ALCOTT NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Turkey Trot Update - I want to thank everyone who made our Annual Turkey Trot such a success on Wednesday, November 2nd. The weather was amazing and the kids had so much fun working hard to get as many laps as they could. As of now we have approximately $2,500 raised in pledge money. Last year we raised $9,704, let’s try to beat that Alcott. Pledges can be sent in to classroom teachers or you can donate online at the Alcott PTG website by clicking the “Turkey”. Thanks, Mr Gaudreau
The PTG would like to invite everyone to our November Open Meeting on Wednesday, November 16th from 7-8:30pm via Zoom. The meeting will provide an overview of current and upcoming events at Alcott; along with what is happening at a broader District level, including the Middle School Project, thanks to our special guests, Superintendent of Schools, Laurie Hunter and School Committee Members Alexa Anderson and Tracey Murano. Look forward to seeing many of you there! Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85920993727?pwd=cU9DK3hmaHpwMkk3NWJPbEM0UGx5QT09 - Meeting ID: 859 2099 3727 - Passcode: 007084
From the Art Room - Green Art Bags: Many classes have been getting to the end of their collage units, and bringing their collage portfolios home in green Art Bags. Thank you to so many families for returning those reusable bags to the Art Room! If you can help your child remember to put the bag into their backpack to return, that would be great.
From the Art Room - K-2 Painting is next: Over the next couple of weeks, all of the K-2 classes will be starting a Painting unit in Art class. We do not have Art Room smocks for health reasons, as we don't want kids sharing clothing. The tempera paint that we use will wash out of clothing, although sometimes it needs a little help with stain remover before washing. Occasionally, some of the paint can stain some fabrics. So, please try to remind your children to wear clothes that can get dirty on their Art day!
Holiday Cards? Minted Shutterfly TinyPrints Fundraiser: We are partnering once again with Minted, Shutterfly and TinyPrints to fundraise for Alcott. Shop on minted.com using the code FUNDRAISEALCOTT to give 15% back to the Alcott while enjoying 20% OFF your order! Shop Shutterfly and TinyPrints through our storefront - AlcottElementarySchool.ShutterflyStorefront.com - and they will donate 8% of your order back to Alcott. Share the code and storefront link with friends and family, local or far, to help make our fundraiser a success!
Alcott Elementary School - The lost and found is sorted and cleaned biweekly. Please label all items with a first initial and last name including: clothing (hoodies, jackets), water bottles, lunchboxes, gloves, snow gear (snow pants, boots, hats, scarves). Please encourage students to check the lost and found located outside of the cafeteria. All labeled items will be returned to the students classroom. All items without a label will be held for 30 days then donated. Stop by the lost and found outside at pickup on Tuesday, November 1st or Thursday, November 3rd.
Alcott Twitter - Follow Alcott on its new Twitter account!
***Every Wednesday is now a half-day***
November 10: Pre-k -5 Conferences
November 11: Veteran’s Day, No School
November 23: Half Day
November 24-25: Thanksgiving Recess
CPS/CCRSD 22-23 School Calendar can be found here
IN THE COMMUNITY
Open Table's Monthly Food Drive @ Crosby's - Saturday, November 12, 10am - 12pm. Alcott Brownie Troop 83817 will host November's Food Drive in front of Crosby's Marketplace in Concord. November's Needs: Baking Supplies! You can pick out items yourself (we'll have a list) or grab a pre-assembled bag - whatever works for you. We look forward to seeing you at Crosby's! Host Needed for December! More info: https://www.opentable.org/donation-activities/
Craft Fair – Saturday November 19th from 10:00am-3:00pm Looking to buy from local vendors for the holidays? Check out our craft fair hosted by Concord Recreation at the Hunt Recreation Center.
COAR Meeting, Mon Nov 14, 2022, 7-8:30pm - COAR (Communities Organizing Against Racism) offers a bi-monthly learning and discussion group open to all; our next meeting will be on Monday, Nov 14 at 7pm (on Zoom). We will share and discuss recent examples of racism from our school community. For those who have experienced racialized incidents, we invite you to share them. For those who haven't, this is a valuable opportunity to become more informed. We hope to inspire everyone who attends to take action and create a community where all our children feel welcomed and valued. Check out coaraction.org to learn more, or email coarcommunity@gmail.com to join the conversation!
Gaining Ground hosts Project Giving Kids/ Create the Change: On Wednesday, November 16th from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Participants will do a walking tour of the farm with Assistant Farm Manager, Erin Espinosa, and learn about our efforts to address local food insecurity. Volunteers will then create Thanksgiving cards to be included in an upcoming free Thanksgiving food distribution to families experiencing food insecurity. We are co-hosting this event at the farm as part of Project Giving Kids' "Create the Change" week of volunteer activities along with several other Boston-area nonprofits. This program is geared for Children under 14 to be accompanied by a parent or adult. Interested folks can learn more and sign up here.
