Remember this?  It'll be in the Yearbook!

Did you enjoy Open House last month? Don't forget to order the Yearbook, and enjoy so many memories of a wonderful school year!!  Order forms available in the school lobby or on the Sprague website: http://spraguschool.org/go/newsletters/.  Share and send your own photos to myspraguephotos@gmail.com or forward hard copy or a CD to Karen Haberly.

Game Nights 

Thanks to Jessica Rosenbloom for organizing game night for fourth graders and thanks to Maura Wayman for the photo showing us what fun they had.  If you're interested in planning this fun social activity for your grade level, contact Jen Bowman jenbowman@me.com or Lynn Sanville sanvillelynn@gmail.com.

April 1   Yearbook price rises to $30 

The end of the school year is coming!  Please consider celebrating your child's year and helping us make our goals...

Sprague Organic Community Garden

Our goal is $3,500 with $2,290 collected already!

See a garden update in the Sprague has HEART section.  Click here for Order Form for Stepping Stones to support this great initiative. 

Remember Me Books  Ongoing all year for our school library

Our goal is 180 books, with 97 donated already!
Thanks to the Bogiages, Hayden, Li and Shultz families for their donations this month.
We're more than halfway into the school year, please consider helping us make our goal.  See  http://www.spragueschool.org/index.cfm?objectid=93614B89-B3F3-D3C8-C145A28DDDF939C3 to order.

And please support the 5th Graders in making their goals... 

Bargain Book Buy

Donate gently used children's and adult books, videos and DVDs.  Place in the collection box in the lobby starting Monday, April 4.  Look for our sale at the SEED Fest Sunday, May 1.  Contact Leslie Tellalian leslie@tellalian.net or Anne Marvan a.marvan@comcast.net for more info.

From the Nurse: Allergy or Cold? 

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 

Sprague Library

Leslie Tellalian welcomed everyone to the meeting and made several announcements:
· SEED Fest will be held at Sprague May 1. Phyllis Theermann is available to answer questions.
· Please start thinking about volunteer positions for next year. Board members are available to answer questions.
Dr. Goodwin gave his report:
· Big thanks to all involved with the staff/5th grade basketball game, which exceeded expectations. There was a great vibe.
· Open House Thurs., March 10. Assembly in gym from 6:30-7:15; classroom visits from 7:15-8:00.
· Staff have written grants to the Wellesley Education Foundation (WEF), and Sprague is hoping for funding. Jayne Byrne wrote a grant for iPads, and Margaret Flitsch wrote one for the community garden.
· April is National Poetry Month, and Sprague has a few events planned. April 14 will be "Poem in a Pocket Day," when everyone will be asked to bring in a poem. There also may be a poem tree, where people can hang their favorite poems.
· Thank you to Leslie Del Col for her efforts on the Haiti coin drive.
· Thank you to Lori Goldenthal for the wonderful staff board. A great addition to Sprague.
· Yolanda Tong has met with teachers to discuss Heartsongs.
· Thanks to Phyllis Theermann for her efforts on SEED Fest.
· Dr. Goodwin said he was meeting with Kathy Ashraf to talk about better flow in the parking lot.

Leslie Tellalian introduced the featured speaker, Ilissa Povich, School Committee member.

Ms. Povich described her background: She has been PTO president at four schools, has run override campaigns, and has been a Town Meeting member. She is now a member of the School Committee.

Ms. Povich talked about what the School Committee does:
1. It sets district-wide policy.
2. It reviews and hires the Superintendent of schools. It does not hire principals and teachers.
3. It sets the budget.

She talked about the current state of the budget. She said not much has happened since Jan. 24. It's recommending a 1.73 percent increase over last year's budget. The operating budget is separate from STTI (Special Tuition, Transportation and Inclusion), which is the budget for children with intensive special needs. That budget is up $1.2 million from the previous year. There are three reasons for this:
1. The state is legally obligated to reimburse the town for special-education costs that are particularly high - more than $36,000 per child. The state is obligated to fund 75 percent but has only been paying 40 percent;
2. The private schools where many of the children are outsourced have raised tuition;
3. New families have moved into town with children with special needs.

At the time of the PTO meeting, the Advisory Committee had not made a recommendation to support the School Committee's budget.

Ms. Povich said the study of the Middle School's space needs was on time and on budget and progressing well. The new High School is in great shape: ahead of schedule and under budget. The plan is for students to move into the new building in February 2012.

Ms. Povich was asked about the likelihood of redistricting in the next few years. She said that potentially will happen because of the divergence in class sizes among the elementary schools. She said the School Committee cares very much about equity among the schools and that Bella Wong looks at the possibility of redistricting each year. She said it was a possibility that one of the elementary schools might be closed several years down the road and that redistricting may happen within the next few years. She said the School Committee would not be overly concerned about how many times a neighborhood has been redistricted because it's been long enough since it last happened. The committee does not want a child redistricted twice in elementary school, but since it has not happened for several years, that's not an issue.

