Dear Sprague Community, 

WOOHOO! It’s Summer! 

Congratulations to all our 5th graders! You are moving on and if you are the last of your family to attend Sprague, you can officially ignore this email. Don’t forget to unsubscribe, or like me, you will continue to get these emails until your child is in high school. 

If you are interested in being a host family for an incoming or new Sprague family, please our social chairs, Karyn Devito and Andrea Scampini know. We want to be a welcoming community for these transitioning families and we need family volunteers.

Thank you to our PTO Board and all of our volunteers who make Sprague Elementary School such a wonderful community. 

Wishing you a safe, fun-filled summer with family and friends. 

Off to the beach! 

Kind regards,

Elaine Marten

Sprague PTO President

Summer Reading List 2015

The WPS Summer Reading List is now available online. This year’s list includes Picture Books, Beginning Chapter Books, Fiction Chapter Books, Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Poetry and Biographies. 

It is also linked to the Wellesley Free Library Catalog!

To access it, go to the Wellesley Summer Reading Page 

Students in Grades K-4 will receive a Bingo Form and a Summer Reading Bookmark with a link & QR code to this webpage.

If you need to print additional bingo forms, logs, or want a printable version of the Summer Reading List, go to the Sprague School Summer Reading page:

http://tinyurl.com/summerreadingpage

There are two different Bingo forms; one for those entering grades 1, 2 and 3, the other for those entering grades 4 and 5. We ask that you return this form to his/ her newteacher at the beginning of the school year. Students who complete five bingo boxes in a row will be entered into a raffle.

If you would like a paper copy of the list, a limited quantity will be available in the office. We also send copies to the Wellesley Free Library, Wellesley Books and Barnes and Noble.

A hearty thanks to the Sprague Community for the all the support you’ve given the library throughout the school year. By supplementing the book budget and volunteering during library classes, you have enriched our program immeasurably. We’d also like to thank Maura Meile for coordinating the Remember Me book donation program once again!

Happy Reading to all,

Ellen Mandel & Samantha Gradwohl

Sprague Gardeners

Volunteer your family for one week over the summer to care for our Sprague Garden. 

Your family will be responsible for watering, gathering produce and general care of the garden for the week. 

If your family can help, sign up HERE! We will contact you to confirm assigned dates. 

June Green Focus – keep the GREEN going this summer

​

Locker Cleanout/Greenout - have your kids bring home whatever can be used from their lockers next year such as binders, pens, pencils, rulers, calculators and put it away for reuse in the fall.  Or donate them to a worthy cause for their re-use.

BYOB – bags and bottles, that is. Now that the Wellesley RDF isn’t taking plastic bags it is more important than ever to use reusable grocery bags instead of the store’s disposable plastic bags.  And keep hydrated this summer but avoid using disposable water bottles whenever possible…just keep refilling your reusable one!

Walk or bike if you can – in the awesome summer weather, leave the car at home and walk or bike to do that errand or to the pool. And definitely turn off your engine whenever possible.

Buy local & support the Wellesley Farmers Market – don’t miss the tasty and fresh foods at the Wellesley Farmer’s Market Saturdays 10am-2pm at 309 Washington Street.

Small changes make a big difference so thanks for all your continued efforts and have a great summer!

Wednesday, June 17th
Full day!!

9:00am Band, Orchestra, and Grade 5 Choral Concert (Parents invited)

Thursday, June 18th

9:00am Grade 5 Farewell Assembly (Families invited)

Friday, June 19th

Last day of school--half day!!

Support the Perdoni Familly Fund this Tuesday

Save the date for rock like Mike

On January 20th, 2015 the Wellesley community lost one of its members to a horrific act of gun violence. Dr. Michael J Davidson was a brilliant surgeon and innovator, devoted family man, talented musician and wonderful friend. His death affected us all.

