The Woolie Way - Your Monthly Path to Millbury Pride
February 2026 Update
Greetings
Good afternoon, Woolie families!
It is hard to believe that we are already in February and that the Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl again!!
I am thrilled to share information regarding our upcoming Student Summit.
As part of our continued efforts to create a more purposeful and relevant high school experience for our students, we have partnered with our friends at The Learning Agenda to plan an upcoming student summit. The theme of our student summit is: "Better Together: Listening With Students, Learning From Students."
An event such as this is directly connected to our Triangle of Transformation as it is fundamentally rooted in how we look (and have looked at) our Instruction, Systems, and Culture. These three items are at the core of what the Student Summit is trying to continue to support and accomplish.
The summit will consist of nearly 100 students and staff, and will center on the following goals:
Students connect with peers and share school and classroom experiences, as well as provide feedback in small groups.
Adults observe, listen, and record feedback from students regarding pertinent aspects of the high school experience, with a focus on classroom interactions and learning.
Adults and students together think deeply about the best ways for adults and students to collaborate and co-design around what is possible when we reimagine our schools.
All participants understand why listening to students is essential for ongoing school co-design and iteration and how to do it well.
Students facilitate two working sessions where they plan toward effective change and implementation within our school. We will have staff serve as facilitators for each session.
Topic areas covered will be:
Being Seen, Valued, and Heard
Grading and Assessment
Content and Curriculum
Classroom Engagement & Activities
Navigating High School & Student Supports
Life After High School
The Student Summit will be an all-day event at the Packachaug Center for the Arts in Auburn, MA. It will also feature a KeyNote Speaker, Anthony Valentine (see more information on Anthony below)
We are in, and have been in, the active planning phase for this work and cannot wait to showcase the culmination of these efforts. As a school, we wholeheartedly believe that this will be a key opportunity in shaping who we are as a school.
I will be sure to share more information in the following weeks, as we move closer to our March 19 date.
Sincerely,
Chris Lowe
Student Spotlight
Meet Douglas Batista and Tyler Jacobs
Douglas and Tyler are two of our student ambassadors to the work that we are doing alongside the BARR Foundation to reimagine the high school experience.
Alongside Douglas and Tyler are Diane Fransico and Lindsey Ho, who have been hard at work alongside district and building staff to support efforts in bringing together the student summit experience.
Please click the video below to hear more from Douglas and Tyler about the upcoming student summit.
Student + Teacher Nomination - Student Summit
We will be sharing out a Student and Teacher Nomination form for interested individuals. The form will go out the week of February 2 - 6 during Long Flex.
As Douglas and Tyler shared, this is designed by students, for students. Sessions will be student-led, with adults serving as co-faciliators in the background.
Students will be discussing topics that are relevant and important to them and their high school experience.
As there are limited spaces for the summit, we will be randomly selecting students should the interest in participating exceed the number of available spots.
More information will be shared in upcoming notifications.
Get to know more about our Keynote Speaker - Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine, known as Valentine to his friends and supporters, started his entrepreneurial journey by selling custom t-shirts outside his grandmother's residence. His talent was soon recognized when American recording artist Kendrick Lamar sported one of his custom-made denim vests. Since then, Valentine has been constantly exploring his interests and developing his talents to positively impact the world.
Valentine is a multi-talented individual who is an author, director/writer, top youth motivational speaker, and a pier-dm EMT with a degree in Biology. He is also the founder of KultureMAG, which is an SEL resource designed to help students develop their individual and societal identity. Valentine's main focus is to save student lives, one story at a time, and has done so with over 30,000 students across 50+ High Schools, Middle Schools, and Colleges.
Valentine's messaging of resilience, his experiences as an EMT in the inner city, and his work in media provide students with an engaging, heartfelt, captivating, and relatable experience. As someone who has faced many challenges in life, including growing up without a father and dealing with anxiety, Valentine's motivational speaking has the power to heal. He offers himself as a vessel and an example.
Get to know our Woolie Sports Talk podcasters!
We were fortunate to have the Worcester Telegram and Gazette at our school recently to interview our Woolie Sports Talk Radio hosts about their love for sports, Millbury, and their podcasting journey.
Please check out the article written by Tommy Cassell, of the T & G. A special thanks goes out to Tommy for taking the time to connect with our students and craft the piece.
We hope you are all happy to be back after a few snowy days! We are on to the next big thing and that is... Course Selection! We are happy to share that the Program of Studies for the 2026-2027 school year will go live on the School Counseling Website on Friday, Jan. 30th. The Program of Studies rollout starts our course selection process. Students should be able to see teacher recommendations using their portal access.
Our introduction to course selection will start with the Class of 2027 on Monday, February 2, 2026. Each grade will have a week to choose courses in the Aspen portal after having access to their own Aspen account to see what they were recommended for by their teachers. See below for the schedule. We ask that students check their school email accounts on a regular basis for updates. We also encourage parents/guardians to have a discussion with their child(ren) about their future goals when considering which courses to take.
Grades Dates for Students to Select Courses
Juniors (YOG 2027)
Feb 2 - 6, 2026
Sophomores (YOG 2028)
Feb 9 - Feb 13, 2026
Freshmen (YOG 2029)
Feb 23 - Feb 27, 2026
Grade 8 (YOG 2030)
March 2 - March 6, 2026
Grade 7 (YOG 2031) will take place at a later date.
For current grade 9-11 students, they will meet with their current counselor. All grade 8 students will meet with a counselor, but it may not be their counselor for next year, as we all assist in the course selection process. We look forward to meeting with the students and answering any questions that you or they may have!
This year’s Program of Studies has new additions in almost every department! More information on all things Program of Studies will be shared via Community Newsletter, Parent Square, social media, and our school website. Last year's Screencastify is linked here so students can understand how to navigate Aspen. The QR code has updated courses for this year and a printable worksheet for families to help plan out their students’ selections. Feel free to contact us at our emails below if you have any questions.
The Millbury Jr. /Sr. High School School Counseling Department
FEBRUARY MARKS THE BEGINNING OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
As we enter Black History Month, we must recognize the importance of integrating Black history and perspectives into our curriculum in meaningful and intentional ways. This month serves as a powerful reminder that Black history is not separate from but central to the broader narratives we explore in our classrooms.
By making thoughtful connections across subjects, we provide students with opportunities to engage , and discuss the contributions and resilience of Black individuals and communities throughout history.
Let us use this time to reflect on our instructional practices, celebrate diverse voices, and ensure that all students see themselves represented in the learning experiences we create.
Thank you to our School Counseling Deaprtment
I wanted to take a moment to recognize that this week marks School Counseling Week. A special thank you to all members of our School Counseling Department for the work that they do each and every day to support our students, staff, and families!
Thank you to Ms. DeLucia, Mrs. Courtney, Mrs. Ciullo, Ms. Cabral, Mr. Gomba, Mrs. Desautels, Ms. Holman, Ms. Moorhouse, and Ms. Perrone for all that they do! Day in and day out, they prioritize the needs of our students, staff, and families in every way possible to ensure that our school community supports the academic, emotional, and social needs of our students.
Oftentimes, their work feels thankless, but I want them to know that we recognize and appreciate their efforts. As someone who has the privilege to work closely with them daily, I am appreciative to have such a strong presence in place for our Millbury Community.
February 2
Department Leader Learning Walkthrough #2: from 7:40 - 9:40
February 3
MCAS Bio Session 1
Dual Enrollment Criminal Justice: @ 2:15 in B209
February 4
MCAS Bio Session 2
Humanities Scholars Field Trip to Clark University: 8:15 - 1:30 pm
Additional settings for Safari Browser.
