Week of January 30, 2023

Hello Spraguewell Community!

If you haven't yet, be sure to buy your Sprague Pasta Night Tickets. Tickets are now available for the whole Wellesley Community - tell your friends and make a night of it! Don't forget - there is a Take Out option too if you want to just grab and go!

Please consider volunteering to help at the event HERE.

As with all of our PTO fundraising efforts, the success of Pasta Night depends upon our incredible parent volunteers. This evening will raise money for all of the amazing CAS Events, field trips, yearbooks and more that our kids benefit from throughout the year!

And stay tuned - our virtual Sprague Raffle starts this Wednesday!!

As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns!

Best,
Sneha & Rose

SpragueSchoolPTO.com

For Everyday Sprague

SPRAGUE GEAR

Grab your Sprague gear year round at our online store.

January 30th is the last day to get 25% off your order!

Use code: SPIRIT129 at checkout

THE SPRAGUE SPIRIT WEAR SHOP

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

Our next Walk, Ride & Roll to school day is Wednesday, February 1st

Sign Up Here to Volunteer:

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

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.

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!

Join Us!

Wednesday, February 1, 2023 @ 8:45 a.m.

in the Sprague Cafeteria

Upcoming Meetings:

Friday, March 10, 2023 @ 9:00 a.m. (via Zoom - link to come)
Tuesday, April 4, 2023 @ 8:45 a.m. Sprague playground pavilion
Wednesday, May 3, 2023 @ 8:45 a.m. Sprague playground pavilion

SPRAGUE PASTA NIGHT

Join Us at the

Italo American Club in Wellesley

Thursday, February 16th

for Sprague Pasta Night!

Three Seatings available (5:30pm, 6:30pm and 7:30pm) and a Take Out Option!

Each $20 ticket includes a bowl of spaghetti with marinara sauce, two meatballs, a roll and salad. Drinks will be available for an additional charge at the event, or you may pre-purchase drink tickets.

Purchase Your Tickets HERE

Please Note:

This event is open to the entire Wellesley Community! Tell your neighbors!
Please be certain of your reservation time before booking, it is difficult for us to shift you to a different time slot after you've made your reservation.

As always, the success of these events depends upon our amazing parent volunteers. Sign up to volunteer HERE.

SPRAGUE RAFFLE

* Tickets go on sale Wednesday, February 1st! *

Get virtual tickets for a chance to win Red Sox Tickets, Weekend Retreats to Vermont, Birthday Party Packages, Gift Certificates to Local Restaurants, Shops, and a variety of Work Out Options!

Stay Tuned! Details coming Wednesday!

CREATIVE ARTS AND SCIENCES (CAS)

Don't forget to check out CAS 2022-2023 Events for event recaps and photos throughout the year. 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 Events:

Force & Motion, presented by Discovery Museum

Tuesday, January 24

Kindergarten

Kindergarten students attended a workshop on Force and Motion presented by the Discovery Museum. Students explored the concepts of force and motion while interacting with a variety of toys and objects that moved in different ways. They conducted experiments to make predictions on how fast objects would move with the effects of outside forces such as gravity and friction acting on that movement. They concluded the presentation by engineering their own toys using specific objects designed to test their knowledge of how to make objects move and control that movement.

Ask your Kindergartener:

What invisible force caused the dog to fall off the tray?
What was added to the tray that changed the speed of the dog falling? What is that force called?
Which sock won the race (the smooth or grippy one)?
What did you use to make your toy? How does your toy move?

Learn more about Discovery Museum.

******

JFK Museum Civil Rights Exhibit - Field Trip

Thursday, January 26

Fifth Grade

On Friday our 5th Graders journeyed to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for a "Civil Rights, Civic Action" field trip encouraging them to make connections between the organized nonviolent actions of the civil rights movement and civic action for justice that we see today. Students were intrigued during an overview presentation highlighting oral histories of 3 activists and then explored the exhibit galleries as they identified and analyzed civic actions taken during the Kennedy Administration.

Ask your 5th Grader:

What are some examples of Civic Action that you witnessed?
Can young people truly be involved in pursuing reform?
Can you think of any topics that you are passionate about following?
How can you find your voice today?
What tools of democracy can you use to fight for a cause?

*******

Upcoming Events:

Puppet Showplace Theater's Lisa the Wise

Friday, February 3

Kindergarten

Students will be enchanted by a live performance of "Lisa the Wise," while learning about light and shadow. This is sure to be a memorable event!

About the show: When Lisa, a brave young girl with a heart of gold, meets Baba Yaga, the most famous witch in the woods, an epic battle of wits ensues. Dancing houses, enchanted dolls, and hilarious "ghost servants" bring this classic Russian fairy tale to life with a contemporary twist. Imaginative shadow puppetry lights the way in this hilariously spooky story about the experiences that make us wise.

