Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Today is the first day of school. Share your photos below.
Westborough public schools faculty and staff have returned from summer vacation "psyched for a new year," School Superintendent Marianne O'Connor told the school committee Tuesday night. "It's so joyful to see everybody back," O'Connor said. The students join them for the first time today. Westborough Patch invites readers to share photos from today by uploading them below. One Westborough school tradition will look different this morning. Westborough Police notified school administration that Westborough High School seniors can't have their automobile parade downtown, for safety reasons, O'Connor said. Students were "a little disappointed," she said. The school administration asked students for ideas for other options, though. As a result…
On this first day of school, here are some key resources.
Each morning, Westborough Patch presents “5 Things You Need to Know,” a collection of announcements, events, reminders and odd little ditties to help you organize your day. What will you be doing today? On this first day of school, here are five helpful pieces of Westborough public school information: 1. Wondering what's for lunch? Here are the school menus. 2. Looking for the nearest school bus stop? Here are the school bus routes. 3. Looking for the school calendar? Here are the key dates. 4. Looking for information about the schools and the parent groups? Here are links to their websites. 5. Wondering about special education in Westborough? Meet new Pupil Personnel Services Director Sherrie Stevens.
42.26787
-71.61477
Town of Westborough School Department
45 W Main St, Westborough, MA
/articles/5-things-what-do-you-need-to-know-about-the-westborough-schools
805686
/locations/7677662
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Here are the Westborough public schools' lunch menus.
The Westborough public schools' cafeterias are preparing for the first day of school, which is Wednesday. Here are the first school lunch menus of the academic year, courtesy of Director of Dining Services Claudette Barrett. Enjoy!
Westborough Patch welcomes readers' photos.
School starts in Westborough on Wednesday, and parents are preparing clothes, school supplies and backpacks. And cameras. Westborough Patch will be looking for photos celebrating the first day of school. Readers are encouraged to submit them below. Westborough Patch's Back to School Guide, featuring stories about each school, as well as the school bus routes, is here.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Pupil Personnel Services Director Sherrie Stevens previously worked in smaller districts.
New Westborough Public Schools Pupil Personnel Services Director Sherrie Stevens thinks about students in three places at the same time. Students in the district, students finishing their schooling, and students entering the system in the next three to five years must be considered when planning to allocate Westborough's special education resoures, Stevens says. "We tend to sometimes have cycles of students with particular disabilities. We grow the program, but they go away after a year or two," she said during a recent interview in her office. "(School officials need to make) sure that they have a continuum of support. Sometimes, those gaps really can be difficult." The Westborough public schools' first day of school is Wednesday. Friday …
42.26787
-71.61477
Town of Westborough School Department
45 W Main St, Westborough, MA
/articles/new-westborough-special-education-director-excited-about-challenge
805686
/locations/7677645
Thursday, August 23, 2012
The Westborough public schools' first day of school is Wednesday, Aug. 29. Friday, Aug. 31 is an early release day for students.
Wondering how Westborough students will get to school this year? Here are the 2012-2013 school bus routes, courtesy of Westborough public schools Transportation Coordinator Cindy Crowley. The Westborough public schools' first day of school is Wednesday, Aug. 29. Friday, Aug. 31 is an early release day for students.
42.26543
-71.618709
Westborough High School
90 W Main St, Westborough, MA
/articles/find-the-westborough-school-bus-routes-here
806332
/locations/7645375
42.254024
-71.647582
Mill Pond School
6 Olde Hickory Path, Westborough, MA
/articles/find-the-westborough-school-bus-routes-here
805650
/locations/7645376
42.270849
-71.626061
Sarah W. Gibbons Middle School
20 Fisher St, Westborough, MA
/articles/find-the-westborough-school-bus-routes-here
1733437
/locations/7645377
42.270832
-71.625623
Armstrong Elementary School
18 Fisher St, Westborough, MA
/articles/find-the-westborough-school-bus-routes-here
805685
/locations/7645378
42.24981
-71.62297
Fales Elementary School
50 Eli Whitney St, Westborough, MA
/articles/find-the-westborough-school-bus-routes-here
806086
/locations/7645379
42.28035
-71.60318
Hastings Elementary School
111 E Main St, Westborough, MA
/articles/find-the-westborough-school-bus-routes-here
805776
/locations/7645380
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Find out how the town's per capita spending on education compares to nearby cities and towns in Massachusetts.
As the school year approaches, parents will hear about new investments in their local school system or, sometimes, cuts to teachers and budgets. But how much does Westborough spend on education for each person in town—in financial terms, its per capita education spending? The Pioneer Institute, a Massachusetts public policy research organization, recently released a spreadsheet tool to accompany its new handbook, "Guide to Sound Fiscal Management for Municipalities." The spreadsheet tool allows anyone to compare how much a city or town spends on various services, and how much the city or town spends per capita. Patch used the tool to compare 10 cities and towns in the area on per capita education spending. The Pioneer Institute cited …
Westborough is expected to be among the first in the state to adopt this model.
This year, Westborough teachers, administrators and Superintendent Marianne O'Connor likely will be among the first in Massachusetts being supervised and graded in a new way. The Boston Globe reported Tuesday that "all but a few Massachusetts districts will probably miss" the state's Sept. 1 deadline for implementing the new model, a requirement for federal Race to the Top education funding. O'Connor says the Westborough public schools adopted the new model earlier than other Massachusetts districts because the district elected to participate in Race to the Top. O'Connor says the new system will become mandatory in Massachusetts in 2013. "We had probably 18 meetings between the union and a committee that we formed, so that we could come up…
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
The school begins its 11th year.
Westborough's Mill Pond School will spend its 11th year with monthly community service project themes, Principal Reene Hatherley says. Mill Pond Parent Group Co-Presidents Jennie Bogaert and Karen Henderson will facilitate the effort, which connects with the school's emphasis on character education. Mill Pond was named a National School of Character in 2010, an honor the school will hold for five years, Hatherley says. "You're educating the whole child. That means educating their character as well," Hatherley says. "I've always been a big believer if you have a strong school culture where people care about each other, good things happen. Kids learn because they feel safe and they want to be here." The Westborough public schools' first day …
42.254024
-71.647582
Mill Pond School
6 Olde Hickory Path, Westborough, MA
/articles/mill-pond
805650
/locations/7640335
Students can bring their backpacks to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church to have them blessed.
- BACK TO SCHOOL
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Tuesday, August 21, 2012
With school starting next week, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church has dedicated this Sunday’s 9 a.m. service to a Back to School theme. Students can bring their backpacks to have them blessed. St. Stephen’s will return to its two-service schedule on Sunday, Sept. 9. The 8 a.m. service will be the Holy Eucharist without music. The 9:30 a.m. service will be the Holy Eucharist with music. Sunday School and nursery care will start at 9:15 a.m. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Aug. 5, St. Stephen's parishioners enjoyed an outdoor Eucharist and parish picnic in Hopkinton State Park. The Rev. Jesse Abell led an informal service, which included a pageant performed by the children of the church about the life of St. Stephen, the patron saint of the church. The …
42.26628
-71.61943
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
3 John St, Westborough, MA
/articles/westborough-church-s-sunday-service-to-have-back-to-school-them
805696
/locations/7640289
