Ashland Schools Receive DESE Literacy Grant Ahead of Aug 31 Opening
Ashland Public Schools announced Aug. 26 that it has received a state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education literacy grant, days before students return to class Aug. 31.
SCHOOLS
Ashland Public Schools posted news Aug. 26 that it has received a DESE literacy grant, one of the final pieces of district news to land before the school year begins. The district's announcement did not detail the grant's dollar amount or how it will reach classrooms, but literacy grants typically fund reading curriculum, coaching, or materials for elementary grades.
The district also posted 2026-27 elementary supply lists Aug. 25, giving Mindess, Warren, and Pittaway families less than a week to shop before the year starts. David Mindess Elementary's first day of school and a preschool orientation session for morning classes both fall on Monday, Aug. 31.
COMMUNITY & ARTS
Ashland Public Library has an in-person Back To School Movie Night scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 29, giving families one more free outing before the Aug. 31 start of school.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS
"How Ashland MA man spreads goodwill after losing his wife to cancer": An Ashland widower is honoring his late wife by volunteering to support others coping with cancer, according to MetroWest Daily News. (read it at https://www.metrowestdailynews.com/story/news/local/2026/08/26/ashland-ma-widower-aims-to-help-others-affected-by-cancer-with-service/91404036007/)
COMING UP
Ashland's library calendar continues this week with a virtual "Art on Thursday" program on wild-weather art Thursday, Aug. 27, followed Friday, Aug. 28 by an adults-only mindful meditation session, a talk on the legacy of Mickey Mantle, and a film discussion of "Saving Grace."
Monday, Aug. 31 is a busy day across town: it is David Mindess Elementary's first day of school and the date of a preschool orientation for morning classes, plus a Keefe Tech School Committee meeting and library programs including a Monday Knit and Crochet Club and a talk on Italian women who resisted the Nazis during World War II.
Compiled from official town feeds, community organizations, and local press. Outside reporting is attributed inline.