PTO Thank You

Thanks to the PTO, students are using
 Ipads to create on-line stories.

A message from the Merrimac PTO~

The PTO Board and members would like to send out a special Thank You to the families and students of Merrimac.

With the support from you throughout the year, by contributing to fundraisers and participating in events that have been held, the PTO was able to award appropriations to teachers from both schools at last month's meeting. (This was the second appropriations of the year).

The total amount awarded was $4,865.86 and included items such as IPADS, Elmos, Weighted lap pads, Rocker Boards, Adventure Bouncer and Crawl Tunnel, Field Day/Relay for life shirts for all students and staff at Donaghue, Balance Balls, and T-shirts for annual bug show for first Grade.

Without the support from families in our community, the PTO would not have been able to increase the budgeted amount of $3,000 to $4,865.86 and fulfill all the requests from our teachers.

Thank You again for your support throughout the year.

-Merrimac PTO  Jen, Crissy, Rebekah, Sara, Julie and Sharon

Fine Art Show & Auction

On Tuesday, May 29th, there will be a Fine Arts Show at the Donaghue School from 6:00pm-8:00pm.  Artwork for both Sweetsir and Donahue students (grades k-6) will be featured, along with musical entertainment from the HRD chorus.

After you browse through the exhibits, stop in the B & A room to show your support to the PTO.  Auction items will be presented in a silent bid format.  These items in the photos and many other class gifts will be up for bid, along with items donated by local businesses.   

Ms. Drew Duford, Art Teacher, created the lesson below to foster 'collaboration'.  Students worked in partners to create a scene with small hidden shapes. They practiced brainstorming ideas, compromising and delegating tasks.

Family Game Night

Game Night was a fun family evening!  Thanks to the PTO, children had a blast playing a variety of board games with their parents, siblings and friends.

I was impressed with the selection of games, most had received parent choice awards for their educational value.  Best of all, when I asked children what their favorite game was, most stated the one they were playing at the time.  As the event wrapped up, I overheard children saying they hoped there will be another game night.  Kudos to Mrs. Daneau, Mrs. Reynold, Mrs. Hadley, the Marden family and other PTO members who helped run this event.


The PTO plans to send home order forms to give families who were not able to attend an opportunity to order the games.  The PTO will receive 50% profit on all games purchased.

May 12th PTO Auction

These items will be up for bid at the PTO's upcoming auction. Staff Members on the second grade team donated this movie theme basket, which includes gift certificates.  Each classroom will be donating unique items created by students. Ms. Rowley's second graders decorated this bag of goodies using their thumbprints to make a garden design (picture to right).

For more information about donating items or obtaining tickets contact Jen Marden, PTO President, at Jen.shane@verizon.net.

Your child could be Principal

The Merrimac PTO will be hosting a silent auction on Friday, March 16th at Zorino Vineyards.  They are looking for donations to help raise funds to support school programs, field trips, and cultural arts.  If you wish to donate an auction item or volunteer to help, contact the PTO ( jmarden@merrimacpto.org).  This should be a fun night out for parents and friends!

One of the items up for bids will be "Principal for the Day."  This was a very popular item at my previous school.  Students got a kick out of seeing a classmate dress up and help me run the school.  The "Principal" helped greet visitors, supervise the cafeteria, check in on classrooms, and even made a few rules (teachers were forewarned there might be no homework and extra recess time).  I look forward to having just as much fun with a Sweetsir student as Principal.

Wizards Game Blast!

On January 31st, the H.S. basketball court with filled with laughter as Donaghue and Sweetsir Families watched the Harlem Wizards play against faculty members. 
The Merrimac PTO deserves high praise for arranging this fun filled family evening!!

Check out this video of game highlights and see the amazing trick players taught a preschooler during a pre-game visit to Sweetsir!

Mastering Math Facts

Developing an understanding of numbers and the ability to add and subtract with ease is essential during the early school years.  Children who do not master the ability to add and subtract quickly and accurately will struggle with math in later years.  Most children need ongoing practice to memorize facts, therefore, making it part of a home routine is important. 



This box of triangle math cards just arrived thanks to a generous contribution from the PTO!  Every student in first and second grade will receive a set to take home.  In January, we plan to roll out a school-wide incentive program to encourage children to practice their math facts.  Teachers will introduce the cards and show how to use them.  Then the minutes students spend practicing at home will be tracked by class and displayed on a school wide graph.  More details will be sent home with the cards in mid-January.

Triangle shape cards are more effective than the traditional flash cards because students learn to memorize 'fact families.'  Fact families are a set of three numbers that link addition and subtraction, or multiplication and division, together.  For example, the numbers 4,6,10 can be added or subtracted:  6+4=10, 4+6=10, 10-4=6, 10-6=4.  Presenting the numbers together helps students understand the relationship between adding and subtracting.  Each number is in a corner, allowing a finger to cover one of them while viewing the other two.  The student looks at the other members of the fact family and then guesses the covered number.  These triangle cards are also available for multiplication/division.  Parents of 3rd and 4th graders may want to consider purchasing a set which can be found online or at specialty learning stores.

A Fun Saturday Morning

Many families came to Sweetsir School for the annual PTO 'Santa Breakfast' on December 4th.  As you can see from these photos, everyone had a wonderful time!

Posing with Santa was the highlight of the breakfast

There were lots of  photo-ops

   

Mrs. Vienneau & her daughter

 visited with Mr. & Mrs. Claus

 Lots of beautiful smiles...
perfect for making Holiday greeting cards

Thank you, Mrs. Claus! 

Volunteers included Dads & FNS Grads 

 Hugs for the
Elf Party Planners

             

Thank you to all of the Moms, Dads & Kids who helped make this event possible!  Many volunteers donated their time to plan this breakfast, decorate the cafe, pick up the donuts, greet people at the door, set up the school store, oversee the bookstore, clean up and more...  Thank You!

Fall Fun

Mrs. Vienneau, our kitchen manager, decorated these cute pumpkins.  Children get a kick out of seeing Ernie & Bert in the school lunch line!



These two moms brewed up some fun!



THANK YOU PTO!

The October 21st Harvest Festival was a wonderful family event!  


Children had a blast jumping in the bouncy house, decorating cupcakes, eating cotton candy, playing lots of games and, if they were brave enough, walking through the Teacher's Haunted House. 

Pencils, Erasers & Notebooks Galore!

The PTO runs a school store during lunchtime twice a month (on the second and last Wednesday).  Many items are available for under a dollar, giving students the opportunity to practice consumer decision making and math skills.

 

Thank you to the many parent who volunteer their time! If you would like to join them, contact Sharon Bartholomew for more information.  As you can see from this picture of Sue Poor and her son, it is a fun event for both students and parents!

Spirit Wear

Kudos to the PTO for this fantastic window display in our front lobby!  There is still time to order your spirit wear. Staff members went crazy over these soft, flannel bottoms... they are planning some school spirit days so they'll have an excuse to wear them to school, lol.  Order forms were sent home via backpack last week, additional copies are available in the school office.

Harlem Wizards vs Merrimac Monstars

The Harlem Wizards game was a huge success!  Kudos to Jen Marden and the other Board Members who organized this fun PTO event.  Despite incredible heat and tornado warnings, the H.S. gymnasium was packed with families and tickets sold out.  The crowd roared with laughter, awed by the comedic tricks and talented moves by the Wizards.  Our home team was also a force to be reckoned with- among them were teachers Kate Byrne and Martine Isabel who impressed the crowd with their scoring shots and Jessica Gilliland, Leigh Curtis-Pare and Kathy Terceiro who brought team spirit with their fancy wigs!