The Bear Facts - March 2010 by Dunning Elementary School

The Bear Facts

The Charlotte A. Dunning School community—encouraging active learning by recognizing and developing the unlimited potential in all

March 2010

PUBLISHED BY THE DUNNING PTO

MARCH 3

From the Principal’s Desk

Spring Picture Day, 9:00 a.m.

Greetings!

PTO meeting, 7:00 p.m. Fuller orientation for fifth-grade parents & students, 6:30 p.m.– 8:00 p.m. (also offered 3/10)

Fifth-grade strings concert, 2:00 p.m.

Walsh orientation for fifth-grade parents & students, 7:00 p.m.– 8:00 p.m.

10 Bearly-A-Store Fuller orientation for fifth-grade parents & students, 6:30 p.m.– 8:00 p.m. (also offered 3/3)

12 Bear Facts deadline 13 Spring Fever Fun Fair, 11:00 a.m.

14 Daylight Saving Time begins—set clocks ahead one hour

16 Principal’s Coffee, 10:00 a.m.

22 MCAS testing begins for grades 3-5 (through 3/26) more

It amazes me how quickly the school year continues to fly by! Thinking about the fact that we have now entered the month of March is unbelievable! February always goes by in a blink of an eye, especially due to all the exciting events and celebrations that occur. We had a great month with the 100th day of school, Valentine’s Day, Chinese New Year, Black History Month, Helping Hands for Haiti, and February vacation. Our February Community Meeting focused on celebrating 100 days of learning, and our kindergartners, first graders, and fifth graders did a fabulous job of sharing poems, songs, and activities about the 100th day of school. If you get a chance to check out the Chinese New Year dragon with 100 scales in the hallway outside the art room, you will be amazed at the artistic representation of 100! As we enter the month of March, some things to keep an eye out for are updates from the Reorganization Team at the School Committee meeting on March 2nd, spring pictures on March 3rd, Bearly-A-Store on March 10th, the PTO Spring Fever Fun Fair on March 13th, and MCAS testing beginning on March 22nd; all of these are important events for the school district and Dunning community. I encourage you to stay updated, informed, and involved in all that is happening! Now that the holidays and vacations have passed, I will once again begin my Principal’s Coffees, a casual time for parents to engage in informal conversation, ask questions, and chat about the “goings-on” at Dunning. The March Principal’s Coffee will be held on Tuesday, March 16th, at 10:00 a.m. in the cafeteria. I thoroughly enjoy these times talking with parents and sharing thoughts, ideas, comments, and conversations about our wonderful learning community. Please join me if you are able! In closing, I would just like to share my thoughts regarding children’s use of video games at home. Of late, we have had lots of children sharing stories about some of the video games they have been playing. Many of them contain violence, inappropriate language, and disrespectful behavior, which we do not encourage or support here at school. Two of our community rules are be kind and respectful and be safe. We hope that we can count on our families to closely monitor the games that children are using in order to directly support these rules. The staff appreciates this tremendously, as it assists in building a safe, kind, and respectful community. Thank you for your help!

This newsletter is provided solely for the benefit of those parents of children attending the Charlotte A. Dunning Elementary School in Framingham, MA. The contents are for informational purposes only, and the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) does not endorse nor warrant that the information presented is correct.

The Bear Facts MARCH

22 Townwide PTO, 7:00 p.m., Framingham High School

25 Early release, 1:00 p.m. Last day for Stop & Shop A+ Rewards Program Schedules for MCAS and MEPA testing this spring are available online at http://www.doe.mass.edu/ mcas/cal.html

March 2010

Principal’s Desk, continued Let’s hope that March brings us some kinder and warmer weather. Have a great month! Fondly, Kim Taylor Principal (508) 626-9155 ktaylor@framingham.k12.ma.us

PTO President’s Report Dear Dunning Community, I would like to start by thanking the hard-working team that produces the monthly Bear Facts newsletter for the Dunning PTO. In August, when we are all on vacation enjoying the lazy days of summer, this team is already back to work on the September edition. Thank you to Richelle Tarlin, Padma Garimella, Jody Troderman, and Sarah Feather. The Bear Facts is a great source of information and a way to stay connected with the school community. As we get ready for another busy spring, I want to remind everyone how important it is to read The Bear Facts. I hope you had a chance to come out to our Family Night on Friday, February 26th. The cafeteria was transformed into a theater, and we watched the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Thank you to Beth Kinsky and her group of volunteers, who put together a terrific event.