Fund hospital beds for Ukrainian children’s hospitals. The War in Ukraine continues to rage, and hospitals desperately need beds for children's and maternity wards. Buy tickets for Concord's Ukrainian Quilt Raffle to raise money for hospital beds. A $250 donation funds one bed, and any donation is helpful. Our Concord fall goal is $25,000 for 100 beds! Please consider funding a bed - on your own or with friends and family. Raffle winner will be announced at the 12/4 Concord Tree Lighting - all donors will be notified by email of the result. Buy tickets here. For ore information please click here.
Comic Workshop - The Concord Free Public Library will host a comics workshop at the Main Library presented by Comics4Culture on Wednesday, November 9 at 4pm for children ages 7 and up. Learn how to bring your own story to life! This workshop will empower children to share their own stories, art, identities, and cultures through comics as well as provide a space for them to discuss issues they face within their own communities through the medium of comics. More generally, participants will learn about graphic novels and comics and how to draw their own comics. No registration required
Helping Our Children Develop a Sense of Security in This World of Upheaval - Wednesday, November 16, 7-9 pm, CCHS - Upheaval, war and fear are not events new to this world. What is new is the access our children have to the details and emotions surrounding these events. Not only do they see images and hear about situations in more graphic detail than we wish, they also sense our own unease and anxiety about what is happening around us. As a result, we are confronted with the need to protect our children’s sense of safety in ever-more effective ways. In this discussion, we will examine ways to provide that sense of security. We will cover interaction styles and words that work to promote calm in our children, and words that, although well-intended, can have the opposite effect. We will also discuss how we, as caretakers, manage our own fears about what is happening. Please bring questions and concerns. You will leave with specific tools to help you and your children. Fee: $15; scholarships are available. Register at concordcarlisleace.org or by calling 978-318-1432.
Message from Concord Education Fund: We at the Concord Education Fund (CEF) believe our teachers, staff and administrators are at the CORE of our students’ educational experience, patiently and creatively planting the SEEDS for future academic and emotional success. Join us this fall as we express our deep gratitude for the ways our schools have continued to innovate for and support our students. Join us virtually this fall as we are seeking to raise funds for our schools through community participation in the Apple Challenge. A $100 donation registers your family or small team for this virtual 5 mile Hike|Bike|Roll|Stroll, and includes a yard sign for display and event-weekend swag (including one CEF winter hat!). If you’re not able to participate in the Hike|Bike|Roll|Stroll you can still join in the fun by proudly displaying a yard sign for only $50! In addition, we are so very excited to celebrate our 30th Anniversary with you at our Fall Ball. We will be returning to Nashawtuc Country Club for a special night of celebration in support of our amazing schools! Buy one ticket for $100, or - better yet - become a BFF of CEF for $300. This special package includes a family registration for the Apple Challenge and two open bar tickets to the Fall Ball. For more information click here.
Concord & Carlisle: Our Communities Through a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Lens. Parents, please join us for a community-wide discussion, "Where do we go from here? Thursday evening, November 10th, 7:00-8:30pm at TRICON Church or online. Our last event in the series "Concord and Carlisle: Our Communities Through a DEI Lens." With a brief review of the first sessions on History, Education and Housing, we will have a facilitated discussion about what our communities would like to see happen to build a more welcoming community. Please pre-register online.
COAR Meeting, Mon Nov 14, 2022, 7-8:30pm. COAR (Communities Organizing Against Racism) offers a bi-monthly learning and discussion group open to all; our next meeting will be on Monday, Nov 14 at 7pm (on Zoom). We will share and discuss recent examples of racism from our school community. For those who have experienced racialized incidents, we invite you to share them. For those who haven't, this is a valuable opportunity to become more informed. We hope to inspire everyone who attends to take action and create a community where all our children feel welcomed and valued. Check out coaraction.org to learn more, or email coarcommunity@gmail.com to join the conversation!
Join Concord Conservatory of Music on Friday, November 18 at 7:30 pm for an evening of exceptional cabaret, burlesque, and belle époque music performed by the talented ensemble Belle Époque Music Ensemble/BÉME. BÉME brings you back to the Roaring Twenties and its music—a time when jazzy, energetic, and spirited pieces ruled. CCM faculty members Fabrizio Mazzetta on cello, and Masako Yotsugi on piano, with guest soprano Sonia Jacobson, will present a program that includes works of Gershwin, Erik Satie, and Scott Joplin, among others. Purchase tickets in advance from ConcordConservatory.org or at the door ($25/FREE for kids18 and under) info@concordconservatory.org (978)369-0010/1317 Main Street, West Concord
IMSCC Music Lessons - meet our new instructors! - The fall session is underway and enrollment is still open for new students to join us. Enrollment opens next month for the Winter-Spring session which begins in January - look for another announcement here soon. We are excited to introduce five new instructors this fall! Pianists Heekyung Michelle Lee and Eva Ostrovsky Kaminsky have joined our extensive piano studio and are accepting new students this fall. Liz Jewell, trumpet, and Soo Choi, flute, began teaching with IMSCC this summer and are currently working with students from the elementary schools, CMS and CCHS! Max Schwartz joined our faculty in September, teaching upright and electric bass as well as these new subjects: jazz piano, banjo and traditional fiddling! Students of all ages are welcome, including adults. You can browse our full faculty list here. Click here to learn more about IMSCC lessons. To begin the enrollment process please submit a lesson inquiry. If you have questions, email Debbie Levine.
