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

Pride Worcester Festival! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 Worcester Public Schools families and staff celebrated our LGBTQIA+ community at the 2024 Pride Worcester Festival! Superintendent Rachel Monárrez greeted several families, along with women tradespeople who helped build the new Doherty High School! WPS also hosted an informational table with flyers about job listings and a new LGBTQIA+ Parent Advisory Council that is launching this fall! Our partners from the Mass. Teachers Union also hosted a table with educational information for LGBTQ families.

⚾🏫 Columbus Park Back to School Assembly 🏫⚾ Columbus Park students and staff were excited to welcome Smiley Ball and Worcester Red Sox team representatives at a recent back-to-school assembly! 🎉 The WooSox stopped by to hand out free general admission tickets to the final home game of the season on September 15! Tickets were generously donated by the CEO of Chicken Story, a restaurant based in New Bedford, with additional support coming from the US Leadership Foundation. Afterward, students and staff reviewed school procedures, reflected on last year's academic achievements, and finished the week off with a dance session.

⭐WooStar Kara Knipe, Sixth Grade Educator at Belmont Street Community School ⭐ Kara’s dedication to her school and fellow teachers have earned her high-praise amongst colleagues. A selfless educator, Kara is known to put the team and students first to make a positive impact within her school community. “Kara is the type of employee that bosses and co-workers love to have around and are sad to see leave,” said a fellow staff member. “Not only is she reliable, but she goes above and beyond daily for her students and colleagues.” “Kara will do anything to make sure that a student is advocated for. She helps co-workers in their time of need even when her desk is piling up with work of her own. To know Kara Knipe is to know someone who truly puts herself behind every person around her.” ⭐ 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

🏆🏐 North High Boys Volleyball Honored with MIAA Team Sportsmanship Award 🏐🏆 The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) recently named the North High School boys volleyball team as recipients of the MIAA Team Sportsmanship Award for the 2024 spring athletic season. The MIAA's annual sportsmanship award is presented to high school teams that exemplify the tenets of good sportsmanship to the highest degree. Award criteria include: Teamwork, Fair play/respect for opponents, Ethics, and Citizenship. Congrats to the Polar Bears for representing our city well!

🔧 Become a Diesel Technology Educator! 🔧 South High Community School is looking for a skilled Diesel Technology Teacher! Join our team and inspire the next generation of diesel tech professionals. Responsibilities include: 🚗 Teaching the Massachusetts Vocational Technical Education frameworks 🚗 Collaborating across departments 🚗 Promoting equal educational opportunities for all Interested? Visit https://buff.ly/3ASHd4Q and help drive the future of education!

🌟 Playgroup for Mothers and Children from Afghanistan 🌟 Recently, the Office of Family and Community Engagement wrapped up its summer playgroup for mothers and children from Afghanistan. The playgroups focused on school readiness, offering resources and information to help families and their children succeed at their new schools. Worcester Public School buses provided pick-up and drop-off for families without access to transportation. Families also enjoyed a meal from a Halal-certified local restaurant before each playgroup. Playgroups were funded by the Afghanistan Refugee Support Grant. Thank you to the Worcester Family Partnership for your support on this initiative! It was a great success for our Afghan families!

Back to School Week in Worcester Public Schools! We loved seeing all your back-to-school photos from the first week of the 2024-25 school year! 📸👫 Check out our collage of your submitted photos to see the smiles and excitement as we open up a new school year in Worcester Public Schools 📚✨ Some favorite memories from this group of scholars include reconnecting with friends, diving into fun science experiments, and meeting new teachers.

Happy Labor Day! 🇺🇸 Did you know Labor Day honors the contributions and achievements of American workers? Signed into law by President Grover Cleveland on June 28, 1894, Labor Day is a time to reflect on the impact of the labor movement. We wish all of our WPS community a relaxing and restful Labor Day! Visit the link below to learn more about the history of Labor Day. 🔗: https://buff.ly/2M10oPj

⭐️ WooStar Christopher Gonzalez Jr, Second Grade at Vernon Hill School ⭐️ How about a round of applause for our first WooStar of the new year? Christopher is being recognized for his Excellence in Kindness - take a look at what is being said! “Christopher cares for his peers. If one of them has a bad day, he always tries his best to encourage them to keep going forward. He is a very good listener and always wants to put a smile on one’s face. ⭐️ 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

Saint Vincent Back to School Drive for City View Discovery School 📚 Thank you to Saint Vincent for hosting a recent Back to School Supplies Drive! All of the school supplies collected were donated to City View Discovery School which is located less than a mile from Saint Vincent. Our City View scholars are ready to take on the year with all of their new school supplies!

