Florence Roche Elementary School

December 20, 2024

Dear Florence Roche Families,

Happy holidays to all!  It was nice to see so many of you visiting classrooms this week for their celebrations.  Students were engaged in a variety of fun holiday themed activities supported by our many volunteers.  Thank you for all of your help.  I hope everyone enjoys the extra long 2 week break this year.  I look forward to seeing our students back and ready to learn on January 6th.  Have a happy and safe new year!

Students and staff enjoyed a special holiday performance by our high school choral group.  Our district has amazingly talented students and these singers did not disappoint.  It’s also nice to see how our former students have grown since they left elementary school to become the students they are today.  

Congratulations to Mrs. Roundtree, Mrs. Mulligan, and Ms. Sullivan for being spotlighted by the school committee this month for their contributions to our school community.  This is a new initiative from the school committee in their effort to acknowledge our hardworking staff across the district.  Nominees will be recognized monthly by the school committee.  Here is the link to their December newsletter where you will find all of this month’s spotlighted staff members.  If there is a staff member who you would like to nominate, please find the form in their newsletter and complete it.  

I was in good company on Thursday with Esther as my Principal for the Day.  Esther took the lead and supported a very smooth day for us.  She got right to work introducing our high school chorus performances and carried on confidently throughout the day.  

Grade 2 students learned about changing states of matter through the Boo Bubbles program this week.  Thank you to the Groton Commissioners of Trust for supporting this highly engaging program.The Technology Department has informed me that our student device damages have increased this year.  To date, we have had 10 damaged screens that needed replacement.  We had a total of 8 all of last year.  Beginning January 6th, the Technology Department will be sending home collection notices for repair fees for any newly damaged student device.  This practice is currently in place at both the middle and high schools.  Here is the language regarding device damages quoted from page 20 in our elementary handbook.  

Student Expectations for Device Damages

• Parents are responsible for the cost of damaged or lost Chromebooks or iPads, similar to textbooks.

• Typical repair costs range from $75 to $100, while a replacement due to loss or extreme damage costs $275. 

• Parents who face financial hardship should contact their student’s principal.

SEPAC Announcement

There is a unified bowling program partnered with the Special Olympics being offered at the Acton Bowl-a-Drome beginning in January.  Here is the link for more information.  Unified Bowling

February 15th at 6:05pm

Join us for an evening of college hockey on Saturday, February 15th. Watch as the UMass Lowell River Hawks face off against the Northeastern Huskies in a thrilling Hockey East matchup. By purchasing a ticket through this special offer, you’ll also be supporting the G-D Athletic Booster Club.

https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Grotondunstable70

Click here to learn more

Have a happy and safe holiday season!

Brian