WILLIAMS SCHOOL PTO

THANK YOU to all the parents and children who worked at the school today as part of the NewtonServes project. When we arrived this morning to two large mounds of mulch, we were quite overwhelmed. As the day progressed many parents and children show up ready to help raking and transporting the much around the playground and school.

As our volunteers worked outside, other parents were inside cleaning the bathrooms, sorting clothing from the lost and found box and painting one of the walls in the cafeteria.

There was a wonderful spirit of community as everyone chipped in!

This was clearly a day where many hands made light work . . . or maybe lighter work.

Thanks again!

Next weekend we will be busy at Williams!! We are in need of volunteers who will oversee the following projects around the school on Sunday, April 29th:

• Clean and install locks in bathrooms
• Paint walls in cafeteria
• Outdoor landscaping
• Sand playstructure

Please email presidents@williamspto.org if you would like help or oversee any of these projects. We are in need of parents who are familiar with landscaping, painting or construction. Thanks!

SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL IS COMING!!!
THAT MEANS. . .TUESDAY AFTERNOON PLAY PRACTICES!!

The 5th grade class gift and fundraising committee would like to make it easier for you by providing the option to purchase a pizza lunch for your child on play practice days.

The lunch consists of 2 slices of plain pizza, a bottle of water and a bag of chips or snack. Cost is $5.00/lunch. All proceeds benefit the Class of 2007 class gift fund.

To order, please complete the form below and return it to your child’s teacher no later than Friday, May 4. Please contact Kerri Torres at ktorres@brighthorizons.com or 617-964-9466 with questions.

Child’s name:

Teacher’s name:

My child would like to order a pizza lunch on the following days:

[ ] May 8
[ ] May 10 (Thursday early release day; play practice will be held)
[ ] May 15
[ ] May 29
[ ] June 5

Please include check payable to the Williams School PTO. Please include payment of $5.00 for every lunch ordered.

Niños de Veracruz

Support scholarships for poor grade school children in Mexico!

CHARITY CAR WASH

Saturday, April 28
9:30-3:00

Lasell College
Central Parking Lot
1844 Commonwealth Ave

$10 exterior
$10 vacuum

!Get it Clean for Spring!

Parents may pick up Lost and Found items in the Library this Thursday, April 26th from drop-off through 6:00pm. Items still left behind will be donated to the Salvation Army.

April 24, 25 & 26
Williams 5th grade parents can visit Brown for tours this week from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. See classes in session, tour the school with a 6th grader then stop by the conference room for refreshments and to speak with Guidance Counselors and current Brown parents.

Tuesday, May 1
Incoming 6th Grade Parents 8:30am Coffee @ Williams
Meet John Jordan and ask questions about the transition to middle school.

April 24, 25 & 26
Williams 5th grade parents can visit Brown for tours this week from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. See classes in session, tour the school with a 6th grader then stop by the conference room for refreshments and to speak with Guidance Counselors and current Brown parents.

Tuesday, May 1
Incoming 6th Grade Parents 8:30am Coffee @ Williams
Meet John Jordan and ask questions about the transition to middle school.

Worried about how the gap in the School Budget will be funded? Wondering what you can do to make a positive change? Please join Stand for Children in its effort to make significant changes for children: come to a rally to support increased state funding for education and reform of the way education is funded in the state!

Your level of involvement is up to you – but by committing to spend just one hour attending the state Rally on April 25th, you WILL make a difference. If you work in Boston, Beacon Hill is right nearby; for those attending from Newton, Stand will be providing bus transportation.

Log on to Stand’s website, at www.stand.org/ma/rallysignup.asp and fill out the Rally Commitment card. To reserve a seat on the bus we need your commitment before April Vacation. Make your voice heard – literally! Legislators listen to large numbers of constituents: we can’t do this without support. The time to change funding is now.

Last year, as a direct result of Stand’s efforts, Chapter 70 funding was increased an extra $216,588,979 for the Commonwealth, which translated to over $1 million in extra funding for Newton. This year, we are more organized and better armed with information about how to advocate on behalf of our children. Our goals are to convince the legislature to:

1. Increase Chapter 70 funding to $300 million and deliver circuit breaker relief to offset escalating special education costs.

2. Reassess the best practices, mandates, and costs that shape our education foundation budget by commissioning an adequacy study to update goals for the delivery of education in the state, and to recommend means of stable and adequate funding to support those goals. Specifically, we are asking them to support the vision for an adequacy study proposed in “An Act to Fulfill the Promise of Education Reform, Adequate Funding for Student Success” (SB 291, HB 406)

3. Support the Governor’s proposals to help towns and cities raise revenue by requiring telecom companies to pay local taxes, and by creating a new local-option meals and a hotel tax.

For more information about Stand for Children’s Newton Chapter, contact one of the Action Team leaders listed below, or Stand organizer Ellie Beck (617- 460-3926/ ellie@stand.org).

Auburndale Action Team
Diana Fisher-Gomberg, 617-243-9424, gofish4@comcast.net
Lisa Mirabile, 617-332-5374, lisa@birchile.com
Susan Cassidy, 617-630-5767, scassidy@segue.com

April 24, 25 & 26
Williams 5th grade parents can visit Brown for tours this week from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. See classes in session, tour the school with a 6th grader then stop by the conference room for refreshments and to speak with Guidance Counselors and current Brown parents.

Tuesday, May 1
Incoming 6th Grade Parents 8:30am Coffee @ Williams
Meet John Jordan and ask questions about the transition to middle school.

Calling all Parents!
It takes a village to build a great school community. We are searching for parents to take on a various volunteer jobs. We understand that everyone’s situation is unique and we have options with varying time commitments that can suit just about any schedule.

To see the complete list of positions, take a look at the PTO volunteer list:

williamspto.org/about/pto-volunteers/

Many committees will have openings or can use additional support. If you have special skills you can contribute (e.g., technology, design, grant writing, landscaping, advocacy, finance, etc.) please let us know!

Contact president@williamspto.org or nominating chair donnawhitham@comcast.net to volunteer or for more information about any specific position.

Field Trip Support
The PTO has granted an extra $150 toward the two combined classrooms (K/1 and 1/2) to offset the additional cost of field trips for families in these two classrooms. Teaching in a combined class can sometimes mean twice the planning, twice the effort, and twice the cost. One of the goals of the PTO is to help classroom teachers with extraordinary expenses that enrich our children’s classroom experiences.