Hello Spraguewell!

We hope everyone is staying warm on this chilly weekend! Please don't forget to pack snowpants and boots for play at recess. These items are needed to play on the playstructures. 

We are excited for the 4th graders to have a CAS event on Thursday with Soundwaves!

Don't forget - Red Sox Night is Saturday, June 1st at 4:10 pm vs the Detroit Tigers. Check your kid's take-home folders for the order form, or purchase tickets on our website by January 26th. 

Best, Rose & Wendy

Our yearbook is the culmination of a year's worth of school events... and we need YOUR photos to capture it all!

We are looking specifically for photos from:

• Walk to School
• The 1st Day
• Halloween Parade
• Playground Shots

***When submitting photos: Please note the Classroom and Event in the Subject Line of your message.

Submit your Sprague photos to spragueschoolphotos@gmail.com

JOIN US 

Tuesday, January 30th at 8:45am

6 Pleasant Street (The Sower's)

for our Kick Off Spring Auction Planning Meeting

This will be the first Spring Auction Event for many Sprague Families and we are excited to share the many fun low stakes ways to get involved, from picking up a gift card at a local store to helping out the day of the event. 

Join us to learn about the Auction and its impact on our community, catch up with new and old friends, and enjoy coffee and treats! 

Sincerely, Your Sprague PTO Auction Chairs, 

Bryanne Tartamella & Sneha Patel

Annual Sprague Family Red Sox Night

Saturday, June 1st, 4:10 PM

Tickets are available now - Deadline to Order is this FRIDAY, January 26th!

Ticket Price: Grandstand 4 - $54 per person

Families may purchase tickets by check using the form arriving home in your student's backpack or online HERE. 

A portion of the ticket price goes directly to the PTO!

Financial assistance is available to cover the ticket cost for a student and chaperone. Please contact Karalyn Kickham at kickhamk@wellesleyps.org for confidential support.

Do you know about Sprague's METCO Family Friends program? Sprague has 15 METCO students (17, including 2 Hunnewell students) who live in Boston and take the bus to Sprague each school day. Our Family Friends program pairs each of our Boston students with a Wellesley student throughout their Sprague career to help build stronger relationships and community. Boston students are invited to their Wellesley family friend's home (or on an outing) for playdates once a month on Wednesday half day "Stay Days" and are brought back home on their regular school bus at 3pm.

This year, Wellesley METCO is once again teaming up with Wellesley Theatre Project to offer after-school theatre workshops and performances on Stay Days to METCO elementary students and their Family Friends.  These will vary by grade level, with the first workshop for K-2 Wellesley METCO family friends participants next month!

On Friday afternoon, the district sent out a proposal to update the elementary school redistricting map that was approved in February 2020. At Tuesday’s School Committee meeting, the WPS administration will recommend changes in school assignment to areas along the Fiske/Hunnewell boundary line as well as the Bates/Hardy boundary line. The slideshow for the meeting has been posted, and additional detail on the areas of interest can be found here. The meeting agenda is here.

If you would like to provide feedback to the School Committee before they vote on an updated map, you may participate in public comment at the January 23 and January 30 meetings, email the School Committee (school_committee@wellesleyps.org), or attend the following public forums:

January 25, 7pm: Redistricting Forum #1, Kingsbury Room, Wellesley Police Station

January 29, 7pm: Redistricting Forum #2, Zoom (Link to Register)

January 23: JFK Library Visit, Fifth Grade (Hunnewell cohort)

January 25th: Sound Waves, Fourth Grade

GRADE: 5TH

EVENT: JFK Presidential Library and Museum Trip

The Sprague fifth graders enjoyed a visit to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum last week. (The Hunnewell fifth graders will be going this week). The field trip focused on civil rights and civic action, especially the varied ways that people bring about change. They also learned how President Kennedy was involved in the civil rights movement during his presidency.

Ask your 5th grader:

• What are some ways people engage in civic action?
• At what age can someone start? 
• Who are some people who engaged in civic action at a young age and what did they do?

GRADE: KINDERGARTEN

EVENT: Discovery Museum

Students explored concepts of force and motion while interacting with a variety of toys, balls, and vehicles.

Ask you Kindergartener:

• What makes an object move? 
• Can we control the movement? 
• Does the strength of a push or pull have an effect? 
• How about the direction of the push or pull? 
• What happens when objects move past each other or collide?

Our next few PTO Meetings have been set. Visit PTO Meetings for the full schedule. Want to work on an upcoming project? Let us know!

Every parent and caregiver is encouraged to join us at our next PTO meeting:

DATE: Wednesday, February 7th

TIME: 8:35 - 9:25am

LOCATION: Sprague Library

As always, you may join by Google Meet.

Add to calendar

JANUARY MEETING NOTES

There are many opportunities to support Sprague while you shop! 

Below you'll find a list of participating local stores who have generously offered a portion of sales to benefit Sprague PTO - and many are offering us exclusive discounts or shopping events.

New partners are still being added. More details about this program - including our special codes - are available on our website.

Partners include:

• Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza - February 6th Earn 20% back for Sprague PTO by dining in, taking out, ordering delivery or pickup, the first Tuesday of every month!

