WILLIAMS SCHOOL PTO

The Parent’s Association is excited to announce a Winter Vacation Cheerleading Clinic being held at Exxcel Gymnastics and Climbing .

DATE : Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007
AGES : K-8TH Graders
TIME : 1PM – 5PM
COST : $50

Winter Clinic includes:

* Dance class with Bridget Rouhan-Celtic’s Dancer
* Stunting technique for all abilities
* Cheer and Jump clinics
* Tumbling on a spring floor and tumble track
* Refreshments
* Exhibition and awards ceremony at 4:45
(Parents are welcome to attend)

Space is limited, first come, first serve.
Contact Carol Stento for registration information cstento@exxcel.net or 617-244-3300

Get Lucky with Box Tops!
Write your name on the back of each Box Top and submit them by Friday, March 2. A lucky winner, drawn on Friday, March 2, will receive two tickets for great seats to the Celtics game on Sunday, March 11! The more Box Tops you bring in, the more chances you’ll have to win!!! (Only Williams students are eligible.)

Williams School gets $.10 for each Box Top you clip. Last year we earned more than $1,000. Ask your neighbors and family to help us cash in on this program!

Family Math Night UPDATE – DATE CHANGED

The date of Family Math Night will be changed. The new date will be posted shortly.
This is fun evening for the family to solve math problems around the school.

AUCTION INVITES: Check your Snail Mail!
The invitations for the Vintage Williams Gala and Auction have been mailed home to Williams families. Don’t forget that extended family and neighbors are also welcome at the event! RSVPs to the March 24th event can be sent to school in your child’s backpack. Please respond as soon as possible; we hope to see you there!

If for some reason you have not received your invite, we will be sending home a reminder in a week or so. Tickets are $35 per person and the proceeds benefit the Williams children and teachers.

Update on Blue Zone Task Force Meeting
February 15, 2006

Here is a list of items discussed:

• Encourage parents to walk and carpool to school.

• Docket: Hancock one way during school hours. No parking on Woodland between Grove and Hancock. This has been requested but people will need to attend meetings to support passing the docket. Info on meeting will be posted online.

• Request officers to ticket for illegal turns, etc. during dropoff and pickup.

• Develop better information (including map) and distribute to parents. Make sure to include: 1. Cars dropping off children should not hold up other cars in the front blue zone. 2. No illegal left hand turns.

• Determine how the “old” Blue Zone should be used.

• Install better signage at Blue Zone

• Create Blue Zone Safety Committee that will be an ongoing PTO committee.

If you would like to get involved, or have additional feedback, please email president@williamspto.org

The PTO is looking for volunteers who would like to help research and write grants for our Outdoor Community Classroom project. No experience is necessary and you will be part of a group of parents who want to help the school as well as hone a new skill. We will use resources such as the Associated Grant Makers in Boston and Susan Linn a grant writer for the Newton Public Schools. If you are interested, contact president@williamspto.org and we will schedule meetings around your schedule.

If you would like to attend a class on writing grants, check out these seminars provided by the Associated Grantmakers of Boston. If you want to attend one of these classes, contact ? so we can arrange carpooling.

If you want to attend on of these seminars or want to see others offered, check out the Associated Grantmakers Website at www.agmconnect.org/events/
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Cornerstones: Introduction to Proposal Writing
Date: 3/14/2007
Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: AGM, 55 Court St. Suite 520, Boston MA 02108
Audience: Nonprofits
Fee: $ 60

The Introduction to Proposal Writing Workshop will introduce you to the main components needed to assemble a comprehensive request for funding from independent foundations. We will discuss charitable giving, behind-the-scenes details that determine whether or not your proposal will be accepted, how to approach a funder, and take a brief look at grants research and the materials that can be accessed in the Resource Center for Philanthropy. This program is ideal for the novice grantwriter or intermediate writer looking for a refresher course. Please note: no more than three people from one organization should sign up for any particular date. If you have more than three people interested, please choose separate dates or inquire about special group workshops.

Presenter: Jamila Mitchell, Program Manager, Associated Grant Makers

Information: For more information, contact Jamila Mitchell at 617.426.2606 ext. 15 or jmitchell@agmconnect.org.