Mary Abramson

Don’t miss our Spring Fever Fun Fair, Saturday, March 13th, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Dunning School. This is a very popular family event you and your children will not want to miss. There will be games, food, and entertainment for all ages. I would also like to make a strong recommendation that you mark your calendar and save the date for our Dunning Night Out, Saturday, April 10th, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. at the Framingham Elks Club. This is always a fun night filled with surprises, and a great opportunity to socialize with other parents and staff from the Dunning community. The evening will include appetizers, a cash bar, silent and live auction, and dancing. Kristen Keane and many hard-working volunteers are planning what promises to be a great time for everyone. This fundraiser occurs once every two years, and the proceeds will directly benefit the Dunning PTO. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please free free to contact me. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, March 3rd, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Free babysitting will be available to children 3 years and older. Warm Regards, Mary Abramson PTO President sabramson@rcn.com

The Bear Facts

March 2010

Library News Happy March! March brings Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Theodore Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2nd, 1904. Every year the National Education Association sponsors the “Read Across America” campaign to honor Dr. Seuss. The original intent was to have every person throughout the country reading with a child on March 2nd. The program has expanded since, and we at Charlotte A. Dunning will post a map of the United States and mark each state as we read about it. We will also celebrate women’s history and incorporate some biographies into this month’s featured selections. March also brings spring! My hope springs eternal that the children took to heart the message I recently emphasized to them—please treat library materials with respect! Of course, accidents happen, but what I’ve been seeing lately are not accidents. It’s a good idea to keep younger siblings with access to markers/crayons away from books. Water bottles and juice boxes don’t get along well with books, either. Sadly, children don’t present the only danger; one book came back with an adult’s handwriting in it! Please be a positive role model for your children. For their generous donations, we thank: •

the Ray family

•

the Noah family

•

Mrs. Wakeman’s Thursday Monthly Lunch Group: Charlotte, Phyllis, Doris, and Winnie, in honor of her special birthday

Keep reading, Nancy Serkez Library Assistant (508) 620-4896 Library Committee Kathy Bush Padma Garimella

Barbara Landes Richelle Tarlin

Marilyn Wakeman

Care and Share In these challenging economic times, community service is needed more than ever. For the month of March, A Place to Turn has asked us to collect

CANNED SPAGHETTI SAUCE for those served by the food pantry. The contributions your children carry to Dunning help them learn to care and to share. Thank you for continuing to support this worthwhile project with your donations of food. Carol Berlin Care and Share Coordinator cberlin@framingham.k12.ma.us

The Bear Facts

Spring Picture Day is Wednesday, March 3rd!

March 2010

Library News, continued

Spring Fever Fun Fair 2010 Is Heating Up! Dunning’s annual Spring Fever Fun Fair is right around the corner! We hope you will join your Dunning friends for a day to remember:

Saturday, March 13th, from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. There will be raffles, games, crafts, food, music, and entertainment for all to enjoy! Won’t you join us?

All students will have their picture taken; no money is due at this

Many volunteers are still needed to make the Fun Fair a great success. Please consider donating a couple of hours of your time to your child’s school. Meet new friends and have fun while doing it! Simply complete the volunteer form at the end of The Bear Facts and return it to school with your child. We’ll contact you to confirm. We hope to see you there! Chris Paget Spring Fever Fun Fair Coordinator

time. Simply fill out the form indicating which pose you would like, and you can decide once you receive the pictures whether or not you wish to purchase them. Remember to bring in your smiles on Wednesday, and wear bright spring colors for best results! Julie Ferrari Picture Day Coordinator

