Looking for something to do on Monday? RSVP Needed

Help us Celebrate Martin Luther King's Birthday
Community Wide Event
Monday, January 21, 2013
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.Wellesley High School Cafeteria
50 Rice Street, Wellesley

Everyone is invited!
Please join the Wellesley PTO's and the Bates Elementary Diversity Committee
In presenting Our Friend, Martin, an animated educational film for families
Please join us for the film, pizza* and fun

Please RSVP to moh23321@aol.com

*Gluten free and dairy free options available upon request

$5 Donation requested per family

For questions contact Michelle Chalmers 781.591.9435

CNN Hero Thulani Madondo and Students from the Kliptown Youth Program to Visit Sprague!

All-School Event January 24, 2013
(Sprague Families Invited)

This fall, we were fortunate to learn about Thulani Madondo and the Kliptown Youth Program through the Del Col family. Thulani Madondo is a 2012 Top Ten CNN Hero. On Thursday, January 24th, Thulani Madondo and students from the Kliptown Youth Program in Kliptown, South Africa will be visiting Sprague and sharing a demonstration of gumboot dance with Sprague students.

There will be two assemblies to which all families are invited:

• Grades K-2 from 9:00-9:45am and 
• Grades 3-5 from 10:00-10:45am 

If you would like to learn more about the Kliptown Youth Program and Thulani Madondo please go to:
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/2012.heroes/thulani.madondo.html

This program is sponsored by the PTO/Creative Arts and Sciences.

The Flu or a Cold? When to call the Doctor?

From the Sprague School Nurse

	Flu	Cold
Onset of illness	Sudden	Gradual
Fever	High	Rare
Fatigue	Severe	Mild
Cough	Severe, Dry	Common, Mucus-producing
Sore throat	Yes	Sometimes
Headache	Yes	Sometimes
Sneezing	Sometimes	Yes
Stuffy Nose	Sometimes	Common
Appetite	Decreased	May be decreased
Muscles	Ache	Fine, slight aches
Chills	Yes	No
Chest Discomfort	Often severe	Mild

Seasonal flu Influenza, commonly known as "the flu," is a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory tract. The flu is often confused with the common cold, but flu symptoms tend to develop quickly and are usually more severe than the typical sneezing and congestion of a cold. The main symptoms of the flu are a cough, fever, sore throat and runny nose.

My child is experiencing symptoms, when do I call my doctor?

If your child is experiencing influenza symptoms, it’s not always necessary to see or call the doctor. Below are some guidelines to help with deciding when to call your physician.

Call your child's doctor now (night or day) if:

• Your child looks or acts very sick
• Breathing becomes difficult or fast
• Dehydration occurs (no urine in 12 hours, dry mouth, no tears)
• Your child has bluish skin color
• Your child is not waking up or not interacting
• Your child is being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve, but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash occurs

Call your child's doctor during the day if:

• Your think your child needs to be seen
• Your child is considered high risk and has flu symptoms
• Earache or sinus pain occurs
• Fever lasts more than 3 days
• Cough lasts more than 3 weeks
• Your child becomes worse

Avoid the spread of the flu -

Influenza spreads easily. If you suspect your child has the flu, keep your child at home for at least 24 hours after the fever has ceased without the use of fever-reducing medications. A fever is defined as 100ºF. 

It is important to teach children how to reduce their risk of getting influenza and protect others from infections by teaching them to frequently wash their hands and to cover their coughs and sneezes. Please be assured that we encourage these practices here at Sprague.

Much of this information is from The Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado and may be accessed at http://www.thechildrenshospital.org/wellness/topics/index.aspx

********

Sharon Kahn RN

Sprague School Nurse

sharon_kahn@wellesley.k12.ma.us

781-263-1969 x 502

Volunteer to Work With Students on the Sprague Mosaic Mural

Sprague School will be recognizing National Inclusion Week January 22nd-28th, when we celebrate the importance and value of including everyone. A highlight of the week will be the opportunity for each student to participate in adding tile to our mural in the cafeteria. What a great example of the power of collaboration!

We ask for your assistance with this special endeavor - 4 to 6 volunteers for each time slot. To sign up, please click on this link.

Many thanks in advance,
Jennifer Stabnick and Michelle Heath


Students and Parents will help add in white tiles. 

Remember Me Books Update and Thank you

With 123 books donated so far this year, we are well on our way to our goal of 180 books! Help us get there by considering a donation to honor your child's birthday or their favorite teacher. Click here for ordering information.

Thank you so much to the following families for their recent donations of amazing fiction and non-fiction titles:

Gordon - Green - Stathis - Young

Thanks for supporting the Sprauge Library!

Amy and Shannon

SPRAGUERS SHOW YOUR PATRIOTS SPIRIT this FRIDAY

Come to Sprague on Friday, January 18th 

wearing the following type of clothing:

--Patriots GEAR 

--Pats Team colors

--Your Favorite Boston Team

--Or Your Favorite Team*

*WARNING: If Dr. Goodwin sees you wearing gear from a NON-BOSTON Sports team - you maybe setting yourself up for a friendly debate.  

Go Patriots!!!!!!

Team Colors are Nautical Blue, New Century Silver, Red, and White

Creative Arts and Sciences News

Ask your third grader about...Moscow Nights and Golden Gates. This week the talented musicians, singers and dancers of Moscow Nights/Golden Gates performed for third graders studying Russia. This lively performance introduced students to Russian music, folklore and tradition. The group of singers and dancers that joined the Moscow Nights musicians this year were on their first U.S. tour!  

Ask your kindergartener about the MWRA water program. This week a science educator from the MWRA visited kindergarten classrooms and led a program pertaining to the water delivery system and water use. This program supports the kindergarten science curriculum.

