First Walk to School Day

The first Walk to School Day of the year was a great success, with over 350 students participating! The sign-in tables were busy, but now that so many students have written their names on the class lists and selected their first footie and chain, signing in for the next Walk to School Days will be a breeze!  For new Sprague families: Students will receive a new footie to add to their chain each month they participate.  Collect one for each month of the school year!  

Special thanks to Margaret Flitsch, fitness and health teacher extraordinaire, for spearheading the Walk to School Day program and for getting us off on the right "footie!"  And many, many thanks to parent volunteers Anne Marvan, Brad Neighbors, Emily Shanahan and Mason Smith for helping out!   

Wednesday, October 8th, is our next Walk to School Day - it is also International Walk to School Day!  Parent volunteers are always needed; sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhkkL18k0t2-dEpKQjFiNEdubm9IMVFrVzJCT0JUUHc&usp=sharing

If you have any questions, email Lizzie Murillo at lizziemurillo@yahoo.com.  Thanks!

Support Sprague with AmazonSmile

Sprague PTO has recently become a member of the AmazonSmile program.

Please use our unique link below every time you shop at Amazon and 

Amazon donates 0,5% of the purchase price of eligible products to our PTO

http://smile.amazon.com/ch/01-0694293

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD…AND THE LINK!!!

Feel free to Tweet it, post it on Facebook or even rent a skywriting plane if the mood strikes! Many thanks for your time and support!

If you have Questions? Please feel free to contact me at jill@hjandk.com

Jill Fischmann, Assistant Treasurer

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Calling all moms & dads

Please sign up to scoop ice cream at the 
Annual Sprague Ice Cream Social this Thursday at 6:00 on the playground.

Many volunteers are needed to keep this a fun event! 

The sign up sheet is below:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Dce09ANjsowX5PEQa1-pLFxxwVAtp9IC9pFaEoNMudo/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you!!

Upcoming Dates

Thursday, September 18th
6:00p - Family Ice Cream Social at Sprague Playground

Friday, September 19th
Walk to school Day

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Thursday, September 25th
No School: Rosh Hashana

Sprague PTO Update

Dear Sprague Community,

Notice anything different when you walked into the school? Lindsay Jones, with the aide of Julie Knudson, completely redesigned and updated the teacher and staff picture display in the front lobby. On a separate note, Kate Naughton has volunteered to run Spirit Shop this year (New Sprague Gear!). Thank-you Lindsay, Julie and Kate for adding a little bit more spirit to Sprague!

Back To School Night was a success Thursday night. It was wonderful to see so many of you during the evening. Thank-you Lizzie Murillo for helping at the PTO table, as well as Karyn DeVito and Andrea Scampini for hosting and coordinating. All of you added a warmth to the evening.

We continue to look for volunteers to help with the Ice Cream Social on Thursday night and the first Walk to School on Friday morning. If interested, please reach out to either Karyn DeVito or Andrea Scampini for the social and Lizzie Murillo for Walk to School. Also, Elizabeth Young has started planning the Cookie Walk and will need help in many areas.

The first PTO Board meeting was held this past Tuesday and it was quite productive. Thank-you to everyone who attended and contributed. I wanted to make everyone aware of a few items discussed and approved during the meeting.

We voted in four new board members, who are Elaine Marten as Co-VP (Yeah!), Jill Fischmann as Assistant Treasurer, Betsey Weintraub as Chair of Ways and Means, and Jenn Friedman as Chair of Community Service. Thank-you Elaine, Jill, Betsey and Jenn for raising your hand to fill these positions. The other Co-VP position remains vacant at the moment as we look for someone willing to make a two year commitment. Elaine would very much like to work with someone this year, so please reach out to her or myself with any interest.

An updated 2014-15 PTO budget was approved during the meeting. There were a few minor changes to reflect adjustments in the expectations of operations, as well as over $20,000 in gifts approved for the school. These gifts were a reflection of the needs of the teachers and school. They included funding for after-school programs, in-house specialists, playground supplies, support for our new school psychologist, scholarship funds for Global Child, seed money for a new Art Appreciation program, funding of DreamBox, various teacher-related supplementary teaching tools, hand-held two-way radios for the nurse, and a special project for Ms. Snyder to enhance the playground environment. 

