Family Newsletter | September 23, 2026
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Dear HES Families,
We look forward to seeing you for HES Curriculum Night on Thursday, October 1 at 6:00 pm! Our classroom teachers, specialists, special educators, counselors, and many other staff members are looking forward to meeting you! Here is the tentative schedule:
6:00-6:10 Introduction and Overview of School Goals by Rebecca and Hilary (Gym)
6:10-7:00 Visit Classrooms and the Book Fair (Grade 5 families, please stay in the gym for a brief presentation before visiting classrooms)
Throughout the evening, we ask that children stay with their parents/guardians as you visit spaces around the school together. We also want to make sure that conversations about individual students have the time and privacy they deserve. If you have specific questions or would like to talk more about your child, please plan to connect with their teacher at another time.
As a school, we are celebrating International Dot Day! Inspired by Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot, Dot Day encourages children to be creative, take risks, and see where their ideas can lead. To celebrate, every student decorated their own unique dot. Together, their individual creations have become a beautiful collaborative piece of art that is now brightening our hallway! Thank you to Mrs. Lazaro for leading this amazing project!
Have a great week!
Rebecca and Hilary
Rebecca Katsh-Singer, Ph.D., Principal
Hilary Sturgis, M.Ed., Assistant Principal
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Upcoming Dates
Monday, September 28-Friday, October 2: Book Fair on the Stage
Thursday, October 1: HES Curriculum Night, 6:00-7:00 pm
Monday, October 5: Kindergarten Walking Field Trip to the Fire Station
Tuesday, October 6: Picture Day
Wednesday, October 7: Half Day, Dismissal at 12:15 pm
Monday, October 12: NO SCHOOL
Monday, October 13: Kindergarten Visit from the Harvard Ambulance
October 16: Grade 1 Field Trip to Carlson's Orchards
Monday, October 19-Friday, October 23: Grade 5 at Nature's Classroom
Tuesday, October 20: Kindergarten Walking Field Trip to the Harvard Public Library
Wednesday, October 21: Kindergarten Field Trip to Westward Orchards
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School Announcements
 
Dear Friends of Harvard Public Schools,
The Harvard Educators Association cordially invites you to the 57th annual Staff-Senior Competition. This year we are playing volleyball. The game will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, October 16, in the Bromfield School Gymnasium. Don’t miss this family-friendly Harvard tradition!
This classic competition raises money for scholarships for deserving seniors who plan to further their education. Last year, we raised $3000 and awarded six scholarships to students in the Class of 2026!
This year, for the second time, we would also like to include the 5th graders, many of whom will be attending Bromfield for 6th grade. The 5th graders will help us kick off the event by playing first. If your child would like to play, please fill out this form.
We greatly appreciate any contribution, but we do plan to list in the program, as patrons, the names of those who contribute thirty dollars ($30) or more and whose contributions are received by Friday, October 9. If you’d like to contribute, please make checks payable to the Harvard Educators Association and send your donation to Katelyn Russell at The Bromfield School office or Erin Sintros at the Hildreth School office.
You can also contribute through UNIPAY. Please indicate that the memo/note section donation is for the HEA scholarship fund.
https://unipaygold.unibank.com/transactionInfo.aspx?CustomerID=380&TransID=28879
For any individual or family sending a patron contribution, admission to the game will be free for immediate family members. Just mention you are a patron and have already made a contribution at the admission table.
General admission is $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for students, payable at the door (cash or check). The Seniors will be holding a bake sale to help fund activities.
Sincerely,
The Harvard Educators Association
 We have only 1 week until the book fair! The PTO/HES Book Fair, in partnership with the Silver Unicorn Book Store, will be held Monday, September 28 - Friday, October 2, 2026 on the stage. This year’s fair features 215+ book titles, all published within the past 18 months, carefully selected by our very own amazing HES Literacy Coach Kerry Cusick and by 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 2026-2027 selections, nonfiction, and activity books—there’s something for every young reader!
Students in grades pre-K through 5th grade will visit the book fair during their regularly scheduled
library/technology class. Parents/guardians are invited to visit during Curriculum Night on Thursday, October 1, 6:00-7:00pm.
In addition, teachers have put together classroom “wish lists,” selected books from the book fair that they would like to use in their classroom libraries. Each book purchased for a teacher will have a bookplate placed inside the cover identifying your child’s gift.
Proceeds from the PTO/HES Silver Unicorn Book Fair support the teachers and staff of Hildreth Elementary and The Bromfield School.
Questions? HarvardBookFair@gmail.com
Calling More Volunteers! Fall 2026 Book Fair Signup
Join the Harvard Schools PTO!
The PTO is a membership-based volunteer organization for HES and TBS. Our primary goals are to raise money to support the student experience, and create programs in support of our teachers, staff, and community, such as Teacher and Staff Appreciation. With the help of critical annual membership donations, we fund over $25K of teacher and staff-requested grants each school year, for stuff like $1K towards field trips for each grade, library books, scholarships, and much more. Please consider joining or renewing your membership today!
 We still have quite a few families that need to update their child's forms in Powerschool for this school year. These forms ensure that we have accurate information about each child. If you have not done so, please fill out these 4 forms as soon as possible:
Demographic Verification Health Information Update Permissions/Agreements Parent/Guardian/Emergency Contact Verification
Click HERE for directions for accessing and completing these forms. Thank you!
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 Registration is now open for the upcoming Harvard Youth Basketball season! Our programs include opportunities for players of all ages and abilities — from our youngest players just getting started to competitive league play and adaptive basketball.
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Grades 3–6: Registration Deadline: October 10th
- Grades K–2: Registration Deadline: November 14th
- NEW! Preschool/Pre-K Basketball Clinic: Starts September 24th
- SEPAC Adaptive Basketball: Registration Deadline: November 14th
Register today at harvardbasketball.org
Zoning 101 & Town Meeting Preview
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
6:00–7:30 PM (doors open at 5:45 PM for pizza)
Harvard Council on Aging, 16 Lancaster County Road
We'll cover the basics of zoning (setbacks, lot sizes, pre-existing nonconforming rules), a short history of zoning, how it's shaped growth in Harvard, and a plain-English preview of this year's zoning warrant articles. There will be time for resident Q&A with town staff and Planning Board members, plus pizza! Questions: planning@harvard-ma.gov
Celebrations Around the WorldThe Harvard Public Library and Arm in Arm are currently building a year-long exhibit called "Celebrations Around the World," and we want our displays to reflect the real, vibrant cultures of our neighbors. Do you have a piece of your heritage you’d be willing to lend? We are looking for items that spark curiosity in children, such as:
Traditional Clothing: A child’s festive outfit or a beautiful textile. Kitchen Treasures: Specialized cooking tools or unique spice tins. Sound & Music: Small instruments or traditional noisemakers. Holiday Decor: This past year, we have showcased items used for Chuseok, Day of the Dead, Orthodox Easter, Golden Week, Ramadan, Hanukkah, Carnival. We welcome ideas for other holidays and from additional cultures.
All items will be kept in locked display cases. We are also looking for Cultural Ambassadors who might want to share brief stories about their items. Our displays are presented monthly from October 2026 through May 2027. This is a beautiful way to help local children connect with global traditions through real objects they can see up close.
Want your Cultural Celebration on display? Have something to loan the HPL in support of a scheduled display? Please contact Arm in Arm at arminarm.townofharvard@gmail.com
Click HERE to check out all the events 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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