, MA 01098
413-238-5856
gmorsedobosz@hr-k12.org
Dear Community:
We had a full week of events at school this week beginning with the Solar Eclipse. Students spent the afternoon outside playing around with various science experiments related to the eclipse and then put their glasses on to watch while eating some popcorn!
Solar Eclipse Glasses: If you don’t want to keep your solar eclipse glasses, you can send them to Latin America for children to enjoy the August 2024 eclipse. Please mail by August 1 so they can be sent to kids before the eclipse. You can mail them to: Eclipse Glasses USA, LLC, PO Box 50571, Provo, UT 84605
On Thursday, Marla from the Hilltown SledDogs came to the school with five of her dogs and shared her soon to be released book about a sledding adventure in Alaska. Please follow the link for more information about summer camps. Hilltown Sleddogs
We hope everyone has a restful April vacation, and that the weather cooperates for some outdoor activities. We will see you back on Monday, April 22, 2024.
After-School Program Update: The after-school program recently had a program visit with their DESE, 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant coach. The purpose of the visit was to evaluate the program to be sure it is on track in meeting the program’s grant goals and to provide coaching where needed. The visit went very well! Mrs. Madden would like to thank our students for being amazing, kind and hardworking. She would also like to thank the program teachers for their hard work, time and commitment to our students.
Some of the strengths identified during the visit were:
- ALL peer to peer interactions and relationships observed were very positive, respectful and strong.
- Student and adult interactions observed showed positive and meaningful connections. Adults were actively engaged with students throughout the entire program day.
- Social emotional learning was evident, intentional and strong throughout the program day, especially through the use of the Responsive Classroom curriculum.
- Transitions throughout the program were very smooth. Students knew what to do and were on task during the different transition times throughout the program day.
- There were many opportunities for student leadership and voice during the program day. The program’s welcome meeting is completely student-led and may serve as a model for other 21st CCLC after-school programs in Western MA.
- Our program activities throughout the day had intentional and strong links to ELA and verbal communication. This is the program’s academic outcome for this school year.
- Staff retention in the program is very high. The after-school program has had the same district program coordinator and core staff since receiving the 21st CCLC grant 3 years ago. (High turnover is common with other programs.)
- Program evaluation/attendance data and reports have been completed correctly and on-time. Mrs Madden would like to thank the program staff and school day teachers for thoughtfully completing some of the assessments that are required by the grant
New Last Day of School:
- Preschool: June 10, 2024
- K – 6th: June 17 with a NOON Dismissal
PTO Fundraiser: Order forms went home this week for the new FUN PASTA fundraiser. There was an error on the information sheet, all orders should be turned in on Monday, April 22.
ArborDay: To celebrate Arbor day this year, the Worthington Shade Tree Committee and Tree Warden will be handing out seedlings of American Horn beam (carpinus caroliniana). Other common names for this tree include ironwood, musclewood, blue beech and water beech. This tree occurs naturally in New England forests. Arbor Day means “tree day” and became an official day of celebration in the United States on April 10, 1872. All states celebrate it, but may hold it on different calendar dates. In Massachusetts, it is always observed on the last Friday in April.
These seedlings were purchased with money from the Rolland Tree Fund. Peg Rolland left this money to the town to plant roadside trees. This fund is overseen by the Selectboard. It is the Tree Warden who has the authority to allow them to be planted.
Our thanks go out to him and the Selectboard for this celebration today.
6th Grade Graduation: Graduation is scheduled for June 11, 2024 beginning at 1:30 in the cafeteria.
Who doesn’t love Vermont? From Ms. Todd: Who doesn’t love Vermont? Holding onto its french name “Green Mountains”, Vermont is a lovely place to be at any time. But especially this year, along with thousands of others, my husband Mark and I were determined to fulfill a life’s dream by being in Vermont during the total solar eclipse.
Not uncommon, total solar eclipses occur every year or two. As the new moon passes between our Sun and Earth, it casts its shadow, speeding on its path between 1,100 mph at the equator and up to 5,000 mph near the poles (nasa.gov). However, being in the right place at the right time is the key. As Sharon Begley once said, “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
Having booked a room last October, my husband Mark and I were in Essex Junction April 8 to experience the wonder of this celestial event, with our brother, our 23-year old, and their partner nearby. With a colander and paper solar cat in hand, we donned our eclipse glasses, and dared to look at the sun. This amazing experience challenges any thesaurus. What I can say is that it was stunning, wonderful, and connecting.
The onset of dimness was accompanied by the song of robins, and a chilling wind. As the Moon began to block the sun, children around us exclaimed “It’s happening, put on your glasses!” Crowds of friends, family, and strangers shared each moment as the Moon ever so slowly covered the face of the Sun. I felt the oncoming darkness with my whole being as the totality came about. A hush, then shouts, were felt and heard as this group of folks from all over shared 3 minutes of joy. The bright whiteness of the Sun’s corona was dazzling. Mark captured some images with his smartphone, a free stargazing app (Sky Guide), and a filter. We were lucky enough to witness the appearance of two prominences as well. One bright orange spot appeared at 7:00 on the corona, then a second moments later adjacent to the first. These prominences are rarely observed with the naked eye, and simply were the cherry on the top of the ice cream. The return of the bright sunshine was heralded by the robins resuming their song.
We would like to share these images with you, one of which shows the corona as captured on the smartphone. Enjoy, be inspired and support the curiosity of your children with some of these resources: https://mcdonaldobservatory.org/, and NASA space place for kids. Keep looking up!
News from the school nurses:
This turns out to be Food Waste Prevention Week! Who knew? There are some pretty good tips on the Food Waste Hero Scorecard, in this link: https://www.foodwastepreventionweek.com/
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has reviewed the recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding isolation strategies for respiratory viruses, including COVID-19. The Department of Public Health has updated its recommendations for the general public to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses in alignment with this guidance, and DPH’s recommendations are available online. There is a specific section on schools and childcare settings. Please note the guidance for staff in health care settings, including school health care professionals, has not changed. Specific guidance and protocols for health care settings are also available online.
Please continue to keep Nurse Meg and Nurse Steph updated if your child is sick so they can assist you in navigating when your child may return to school for each unique situation, as well as keep a pulse on the health of our school community.
News from the Cafeteria:
HOTM: www.massfarmtoschool.org
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:
APRIL 22, 2024: EARTH DAY CLEAN UP AT THE POND: 6th graders will help the rec committee clean around the pond.
April 26, 2024: All School Meeting beginning at 9:05 a.m.
April 26, 2024: Arbor Day presentation by Steve Strom
APRIL 30, 2024: MCAS TESTING FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-6
May 2, 2024: Walk to School Day
Have a wonderful Spring BREAK!
Warmly,
Gretchen Morse-Dobosz
Superintendent/Principal