Dear Trottier Community,

We are really gearing up for the year, and it was wonderful to see so many sixth-grade families at the Nature’s Classroom orientation. On the horizon, we also have our seventh-grade and eighth-grade field trips. This is always a busy time of year, and these trips require a great deal of planning and preparation. Please be patient as our teams work through the logistics. We will begin communicating details for each trip soon so families are informed and students feel supported every step of the way.

Next week, we look forward to welcoming you to Curriculum Night. This is an important evening for families to connect with teachers and learn more about the year ahead. We ask that you plan to arrive promptly, as the evening moves quickly. Parking can sometimes be a challenge, so carpooling is encouraged. The program will begin right on time, and families will rotate through sessions as outlined in the schedule below.

In addition, fall sports are underway! Boys and girls soccer, cross-country, and field hockey have launched. Tryouts have been finalized, rosters are being adjusted, and games will begin very shortly. We are excited to see our student-athletes competing and deeply appreciate our coaches for the time and effort they dedicate to providing these opportunities.

Let's make it a great one!

Dear Trottier Families:

Building on years of successful peer mentoring in our schools, the Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough are now in their second year of Changemakers for Good™, a leadership program for middle and high school students. This initiative provides students with opportunities to grow as peer leaders while helping to build a school community where every student feels valued, respected, and safe.

Students who are selected—and have parent or guardian permission—will meet with their program advisor to learn leadership skills, discuss ways to address unkind behavior (including bullying or online mistreatment), and promote positive connections among students. Participants will also practice leading age-appropriate activities and discussions that encourage respect and empathy within their peer groups.

[Seventh and eighth-grade] students are invited to apply. Teachers will also nominate students they believe would make strong leaders and encourage them to apply.

Applications due: September 17

Interviews: Week of September 22

Notifications sent: September 29 via student email

Training sessions: October 6 and October 30

After training, students will meet regularly with their advisor to continue building their leadership skills and to plan activities that support a respectful and caring school culture.

This program is one way we continue to strengthen a safe, supportive learning environment where every student can thrive.

Interested [seventh- and eighth-grade] students can access the Changemakers Application here

 (Students must be logged into their school email accounts to apply.)

Thank you for supporting this important leadership opportunity for our students. Please contact the advisors, Mrs. Alenson aalenson@nsboro.k12.ma.us or Mrs. Garland bgarland@nsboro.k12.ma.us if you have any questions.

Respectfully, 

Gary M. Hreschuk 

6th Grade Families:

We are two weeks away from our trip to Nature’s Classroom in Great Barrington, MA!

A few reminders:

Dear Families and Community Members,

The safety and well-being of our students and school community are always our top priority. Recently, we’ve seen more electronic bicycles (e-bikes) and scooters around our schools. While these devices are a popular way to get around, they can create safety risks due to their high speeds, limited visibility, and potential danger to riders, pedestrians, and drivers.

After careful review and consultation with the Northborough and Southborough Police Departments, e-bikes and e-scooters are now prohibited on all school campuses. This decision, made out of caution and concern for everyone’s safety, will help prevent accidents and maintain a secure environment for our students and families.

To support this protocol:

We appreciate your understanding and partnership as we take this important step to keep our campuses safe and welcoming for everyone.

Thank you for supporting our efforts to protect our school community.

Respectfully, 

Keith Lavoie

Assistant Superintendent of Operations

Dear Trottier Community:

This year, the Trottier Library is partnering with caregivers in order to foster an engagement with their children’s reading choices. Caregivers play a crucial role in their children’s growth and development, including being aware of what content their children have access to and supporting them in engaging with that content.

Curating a middle school library is a key responsibility of the school librarian and involves considering the wide age range and maturity levels of students. The librarian uses the School Committee policy, Selection Policy for Books and Materials, to guide the selection process. As a school, we strive to keep our collections current and engaging and include Young Adult (YA) titles in the collection. This requires careful navigation of publisher classifications, reviews, and content warnings to ensure they align with our students’ developmental stages. Our learning goals for students include fostering a love for literature, enhancing critical thinking, and promoting lifelong learning. Diverse books, including YA literature, are highly relevant and engaging for students.

 The Young Adult classification is generally used to label literature for ages eleven to eighteen. The American Library Association Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) doesn't provide a specific, formal definition of YA books. Still, it offers guidelines and best practices for selecting and promoting YA literature. Given the wide range of content labeled as YA, Trottier is providing caregivers with options for students to access the YA collections. Through these options, we aim to empower caregivers to be involved in students’ decisions about content that they access from the school library. 

The District wants to help support all students in their reading selections, and, for this reason, the following guidelines have been established:

1. Opt the student into borrowing from the YA collection.

2. Require caregiver permission to borrow a specific book from the YA collection.

* Sixth-grade students whose caregivers do not select #1 or #2 will not be able to borrow from the YA collection.

1. Opt the student out of borrowing from the YA collection.

2. Require caregiver permission to borrow a specific book from the YA collection.

*Seventh and eighth-grade students whose caregivers do not select #1 or #2 will be able to borrow from the YA collection.

If you are the caregiver of a 6th-grade student and you would like your student to have access to the YA collection, or if you are the caregiver of a 7th or 8th-grade student and you would like to limit your student’s access to the YA collection, then please complete the following YA Literature Form 25 to indicate your preference. Please complete this form for each child per grade level. 

We will make every effort to ensure students adhere to caregiver preferences communicated through the opt-in/

Trottier families:

If your child requires an inhaler, Epi-Pen, or other rescue medication to be kept in the health office, please be sure to send in appropriate orders (must be dated for this school year) along with the medication as soon as possible. 

Please reach out to the school nurse with any updates/concerns about your child.