Old Rochester Regional District elementary schools are entering the 2025-26 school year as a unified front, with all schools establishing a new math curriculum and emphasizing an eagerness to empower students.

“It’s the first time in possibly ever that we’re getting a unified curriculum across the elementary schools throughout the district,” said Stephanie Wells, Old Hammondtown School principal.

Across the Tri-Town, Old Rochester elementary schools are implementing a new math program called enVision Mathematics.

“It’s really interactive. It’s very hands-on, lots of discussion, focus on problem solving,” said Linda Ashley, Center School principal.

Prior to the implementation of enVision Mathematics, each of the elementary schools taught from different math programs.

This effort to unify the education of the Old Rochester schools comes from the district’s Vision 2028 Strategic Plan, which is a multi-year plan established to improve and solidify education for all students. 

One of the first unification efforts established a district-wide literacy program for the elementary schools. The program, called Into Reading, was created by the textbook publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and emphasizes the development of both writing and literacy skills.

A social and emotional learning curriculum, known as Fly Five, will also be rolled out in elementary schools as the year begins.

The program is designed to teach students from kindergarten through eighth grade about cooperation, empathy, self-awareness and problem solving skills, according to Rochester Memorial School Principal Heidi Letendre.

“It’s a great resource for teachers, but it’s also great dialogue to engage students and how to problem solve and just be a good citizen as they grow and develop,” she said.

The elementary schools will also continue their initiatives to empower students through community service projects with Massachusetts nonprofit Project 351 and collaborations with Tri-town organizations such as the Marion Institute and Mattapoisett Recreation. 

As the first day of school approaches on Wednesday, Aug. 27, here’s what students, staff and parents can look forward to seeing this year:

Center School

As the first day of school approaches, Principal Linda Ashley is focused on welcoming new students and implementing new academic programs at Center School.

The Mattapoisett elementary school teaches young students, ranging from pre-kindergarten through third grade.

Ashley emphasized that she prioritizes welcoming the kindergarten students in particular, as they formally begin their “long education journey.”

“It’s really important to set the foundation for the kids, [to] make a welcoming, safe, happy environment. It’s what Center School is all about,” she said.

Regarding academics, Ashley said “math will be a big focus this year” with the implementation of enVision Mathematics. 

“It’s been literacy for the past couple years, so we’ll continue our literacy implementation, but now we’re starting a new math program,” she said.

Ashley said that “we’ve really seen our students’ reading scores are really solid, especially in the younger grades” since implementing Into Reading.

Students at Center School can look forward to a wide variety of after-school and extracurricular activities hosted by Mattapoisett Recreation, which shares a building with the school.

Kids can participate in Lego Club, jewelry making classes and fitness-related activities such as Kid Fit, Sport Fit and flag football.

Center Stage kids partners with Tracy Fiore for a fall performing arts afterschool program, taking place in the Center School Gym.

“There’s an opportunity almost every day of the week to stay after until 4 p.m. for some enrichment,” said Ashley.

Parents can anticipate the upcoming Center School Open House, which will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming everybody back,” said Ashley.

Sippican Elementary School

Before Sippican School Principal Lynn Dessert can focus on the first day of school, she first has to host an open house.

The Marion school is the only Old Rochester elementary school to host their open house before their first day of school, taking place the night before on Tuesday, Aug. 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

“There’s a lot of pre-work that goes into making sure the building is ready,” said Dessert.

She relishes in the opportunities an early open house presents. Students and parents are able to meet the teachers, drop off supplies and learn where their classrooms are located before the school year begins.

Among the new staff members are fifth grade teacher Holly Angeles, instructional assistant William Erickson, art instructor Margaret Harrington, special education teacher Tricia Silva and adjustment counselor Kristina Tetreault.

“We have some great additional staff members coming to Sippican Elementary,” said Dessert.

According to Dessert, staff members are “eagerly” anticipating the adjustment to the new enVision Mathematics program.

Students can look forward to seeing continued projects that engage the entire school community.

The Arts in Action showcase will return this year, which gives students a platform to display hundreds of pieces of their art throughout the school.

“Our arts are something that the community looks forward to,” said Dessert.

She emphasized that Sippican School always seeks opportunities where students can feel empowered and participate in activities they feel passionate about.

“Those are things that we really promote here — student voice, making sure that everyone feels safe and everyone participates in their learning,” said Dessert.

Old Hammondtown School

As Principal Stephanie Wells prepares for her second year at Mattapoisett’s Old Hammondtown School, she looks forward to continuing student-led initiatives, including the daily all-school meeting.

Students of all grades, ranging from fourth through sixth, gather in the gymnasium each morning to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, hear announcements and sometimes indulge in special themes, such as Kindness Week and celebrations of different cultures and ethnicities.

Students sometimes have the opportunity to lead these meetings, based on the theme of the week.

As the first day of school approaches, Wells said she wants students to take the reins more often.

“We did a Kindness Week that was led by our Project 351 students. We had a pantry that they did, but I feel like I want them to be more of a presence and build on their leadership here in the building,” she said.

Wells added that students often provide the groundwork for their charitable projects, with fresh ideas and enthusiasm.

“Sometimes when kids are given the freedom to be creative they come up with so many more interesting things than we adults could ever come up with,” she said.

The school is also experiencing two staff changes: former fifth grade teacher Katie Trudell is now a school-wide reading specialist and Center School second grade teacher Michele Barry will be joining Old Hammondtown as a fifth grade teacher.

Wells said she intends to “continue building” on the Into Reading literacy program that was established three years ago.

“Even within our curriculum, we’re encouraging problem solving and independent thinking,” she said.

Parents can look forward to the Old Hammondtown Open House, taking place on Wednesday, Sept. 3 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“We’ll all be really excited when [the students] walk in the door,” said Wells.

Rochester Memorial School

As the 2025-26 school year approaches, Rochester Memorial School Principal Heidi Letendre is preparing for a year of “excitement and anticipation and maybe a little bit of anxiety.”

“[Students] are very excited to come in and we’re very excited to see them come into school and come back and see all their friends,” she said.

Recognizing that starting kindergarten is a “big transition” that could have “a lot of anxiety around it,” Letendre has some advice for first-time parents and caregivers of kindergarteners.

“It’s really important to have open communication with the school,” she said. “If parents have questions or concerns, don’t wait to contact us. Just reach out.”

She said that she would rather have parents call and ask questions rather than “lose sleep overnight about things.”

According to Letendre, there are fun and engaging ways for students to get involved in the school, including having students run morning announcements.

“We’ll start with our sixth graders and work all the way down to our kindergarteners and rotate through so that will be new for this year to try to keep continuing highlighting student voice,” she said.

The school is also continuing with Project 351 and having student ambassadors.

“We just want to continue to build upon that and build that inclusivity and learn to be a buddy and a friend to others who might need it,” Letendre said, noting that it’s all about “building a positive school climate.”

According to Letendre, the school year will begin with “a lot of fun and a lot of excitement.”

She added, “We like to keep that excitement going.”

Rochester Memorial School’s open house is on Tuesday, Sept. 2 and will give families a chance to meet teachers and learn about the curriculum and resources.