Zeh Informational Update: Family Newsletter 9/11/26

Hello Zeh Families,

It was great to see everyone last night at Open House. Hopefully, you had a chance to briefly connect with your child’s teacher and learn a little more about what their school day looks like. We truly value the partnership between home and school. If you ever have questions, concerns, or just want to talk through how things are going, please reach out. There are several scheduled opportunities to connect throughout the year, including Open House and conferences, but we are always happy to find another time to connect when it would be helpful.

During arrival and dismissal, I am asking families to please not park in the Church of the Nativity parking lot unless you have a student who attends preschool there. We have a great partnership with our neighbors at the church, and we want to respect their ability to hold events and run programs without causing a disruption. Please use the school car line to drop off and pick up your child from school. We also have staff who arrive while students are being dropped off. Please do not block them from entering the parking lot so they can begin work at their scheduled time. Thank you for your help and cooperation with this.

I would like to invite everyone to our first PTO meeting of the year this Monday, September 14, at 6:30 in the library. Whether you are new to Zeh, have been here for many years, or are one of our preschool families, we welcome everyone to come and learn more about what the PTO does to support Zeh.

The PTO funds field trips, provides enrichment opportunities, helps make the Zeh staff feel special, provides classroom grants, and much more. They also support larger projects, such as helping fund our new cafeteria projection system and repairs to playground equipment. In addition, they plan fun community events, including our upcoming Back to School Picnic on Thursday, September 24. We hope to see you there!

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great weekend!

Mr. Bell
jbell@nsboro.k12.ma.us 

• 9/14 PTO Meeting at 6:30 in the Library
• 9/15 5th Grade Band Instrument Rental at 6:00 at Melican
• 9/16 5th Grade Band Lessons Begin
• 9/18 3rd & 4th Grade Strings Registration Deadline
• 9/21 Yom Kippur...No School
• 9/22 3rd Grade Strings Rental Night at 6:00 at Melican
• 9/24 PTO Back to School Picnic from 5:30-7:00
• 9/25 Bike/Walk to School Day
• 9/26 Applefest Parade
• 9/29 School Picture Day
• 10/2 Titan Games at Algonquin
• 10/5 PTO Meeting at 1:30 in the Conference Room
• 10/7 Bike/Walk to School Day
• 10/7 School Committee Meeting at 6:30 at Lincoln Street
• 10/9 PTO Fun Run

I am writing to share information about one of the ways your child in grades K-5 will be assessed in reading this year. Our teachers have many ways to check your child’s reading development and growth, including an early literacy universal screening assessment. Early literacy universal screening assessments are brief tests that provide information about your child’s early reading skills. Screening makes it possible to see if a student is at risk of developing reading difficulties, including risk of dyslexia. Screening does not diagnose dyslexia or other disabilities, but it does help us understand which students may need additional support to be successful readers. We are required to assess students in grades K-3 at least twice per year consistent with Massachusetts regulation 603 CMR 28.03(1)(f). 

Our district uses screening assessments called Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, 8th Edition (DIBELS) and Acadience RAN. These are two of several screening assessments approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Your child will be assessed three times during the school year. It typically takes five to ten minutes to complete both assessments. The tentative schedule for this school year is shown below.

Following the screening assessment, a team at our school will review all students’ results. If your child scores “significantly below benchmark,” we will contact you within 30 school days of testing, to discuss how we can support your child. 

Please reach out if you would like additional information.

• For questions about the early literacy universal screening, contact the principal.

• For questions about your child’s testing results, contact the reading specialist.

Screening is another step that helps students at our school become proficient readers, and we are grateful for your continued support and partnership.