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As we move into the final months of the school year, I want to acknowledge the many emotions—uncertainty, curiosity, and sadness—that have come with the news of our district’s restructuring. I know that waiting for school placements has been a stressful process for our community. Given that the school committee has now voted on a geographic map, as expected we are starting to hear more students talk about next year.
Change, even when it is designed to create new opportunities, is rarely easy. It is natural to feel the weight of this transition, and I want to share how we plan to support your students as we prepare for the end of the school year.
Our goal is to partner with you to ensure students feel secure and informed. To that end, we have developed a timeline for these conversations:
End of April and May: We recommend that families begin having these conversations at home. Our hope is that your children hear about these changes first from you, their primary source of comfort, rather than from a peer at school. We know families are in different places regarding what they’ve shared, and we want to give you the space to lead those initial discussions. During June: The school will begin structured conversations. In our morning meetings, we will read books about change and discuss how transitions feel. We will be sure to share titles of books as we get closer to June. For All Students: As students begin to ask questions, teachers will address those questions in the moment with care and honesty. This may occur more often in our older grades, but we want to acknowledge this will likely begin to happen in K-3 grades as well.
To ensure consistency, staff will not be sharing specific school placements with students. If a student asks where they are going, we will gently redirect them to speak with their adults at home.
How We Are Talking to Students
When questions arise now, or when we begin our structured June discussions, we use the following framework to ensure every child feels safe and heard.
We will be following these guidelines when having these discussions:
To ensure the information is developmentally appropriate, we use the following messages to be consistent with our students:
For our younger students (K-2):
Sometimes schools need to do things differently so every student can keep learning new things and doing fun activities. Even though schools or teachers might change, you’re still part of the same big Acton‑Boxborough community. The schools in Acton at the Parker Damon Building and the Boardwalk Campus will change a little bit. Next year, one school in each building will have students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade, called Lower Parker Damon and Lower Boardwalk. The Blanchard School in Boxborough will stay Kindergarten through 6th grade. The Conant School building is going to close. More students will go to school with other kids who live close to them next year.
Keep explanations concrete (buildings, classrooms, friends). Use storybooks or drawing to explore feelings (“What does change feel like?”). Reassure about routines: drop‑off, teachers, snacks, friends. Use a calm, confident tone; young children read emotion before words. Cap discussion time if anxiety increases; return to predictable routines.
For our older students (3-6):
Sometimes our school district needs to organize things differently so every student can keep learning new things and doing fun activities. Even though schools or teachers might change, you’re still part of the same big Acton‑Boxborough community. The way school works in Acton is going to change a little bit. Next year, the Parker Damon Building and the Boardwalk Campus will each have two separate schools inside. One school in each building will be for younger students, in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. We'll call these Lower Parker Damon and Lower Boardwalk. The other school in each building will be for older students, in 4th through 6th grade, and they will be called Upper Parker Damon and Upper Boardwalk. The Blanchard School in Boxborough will have students in Kindergarten through 6th grade. The Conant School building will close. This means more students will go to school with other kids who live close to them next year.
Offer honest reasons (“to share resources fairly,” “to make sure schools have space and teachers for everyone”). Encourage letter writing or drawing to express feelings about change. Remind them that change can bring new friends and opportunities. Acknowledge mixed feelings and normalize talking about them. Cap discussion time if anxiety increases; return to predictable routines. Encourage journaling or conversation with trusted adults.
When answering specific questions about the restructuring, staff will use the following factual points:
One physical building will close: The Conant building will no longer be used as an elementary school. Classes will be a little bigger. There will be fewer classrooms in the district, which means most classes will have a few more students than they do now. You will still have "Specials." No matter which plan is picked, students will still go to Art, Music, PE, and Library. Lunch and recess may be busier. Because there will be more students in each building, more friends will be eating lunch and playing on the playground at the same time. Some students and staff will be welcomed into new buildings. Schools for younger and older kids. In Acton, schools will be split into Lower Schools for grades K-3 and Upper Schools for grades 4-6, one each at the Boardwalk and Parker Damon campuses. Students will go to school with other students who live near them. Students will go to school with friends who live near them and other friends who live in the same part of town. Students will stay on the same campus, K-6. Once students join their school for next year, those attending a Lower School (Parker Damon or Boardwalk campus) will continue at the same physical building when they transition to the Upper School in 4th grade. Blanchard stays K-6. The Blanchard Memorial School would not change and would keep students in all grades from Kindergarten through 6th grade.
We have chosen to wait until June for these structured conversations to protect the stability of the current school year. It is important that students have the space to finish their current learning without being overly distracted. Developmentally, we also want to avoid asking children to sit with the weight of this change for too many months; potentially increasing anxiety for some. By starting in June, we can focus on a positive transition as we head into the summer.
When you begin or continue these discussions at home, please feel free to use the language and suggestions I have shared as a way to frame your conversations with your student. Consistency in messaging at home and school will support students' feelings of security, as it demonstrates that we are working together to support them through this transition.
In my conversations with staff and families, one thing is clear: we are all going to miss the unique community we have built together at Gates. However, the strength of a community isn't just in the building—it's in the people. I am confident that as we move forward, we will bring that same spirit to our new schools and build strong new communities. ♥️
I hope each of you gets some rest and enjoys your spring break.
Kindly,
Allison
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