Originally delivered on 10/31/2022 7:41 am

SUBJECT: Sprague PULSE - Week of October 31, 2022

Week of October 31, 2022

Hello Spraguewell Community!

Hoping you can join us for our PTO Meeting this Friday at 8:45am at the playground pavilion (just don't forget to bundle up)! Be sure to check out the sign up for Sprague's Turkey Trot Team below with thanks to Jenny Lee for organizing it for us. 

Wishing you all safe and happy trick or treating tonight!


Best,
Sneha & Rose

SpragueSchoolPTO.com
For Everyday Sprague

PTO MEETING

Our monthly Parent Teacher Organization meetings are your inside track into what's happening at Spraguewell - all are welcome! 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 a hot drink and join us in the playground pavilion. 

Friday, November 4th at 8:45am


Upcoming Meetings:

  • Wednesday, December 7, 2022 
  • Friday, January 6, 2023 (via Zoom - link to come)
  • Tuesday, February 7, 2023 (via Zoom - link to come)
  • Friday, March 10, 2023 (via Zoom - link to come)
  • Tuesday, April 4, 2023 
  • Wednesday, May 3, 2023


THANK YOU!

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! 

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 spragueschoolphotos@gmail.com


SPRAGUE SCHOOL PTO DONATION ANNUAL APPEAL


Thank you to the 41% 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.

RECENT CAS EVENTS:


5th Grade Event: Dr. John Covey (formerly a researcher for NASA)

John explained how incredibly powerful the Sun is before demonstrating the unimaginable distance that stretches between our Sun and the nearest star. Next, he demonstrated and explained the concept, design, and operation of a solar sail spacecraft that could cover that incredible distance in just a few decades. The potentially habitable planet around the target star and its similarity to our Moon was then discussed. Did you know? NASA's incredible resource SpacePlace is filled with activities for children of all ages!


4th Grade Event: Geology Walks with Lisa Moore, Education & Outreach Coordinator at the Wellesley Natural Resources Commission

Lisa is a skilled science educator and her experience both in the classroom and in nature was evident as she walked the Sprague campus with 4th grade students. The children learned about local geology and the importance of protecting our environment. Bring more of Lisa's lessons into your home with these free resources!

GRADE SOCIALS

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

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. 

If you are considering hosting a parent social and have questions about logistics or anything hosting related - please don't hesitate to reach out. Email Liz Sower (lizsower13@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.

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


HELP! 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!


For Your Community

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)

Join the PAC at our monthly coffee on Thursday, November 3 at 9am at the home of Christine Mizzi at 16 Suffolk Road. 


If you are unable to make a weekday morning event, we will also be meeting on Monday, November 7 at The Local at 7 pm! Join us!


If you are unable to attend this coffee, following are the dates for the remaining coffees in the 2022-2023 school year. All of them are on Thursday mornings as they have been for the past few years. The coffees will be hosted at the home of Christine Mizzi at 16 Suffolk Road from 9-10:30 am. 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, 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

WELLESLEY FIELD FUND

The Wellesley Field Fund (WFF) has launched its Phase II campaign to raise $1.5M to get lights, team rooms/bathrooms, and a new sound system installed at the WHS Track & Field.

Students can jump into the fundraising action with WFF’s new matching program: Challenge Match! The goal of Challenge Match is to match group fundraising efforts as follows:

Match of up to $10K:

  • Interested elementary schools
  • WHS sports teams
  • Non-field town sports leagues

Match of up to $25K:

  • WPS classes (2023-2029)
  • Town field sports leagues


WFF is thrilled to announce matches have already been secured for Wellesley RedZone, WPS Class of 2025, and WHS Boys Soccer with many more to come.


Get on the Wall

Also, any individual, family, or group who raises/donates at least $1,000 will be included on the Phase II donor wall at WHS Track & Field. Join a community invested in play and get on the wall!

Check HERE to see if your child’s team/class/school has started a fundraising group. If not, encourage them to coordinate with peers to get one up and running – it’s easy to do and the impact is big!

To Learn More/Donate:

  • Visit www.Wellesleyfieldfund.com
  • Text “FieldFund” to 53-555
  • Scan the QR code
  • EIN 47-2147009

Questions?

Please email ContactUs@wellesleyfieldfund.com


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.

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


For Your Information

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.

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