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| Willard School Newsletter | 4 March 2010 |
Issue 22 |
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK |
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Last Friday, our First Grades hosted our monthly All School Meeting/Assembly. The students, with the help of their teachers, Mrs. Donoghue, Mrs. Merrill, and Ms. Morris, planned and led a wonderful program on the topic of Friendship. Using a first grade lens, the children shared the importance of friendship and reminded us all about the meaning of friendship, what friends do, and how friends should treat one another. The Willard Community was quite impressed with the simple, yet profound, message shared by the children. We also had the opportunity to sing our Willard School song! It was a fun way to end the week. As previously reported, the new Willard is operating very efficiently as
the energy consumption of the school (electricity and gas) is 30% less
than Alcott and Thoreau. Clearly, the "green" design and building systems
have yielded very positive results. By supporting the Willard School
building project, the town of Concord demonstrated a commitment to
sustainable design. The town continues to look for ways to promote
environmentally responsible decisions. As part of that philosophy, the
town of Concord, with the assistance of the school district, has applied
for and has been awarded a $150,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Block Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources. With
additional funding from the Concord Light Plant and the Sawyer Trust, the
grant funds will be used to purchase and install a solar photovoltaic
system on the Willard School roof. A complete description of the project
has been prepared by Jan Aceti, Energy Conservation Coordinator of the
Concord Municipal Light Plant (see attached). This rooftop system will
not be visible but will take advantage of the roof surface and will
provide the school with approximately 7% of its electricity needs. Over
time, this promises to be offer a significant cost savings to the district
and town. This system will be installed during the summer. Requests for
Proposals have been issued. As information becomes available, I will share Plans are underway for our 2010 Kindergarten Registration on April 27th and April 29th. Letters have been sent to families listed on the Town Census who have children of kindergarten age (5 years of age by August 31st). This is not a completely accurate system, since families who are new to Concord are not yet represented on the town census. Likewise, sometimes there are discrepancies on the census and existing Willard families, who have a child of kindergarten age, are not listed on the census. If you have a child who is eligible for kindergarten this fall and you have not received a letter with a return postcard, please contact the Willard office. In addition, if you know of any family who has a child who is eligible for kindergarten in September, and they have not received a kindergarten mailing, please ask them to call the Willard office. Thank you for your help. The Willard School Advisory Council is planning to hold a meeting in Boston with METCO families on March 18th at 6:30 PM. Transportation will be provided by the district. Members of the Family Friends program and members of the PTG Board will also attend. This is an opportunity to provide outreach to our METCO families by scheduling a meeting in Boston for the convenience of our Boston parents. This is an opportunity to promote enhanced collaboration among all Willard families. 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 |
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 |
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SPELLING BEE BUZZ |
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Congratulations to Allison Haney who won the 5th grade Spelling Bee this past Saturday. Applause also goes to runner-up Conor Smyth and fourth grade champs, The Return of the Spelling Jedi, teamed by Shea McIntyre, Christopher Gill and Aaron Wang. Thank you to all the other spellers and coaches for your enthusiastic participation. Our appreciation goes out to the many Willard staff and faculty who took time out of their weekend to join us - Janice Shear, Kate Reid, Kate Fitzgerald, Mary-Kate McNamara, Amy Wylie, Susan Halter, Kathie Phillips, Kim Rivers, Sharon Hehn, Genoveva Matheus, Zeb Serra and Pat Fernandes. Thanks everyone for contributing to a successful Bee! |
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METCO DESSERT & DISCUSSION |
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The Concord-Carlise METCO Program and the METCO Family Friends Council present an evening of dessert and discussion on Tuesday, March 9th at 7pm in the Thoreau School Cafeteria. Please join us for a panel discussion about the METCO Program. Hear perspectives from students, teachers, alumni, and parents about their METCO experiences. Transportation provided to and from Boston. All families are welcome to attend. Click here to learn more. |
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OLYMPIC MATH NIGHT - NEXT FRIDAY |
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2010 TALENT SHOW TICKETS |
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Everyone is excited about this year's Willard Talent Show, Green House Rock, and look forward to wonderful performances by our students. The show will take place on Friday, March 19, 2010 at the Concord/Carlisle High School, 500 Walden Street in Concord at 7pm. Following is information on purchasing tickets for the show. In honor of our new building and our community's commitment to sustainability, there will be no paper tickets for this year's show. Here are the simple instructions for purchasing seats. Please use the attached ticket form to fill out your contact information and how many tickets you would like. Drop off the form in an envelope at the Willard School office. Please insert either exact change or a check made out to Willard PTG for the exact number of seats you are purchasing. Each seat costs $5.00. Ruthy Bennett, the ticket coordinator will email you a confirmation email that your money was received and you have purchased your seats. At the door on the night of the show, there will be a checklist of all the seats purchased to date. The checklist will be divided by last name, A-M, N-Z. Please go to the appropriate table to confirm that you purchased your tickets. You can then enter the show and enjoy the evening. You will not receive a ticket for the show. If the show does not sell out, seats will be available for sale the night of the show. Willard Talent Shows usually sell out, so please purchase your seats early. If you have any questions, please email talentticket@willardptg.org or call Ruthy Bennett at 978-254-5531. |
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2009 WILLARD TALENT SHOW ON CCTV AND DVD |
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You can see last year's Talent Show AGAIN before watching this year's show! The 2010 Willard Talent Show, Hats off to Willard, has been airing on Concord-Carlisle community television (on Channel 10). Additional air times include:
You can find future times, as they become available, on the CCTV website, www.concordtv.org (click on Program Schedule and type "Willard" in the search window). Additionally, the Willard PTG has DVD copies of the 2009 Talent Show available for purchase at $5 per copy. Please email willardweekly@willardptg.org if you are interested in a copy. A copy will also be available for loan in the Willard Library. |
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METCO BOSTON VISIT |
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The School Advisory Council, the METCO program, and the Willard PTG will hold a joint meeting at the New Mission School in Boston at 6:30pm on Thursday, March 18th. We know this is going hard for several of you to attend due to the Talent Show rehearsal the same night. But is always nice to have several Concord parents at this meeting. Bus transportation will be provided for those who are interested. The bus will be leaving from Alcott School at 5:30 PM. |
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LOST & FOUND |
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Missing a mitten (glove, hat jacket, sweatshirt etc)? I picked up the Lost and Found before vacation, and still have most of it in my basement. Small, orphan mittens and gloves I donated to Concord Children's Center. Bigger orphans (including a lone sneaker and a lone boot!) I returned to Willard. For everything labeled with a legible last name, I emailed the owners. This still leaves 3 bags full of valuable stuff, so if you'd like to reclaim anything please email me. Sarah Gates (sgates22@gmail.com) |
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CALLING LICE CHECKERS! |
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| We are looking for parents willing to help with Willard's regular head lice checks.
