Hello Spraguewell Community!

The Book Fair was a huge success and we are so grateful to everyone who contributed to the event - especially our librarian Roxanne Scott for welcoming us into her space and to our kids for having such great taste in books! There's a lot happening at Sprague and in the community. Scroll down for spooky updates. Happy Halloween! 

Best,
Sneha & Rose

A BUNCH OF THANKS! 

Because of your kids' excellent taste in books, 

Sprague raised a whopping $2852.95 at the Book Fair!

To our Book Fair Volunteers and to everyone who made this event a success - we owe you all a huge thank you! And to all those who chose to round up and donate to the All Books Fund - thank you so very much for providing our library with book funds!

Don't forget - the Book Fair is still going online until 

October 27th!

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/spragueschool

And to all of our Sprague Garden Fall Clean Up Volunteers - this year's garden clean up was a huge effort and we are truly grateful for everyone's time and effort in getting the garden winter ready! 

PTO MEETING

There was a nasty rumor going around that the PTO meetings are only meant for those hold Chair positions so that we may cast spells and make sacrifices to ensure a good school year. Not true! Everyone is invited join us in calling on the four corners! 

The meetings are an inside track into what's happening at Spraguewell and attending does not commit you to anything - though we'd love for you join in on any events or projects that interest you!

So bundle up, bring a fleece blanket and join us in the playground pavilion. 

Friday, November 4th at 8:45am

Upcoming Meetings:

HALLOWEEN PARADE YEARBOOK PHOTOS

Parents! Please forward along your photos of the Halloween Parade to the email below. Thank you! 

Submit your Sprague photos to the yearbook at spraguepto@gmail.com

SPRAGUE SCHOOL PTO DONATION ANNUAL APPEAL

Thank you to the 40% of Sprague Families who have donated!

Our goal is 100% family participation in the Annual Appeal. 

The ideal donation is $65 per student, though any amount makes a significant impact. Please give what you are able so that our community can continue to provide programs and events for the students during the school.

If you would like to donate via PayPal or Venmo visit

https://www.spragueschoolpto.com/giving

and click the "DONATE"  on the right hand side of the page.

PTO donations are 100% tax deductible ( ask if your employer matches). 

Employer Tax ID: 01-0694293

CREATIVE ARTS AND SCIENCES (CAS) UPDATE

Ever ask your kids, "did anything exciting happen at school today?" and get the answers, "Nothing," or "I don't remember" in return? If you're looking for better conversation starters to get them talking, check in with the Pulse each week for details about Creative Arts & Sciences (CAS) events! As a reminder, your PTO donations fund these informative, hands-on lessons. Thank you for your kind contributions! 

Questions about CAS? Contact Wendy Englebardt.

Classroom Visit Spotlight:

Date: October 27th

Grade: 4th

Event: Geology Walks with Lisa Moore from the Wellesley Natural Resources Commission

Students will join Lisa for a walk around campus to learn more about local geology. A Wellesley resident, Lisa is a skilled science educator with many years of experience in classrooms and in nature. The walk will encourage children to think more broadly about their community and the importance of protecting our environment.

Date: October 27th

Grade: 5th

Event: Sun & Moon Phases with John Covey

GRADE SOCIALS

Each fall a family from each grade hosts a parent get together at their home. All parents are welcome and typically food and drinks are provided pot luck style, with the hosts sending out a Sign up Genius to the grade for those who wish to participate in contributing. 

We are still looking for party hosts in Grades K, 1, 3, & 4

If you are interested in hosting a grade level parent and caregiver social at your home please email spraguepto@gmail.com.

JOIN THE SPRAGUEWELL TURKEY TROT TEAM

Run!! A huge thanks to Jenny Lee for creating a Spraguewell team for the 2022 Wellesley Turkey Trot! 

REGISTER HERE

Instructions: 

• To join the Spraguewell team, click 'Join a Team' on the Registration page
• Then click 'Spraguewell Elementary' under the "Select Your Team" dropdown list (screenshots below)

Questions? Reach out Jenny (leejennyh@gmail.com) and she'll point you in the right direction.

GREEN TEAM MEMBERS WANTED

The Green Team is a group of people who work with students, teachers, administration as well as other schools via Wellesley Green Schools to reduce the Sprague's ecological footprint and inspire students to become ecologically-minded citizens.

