FRIDAY EMAIL March 15, 2024
Good Afternoon,
Last night we had the first student vs teacher fundraiser basketball game. The event was organized by the Hands2Haiti student club at WA. The event was a great success with over 300+ students that came to support the cause and both students and staff had a great time. I also had fun playing! The students ended up pulling away in the fourth quarter and getting the win. I can’t wait for next year’s game! The teacher team will be ready!
MCAS is around the corner and we will have more reminders next week in preparation for those dates.
Spring sports season kicks off on Monday next week. See below for more information.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Dan Twomey
Principal
Upcoming Calendar Events
March 26/28, ELA MCAS
March 27, Early Release, Professional Development
March 29, Early Release, Good Friday
April 5, Senior Capstone Orientation, 8:30 AM, PAC
April 10, No School, Eid al-Fitr
April 15, No School, Patriot’s Day
April 16 – 19, No School, April Break
April 26 – May 1, DECA International Conference, Anaheim, CA
May 7, No School, Professional Development, Town Election
May 16, Early Release, Professional Development
May 21, MCAS (Math), Junior Job Shadow Day
May 22, MCAS (Math)
May 27, No School, Memorial Day
May 29, Capstone Exhibition
May 30, Junior Academic Awards, 8:45 AM, PAC
May 31, Sophomore Academic Awards, 8:45 AM, PAC
June 3, Freshmen Academic Awards, 8:45 AM, PAC
June 4, MCAS (Science)
June 5, MCAS (Science), Senior Academic Awards 8:45 AM, PAC
June 6, Graduation 2024 Rehearsal, 9 – 11:00 AM, Main Gym and WA Trustees Field
June 7, Graduation 2024 Ceremony, 5:30 PM, WA Trustees Field
June 8, Graduation rain date #1, 5:30 PM, WA Trustees Field
June 9, Graduation rain date #2, 2:00 PM, WA Trustees Field
(Dates are subject to change)
WA UNIFIED TRACK BEGINS ON TUESDAY MARCH 19th at 2:00 PM
Westford Academy is now offering Unified Track & Field. This Spring program begins on Tuesday March 19, 2024 at 2:00pm on the WA track. If interested, please register on FamilyID.com
Please refer to the information below for specific details regarding this exciting new WA Athletics program!
Spring Sports Registration is now OPEN!
Tryouts start on Monday, March 18th, 2024.
Sports offered this season are: Baseball, Lacrosse (Boys & Girls), Softball, Tennis (Boys & Girls), Track and Field (Boys & Girls), Volleyball (Boys)
All student-athletes MUST register online and have an UP-TO-DATE physical on file prior to ANY participation in tryouts. Physicals can be emailed or handed to Danielle Mendonca (dmendonca@westfordk12.us) in the main office. Reminder, physicals are valid for 13 months.
Spring Semi Formal - Ticket sales extended!
Good News! Due to popular demand ticket sales have been extended to buy tickets for the Spring Semi Formal. The Semi Formal is on March 23rd at Westford Academy from 7-10pm. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased using MySchoolBucks or in the Cafe during all 4 lunches. The Spring Semi Formal is open to all grades.
From the Counseling Office
Save the Date(s)! Our last two Coffee with the Counselors events will be held on Thursday, April 4th and Wednesday, May 1st.
Thursday, April 4th: Our April event will focus on post-secondary options other than four year college plans. We will talk about a variety of opportunities, including trade schools, community colleges and military options. This presentation is open to parents/caregivers of students in grades 9-11. To reserve your spot, please click HERE.
Wednesday, May 1st: Our May event will focus on Financial Aid. Guest speaker, Gregg Cohen from College Affordable, will be speaking on various financial aid topics, including building a financial game plan, financial literacy, what you can do to reduce the cost of college and more! This presentation is open to parents/caregivers of students in grades 10 & 11.
To reserve your spot, please click HERE.
Sullivan’s Message/Taylor’s Message:
A presentation regarding substance use and abuse that will be given to sophomores and juniors during advisory on Wednesday, March 20th by guest speaker, Kathi Sullivan. The presentation is aimed at creating awareness about the consequences of underage drinking, emphasizing the importance of choices and their lasting impact, and providing insights on how to protect our loved ones. While we believe in the importance of these discussions, we understand that not every family may wish to participate. If you prefer that your child does not attend this presentation, please email Lauren Clark, Director of School Counseling (laurenclark@westfordk12.us), by March 19th to opt-out your child.
Please see this letter from Principal Twomey.
A similar presentation for ALL parents/caregivers will be offered on March 20th at 6:30pm in WA's Performing Arts Center. Please fill out this form to reserve your spot.
Class of 2024 - Senior Capstone Orientation
Friday, April 5th, 8:30 AM, PAC
NHS - Graduation Stoles
The deadline for seniors in NHS to purchase graduation stoles is 3/20. All information can be found on the NHS Google Classroom page. This needs to be complete PRIOR to senior capstone.
