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| FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 | ||||||
| SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | SATURDAY |
| 12 | 13 | 14 METCO Late Bus |
Tennis Registration Begins Yoga Registration Begins |
16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 FEBRUARY RECESS |
21 FEBRUARY RECESS |
22 FEBRUARY RECESS |
23 FEBRUARY RECESS |
24 Spelling Bee Registration Due |
25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 Assembly: Harriet Tubman |
1 | 2 Spelling Bee |
3 |
I wanted to inform all families that the 2012-2013 school calendar has been approved by the School Committee and is posted to the district website. Each year, every district is required to schedule 180 school days plus an additional 5 snow days. If our district had followed the traditional scheduling formula, with a return for teachers for two professional days no earlier than September 1st, the school year calendar, with the additional 5 snow days would have ended on July 2nd. In an attempt to formulate a school calendar that would provide a more reasonable ending date, the district sought input from all constituencies: teachers, parents, and administrators. All parties agreed that it was in the best interest of students to find a reasonable solution to this problem. Teachers agreed to return to school for their Professional Days prior to the contractual guideline of September 1st. To further help to offset the scheduling challenges, it was decided that the district would eliminate the three religious holidays that have been recognized in the past. It was determined that this change would be considered a one-year pilot. Parents will, of course, have the option to keep their children at home for religious observances. Thus, the first day of school for students will be Tuesday, September 4th (a full day Tuesday). The last scheduled day of school will be June 18th. I hope that you find this information helpful to you in your planning for the year ahead.
February school vacation begins at the end of the day on Friday. I hope that all students and families enjoy a fun and relaxing vacation. When we return to school after vacation, students will have two PTG sponsored events in March. The Willard Spelling Bee is scheduled for March 2nd and Willard Math Night is scheduled for March 16th. Please mark your calendars!
April begins with the annual Willard Talent Show on Sunday afternoon on April 1st. This year’s show, Foolin’ Around, is sure to be fabulous. A record number of students have registered to participate. Please mark your calendars for this event too!
Willard Kindergarten Registration has been scheduled for April 24th and April 26th. Based on information from the Town Census, preliminary letters have been sent to families who have children eligible to attend kindergarten during the 2012-2013 school year. If you have a child who will be 5 years of age by August 31st and you did not receive a letter, please contact the Willard office. If you know of another family who should have received a letter and did not, please encourage them to contact us. More information will follow. We have received calls from families who were not on our original list. Thank you for spreading the word.
As always, thank you for all you do for Willard School.
- Pat Fernandes
Parents of 5th Graders, mark your calendars for Friday, March 23th 7pm for the 5th Grade Parent Social. Invitations with full event details will be sent after February break
Tickets for the 2012 Willard Talent Show, "April Foolin' Around", are now available for sale online online! Please be aware that we are asking families to limit their ticket purchases to five(5) tickets per family so that we can accommodate all families. Order tickets at Talent Show Tickets
In years past, the Willard PTG has hosted an annual Book Swap. We would love to continue this tradition, but we need a parent to coordinate the effort. The task would not involve much work - managing book drop boxes, organizing the books for the swap day, and donating unswapped books to the Concord Library. If you ware interested in helping, please contact the PTG presidents at president@willardptg.org. Thank you.
You are reading the Willard Weekly... so please tell us what you like or don't like about it! The PTG is conducting a quick online survey. There are only 10 questions, and it should take no more than two minutes of your time. Please respond to the survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7L37GNB.
Also, the Willard Communications Team is attempting to rebuild the Willard website using WordPress and is looking for parents who are knowledgeable in WordPress or IT services (or would like to learn). As little as a 1/2 hour of your time may help us! If you are interested in assisting, please contact Kathleen at webmaster@willardptg.org. Thank you.
Calling all spellers in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades! The 2012 Willard Spelling Bee will take place on Friday, March 2 from 5-8 p.m. in the Willard cafeteria. Please note that this is a change from the previous years; in an effort to reduce conflicts with Saturday commitments, this year's Spelling Bee has been changed to a Friday night. 3rd graders participate as teams and there is no elimination. 4th graders participate as teams and there is elimination. New this year: 5th graders may participate as teams or as individuals and there is elimination. Each teams needs one parent coach. This is a fun event and we hope to see many of you there! Registration forms are due by Friday, February 24. For more information please contact Madeleine Pooler (madeleine@pooler.com) or Kendra Pavlik (kpavlik@verizon.net).
“Food Fight” screening & discussion with Scott Soares, MA Commissioner of Agricultural Resources and J.D. Kemp, CEO of Organic Renaissance FOODExFriday, February 17th, 7:30-9:30 PM, Alcott School
Come early! Commissioner Soares will be here to meet the public at 7 PM.
Our speakers will bring us up to date on initiatives in our Northeast regional food system as well as the impact of the 2012 Farm Bill on farm land conservation, small farms and consumers. Join the discussion about our food network.How did it happen that our food today is lower in taste and nutrition, and higher in fat and salt, than it was in 1960? And that in just two generations, American consumers of food have traded under-supply and malnutrition for excess and obesity? Food Fight tells the story. Winner of the prestigious Audience Award from the International Documentary Association, the film features interviews with Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Marion Nestle, and other chefs, farmers, and politicians who are dedicated to reversing recent trends. This film screening is co-hosted by ConcordCAN and the Walden Woods Project. Learn more at: www.concordfood.ning.com If Concord Schools are closed due to bad weather, the program will be cancelled.
The Social Action Community Board at First Parish in Concord is presenting “Chicken Man, the Musical,” on March 2, 3, 9 and 10 at 7:30pm. Set in the Brazilian rainforest, the play addresses issues of environmental sustainability and local empowerment. While the message is serious, it is presented with humorous dialogue and lively music by a multi-generational cast. Accessible to all ages, there is a theme of hope woven throughout. Tickets are $15 for adults; $8 for children; $35 family maximum. For further information see http://sac.firstparish.org/cms/chickenman.