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| Willard School Newsletter | 1 October 2009 |
Issue 4 |
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK |
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The changing color of the leaves and the chill in the night air both signal that fall is here. Today marks the beginning of a new month and October will certainly be an eventful month at Willard. We expect that the final paving for the bus loop will be completed over the Columbus Day weekend. In addition, a traverse climbing wall is planned for installation in mid-October. This feature will add to the variety of activities that are available to students during physical education classes. The site work is progressing quite rapidly. In the past few days, a special surface has been painted on the tennis court asphalt. Soon, a similar surface will be applied to the half-court basketball station. These applications require a few days of curing, so these spaces are not yet completed. The "punch list" work continues at Willard. As a result, we do have a fair amount of activity after school hours with a variety of sub-contractors. For this reason, the use of the building after school hours is restricted. Children and teachers appear to have settled into comfortable classroom and routines. Even the youngest students seem quite adept negotiating the building. As the site work of Phase two progresses, I am struck by the size and the beauty of the property. The additional concrete that will complete the front plaza adds a very attractive dimension to the exterior. Willard is certainly a lovely community asset. October could be described as Literacy Month at Willard. The PTG will
sponsor the annual Authors' Fest. This year's Authors' Fest will feature
Brian Lies, Barbara O'Connor, Suzy Kline, and Mitali Perkins. Offering a
combination of whole grade presentations and individual classroom
workshops, children always benefit from the excitement of this annual
opportunity. Following the Authors' Fest, the Annual Willard Book Fair
provides students and families with the opportunity to purchase quality
books which include both classic and contemporary titles. The Willard The special subject teachers (Art, Music, PE, & Library) will present a Curriculum Night on Wednesday, October 21st at 7:00 PM in the auditorium. The teachers will share information about their curriculum and offer parents the opportunity to ask questions. I encourage all parents to attend. Last night, we held our final Back to School Night for parents of students in grades 3 -5. I want to thank all parents for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend these events. I am particularly grateful to those who attended two or in a few cases, three of these events. Your involvement in your child's school and educational program sends a strong, positive message to your child about the importance of education. We thank you for that. As we work to improve student drop-off in the morning, I need to remind all parents that if you need to get out of the car to assist your child at drop-off, please park your car in the lot. The drop-off loop is designed for the quick drop off of students. This process is necessary to keep the flow of traffic moving. Planning is underway for the Willard School Dedication Ceremony which is scheduled for Sunday, November 1st at 1:00 PM. Our Technology Specialist, Mrs. Matheus is working with the Earth Care Club this year. Members of the Earth Care Club will play an important role during the tours that will follow the Dedication Ceremony. I do hope that many families can be present for this celebration. As always, thank you for all you do for Willard School. |
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| LINKS OF INTEREST |
| WILLARD HOME |
| WILLLARD PTG |
| LUNCH CALENDAR |
| SHOP WILLARD |
| CONTACT EDITOR |
| Willard Library |
| Willard Math |
| METCO Late Bus Schedule |
| BoxTop$ for Willard |
| Concord SEPAC |
Kindly submit articles for inclusion in the Willard Weekly to the editor, Christine Evans, at willardweekly@willardptg.org
Deadline for submission is Wednesday at 4pm.
WILLARD NEWS AND EVENTS |
PTG NEWS AND NOTES |
A couple updates from the PTG: The New Families Committee hosted a picnic lunch last Tuesday, September 22nd which was well attended by several new children and their parents. Families enjoyed pizza and a delicious cake from Verrill Farm. After lunch, everyone gathered on the new playground. Thank you, thank you Karen Muller and Kim Patenaude for organizing the lunch. It was a great event! If you haven't already done so, please book your sitters for the annual Willard Parent Social on Saturday, October 17th at the home of Christine and Andrew Evans. The cost is $25 per couple or $30 at the door. Checks may be dropped off in the front office in the Social box. This is always a fun evening and nice opportunity to meet new parents and see old friends. The Red Sox will be on the big screen (assuming they are playing) and there will be a special premier of the Willard Talent Show 2009 video. Invitations will be coming home this week in back packs. We also would like to reiterate what we have said at all the Back to
School Nights - please get involved in the PTG!! We are always
looking for new volunteers. We would love to have your help this year, in whatever capacity fits your schedule. Here is a link to the PTG website which lists all the committees, www.willardptg.org,
then click on Committees and Activities. Please let us know if you are interested in becoming involved in any of these. Our emails are: rick-kate@comcast.net and cuppascrew@msn.com |
SCHOOL PHOTO DAY NEXT WEEK - OCTOBER 6th |
Registration forms for Willard School Photo Day were distributed via classroom teachers. Each child in a family should have come home with one. Extra copies are available at the front office. Families with three or more children qualify for a family discount (includes middle school kids) - be sure to read the fine print on your form. We are looking forward to seeing smiling faces on October 6th! |