Please save the date for Rock Like Mike, a night of music to remember Michael on September 26th, 2015 at the Paradise Rock club in Boston. The program will feature local bands and celebrity emcee David Wade. 

Tickets go on sale this summer. Proceeds will go to the Davidson Family Fund.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. If interested, please visit www.rocklikemike.com or call Shira at 617-620-0175
Sign up for our mailing list at www.rocklikemike.com.

Dates

Monday, June 15th

8:15am Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast

Wednesday, June 17th
Full day!!

9:00am Band, Orchestra, and Grade 5 Choral Concert (Parents invited)

Thursday, June 18th

9:00am Grade 5 Farewell Assembly (Families invited)

Friday, June 19th

Last day of school--half day!!

Dear Sprague Community,

5 more days left! It’s been a wonderful week with many events. I’ve enjoyed meeting new families and seeing all the smiling faces from the picnic to field day. 

My boys have definitely had fun with hearing their mom being called "The President". I had failed to mention this term to them.  This news created great excitement at our house as they somehow thought that meant that I could make all the rules at school. Well, not so much.

During Field Day this week (my fav), I watched as teachers, aides and parents supported ALL of our students. I saw our kids cheer each other on and everyone work to solve problems as they came up in a kind and gentle way. 

I also saw Mrs. Fiore run with her feet in buckets, Mr. McManus class cheer him on as he raced while trying not to spill water and aides hold hands and run together to integrate children. 

One thought I had was that this was not just about movement but about seeing each other in a different space. Maybe even a vulnerable space, the same as some children may feel in the classroom. In the end, even when hot and tired, there was good all around and people helping and supporting one another. That’s Sprague Spirit! I told you, I LOVE Field Day. 

Exciting news, thank you to Patty Javidi and Erica Meyers for stepping up to fill the Treasures position for the PTO next year. This is a behind the scenes job that is highly involved. We appreciate their support and are grateful to have them. The PTO will finalize this position with a vote in the fall. 

I’ve had the privilege through the years to watch as our community has rallied behind families through illness or loss. Our strength often shines during these times. We’ve added below two community events coming up that support the Joe Perdoni Family Trust Fund and another for the Davidson Family Fund. Our hearts go out to both of these families. 

Many have asked how I feel about taking on the PTO this year.  I thought how fitting that this weekend, after taking on this role, I’m hiking Mt. Washington. Somehow, the PTO role kinda feels like a yes to hiking Mt. Washington. You check your gear, study the trail, keep up your fitness and keep checking the weather. We have a great school and a great team of parents with lots of heart and Sprague spirit. The weather is looking good. Will it be easy? Not always, but I feel up to the challenge. I hope you’ll join me. We have lots of ways to volunteer, support and get involved. 

5 days and the summer is all yours! 

Kind regards,

Elaine Marten

Sprague PTO President

_____________________________________

Field Day Success - Thank-You!!!

A global "Thank you" to the Sprague parent community! Specifically a hearty thank you for all the parents who volunteered to help run stations (over and over again!). A GIGANTIC thank you to the ARMY of volunteers who helped at 7am (that showing was unprecedented and made for a very smooth start) as well as the amazing group who came to help put it all away (many hands made for such light work!). Let's do it again next year!

 

- Ms. Flitsch

Thank You!

Thank you to Karyn Devito and Andrea Scampini for organizing the End-of-the-Year Picnic. Sam’s Hot Dog Cart and Italian Ice were a big hit. 

We have many books heading to children in need, thanks to our Book Drive. That’s showing our Sprague HEART! 

Thank you to Lisa Neighbors for such a wonderful idea to get our kids sharing and caring and many thanks to Jenn Friedman for her help and support for these events. 

Thanks to Kate Naughton, who so kindly sets up our Spirit Shop at many of our events to sell t-shirts, water bottles and more.

For helping set up and cleaning up after our school picnic, thank you, Rob Carter, Sprague custodian. 

A HUGE thank you to all our Ice SCOOPERS and all our VOLUNTEERS before, during and after Field Day. 

