Winchendon Weekly News school newsletter - Wednesday, March 22

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MWCC Names Two New Trustees to Board

GARDNER, MA - March 22, 2023 - The Board of Trustees at Mount Wachusett Community College welcomed two new members, and a renewed commitment from three current members at its regular meeting on February 9, 2023.

Joining the Board of Trustees are long time Gardner businesspeople Patti Bergstrom, owner of The Velvet Goose, and Rick Walton, owner of the Moon Hill Brewing Company.

"I am honored to be named to the Board of Trustees of Mount Wachusett Community College, which certainly is one of Gardner's greatest assets," stated Bergstrom. "As a lifelong resident of Gardner and owner of The Velvet Goose for 36 years, I want to see the College and the Downtown work together in more ways. As Downtown is going through a revitalization and many of the buildings are changing ownership, it is my hope that new housing, potential new restaurants, and shops and services can attract the College Community to Downtown to live, eat, shop and play."

"I'm looking forward to ways the restaurant and the brewery can be involved with the college, to better understand and strengthen the connection between the Mount and the City of Gardner," noted Walton.

Board Members who were sworn in for new terms were Claire M. Freda, Denise Kindschi Gosselin, and Tracy L. Hutchinson.

"I am pleased to welcome these community leaders to the Mount Board of Trustees," noted MWCC President James Vander Hooven. "We have long been thankful for the support of these two local business leaders, and now we will benefit from their wisdom and input as members of our Board."

MWCC Launches New Banking Certificate with Support from Local Banking Partners

GARDNER, MA - March 23, 2023 - On March 9, 2023, representatives from the local banks and credit unions joined staff, faculty and students at the newly renovated Leominster campus of Mount Wachusett Community College to celebrate the launch of the new Certificate of Banking Fundamentals program.

"Providing relevant education and training opportunities that directly support our community and industry partners is part of our mission," noted MWCC President James Vander Hooven. "This new program demonstrates that what we are doing is relevant and applicable to our communities."

The development of the Certificate of Banking Fundamentals was a direct result of collaboration between members of the local banking community, who like many industries, are struggling to find employees, and the MWCC Dean of the School of Business, Science, Technology and Math, Veronica Guay, and Business and Economics Professor and Department Chair, Elmer Eubanks-Archbold.

"At MWCC we spend a lot of time developing programs that align with four-year degree transfer programs," noted Guay. "This program was developed with both the banking community and the bachelor's degree pathways in mind."

Suzanne Dupre, Executive Vice President at Main Street Bank, added, "We are super excited about this partnership. Banking is not just a shirt and tie, math type role anymore, we have needs in finance, marketing, information technology, and compliance. This program gives you a foundation to build your career on."

The MWCC Certificate of Banking Fundamentals includes nine courses, eight of which have been part of the College's business administration program for several years. The new course, Foundations in Banking, was developed collaboratively with representatives from the banking and credit union community. Interested parties can learn more at an information session, visit mwcc.edu/info to register and for contact information.

Photo Caption: Dean Veronica Guay addresses students and guests at the Banking Certificate launch.

Jr.Tech is Pleased to Announce Girls STEM Summit-Statewide 2023

Girls STEM Summit-Statewide is the premier Massachusetts summit for students in grades 8 - 12 interested in exploring STEM careers. "We aim to inspire the next generation of students to pursue STEM degrees and explore STEM career paths and close the gender gap that exists in STEM fields," states President Phyllis Russell.

When: Sunday, June 11, 2023
Where: Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Who: All students in 8th-12th grade interested in STEM
Pricing: $75 per participant
(includes activities, continental breakfast, lunch, and giveaway.)
Other: Families, private groups, or schools may buy individual seats or block seats
Hosted: Jr.Tech, Inc.

For additional information and to register students for the Summit, please visit https://juniortech.org/girls-stem-summit-statewide-2023/

"We are thankful and would like to introduce our Sponsors for the 2023 Girls STEM Summit-Statewide event," says Russell.

The Lead Sponsor is National Grid.
The Major Sponsorship is Enel North America.
The General Sponsor is Liberty Mutual Insurance.
The Facility Host Partner is Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA.