First Day of Pre-K and Kindergarten in Worcester Public Schools 📚 There were plenty of smiles and excitement at Rice Square School, Norrback Avenue School and the Goddard School of Science and Technology on Thursday for the first day of Pre-K and Kindergarten! We had a great time welcoming our district's youngest scholars on their first day of the school year. Want to submit your own first day of school photos? Visit the link to send us your photos 👉 https://buff.ly/4768GvQ

Submit Your Back to School Photos! 📸 Did you take photos of your child on the first day of school? Send them to us! Visit the link below to send us your scholar's first day of school photos! We'll share some of them on our social media! ➡️: https://buff.ly/3ADxdMC

🚌🍎 Countdown to Kindergarten at Polar Park! It was a joy to see hundreds of soon-to-be-kindergartners and their families join us for our annual Countdown to Kindergarten event at Polar Park! 🚍✨ Our youngest scholars had an amazing time climbing aboard a school bus, meeting crossing guards, playing games with new friends, and more. This district-wide event prepares our little ones for their first day of school while answering questions from parents and caregivers. 📅 Mark your calendars – the first day of school for Pre-K and Kindergarten is Thursday, August 29! We’re so excited to start this new journey with all of you! 🎒📚

📚🎉 First Day of School in WPS! We’re excited to kick off the 2024-25 school year! 🎒✨ We are so happy to get back into the classroom and wish all of our scholars, educators and school staff a great first day of school! At Nelson Place Elementary School on Monday morning, Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez, Mayor Petty, members of the school committee, and student volunteers from the College of the Holy Cross greeted students and families with big smiles and warm wishes. Swipe through our photos to catch the first-day excitement!📸 We can’t wait to welcome our pre-k and kindergarten scholars this Thursday, August 29! 🎈👶

🎉🏫 Doherty Memorial High School’s Historic First Day! 🏫🎉 Today was a historic start to the 2024-25 school year as we welcomed scholars for the grand opening of the brand-new Doherty Memorial High School! 🏫✨ The energy was joyous as students and staff stepped into their shiny new classrooms and explored all the cool new features of their school, where even trash barrels are brand new! 🙂 We’re so ready to make unforgettable memories and have an amazing year in our new school. Let’s make it the best one yet! 🎓🎉 Check out our photos to catch all the fun and excitement! 📸🎉

🚌 Buses Are Ready to Roll! 🔔The Worcester Public Schools is now entering its third year of operating all its own school buses – and there are major improvements for the start of the school year! • We are fully staffed with bus drivers for all 222 routes. • Bus stop assignments were issued to families in WooEdu on August 1 – the earliest in recent memory, possibly ever. • We are assisting families with questions before the start of the school year, and not waiting until after school begins as was the case in years past. • Complaints about performance declined 76% in our first year of in-house service. • The move to in-house transportation saved taxpayers $5 million annually. • We will introduce 15 electric school buses in FY26. Read more about our transportation improvements in this Telegram & Gazette article: https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/2024/08/22/worcesters-in-house-busing-sports-savings-full-staff-of-drivers/74862665007/ Get your child’s school bus information on our website: https://www.worcesterschools.org/o/wps/page/transportation

🦺 🚨Principals and Administrators Conduct Safety Training WPS principals and administrators spent two full days reviewing safety and reunification protocols with the “I Love U Guys” school safety foundation. The district fully implemented the foundation’s “standard response protocols” and safety drills last year. Now, principals and administrators are also getting trained on how to reunify students with families following a high-level emergency. During the training, which took place at Worcester State University, administrators simulated various roles of staff who would reunite children with their parents in an organized manner. We hope to never use these reunification protocols, but we must always plan for the worst and hope for the best. I Love U Guys was launched by Ellen and John-Michael Keyes following the 2006 death of their daughter, Emily, in a school hostage situation and shooting in Colorado. One of the incident’s hostage negotiators, Stacy Avila, is now an instructor for I Love U Guys and directed the training for Worcester Public Schools. Read more: https://www.worcesterschools.org/o/wps/page/standard-response-protocol

📚✨ Leadership Institute Summit for WPS Administrators ✨📚 Today, district administration, principals, and school-based leadership teams gathered at Worcester Technical High School for the annual Leadership Institute Summit. The event welcomes back leadership staff for the new school year and offers a series of engaging events to leave everyone inspired. Those in attendance were able to promote past successes and reflect as we continue to work collaboratively to move our school district forward. This year's event featured developmental breakout sessions for staff, a special stand-up comedy performance from Worcester's own Jimmy Cash (a custodian at Worcester Arts Magnet), and an open forum featuring scholars who shared their experiences in WPS.

🎓 A Summer to Remember with Early College Worcester! 🌞 200 Worcester Public Schools students recently wrapped up an epic two-week adventure at Worcester State University! 🔬🎥 From mastering college life to exploring forensics, TV production, and social justice, our rising 9th and 10th graders did it all. They even found time for pickleball, yoga, and drum circles! 🏓🧘‍♂️🥁 As our early college scholars head into high school, they’ll have the chance to earn college credits with WSU and QCC. 🎉📖 A big shoutout to everyone who made this amazing experience possible! 🙌 Check out the photos capturing these unforgettable moments and learn more at earlycollegeworcester.org! 📷

🎉🥎 Jesse Burkett 12U All-Stars Win State Championship! 🏆🔥 Congrats to the Forest Grove and Sullivan Middle students who led the Jesse Burkett 12U team to victory! 🎉🏅 Next up: the New England regional in Bristol, Connecticut! 🎊👏 Join us for a send-off at Rockwood Field on Saturday, July 20, at 8:00 AM to cheer them on! 🚀💪 Team members: Jocelyn Baumann, Leah Becker, Jailyn Buccico, Sophia D’Andrea, Sophia Delvalle, Mya Domineck, Amaiya Febles, Annie Friend, Sofia Rogers, Khloe Siergie, Sophia Carrero, and Mady Smith.