🏫 School Enrollment Begins Soon!
🎒If you are enrolling your child in the Worcester Public Schools for the 2025-26 school year, registration opens on January 2, 2025.
The Parent Information Center will begin scheduling appointments on January 6, 2025.
Visit the WPS Enrollment website for details: worcesterschools.org/enrollment
🎄✨ Holiday Open House at the Dr. John E. Durkin Administration Building! ✨🎄
Worcester Public Schools recently hosted a Holiday Open House for district staff and members of the community in the Dr. Helen A. Friel Auditorium!
The event was filled with festive fun as the Worcester Arts Magnet Special Chorus Crescendo and the Burncoat Jazz Band took the stage to perform some holiday favorites!
Guests also enjoyed a delicious spread of treats and festive goodies, courtesy of the talented students from the Culinary Chapter 74 Career and Technical Program at Worcester Technical High School. 🍪🍰
🎄✨ Festival of Lights Sparkled in Worcester! ✨🎄
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Festival of Lights on Worcester Common!
A special shoutout to our WPS scholars, including performers from Burncoat High Quadrivium Chorus, Midland Street Elementary, North High School, and South High School, for making the evening unforgettable.
Your talents lit up the night and made the evening unforgettable! 🌟
Stay tuned for more events celebrating the season. 🎶❄️
📢 Help Shape WPS Core Values!
The Worcester Public Schools are developing core values to guide our actions, culture, and decision-making. These values are the foundation of our community, and we need your input!
👉 Participate by January 15, 2025—your voice matters! Help define the values that will shape our Strategic Plan, to be announced in Spring 2025.
Join now: https://buff.ly/3D9RCu1
🪑 Bay State Savings Bank Furniture Donation to Worcester Public Schools 🪑
Sending a thank you to our friends at Bay State Savings Bank, including President & CEO (and WPS alum!) Seth Pitts, for a generous furniture donation to the Worcester Public Schools!
Bay State’s contribution, valued at nearly $50,000, has transformed Tatnuck Magnet School's calming and organizing space. Bay State also donated to 14 other schools in WPS, making a big impact across the district!
“For Worcester Public Schools, every resource contributes to the success of our scholars and educators," said Superintendent Rachel H. Monarrez. "We are grateful to Bay State Bank for their generous donation. This gift will directly enhance the learning environments in 15 of our schools, creating spaces where students can thrive and teachers can inspire. Partnerships like this reflect the strength of our community and its commitment to education. Thank you, Bay State Bank, for investing in the future of Worcester.”
Read more here: https://buff.ly/3ZOrH4a
🎄❄️ Burncoat High School's Holiday Extravaganza! ❄️🎄
What a fun time we had at Burncoat High School's annual holiday show! This year's performance, held at South High Community School, was full of festive cheer and incredible talent from the dance and music departments at Burncoat High School and Middle School.
The show featured everything, from a talented pit orchestra to stunning chorus and solo performances from the singers. And of course, the Burncoat dance team brought it to life with their terrific on-stage dance interpretations of so many holiday classics.
The multi-day holiday show helps to raise money for the Burncoat spirit team's upcoming trip to Orlando, Florida for the National Dance Team Championships in January 2025.
Check out some of the highlights from a great holiday show! 📸
🦃 ✨ Wishing our students, families, and staff a joyful Thanksgiving filled with gratitude, reflection, and appreciation for the diverse traditions, histories, and cultures that enrich our communities.🍁
We are thankful for the opportunity to learn, grow, and support one another. May everyone have a restful and enjoyable break! 💛
💃 Burncoat High School Spirit Team Fashion Fundraiser 💃
The Third Annual Burncoat High School Spirit Team Fashion Fundraiser at Union Station’s Grand Hall was a huge success and so much fun for those in attendance!
The event raises funds for the talented Burncoat High School Spirit Team’s trip to the National Dance Team Championships in Orlando, Florida, coming up in January 2025! ✈️🏆
During the fashion show, school and city officials showed their best runway strut, including Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez, Mayor Joseph Petty, Burncoat High School Principal Joseph Ewick, WPS Quadrant Directors Will Foley and Ellen Kelley, members of the school committee, and other local representatives.
