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We had another wonderful week at Stapleton! Thank you to everyone who joined us for Open House last week. We welcomed well over 100 families into our school, and it was wonderful to see our classrooms filled with caregivers learning about their children’s school experience. Your partnership and connection to our school are such an important part of our community.

As we continue settling into the school year, our students are moving deeper into their learning, building relationships, and strengthening the routines that help them be successful. We are also continuing our schoolwide focus on Making Thinking Visible, encouraging students to show their thinking through reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

We have many opportunities ahead to stay connected, including upcoming Caregiver Conferences (late October & early November). We hope to see even more families participate as we come together to celebrate your child’s strengths, discuss their learning and growth, and identify goals for the year.

Thank you for your continued partnership and for helping us make Stapleton a community where students learn, grow, belong, and show their thinking!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Lisa DiDonato, Principal (ldidonato@framingham.k12.ma.us)

Jackie Carrasquillo, Vice Principal (jcarrasquillo@framingham.k12.ma.us)

Address: 25 Elm Street

School Hours: 8:50 AM Doors open and class starts at 9:05. We begin dismissal procedures at 3:20 PM.

School Phone Number: 508-626-9144

Nurse's Phone Number: 508-782-6602

Stapleton Website

September 21st: No School

October 1st: Picture Day

October 3rd: Framingham Fest

October 5th & 7th: Hearing and Vision Screenings

October 12th: No School

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for Open House last week! We were thrilled to welcome well over 100 families, representing about one-third of our Stapleton families. It was wonderful to see so many caregivers connecting with teachers, visiting classrooms, and learning more about the year ahead.

Our next opportunity to strengthen our home-school partnership will be Caregiver Conferences. We would love to see even more families participate! Conferences are an important opportunity to hear directly from your child’s teacher about their learning, growth, strengths, and goals and to work together to support their success.

We look forward to welcoming you back and continuing to build strong partnerships throughout the year!

Below are the slides that Mrs. Carrasquillo and Mrs. DiDi presented during Open House.

Musical Instruments are permitted on the school bus as long as the student can carry the instrument or object on and off of the bus by him/herself. They must be placed in the student's lap or stored between the student's legs and the barrier in front of the student. Instruments or large objects cannot block the aisle. Large instruments such as drum kits, cellos and basses are too large to be transported on school buses safely. In an accident, these items can easily become a projectile and can injure a student.

Stapleton does have extra drum kits here at school, students only need to bring drum sticks back and forth to school.

As part of our School Improvement Plan, one of our goals is to improve student attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism. An important part of this work is making our attendance data visible and regularly sharing our progress with all stakeholders.

You may notice our new Attendance Bulletin Board, where we will track both grade-level and schoolwide attendance throughout the year. Our School Improvement Plan also includes a commitment to sharing ParentSquare Attendance Plus data with families so that we can celebrate progress, identify areas for growth, and work together to support consistent attendance.

Every day at school matters. When students are here, they are learning, connecting, and growing!

For the safety of our students, families, and staff, please adhere to the drop-off and pick-up guidelines.

If you are arriving by car, please use the designated car pick-up/drop-off line. Please remember that there is one car line for all vehicles, which loops around the back of the school. We know the line can sometimes appear long, particularly at dismissal, but it moves quickly once the process gets underway.

The Walker Door is intended for students and families who are walking to and from school, not for families who park nearby and walk over to avoid the car line.

Elm Street is a very busy road, and additional cars parking along the street and then re-entering traffic can create congestion and unsafe conditions.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Following these procedures helps us keep arrival and dismissal safe, organized, and efficient for everyone.

We are officially launching Framingham’s Million Reads Challenge, a city-wide initiative with a single, exciting goal: to collectively read 1,000,000 books as a community by June 30, 2027. When a community reads together, we don’t just support our students—we build a more connected, curious, and empowered city.

To achieve this goal, we need the support of everyone in our community to help us build a true "City of Readers."

How You Can Help Us Reach 1,000,000 Books:

• Residents & Neighbors: Make reading a visible part of your daily routine. Share recommendations with friends, utilize our public libraries, and enjoy a book in our parks, coffee shops, and community spaces.
• Caregivers & Families: Ask your children about the stories they like. Consider setting aside a device-free block of time—even just 15 minutes—where the family reads quietly in the same room. Visit the Framingham Public Library and let them pick whatever interests them. 