So many thank-yous at this time of year

Consider WEF’s Red Apple Program as a Meaningful Acknowledgement for all your children’s teachers and staff.

Let WEF make your gift giving process easy and meaningful.  

One visit our website and you will find all your children’s’ teachers, staff, aides, specialists in one drop down menu, conveniently organized by school.  Simply add staff members' names whom you’d love to honor into a master list, make your donation to WEF via the online payment system and the meaningful gift of dollars to improve our districts education excellence will be made in these honorees names.  

Each honoree will receive a magnet gift as well as an e-Card from your family and you will be supporting the leading Wellesley organization making meaningful grants to our educators – grants that impact the entire district year after year.  

Thank you for your generosity to WEF and your support of our wonderful teachers.

Sprague Garden

The Sprague garden is in bloom. 
Thank you to the Girl Scout Troop 66063 for helping to care for our garden and donating the lovely bird bath and decorated stones. This makes our garden a beautiful part of our community. We still have space for families to volunteer to care for our garden over the summer months. 

Check the available dates 

and 

VOLUNTEER HERE!

Don Mason announces his Sixtieth Season of social dance in Wellesley!

A Wellesley tradition, Don Mason, invites students entering fifth grade to  enjoy learning a lively mix of traditional and contemporary dances as well as etiquette instruction in essential social skills. 

Classes are held on select Wednesday afternoons starting September 25 from 4PM to 5PM and 5:30PM-6:30PM at the Italo-American Club 75 Pleasant St. Wellesley, MA 02482.

The Assemblies has become a “rite of passage” for Wellesley fifth graders. Every class includes party dances with prizes.

The dancing is fun and the vehicle by which we establish habits and practice life-long social graces all the while having fun with peers. Parents understand the value of learning and practicing social skills but for the children the Assemblies are a social event. Social dance is always a stand out childhood memory!

For your invitation/schedule/details/registration log on toWWW.WellesleyWestonWaylandAssemblies

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE

Sprague End of the Year Family Picnic 

has been moved 

to Wednesday due to the impending weather . . .  

Wednesday, June 10^th at 6:00pm 

on the playground

Bring your own dinner or visit Sam’s Hot Dog Stand

Featuring $3 hot dogs and $1 waters and chips (cash only)

The PTO will be providing Italian Ice for dessert  

but we need volunteers to help scoop!  

Please sign up to scoop using this 

link:

Upcoming Dates

Monday, June 8 - Friday, June 12
Children's Book Drive

Tuesday, June 9th
WALK TO SCHOOL DAY
6:00pm Family Picnic on the playground (Bring food, Italian Ice Provided)
6:00pm Book Swap at Family Picnic

Thursday, June 11th
Field Day


Thursday, June 11th - Saturday, June 13
Sprague Book Fair at Wellesley Books

Monday, June 15th

8:15am Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast

Wednesday, June 17th
Full day!!

9:00am Band, Orchestra, and Grade 5 Choral Concert (Parents invited)

Thursday, June 18th

9:00am Grade 5 Farewell Assembly (Families invited)

Friday, June 19th

Last day of school--half day!!

Sprague PTO Update

Dear Sprague Community, 

With our final PTO Board Meeting of the year, Matthew McKay sprinted to the finish line of his term as PTO President in great form and with a smile on his face (Perhaps even a chuckle. I’ll pretend I did not hear that).

Thank you Matt for giving of your valuable time to our community. Matt's leadership and support allowed us to have a strong year at Sprague. He helped us to transition smoothly and welcome Mrs. Snyder, he led a strong team of volunteers, supported teachers and kept us on target for meeting our fundraising goals. All these things he did for the betterment of our Sprague community.  It has been a pleasure for me to sit along side and learn from him this year. Again, thank you, Matt. 

Only 10 days left of school. Yippee! It seems it has taken an extra long time to get here this year. So, hang in there with me. 

