Worcester East Middle

🎄✨ 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

GEAR UP's On the Spot Acceptance Day a Success for Seniors at North High School 🎓 Hosted by North High's GEAR UP team, the recent On The Spot Acceptance Day saw 100% of participating seniors accepted into at least one four-year institution with $1,672,000 in scholarship awarded to seniors! “We are incredibly proud of our North High scholars, whose hard work has earned well-deserved college acceptances and over $1.6 million in scholarships,” said Dr. Rachel H. Monárrez, Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools. “This milestone reflects the transformative power of education and the vital role of our community partners, such as GEAR UP. Thank you to GEAR UP for opening doors to bright futures.” Read the full story here: https://buff.ly/3ZILgL6

🦃 ✨ 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! 💛

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

Save the dates for our Comprehensive High School Chapter 74 Programs Open Houses!

ENLACE serves Middle and High School boys through an educational program that focuses on personal development, mentoring, life skills, cultural enrichment, community engagement, and sports clinics. ENCOURAGING LATINOS TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE VIRTUAL ORIENTATION Thursday, October 10th, 2024 5:30 - 6:30 pm Join info session by clicking here: https://shorturl.at/cbqNZ 1ST ENLACE SESSION starts on Tuesday, October 15th, 2024 through Saturday, May 24th, 2025 Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeSoABDJbJMtxZFUMezbVjEfAO3Zmdn1gLZ94zDJLjwHK8FFg/viewform Participants will have opportunities to grow, develop discipline, learn about themselves, and explore the culture of the Worcester community. ENLACE meets every Thursday at Worcester East, and Saturday at Worcester State University from 10am - 2pm. For more information, please contact Walter Ordoñez at wordone@worcester.edu or at 774-556-1006

South High School Open HouseCareer Pathway Options: -Culinary Arts -Diesel Technology -Early Childhood Education Wednesday, November 6, 2024 6:00pm - 7:30pm Come meet the principal, administrators, and program teachers, tour our new building and our state-of-the-art vocational program facilities 170 Apricot Street, Worcester, MA 01603

📚✨ 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! 🎓🌟

✨ 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! 🏫

🌊💡Hands-On Learning at Broad Meadow Brook!💡🌊 As part of last week’s STEAM Week, Worcester East Middle School Grade 7 scholars in Ms. Alexis Thompson's "Real Math, Real Science" LEAP class took learning outside! 🦆🌿 During their field trip to Broad Meadow Brook, students used rubber duckies to measure brook flow rates and modeled how different surfaces impact watersheds. It’s amazing to see math and science come to life right in nature! 🧑‍🔬🌍✨ Take a look at their adventure! 📸

⭐Amanda Burke, School Adjustment Counselor at Worcester East Middle School ⭐ “Amanda's commitment to excellence is evident in the meticulous quality of her work, which consistently benefits our school community. She plays a key role in leading school-wide initiatives that enhance the social, emotional, and academic well-being of our students, always going the extra mile to ensure their success. Her passion for education and her genuine care for the students shine through in everything she does. Worcester East Middle School is incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated and compassionate staff member. Thank you, Amanda, for your invaluable contributions!”

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! 🧦💖

💫 Highlights from the Burncoat Quadrant SEPAC Meeting! 💫 A big thank you to all the amazing parents and caregivers who attended the Burncoat Quadrant Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) Welcome New Parents Meeting on October 17 at Norrback Avenue Elementary! 🌟 It was wonderful connecting with everyone and sharing valuable resources on the special education support available for your children. From speech and occupational therapy to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services, we hope you left feeling more informed and confident about the comprehensive support available in Worcester Public Schools! 💬💡 Missed this one? No worries! There are still two more chances to attend: 📍 North Quadrant: Tuesday, October 29 @ Roosevelt Elementary 📍 Doherty Quadrant: Thursday, November 7 @ Nelson Place Elementary 🎒 Don't forget—every family receives a welcome packet full of helpful resources! Childcare will be provided at both upcoming events to make attending easier for families. We’re here to support you every step of the way! ❤️

Happy National Principal Month! ✏️ October is all about celebrating the dedicated principals that help shape our school communities. Their passion and commitment to WPS students and staff inspires us every day! We know this image doesn't capture all our amazing WPS principals, so drop a comment to give a shout-out and say thank you to yours!

Worcester Public Schools Receives Game Changer Award at Worcester Chamber of Commerce Game Changers Conference 🏆 The Worcester Public Schools recently received the Game Changer Award from the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, which celebrates local organizations that drive meaningful change within the Worcester community. Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez accepted the award on behalf of WPS. WPS was recognized as a Game Changer for its on-going commitment to Career and Vocational Technical Education (CVTE) programming for high school students and adults. WPS was also recognized for its Innovations Career Pathways programming and Adult Night Life classes, both of which provide opportunities to acquire the skills and experiences needed to enter the workforce. The WPS College and Career Readiness team were also on-site, sharing insights directly with employers about the career technical education programs available in our high schools. Career technical educators from Worcester Technical High School were also in attendance to network with local industry leaders. The Game Changers Conference connects local industry leaders, employers, and training experts to explore innovative strategies for workforce development.

Happy National School Lunch Week! 🎉🥗 From October 14-18, we are celebrating the delicious, nutritious meals served every day in Worcester Public Schools! Our amazing Nutrition Department works hard to provide breakfast, lunch, snacks, and more, fueling students for success in the classroom. This week, we're featuring some exciting new menu items that are being sampled across the district, including: 🍽️ Plant-Powered Nuggets 🌮 Empanadas & Tamales 🍜 Veggie Dumplings & Vegetable Lo Mein 🍛 3-Bean Chili & Vegetable Egg Rolls with Fried Rice Let’s give a big round of applause to the team behind these tasty and healthy school meals!