What’s Next: Keep Reading! Graphic novels, audiobooks, magazines, and comic books all count toward our goal! You can log your books to help us reach that 1,000,000 mark. And check out our website.

By participating, you are directly shaping a culture of reading that will benefit Framingham's students for years to come. Thank you for your support.

One city. One community. One million stories.

School Picture Day is Thursday, October 1st! Every student will have their picture taken, regardless of whether a picture package is purchased.

Families who would like to order pictures can do so online or by using the paper order forms, which will be sent home soon. Please choose whichever ordering option is most convenient for your family.

We look forward to seeing lots of Stapleton smiles!

Here is the link to the school store! This store will stay open year round! 

https://teamlocker.squadlocker.com/stores/stapleton-elementary-school-3091280 

2nd Annual Framingham Fest

Saturday, October 3, 2026

Framingham Common

Time: 11:00am-3:00pm

Mascot Competition: 12:15pm-12:45pm

Raindate: Sunday, October 4, 2026

Time: 1:00pm-5:00pm

Mascot Competition: 3:15pm-3:45pm

Concept

Framingham Fest 2025 was the signature event for the Framingham 325th Committee and drew more than 5,000 people for the inaugural event. The Mayor was so happy with it, the event is now an annual City event, run by a committee of volunteers, city employees and school employees chaired by Eileen Davis and Courtney Suncar. Not surprisingly, the Mascot Challenge was a main stage feature at the event and excitement is mounting for the 2026 challenge!

Friendly mascot challenge events and dance finale for school mascots aimed at encouraging students and their families to attend the Framingham Day Celebration and to show their school spirit!

Parent-Teacher Home Visits: These visits provide meaningful opportunities to build relationships, learn more about our students and their families, and strengthen the sense of community that makes Stapleton so special. Last year, we were proud to surpass our goal of 33 home visits, and this year we hope to continue that momentum by visiting and connecting with as many families as possible. If you receive a call inviting you to participate in a home visit, please consider joining us. Thank you for helping us continue to build strong, meaningful connections with our community.

Medications:

In order for medications to be administered at school, I will need the following:

• Doctor’s orders
• For students who require an EpiPen or inhaler, an up-to-date Allergy/Asthma Action Plan is also needed from the doctor

As always all medications need to be brought in by a parent/guardian and cannot be sent to school with the student.

I will also need up-to-date physical examinations and vaccination records for all students.

All completed forms can be emailed to me at bmurray@framingham.k12.ma.us.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. I am more than happy to help in any way I can!

Students are not permitted to use cell phones or smartwatches during the school day. We have included smartwatches in this policy because many models now have the ability to text, call, and take photos, just like cell phones. If a student is found using their phone or smartwatch during the day, they will be asked to put it away. If the issue becomes persistent, the device will be held in the office until the end of the day, and caregivers will be notified.

Thank you for your support in helping us minimize distractions and maintain a focused learning environment.

As we begin a new school year, we will continue our shared focus on our student-centered goal:

“As a Stapleton student, I believe in myself and take an active role in my learning.”

Last year, we worked together to introduce this goal and bring it to life in our classrooms and across our school community. Our students became familiar with these words and began to understand what it means to believe in themselves and take ownership of their learning.

This year, our goal remains the same, but our work will continue to deepen. We will build on the strong foundation we established by creating even more opportunities for students to take academic risks, persevere through challenges, reflect on their progress, and celebrate their growth.

The bus transportation information is now available in Aspen/X2. Please log in to find your specific information. If you do not see any bus information, but you believe your have an eligible rider, which is a child that attends grade K-6 AND lives over 2 miles from your school, please contact the Transportation Office at trans@framingham.k12.ma.us.

As a reminder:

User Name and Log In

Your Aspen/X2 username is your student’s 6 digit student ID. (For newly registered families the student ID was included in your welcome email. )

The original password is your student’s Date of Birth in the format YYYYMMDD.

Please be sure to change the password as soon as you are able to login.

Opt Out Form/Student no longer needs a bus
If you did request a bus but now do not need a bus please fill out this opt out form.

To learn more about the bus tracker app, please click here.

Thank you,
Framingham Public Schools