The Burncoat Spirit Team got the night started with an amazing game day performance! Guests also enjoyed a delicious meal by Maxwell Luciano’s, a silent auction, and amazing raffle prizes generously donated by our community.
Thank you to everyone who attended, supported, and made this event special. Let's keep cheering on our Spirit Team as they head to Nationals!
🎶🎓 Inspiring the Next Generation of Music Educators! 🎓🎶
This week, five outstanding Burncoat High School students—Nicholas Lewis, Jayden Bordes, Daniel Parke, Emersynne Jones, and Gianna DiPietro—attended a conference at the DCU Center to explore careers in music education. 🎺🎻
These students, chosen for their dedication to music and interest in becoming educators, spent the day participating in workshops, engaging in meaningful discussions, and connecting with area college representatives. 🌟🎤
We’re so proud of their ambition and passion for music! Their commitment to learning and growth continues to inspire us all. 🎶
📸 Check out the photos from this incredible experience!
Turkey Donation to Families at Burncoat High School, Burncoat Middle School and Lincoln Street School!
Thanks to a generous donation from the Lincoln Street Plaza Stop & Shop, families at Burncoat High School, Burncoat Middle School and Lincoln Street School will have turkey on the menu this Thanksgiving! 🦃
A total of 200 turkeys were donated, with 100 going to Burncoat High, and 50 each to Burncoat Middle and Lincoln Street. The turkeys will be handed out to families before Thanksgiving break so they can enjoy a festive meal.
Pictured in this post, students from Burncoat High's Legacy Club and Latino Unidas Club help unload, organize and store the turkeys so they are ready for families to pick up. They even stood after school to help with the donation effort!
More than 50 staff and community partners were celebrated at Worcester Public Schools Evening of Innovation! It was a great night to honor the incredible staff and community partners who make a difference every day.
View the complete list of honorees: https://buff.ly/3OhAvcb
Quarter 1 honor roll listings for the 2024-25 school year are now posted! 🏆
Congratulations to the many scholars who are being acknowledged for their academic achievements.
Find your scholar here 👉 https://buff.ly/4fS3XRL
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
📚✨ 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! 🎓🌟
🎭✨ 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!
✨ 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!
No School on Tuesday, November 5
Teachers have a professional development on Tuesday, November 5 🗓️ so there will be no school for students! 🏫
⭐ 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
👟 Inter-High Cross Country Championships at Green Hill Park 👟
It was great to see many of our high schools and student-athletes come together for the Inter-High Cross Country Championships at Green Hill Park!
It was a tough 3.1 mile course filled with steep hills, but competitors from across WPS gave it their all and displayed tremendous sportsmanship, cheering on runners from all teams.
For the girls race, South High finished in first place to take the city championship while Burncoat came in second. Doherty and Worcester Tech tied for third in the team standings.
For the girls individual winners, Chase Sullivan of Burncoat led the group in first place while Regan Maxwell of South High and Avery Corriveqau of Worcester Technical came in second and third place respectively.
In the boys race, Burncoat High came in first place for the team competition while South, Worcester Tech and Doherty rounded out the teams.
For boys individual winners, Alfonso Huaman of Worcester Tech led the race in first place followed by Griffon Spofford of Burncoat and Isaiah Jacques of South in second and third place respectively.
Check out a few images from a great day of cross country! 📸
Seasonal Clothing Donation from Cradles to Crayons 🧥
Recently the Family and Community Engagement Office received its annual donation of seasonal clothing packs from Cradles to Crayons!
Thanks to this amazing partnership, schools were able to order specific items for students, and Cradles to Crayons did the rest, delivering a truckload of essentials just in time for winter. The items donated included long sleeve shirts, pants, sweaters, socks, underwear, and winter coats! 🚚✨
A huge shoutout to everyone involved—especially our fantastic wraparound coordinators and the dedicated staff from the McKinney-Vento office—who helped sort and distribute these much-needed donations!
We can’t wait to see these items go to our WPS families! 🧦💖