Bingo for Books Our second Bingo for Books of the school year was held on Friday, January 22nd. It was another huge success, with over 100 players! First-grade ESL teacher Mrs. Meléndez and our principal, Mrs. Taylor, were the number callers. They did an outstanding job keeping everyone engaged and making sure that everyone left with books. As expected, it was a lively, upbeat, fun evening. Thank you to everyone who donated books. Bingo for Books could not run without your help. There’s always a box in the lobby for donations. Please think of us whenever you’re cleaning out your books. We especially need books for the older kids (grades 3–5). Finally, special thanks to everyone who pitched in and helped. With so many players, we definitely needed extra hands to make the night function smoothly. Thank you to: Mrs. Meléndez, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Hagarty, Mrs. Heiman, the custodial staff, Mary Abramson, Heidi Wade, and Megan Lenzi. It was a wonderful night. We couldn’t have done it without you! Our next Bingo for Books is scheduled for Friday, April 30th, 2010. Please note, this is a change from the originally scheduled date of April 9th. Mark your calendars now! Dianne Wolpert Bingo for Books Committee Chair wolpert1@rcn.com

The Bear Facts

March 2010

News from the First Grade We can’t believe how fast our year is going! Right before our February vacation, we celebrated the 100th day of first grade. We read I’ll Teach My Dog 100 Words. We met the challenge of writing a list of 100 words. We recited 100 is a Lot!, a poem written with 100 words, during the February school-wide Community Meeting. We had lots of fun! We have been working on a scientific study of solids and liquids. We have been observing the properties of many solids and liquids, comparing how solids and liquids are alike and how they are different. We explored solid objects, such as pieces of wood, plastic, and metal. We listed the properties of these objects. We learned words like rigid, flexible, opaque, and transparent. We constructed towers using our knowledge of such properties. We worked with dried pinto beans, lima beans, mung beans, rice, and cornmeal to find out how solids behave when the pieces are small. When we worked with liquids, we learned words like translucent and viscous. We finished our scientific study with an investigation of interactions between solids and liquids.

Notes from Room 10 Room 10 has been very busy in the month of February. We concluded our study of penguins

We have been studying penguins and polar bears as part of our “Animals and Their Habitats” science strand. We have been gathering many fascinating facts, reading a number of nonfiction books on these animals.

and polar bears with a

A sure sign of spring: we will soon be observing the life cycle of the frog! We will watch a group of eggs hatch into tadpoles. Over the next few months, we will watch the tadpoles develop front and back legs. We hope to see frogs in our tanks before moving to second grade. We will be documenting our observations by creating a timeline.

sang at February’s

During our writing process sessions, we are concentrating on writing, editing, and illustrating stories. We are remembering to add lots of details to our stories. We continue to strengthen and extend our math skills. Please remember the importance of practicing telling time and counting money! First graders are also busy working on modeling addition and subtraction. We are reading lots of fiction and nonfiction books during our literacy blocks. We are learning and applying a variety of reading strategies. We are looking forward to warmer weather! Happy spring! Mrs. Bebeau, Mrs. Cardello, Ms. Weldon, and Mrs. Meléndez

short song which we

Community Meeting. We also celebrated the 100th day of school by making collection posters of how we would spend $100, by bringing in another collection which we counted in class, and by reading many stories, poems, and songs. Mrs. Meléndez First-grade ESL Class

Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 14th. Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour. It’s also a good safety habit to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon dioxide detectors at this time!

The Bear Facts

March 2010

Box Tops for Education Update

The Bear Facts is published by the Charlotte A. Dunning PTO 48 Frost Street Framingham, MA 01701

We are fast approaching the second submission date for box tops for the 2009/2010 school year. We appreciate the overwhelming response to our request thus far. Please continue to check your grocery products as well as other household products for the labels, and send them to school with your child. We have set a very aggressive goal of $1,000 for this school year, and we are hopeful that with everyone helping us we can achieve our school goal. For more information on how you can help our school earn cash through Box Tops for Education, visit the website www.boxtops4education.com.

Please send articles, forms, and flyers for March’s Bear Facts to Sarah Feather at sarahfeather@rcn.com by th

Friday, March 12 .