• Boston Ski & Tennis - $2 of every seasonal lease.

• Box Tops for Education - Earn money for Sprague PTO just by grocery shopping!

• Mabel’s Labels - 20% of proceeds!

• Minted - 20% off, 15% of proceeds! Use code FUNDRAISESPRAGUE.

• Robotfun Academy - Mention Sprague PTO to book a class or camp. 5% of proceeds!

• ScrubaDub - 50% of proceeds!

• Shutterfly - Use the link on our Fundraising page for us to receive 8% of proceeds!

• White Dahlia - 20% off AND 20% of proceeds! Use code FUNDRAISESPRAGUE.

Find all the details and links HERE

ORDER SPRAGUE GEAR FROM 1ST PLACE SPIRITWEAR

Click HERE to access our Family Directory.

Instagram @sprague_pto

Share your photos with our Social Media Chair, Nicole Katz (nicolestacykatz@gmail.com)!

Interested in occasionally volunteering at Sprague PTO events? Sign the All Hands On Deck volunteer list.

You'll receive emails when volunteer opportunities arise (i.e., shifts at the Fall Fest, set up a teacher appreciation lunch, hand out popsicles at playdates, pick up groceries or a gift card to meet a Give From the Heart request, etc...). 

This is a great way to get involved when you can!

Sign the All Hands on Deck Volunteer List

Join us on Thursday, February 1 from 9-10:30 for our monthly PAC coffee!  The coffee will be at the home of Christine Mizzi at 16 Suffolk Road. The PAC supports families in town who have children (PAWS through WHS) that are receiving special education services from the district. 

If you are unable to attend this first coffee of the year, following are the dates for the 2023-2024 school year. Please feel free to bring a friend or forward to someone that you think may benefit from meeting others within the PAC community. 

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Thursday, June 6, 2024

DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR SPRING WELLESLEY BASEBALL & SOFTBALL!

Baseball Leagues for kids in Pre-K - 9th grade
Softball League for kids in Kindergarten - 8th grade

Visit: http://wellesleyybs.org/

Wellesley Green Schools is a collaborative group of caregivers, students, and staff working together to reduce Wellesley schools' ecological footprint and to inspire students to create a healthy sustainable world. 

Please join us Thursday January 25th @7:30pm via Zoom.  Come share what is important to you and your school community!

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/2512735419?pwd=THVjS3I1RkJhNVNPb09EZzVkc0hzUT09&

Save the Date for Upcoming Meetings on March 21 and May 16

Have the holidays left you bursting at the seams with more "stuff' than you need?  With the RDF Take It Or Leave It closed for the season, it can be hard to find a home for items you no longer need but are too good to send a landfill. 

Consider posting items on Wellesley Facebook sites Buy Nothing Wellesley and Wellesley Give & Take or Greater Boston Suburbs Give & Take which encompasses nearby suburbs.

The State of MA also has a list of organizations that will take furniture, building materials, and much more. Some will even pick up! Thank you for making the effort divert items from the landfill!

Is your child interested in learning more about Girl Scouts?  As the preeminent leadership development organization for girls, Girl Scouts helps build girls of Courage, Confidence, and Character who make the world a better place.

Kindergartners, First Graders, and their families are invited to attend any of the upcoming informational "Try Girl Scouts" events in Wellesley:

1/30, 5pm at Bates - Trolls Party

2/1, 4pm at Fiske - Trolls Party

(Children from all schools in Wellesley are invited to attend these events.)

Please RSVP here: https://www.gsema.org/en/get-involved/event-rsvp-region-3.html

Girl Scouts is a volunteer-led organization where adults volunteer their time to create a cooperative learning experience for girls with hands-on, girl-led activities.  We are currently forming new Troops in Wellesley and are looking for a few adult volunteers.  Check out our Ways to Volunteer page for more information.

KidStrong Natick is a milestone accelerator and work on brain, physical and character development. Don't miss their upcoming event:

Family Fitness Night (Boston Marathon Fundraiser)
Friday, January 26th

6:00-7:30pm

KidStrong Natick

**All proceeds go directly to Boston Children's Hospital

Co-Presidents: Rose Nolan & Wendy Englebardt

Vice President: Ezra Englebardt

Treasurers: Hande Alparslan & Jill Wells

Creative Arts and Sciences: Carolyn Kornwitz

Secretary: Ceren Bayulgen

Communications: Liz Sower

Social Co-Chairs: Dena Giggie & Tanya Johnson

Social Media Chair: Nicole Katz

Spirit Wear Chair: Inia Perez

Raffle Co-Chair: Bry Tartamella & Sneha Patel

Wellesley Wonderful Weekend Co-Chairs: Alejandra Tejada & Open Position

Yearbook Coordinators: Julie Covino-Vogel, Ambika Hoguet, & Hadley Stephens

METCO Liaisons: Kasia Schwarzman & Nicole Katz

Parent Advisory Council Rep: Nicole Katz

Walk-to-School Coordinators: Ezra Englebardt & Alex Baker

Green Team: Tomoe Harrison & Jenny Lee

Garden Masters: Tomoe Harrison, Rose Nolan, & Margaret Flitsch

Sprague Night at Fenway Coordinator: John Wells