Class of 2027 Parents and Caregivers
We recently announced the end of the year class trip to your students. We will be traveling to Six Flags on Friday, June 14th after the last final exam block at 10:30. We will return to WA at approximately 9:30 that night.
The trip will cost $100 per student. This includes admission, water park admission, 1 meal voucher with unlimited drinks, and transportation. Payment can be made via cash, check (made out to Westford Academy) or MySchoolBucks. Payments are due no later than Friday, May 24th. Please reach out with any financial hardships.
Permission slips will be given to students that must be signed and returned in order to participate. You are welcome to print the permission slip on your own, but we have copies for students. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns to Cory Brown corybrown@westfordk12.us or Madi Davick mdavick@westfordk12.us
Cory Brown & Madi Davick
Class of 2027 Advisors
Support Westford Lacrosse - Bamboo Fundraiser
20% of the proceeds will benefit Westford Lacrosse when you order take-out OR dine-in on Tuesday, March 12th and Tuesday, March 19th. Bamboo, 1 Lan Drive, Westford, MA
Please Follow our FB Page
https://www.facebook.com/WAGhosts for news and upcoming events!
Westford Academy School Store
https://www.frontlinepromos.com/shop/westford-academy-school-store/74
Work Permits
Work Permits are requested online. If your student has been offered a job, please have them go on the Westford Academy webpage. Click on “For Students” and then click on “Working Permit – Ages 14-18”. https://www.westfordk12.us/wa/students/links/working-permit-ages-14-18
Class of 2025 - Small Group Meetings on Post-Secondary Planning
Sullivan’s Message - Presentation on Substance Use and Awareness
March 20th, 6:30 PM in Westford Academy’s Performing Arts Center
HERE is the link with more info and how to RSVP.
Ghostwriter: Graduation 2024
Dear Senior Parents/Guardians: The end of your child’s high school career is near! We know you have many different ways to commemorate the occasion, but we’d like to offer another
Possibility. The staff of the student newspaper, The WA Ghostwriter, invites you to purchase a graduation shout-out for your son or daughter. We publish a printed June edition of the newspaper that is distributed at graduation. Since it features a list of the graduates’ college destinations, it tends to be a hot commodity!
We are selling four different shout-out spaces this year. Deadline for submitting all materials and payment: April 1, 2024. The Ghostwriter staff will design your shout-out at no additional cost! Photos that work well: senior portraits (that you have a release for), baby pictures, candids, close up and clear photos. Photos that do not work well: Iphone photos, blurry or unfocused photos.
Message example: “We are so proud of you Sam! We hope you always stay true to yourself and follow your dreams! Love, Mom and Dad”. If you would like to purchase a shout-out, please fill out the Google form here: https://forms.gle/TnK8SWwEN8mPTE2u9
Feel free to email me with any questions!
Janet Fonden
jfonden@westfordk12.us
English and Journalism Teacher
Graduation VIP Raffle to support WA Last Night 2024!
The Last Night Committee is raffling off 2 Graduation VIP Packages. Tickets are $20 each and we are only selling 200 tickets. Each package includes:
· Two reserved parking spots located in the Senior parking lot near WA Alumni field.*
· Six premier reserved seats near the front of the audience on the left-hand side of the stage.*
*exact location to be determined by WA administration during graduation setup
Don’t let Graduation day stress you out! Buy some raffle tickets at the link below for your chance to win a worry-free trip to this year’s graduation! Raffle open until March 31st or whenever tickets sell out.
https://walastnight.org/raffle
Westford Academy Last Night 2024
Westford Academy Last Night 2024 will be on June 7th starting at 10pm. Last Night is a fun celebration for the Class of 2024 to spend a night at Westford Academy with their friends. Last Night is possible due to the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and the generous donations from our community. Please check out the pages here for more details and information on how you can help!
All links can be found on the Last Night Event page here
Last Night Volunteers Needed - https://bit.ly/49MDORF
Last Night Photo Wall - https://walastnight.org/for-parents
Last Night Wish List - https://amzn.to/48Mp6Jd
Last Night VIP Raffle - https://bit.ly/4c1UbLD
Westford Health and Wellness Fair
Presented by the Westford Health Department
Date: April 6th, 2024
Time: 10:00AM-2:00PM
Location: Stony Brook School, 9 Farmer way Westford, MA 01886
Please join us for a fun filled day. Open and free to the public.
This event will take place rain or shine!
Click here to view flyer details: Westford Health and Wellness Flyer
Neurodiversity Celebration - Sponsored by SEPAC - Friday, March 22nd
In celebration of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, our community is coming together for a special LEGO building event. On Friday, March 22nd, NELUG (New England Lego Users Group) will lead people of all ages and backgrounds in creating a 3D Lego Sculpture that celebrates neurodiversity. NELUG works with communities across the state, using Lego to create community art with meaning.
Alongside the main event, various other engaging activities and refreshments will be available, promising a delightful and fun-filled afternoon for all. This is a free event hosted by SEPAC; no tickets or registration are required.