Remember, it is easy to help. Simply clip box tops from participating products found throughout your local grocery store. Schools get 10¢ for each box top they redeem from Box Tops for Education. For a complete list of hundreds of participating products, visit the Box Tops website (address above). Please also check your grocery receipt for additional coupons at the register. Send them to us, and we can turn them in with our tops for reimbursement to the school. Mari Rose Box Tops for Education Coordinator mari.rose@dechert.com

Items for publication may also be placed in the Bear Facts mailbox in the school office; however an electronic copy is preferred.

Stop & Shop A+ Rewards Program Update Dunning families and friends have helped raise $370 through the Stop & Shop A+ Rewards Program. Keep up the great work! This program is offered through March 25th, 2010. Qualified purchases using your Stop & Shop card earn points for Dunning. Also watch for the “A+ 50 Bonus Points” signs located throughout the store when grocery shopping. Pass the word along to family and friends, as they can help Dunning as well by just registering their cards at https://www.stopandshop.com/our_stores/bonus_bucks/designate_school.htm?e xecution=e1s1, even if they shop at Stop & Shop in states other than Massachusetts! Donna Varriale Stop & Shop A+ Rewards Program Coordinator cadschool.email@gmail.com

Thank You We would like to thank everyone in the Dunning community for supporting our chocolate rose fundraiser. We would also like to especially thank Gianni’s for their support in selling so many roses in their shop. We are very lucky to have such a generous community, and we wanted to say thank you from every one of us. We’re on the Web! Visit us online at: http://www.framingham. k12.ma.us/dunning.cfm

The Charlotte A. Dunning Fifth Graders and The Chocolate Rose Committee Jennifer Chickering Gayle Jones Shannon Pierson Mari Rose

C.A. Dunning PTO Meeting Minutes—February 3, 2010 7:05 p.m. - Meeting came to order. 22 attendees Handouts: Agenda

Principal's Report •

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• • •

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•

Helping Hands for Haiti has been a tremendous success. We have 14 kids from Haiti who have been very involved. We will probably hit the $3,000 mark. We even had one $500 donation. We need to make a decision as to where the money will go, but the recipient will be a child-related charity. Ideally, we will have a representative come to the school to get the check from the kids. Mrs. Casavant's class sorted all of the money, and Mr. Casavant used the machine at his bank to count it. Chris Tache's class had a lemonade stand, which was fantastic and raised about $360! Please check the website to see the great photos that Anna Wong has posted. We will do the Children’s Hospital “Pennies for Patients” fundraiser, which we committed to earlier in the year, this spring. The suggestion was made that the kids might make a piggy bank out of a milk carton to collect for this. Tuesday, February 9th is the 100th day of school. It is Thursday, February 11th for the Kindergarten. Activities around the number 100 are done all day. Read Across America will be starting in March. It involves a contest to determine which grade can read the most books from the most states. Kindergarteners and 3rd graders are piloting online assessment programs – Children's Progress, for Pre K and Kindergarten, and Maps (Measures in Academic Progress) for grades 3 and 6. The Kindergarteners had a ball. The 3rd grade will do the testing the week before and the week after vacation. We are piloting these programs to determine whether or not the district will adopt these assessments across grade levels in place of some of the current assessment tests we are using. The verdict is still out on the effectiveness of these assessment tools, however; they may not be giving us all of the data we need. MCAS schedule is out for grades 3, 4 and 5. Please make sure children eat a good breakfast and are on time. (Children who arrive late will have to take make-up tests.) We have some teachers who are participating in a free online science pilot program. Currently, the District does not have a formal science program. Mrs. Tache, Ms. Weldon, Mrs. Steck, Ms. Berlin and the whole 2nd grade are participating. We are going to have a high-tech high-touch classroom. This is a concept developed for the district. Teachers were invited to apply for a grant to integrate technology into the classroom. Each Principal could endorse up to 3 teachers. Both of the teachers Dunning put forward were accepted. Mrs. Hagarty will be the only music teacher to participate, and her proposal has been fully funded. Ms. Berenbaum was partially funded for next year and fully funded for the following year. Reorganization Update: As reported in the newspaper, the reorganization team is working with the feedback it has received. They are trying to get the plan out with more details. A possible date for discussion of the proposal and presentation to the School Committee is March 2nd. One community forum will take place after that. There is likely to be a vote in late March or early April. At this point, it is likely that the school pairings will change and that McCarthy will be paired with either Brophy or Barbieri. They are also considering staggered start times and doing a phase-in of the plan. Committees have been formed to work on charters for the charter schools. People can continue to provide feedback at reorgteam@framingham.k12.ma.us. The School Committee would also like to receive your comments, which may be sent to the School Committee through Ann Greenberg. Dawn Mendelsohn is the Community Outreach Coordinator; she puts the before and after school programs together. She is located at Juniper Hill; parents may want to contact her with questions about these programs. Mrs. Taylor suggested that people keep an eye on the budget; we have a 10 million dollar deficit in order to level-service fund the district. People in the statehouse don't pay attention to timelines that schools operate under; they could make a decision anytime. The Executive Summary of the Task Force Report is available online.