These programs are supported by the PTO/Creative Arts and Sciences

Sprague Elementary Students Invited to MLK Event at WHS

Martin Luther King's Birthday

Community Wide Event

Monday, January 21, 2013

11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Wellesley High School Cafeteria

50 Rice Street, Wellesley

Everyone is invited!

Please join the Wellesley PTO's and the Bates Elementary  Diversity Committee

    

In presenting Our Friend, Martin, an animated educational film for families

Please join us for the film, pizza* and fun
Please RSVP to moh23321@aol.com
Gluten free and dairy free  options available upon request
$5 Donation requested per family
For questions contact Michelle Chalmers 781.591.9435

Remember Me Books Update -

Please read if you have recently donated to the Remember Me program through Amazon.

The following book titles were donated without any names/information attached: 

I'm Bored

The Princess and the Pig

Scholastic Book of World Records 2013

If you are the donor of one/all of these titles, please email Amy (amynshultz@yahoo.com) with your name, the book title, and the name of the person you are donating the books to.

Thank you for supporting the library!

Amy and Shannon

Remember Me Books

Special PTO Meeting this Monday at Sprague, 7pm

Monday, January 14

7:00pm

 PTO Evening Fireside Chat with Dr. Goodwin (Note: this will be our monthly PTO meeting.)       Special presentation on proposed expansion of 1:1 Technology Pilot Program by Rob Ford       Sprague Library - 
Recent Article in The Boston Globe about Proposed IPAD Expansion - click here
In the fall of 2011, the district embarked on a 1:1 tablet pilot at the Schofield School. During the 2011-2012 school year, a tablet was assigned to each student in the pilot, and use of this technology was integrated into all aspects of the classroom curriculum. The results of this pilot were positive and the district is proposing an expansion of the pilot program to all 5th grade classrooms in the district for the 2013-2014 school year. Parents would have the option of either enrolling an existing iPad in the program or obtaining one through a "lease-to-own" option.

We encourage parents to learn more about the results of the Schofield pilot and the proposed expansion by visiting the WPS 1:1 Technology Pilot Program webpage (https://sites.google.com/a/apps.wellesley.k12.ma.us/wps-1-1-technology-pilot-program/) and by attending an informational meeting below.

Upcoming Meetings

In addition to recent presentations to the School Committee, Academic Council,  the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council, and the Wellesley Education Foundation,  we are working with the Elementary school PTOs to schedule a series of meetings.  We hope you are able to join us at your school's meeting, or at our parent forum  on January 10th. Date                      Time  Meeting 1/10                 8:45am Upham PTO 1/10  7:00pm Parent Forum in the Wakelin Room Wellesley Free Library 1/11  8:45am Schofield PTO 1/14  7:00pm Sprague PTO 1/15 7:30pm Fiske PTO 1/16 8:45am Hunnewell PTO 1/18 8:45am Bates PTO TBD* TBD* Hardy PTO * Awaiting confirmation of date and time for the Hardy PTO meeting. Thank you! Rob Ford Director of Technology Wellesley Public Schools 781-446-6210 x4522 rob_ford@wellesley.k12.ma.us

Wellesley's FY 14 Budget Season Begins -

Budget season is upon us. School administrators and School Committee have been working throughout the fall to develop a fiscally responsible budget for FY14 to be presented to Town Meeting in March. To start the process, David Lussier, Wellesley's new Superintendent presented district-wide points of focus, which were used to help administrators prioritize their spending needs.

Wellesley District Priorities

• Math and Science
• The Achievement Gap
• Professional Development
• Implementation of the Mandated Teacher Performance Appraisal System

Superintendent Lussier then asked each of the administrators to present a budget that would show the cost of delivering what the schools are doing now in FY 14. From there, they identified investments that need to be made in order to pursue districts priorities as well as other critical needs (such as reorganization of the business office).

On December 18, after significant discussion between schools to find efficiencies, Superintendent Lussier presented a budget to School Committee that represents a 4.1% increase over last year's operating budget. School Committee was given a 2.8% guideline which means there is still a lot of room for discussion. To review the budget, click here.  

School Committee Meeting Schedule

 Tues, 1/15 @ 7:30pm, Town Hall: School Committee subcommittee report

Wed, 1/16 @ 7:30pm, Town Hall: School Committee subcommittee report

Wed, 1/22 @ 7:30pm, Town Hall: Public Hearing on the School FY 14 Budget

Sat, 1/26 @ 8am, Police Station: School Committee presents Special Education Budget to Advisory

Wed, 1/29 @ 7:30pm, Town Hall: School Committee Votes on Budget

Thurs, 1/30 @ 7:30pm, Town Hall: School Committee Presents voted budget to Advisory

All of these meetings are open to the public, and there will be opportunities for citizens to comment. 

If you would like to be kept up to date on the school budget process, you can subscribe to the Committee 21 newsletter by sending an email to committee21@gmail.com.

Thank you!   

Eunice Groark, Mason Smith, Kathleen Woodward, Mate Converse, Todd Lehman
Sprague Committee 21 Reps

Important Flu Information from Sprague Nurse, Sharon Kahn

There's been a lot of discussion about flu lately in the media as communities across our state report an increase in flu-like illness and confirmed cases of influenza. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has developed the brochure “Flu: What You Can Do – Caring for People at Home” as an informational resource.

Click here to download a copy of the brochure.  

It's an excellent source of useful information for all. Please don't hesitate to call me at Sprague if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Sharon

***********

Sharon Kahn RN

Sprague School Nurse

sharon_kahn@wellesley.k12.ma.us

781-263-1965