Worcester Public Schools - From Here, Anywhere... Together

🍨 Forest Grove Middle School Ice Cream Student-Parent Social 🍨 Recently, students, staff and parents at Forest Grove Middle School came together for a student-family ice cream social. The turnout was incredible, with so many families coming together to enjoy not only sweet treats but meaningful connections with one another. It was great to see our students, families and staff building stronger relationships and creating a sense of community. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make it special! Check out a few images from the event 📸

Veterans Day Breakfast at Gates Lane International School of Studies 🇺🇸 The students and staff at Gates Lanes came together ahead of Veterans Day for a special breakfast to honor veterans within the school's community. Students enjoyed a delicious breakfast and quality time with a special veteran in their life in the school's cafeteria. Gates Lane staff honored those unable to attend with a special slideshow of photos and names. The amazing JROTC cadets from South High Community School also joined in on the day, presenting the colors and sharing the significance of Veterans Day. A big thank you to South High JROTC instructor Chief Master Sergeant William Butman and his students. Thank you, veterans, for your service and sacrifice! 🙏

Thank You Veterans for Your Service!🫡 Veterans Day honors military veterans for their service and sacrifice. It’s a day to show appreciation for those who have served to protect our country. Click here to learn more about the significance of Veterans Day and how you can honor those who served: https://buff.ly/3IOnULk

🗽👟 Burncoat High School Teachers Run New York City Marathon 👟🗽 Four educators from Burncoat High School teamed up to take on the New York City Marathon in support of a WPS alum! Burncoat High teachers Jacqueline Binkoski, Robin Dion, Stephanie Riendeau and Shannon Vail each conquered the 26.2 mile course to raise money for The Ulman Foundation, the current employer of Burncoat High alum Julia Giard '15. The Ulman Foundation is a Baltimore-based non-profit that provides crucial support to young people battling cancer and their families. Jacqueline, Robin, Stephanie and Shannon helped raise over $15,000 for the foundation's efforts! They can also say they ran in the largest marathon in recorded history with over 55,646 total finishers and 137 countries represented. Amazing job by Jacqueline, Robin, Stephanie and Shannon!

💀✨ Día de los Muertos at Worcester Dual Language Magnet School ✨💀 We had a great time visiting Worcester Dual Language Magnet School for its annual Día de los Muertos recognition event! The event was a tribute to the special Mexican tradition, bringing the school community together to learn, share, and honor loved ones. Students and staff wore vibrant cultural attire and school hallways were filled with amazing Día de los Muertos decorations. 🌸🎨 During the day, students learned about Día de los Muertos through story book readings by community volunteers. They also created Mexican paper flowers, were able to get their faces painted, watched the movie "Coco" and more! An ofrenda was on display in the main corridor to honor deceased loved ones of the school community. Students and staff adorned the ofrenda with pictures of family members, pets and loved ones in memoriam. Take a look at a few images from the day 📸

⭐ Davin Forsberg, ABA Specialist at Nelson Place School ⭐ “We are proud to recognize Davin as a valued member of the Nelson Place community. His unwavering dedication, arriving every day with a smile and an uplifting attitude, speaks volumes about his commitment. Davin consistently supports the needs of our special needs population with unmatched patience, compassion, and care. Simply put, Davin is our rock star. His work ethic and positive demeanor are an inspiration to us all, and his presence makes a significant difference in the lives of those he serves. We are grateful to have him as part of our team and appreciate all he does to make Nelson Place a better, more inclusive community. Thank you, Davin, for your outstanding contributions and for being a shining example of what it means to truly care.” ⭐Do you know a WooStar? We are looking for students and staff who have gone above and beyond to feature on our social media channels. Please visit the link in our bio to nominate your WooStar!

✨🔬STEM Week at Jacob Hiatt Magnet School 🔬✨ Jacob Hiatt students and staff had an amazing time diving into hands-on learning and problem-solving activities during Massachusetts STEM Week! Here's a peek at what each grade worked on: PreK-K-1 & SAIL: Dove into hands-on pumpkin explorations and engaging pumpkin-themed challenges 🎃 Grade 2: Engaged in bread-making inspired by "The Little Red Hen" working in groups to make bread from scratch, grind wheat seeds, examine wheat stalks and even make butter 🥖🧈 Grade 3: Applied their knowledge of force and motion to design ramps to control speed 🚀 Grade 4: Integrated their CKLA unit on "Empires in the Middle Ages" to construct model castles and catapults in teams 🏰 Grade 5: Tackled a water filter design challenge, enhancing their understanding of the water cycle and pollution 🌊 Grade 6: Participated in the Wade Institute’s STEM Design Challenge, Extreme Zoo Makeover, where they redesigned zoo habitats, engineered enrichment items, and created interactive signage to enrich animal exhibits 🦁 Huge shout-out to our Jacob Hiatt scholars for their critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork!💡🙌

🌟 Hispanic Heritage Month Assembly at Forest Grove Middle School 🌟 The Third Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Assembly at Forest Grove Middle School was a great success with the entire school community coming together to celebrate Hispanic culture. The event featured a keynote speech from Quinsigamond Community College President Dr. Luis Pedraj who spoke about the power of education, taking pride in one's Hispanic heritage and the importance of believing in yourself. There was also tons of student talent on display! The school's orchestra band performed a rendition of "La Bamba". Students also recited poems titled "Somos Herencia" and "Hispanic Heritage Month", written by foreign language teacher Mrs. Rivas. Worcester's Poet Laureate Serenity Jackson aka Lil' Rennie made a guest appearance and got the crowd moving. Jackson returned to Forest Grove, where she was once a student herself, to perform a couple original songs. 🎶🔥 Take a look at some images from a fantastic assembly! 📸

🎭✨ Support Burncoat High School Senior Jayden Bordes! ✨🎭 Jayden is competing in "Next On Stage," Broadway's biggest national competition for high school and college students! The winner has a chance to earn a scholarship to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy College of Performing Arts! 🎤 Watch Jayden's incredible vocal performance of "This is the Moment" at https://buff.ly/48DhMB9 and show your support by voting for him now!

