We had the very best day! In addition to our awesome mash-up celebration, we also had a super special visit from Charlie's dad who taught us a some more hip hop dance moves.
Enjoy!
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Friday, January 23, 2026
Tuesday, December 23, 2025
The Weston Observer: Bristol Lodge
Editor’s note: This is the final installment of Weston Gives Back, in which we have featured Weston aid organizations and people assisting those in need this holiday season.
Weston second graders were given a chance to shine during their annual food drive recently, learning about life while sharpening their math skills.
The drive connects to the schools’ goal of “kindness and thinking of others and giving,” said Kate Bonsignore, second grade teacher at Woodland Elementary School.
“It’s a wonderful way for second graders to feel important and feel like leaders in their community here at the elementary level, and to feel that they can make a difference,” said Bonsignore.
The drive began about 30 years ago at Woodland School and grew to include all the elementary schools, said Aravinda Rao Souza, chairwoman of the community outreach team for the Weston Public Schools’ Parent Teacher Organization, which helps organize the food drive.
“Since then, the second grade has played a unique role at both Woodland and Country [elementary schools] in helping to be ambassadors for the entire drive,” said Souza.
Read more Weston Gives Back stories: Resident builds nonprofit to treat hygiene-product insecurity, Weston student aims for 1,000 donations for local soup kitchen, St. Vincent de Paul provides food aid in difficult times, Club hosts drive to aid pet owners impacted by food insecurity, Emergency aid available to residents through Merriam Fund.
This year’s food drive, which included all Weston public schools, yielded more than 11,000 nonperishable food items for the Bristol Lodge Food Pantry in Waltham – the largest number in the drive’s history.
Dick Rogers, now-retired program director of the Bristol Lodge soup kitchen, kicks off the drive by talking to the second graders about its importance for the families that visit the pantry each week.
The question-and-answer period after his talk is the best part, he said.
“You think the children aren’t listening, but the questions are really great – they’re pertinent,” Rogers said. “They just want to know about the people.”
After Rogers’ talk, second graders share what they have learned with other students at the schools and distribute decorated donation boxes to every class.
Back in their own classrooms, they learn about food pantries and food drives, the difference between perishable and nonperishable foods, and what it means to donate, said Bonsignore. They read books about empathy and homelessness and people having hard times, said Janis Fathman, second-grade teacher at Country School.
“It’s kind of a way to make it tangible. The idea of giving back and being thankful for what you have and also thinking about the needs of your community around you,” said Bonsignore.
As donations pile up, second graders collect them, and bring them back to their rooms to count and sort.
At Country Elementary School, that means dividing the goods into three categories – toiletries, canned goods and other foods, said Fathman, who has been helping with the food drive for 23 years. Items are then placed on the stage in the school cafeteria.
“When every student is having lunch, little by little they see the towers of boxes getting bigger and bigger. They can see the progress every day,” Fathman said.
A pictograph on one of the main hallways also illustrates their progress, she said.
At Woodland School, each grade collects their data in different ways, but most grades have a poster outside their classroom where they can mark the donations as they come in.
“The kids are constantly excited about recording how many donations they have and watching the numbers grow. Which is a really fun and age-appropriate way for the littles to be thinking about giving and a sense of we together as a community are stronger because we can all work together to make a difference,” said Bonsignore.
Souza said the food drive gets “bigger and better,” every year. In recent years the middle and high schools have not been included because of low participation. But Youmna Badlissi, a student at Weston High School, organized her own food drive in conjunction with the PTO, at the middle and high schools, and their contribution was 1,000 items of food.
“This year [Youmna] knocked it out of the park,” Souza said.
On Dec. 18, the student council at Field Elementary School will head to Bristol Lodge to help stock food in the pantry.
Souza urges people to continue donating to Bristol Lodge if they are able.
“The work that Bristol does is incredibly impactful and even though the drive is over Bristol’s mission and the need for more donations is not,” she said.
The Bristol Lodge Food Pantry runs under the umbrella of the Middlesex Human Services Agency. The agency also operates the Bristol Lodge soup kitchen and men’s and women’s shelters. For information visit mhsainc.org.
The Museum Walk
In celebration of our recent nonfiction reading and writing units, the Lucky Blues welcomed 2nd graders from Ms. Looney and Ms. Garcia's classes to enjoy and learn from our projects:
And we celebrated with a well earned movie party!
Friday, December 12, 2025
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