December PTO Update
Join us to help plan the Winter Party and/or the International Festival! We will be discussing both of these events at the December PTO Meeting on Wednesday, December 17th from7 to 9pm in the library. Here are more details:
- Winter Party, Saturday, January 31 from 8 pm to midnight: All parents, staff and friends are invited to the annual Thompson Winter Party at the Arlington Center for the Arts. This is a big fundraiser for the PTO but more importantly, big fun for us parents. The evening will include dancing (DJ), hors d’oeuvres & desserts, and an open bar (beer and wine). Cost is $25 per person, adults only. If you can’t come to the PTO meeting, but would like to join the committee, please contact Melissa MacDonald.
- International Festival, Saturday, March 14 from 11 am to 3pm: Back by popular demand, we will be hosting an international festival again this year! This fabulous event invites Thomspon community members to represent their heritage through displays, local food, arts, crafts, and a fashion show! If you can’t come to the PTO meeting, but would like to join the committee, please contact Sarah Stockwell.
Firefly Moon Thompson Day, Wednesday, December 17 – 11 am to 7pm
Get all your holiday shopping done and keep your dollars in Arlington! Shop at Firefly Moon in the heights from the end of school (early release) to 7pm, and 15% will kick back to our PTO. If anyone else comes in off the street, we still get 15%! Be sure to mention Thompson at the register and get an additional certificate that can be used this holiday season.
The Thompson Play is coming!
Did you know that one of Thompson's most beloved traditions is a school play held every spring? All Thompson students are invited to participate, free of charge. Grades 3-5 will have speaking parts and grades K-2 singing and dancing ensemble roles. Auditions will be held for grades 3-5 the week of January 12, and performances are scheduled for April 15 and 16. Keep an eye out for audition sign-ups soon.
Community Card Sales Challenge
Welcome to the Year End Community Card Challenge! The family to sell the most per grade gets a prize! The one class to sell the most gets a prize! Pick up your cards at pick up/drop off on Pineapple Side with Gaggi and sign the Community Card Notebook with your child grade specifications. Start with 10 cards or less, and pick up more as you sell. Winners announced after winter break.
Don’t know Gaggi? She'll have a table, or bright umbrella, or blue wig, or something odd to find her. Can't find her or get to pick up/drop off? Call her at 617-909-1865, or Gaggi@rcn.com for any special pick ups. You wanna sell 'em, she'll find you.
But wait, I just sold a bunch of cards in October. Great, thanks! Your support counts towards the January count. Any cards sold in the fall, not counting Town Day, count towards the contest. Just make sure you're in the Notebook and update your child's grade.
I have several children, which grade counts. All your children and grades count. Each family to sell the cards with multiple grades will have one point per grade. Twins get 2 points and triplets get 3 points.
Ahhh, I don’t know what to get for a gift! Looking for that perfect festivus gift? Or, a great Hanukkah gift? Xmas, stocking stuffers, Yankee swaps... We got you covered! The Card's a great present! Give the gift that keeps giving and keep your Arlington dollars in Arlington!
Remember, all the money raised with the Cards goes directly to the PTO. Think of all the activities, field trips, extra enrichment programs your child has already experienced so far! The Card has helped with these events. Thank you so much for your continued support,
EATS Update
Arlington EATS invites you to "Take Your Butterfly to Lunch"! For a suggested donation of $8 (enough to feed a student 2 meals a day for a weekend), donors will be able to download an origami butterfly with printed instructions. Fold your butterfly and snap a photo of it at your favorite place in Arlington, a cozy lunch spot, or in a funny place for your butterfly to be. Upload your photo entries at http://www.arlington-eats.org/
Event recaps:
- Fall Fundraiser - Our fall fundraiser was a huge success! We set a goal of having 100 families participate in the direct donation drive and we reached that goal in the eleventh hour of the drive! In fact, 105 families have contributed to date, and more than $7,000 was raised for the students of Thompson! Thank you so much for your generosity! Of course, we happily accept contributions all year long! Check out our website at thompsonschoolpto.org and click the Fundraising/Donate Now tab, or click the button below.
- Scholastic Book Fair recap - Thank you Thompson! Between all the classroom visits and parent shoppers, last week’s book fair was our best ever, grossing more than $6,000! We took profits in the form of extra books ($1,200 worth for classroom libraries and our reading and ELL specialists) and the rest as cash that goes straight to the PTO for future enrichment spending. Thank you to the many parents who volunteered their time during the fair and to the 2nd grade room parents for organizing a great Family Literacy Night. Last but not least, a special thank you to our amazing librarian Liza Halley who dedicated her week to helping children navigate the fair during class visits and for allowing us to take over the library space. The book fair committee would appreciate any feedback as they plan for future fairs. Please contact Tanya Serrao.
- Literacy Night Wednesday recap - Family Literacy Night was a great success! Thank you to all of the volunteers that helped make this night possible. We had a great turn out and saw lots of smiling faces as families moved through the activity stations in the gym, played book bingo in the cafeteria and shopped in the book fair. It was great to see so many children acting out books, hearing great stories and making book related crafts and book marks. Also, be sure to check out the lists of favorite books by grade created on this night that Ms. Liza will keep in the library. A fabulous time was had by all!
- Holiday Help Drive recap - Thank you for your help providing families in need with generous gifts this holiday season. Through your support, we provided five Arlington families with gifts for this holiday season. Thank you!
Request from Nurse Tami
Nurse Tami is looking for a baby monitor with one base and two monitors to use in the nurse’s office. If you have one that you’re ready to part with, please let Nurse Tami know.
Save the date!
We have lots of fun events planned for the new year. Mark your calendars now!
- 1/23 Movie Night, 6:00 pm pizza, 6:30 pm show time
- 1/31 Winter Parents’ Party, 8 pm to midnight
- 2/27 Family Game Night
- 3/14 International Festival, 11am–3pm
- 4/10 Ice skating party
- 4/15 and 4/16 School play
Stay up to date on Thompson news:
- Check out our newly designed PTO website for the latest news, volunteer opportunities, and our link to Amazon (we get 5-15% back on purchases).
- Join the Thompson Yahoo Group to receive all PTO-related emails.
- Like the Thompson Facebook page to get the latest updates.
- Do you have news for the Thompson community? Submit them for the next PTO Update to Andrea Loeb.
Brought to you by the 2014/15 PTO Board
Andrea Loeb: President
Sarah Stockwell: Vice President
Kerry Austin-Smith: Second Vice President
Melissa MacDonald: Treasurer
Rebecca Younkin: Assistant Treasurer
Tanya Serrao: Secretary
Sheelah Ward: Assistant Secretary
Maf Terry: Enrichment Chair
Lea Walsh: Room-Parent Chair
Juliet Moir: Fundraising Chair
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