We check the entire school four times a year for head lice. If you've had a child with lice we'd LOVE to have you.
If you haven't, we will train you!!
Please help us keep lice out of our school!
Please contact the Nurse Assistant Coordinator, Grace Ryan at graceryan9@comcast.net to help! The next check will be scheduled for some time after April vacation week. |
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SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES - 2/9/10 |
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The notes, as recorded by Anne Irza-Leggat, from the School Committee meeting held on February 9th are now available on the Willard PTG web site (Community menu). Learn all about recognition for Willard teachers, the science program at Alcott and their proposed Outdoor Classroom, School Committee budget plans and recent donations, a school employee satisfaction survey, the new Wellness Committee, and other School Committee business. Click here to directly view the report. |
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STRINGS NEWS |
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The annual String Fling will be held on March 17th at 7pm at the Sanborn
Auditorium. The dress rehearsal is on March 16th at 6pm at Sanborn for
all string students in grades 4-12. The Folk Dance will be held on March 26th at 7:30-8:30pm at Alcott's cafeteria. No experience necessary. This is a circle type of dance for all ages. Come when you can, leave when you must. It is led by Anna Anderson, the string teacher. If any string player (any level) is interested in attending a March Fest
in Billerica on Saturday, March 6th (bus from Sanborn at 11:30am), please
email aanderson@colonial.net as soon as possible for an application. This
is a fun, no pressure string festival with a raffle and treats and a
performance by a professional group. |
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GEAR UP FROM SPRING SPORTS |
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The Thoreau School Youth Sports Recycle Sale is coming this weekend! Why buy new? We have FANTASTIC gently used kids sports gear for lacrosse, baseball, soccer, golf, tennis, and more! Stop buy and save a bundle of $. Saturday, March 6th, 2:30-5:00 pm in the Thoreau School Cafeteria. CASH ONLY. Donations are greatly appreciated! For more information contact maureenspada@aol.com |
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CCHS MASTER PLAN PRESENTATION - 3/29 |
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Please join us for a presentation of the final report and recommendations of the CCHS Facilities Master Plan Committee on Monday, March 29th, 2010 in the CCHS Library at 7 pm. Click here for more information. |
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MARCH PROGRAMS AT THE CONCORD LIBRARY |
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The Concord Free Public Library presents Concord Reads: Making a Difference during the month of March. This community reading event, inspired by the book Three Cups of Tea, will explore the theme of making a difference in small and big ways. The library will host a variety of activities for all ages. Call (978) 318-3358 or www.concordlibrary.org for more information.
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CONCORD CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC SPRING REGISTRATION |
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Registration for The Concord Conservatory of Music's spring semester group classes is now open. The music school offers group music classes for infants to school age children, as well as adults. Private instruction is also available. Registrations are accepted online, in the office and by mail. Classes begin the week of March 29th. Classes include Dalcroze Eurhythmics, (ages 5 mos. - 6 years), Broadway Babies, and Singing for 11 and 12 Year Olds. For more information about these music classes as well as private instrument lessons, call The Concord Conservatory of Music 978-369-0010 or visit www.ConcordConservatory.org. All classes and lessons are held at the West Concord Union Church, at 1317 Main Street in West Concord. |
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT |
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The Concord Historical Collaborative presents: Concord in the Movies. At the Concord Museum (French Hall). Free refreshments by Dunkin Donuts of Concord. Sunday, March 28, 1-5 PM. Biographical films on three of Concord's foremost transcendentalist thinkers, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, and Henry David Thoreau. Concord Children's Center invites you to join us at a Tanglewood Marionettes presentation of the Dragon King, an underwater fantasy based on Chinese folklore that will thrill children and adults alike. Sunday March 7, 2010 @ 4 PM. Emerson Umbrella, 40 Stow Street. Tickets are $9 in advance, $10 at the door with a $35 maximum for a family. Advance tickets are available at: The West Concord 5 & 10, The Concord Bookshop, The Toy Shop, Auntie Erls in Bedford and the Learning Express in Acton. For more information call Concord Children's Center at 978-369-3747. The Center for Parents and Teachers is offering several workshops for parents in March. Pre-register now for workshops by emailing: amartinez@colonial.net or calling 978-202-1143. Please visit our website: centerforparentsandteachers.org. Upcoming programs include: "How to Talk So Kids will Listen and Listen So Kids will Talk", "You Can't Make Me!", and "Raising Your Challenging Child". For more information on each of these programs, click here. Helping Children to Communicate and Connect,
Presenter:
Adam J. Cox, Ph.D. |
