Worthington School District
147 Huntington Road
Worthington, MA 01098
413-238-5856
gmorsedobosz@hr-k12.org
Dear Community:
Welcome Back! So happy to have all the kids back in the building and to hear how they spent their Spring Break!
ArborDay: To celebrate Arbor day this year, Mr. Strom and Mrs. Porter handed 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 to Mr. Strom and Mrs. Porter for sharing this information with the students today!
MCAS TESTING: Students in grades 3-6 will be taking the Math MCAS test next Tuesday and Wednesday. Please make sure your child(ren) arrives at school on time and gets a good night’s sleep the night before testing.
6th Grade Graduation: Graduation is scheduled for June 11, 2024 beginning at 1:30 in the cafeteria.
WALK to School Day: Please join us as we walk to school on Thursday, May 2. Buses will be dropping students off at the Worthington Golf Club that morning. Staff will be there to greet students, and walk down Ridge Rd. to school together! Caregivers that drive their student(s) to school should plan to drop off their student(s) at the Golf Club no later than 8:30am. Please make sure students are dressed appropriately for the weather. If you cannot be at the golf course by 8:30 a.m., please drop your child off at the school for morning recess. We will have a couple of teachers staying back at the school. Also, once we all arrive at school anyone who would like breakfast will be able to go in and get into the cafeteria.
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.
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 30, 2024: MCAS TESTING FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-6
May 1, 2024: MCAS TESTING FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-6
May 2, 2024: Walk to School Day
May 4, 2024: Annual Town Meeting
May 6-10: Teacher Appreciation Week
Have a wonderful weekend!
Warmly,
Gretchen Morse-Dobosz Superintendent/Principal