ALCOTT NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Book Fair is Next Week! March 27-30th: All students will have the chance to visit the book fair during their school day with their teacher sometime between March 27-30. Be sure to send money in with your child on the day of their visit! We will need book fair volunteers to help set up and to support the classroom visits. You can sign-up here Book Fair Volunteer Sign-Up to help. As a reminder, you will need an active CORI to volunteer. Stop by the Alcott office with your photo ID if you need a CORI ASAP!
Book Fair and Museum of Math Night Next Thursday, March 30th! A Visit to Book Fair and “Museum of Math”: On Thursday March 30th, all families are invited to Alcott after school to visit the book fair and “Museum of Math”. The Book Fair will open at 4:00 pm and the Museum of Math will run from 4:30-6:30 pm. There is no need to sign up in advance to attend either the Book Fair or Museum of Math on March 30th. We also will need volunteers to support this open house on the 30th. You can sign up here Book Fair Volunteer Sign-Up to help families navigate the Book Fair and Museum of Math. Training will be provided to all volunteers. Middle School and High School Alcott Alums: Do you know a middle school or high school Alcott alum who is in need of community service hours? We are looking for student volunteers to help run the math games at the Museum of Math! We would love to welcome back Alcott alumni to help out! Sign up here: Middle and High School Student Volunteer Sign-Up
The Concord and Concord-Carlisle SEPAC, Carlisle SEPAC, Willard PTG, Alcott PTG & CMS PTG invites the community to a free presentation by Dr. Ross Greene. Dr. Greene is a clinical psychologist and a New York Times bestselling author whose influential work is known around the world. He is well known for developing the model of care -- Collaborative and Proactive Solutions -- that helps parents, guardians and teachers solve problems and build collaborative relationships with the children in their care. In his most recent book, Raising Human Beings, he explains how to cultivate a better parent/guardian-child relationship while also nurturing empathy, honesty, resilience and independence. For more information about Dr. Ross Greene please visit the website of the non-profit he founded, www.livesinthebalance.org. The event will be held in person and on zoom April 4th at 6:30pm at the CCHS auditorium. 500 Walden St, Concord MA 01742. Register here
The Alcott PTG is inviting Parents and Guardians to Participate in the School Budget 2023-2024: At the most recent Town of Concord Finance Committee (FINCOM) meeting, the appointed FINCOM members failed to endorse the budget as proposed by our elected School Committee. They received 40-50 letters from the community in support of the Budget, and none opposed, but still voted, by a tie vote, not to endorse the School Committee and Dr. Hunter’s budget. For those who are new to the issue, the School Committee is asking for a 4.7% increase, not to add any new services, but rather to cover the cost of inflation. FINCOM then passed a vote to endorse a a 3.3% increase, meaning our Schools would have to make $600,000 in cuts. The FINCOM had asked Dr. Hunter to come up with what $600K in cuts would look like. On the list of what is at stake includes the following:
- Eliminating Librarian Positions: potentially sharing one librarian between all three Elementary Schools and the two Middle Schools
- Eliminating or Reducing the 3 Elementary School Technology Specialists and the 1 Middle School Technology Specialist position
- Eliminating or Reducing 2-4 Tutor Positions
- Eliminating or Reducing Professional Development for the Concord Teachers
- Eliminating or Reducing the K-8 Special Education Coordinator
- Reducing Buses/ Eliminating Service to those within 2 miles of the Schools
- Eliminating School Sponsored Field Trips
- Elimination or Reduction of the STEAM Lab/Data Coordinator position
- Elimination or Reduction of the Elementary School Instrument Program (Band and Orchestra)
If you want to weigh in on School Budget cuts, please mark TOWN MEETING, SUNDAY, APRIL 30th, 1:00pm and VOTE on Article 17. As a PTG, we take no positions on a town vote, but encourage the participation of our members to voice their concerns in either direction. A vote for Article 17 would approve the 4.7% increase as proposed by the School Committee, and a vote against would mean cutting the School Budget as proposed by the Finance Committee.