Jr.Tech, Inc., is a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization celebrating 18 years of supporting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

Jr. Tech does not discriminate based on race, color, sex, disability, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation. Open to all persons who identify as female, non-binary, or other gender identity or expression.

Contacts:
Phyllis Russell: 774-994-2097, phyllis@juniortech.org
Rachel Arno: 401-578-5761, rachel@juniortech.org

Open Kindergarten Registration Starting March 1

Dear Parents:

If you have a child that will be eligible for the 2023-2024 Kindergarten school year, you will need to fill out the registration forms that can be found on our website at www.winchendonk12.ore/o/mes. They are located under the Menu dropdown, Kindergarten Registration. You can download and fill in the forms. Hard copies are also available at Memorial School. Once completed, you will need to return them to Memorial School along with the items listed below. You can do this any number of ways:

1. Fax: 978-297-3944
2. Email: mmacewen@winchendonk12.org
3. Mail: Memorial School, 32 Elmwood Road, Winchendon, MA 01475
4. Drop off: In person between the hours of 10 AM - 2 PM

No child will be admitted to Kindergarten without having met the eligibility requirements listed below.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

1. If your child is five (5) years of age by August 31, 2018 (of the forthcoming year), he/she is eligible.
2. "BIRTH CERTIFICATE"- Original must be brought with you.
3. PROOF OF RESIDENCY- Current utility bill, or copy oflease.
4. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION INCLUDING VISION AND HEARING SCREENING BY YOUR PHYSICIAN MUST BE DATED AFTER AUGUST 31, 2022.
5. IMMUNIZATIONS - VERIFICATION WILL NEED TO BE PROVIDED BY THE END
OF AUGUST. This must include lead screen results. Click here to view and download a list of needed vaccinations.

Each child MUST have a physical examination completed by your physician. A signed printout from your child's doctor's office listing all the required information is also acceptable. Students cannot start school without a completed physical. We recommend calling your physician today to schedule an appointment as it sometimes takes several months to get one.

All completed immunization/examination forms need to be in the School Nurse's Office by Friday, August 25th before your child will be permitted to start school. These forms can be faxed by your doctor to the school at 978-297-3944.

Kindergarten Screening will be conducted, as required by State and Federal school laws. Screenings will be Wednesday, May 31; Thursday, June 1, and Friday, June 2. You will receive a letter with a sign up link for a screening appointment after you have registered.

We share the excitement of your child entering Kindergarten and look forward to both of you being a part of the Winchendon Public Schools. Please be aware that screenings will take place at Memorial School but your child will be attending Kindergarten at Toy Town School due to the school reconfiguration. We are excited to have you be a part of the first year of our Pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten building. Please feel free to call the school at (978) 297-1305, with any questions or concerns you may have.

MWCC, Fitchburg State University and Athol High School Partnership Achieve Early College Designation

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has granted Early College designation to Athol High School in partnership with Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) and Fitchburg State University.

Early College programs combine deep career and college exploration with the opportunity for students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and at least 12 college credits across the high school experience. Additionally, Early College programs expose students, who might not have considered college an option, to the experience of college with significant supports along the way.

The Athol Early College Program will support students in deep career exploration in grades 9 and 10, and the opportunity to take upwards of 27 college credits by the time they graduate high school, in the pathways of health care, liberal arts and sciences, business and technology, and education.

The FY24 budget proposed by Governor Maura Healey includes $46.9 million for Early College and Innovation Pathways which constitutes a $14.4 million expansion over FY23.

"We have seen Early College help hundreds of students earn college credits, and even associate degrees, since the inception of these programs," noted MWCC President James Vander Hooven. "We look forward to welcoming the students of Athol and Royalston to the MWCC Early College community."

"Early College is a proven program that creates opportunities for students to pursue their educational aspirations," Fitchburg State University President Richard S. Lapidus said. "This expansion will build on that strong foundation and open doors for students in Athol and Royalston."

"We are proud to receive this designation and excited for the opportunities it presents for our students," added Athol High School Principal, David King.

Early College programs offered in partnership with MWCC and Fitchburg State University started in 2019 with the designation of programs for Gardner High School, Gardner Academy for Learning and Technology, Leominster High School, Leominster Center for Excellence and Leominster Center for Technical Education Innovation, Fitchburg High School, the Sizer School, and Narragansett Regional High School.