The Item Newsletter, Issue #20, May 31, 2015
NEW For The 2015 - 2016 School Year
Traditionally the first day of school at Hubbard Woods is marked by reunions, introductions to new teachers, and a flurry of parents writing checks and handing in forms.

This Fall the PTO hopes to streamline the back-to-school payment process by putting everything online and allowing parents to pay ahead of school's re-opening.

In mid-August you will receive an email from the PTO (as well as a paper reminder from the school) directing you to log onto the PTO's website to make your back-to-school payments. With a few clicks of a button you will be able to pay for the following:
  • School Supplies
  • Yearbooks
  • Pizza Fun Lunch
  • School Directories 
  • Birthdays Books
  • Teachers' Gifts
Online payment worked well for both the Parent-Faculty Party and Mayfest this year. We hope to continue along this line in the Fall as it reduces paperwork and simplifies accounting. Please note, if you prefer to pay by check you may still do so on the first day of school.
This Week and Next
Monday, June 1, 5-7 PM
Kindergarten Picnic, Hubbard Woods Playground
Thursday, June 4, 7:45-8:30 AM
Fourth Grade Farewell, Hubbard Woods Auditorium
Thursday, June 4
Last Day of School, 2:45 PM Dismissal
Lunch Box
Re-Scheduled Hot Lunches Being Served
This Monday and Tuesday 
Whenever possible Kiddos tries to reschedule snow/cold-weather closure day lunches. Two closure day lunches from January and February have been rescheduled for this Week:

Lunches ordered for January 7 are rescheduled for Monday, June 1

Lunches ordered for February 2 are rescheduled for Tuesday, June 2

Please check your Kiddos confirmed order to confirm you did have a lunch ordered on either of these dates.  You can refer back to the Kiddos email that was sent to you on May 17 for a summary of your orders if you placed any during that time period. Questions? Contact Michelle at Kiddos, support@kiddoscatering.com
News and Notes
Questions? Please contact Regi Carfagnini, rcarfagnini@gmail.com  
THE HUBBARD WOODS PTO NEEDS YOU!
Volunteer to help the PTO next year. It's a great way to get involved at Hubbard Woods School. Please complete the Volunteer Interest Form TODAY by CLICKING HERE.

It takes a village of wonderful parent volunteers to successfully run our many PTO programs like the book fair, world travelers, art smart, pizza fun lunch, field day, math night, buddy families and the yearbook. We have opportunities to fit every interest and schedule. Please take 5 minutes to fill out the form and indicate which committees you might be interested in helping with next school year. Questions can be directed to the PTO at HubbardWoodsPTO@gmail.com.
Buddy Families Needed
Each August we welcome many new families to the Hubbard Woods School community. You can help make their transitions easier by volunteering to be a Buddy Family!  

 

As a Buddy Family you will be paired with a new family with children similar in age. There is a get-to-know-you playground playdate and school tour for the new families the week before school starts.  It's a great opportunity to show your HW community spirit and meet new friends at the same time!  If you'd like to be a Buddy Family please contact Nidhi Singh (chicagonidhi@gmail.com) or Stephanie Meyer (stephaniemeyer27@yahoo.com).
Want Your Contact Information Included In The Hubbard Woods Directory?
This year the PTO will be collecting School Directory information via the Winnetka Public Schools online registration system (registration is now open). This will be your only chance to submit student/parent information for inclusion in both the paper and mobile directories, so please be sure to complete this section. Questions? Contact Lori Miralles at lmiralles22@aol.com
A ZEN LIBRARIAN - By Todd Burleson
WGST 3.0
What does WGST stand for? It's the World's Greatest Student Television station of course! If you want to learn about how the station is changing over the summer, click HERE. We are pretty sure you'll be impressed!
Kudos
Birthday Books 
The inaugural year of Hubbard Wood School's Birthday Book program was a huge success! Thank you to parents and families for participating in this new initiative to recognize students birthdays, foster a love of reading and enhance the resource center's book collection. Due to the support of our families (nearly 90% participation), we were able to add 150 new books to the HW library. Students were recognized on their birthdays by selecting a new book to add to the library, having their picture taken to display on RC bulletin board and adding a special personalized nameplate to the book.  We are happy to report that the program will continue next year. A special thank you to Todd Burleson, Amy Trogdan, Lois Peterson and the PTO committee: 
Linda O'Toole, chair, Sarah Boulos, Courtney Mathey, Heather Boulanger, Sarah Ko, Brooke Helmstetter, Gina Fechheimer, Dianne Cook and Rachel Kozina 

A huge thank you to co-chairs Andrea Mercuri and 
Annie Ross along with the many dedicated parent volunteers and the amazing Hubbard Woods faculty and staff who made Field Day a tremendous success!

Lastly, thank you to Nat Roberts for putting together a wonderful 2nd Grade Bike Rodeo. What a great way to reinforce the importance of bicycle safety!
Community News
Park-A-Day Challenge 
The Alliance for Early Childhood will host its annual Park A Day Challenge from Monday, June 8 through Friday, June 12 from 9am-noon each day. Click here for a detailed schedule of parks and activities.