A significant number of requests were also deferred so that additional information could be gathered, including increasing the number of laptops available, an imagination playground, a sound garden, a computer science club, a new smart board, and shade structures on the playground. The board plans to re-visit these requests when appropriate. These gifts are on top of the support for on-going enrichment programs at Sprague.

The Sprague community should feel very proud of the support it has provided to the school over the past few years! Your generosity has enabled these enhancements to your school. Thank-you! Your help makes a big difference.

The PTO board also approved a decision to update the disclaimer in the Sprague PTO directory to mirror the disclaimer in the Wellesley High School directory, which was recently updated. This change largely reflects the migration to an online directory. The directory remains the single most important piece supporting our community. Please be assured that the PTO takes the protection of your personal information very seriously.

If you have any questions about these topics, please contact me. I will be happy to go over the logic behind each decision.

Warm Regards,

Matthew McKay
Sprague PTO President

Sprague Ice Cream Social

All Sprague families are invited to the Annual Sprague Ice Cream Social on Thursday, September 18th at 6:00 on the playground.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Please help scoop ice cream at this fun event! You can sign up via the link below. Note: aprons strongly recommended!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Dce09ANjsowX5PEQa1-pLFxxwVAtp9IC9pFaEoNMudo/edit?usp=sharing

In event of rain, we will be inside the cafeteria.

Walk to School Dates 2014-2015

Organized by the Partnership for a Walkable America, Walk to School Day in the USA began in 1997 as a one-day event aimed at building awareness for the need for walkable communities.  In 2000, the event became international when the UK and Canada (both of which had already been promoting walking to school) and the USA joined together for the first International Walk to School Day. Growing interest in participation all over the world led the International Walk to School Committee to shifts its promotion to International Walk to School Month for the entire month of October.

In the USA and Canada, International Walk to School Day galvanizes visibility for walking and bicycling to school. Over time, this event has been part of a movement for year-round safe routes to school and a celebration – with record breaking participation - each October. Today, thousands of schools across America and in more than 40 countries worldwide celebrate walking to school every October (walkbiketoschool.org).

Join us walking to school:   

2014

Friday, September 19th 

Wednesday, October 8th (international Walk to School Day)

Tuesday, November 4th

Thursday, December 4th


2015

Friday, January 9th

Wednesday, February 4th

Tuesday, March 3rd

Tuesday, April 7th

Friday, May 8th

Tuesday, June 2nd

Around town

 

First Annual Wellesley Community Diversity Summit  

Saturday, September 13, 2014   

8:00am to 12:00pm

Wellesley Community Center, 219 Washington Street

Key Note Speaker: Representative Alice Peisch

 

Free to All but please RSVP to email moh23321@aol.com 

or call 781.591.9435 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4_bdd8AKr8&list=UUT6x3lpi-8H4RGN71OmHDlw

 

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Basketball season is just around the corner!

 

Registration opened on September 5th and will be available on one easy site: www.wellesleybasketball.org.  Please visit the site for more detailed information.


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Upcoming Dates

Tuesday, September 9th
9:00a - PTO Board Meeting
6:00p - New Family Picnic (Bring Your Own Food)

Thursday, September 11th
Back to School Night (Parents Only)
6:30p - Grades 3-5
7:15p - Grades K-2
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Thursday, September 18th
6:00p - Family Ice Cream Social at Sprague Playground

Friday, September 19th
Walk to school Day

Sprague PTO Update

Dear Sprague Community,

We're off! For me personally, the start of the school year has felt like that first push off the top of a water slide: excitement, exhilaration, a tinge of fear, and the knowledge there is no turning back. We may have some twists and turns as we navigate through the year, but one of the goals is to have some fun.

Andrea Scampini and Karyn DeVito continue to work hard organizing social events for all of us. The Kindergarten coffee was a great opportunity to welcome our newest families and the New Family/ Kindergarten picnic is set for this Tuesday evening around the playground. Andrea and Karyn are also working to organize the grade-level parent socials in October, so please stay tuned for further information.

