OUR TOWN

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Once again, the Millbury Parents Club raised $40,000 to support programs within the
schools. Given the economy, fundraising for any organization is a daunting task, but the
Parents Club persevered, planned and recruited volunteers to assist in raising money to
pay for buses for class field trips and specialized events. Transportation is the most
costly part of any field trip and without this level of support, grade levels would not be
able to participate in field trips that are a distinct part of the curricula. It goes without
saying that the school district also recognizes that parents and extended families, give of
themselves and reach into their wallets to support the Parents’ Club’s fundraising events.
A mere thank you is certainly not enough to express the district’s appreciation.
A number of additional successes were realized in individual schools. The examples that
follow represent the type of programs, services and activities that engage students to learn
new skills, remain focused while in school, succeed and ultimately, lead to graduation.
Elmwood Street Elementary School
Several teachers participated in Community Service Learning grants. This year’s grants
included planting flowers with 3 rd graders and nursing home residents and Teaming Up
for Tee-Ball. In addition, selected 3 rd grade students studied the cultural aspects of a
country of their choosing and presented to parents and guests, the different aspects of that
particular culture at an evening Cultural Fair, showcased at the Millbury Public Library.
The program is one of the most popular at Elmwood.
The Woolie Card Program enjoyed a great deal of success, as students in K-3 earned
Woolie Cards at random, for demonstrating excellent academic effort for the month.
Students were honored at a ceremony with a certificate and parents were invited to
celebrate their accomplishments.
Students in 2 nd and 3 rd grade worked with the computer teacher to publish a school
newspaper, quarterly. They developed their ideas, wrote, edited and in some cases,
illustrated their stories for the paper. This was only one of the many events that was great
fun, but was also used to develop literacy skills. Another was that all 1 st – 3 rd grade
students participated in Walk to Read. During this activity, they were grouped according
to reading skills and received intensive instruction for one hour each day at their reading
level. As students acquired skills, they were moved to another group, conducive to their
reading ability.
Once again, the Elmwood School offered a Whole School Literacy Challenge, in
conjunction with the Worcester Sharks and their mascot, FINZ. Each grade level was
assigned a different reading challenge and awards were given to the top readers in each
grade.