The Office of Student Services, which supports all students, especially students with learning disabilities, English Language Learners, and students who need accommodations, is pleased to announce that there will be two meetings this week that may be of interest to you.  The first meeting is an informational meeting on special education transportation as described below and will be held on Thursday, December 10th at 6:00 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Conference Room.

The second meeting will be immediately after the transportation meeting and will be the monthly Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) meeting, which will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Superintendent’s Conference Room.  The SEPAC is an advisory group that gives guidance to the Student Services Department and the School Committee on issues related to special education.  All parents are welcome to attend.

If you have any questions about either meeting, please contact Director of Student Services Carolyn Wilson at 781-942-9129.

The Reading Public Schools students and teachers will participate in Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 7-13).  Under the direction of the Reading Technology Integration Specialists and Library Media Specialists students and staff will take part in an Hour of Code. The Hour of Code is an introduction to computer science designed to demystify computing code and show that anyone can learn the basics to be a maker, a creator, and an innovator. In addition, students from the high school will visit and mentor middle school students and students from middle schools will work and mentor the elementary school students.

Computer Science Education Week is dedicated to showing students of all ages the importance of computer science and to introducing them to computational thinking. It is organized by the Computing in the Core Coalition and Code.org in early December each year to recognize the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper,born on Dec. 9, 1906. This year, the Commonwealth Alliance for Information Technology Education (CAITE) and the MassTLC Education Foundation have provided buttons and posters to encourage schools and organizations in Massachusetts to participate and engage as many students as possible in computer science and coding activities.

Good Morning,

We hope that you are having a great weekend.  The link below leads you to the latest edition of the Pathways Newsletter.  This week has been a very busy week  in our school district with a wide array of learning and teaching experiences, as well as, the Reading Education Foundation Festival of Trees, the RMHS Super Bowl Game versus Nashoba Valley yesterday, the International Economic Summit, and the Reading Rotary Club reading and distributing book bags to our kindergarten students.  This newsletter captures those events and more!

Have a great rest of the weekend and week ahead.

Pathways Newsletter V2N14

Good Morning!

We hope that you had a great  Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family.  The link below is for this week’s edition of the Pathways Newsletter.  This week’s version contains articles on how to refuel your gratitude, how assessments can be used in the classroom, online tools for homework and study skills, and how to help students understand that challenging work is not bad.  We also have several photos and stories about the RMHS Thanksgiving rally and other activities from last week.

Have a great rest of the week!

Pathways Newsletter V2N13

Good Afternoon,

This is a message from the Reading Public Schools with a reminder that there will be an early dismissal at 11:00 a.m. for all schools on Wednesday, November 25th.  No lunches will be served.  Classess will resume on Monday, November 30th.

We hope that you and your family have a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving holiday!

Good Morning,

We hope that you are having a great weekend.  Below is the link to this week’s Pathways Newsletter.  This has been a very busy week in our school district and this week’s newsletter captures some of those events, including a very special event for Joshua Eaton teacher Jody Carregal who is courageously battling cancer, the First Annual Science Expo, the Fall National Honor Society Induction Ceremony, and the RMHS Football Team’s exciting win yesterday in the Division 2 State Semi Final Playoffs.  We have also included two inspirational Thanksgiving stories.

On behalf of the Reading Public Schools, we hope that you have a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving Holiday with your family and friends.

Pathways Newsletter V2N12

Good Morning,

The link below is for this week’s edition of the Pathway’s Newsletter.  This week’s edition features stories on the Superintendent’s State of the Schools address, the Commissioner’s Recommendation for the State Assessment, a look at the new SAT, and Eliminating the Blame Game.  We also have photos from the Wood End and Joshua Eaton Veteran’s Day Assemblies and the Coolidge Book Fair.

Congratulations to the RMHS Football Team who defeated Billerica, 22-0 in the Division 2 Quarterfinal Playoffs.  With the win, the Rockets will play Marshfield next Friday night in the Division 2 State Semifinals.

Have a great weekend!

Pathways Newsletter V2N11

Good Morning,

Our heartfelt thoughts go out to the families and the victims of the horrific events that happened in Paris yesterday.  The lives lost and the impact felt reminds us of the importance of teaching understanding and peace for our friends and neighbors in our schools.

The Reading Rotary Club and RMHS Interact Club will be sponsoring a Pancake Breakfast on Thanksgiving Morning, November 26, from 8:00-10:00 a.m. in the Reading Memorial High School Cafeteria.  The breakfast will cost $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for students, and children under 5 eat free.  The menu includes pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages, assorted juices, coffee, and hot chocolate.  This event will be held prior to the Reading vs. Stoneham Football Game which will be held at Reading Memorial High School, beginning at 10:00 a.m.  Tickets to the game will be sold at the breakfast.  This is a fundraiser and the proceeds will support the community service work of the Reading Rotary Club and Reading Interact Club.

If you have any questions, please contact the Reading Public Schools Administration Offices at 781-944-5800.

BOSTON – Continuing his “Community Conversations” issue discussions, Senator Jason Lewis is excited to announce the fifth forum in the series, which will focus on the latest developments at the state, regional, and local levels to combat substance abuse and opioid addiction in our communities.  “Community Conversations” are issue discussions that are being held in each community of the district.  Each forum features a different topic, with ample opportunity for residents to share feedback and have their questions answered by experts on the given topic.

This upcoming event – Community Conversations: Combating Substance Abuse and Opioid Addiction in Our Communities – will take place on Thursday, December 3, at 6:00pm.  It will occur at the Performing Arts Center at Reading Memorial High School, located at 62 Oakland Road in Reading.

This forum will offer the chance to hear directly from policymakers and advocates on the issues at hand.  Featured presenters will include: Massachusetts’ Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders, state Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, Mystic Valley Regional Opiate Abuse Prevention Coordinator Penny Funaiole, and Erica McNamara, Director of the Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse.  There will be ample opportunity for Q&A from audience members.

“Substance abuse and opioid addiction in our communities is a tragedy playing out in real-time, but it is heartening that everyone from the Governor to the Attorney General to state legislators to community leaders have made this issue a top priority.  This forum will be an opportunity to hear about the latest developments on these many efforts,” said Senator Jason Lewis.  “The conversations I have directly with constituents across the district are the best source of information and guidance to help me do my job in the legislature.  I’m excited about the ‘Community Conversations’ series as each forum provides us with a good opportunity to engage in a substantive dialogue on a timely and important topic.”

The forum is sponsored by Senator Lewis in coordination with Reading Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, State Representatives Bradley Jones and James Dwyer, and community-based partnerships and coalitions from across the 5^th Middlesex district that are working to combat substance abuse, including Malden Community Health Improvement, Melrose Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse, Stoneham Substance Abuse Coalition, Wakefield Unified Prevention, and Winchester Coalition for a Safer Community.

“Countless families in our region and across Massachusetts have been touched by the havoc wreaked by substance abuse,” said Reading Town Manager Bob LeLacheur.  “We welcome this important conversation regarding how we can more proactively combat these ills and prevent addiction and loss in the future.”

“Community Conversations” forums held earlier this year included: a lively discussion in Malden in April on what would be involved in a Boston-hosted Olympic Games and what impact it would have on our communities north of Boston; an informative presentation in Melrose in May on demystifying our state budget; an enlightening panel discussion in Wakefield in June on public transportation that featured the General Managers of the MBTA and Keolis Commuter Services; and, a forum last month in Winchester on energy policy and environmental priorities for the region and the Commonwealth.  A “Community Conversation” event to take place in Stoneham will be announced in the weeks ahead.