Friday, August 26, 2016

Happy New School Year Update!!

On your mark...get set...Enjoy!

One more relaxing weekend before the the race begins.  

For those of you new to my weekly updates: Welcome!

For those of you who share and or do not mind my strange sense of whimsy: Here we go again!

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We have a lot of new things to share with everyone as we prepare to open the doors to the 6th graders on Tuesday, August 30th and welcome back the 7th and 8th graders on Wednesday.

First of all, we are welcoming 16 new staff members to Stony Brook with nearly 100 years of combined experience working with students.  A couple are familiar faces in new positions, but most are new to our building and we are excited to have them join us.  Over the next few weeks, we will be introducing them using our Twitter and FaceBook pages.  I was not surprised that so many experienced educators chose to join us in this phenomenal district!  Westford Public Schools are the envy of many and we are fortunate to have such strong candidates when we have openings seeing as how there are other towns and states suffering from teacher shortages.

The building has been cleaned, the floors are waxed and the rooms have been prepared for next week's opening.  The Westford Eagle published an interview last week that highlighted some of the changes for this year and focused on the most important notion of balance.  If you didn't get a chance to read it, you can access it from our homepage or by using this link: Westford Wicked Local Article

While everyone is trying to figure out what to wear on the first day of school, I want to let everyone know that picture day is coming quick (Friday, September 9) so you might want to schedule the wardrobe rotation accordingly :?)  I still have no idea what I am going to wear!

For those of you with 7th graders, remember to get the updated immunization and physical records into Ms. Hanly in the Health Clinic if you have not done so already.  Also, paperwork accompanying epipens and inhalers need to be brought in at the beginning of the year for students in all grades.  Finally, all students planning to play any sports at Stony Brook need to have a current physical on file in the clinic prior to participating.  There will be sign-ups for students interested in fall sports (Boys and Girls Soccer, Field Hockey, and Cross-Country) during Advisory on Thursday, September 1.  Tryouts are currently scheduled to run the following week (9/6-9/9) for Soccer and Field Hockey.  Practices will begin on Monday, September 12.

Mrs. Watson will be holding an informational meeting on Thursday, September 1 from 6:00-6:30 PM for parents interested in helping with Stony Brook Theater Arts productions throughout the year.  The meeting will take place in the SB Auditorium.  If you are not able to attend and would like to help, please email Ms. Watson directly: awatson@westfordk12.us

Finally, we have seen a lot of the incoming 6th graders during the last few weeks as you have visited with schedules to map out traffic patterns and get more familiar with the school.  If any of you are hoping to visit before Tuesday, please note that the building will not be accessible on Monday August 29 before 2:30 PM.  We will be conducting professional development with the staff and will not be able to accommodate visitors until the end of the scheduled meetings at 2:30.  The building will be open for a little while that afternoon.

We have new monitors in the lobby and cafeteria to assist with digital signage and overall communication.  Additionally, we are using them to remind students, staff, and parents to practice the process of relaxation and rejuvenation.  It takes a lot of work to be as successful as we are as a district; with all of our success, comes certain stress and pressure to remain successful; it is important to remain balanced and grounded while continuing to do the work necessary to help students develop the skills they need for their futures.

Take a deep breath...exhale...and prepare to have a wonderful year!

Have a great weekend,


Chris