She discussed the state of the elementary school buildings, saying certain buildings will need to be replaced or repaired in the not-too-distant future. The committee may start a study soon to look at the needs of all the buildings.

There was a discussion of Wellesley spending vs. other comparable towns on per pupil spending and teacher salaries. Ms. Povich said the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data is the most accurate and helpful, but depending on the town, per pupil spending may include different costs such as building maintenance. Data is hard to collect and to know exactly what is included, so "apples to apples" comparisons are difficult. The School Committee does have teacher salary comparisons it's using during contract negotiations, but because of the complexity of the "steps and lanes," even these are not exact comparisons.

Ms. Povich concluded by saying all of the community input they've received during the budget process has been very helpful.

Leslie announced that the film "Race to Nowhere" was to be screened at the High School (later changed to the Middle School) on March 16, and people should reserve tickets. She said the April PTO meeting date and time is being finalized and will be announced soon.  

Respectfully submitted by PTO Secretary Suzanne Fletcher 

Kinderkick Soccer

April 1 TODAY is the deadline for registration, available online at www.wellesleysoccer.org.  Sprague still needs parent coach volunteers, with opportunities also for fifth graders as assistant coaches! Contact Sprague Coordinator Angie Gakidis amgakidis@yahoo.com for more info. 

Notes from WPS Performing Arts
Thursday, April 7 - Footnotes Dance Concert - Jr. and HS Moving Company Dancers, Invited Guest Schools Dance Concert - MS Auditorium - 7:00 pm ($)
Wednesday, April 13 - HS & MS Jazz Step Up Concert - MS Auditorium - 7:00 pm
Thursday, April 14 - Boston Gay Mens & HS Choruses Concert - MS Auditorium - 7:00 pm
Wednesday, April 27 - HS & MS Band Concert - WMS Auditorium - 7:00 pm
See the complete calendar of events on the website http://www.wellesley.k12.ma.us/programs/pages/PA/index.html    

Re-Cycles Bicycle Collection and Bake Sale
Saturday, April 9,  9:30 am - 12:00 pm at Bates Elementary School, 116 Elmwood Road (Rain or Shine)
Got old bicycles in the garage? Bring them in to donate to one of three organizations: Bikes Not Bombs, Cradles to Crayons and the YMCA of Greater Boston. Used bikes and parts for all ages, adult and children, are welcome. Bake sale proceeds go to the three charities. $10 voluntary cash donations to Bikes Not Bombs are appreciated, but totally optional. Receipts for tax deduction purposes will be available on site. 100% of all bike equipment and donations go the three organizations.

The Re-Cycles Project team is staffed by Bates Elementary school students and their family members. Last year, three Wellesley kids looked at the old bikes in their garages and talked to their parents about how they could get the bikes to kids who needed them. But the kids didn't stop there - they also thought about all of the unused bikes sitting in garages all over Wellesley. The kids and their parents talked it over with friends, and from those conversations, the Re-Cycles group was born. On its first collection day in 2010, the group teamed up with three charities and collected over 100 bikes! Each of these organizations makes sure that the bikes go to people who need them. Bikes Not Bombs (BNB) has a bike shop in Jamaica Plain where they repair and sell used bikes, hold bike repair classes, and train young people as bike mechanics. BNB also repairs and ships bicycles to people in Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean Islands, where the bikes are used for transportation, for pedal-powered technologies, and in micro-enterprise. Cradles to Crayons and the Greater Boston YMCA distribute bikes to youth centers in the greater Boston area where kids don't have access to bikes. Questions? Contact recyclesproject@gmail.com 

Wellesley Youth Football Registration 

Monday, April 11 at 8:00 am  

Registration for new players in Grades 2 through 7 begins.  For more information and to register, go to wellesleyyouthfootball.com.  Please contact Anne Marvan at wyf.player.reg@gmail.com with any questions. 

Legal Protections to Prevent Bullying of Students with Disabilities

Wednesday, April 13 at 7:00pm in the WMS Library, 40 Kingsbury Street

Has your child been bullied or are you concerned s/he is wrongly perceived as one?  Is your child on an IEP?  Has the school addressed bullying to your satisfaction?

Come to this informative workshop to learn how your child can benefit from the new Massachusetts bullying prevention and intervention law - how to address bullying in your child's IEP and to create a safe and supportive school for all children. Julie Landau, Esq. and Senior Project Director for Massachusetts Advocates for Children, will be presenting.

Should you require disability accommodations for this event, please email wellesleypac@yahoo.com.

