A huge thank you to Judy Bernard and Jennifer Clarke for organizing and running this week's Photo Day! Also, many thanks to Sue Bumpus, Lori Hick, Jennifer Wasserman, Alex Kuchar, Adeeva Fritz, Kristin Martines, Sandy Freund, and Michelle Ernst for helping the morning go so smoothly. The weather certainly cooperated!

Please come to the Willard Parent Social on Saturday, the 17th, 7 PM, at the home of Andrew and Christine Evans. Tickets are $25 person or $30 per person at the door. Checks can be dropped off in the box by the office. This is a really fun evening to catch up with old friends and is a great opportunity for new Willard families to meet each other!

The annual Book Fair is coming up on Monday and Tuesday, October 19th and 20th. This is perfect place to start your holiday shopping.

Thank you to Christine Evans for installing the new Bulletin Board across from the nurses office. Next time you are at school please take a moment to check out the PTG related events and calendar.
- Kate Olney and Aimee Cupp, Co-Presidents Willard PTG

The Willard PTG meets once each month to discuss events, activities, planning and finance. The first PTG Board meeting of the 2009-2010 school year was held on Monday, September 21st and the minutes from that meeting are now available on the Willard PTG website, www.willardptg.org and on the Willard PTG Bulletin board across from the nurse's office. The next meeting will be held on Monday, October 21st at 12:30pm in the Willard Conference Room. All Willard parents are welcome to attend.

The Book Fair arrives at Willard in just over a week, on October 19th and 20th! Kids and teachers alike are getting excited, so please look at the schedule to see the day and time that your child's classroom will visit the fair. If you choose to send money into school with your child, volunteers will be on hand to help students negotiate the purchasing process. You are also welcome to join your child's class at their scheduled time, or to stop by the Book Fair any time that works for you.

Among the newly-released and award-winning titles, your kids will find a great variety of fun and informative books. At the Author's Fest table, they will find books written by the very authors that visit their classroom during next week's Author's Fest. And - for students looking for a possible gift for their classroom teachers - the Book Fair will feature special Teacher Wish Piles where kids and parents can find "wished-for" books individually selected by their teachers.

We'll be opening at 8:15am on both Monday and Tuesday, closing at 4:00pm on Monday and at 12:30pm on Tuesday. And please don't forget our Monday evening social, a great time for Willard families to browse books and visit with friends. The social takes place from 6:30 until 8:00pm, with supervised childcare available in the library.

Please remember that all purchases will directly benefit the Willard School Library in the form of new books for Willard students. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Patti Reilly, patriciareilly@comcast.net.

Just a friendly reminder to look for the Willard Wear Order Form in your child's backpack this week. Orders are due by October 30th. Make checks payable to "Willard PTG" and return to the main office. Contact Jean Webster, jeanpwebster@comcast.net or Sherin Spofford, sherinspofford@hotmail.com with questions. These will make fabulous Christmas gifts. Thanks!

Once again parents are invited to join their child(ren) for lunch in the Willard cafeteria once each month for Parent-At-Lunch (PAL) day. This month's PAL day is Friday, October 30th. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Grace Ryan at graceryan9@comcast.net by Wednesday, October 28th. As always, parents who attend must RSVP and must be CORI approved.

Have you been collecting those BoxTop$ for Education? Do you have old cell phones or ink cartridges to recycle? Bring them all in to the collection boxes inside the main office. By collecting and recycling these items we earn "points" which translate into real school items for our teachers and children.