Teachers’ Report

• •

Mrs. Melendez reported that the teachers loved the luncheon the PTO provided last month. In fact, there was so much great food that there were leftovers to enjoy the following Monday. It was much appreciated—thank you! Mrs. Melendez again thanked the PTO for the holiday checks that were given to teachers in order to help defray some of the out-of-pocket expenses that they routinely incur.

President's Report •

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• •

•

Creative Arts Council: The Underground Railroad Theater will perform the show, “Are You My Sister?” for the children on Tuesday, Feb. 23rd. Also, on President's Day, The Magic of Bonaparte Family Magician will perform at Walsh (10:00 -11:30 a.m.). Please check the FPS website for details. Movie &ight will be held on Friday, Feb 26th. We will be showing “Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs” in the cafeteria. Popcorn and drinks will be provided. A flyer will be going home soon. Spring Festival Fun Fair: Chris Paget reported that this event will be held on Saturday, March 13th from 11a.m. to 3p.m. Entertainment will include: Animal Adventures (1:00 p.m.), Science Guy (11:30 a.m.), Strolling Magician (12:00 p.m.) and Fran Flynn from the Villa. Dunning Dad, Larry Hoey, will be the dj. (Thank you to Patti Morales for making this connection.) There will be kid-inspired dancing, a Cookie Walk (Lisa Nash will need cookie bakers!) and Mrs. Taylor will be the emcee for the event. (Watch for her Chicken Dance!) In the gym, there will be a free throw event, a bouncy house, a rain gutter regatta (boats needed!) and possibly a toilet paper throw. There will be 5 or 6 crafts in the lobby. (Kids will get a prize bag and a craft bag to take home.) There will be a single admission fee, and everything will be included for that price. This year we will have raffle baskets for kids only. Please start sending in donations for these because the buckets are bare! Last year this event was a big hit and a fabulous fundraiser. We are looking for volunteers to run booths, set up, clean up and handle the food. Notices will be sent home regularly. Dunning &ight Out: This event will be held Saturday, April 10th from 7-11p.m. at the Framingham Elks Club. We are hitting a lot of dead ends as far as donations go, so please think about what contacts you might have in the community and pass them on to us. We could really use some big ticket items. Some of the items we have secured include a pool party sponsored by the Bauers and the Gentiles, Red Sox tickets donated by the Giannis and possibly a condo on Cape Cod. Square One Art: This fundraiser is about to wrap up. The art is being completed this week. Orders will be placed in early March and will be delivered in time for Mother's Day. Parents will be getting sample magnets featuring their child's artwork. We will think about including sibling art in the future. Box Tops: We have well over $800 in box tops that are ready to be redeemed or have already been redeemed. March 1st is the due date, but we will keep collecting after that. If you work for an office, check the labels for Avery brand items which are included in this program. The box tops do have expiration dates, but the dates are pretty far out. We will mail in the next round by June 1st, which is the next expiration date. Campbell's Soup Labels: We have over 2400 points. We can get extra credit points (up to 2,000) for things like the coat drive, Pennies for Patients, the USS Nicholas collections and possibly for Helping Hands for Haiti. We can redeem these for products. Stop & Shop: At $373, we have raised the 4th highest amount of all of the schools in Framingham. International Potluck Dinner: The April PTO meeting coincides with Holy Week and Passover, so the April date presents a problem and will need to be changed. Mrs. Melendez is willing to chair this event. Extra recruiting efforts will need to be made. School Pictures: Spring pictures will be taken on Wednesday, March 3rd.They are sending 3 photographers, so things should move along well. The backdrop this year will include a little gate, and there will be 5 poses to choose from. The pictures go home, and you can choose to purchase them or not. Volunteers are needed to help with lining kids up, combing hair and running to grab classes. Julie Ferrari will do this for one more year; she is looking for someone to shadow her and then take over this committee.

