TMS The Week Ahead 9-626

Dear Trottier Families,

I want to thank the entire Trottier staff for a successful first week back. All of the planning and preparation ahead of time really helped us launch an exciting start to the school year.  Most importantly, it was wonderful to hear the students back in the building. Their energy, excitement, and smiles reminded us all why we love what we do.

I also want to extend a huge thank-you to SOS for their ongoing and generous support of Trottier. They hosted a staff luncheon last week and helped provide a wonderful opening-day assembly featuring Hero Art with Rob Surette. Students were amazed by his incredible historical creations and entertaining presentation. SOS also helped organize all of our school supply kits and continues to support so many enriching opportunities for our students. We are incredibly grateful for their partnership.

This week, we also met with students to review our new schedule and our cell phone expectations. You can find more information about both below. Students are adjusting nicely to their new schedules, getting acclimated to their routines, and, of course, enjoying being back with their friends.

For our sixth-grade families, I recognize that the transition to middle school can feel overwhelming. Your child may not come home with every story you are hoping to hear: What was your favorite class? Who is in your class? Who did you sit with at lunch? What was middle school like? Remember, they are taking in a lot during these first few days, and they are likely tired! Hopefully, over the long weekend, you can find some quiet moments and opportunities to start those conversations. I know you are curious about what their middle school experience looks and feels like, and those conversations will come with time.

I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and embraces these last moments of summer. We are off to a great start, and I am excited about what this year will bring.

Let’s make it a great one!.

September 7 No School LABOR DAY

September 14, – Nature’s Classroom (6th Grade) Parent Orientation, 5:30–6:30 PM

September 17 – Trottier Early Release, 11:00 AM

September 17 – Curriculum Night, 6:30–8:00 PM

September 21 No School Yom Kippur

September 25 – Trottier Picture Day

October 2 – Trottier SOS Meeting

October 6 – DC Parent Orientation

October 7 – Nature’s Classroom (6th Grade)

October 8 – Nature’s Classroom (6th Grade)

October 9 – Fun Run

October 12: No School, Columbus Day

October 16 – Fun Run Rain Date

October 22. 7th Grade Boundless Adventures

November 3, 2026 – Trottier Picture Retake Day

November 4–7, 2026 – 8th Grade Washington, DC Trip

Here are the directions for the parent access to Canvas:  Parents - Getting Started in Canvas

Please email Instructional Technology Specialist  Mrs. Devlin at jdevlin@nsboro.k12.ma.us if you have any questions. 

One addition to our schedule is our DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) Block, which will begin at the start of the school year. During DEAR, students will have dedicated time to read independently. Students will be able to choose books that interest them—fiction or nonfiction—and spend meaningful time simply reading. While our curriculum provides students with strong literacy instruction and rich reading experiences, we recognize that dedicated time for independent reading has become increasingly difficult to protect during the school day. 

While some students are engaged in independent reading, some students will have access to: 

We are asking families to have a conversation with their child before the school year begins about choosing an age-appropriate book to read. Our strong preference is for students to have a physical book in their hands rather than to read on their school-issued devices. We want students to experience the simple pleasure of finding a good book, getting comfortable, and becoming immersed in a story or topic. Your support in helping your child select a book will be an important part of making DEAR successful.

Dear Trottier Families,

In our ongoing effort to foster an engaging learning environment and minimize digital distractions, we are updating our cell phone and device routines for the school year.

While our students have historically done a wonderful job respecting cell phone expectations, keeping devices stored out of sight in backpacks still resulted in distractibility during instructional time and routine breaks. To ensure our school day remains focused and present, we are enhancing our daily routines.

New Classroom Routine When entering any classroom, students will now systematically store their cell phones and smartwatches in a designated classroom caddy at the teacher’s discretion. While we recognize this is a shift, particularly for our 7th and 8th graders, establishing this habit is vital for maintaining classroom engagement. We have already outlined these expectations in our student meetings, and our teachers are establishing consistency across every classroom team.

How Families Can Help We kindly ask for your partnership in reinforcing these expectations. The most impactful way you can assist is by minimizing text messages or calls to your child’s device during the school day. If you need to deliver an urgent message to your child during school hours, please contact the main office directly, and our team will get the message to them promptly.

Progressive Infraction Policy While we expect high compliance, we want to clearly outline our progressive approach should a student struggle to follow these expectations:

Thank you for your continued support as we work together to build a focused, distraction-free environment for all students. Please reach out to the main office if you have any questions.

Families are encouraged to create or update their MySchoolBucks account.  My School Bucks Students must maintain a positive balance on their account for second meals or a la carte items. Students can not purchase snacks, second meals, or other a la carte items without a positive balance.  The parent/guardian is responsible for keeping the accounts in good standing.  Please contact your school’s cafeteria manager for more information about offerings and MySchoolBucks.   My School Bucks 

 

Each of the 10 schools has different systems (check in with the main office) for 2nd meals. With a 2nd meal, the student will be charged. The charge for a second meal is: $3.85

Advisors typically begin organizing clubs and activities after the first two weeks of school. This gives us time to settle into routines.

Clubs and Activities 26-27  

Just a friendly reminder to submit any medication orders (dated for this school year), medical/medication updates, and recent physicals to the health office. If your child requires any life-saving medication, such as an EpiPen, inhaler, or other medications, please bring it in for safekeeping at school and for use on field trips. 

I will be in the health office most of the day Monday, from 8-2, and by 7:10 on school mornings. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions/concerns.

Thank you,

Bridget Garland, BSN, RN, NCSN

School Nurse

Trottier Middle School

ph: (508)485-2400 x65110

fax: (508)501-8898