11th Annual Wellesley Earth Day Clean-up

Saturday, April 16 at 9:30am-12pm, meet in the Town parking lot at the intersection of Rt. 16 (Washington Street) and River Street near the Newton line.

The Wellesley Natural Resources Commission will hold its 11th Annual Earth Day Clean-Up along the Charles River.  Volunteers of all ages are asked to come help keep Wellesley clean and green. Bring work gloves and wear appropriate clothing and shoes.  Free T-shirts and refreshments will be provided to all.  For more information contact Janet Hartke Bowser, NRC Executive Director at 781-431-1019 ext. 2294.

WHS 2012 Junior Auction  
Saturday, April 30 from 7:00 - 9:30 pm in the WHS cafeteria.  Free admission and everyone is invited for a fantastic auction and don't miss event!  Check our website www.juniorauction.weebly.com for more info and items available for bid.

An exciting event offering a wide array of items for every taste, budget and desire, including:  vacation homes (in Costa Rica, Martha's Vineyard, Chicago, Vegas, the Cape), Red Sox/Patriots/Celtics/Bruins tickets, Taylor Swift tickets, Brady football, Ovechkin jersey, babysitting, music lessons, sports clinics, dump runs and loads of great surprises.  Money raised from the auction will defray costs for the Junior Boat Cruise, the 2012 Senior Prom, Senior Banquet, and other Senior Week activities. All of these activities will be memorable occasions for our high school students and your support of this auction will help the Class of 2012 continue these WHS traditions.  Join us for this community wide event!

The House and Garden Club of Wellesley Fundraiser 
Saturday, May 7 8:00 am - 12:00 pm sale at the Transfer Station and Captain Marden's.  Blooming geraniums, new guinea impatiens and mixed pastels in several sizes just in time for Mother's Day!

Annual spring fundraiser to maintain Wellesley Schools' butterfly gardens used in the science curriculum (at Hunnewell, Upham, Hardy, Fiske and Schofield) and for other civic projects in Wellesley's public areas and community, such as Central Park.  Also see the attached pre-sale order form.  Pre-sale forms are due April 13, for order pick up on May 5 or May 6.   

The 5th Annual Wellesley-Weston PMC Kids Ride  http://kids.pmc.org/
Saturday, June  8:30 am -11:30 am at Babson College, Wellesley

Rider and volunteer registration for PMC Kids Ride alumni and their families opens on April 7.  General registration opens April 14.  

What do you get when you combine 750 kids, 750 bicycles, and a mission?  You get closer to the cure for cancer!  You get tons of fun!   You get the 5^th Annual Wellesley-Weston PMC Kids Ride!  Hundreds ride!  We need you and your friends to help cure cancer by joining this year's ride!  Last year's ride raised more than $115,000 for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy Fund and this year we intend to raise even more!!  Celebrate at the finish line with music, games, food, and a raffle with fantastic prizes.

3 Route Options:

·       Road Challenge Route (ages 9-13):  Chaperoned, gently sloping off-campus 3 ½ - or 7 mile circuit

·       Campus Adventure Route (ages 6-10):  Ride this 1 ¼ mile loop on the Babson campus as many times as you want

·       Tot Lot:  Fun-filled obstacle course for little bikers

Register online.  Go to http://kids.pmc.org/ and click on Rides, then click on Wellesley-Weston 2011, and click Register to Ride.  Then start fundraising!  Every dollar you raise makes a difference.

We need adults and teens 14+ to volunteer.  We need help running activities including face painting, staffing water stops, riding as route marshals, supervising games, and serving food.  Click on "Volunteer Registration" on the website to sign up. 

Schofield Shoppers Corner  

Where can you find gently worn designer and high quality clothing for your entire family right here in Wellesley? Schofield Elementary's very own resale boutique, located in the lower level of Schofield Elementary School at 27 Cedar St. - just follow the signs to the lower level. Open during the school year:
· every Wednesday from 8:30am to 12:15pm and
· the first Saturday of every month from 10am to noon See attached form for discount coupon. 

Wellesley Scholarship Foundation The Wellesley Scholarship Foundation (WSF) has provided aid to college bound Wellesley residents since 1951. Please consider donating; see attached letter.

The HEARTBEAT  

We hope you enjoyed our special April Fool's issue.  No fooling, just jokes for your amusement and a reminder that kids bring such lightness to our lives.

"Anyone who thinks the art of conversation is dead ought to tell a child to go to bed."  Robert Gallagher

Issued first Friday of month by the Sprague School PTO.  Please email Yolanda Tong bytong@verizon.net  to submit items.  We welcome your pictures and contributions. Thanks to Jennett Murphy for this issue's spring pictures, to remind us that today's snow will be gone eventually! Deadlines for upcoming issues are:

• submit by 4/25 for May issue
• submit by 5/23 for June issue