WILLIAMS SCHOOL PTO

NEWTON WEST TEAM

The Newton West team leaders Kurt Kusiak and Marcia Tabenken invite the Williams community to a Stand for Children Newton West Action Team meeting Wed., Jan. 31 from 7:30-9 at Marcia’s house, 11 North St. in Newtonville (just off Crafts St., across from Albemarle Field).

The discussion will be on the upcoming state campaign, in-district legislator meetings–Newton’s is scheduled for early March–progress and next steps in the Energy for Education campaign, and opportunities for member involvement in each of the above as well as membership development.

If you have questions, please contact Marcia at mtabenken@rcn.com or Kurt at ksk@sally-fitch.com. Hope to see you next Wednesday.

Fourth and Fifth grade chorus and Fifth grade band.
10:00 am & 7:30 pm at Williams School

Registration is now underway for Winter classes through Newton Community Education. Coming up at Williams we have Drama on Mondays, Chess and Pottery on Wednesdays,and Mad Science and Math Club on Thursdays. We have
many exciting Saturday classes at Newton North such as Ukrainian Batik Eggs; Domino Physics, Balloon Twisting, Roller Coaster Rides, and three adult-child cooking classes. For 5th graders we have Create a TV Show on
Fridays at NewTV, and Babysitting at North if you’ve turned 11. In addition we have lots of week-day classes running at schools throughout Newton; and you’re welcome to join one of our ongoing language classes. You can also plan ahead for your winter and spring vacations now; we have the following great options: Innovations, Multi-Sports, Basketball,
Babysitting, Domino Physics (February), Marble Madness, and Fencing (both in April). Call our office at 617-559-6999 for more information or to register, or visit our website at www.newtoncommunityed.org.

7:30 P.M.
Laura Plunket will present Raising Wholesome Children in a Fast Food World
Laura Plunket, author of The Challenge of Childhood Diabetes will present “Raising Wholesome Children in a Fast Food World” at the Newton Free Library on January 29th at 7:30 pm. Laura will not only discuss the impact of her seven year old son’s diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes but also how it changed the whole family’s diet and exercise routine. Laura’s mom, son, daughter and husband now have so much more energy and feel healthier and more physically fit since their changes have begun. She hopes to promote the fact that “we should not wait for a crisis to change our ways for the better!”

Read up on the Auction
As you know, the Williams Auction (The Vintage Williams Gala) is coming up on March 24th. For new families, we’ve posted the ABCs of the Williams Auction to explain why this event is so important to the community. We hope you’ll help make this event sucessful!

MCAS Dates
Please mark the following dates on your calendar and take care not to plan any absences (doctors appointment, etc.) during these time periods. The exact dates for all individual tests have not yet been decided, but the tests will fall during these times:

March 19 to April 4: Reading Composition and Language Arts, grades 3, 4, 5
May 14 to May 31: Math, grades 3, 4, 5; Science and Social Studies, grade 5

Also, March 20th will be a full day on Tuesday, and the early research has been moved to Wednesday, March 21st to accomodate a required full day test on that date.

When inclement weather occurs school may be delayed 1 hour, 2 hours, or cancelled altogether. The following are the best resources to use to check the status:

• Radio: 1030AM (WBZ) or 680 AM (WRKO)
• TV 4,5,7,56 or Newton Cable TV
• Web: www.thebostonchannel.com or www.newton.k12.ma.us
• Phone: (617) 559-9699 (recorded message)

TV and radio are the sources that are updated first, and thus are your best option. PLEASE do NOT call school officials or the police to check. This simply ties up their phone lines and inhibits their ability to plan for and respond to emergencies.

The decision on school closing/delays is typically made in the early morning hours of the day in question. If school is held, but conditions are still bad on any particular street or area of the City, parents should use their own judgment in determining whether or not to send their child to school. Sould there be a delayed opening, students will be expected to go to their bus stop or to leave their houses one (or two) hours after their regularly scheduled time. The bus company and crossing guards will know about the delay and will rearrange their schedules accordingly.

For those parents who are new to our community or those who have never been to an auction we thought it might be helpful to give you some information on this important event for our community.

The auction is our PTO’s major fundraiser that occurs every two years. We raise 60% of our operating income for the next two years from this event. The 2005 auction raised over $30,000. $8,000 was used toward mini-grants for teachers and the rest was put toward our operating budget which funds such programs such as: Creative Arts and Services, Library books and instructional materials, child abuse prevention program (CAPP), instructional technology and much more.

The auction is also a great opportunity for the community to get together and have a great time. There are lots of activities, great food and good conversation. The Riverside Center is a beautiful spot for the evening!

This event takes a village to prepare for and we could still use volunteers to help organize and find great auction items. Please contact Lauren Brooks if you would like to donate an item or help lfbrooks@rcn.com.

Progress reports were sent home with your child on Friday. The teachers have worked diligently and thoughtfully to complete these mid year assessments of student progress. Please remember that the progress reports are only one means of communicating students’ accomplishment. In the upcoming weeks parents will have an opportunity to meet with their child’s teacher to review the year, and determine goals for the remainder of the year.

Here’s the link to the NPS Parents Guide for the Progress Report
www.newton.k12.ma.us/curr%26instruct/documents/PRGuideFY07.pdf

The Auburndale Community Association and The Auburndale Library present their Winter Carnival
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Auburndale Library
375 Auburn Street

All ages are invited for: Audubon Society Animals • Hot Chocolate • Cupcakes • Balloons • Games • Contests • Storytelling • Face-painting • Music • much more!

During the party, the library is offering to waive overdue fines, so please come by and have yours cancelled. This does not include lost items. For more information, please contact Chris Wangler, the branch librarian (during library hours)
617-552-7158 · cwangler@minlib.net

School Council Meeting in Dr. Moynihan’s Office
This is an open meeting.