Willard Weekly 06/17/10

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Willard School Newsletter

17 June 2010

Issue 36 - FINAL ISSUE

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

JUNE 2010
SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	'SATURDAY
13	14 12:30 PTG Board Meeting	15 Early Release Staff Appreciation Luncheon METCO Late Bus and Ice Cream Social 12:30 5th Grade Mix-Up Picnic	16 7:00 PTG Volunteer Appreciation Party, Osofsky Home, 90 Adams Road	17	18 5th Grade Celebration SAC Election Ballots Due	19
20	21 LAST DAY OF SCHOOL	22	23	24	25	26

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK

It's hard to believe that the end of the school year is upon us. This first year in our new building has been amazing. I think that I speak for all staff and students when I say that we love our new school! We are grateful to the Concord Community for the gift of this wonderful learning environment! We are also grateful to the PTG for their generous support all year long. In particular, we are grateful for the beautiful and functional shade structure which is now equipped with tables and benches. This beautiful structure enhances the options for fun, play, and learning for all students by offering a place for quiet activities protected from the sun's rays.

Over the next few days, teachers will bring closure to the school year for their students. In recent weeks, many teachers have celebrated student learning with parents with a variety of author celebrations, portfolio sharing, and student presentations. As a school community, we began the closure process today with our last all-school assembly of the year. This assembly was led by our 4th graders. Ms. Bethell opened the assembly by inviting all students to join in singing the school song, "We're Willard". The composer of the song, Chris Jolliet was present to hear the song. The students sang beautifully. Ms. Bethell actually recorded the students as they sang. This audiotape will be used on the Willard float that will be designed by the PTG when Willard participates in Concord's 375th Birthday Parade Celebration in September. The 4th grade assembly was designed on a social studies theme; 4th grade students presented some of the social studies content that they have learned this year during the assembly. They shared information on the regions of the United States with a multimedia presentation which included a flip chart presentation, a life size map, and individual students sharing information about each region. Under the direction of Ms. Bethell, the students sang a song about the 50 states and shared the story of the Star Spangled Banner and sang the song. Students also shared a variety of amusing laws "on the books" of various states that were quite funny. For example did you know that in Alaska, no child may build a snowman taller than him/herself on school property? In Nebraska, it's illegal to ride a camel on the highway. The children thought these laws were quite funny! We all enjoyed this assembly and we appreciated the work that the teachers and students invested in their preparations.

As mentioned in a recent e-mail to families, the Willard School Advisory Council launched the Pennies for Peace initiative on Monday of this week. Students are invited to contribute pennies (or any monetary contribution) to this project which is rooted in the work of Greg Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute. Greg and his group are committed to building schools and providing an education to the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The basic premise of this work is the belief that education leads to understanding and understanding leads to peace. Collection boxes are located at the main entrance and the bus entrance each day through Monday, June 21st.

Parents are reminded that the SAC ballot is due back to the Willard office by Noon on June 18th. As mentioned in last week's Willard Weekly, we need to fill two parent vacancies on the School Advisory Council. Since three parents have volunteered to serve, it was necessary to hold an election.

As you know, the 5th Grade Celebration is scheduled for June 18th at 10:30 AM in the Willard auditorium. This annual event signals the end of the elementary school experience for our 5th graders at Willard. We will mark the occasion with an informal ceremony in the auditorium. Parents are cordially invited to attend this celebratory event. As part of the event, the Chorus will sing and students will have the opportunity to share a positive reflection of their Willard experience with the audience. In addition, Detective Scott Camilleri will award DARE certificates and say a few words about the DARE Program. Students will also be presented with their 5th Grade Yearbooks. The PTG 5th Grade Celebration Committee will provide the students with lunch. The Committee will also lead the 5th Grade Fun Day activities during the afternoon.

On June 21st, the last day of school, 5th graders will take their ceremonial last walk out of the building as the entire student body and staff cheer them on. Parents are welcome to join in the applause. Students will exit by the tennis court, walk around the perimeter of the playground, and proceed to the bus loop. This is a special annual Willard tradition.

I would like to wish all Willard families a happy, restful, and safe summer. I look forward to working with you all in the upcoming school year!

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

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 NOTES

The PTG would like to give a big Thank You to everyone who volunteered this year. The things parents have helped accomplish have been outstanding. Please help us in thanking Kathi O'Neil, Grace Ryan, Alex Kuchar, Debbie Osofsky, and Kim Piculell who all roll off the PTG Board this year.