The projects we have accomplished in the past:

• Recycling in the cafeteria
• Cafeteria Food pantry donation
• Book Swap
• Donated Lanyards to school office
• Promoting Car line Anti-idling
• Recycling/Zero Waste Lunch Raffles
• Ongoing – Sprague Vegetable Garden (managed by the Garden Committee)

Just a few years ago, the Sprague Green Team was recognized by the Mass DEP for its effort to increase recycling and pollution prevention in the school and community, and won the grand prize!!  We have accomplished so much and would love to keep things going!

If you are a green-minded person and want to help school become more green, this position is for you. 

If you are interested or want to know more, please contact SpragueGreenTeam@gmail.com  

Both Sprague and Hunnewell parents are welcome!

WALK, RIDE, & ROLL TO SCHOOL - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

Can you volunteer for 45 minutes to help with Sprague/Hunnewell Walk, Bike or Roll to School? This monthly event is a great tradition and the kids love collecting their footies! 

Volunteer time is 8:00am - 8:45am. Volunteers help with table setup, assisting kids with signing in, and table breakdown. Available dates are in the SignUpGenius form. 

Questions? Contact Katherine MacRostie at kmacrostie@gmail.com & Doreen Barrett at mabarrett2012@gmail.com.

Sign Up Here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080844A5AF2FA02-spraguehunnewell

EYES ON OWLS

Marcia and Mark Wilson, Eyes on Owls

teacher/naturalist and author/photographer/naturalist

Thursday, October 27, 2022 – 6:30pm

Wellesley Free Library

Join Marcia and Mark Wilson and SIX Live Owls for an exciting evening.  Learn owl field markings and skills you can use to find owls in the wild.  Participate in a hooting lesson and see owls up close and personal. 

For all ages.

Halloween Costumes and Masks are optional

Come one and All – It will be a Hoooot!!!

The Wellesley Conservation Land Trust is our local 501(c)(3) non-profit land trust that protects 14 sanctuaries across more than 45 acres of natural land in Wellesley and bordering lands in Needham and Weston. More information about our mission, the sanctuaries and membership can be found at WellesleyConservationLandTrust.org. 

ADD SOME MEANING TO YOUR HALLOWEENING

As we have for the past 70+ years, Wellesley residents can continue to support UNICEF initiatives through our participation in the transformed Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign.  

This year, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has reimagined the infamous little orange box into a new experience with a digital toolkit that invites everyone to “Add Some Meaning to Your Halloweening”! A QR code will take the user directly to the ToT UNICEF website for fun, games, world maps, and donations. Families, Kids, Gen Z, and Millenials can:

• print out a coloring page that has a QR code on it;
  print out a poster w/QR code for use at private parties, festivals, and parades;
• printable canister w/QR code wrapper that fits around a clean soup can as an option to collect coins instead of using the QR code;
  people can join physically, virtually, or both;
• use a ghoulish filter on Facebook or Instagram
• 
  

Check out this year’s creepy video here
For posters, props, etc., please get in touch with susanzelenko@verizon.net

PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL (PAC)

Come meet the new Director of Student Services!  Kat Bernklow will be the attending the first PAC coffee of the year.  The introductory coffee will be at 9-10:30am on Thursday, November 3rd at the home of Christine Mizzi at 16 Suffolk Road. Please feel free to bring a friend or forward to someone that you think may benefit from meeting others within the PAC community. 

Upcoming Meetings:

Thursday, November 3, 2022

Thursday, December 1, 2022

Thursday, January 5, 2023

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Thursday, March 2, 2023

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Thursday, June 1, 2023

RUN THE BOSTON MARATHON FOR FWMI

Are you interested in running the Boston Marathon in support of Friends of Wellesley METCO, Inc? We’re looking for someone to lace up their shoes, tackle 26.2 miles on the historic course, while supporting the educational experience of the 154 METCO students in Wellesley Public Schools. 

• Applications are due by November 14th by 5 pm. 
• If you’re interested in receiving the application or have any questions, please contact Erica MacInnes, Boston marathon runner and Friends of Wellesley Metco Inc. board member at emacinnes14@gmail.com or 617-784-9428.

You can make a difference by running for FWMI. The Friends of Wellesley METCO, Inc is an independent charitable ordination program dedicated to helping Wellesley's METCO students make the most of the education opportunities and enriching experiences provided by the METCO program.

WELLESLEY YOUTH HOCKEY LEARN TO PLAY HOCKEY

Wellesley Youth Hockey is proud to offer our Learn to Play Hockey (LTP) programs as part of a multi-year introduction for those new to the sport of hockey. We encourage you to register your child born in 2016, 2017 or 2018 (or older kids who may want to skate for the first time) for the upcoming Learn to Play or Pre-Mite Development programs. We look forward to seeing you on the ice during the 2022-23 season! 