📚✨ Attendance Matters! 🏫 November has 16 school days — let’s make each one count! 🙌 Consistent attendance helps students stay on track, succeed academically, and build great habits. 📝💪 Let’s show up, learn, and thrive together! 🎓🌟

No School on Tuesday, November 5 Teachers have a professional development on Tuesday, November 5 🗓️ so there will be no school for students! 🏫

✨ Staff Development Day Highlights! ✨ Today, hundreds of dedicated educators from Worcester Public Schools came together for a day of professional development. Through interactive workshops and teamwork, they focused on enhancing their skills to better support our WPS scholars. Pictured here are some of the Highlights: Special Education Session: Collaboratively developed IEPs with guidance from Special Education staff and Evaluation Team Chairs. Nutrition Team Trainings: The day started with Project Bread chef Sherri presenting a shawarma seasoning blend recipe and a shawarma rice bowl concept. The Burncoat quadrant held a managers meeting, while team members participated in ServSafe classes, CPR/Choke training, and a Managers 101 session for staff with less than 90 days on the job. 👏 A heartfelt thank you to all staff for your dedication to excellence and student achievement!

Forest Grove Middle School and Worcester East Middle School Face Off in Flag Football Championship 🏈 Forest Grove Middle School and Worcester East Middle School met on the flag football field for a great matchup in the WPS middle school flag football championship. It was a back-and-forth contest, but Forest Grove ultimately came out on top in a 15-13 final score with a last minute defensive play being the difference. Beyond the result, it was great to see our future high school student-athletes showcasing strong sportsmanship and competitive spirit. Both teams gave it there all on the field! Congrats to the teams on an incredible flag football season! Check out a few moments from the championship game 📸

🕒 Fall Back! Set Your Clocks Back an Hour! 🍂 Just a friendly reminder that Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 3, 2024. Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour before you go to bed! Enjoy the extra hour of sleep! 😴💤

🎃 Trunk or Treat Recap from Worcester Public Schools! 🎃 This past week, schools across Worcester hosted Trunk or Treat events filled with festive costumes, creative trunk displays, and a great sense of community. With the help of our families, staff, and community partners, each event brought plenty of Halloween fun for all! Pictured in this post are festivities from Rice Square School, West Tatnuck School, Union Hill School, and Columbus Park Preparatory Academy! Thank you to everyone who joined in to make these events a success! Check out some of the best highlights and moments from around our schools. 👻🍬

🎃 Lincoln Street School Trunk or Treat! 🎃 Students and staff at Lincoln Street School had a blast at our recent Trunk or Treat celebration! 🎉👻 The atmosphere was filled with Halloween spirit, showcasing an array of fun costumes and joyful excitement. A huge thank you to our dedicated staff and the Worcester Police Department 🚓🎉 for organizing the Trunk or Treat in the back of the school! Parents cheered from the front as students proudly marched in their festive outfits. 🎒🧛‍♂️🧙‍♀️ We appreciate everyone who contributed to making this event a memorable success! 🌟🍬

🎃 Costume Parade at Burncoat Street Preparatory School 🎃 Students and staff at Burncoat Street Preparatory School capped off an eventful Halloween with a costume parade around school grounds for families and caregivers! There were all kinds of fun costumes on display including princesses, superheroes, athletes, police officers and so much more. It was a great time seeing everyone dressed up and in good spirits for Halloween! Before the costume parade, students participated in Pumpkin Palooza where they used pumpkins for learning activities. Students weighed pumpkins, tested buoyancy of different sizes and shapes of pumpkins, examined the growing patterns of pumpkins and used adjectives to describe characteristics of pumpkins. Take a look at a few images from a fun-filled Halloween with Burncoat Prep 📸

⭐ Nicholas Lewis, 12th Grade Scholar at Burncoat High School ⭐ “Nick is a valued leader in the Worcester UNITES program. Over the last two years, he has grown as a leader, supporting younger students in their musical and personal growth and leading his peers with integrity and a positive attitude. Nick's patience and encouragement is evident when he is tutoring a student on the saxophone or conducting the ensemble. He is usually the first one to recognize if a student needs a little extra help or inspiration. Nick is creative and fun too! He performs in the BHS Spirit Team, the BHS Band and Symphony Orchestra." ⭐ Do you know a WooStar? We are looking for students and staff who have gone above and beyond to feature on our social media channels. 👉Nominate a student at https://buff.ly/4g5M2aW 👉Nominate a staff member at https://buff.ly/3Mlru0N

Worcester Technical High School Holds Annual ScareCrow Contest!🐦‍⬛ Worcester Tech recently unveiled scarecrows for their upcoming annual scarecrow competition, bringing career technical education programs together, showcasing collaborative efforts that lead to enjoyable creations. Carpentry, early childhood, electrical, and plumbing programs get into the spooky spirit with these amazing scarecrows, pictured in the post!

🎃Francis J. McGrath Elementary School Trunk or Treat! 🎃 Students and staff of Francis J. McGrath Elementary School recently enjoyed a fun trunk or treat experience! There were so many fun costumes and halloween-spirit on display. Shoutout to the amazing parent volunteers, staff, and community partners—WPD, WFD, Environmental Police, WPI Police, WooSox, and even the New England Patriots Cheerleaders –for making this event a huge success!