Family Newsletter | September 10, 2025
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Dear HES Families,
It is the first full week of school! From our youngest preschoolers to our veteran fifth graders, students are already showing so much growth. We are looking forward to sharing more about what your child will learn and experience this year at Curriculum Night on September 25. Curriculum Night will run 6:00-7:30 and we will have drop-in childcare in the cafeteria for children ages 3+ provided by high school students and Central Office staff. Younger children are welcome to accompany you to classrooms.
This Friday is our first School Meeting of the year. Each month we hold a School Meeting to learn and practice important social emotional skills and have fun as an HES community. This month we will focus on the importance of being able to identify our own feelings and the feelings of others. As a school, we use the Zones of Regulation language to help students identify and talk about feelings. At our meeting, we will review the Zones of Regulation and then some of our fifth graders will read a book to us about feelings. Then, we will celebrate the birthday of an important member of our community...Officer Franny! She just turned 2.
Have a great week!
Rebecca and Hilary
Dr. Rebecca Katsh-Singer, Principal
Mrs. Hilary Sturgis, Assistant Principal
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Upcoming Dates
Wednesday, September 17: Half Day, Dismissal at 12:15 pm
Monday, September 22-Friday, September 26: HES/PTO Book Fair
Thursday, September 25: Curriculum Night, 6:00-7:30 pm
Friday, September 26: Grade 1 Field Trip to Honey Pot Orchards
Wednesday, October 8: Half Day for K-5, Dismissal at 12:15 pm, No PreK
Monday, October 13: NO SCHOOL
Friday, October 17: TIGER Anti-Bullying Show
Monday, November 3-Friday, November 7: Grade 5 at Nature's Classroom
Tuesday, November 4: Professional Development Day, NO SCHOOL
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School Announcements
Please log into Powerschool and make sure you have completed the following 4 forms, which must be updated every year:
Directions:
Log into your PowerSchool Parent Portal. (If you do not know your PS Parent Portal, there are resources on the login page to assist in account recovery and setup.) Select a student in the top blue menu bar. Choose "FORMS" on the left-side menu. Select a form to review, edit if necessary, consent and sign at the bottom. Hit SUBMIT. Repeat process for additional students
Here is a guide with these steps: Submitting Forms via Parent Portal
For new accounts please reference this guide:
New Parent/Guardian PowerSchool Account Guide. During the account creation process you can link to your student at the same time.
To link another student to your account please see this guide: Add Student to Account Guide
If you have any questions, or need further assistance, please email Chris Boyle at cboyle@psharvard.org
 The 2025 Book Fair is Coming!
Mark your calendars for Monday, September 22 - Friday, September 26, 2025, as we partner once again with The Silver Unicorn Bookstore for the PTO/HES Book Fair!
This year’s fair features 215+ book titles, all published within the past 18 months, carefully selected by our very own amazing HES Librarian Mrs. Quaadgras and Paul Swyndon, owner of The Silver Unicorn.
From hardcover and paperback picture books to easy readers, early chapter books, middle grade titles, graphic novels, MCBA 2025-2026 selections, nonfiction, and activity books—there’s something for every young reader!
Parent Night is set for Thursday, September 25 from 5:00-7:30 PM, coinciding with Curriculum Night.
Interested in volunteering? Fall 2025 Book Fair Signup
All proceeds from the PTO/HES Silver Unicorn Book Fair will support the teachers and staff of Hildreth Elementary and The Bromfield School.
 Nurse Amanda is looking for donations of medium, large, and extra-large sweatpants as well as socks and underwear of various sizes. Donations can be brought to the main office or your child may give them directly to Nurse Amanda. Thank you for your generosity!
Universal Screening in Reading and Math
We have started our beginning of the year universal screenings in reading and math. These assessments, which we conduct three times each year, provide information about each student's reading and math skills. Here in Harvard, we use the Amplify mClass literacy and math screeners, both of which are are approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. These assessments are quick to administer and help us make sure all students are on track for grade-level success in reading and math. If you have any questions or concerns regarding universal screening please contact your child's teacher or our ELA specialist, Kerry Cusick: kcusick@psharvard.org
Please join the PTO for the 3rd Annual Harvard Schools PTO Pickleball Tournament on Sunday, September 14th from 8:30 to 3:00 pm at the Bromfield courts! Open to all ages and skill levels. Registration closes September 7th or when all spots are filled so grab a partner and sign up today for this fun and casual round robin into elimination style tournament. In addition to supporting a great cause, bracket winners will take home prizes including pickleball gear and swag from our sponsor the Marcus Lewis Tennis Center. Register now at harvardpto.org. Questions to danakoliver@gmail.com.
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 Come explore the beautiful land surrounding Hildreth Elementary School this Fall, in a fun, hands-on, outdoor nature class! Students will learn about the seasonal changes in our woods as they explore the plants and animals around HES. We will meet Mondays after school from 3:30 - 5:00 pm. Classes will be small and will be held outdoors rain or shine. Each session is five weeks long and the program fee is $85, with scholarships available. Registrations will be taken in the order we receive them.
Session 1: September 22 - October 27th
Session 2: November 3 - December 1st
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER: Email Heather at handsonnature@gmail.com.
Hands on Nature is a 501(c)(3) outdoor educational organization based in Berlin MA and information about our organization can be found on our website www.handsonnature.org.
PLEASE TAKE 2 MINUTES TO HELP US IMPROVE CELLULAR SERVICE IN HARVARD!
The Town Administration is working to improve cellular network coverage throughout Harvard to ensure broader, more reliable 911 access, and to enhance the effectiveness of all cellular communications and applications. Documented issues of poor coverage and dropped calls incentivize providers to expand coverage, so please participate in a simple 8-question anonymous survey about the quality of (or lack of) cellular service coverage at your home.
Survey results will be shared publicly with residents and with carriers to encourage equipment investments on existing towers and to attract carriers to the new cellular tower being built behind the Hildreth House. The more responses the better! Please reply by October 15th. Please click https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FCPWYJ2 to take the survey!
Let’s Bring Black Earth Compost to Harvard
Only 30 additional households needed! Composting preserves state and local landfills and improves our soil. Black Earth Compost accepts organic material, including items that are hard to compost at home like:
* Meat and seafood scraps (including bones and shells)
* Dairy products
* Cooking and solidified oil and grease
* Food soiled paper
* Corn cobs, fruit pits, and other dense organic matter
* Certified compostable tableware (BPI, CMA, or OK certified)
Add-on composting and recycling is available, such as:
* Leaves and garden waste
* Plastic Film, coffee pods, textiles, electronics, dog and cat food bags, styrofoam, and cartons.
The cost for Black Earth Compost is $94.99 for curbside pickup every other week for 6 months. There is a Oone time cost of $39.50 for starter kit (bin and bags). For more information or to pre-register:
https://blackearthcompost.com/residential-curbside-compost-pickup/. Already Pre-registered for Black Earth Composting? Please login to verify that your account exists using the above link.
 Click HERE to learn about all the events for children happening at the Harvard Public Library!
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HILDRETH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Dr. Rebecca Katsh-Singer, Principal
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| 27 Massachusetts Avenue, Harvard MA, 01451 | (978) 456 - 4145 |
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