Upcoming Weeks

Thursday, January 2th:  School resumes

Tuesday, January 7th:  Walk to School Day

Around Town

Wellesley United Soccer Club Spring 2014 PRE-K through GRADE 3 SOCCER PROGRAM 

Registration is now open with deadline of January 30th.  This spring there will be a new PRE-K program on Wednesday afternoons 1-1:45pm.  The KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM will be held on Saturday mornings in a similar format to the fall program.  Grade 1-3 programs will be held at same times as the fall (Grade 1-2 on Sunday afternoons, Grade 3 on Saturdays)

For more info and to register, go to our website www.wellesleysoccer.org.

Questions, please email admin@wellesleysoccer.org

Youth Lacrosse Registration is open - register by January 9th! 

Registration is now open for Spring lacrosse; please go to www.wellesleylacrosse.org to register.  

Boys and Girls in grades 3^rd-8^th who reside in Wellesley or attend a school in Wellesley are eligible to play town lacrosse.

For practice schedule and more information on both the girls and boys program go tohttp://wellesleylacrosse.org/Documents.asp?org=wellesleylacrosse.org

Upcoming Week

Friday, December 20th
Last day of school before holiday break

REMINDER:
Thursday, January 2nd
School resumes

Around Town

Local Groundhog Needs Your Campaign Support!

Calling all students—A local groundhog named Ms. G who resides at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln is running for the office of “Official State Groundhog of the Commonwealth” and she needs the help of Wellesley Public School students to get elected!

To Vote for Ms. G online—Visit MAStateGroundhog.com

Sunday January 5^th 3-5pm: Campaign Rally at Wellesley Public Library

Meet in the Wakelin Room for refreshments and a chance to meet Ms. G. A naturalist from Mass Audubon will be on hand to answer all questions “groundhog.” Next, a representative from the State House will explain how a bill becomes a law and how students can speak on Ms. G’s behalf at an upcoming hearing to help get her elected. Students will then make campaign posters, campaign buttons, and work as teams to prepare testimony for the upcoming hearing.

PLEASE RSVP: MishMichaels@gmail.com

Wednesday January 8^th: Hearing on Ms. G Bill

The Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight is planning a special hearing on the Ms. G Bill. Wellesley Public School students are invited to speak on Ms. G’s behalf. Meet at Wellesley Public Library at 1pm in the Wakelin Room. Bring your campaign posters, buttons, and your testimony!

Save the date—February 2^nd: Groundhog Day

Catch Ms. G on the Morning Show on WBZ. Catch Ms. G and her campaign on The Weather Channel. Then see Ms. G present her annual forecast live at Drumlin Farm between 10am-12pm. Enjoy weather related educational activities, meet local TV meteorologists, and hope for an early spring!

*Ms. G’s campaign is the subject of a children’s book that will be released Feb 2, 2015.

WELLESLEY EDUCATION FOUNDATION MATCHING CHALLENGE

Double your donation with a gift to WEF this December.  

The WEF Board of Directors has pledged $18,000 for a #GivingTuesday and Holiday Season matching challenge.  Every donation made to WEF through the end of December will be matched dollar for dollar, so please consider a tax-deductible donation to WEF during this Season of Giving.  We are gratefully accepting transfers of stock, which may be an attractive giving option for many this year.  All types of donations will be matched up to the max.   Donations made before 12/31 are tax-deductible in 2013.  Thank you and enjoy this beautiful season.  Click HERE for all donation options.  

Please also  like WEF on Facebook. Facebook followers will be among the first to hear about WEF’s Fall grant awards!

P.S. If you work at a company that matches charitable donations, please remember to submit the paperwork.

Shopper's Corner at Schofield Elementary

Did you know that there's a fabulous resale boutique located right in Schofield Elementary School?  It's called Shopper's Corner and it's your home for amazing bargains on designer clothing and accessories for your whole family!

Shopper's Corner sells new and gently used items from infant through adult.  Our prices are rock bottom.  Items start at $1 and most are less than $5!  We stock our inventory through donations and consignments from folks just like you.  Donations of new or very gently worn items (no stains, tears or holes please) can be dropped off any time the store is open.  If you'd like to consign, come on in and we can get you set up immediately.  We have a very generous consignor policy!

The store is open during the school year every Wednesday from 8:30am to 12:15pm and the first Saturday of each month from 10am to noon.  We're closed during school vacation periods.  Our inventory changes frequently so we encourage shoppers to stop by often.  We sell very high quality designer names such as Lily Pulitzer, Coach, Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap Kids and Janie & Jack.  You never know what you'll find.

Our upcoming schedule:

Wednesday, December 18 from 8:30am to 12:15pm

Saturday, January 4 from 10am to noon

Wednesday, January 8 from 8:30am to 12:15pm

Wednesday, January 15 from 8:30am to 12:15pm

Thank you for a successful Cookie Walk!

        

WE DID IT!  We raised nearly $7,000 for our beloved school!

Thank you to the entire Sprague Community. Without your many contributions, we wouldn't have had such a successful Cookie Walk.

Special thanks go to Dr. Goodwin for his support and leadership and to all the Sprague faculty and staff for their support and enthusiasm, especially our wonderful custodians: Scott Grady, Jack Glorioso, and Rob Carter.