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN 

Click HERE to register your skater

Start Date:  October 18, 2022, thru March 2023 (35-40 sessions)

Season Schedule:

Tuesdays at 5PM-6PM (Chris Hontvet-led practice)

Fridays at 5PM-5:50PM (Driscoll Skills)

Saturday mornings: Time TBD (Coaches/Volunteers/Parent-led practice with direction from WYH and USA Hockey)

Where: Boston Sports Institute (Wellesley, MA)

SPECIAL EDUCATION - STUDENT SERVICES

For your information, please review the Wellesley Parent Rights Presentation:

Parents, Students and Schools as Partners Rights and Responsibilities in Special Education

Morning infromation may be found at: 

https://wellesleyps.org/teaching-learning/student-services/special-education/

44TH  ANNUAL WELLESLEY MARKETPLACE

Saturday, November 19, 2022

9 a.m.-4 p.m.

(9 a.m. – 10 a.m. for premium admission ticket-holders only)

Wellesley High School, 50 Rice St., Wellesley, MA 02481

Tickets: 

VIP admission tickets $25 (provides early entry from 9-10 a.m. and a complimentary tote bag),

General admission $20 (at door), or $15 (advance purchase).

Purchase Tickets Here: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wellesley-marketplace-2022-tickets-438543524487?aff=Swellesley

Instagram: @wellesleymarketplace

Facebook: @Wellesley-Marketplace

WELLESLEY GREEN SCHOOLS OCTOBER TIP OF THE MONTH: VIRTUAL COSTUME SWAP!

You know the scariest part of Halloween? Buying a new costume when there are so many hiding in the back of our closets that have only been worn for a few hours!!! Clean out your closets and bring Dorothy, Harry Potter and those Ninja Turtles back to life!!! You’ll feel good because your closet is cleaner and Mother Nature will thank you for cutting down on waste! Join the Facebook groups Wellesley Give and Take and/or Buy Nothing Wellesley, MA both of which are open to Wellesley residents who are looking for a new home for their treasures.  You can even post an "In Search Of" (ISO) if you are looking for a specific costume.  You might be surprised to see how the community comes together to help you out!!  If you are not on Facebook, maybe someone can post for you!  Happy Swapping!!

THE SPRAGUE 2022-2023 PTO BOARD

Co-Presidents: Sneha Patel & Rose Nolan

Co-Vice Presidents: Sita Mehta Merchea & Liz Sower

Treasurer: Hande Alparslan & Jill Wells

Creative Arts and Sciences: Wendy Englebardt

Secretary: Katie Sullivan

Communications: Liz Sower

Social Co-Chairs: Dena Giggie & Sangita Kalidas

Social Media Chair: Catherine Cerio

Spirit Wear Chair: OPEN POSITION

Auction Chair: Bry Tartamella

Yearbook Coordinator: Jenny Lee & Julie Covino Vogel

METCO Liaisons: Katie Sullivan & Kasia Schwarzman

Walk-to-School Coordinators: Katherine MacRostie & Doreen Barrett

Green Team: OPEN POSITION

Sprague Garden Masters: Tomoe Harrison, Margaret Flitsch, Xiaojing Su, & Rose Nolan

Sprague Elementary needs your help! In order to organize and facilitate all the wonderful programs for our kids, we need an amazing PTO Board to get the job done!

Please email spraguepto@gmail.com with any questions.

SPRAGUE SOCIAL MEDIA

Hi Guys! Today I just wanted to like, share our social media links with you. Be sure to like and follow! Thanks, byeeeee!

Instagram  @sprague_pto

and

Facebook  @spraguePTO

SPRAGUE SCHOOL FAMILY DIRECTORY 

Clickthis link to access our Directory and create/update your account and be sure to download the Membership Toolkit app onto your phone!

This will ensure that you are included in the 2022-23 Family Directory and that you will receive Sprague PTO communications.

AMAZON SHOPPERS HELP SPRAGUE

Did you know that every purchase you make at Amazon.com could - at no added cost to you - send a donation to our PTO?

A percentage of each sale adds up to major financial support for our school, especially during the holiday season. Follow these three easy steps:

1. Sign in to your account using this link EVERY TIME you make a purchase: https://smile.amazon.com

2. Set your Charity (found under Account Settings) to "Sprague School Parent Teacher Organization Inc. Wellesley, MA".

3. Make your purchase! Questions? More details can be found here.