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Ashburnham Westminster Regional School District

serving the communities of Ashburnham and Westminster Massachusetts

MHS/WES Newsletter for week ending May 22

Posted Date: 05/21/26 (11:43 AM)


MHS/WES NEWSLETTER

MHS/WES NEWSLETTER May 21, 2026 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
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MHS/WES NEWSLETTER May 21, 2026


Placement Letters for the 26-27 School Year

Friendly reminder, all placement letters are due this Friday, May 22nd. Creating balanced classrooms for all grades is a complex and intricate puzzle. While we genuinely value everything you share, we are not always able to honor specific requests for pairing or separating classmates. 


Thank you for your continued partnership, understanding, and support.


Warm Regards,

Kathy and Mike



IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

May 18-22 ~ Grade 5 Nature's Classroom

May 25 ~ NO SCHOOL Memorial Day

May 27 ~ Half Day of School NOON DISMISSAL



School Resource Officer News

We are wishing our SRO, Officer Max Rameau, our best as he transitions to other police duties. He has been a staple in our schools the past several years and we are fortunate that he has built such strong relationships with our community. Lieutentant Jason Tamulan will serve as our SRO for the remainder of the school year. He has also been an important member of our school community and is a familiar face to our students. We are grateful for our continued partnership with the Westminster Police Department.


THE ART SHOW 2ND ROUND

Greetings from The Purple Palette and Paintbrush!

A HUGE shoutout to all the volunteers that helped to make the Creation Celebration successful! The hallways look beautiful and the show will stay up until next week. The children worked so hard on their creations.

Because so many people missed the opportunity to come to the Creation Celebration last Wednesday, I have permission to extend the show through next TUESDAY.

YOU ARE INVITED! to a "second" Open House to view the art show 

NEXT TUESDAY, MAY 26 FROM 5:00-7:00

A paper invitation will be going home in backpacks tomorrow!

Hope to see some of you there!

Ms. Banning

--



PRESCHOOL

Thank you to Mary Varteresian from Bee Nice Farm in Hubbardston, MA for visiting Mrs. Goldrup's Preschool Classroom.



MHS/WES LIBRARY NEWS


FOURTH GRADE UPDATE!!

This year has gone by so quickly! It feels like just yesterday we were greeting our new students and getting to know each other; now they are moving onto 5th grade. 


We were so proud to see how hard students worked during the MCAS testing. It was a long 4 days, but students had the stamina and focus necessary to complete it to the best of their ability! We are now working hard to wrap up our learning and preparation for 5th grade. 


In addition, we’re looking forward to visiting Tower Hill Botanical Gardens in Boylston to investigate adaptations of plants and participating in a scavenger hunt around the grounds. 


Have a wonderful summer break.



PHYSICAL EDUCATION WITH MRS. LUIBIL

For the month of May, we have been learning Wiffle Ball in PE class. Wiffle Ball is the same thing as baseball and softball, but plastic equipment is used for safety reasons. This is a great unit to learn near the end of the year as Wiffle Ball is a popular summer game that can be played in your backyard, at the beach, at a park or anywhere really! 


Students have been working on throwing and catching, running the bases, batting, and fielding skills all of which provide strength and cardiovascular benefits. In addition, wiffle ball also develops hand-eye coordination, quick thinking and reaction skills, as well as communication and social skills. The younger grades have mostly been working on throwing and catching, batting from a tee, and running the bases, while the older grades got into gameplay with pitching as well. 


After Wiffle Ball, we will play Kick Ball and to finish out the rest of the year we will revisit some of our favorite games.


We will also be practicing Field Day stations to get ready for the big day! Grade 5 Field Day is June 4th (rain date - June 8th). Grades K-4 Field Day is June 9th (rain date - June 12th). 


There are still a few open spots for Field Day ( the morning session rain date Grades K-2) if you would like to volunteer! Please sign up! Thank you to all of those who have already signed up to volunteer!!!!




5th Grade Outdoor Classroom Return Time - 3:30/3:45ish

Buses from Camp Cody are expected to return to WES on Friday, May 22nd around 3:30/3:45. Our 5th grade students will be excited to see their families waiting for them. Please do not arrive until after 3:15 when dismissal is complete.



FIFTH GRADE UPDATE!!

Fifth grade is experiencing the adventure of a lifetime with Outdoor Classroom this week! The week is full of excitement and surprises but we are truly grateful for the simple moments with one another, like working as a team to complete a challenge or walking on the trails with one another. Being together is what makes this week special. The experience really shows us that learning can happen anywhere!


Because everything is about Outdoor Classroom this week- we are going to wait to give you more details on all the end of the year fifth grade events in June! Please make sure you are keeping the IMPORTANT FIFTH GRADE DATES sheet handy through the end of the year! We know this time of year gets busy and hectic, but we are so excited to end the elementary school years on a high note with your children! 



Student Council - Outdoor Classroom Scholarship Fundraiser


SECOND GRADE UPDATE!!

To celebrate all of the learning that has taken place this year, Grade 2 will be transforming our classrooms into Camp Learn-A-Lot on Friday, May 29th. Your child will be learning through creative and common-core-aligned activities. 


Decorations will help convert each second-grade classroom into a campground. Tents will be set up, fake fires will be built, and students will work and read by flashlight.


We look forward to this special second-grade celebration of learning!



GIRLS ON THE RUN UPDATE!

Our Girls on the Run participants successfully completed their 5K today, Sunday, May 17 at Polar Park! The girls worked incredibly hard throughout the season, and this was such a meaningful accomplishment for all of them. A special thank you to our volunteer coaches: Beth, Randee, & Stephanie. Without their dedication and commitment we would not be able to continue this program. Thank you!


As one of their community service projects, our Girls on the Run made individual thank you cards for each individual Westminster Police Officer and Fire Fighter.



2026-2027 SCHOOL CALENDAR updated


PTO NEWS!


Hannafords Helps Schools


Community Flyers












MHS/WES Friendly Reminders Below


Our Amazing School Secretaries are here to help!

Please reach out with any questions you may have. We are happy to help!

  • MHS - Kathi McCarthy 978-874-0163 ext. 0
  • WES - Liz Maillet 978-874-2043 ext. 0

 
Kathi McCarthy
 
Liz Maillet
 



WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CHILD IS GOING TO BE ABSENT

When an absence is unavoidable, the parent/guardian should notify the school by phone prior to 8:30 am on the day of the absence. Between 3:30 pm and 7:20 am you may leave a message on our answering machine. The office phone number at W.E.S. is 874-2043 and at M.H.S. is 874-0163. Additionally, the parent can email the offices at mhsoffice@awrsd.org or wesoffice@awrsd.org.


If the school is not notified before the school day starts, an automated voice message will come from the school first and if we do not receive a response, the school nurse OR secretary will attempt to contact you. This is done as a safety check to ensure each student’s well being.



MHS/WES School Hours

Grades K-5

ARRIVAL

8:20 - 8:30 AM


DISMISSAL

2:55 PM


HALF DAYS - DISMISSAL

12:00 PM


Learning Tree Preschool Hours

AM Session 8:45-11:10 AM

PM Session 12:00-2:30 PM

Full Day Session 8:45-2:30 PM (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)




SUBSTITUTE PACKET
MHS/WES Parent Handbook
BUS ROUTES - MHS/WES 2025-2026
MHS/WES Lunch Menu

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Kathy Taylor
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