The next 10 days are full of all the fun end-of-the-year stuff. So don’t miss it! We want you to come and celebrate our school and congratulate our 5th graders, who will forever now be known as “Spraguers”. Yes, it’s an actual term that anyone who has graduated from Sprague Elementary School is known as once they leave. Once a Spraguer, always a Spraguer. 

So, come join us for the Sprague End of the Year Family Picnic, June 9th at 6pm. Bring your own dinner or purchase (cash only) at Sam’s Hot Dog Stand. The PTO will be providing Italian Ice for dessert. If you are able to volunteer and can help scoop ice, please VOLUNTEER HERE. There will also be a Book Swap at the Family Picnic. Bring a book, take a book. All ages welcome. 

Field Day! Probably one of my favorite days of the year. It’s a great day for kids to get outside and play fun, creative games with their class. We still need several volunteers. Interested? VOLUNTEER HERE

I’m super excited to get started in my new role as PTO President. We have a really strong team of volunteers who are eager to work on the behalf of our community. It is an honor to be a part of such a committed and caring group. I invite you to get to know each of our committee chairs and to reach out should you be interested in getting involved and willing to volunteer your time. 

2015-2016 PTO Board

Jill Fischmann   Vice President
Carrie Reepmeyer  Secretary
Betsey Weintraub  Ways & Means Chair
Andrea Scampini  Social Chair
Karyn Devito  Social Chair
Claire van der Elst  Communications Chair
Annie Newman  Enrichment Chair
Jen Friedman  Community Service Chair
Lindsay Jones  PAC Representative
Matthew McKay  Committee 21

They ROCK! Come join us in our mission to enhance the education of our children. Our kids are worth it.

I’m all ears! If you have a suggestion or something you would like to discuss or have questions about how things work, don’t hesitate to let me know. I surely don’t know it all but I will work to find you an answer or best solution. 

I came to Sprague many years ago as an outsider, far from home and no family near. I understand how difficult it is to get involved, to meet new people and to feel supported in a new environment. I also understand how comfortable it is to stick within your same groups without learning new names and reaching out to others. We are creatures of habit. 

At our upcoming picnic, I challenge each of you to reach out to 5 people that you don’t know and introduce yourself. It’s really good for your brain but that’s another subject. It’s important for our community. You may be amazed at who you meet. You may need to practice saying their name and you may forget it but one day at graduation or even after, you may pass them smile and say, “Hey, I remember you from Sprague" and it will be special, I promise. 

10 more days! We can do this. 

Kind regards,

   Elaine Marten
    Sprague PTO President
    elaine@themartenfamily.com

Field Day - Volunteers Needed

Field Day Parent volunteers are needed!

Ms. Flitsch has asked for 10 volunteers who can help set up at 7:00 a.m.,

 36 volunteers to run activity stations from 9:00-11:30 a.m., 

and 10 volunteers to clean up from 11:30-12:30. 

If you are available for any of these times, please use the sign up sheet or contact Matthew McKay (mgmckay@gmail.com). 

Thank you!

Year-end Family Picnic

Sprague End of the Year Family Picnic

Next Tuesday, June 9^th at 6:00pm 

on the playground

Bring your own dinner or visit Sam’s Hot Dog Stand

Featuring $3 hot dogs and $1 waters and chips (cash only)

The PTO will be providing Italian Ice for dessert 
but we need volunteers to help scoop! 
Please sign up to scoop using this 

link:

Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast

If you have volunteered at Sprague in any capacity this year, you are invited to a casual Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast on Monday, June 15^th from 8:15-9:00 a.m. We will set up outdoors in front of the school, weather permitting. In the event of bad weather, we will have the breakfast in the atrium outside the gym. 

Thank you for supporting our school!

Get ready for Summer Reading AND Share our HEARTs!

