The rain of this past weekend, which resulted in closed roads and detours in the Willard neighborhood and beyond, has made morning arrival and dismissal rather interesting over the past few days! As usual, the Willard faculty has demonstrated tremendous flexibility in managing unexpected situations. With sunny, warm weather predicted for the rest of the week, road conditions should improve fairly soon.

Last Friday night, many Willard families enjoyed Family Math Night. Since this is an Olympic year, it was very fitting that this year's games reflected an Olympic theme. All of the K - 5 students and parents in attendance seemed to enjoy this well managed event. Many thanks to co-chairs, Lori Cook and Becky Lopresti, for all of their efforts in preparing and setting up the Family Math Night activities and pizza. Thank you to the many parents who helped to facilitate the game tables.

The next major Willard event is scheduled for this Friday, May 19th. The 12th Annual Willard Talent Show (Green House Rocks) is sure to be a blockbuster. The show begins at 7:00 PM at CCHS. As in the past, a group of Willard staff will "kick-off" the show as the opening act. You certainly don't want to miss this amazing display of talent. Every year, I am very impressed by the tremendous talent that Willard students demonstrate at the Talent Show. Talent show organizers are pleased with the 20% increase in participation for the 2010 show. It is sure to be a fun evening!

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 will meet with METCO families tonight, March 18th, at New Mission High School in Boston. The meeting will begin at 6:30 PM. The district is providing bus transportation. Members of the Family Friends program and members of the PTG Board will also attend. Meeting with our METCO families in Boston is a great opportunity to promote enhanced collaboration among all Willard families. On March 24th, a contingent of district kindergarten teachers, principals, and central office staff will travel to Boston for a Welcome Meeting for the parents of incoming kindergarten students who are enrolling in Concord as participants in the METCO program. We feel that this will be a nice way to welcome new families to the district and provide parents with an overview of the kindergarten program and the expectations of the METCO Program.

I would like to remind all parents that a change in transportation must made in writing. A note from home is the best option. It is not wise to send this change via e-mail because the teacher could be ill or out of school for a workshop. There are also days when a teacher is unusually busy and he/she does not have time to read e-mail during the school day. If you fax a last minute transportation change to the Willard office, please call the office to make sure that the fax was received.

As always, thank you for all you do for Willard School.
- Pat Fernandes