Additional $10 late fee for walk-ins and registrations received after 12 noon two days before a program. Registration is transferable. No acknowledgements will be mailed. There are no refunds. Please register in advance. Registration is not complete until payment in full has been received.

Note: If you are a Fellow Level Partner, you may attend this workshop for free.

Cornerstones are skill-building workshops designed for nonprofit managers, fundraisers, or board members on various topics relating to the fund development process.

Proposal Writing Seminar
Date: 3/15/2007
Time: 8:30am - 4:00pm
Location: International Institute of Boston, One Milk Street, Boston MA 02108
Audience: Nonprofits
Fee: $ 195
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Designed for beginners and for experienced grantseekers in need of a refresher course.

More than 34,000 grantseekers nationwide have attended this popular Foundation Center course to build and strengthen their proposal writing skills. Throughout the day, you’ll learn the latest strategies on every aspect of a grant proposal and hear what U.S. grantmakers look for. In one day, this course will boost the effectiveness of you and everyone on your fundraising team.

TOPICS
- proven techniques for writing winning proposals
- essential components of a grant proposal package
- building strong working relationships with grantmakers
- inside the grantmaker decision-making process
- re-submitting a grant proposal
- follow-up reporting on the grant’s impact
- new trends in grantmaking

PLUS
- free copy of The Foundation Center’s Guide to Proposal Writing, 5th Edition (232 pages, a $34.95 value)
- workbook outlining all major course topics

INSTRUCTOR JOHN HICKS
President and CEO of J.C. Geever, Inc., John is also on the board of AFP New York and has served as chair of Fund Raising Day in New York. He counsels nonprofits on building managerial, fund raising, and board capacity. John is a contributing author to the Fund Raising Handbook.

No School

Sunday, February 18
@ 10:30 am
$3 all seats
Screening of the hilarious Danny Kaye film, THE COURT JESTER (suitable
for ALL ages!)

@ 12:30
Reading and Signing
Free!

Have a classic film favorite that you want to introduce to your kids? We invite you to join Boston Globe film critic, Ty Burr, for a discussion of his new book, The Best of Old Movies for Families: A Guide to Watching Together. Ty will share with you why some classic movies are great for even the youngest member of your family! Bring the grandparents along to watch clips of movies they watched when they were kids. Ask questions, be entertained and enjoy!

Parents who would like to be on a task force to help mitigate hazardous conditions on Hancock and Grove Streets to participate in a conference call on Thursday, February 15th at noon. To be part of this task force and conference call, email Deborah Gelch at dgelch@lasell.edu or call 617-799-2592.

Examination of Potential Safety Improvements on Woodland Road

This is the second of two public meetings. The purpose of this meeting is for the consultant team to present recommendations and receive feedback from the general public.

Date: Thursday, March 1, 2007
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: de Witt Auditorium, Winslow Hall
Lasell College

You may email comments and ideas to the City of Newton Planning Department at: woodlandroadstudy@newtonma.gov

This project was funded through the City of Newton’s Riverside Traffic Mitigation Fund.

Unsafe Conditions During Afternoon Pickup

During afternoon pickup hours at Williams, driving conditions on Grove and Hancock Streets have become unsafe. Standoffs on Hancock Street are causing cars to backup within the lane to elevate the jam. Cars waiting to enter the Blue Zone in front of the school on Grove Street are essentially parking in the southbound lane until they can enter the Blue Zone.

Among other things, people are not crossing at the crosswalks, cars are making “u” turns over double yellow lines and children are walking between cars to get to their parents. The outcome of these conditions may result in an accident and will result in the city removing the Blue Zone in front of the school.

The Williams community must come together and agree on a plan to resolve these unsafe conditions. To facilitate this, we ask parents to participate in a conference call on Thursday, February 15th at noon.

In the meantime, we ask parents to follow these guidelines:

• Do not arrive for pickup prior to 3:00pm.or 12:30pm on early days. (Pickup time is from 3:00 to 3:15pm).
• If your car does not fit in the Blue Zone, continue driving around the school until you can enter the Blue Zone.
• Do not make a left turn out of the Blue Zone in the front of the school.
• Do not make a left into the Blue Zone when traveling northbound on Grove.
• Do not travel southbound on Hancock Street.
• Use crosswalks.