Please look in your July mailing and on the Willard PTG website for information about the Willard Directory, dues and PTG event dates for 2010-2011.

We wish all Willard Families a safe and happy summer ad look forward to another great year in September.
- Kate Olney and Aimee Cupp, Willard PTG Co-presidents

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE

Please remember to vote and turn in your SAC Ballots by tomorrow, Friday, at noon. All ballots should be returned to the office. Thank you.

BOXTOPS CONTEST RESULTS

The final BoxTop$ Contest of the year results are in! And the winners are:

K - Mrs. Gluck
1 - Mrs. Barry
2 - Mrs. Lehn
3 - Mrs. McNamara
4 - Mrs. Wylie
5 - Mrs. Lyons

The classes will get prizes (from the Carnival prize bin) this week. A total of 3,342 Box Tops were collected for this contest - over $330 more for Willard school! Don't forget to keep collecting over the summer and thank you for your support.

SUMMER GREETINGS FROM YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARY!

The librarians of Alcott, Thoreau and Willard Schools have created the annual summer reading lists. As a new "green" initiative, we have decided to post the summer reading lists exclusively online. Please feel free to print them out for your own use. For best results, paste them into a word document or print them with a landscape setting. The lists can be accessed from the Willard Library homepage, or at the URL: http://district.colonial.net/SummerReadingList/. Enjoy your summer!
-Erica Chicco, Willard Elementary Library Media Specialist

SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOTES

The most recent School Committee meeting was held on June 7th and included staff recognitions, discussions of anti-bullying policy, the price of school lunches, school improvement plans for the elementary schools and more. Read all the details in the SC Meeting Notes, available on the Willard PTG SC page.

COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS

SPORTS GEAR FOR NICARAGUA

Please share your used baseball and soccer gear with Nicaraguan children.

This August a group of Concord Carlisle High School students are going to San Marcos Nicaragua, Concord's sister city, to play baseball games with local teens and do community service projects.

We will be bringing gently used baseball, softball and soccer equipment from the children of Concord to give to the children of Nicaragua. Baseball and soccer are very popular in Nicaragua, but unfortunately many families cannot afford to provide equipment for their children. Please consider donating your used equipment that is still in fairly good condition. They need baseball gloves, cleats, balls, wooden bats, batting helmets, and catcher's equipment. Your equipment will be very much appreciated and get lots of use. Two years ago, our group traveled to San Marcos on a similar trip. We were thrilled by the reactions of children who received donated equipment.

There will be a drop off box at Willard through the end of the school year. Alternatively, please email or call Jim Levinger jklevinger@comcast.net , 978-369-4606 and he will be happy to pick it up or you can drop it at his home at 1421 Old Marlboro Road, Concord. We will be collecting gear throughout the summer.

TEACHER GIFT IDEA

GUESS WHAT? It's the LAST week of school! Have you found that perfect Teacher Appreciation gift yet? With only a few days left in the school year, let the Concord Education Fund (CEF) help you! Honor your child's teacher by making a donation in their name to the Concord Education Fund. The teacher will receive notification from CEF that a donation has been made in their name by your family, and you will be helping fund innovative and creative programs in our schools. Since 1993, CEF has donated over $1,100,000 to CPS and CCHS! Donate HERE: www.concordedfund.org or send your contribution to: CEF, PO Box 202, Concord MA 01742. You will be touching the heart of your child's beloved teacher, and making a difference within our school system!

HOST AN EXCHANGE STUDENT

Have you ever considered hosting an international exchange student? Concord-Carlisle High School, through a special exchange funded by the U.S. State Department FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) Program, is all set to accept two students from Turkmenistan who have passed a competitive selection process targeting outstanding teenagers from the former Soviet Republics. CCHS faculty recently were in the news after visiting their school as part of a unique sister city/school arrangement funded by the U.S. State Dept. These two 17 year olds - a boy and a girl, each need a family to live with from Aug. 27, 2010-Feb 1, 2011. Students come with their own spending money and have already been accepted at CCHS. Hosting is a great way to learn about the world, make a wonderful relationship with a terrific teen leader, and contribute to a true global vision. If you have space in your family and a room (or bed in a same-gender bedroom), David Nurenberg is coordinating this program at CCHS and can be reached at dnurenberg@colonial.net.