Concord Free Public Library: Nutcracker Reading and Performances (recommended for ages 4-10) - The Concord Free Public Library will host a reading of the classic tale The Nutcracker on Tuesday, November 15 at 4:00pm in the Goodwin Forum at the Main Library. Several ballet dancers from the Commonwealth Ballet Company will help bring the story to life in their elegant and colorful costumes as the story is read aloud. This is a wonderful opportunity for children to see and meet their favorite characters from the beloved holiday tale. The dancers will be available to pose for photos after the reading. This program is recommended for children ages 4-10. Registration is not required.
Ice Cream Tree Decoration (recommended for ages 3-13) - In conjunction with the Concord Museum Family Trees project, the Concord Free Public Library is making our very own ice cream cone tree based on the book The Nice Dream Truck by Beth Ferry! Children ages 3-13 are invited to make their very own ice cream cone to be displayed on the tree at the Concord Museum. Adult assistance is encouraged for little ones. Visit the Main Library November 16, 17, or 18 from 3:30-5pm to participate; no registration required. The Family Trees exhibit is organized by the Guild of Volunteers at the Concord Museum.
Call for K-12 Artists: The 11th Annual Cool Science Artwork Competition - This year’s deadline is January 13, 2023 - Cool Science is a free and public art competition held each fall for all K-12 artists. Cool Science is a collaboration between the UMass Lowell, UMass Boston, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, University of Kansas, and Kansas City Art Institute. In 2019, Cool Science received a National Science Foundation grant that helped it expand the project beyond Massachusetts to Kansas, Missouri, and Southern New Hampshire.
Challenge Questions - This year, we are asking young artists to answer one of the following challenge questions with a visual work of art:
How might your experience with extreme temperatures be different from kids in other places around the world?
Draw someone who is getting ready for flooding where you live.
Draw a public transportation system (like buses & trains) that keeps working in a severe storm.
Competition Winners - During this winter, we will select the best entries for display on public buses in 2023. The honorees will be recognized at our art exhibit celebrations next year.
To Learn More - For further information about the contest, please visit: https://www.coolscience.net/artwork-guidelines-rules - You can also join our community on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.
Alcott Before School Sports - Fall 2 Registration is Open! This is a 6 week program open to Alcott School students, grades 1-5. In Session 2 of Fall Before School Sports, students will be given the opportunity to participate in a variety of sports/games like speedball, indoor soccer, floor hockey, and other favorite PE games!
Sewing Workshops - During the Concord Scholars sewing workshops, participants will learn to trace and cut patterns, measure fabric, hand stitch and (depending on the project) to sew using machines.
American Sign Language Classes – Online Gr. 5-8 - Interested in learning Sign Language? At Concord Scholars, our mission is to provide intensive foreign language instruction to school-aged children and young adults in a creative, fun and interactive setting. Let your children be part of a community, where they may expand their world through language learning. Led by highly qualified, experienced and creative teachers, our foreign language classes focus on developing communicative skills while enhancing a cultural understanding of these languages.
Festival String Orchestra before school program is for students who have been studying basic skills since September and can play Twinkle Twinkle (#43 in the book) by January. The program is suitable for 4th year beginner students or second year + players (5th) graders. Join to further develop your ensemble playing skills on your string instrument. It's fun to make music all together! The final product will be sound recorded and emailed to the parents.
Register now for the Winter 2023 TOWN Basketball program running January-April offered by Concord Rec. This fun, competitive league is open to boys and girls of all abilities and experience grades K-8 who live or go to school in Concord or Carlisle. This is a great program designed for both beginners and CCYB travel players alike who want to play with their friends, get some exercise, and learn basketball. Parents are also encouraged to volunteer to coach! Ages K-4 will play Sunday mornings at Hunt Gym, and grades 5-8 will play Saturday mornings at Concord Academy. This flexible, low key program welcomes busy families who cannot make every game due to other activities. Signup by the November deadline or to get more information: https://www.concordrec.com/829/Concord-Recreation-Youth-Basketball.
Concord Recreation Youth Basketball League Registration opens October 5, 2022 for all interested!
Age-appropriate levels for everyone! Concord Rec basketball league will resume in January 2023! This 12 week season will consist of 6 games and 6 practice/scrimmage weeks mixed in for continuous growth and development.
Hiring Lifeguards and WSI! Looking for a unique job opportunity? The Beede Center is seeking lifeguards for various shifts 5:30am-9:00pm. Join a lifeguard class for FREE if you’re interested in becoming certified. Call 978-287-1000 for more info.
FREE Lifeguard Classes at the Beede Center! The Beede Center is offering free Lifeguard classes in November and December. Register with the link above to reserve your spot.
Please visit this space for updates on sports, music and theater registration dates, seminars, and more events throughout town.
PTG online volunteer information and sign-up: Please visit our website to discover all the ways both working and non-working parents and guardians are needed to support our wonderful staff, students, and families. Have something to offer that you don’t see listed there? There’s a place for you to submit that info as well! We hope to hear from you!