VOLUNTEERS: THE GREEN COMMITTEE |
The Willard Green Committee advocates for teaching Willard students environmentalism, stewardship and eco-responsibility and making Willard a more "green" facility. The Committee will raise awareness and work to implement change through special "green" programs and events. The Committee meets once a month. The Willard Green Committee is looking for volunteers. Please contact Michelle Ernst if you are interested in joining this committee. Her email is: mpernst@comcast.net. |
VOLUNTEERS: ASSEMBLIES COMMITTEE |
Help to plan and produce the PTG sponsored assemblies throughout the school year. Tasks may include previewing potential performers, hosting performers during their Willard visit and strategizing with school staff to determine type and schedule for assemblies. Please contact Carolyn Gill at gillsnyc@yahoo.com or Alex Kuchar at akuchar@alum.mit.edu if you would like to help out with Assemblies. |
STILL LOOKING FOR YOUR MONEY? |
Need to be reimbursed? Please fill out the check request information sheet and attach all receipts. This can be done electronically to kathioneil@gmail.com or by mail to her house, 171 Deacon Haynes Road, or by dropping off your completed form to the Treasurer's Box in the office. Turn around is pretty quick! |
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING SUMMARY |
In case you missed the September 8th School Committee Meeting in person or on channel 8, we are fortunate to have a thorough summary of the meeting for your reading pleasure. Thanks to Anne Irza-Leggat our school committee liaison for helping to coordinate the summaries on behalf of the Willard Community. To read the summary, click here: www.willardptg.org/Minutes/Other/SC_Notes_09-08_and_09-22.pdf |
DON'T FORGET |
In case you were not paying attention - here are some reminders from last week:
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HONDURAS COLLECTION ENDS TOMORROW (10/2) |
The Willard community is collecting school supplies and flip-flop/sandals for Honduras. The collection for Honduras will end on Friday, October 2nd. The country of Honduras is in a political crisis, the US has stooped financial aid and the poor are suffering even more. Last year, Noel Solano-Gomez, a student in Jen Shea's kindergarten was here from Honduras for medical treatment follow-up. We are hoping to provide his community with much needed supplies to help with their educational needs, as well as, prevent illnesses and injuries. There is a collection box outside the main office. Thank you for your support. |
BEFORE-SCHOOL LANGUAGE CLASSES |
Community Education before-school classes in French, Spanish and Chinese
begin next week at Willard.
For more information and enrollment please call Mary Zellner at 318-1540
24 sessions, 7:45-8:45 a.m., $432 for the year-long series of 24 classes ($18 per class) includes materials. (Parents may also pay for the classes in two installments; $300 upon registration and $150 by December 1) |
CONCORD LIBRARY - CHILDREN'S ROOM EVENTS |
The Concord Library has several upcoming events for children:
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RHYTHMIC DREAMS - OPEN GYM |
Rhythmic Dreams, New England's largest non-profit rhythmic gymnastics school, has recently opened a satellite program in the Concord Armory. We will host an Open House on October 6th, from 3:30-5:00, giving all visiting kids a chance to try their hands at manipulating hoops, balls and ribbons and learning a few new stretches and gymnastics exercises. We offer an afterschool program on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:30 to 5:30, teaching kids rhythmic gymnastics, which is a wonderful blend of athletic skills (gymnastics), creativity & rhythm (dance) and coordination (juggling). Come try a free class and see why our program is so popular among the little ones - kids learn at a fast pace in a FUN and SAFE environment. Please reserve your spot ahead of time for the FREE Open House. Space is very limited. Call 617-233-4493 or email info@rhythmicdreams.com. |
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT |
Therapeutic residential school in Concord is in need of exercise equipment in good working condition. If you have a stationary bike or treadmill that you would like to donate it would be GREATLY appreciated. We will be happy to pick up. Please contact: Sue Kurker at 978-369-1749. Thank you! Writing for Children.
This practical, hands-on course will teach you the basics of
writing for children and then show you how to professionally represent
your work to editors.
Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 100 books for
children. She has written everything from board books for preschoolers to
reference books for teens. Concord Family Network Kids' Stuff Tag Sale. To be held Saturday, October 3, 2009, 8am-12noon (7am set-up), Thoreau Elementary School Cafeteria, $20 buy in fee for sellers (will cover site cost), $1 entry fee per family (will go to First Connections). If interested in selling, please contact CFNtagsale@concordfamilynetwork.org Playtime Theatre - Actors from Concord Youth Theatre, a local non-profit organization, will inspire you with their new and improved versions of familiar children's stories, complete with ample opportunities for audience participation. Outgoing audience members may even join the actors on stage to make their debut with a favorite song, joke or unusual trick or talent. So put on your performing hat and come play with us! Appropriate for all ages. Performances are most Saturdays at 10:30am, $5 per ticket. There are no advance sales for these shows. Go to the following link to see the show schedule: http://www.concordyouththeatre.org/HTML/playtime_theatre.htm |