The next PTO meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 3rd at 7 p.m. Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kelli A. Birtwell

Save the Date! Dunning’s Spring Fever Fun Fair 2010 will be here before you know it! Mark your calendars !

Saturday March 13th 11am – 3pm Just look what we have to offer! *Kid Raffles *Moonbounce *Free Throw Contest *Music and Dancing *Cookie Walk *$3.00 Meal Deal *Games *Crafts *Entertainment – John Henderson’s Science Show at 11:30am and Animal Adventures live animal show at 1:00pm.

Won’t you consider helping? helping? We need lots of help to make this major fundraiser a great success! Here are just some of the ways you can be of assistance: *Volunteer! Many hands are needed to set up/clean up, run the crafts and games tables, sell basket raffle tickets and work in the kitchen. Look for a volunteer sign up sheet in The Bear Facts. *Donate *Donate to the Basket Raffle! Raffle! See Basket Raffle Guidelines. Boxes will be set up in the front lobby by February 1st. All donations welcome from February 1st-March 5th. Feel free to donate items to any theme! *Bake Cookies for the Cookie Walk! All cookies welcome. Contact Lisa Nasch (naschpotato@verizon.net) to donate cookies. Questions? Contact Chris Paget chris0120@rcn.com

Spring Fever Volunteer Form – March 13, 2010

1111-3pm

Dunning’s Spring Fever Fun Fair 2010 is right around the corner. We need lots of

Volunteers to make this major fundraiser a great success! Please let us know if you can help by checking off one of the boxes below and sending your form to school in an envelope marked Spring Fever Volunteer Form.

Set up/Clean up/Clean Up 9:00am – 10:30am 3:00pm-4:00pm Come help us set up for or clean up from the fair! Then enjoy the fair with your family!

Crafts and Games 10:45am-1:00pm 12:45pm-3:00pm Volunteer to run a craft or game –materials and directions provided!

Food Glorious Food! 10:45am-1:00pm 12:45pm-3:00pm Help serve lunch and snacks to our many hungry guests!

Basket Raffle 10:45am-1:00pm 12:45pm-3:00pm Help sell raffle tickets for our ever popular basket raffle!

Make Cookies for our Cookie Walk Walk

_____

Name _______________________ Phone ________________ Email _____________________________________________ Questions? Contact

Chris Paget chris0120@rcn.com

Spring Fever Fun Fair March 13, 2010 11 am - 3 pm GE ERAL ADMISSIO ORDER FORM Avoid the lines, pay for your admission to the fair in advance, and receive a free Basket Raffle Ticket! On the day of the fair, simply check in at the Admission Table, have your hand(s) stamped, and have fun! Admission fee includes access to most activities and entertainment. Moonwalk, food, and raffles are not included in the admission price.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Please print STUDENT NAME: ______________________________________________________________ PHONE NUMBER: ___________________________ EMAIL ____________________________ TEACHER NAME: ____________________________________________ GRADE: __________ CHOOSE A BASKET THEME FOR YOUR FREE TICKET ________________________________

Admission Prices Family (4 or more – maximum charge)