The first PTO board meeting will be held Tuesday, September 9 at 9am in the cafeteria. The main item on the agenda will be discussing PTO gifts to the school. Ms. Snyder has been gathering feedback from teachers about current needs in the school and there are also a few parent ideas. This deliberate process should ensure funds are spent effectively. Anyone can attend the meeting and listen, it is completely open. So please, if you are curious about the PTO we encourage you to drop in. 

Thursday night is Back to School Night at Sprague, where parents are invited to visit their child's classrooms and learn about plans for the year. The PTO will have a table set up in the lobby to answer questions. On the table will be volunteer sign-up sheets for various opportunities for you to engage and enhance the Sprague experience. If you are interested in being a Room Parent, please talk to your teacher directly about what is involved. 

Ms. Snyder continues to learn about us and our priorities. She has been taking a methodical approach with many activities, listening to all interested parties and trying to find opportunities to improve what is already in place. One example is the HEART award. She is absolutely committed to them, it was one of the things that attracted her to the school, but the teachers have expressed some concern about the length of morning announcements (typically when HEARTs are awarded). Please be patient as she works to get over these start-up hurdles.

Warm Regards,

Matthew McKay
Sprague PTO President

Wellesley Public School presents Strategic Plan Special Education

The Wellesley Parent Advisory Council (PAC) presents “WPS Strategic Plan and the Achievement Gap for Special Education Students”

 September 18, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, Wellesley Middle School Library

There will be a short meet and greet prior to the start of the meeting. No RSVP required! By now you have heard all about the Wellesley Public Schools’ Strategic Plan. Do you know how it will help or change how children on IEPs and 504 plans learn?

Please join us to hear Dr. Dean Blase, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, and Lori Cimeno, Director of Student Services present the WPS Strategic Plan and how it relates to students receiving special education services.

The Wellesley PAC is a district-wide, independent organization of parents and caregivers of children in Wellesley working together to enhance the education of students who learn differently. For information or to request disability accommodations for the meeting, visit www.wellesleypac.org. 

Around Town

Fiske's Wild West Round Up

Howdy! Fiske's annual Wild West Round Up comes to town on Saturday, September 20th from 10am to 2pm at Fiske Elementary School, 45 Hastings St., Wellesley. Enjoy pony rides, Moon bounce, Tubs of Fun, games, crafts, face painting, Cowboy Strut, burgers, hot dogs and much more! See y'all there rain or shine! For more information visit http://www.fiskewildwest.com/. Questions? Contact Amiee Munro at agmunro1@gmail.com or 781 235 0933.

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Friends of Wellesley Free Library Book Sale

The Friends of the Wellesley Free Libraries is holding their Fall Book Sale at the main library on Friday, September 19 from 9am-6pm, Saturday, September 20 from 9am-5pm.  On Sunday from 1-5, there will be a $7 per bag Book Sale.  All proceeds from the sale are used to support library programs for the public.  

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KIDS' TIME - Fall Classes begin September 17

Classes are filling fast for the Kids' Time Fall program!  Choose from Flag Football, Girls' and Boys' Lacrosse , Intro to Basketball, Soccer ,Baseball and Softball, Cartooning, Home Alone Workshops, and also the popular Pre-K  soccer and T-Ball.  Register online to secure a spot at www.Kidstime-Wellesley.com.  

Please e-mail any questions to wkidstime@yahoo.com or call 781-431-7760.

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North 40 Steering Committee - Public Workshops

The North 40 Steering Committee will be hosting a series of public workshops to create a vision for the potential use of the North 40 for municipal purposes.  

Sunday, September 7, 2014, 7:00 pm at Wellesley High School Cafeteria is a Neighborhood Workshop for Weston Road and Woodlands Neighbors. 

On Sunday, September 14th 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm or 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm at the Wellesley High School Cafeteria is a Town-Wide Workshop.

 

Click here for more information:  http://www.wellesleyma.gov/Pages/WellesleyMA_North40/index

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Council on Aging - Drive Some Miles and Get Smiles!

Volunteer drivers are needed to help Wellesley senior citizen residents get to various destinations in and around Wellesley (non-medical and medical rides).

 

Drivers provide rides based on their availability - there is no need to commit to a regular schedule. Leave a voicemail at 508-479-9301 or email drive@welleslyma.gov and our Coordinator will get back to you. She will send you an application and/or answer your questions. We can't wait to have you join our team!