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| Willard School Newsletter | 5 November 2009 |
Issue 9 |
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK |
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The Willard Dedication Ceremony drew approximately 450 people on Sunday. Many current families, former families, neighbors, and community members attended the ceremony and toured the building and offered rave reviews. The main entrance was decorated in a lovely manner depicting the design of the Willard logo. Because the weather was so beautiful, participants were able to walk the grounds and enjoy the playground. Thanks to the generosity of the PTG, children and families were able to enjoy the entertainment provided by a DJ from 2:00 - 3:00. Michelle Ernst and Louisa Paushter served as Dedication Committee Co-Chairs. Working with their committee, they planned all of the details of this important celebration: decorations, refreshments, equipment rental, invitations, programs, etc. The feedback from event participants was extremely positive. The formal program included remarks from school, town, Willard Building Committee officials, and Representative Corey Atkins. However the highlight of the program included a presentation of the Green Elements of the building by the Earth Care Club and the performance of two songs by the 5th grade chorus, including the new Willard School song - "We're Willard". Thank you to Earth Care Club Advisor Genoveva Matheus and Parent Liaison Michelle Ernst and Chorus Teacher Charlyn Bethell. During the Ceremony, the PTG Co-Presidents Kate Olney and Aimee Cupp made a presentation to the town of four commemorative trees. After the Ceremony, a slide show about Willard's Green Elements was presented on a continuous loop in various locations around the building. The slide show was prepared by members of the Earth Care Club. Earlier in the week, I sent home a joint letter from Mrs. Gaudreau and myself on the topic of H1N1 prevention. The school district maintains regular contact with the local Board of Health and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. As you know from media reports, the H1N1 flu is spreading throughout the nation and the H1N1 vaccine is currently in short supply. For this reason, taking the appropriate precautions is critical in order to maintain the health of the Willard community. Please follow the prevention guidelines that are outlined in that letter. I suggest that you consult your child's pediatrician with specific questions that pertain to your child and for information about the flu vaccine. If your child is ill, please keep him/her home from school until he/she is fever free without taking fever reducing medication for 24 hours. Check with your child's pediatrician if you have questions. On November 12th at 6:30, the Willard School Advisory Council will meet in the Willard Library. At 7:00 PM that evening, I will present the 2009 Willard School MCAS Data to the SAC and to any interested parents. All parents are invited to attend. 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 |
On Monday October 26 The Board of Selectmen approved a gift to the town of 6 trees - one for each grade - donated by the Willard PTG to thank the town for supporting our new Willard school building. The trees will be planted in the spring; four will be on Main St. in Concord Center and two will be on Thoreau St. The trees will have a virtual plaque on the town's website reading "Given by the Willard PTG to the Town of Concord in honor and appreciation of the new Willard School building. November 2009." The next PTG Board meeting will be held on Monday, November 16 at 12:30 in the conference room. This was previously published as November 23. Sorry for the confusion. |
ANNUAL APPEAL UPDATE |
| The PTG's Annual Appeal is still ongoing -- please send in your donation, operators are standing by. And have you heard? -- The deadline for entering the drawing for $250 in "Gift of Concord" gift certificates has been extended to November 16th at noon. Procrastinators rejoice! (Now go and do it. :-) And if you have already donated, thank you very much! |
TRICK-OR-TREAT FOR UNICEF |
Please extend our deepest appreciation to all of the kids who went out Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF this Halloween. Asking for candy and a donation is not easy - and if you had to pick one - I can guess which it would be. Thanks for asking for BOTH! If you haven't yet returned your box, please drop it off at the school office. Every donation counts in helping UNICEF do whatever it takes to save children's lives, so be sure to send in even the smallest of collections. |
LOST AND FOUND - PARENT CONFERENCE DAY |
What do the Willard Lost and Found and Parent-Teacher Conference Day
have in common? |
SCHOOL PHOTO RETAKE DAY |
The optional School Photo Retake Day is on Tuesday, November 17th. Please take advantage of this free service if you are unhappy with your child's photo. Retake registration instructions were included with your child's photo package. Questions? Contact Jennifer Clarke at jbp.clarke@yahoo.com or 978.369.0910. Thanks. |
A FEW MORE GAME GURUS NEEDED |
We are still in need of five (or more) parent volunteers to become Game Gurus for Family Game Night on Dec. 4th! Being a Game Guru involves learning how to play several GameWright games in a particular age group and then teaching others how to play on Family Game Night. Guru training will be held on Friday, Nov. 20th at 7 p.m. Please contact us if you are able to help or would like additional information. Thanks! |
JOINT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES |
Willard parent Anne Irza-Leggat attended the most recent Joint School Committee meeting, held on October 27th. Here notes on the discussion points that may be of interest to Willard parents are now available here. |
KEEP COLLECTING THOSE BOXTOP$ |
Are you still 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. |
PROFESSIONAL DAY (11/10) SCIENCE PROGRAM |
Wicked Gross Anatomy: A Community Education program for grades 1-4 on
November 10th, the K-5 Professional Day |
ALCOTT SCHOOL BOOK FAIR |
Please shop at the Concord Bookshop at 65 Main Street on
November 17 from 9:30 am - 5:30 p.m.
10% of proceeds will benefit the Alcott PTG. |
EVENTS AT CONCORD CHILDREN'S CENTER |
The Concord Children's Center is hosting several events in November. For information call 978-369-3747 or www.concordchildrenscenter.org.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT |
The Fenn School will sponsor its Annual Sports Sale on Saturday, November 7, from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the School's New Gym, 516 Monument St. Previously owned sports equipment, young men's and boys' dress clothes, and brand new ski equipment will be available. "Helping Boys to Communicate and Connect," a presentation by Dr. Adam Cox, author and keynote speaker, will be held at The Fenn School at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 9th. If interested in attending this free event, please RSVP to Marilyn Schmalenberger at 978-318-3606. The 2nd Annual Kids' Community Spelling Bee is being held on Saturday November 21st.at the Fenn School from 12:00-2:00 for Grades 2 & 3 and 3:30-6:00 pm for Grades 4 & 5. Students participate in teams of 2-4 students of members in the same grade; team members do not have to be from the same schoo but must live or attend school in Concord or Carlislel; teams can be co-ed. Entry fee of $40 per team, proceeds benefit the Concord-Carlisle Community Chest and the Concord Education Fund. All participants are entered in a raffle for exciting prizes and receive a Spelling Bee Tshirt. Registration instructions can be found under the 'News & Events' link at www.fenn.org or in the attached flyer. Questions? Please contact SpellingBee@Fenn.org. Willard Families - Please note that this Spelling Bee is IN ADDITION to the Willard Spelling Bee which will be held in the Winter. Practice at the Community Bee to be sure to win at Willard! Concord Carlisle Youth Lacrosse registration for the spring opens on November 1st for boys 1st - 8th grade and girls 3rd-8th grade travel teams. Please go to the website www.ccyouthlacrosse.com to register or for more information. CCYH Pond Hockey will be offered to all Mite (6-8yrs. Old) and Squirt (9-10 years old) kids who are residents of Concord/Carlisle. You can register your child at www.ccyh.org through November 5th. The first Pond Hockey games will be held November 7th and 8th at Middlesex, and the games will run through January 30th and 31st. If you have questions, you can contact Mike Moore (moore.michael@yahoo.com) or Paul Nelson (ptnelson@me.com). Check out this clip from YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJvPDtppZtI&feature=relate The following events for children and families will be held at the Concord Public Library in November. No registration is required for these events.
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