$20.00 # _____

$ _____

Individual

$ 5.00 # _____

$ _____

Seniors

$ 2.00 # _____

$ _____

Children 2 yrs. & under

Free

$ _____

Total Amount Enclosed

# _____

$__________

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Enclose admission form with a check payable to “Dunning PTO” in an envelope marked “Spring Fever Admission Form” and send it to school by Friday, March 12, 2010. We appreciate your support! Proceeds from the Spring Fever Fun Fair will benefit the Dunning PTO to fund the programs it supports.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Spring Fever Fun Fair 2010 FREE Basket Raffle Ticket Name: ___________________________________ Address: _________________________________ Phone: ___________________________________ Basket Theme:_____________________________ Basket Raffle will be held on March 13, 2010 at 2:30pm You need not be present to win…

Spring Fever Fun Fair 2010

Grade Level

Basket Theme

Basket Raffle Reminder…Don’t Forget!

Kindergarten

“Fun in the Sun”

Charlotte A. Dunning’s Spring Fever Fun Fair event is approaching quickly…keep those basket raffle donations coming! Help fill the baskets for each grade to overflowing by purchasing EW item(s) appropriate for any age to go along with each grade’s theme. Be creative! Ask your children for their advice on what to purchase. Team up with a friend to buy something extra special!

Grade 1

Too busy to shop? Not sure what to buy? Gift cards make great choices! OR, let our personal shoppers do the legwork for you! Send gift card, cash or check donations (payable to Dunning PTO) to school in an envelope marked “Basket Raffle Donation”. Send all basket raffle donations to school between now and March 5th. Grade level boxes are located in the lobby outside the school office. Pre-register for Charlotte Dunning’s “Spring Fever Fun Fair” event and receive one free basket raffle ticket. Look for your ticket at the bottom of your pre-registration form.

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the basket raffle table during the Spring Fever Fun Fair event on Saturday March 13th. Raffle winners will be announced at 2:30 during our Spring Fever Fun Fair event. You do not need to be present to win. All donations welcome! Feel free to donate to any theme…

Thank you for your support! For more information, email Christine Paget at chris0120@rcn.com

Grade 5

Suggestions

Water toys, suntan lotion, beach towels, sand toys, beach balls, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, beach stories, water games, sunglasses, goggles, sun visors… “Create and Craft supplies, how to books, Legos, Build” bead kits, Knex, crayons, Play Dough, Bionicles, models, ACMoore gift cards, paper, scissors… “Brain Puzzles, Brainquest Cards, flashcards, Builders” dot to dot books, mazes, word searches, puzzle books, magic tricks, mystery books, Mad Libs, thinking games, playing cards, cribbage boards, rubics cube… “Heart Healthy” Jump ropes, balls, outdoor sports equipment, knee pads, stop watches, water bottles, Chinese jump ropes, healthy cookbooks for kids, wrist bands … “Family Fun” Disposable cameras, board games, outdoor games, family friendly videos/DVDs, guide books of area attractions, family read alouds books, picnic supplies, gift certificates for museums, theaters, video rentals, ice cream, pizza… “Science and Magnifying glasses, non-fiction Nature” books, bug boxes and nets, field guides, ant farms, science kits (crystals, volcanoes), science experiment books, gardening supplies, museum passes,…

A fun night out for all Dunning Parents and Staff

Saturday, April 10tthh 7 :0 0 - 1 1 :0 0 p m Framingham Elks Club 4 5 0 U n i o n A v e n ue Raffle and auction donations wanted. Theater tickets, sports tickets, electronics, gift certificates, services, vacation destinations â&#x20AC;&#x201C; be creative! Please contact Kristen Keane at bkeane897@verizon.net. You can help make this a successful event!

Advertise Your Business Nothing to donate? Consider taking out an ad in our program. Full page Half page Quarter page

$100.00 $50.00 $25.00

Checks should be made out to Charlotte Dunning PTO. All ads can be placed in the PTO mailbox at school or emailed to bkeane897@verizon.net.

