Quick poll for parents

A potential future vision of the Ashby Elementary School-SisuAshby

Hi everyone,

The library has been hosting discussions about a potential charter school in Ashby—tuition-free, just like North Middlesex, and simply another option for families (not a tax increase). It could also mean a school in town instead of an empty building.

I learned today the school would need to include students from Townsend and Pepperell. There’s already strong interest from Pepperell families—but before we go further, we really need to hear from Ashby parents.

We have a diverse group helping shape this idea, but the most important voices are yours.

Quick gut check:

• Would you enroll your child?

• Does this model appeal to you, or would you want something different?

• Are you satisfied with the current options?

The model we’re exploring is a Finnish-style forest school—hands-on, project-based learning with lots of time outdoors, focused on independence, resilience, and real-world skills.

If this isn’t what Ashby wants, it’s better to know now. Your input really matters—thank you for taking a moment to share it.

—Heather

Sisu means resilience in Finnish and the substack that we have made to keep up with all the news about the school is sisuashby.substack.com