Many thanks go to our generous contributors for raffle items, our fabulous bakers and our great volunteers, especially:

Becca Cahaly, Shaune Berg, Carrie Reepmeyer, Michelle Heath, Andrea Doglioli, Melissa Martin, Kim Khoury, Matthew McKay, DD Marcoux, Julie Knudson, Danae Foley, Angie Gakidis, Kim Bender, Lucienne Ronco, Nur Hamzaogullari, Angie Hemmerle, Fernandez Moreno, Laura Brown MacKinnon,  Jenn Fallon, Susan Bevilacqua, Jill Fischmann, Colette Aufranc, Suzanne Fletcher, Phyllis Theermann, Amy Palidino, Anng Kenney, Elise Rodino, Jen Caiazzo, Jen Vernazza, Susie Ellis, Aileen Russell, Carmen Quilis, Kirsten Stevenson, Ayla Lari, Annie Newman, Joanne Hinchley, Vanita Goyal, Velita Person and everyone who showed up and offered to help the day of the event!

We wish all of you happy holidays!

Katy Comstock and Adam VanArsdale

Teacher and Staff Gift Giving Rules

As we enter the holiday season, and parents contemplate gifts to teachers and staff, it is worth outlining the gift giving guidelines, as detailed by the State Ethics Commission.

Put simply, parents may give gifts either directly or through a group gift but not both:

• directly to teachers/staff and be subject to a limit of not more than $50 (i.e. $49.99);
• through a group blind classroom gift subject to a limit of $150.

A more detailed explanation is provided on the Sprague PTO website.

Sprague Directory

Hopefully everyone received a Sprague Directory before the Thanksgiving holiday. If you did not then please let us know and we will make sure you receive a copy.

Thank-you Cindy Klein-Marmer and Jean Walsh for all the effort you put into tracking down families, double-checking accuracy, and shepherding the process to the end. Your hard work has made a meaningful impact on the Sprague community by helping families connect and supporting the school. We really appreciate all your hard work!

Also, thank-you Michelle Walsh for helping to offset the printing costs of the directory. Your generosity is very much appreciated.

Please expect to receive the Sprague Handbook in the near future.

Around Town

Smart Wellesley. Making the Switch!

The Town of Wellesley is leading the way to a more sustainable holiday season by switching Town holiday lights to LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and setting many of them to go off at 11 pm. Municipal Light Plant Director Dick Joyce says the Town will save money by changing to LED lights and by making sure most of the lights are off when residents aren’t awake to enjoy them.

This season, the Town will decorate the lawn at Town Hall, 30 trees, and 50 lampposts. All but the lamppost lights will go off at 11 pm, according to a decision by the Wellesley Board of Selectmen.

Wellesley Green Schools is encouraging Wellesley families and businesses to follow the Town’s lead by using LED holiday lights to celebrate sustainably and sensibly. The technology behind LED lighting has improved dramatically in recent years and warm white LED holiday lights can be indistinguishable from incandescent lights.

Some important facts about LED holiday lights:

• LEDs use 65 to 90 percent less energy than incandescents. 
• LEDs can last up to 10 times longer than incandescents. 
• LEDs run cooler than incandescents and pose a lower fire risk. 
• Turning holiday lights off by 11 pm – or putting the lights on a timer to go off automatically – will save even more energy and money. Residents and businesses can take sustainability measures a step further by signing up to get their electricity from renewable power sources through the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant’s Power to Choose program. This low-cost option is available online atWellesleyRenewableEnergy.com, or by calling the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant, 781-235-7600, ext. 3366.

The Cookie Walk is here!

Just a reminder that the Cookie Walk is 2:30-5:00 today, Thursday December 5th!

At drop off: Drop off your cookies bagged in groups of 6 and labeled and $5 if you would like them 

                    festively wrapped. 

Volunteers: Right after drop off until 1:00, people will be wrapping cookies in the cafeteria or just 

                   outside the cafeteria. From 1:00-2:30, the gym will be ready for set up. 

2:30 Cookie and raffle sales begin in the gym

3:30/3:45ish LINX dancers will perform

4:30: Raffle drawing (make sure you buy your tickets by 4:20)

5:00 Cookie Walk clean up begins

In an effort to be green, please bring your own reusable water bottle or you can get water from the nearby fountain. Also, it would be great if you could bring a reusable bag from home to put your cookies into. If not, there will be paper bags available that you can then reuse/recycle. Thanks for helping Sprague continue to reduce its carbon footprint!

THANK YOU & SEE YOU THERE! 

Katy Comstock & Adam VanArsdale 

The Cookie Walk is almost here!

We are almost there!!! We still need more COOKIES! If you haven't yet signed up to bake, please e-mail adam.vanarsdale@gmail.com. If everyone already baking can make an extra dozen, it would really help. The more cookies we have, the more cookies there will be to buy and of course, that raises more money for our wonderful Sprague school and children! 

The Cookie Walk raffle presale is over, but you can still buy tickets at the Cookie Walk, this coming Thursday December 5^th. Remember that the winners will be announced at 4:30 p.m.,  but you do not need to be present to win. You may purchase tickets with cash, check or credit card. There are AMAZING prizes to win- Superintendent for the day, a ride to school from the Wellesley police, get an article you wrote published in the Wellesley Townsman, get a tour of Mix 104.1 radio station, win tickets to a Celtics game, a signed Gronkowski football, gift certificates to LINX camps, exercise classes, massages, gift certificates to tons of local businesses for toys, books, ice cream, entertainment, spa services and products, food, pet care, theatre and child development classes, clothing, jewelry, dinners out... and more! 

Thank you in advance for your support.

If you have any questions please contact us at:

Katy Comstock at katycom1972@gmail.com

Adam Van Arsdale at adam.vanarsdale@gmail.com