Thanks to all staff, students, and parent volunteers for their participation at School Photo Day on October 6th. We've set up a "last chance" to hand in your form (and avoid a $6 late charge fee) for Friday morning via your classroom teacher. Extra order forms are in the front office. Please contact Coffee Pond Photography at 800-632-2323 or lifeguards@coffeepond.com to inquire about orders placed after Friday.
- Judy Bernard and Jennifer Clarke

The first-ever Gaining Ground cookbook is now in local stores! Many Willard students have planted, weeded or harvested at the Gaining Ground Farm. Several of you have or will participate in Read for Seeds - our annual Read-a-thon and potato planting. The tastiest and most nutritious food is fresh from the farm. For years, Gaining Ground staff, volunteers, food recipients, and supporters have exchanged recipes and cooking advice. Now it's available to the broader community in a beautifully designed, 244-page softcover book, which combines recipes with food preparation/storage tips and other whole foods cooking and nutrition advice.

Purchase your Gaining Ground Cookbook at these Concord locations: Farfalle Italian Market, Salon Arte, Spero, The Concord Visitors' Center, The Old Manse, Debra's Natural Gourmet. Also sold on these dates: October 10 and 11 at The Old Manse Fall Festival (www.gainingground.org/events)

Help bring the magic of Halloween to all children! We are collecting any costumes, sports uniforms, accessories or costume jewelry for FROM THE PUMPKIN PATCH, an organization dedicated to providing Halloween costumes to children from low-income families. All items - new or used, infant to teen sizes - are welcome. Please bring items to the collection box in the Willard School lobby by October 16.

Reduce and Recycle the clothing and toys your kids no longer wear or use. Cradles-to-Crayons, an organization devoted to providing low-income children in Massachusetts with everyday supplies, will have a truck at this fall's Concord Public Works Recycling and Drop-off day on Saturday, Oct. 17th from 9:30 - 3:00. They accept toys, clothing, furniture, and car seats.

Kaleidoscope Theatre (www.kaleidoscopetheatre.com) will perform "Three Little Pigs" Sunday, October 18th @ 4pm at Emerson Umbrella (40 Stow Street, Concord, MA). Tickets cost $9 in advance and $10 at the door (max. $32/family). Available in advance at The Concord Bookshop, West Concord's Five and Ten, Auntie Erl's in Bedford, Learning Express of Acton and Concord Childrens Center (978-369-6790). A bake sale will precede the performance. All proceeds to benefit Concord Childrens Center's (www.concordchildrenscenter.org) Movement Class and Enrichment fund.

What does everyone's favorite aardvark, Arthur, and Lance Armstrong have in common? They've collaborated to produce free resources for schools, which help support young children when someone they love is diagnosed with cancer. Please attend a free screening and discussion at WGBH's new offices in Brighton on Sunday, October 18th. Take resources home.Invitation and RSVP information.

Free and open to all ages, the "Spook 'n' Book Family Halloween Party" will be held on Saturday, October 31st, 2-4:00pm, in the Concord Scout House, 74 Walden St. It will feature Halloween-themed games, crafts, and activities. Children are encourage to wear costumes. Refreshments provided by Concord Teacakes and Sally Ann Food Shop. Sponsored by the Concord Festival of Authors.

As a lead-in to the party, the festival is sponsoring a Halloween scavenger hunt. Starting October 15th, pictures of 24 Halloween Spooks will be "hidden" in 24 different Concord establishments (banks, stores, the museum, etc.). From October 15th on, children can pick up entry cards at either the Concord Main Library or the Fowler Library. The entry cards
will have pictures of the 24 Spooks and a list of the 24 establishments. The children will have until October 31st to find each Spook and to have their cards stamped at each establishment. They then are to turn in their cards for a prize at the Family Halloween Party at the Scout House. Have fun!

Grab those highlighter pens and mark your calendars for the Concord Ed Fund's annual party November 14th, 6:30PM at The Concord Country Club! Spend the evening dining with friends and dancing to FRENCH LICK, while benefiting the Concord Public Schools and Concord-Carlisle Regional High School. Bid on one-of-a-kind auction items like vacation homes, parties and wine. Attire is casual and BRIGHT! Don't forget your shades! Go to www.concordedfund.org to purchase tickets. Buy your tickets today - this event will sell out!