Framingham Public Schools School Calendar 2010-2011 August 1

10 11 12 13 14

August

January

30 Grade 9 Transition day 31 Delayed Opening 2 hour delay 31 Grades 1-12 Return

3 School Resumes 14 PD-No School E,M,H 17 Martin Luther King Day 18 - 21 High School Exams 21 1st Semester Ends E, H 24 Kindergarten Changeover 28 Report Cards sent home E, H

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

January 1 2

10 11 12 13 14 15

10 11

1 Kindergarten Returns 6 Labor Day 7 Pre-School Returns 9-10 Rosh Hashanah

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

September

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

29 30 31

September

February

3 PD-Early Release E, M, H 21 Presidents’ Day 22-25 Winter Recess

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

26 27 28 29 30

27 28

October

8 PD-Early Release E, M, H 11 Columbus Day 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 21 PC-Early Release E 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 28 PC-Early Release E,M 1

17 18 19 20

22 23

24 25 26 27

29 30

March

4 2nd Term Ends M 11 Report Cards Sent Home M 24 PC-Early Release E 31 PC-Early Release E 31 PD-Early Release M

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

November

November 1

11 12 13

14 15 16

18 19 20

21 22 23

25 26 27

28 29 30

2 PD-No School E, M, H 4 PC-Early Release E 11 Veteran’s Day 18 PC-Early Release E 24 All Schools Half Day No Pre-School or Kindergarten 25- 26 Thanksgiving Recess

April 7 PC-Early Release E 14 PC-Early Release E 18 Patriots Day 19-22 Spring Recess 22 Good Friday 28 PC-Early Release E

April 3

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 16

December

2 PC-Early Release E 3 1st Term Ends M 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 9 PC-Early Release E 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 10 Report Cards Sent Home M 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 24-31 Holiday Recess 1

May 5 PC-Early Release E 12 PD-Early Release, E, M, H 27 168th Day for Seniors 30 Memorial Day

May 1

9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

26 27 28 29 30 31

June

June No School Early Release/Delayed Opening:PC=Parent Conferences PD=Professional Development/no parent conferences (H=High School, M=Middle School, E=Elementary School)

5 High School Graduation 15 180th Day 22 185th Day Approved by School Committee on February 23, 2010

9 10 11

12 13 14 15

16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 11

DUNNING SPIRIT WEAR ORDER FORM Orders will be taken starting now through June 1, 2010. Items are available while supplies last. Please allow up to two weeks for delivery. Please send your order in an envelope labeled “Spirit Wear PTO Mailbox” with a check payable to “Dunning PTO.”

Item

Picture

Description

Price

Total

$12.00 Youth Short Sleeve Shirt

$15.00 Youth Long sleeve Shirt

MISC.

Item

Picture

Description

Price

Color

Baseball Hats

$8.00

N/A

Car Magnet

$4.00

N/A

Quantity

Total

TOTAL:_____________________

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………......................... NAME:_________________________________________________________________________________________ STUDENT’S NAME:_____________________________________________CLASSROOM:_____________________ ADDRESS_______________________________________________________________________________________ EMAIL:_________________________________________________________________________________________ PHONE:____________________________________________

PAID IN FULL: YES_______ NO_______

pr-,,ace

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February 10,2010

Carol Berlin Charlofie Dunning School 48 Frost St. Framingham, MA 01701 Dear Ms. Berlin,

I am writing to thank you and the Charlotte Dunning School cornmunity for your recent donations to A Place To Turn. lYe were grateful to receive the white rice from your January collection, as well as the baking mixes in December.

The staff and students of Charlotte Dunning School have always been so generous to A Place To Turn. We want you all to kncw how grateful we are for your ongoing support. Your donations sustain us as the number of clients we see continues to increase. Despite the growing numbers, we rernain committed to helping allwha come to us seeking assistance. We are so grateful to have you working with us, helping our friends and neighbors in their time of need. Your charitable contributions go a long way

toward helping our clients through a difficult tirne in their lives. On behalf of the board of directors, staff and clients of A Place To Turn, I thank you fcr your steadfast support. Sincerelv.

'fuel"rr,rw hcwxrf Joanne Barry

Executive Director

99 Hartford

Street Natick, MA or76o

phone

goB.655.BB6B

bttx 508.6.r).7122 ureb wivw.aplacetotirrnnatick.org