WEE DELIVER

Thanks to 4th Grade teacher, Mo Henzel, our internal Sprague Wee Deliver mail system is successfully delivering letters between students in the building!

Parents are encouraged to pen a note to their kiddos too!

You may drop your letter off in the small blue mailbox located in the school lobby. The kids love getting mail in the classroom.

Use this handy Wee Deliver Directory to address your letters!

If the above document does not download, try this one:

Wee Delivery Directory A-Z

YEARBOOK PHOTOS

Parents! Please forward along your Sprague photos to the yearbook at spragueschoolphotos@gmail.com

Thank you!

For Your Community

PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL (PAC)

Join the PAC at our monthly coffee on Thursday, February 2nd at 9am at the home of Christine Mizzi at 16 Suffolk Road.

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, March 2, 2023

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Thursday, June 1, 2023

WELLESLEY EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION

The members of the Wellesley Educators Association have been in negotiations with the Wellesley School Committee.

To learn more:

Attend the next WEA virtual community forum (February 2nd @7pm) Register Here
Find more information on our website: https://wellesley.massteacher.org/

WYBA’s MARCH MADNESS FOR K - 3rd GRADERS

What: The March Madness program for will consist of 5 hour-long sessions of age-appropriate basketball skills and drills (15-30 minutes) and a scrimmage (30-45 minutes). Scrimmages are designed for learning and we will not keep score. Players are assigned to a small team of 7-8 players, typically with elementary school classmates.

Who: Children in K - 3rd grades that live in Wellesley or attend school in Wellesley.

Where: 2nd & 3rd graders will be in the Sprague Elementary School gym. K & 1st grade in Wellesley Middle School B (lower gym).

When: The program will run for 5 weeks on Saturdays. Girls play in the morning and boys in the afternoon.

Dates: Saturdays: March 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th and April 1st

Program Fee: $100

Players Will Need: Players will be given a Wellesley Hoops pinnie for use during the season. Players should wear sneakers and bring a size 27 ½ basketball and a water bottle.

Volunteer Coaches Needed: When you register your child, please consider volunteering to be a head or assistant coach. Simply indicate your willingness to coach on your child’s registration form. Warm-up skills’ drills and flexible game rules will be provided to coaches to ensure player development.

Team Placement: The March Madness commissioners will try to set up teams with at least two players from a school together. Requests cannot be made for placement with a friend or specific coach. Coaches may request to be paired together.

To register, please visit http://wellesleybasketball.org/

STRIVING TO ADVANCE RECREATIONAL SERVICES - STARS

Help WPS families fundraise for the S.T.A.R.S, Wellesley’s adaptive swim club for children and adults with special needs. Donations will help the team purchase specialized safety equipment and design events for many of their young swimmers who fall outside of the Special Olympics demographic. Michelle Shaw is running Boston on behalf of the S.T.A.R.S. to increase awareness of the need for accessible athletics, connect families looking for adaptive swim and recruit volunteer coaches. Michelle says, “Town athletics - and all the feelings of joy, accomplishment and camaraderie- are out of reach for more kids than I ever realized, and I'm a parent of one with pretty significant challenges. I want Eleanor and her friends to be able to participate in sport together and feel seen and included on Boston’s biggest day of the year.”

To learn more, visit: https://tinyurl.com/wellesleystars

SUPPORT THE WELLESLEY SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION

This will be my 10th marathon (5th Boston) and I would love all the help I can get to raise $5,000 for such an amazing organization (Wellesley Scholarship Foundation).

Please consider supporting my run:

https://www.givengain.com/cc/support-wsfs-marathon-runner-go-cassie/

Best,

Cassie Short McLaughlin

MARATHON RUN FOR FRIENDS OF WELLESLEY METCO

Help support Friends of Wellesley METCO and contribute and cheer on Christina Tai on her 26.2 mile Boston Marathon this spring.

https://www.givengain.com/ap/christina-tai-raising-funds-for-friends-of-wellesley-metco-inc/#timeline

WINTER WALK TO SCHOOL

Winter Walk to School Day is February 1, 2023

Don your boots, coat, and a warm hat for Wellesley’s Winter Walk & Roll to School event on Wednesday, February 1! It’s fun, invigorating and celebrates the benefits of staying active and enjoying the outdoors in WINTER.

Like other Walk, Bike, & Roll to School events during the school year, the Winter Walk is one of the flagship activities supporting Wellesley’s partnership with the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School program. Research shows that physical activity before school improves student focus and engagement, and walking and biking saves $$ on gas.

Plan to participate on February 1. Individual schools can register on the Safe Routes to School website and get free materials to help promote your walks. See you outside!

SUBJECT: Sprague PULSE - Week of January 30, 2023