Children's Book Drive Monday, June 8- Friday, June 12

Bring your gently used children's books to school and they will be collected and given to children in need. Volunteers will be collecting books in car line all week and there will be a collection bin in the lobby.

Book Swap @ The Family Picnic Tuesday June 9

Bring a book, take a book - gather your summer reading titles! All ages welcome.  Look for the book swap table at the Family Picnic.

In-Store Book Fair at Wellesley Books Thursday June 11 - Saturday June 13  

20% of all sales (with Sprague Coupon or just mention Sprague) will go to a "sister" school in a small, rural town in Maine greatly in need of books.  What better way to show our HEART values than help another school in need? 

Questions?  Contact Lisa Neighbors (lisa@blondetulip.com) or Jenn Friedman (jennfriedman39@gmail.com)

Need a Gift?

Please Consider the WEF Red Apple Program for your children’s teachers and staff, district-wide.

Many families reach the end of the school year having already given the maximum limit of 50 dollars to their children’s teachers, aides and other staff.  

The Red Apple program is a great way to supplement your year-end gift without running afoul of state gift laws.  The program allows you to honor all your favorite educators easily and efficiently while supporting the many educator grants that are made to each of the K-12 grades throughout the district each year by WEF.  This school year, thanks to family and community generosity through programs like Red Apple, WEF was able to make a total of $262,000 in grants district wide.  

When you participate, each honoree will receive a magnet acknowledging them as an Honoree and a Red Apple thank you e-card that includes your family’s name (but not the amount of your gift).  

Just go to: http://www.wellesleyeducationfoundation.org/ways-to-donate/honorateacher and follow the simple steps.

Community events

Please click here for Community Events, 

This is the week for Books and HEART!

Children's Book Drive THIS WEEK Monday- Friday

Bring your gently used children's books to school and they will be collected and given to children in need. Volunteers will be collecting books in car line all week and there will be a collection bin in the lobby.

Book Swap @ The Family Picnic THIS TUESDAY evening

Bring a book, take a book - gather your summer reading titles! Gently used books for all ages welcome.  Look for the book swap table at the Family Picnic.

In-Store Book Fair at Wellesley Books THIS Thursday - Saturday  

20% of all sales (with Sprague Coupon or just mention Sprague) will go to a "sister" school in a small, rural town in Maine greatly in need of books.  What better way to show our HEART values than help another school in need? 

Questions?  Contact Lisa Neighbors (lisa@blondetulip.com) or Jenn Friedman (jennfriedman39@gmail.com)

Get ready for Summer Reading AND Share our HEARTs!

Children's Book Drive Monday, June 8- Friday, June 12

Bring your gently used children's books to school and they will be collected and given to children in need. Volunteers will be collecting books in car line all week and there will be a collection bin in the lobby.

Book Swap @ The Family Picnic Tuesday June 9

Bring a book, take a book - gather your summer reading titles! All ages welcome.  Look for the book swap table at the Family Picnic.

In-Store Book Fair at Wellesley Books Thursday June 11 - Saturday June 13  

20% of all sales (with Sprague Coupon or just mention Sprague) will go to a "sister" school in a small, rural town in Maine greatly in need of books.  What better way to show our HEART values than help another school in need? 

Questions?  Contact Lisa Neighbors (lisa@blondetulip.com) or Jenn Friedman (jennfriedman39@gmail.com)

Upcoming dates

Tuesday, June 2nd
Walk to School Day
9:00 PTO Meeting in Cafeteria

Tuesday, June 9th 

Family Picnic at 6:00 PM on the playground, bring your own food, ice cream will be served

Thursday, June 11th
Fieldday 

Monday, June 15th

Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast from 8:15-9:00 a.m.

Wednesday, June 17th

Band, Orchestra, and Grade 5 Choral Concert @ 9:00 a.m. (Parents invited)

Thursday, June 18 th

Grade 5 Farewell Assembly @ 9:00 a.m. (Families invited)

Friday, June 19th

Last day of school--half day