MCAS Schedule: As a reminder, MCAS begins at the end of March and continues through the middle of May. Specific test dates are as follows:
March 27 and 28 - Grade 3 ELA
March 30 and 31 - Grade 4 ELA
April 10 and 11 - Grade 5 ELA
May 4 and 5 - Grade 3 Math
May 9 and 11 - Grade 5 Math
May 15 and 16 - Grade 4 Math
May 18 and 19 - Grade 5 STE
Alcott Twitter - Follow Alcott on its new Twitter account!
Update on the Middle School Project. The full schedule is here.
Calendar and important dates
***Every Wednesday is now a half-day***
March 24: Alcott Spirit Day — Twin Day
March 27-30: Book Fair Class Room Visits
March 30: Book Fair and Math Night Community Event
April 17-21: April break, no school
April 30: Town Meeting on School Budget
May 6: Alcott Parent Social
June 2: Ice Cream Social
CPS/CCRSD 22-23 School Calendar can be found here
IN THE COMMUNITY
GRAMMY Award-winning Okee Dokee Brothers return to our area for one show only, bringing their new album "Brambletown" and their fan-favorite songs for singing and dancing. On Saturday, April 1, at 2:00 pm, the Concord Conservatory of Music presents the inspirational, infectious musical duo at the Acton-Boxborough High School. With humor and heartfelt connections to nature, their songs teach and entertain audiences of all ages. They have created their own unique sound with a touch of bluegrass, old-time, and folk. Funding support from The Dewey Rosenfield Foundation, Concord Cultural and Mass Cultural Council, Barefoot Books, Enterprise Bank, and Nashoba Brooks School, have helped present the concert. $25 General Admission tickets in advance from ConcordConservatory.org or at the door (if not sold out). info@concordconservatory.org/(978) 369-0010. Concord Conservatory of Music is the area's non-profit community music school at 1317 Main Street in West Concord.
Milldam Nursery School is hosting an Open House on Saturday, March 25 from 10-11:30! Come visit the school and enjoy some crafts and music by Tim Seston. Openings available for the 2023-24 school year! Questions? Email us at: membership@milldamnurseryschool.org.
Join us when the Concord Conservatory of Music (CCM) presents Boston Jazz Wisdom on Friday, March 24th, at 7:30 pm. Experience an evening of energetic, free-spirited, and innovative jazz led by jazz percussion legend Ra-Kalam Bob Moses. His colorful and multicultural music knows no boundaries. The all-star line-up features Dave Bryant on piano, John Lockwood on bass, and CCM faculty member Tsuyoshi Honjo on saxophone. Ra Kalam Bob Moses is one of the world’s great musicians, composers, and drummers and has played with many stellar musicians, including Dave Liebman, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Bobby McFerrin, Dave Sanborn, and others. Concord Cultural Council, supported by the Mass Cultural Council, generously granted funding toward the 2022-2023 CCM Concert & Lecture Series. Purchase $25 General Admission tickets online or at the door.
Who’s Raising the Kids?: Big Tech, Big Business, and the Lives of Children, with author and psychologist Dr. Susan Linn. Free virtual speaker event by Discovery Museum. Wednesday, March 29, 7-8pm via Zoom webinar. Dr. Linn’s unparalleled research on the impact of Big Tech and big business on children argues that our digitized-commercialized culture, and the ways it infiltrates our homes and classrooms, is damaging for kids and families as well as society at large. In this talk, based on her September, 2022, book by the same title, Susan will explore and expose the roots of this modern condition, explain the commercial incentives that drive it, and map out what we can do for our families, our students, and our communities, to create change. Event is free, advanced registration is required at http://bit.ly/DMSpeakerSeries
Concord Conservatory’s Spring 10-Week Group Class Registration Open—Balancing rigor with the joy and fun of creating music, CCM group classes provide excellence in music education. Share time together making music as a family in Family Notes—a class for parents, caregivers, kids through 4 years old and their siblings and there's Beginner Vocals for kids ages 6 – 8. Adults, choose between 3 ukulele classes and Bluegrass Harmony Singing—a course to deepen your understanding of harmony singing, grow repertoire, and most importantly get to practice singing in a supportive environment. CCM is the area’s non-profit community music school, located at 1317 Main Street, West Concord. Financial assistance available. ConcordConservatory.org, info@concordconservatory.org, (978) 369-0010
FREE TRIAL ADULT UKULELE CLASSES AT CONCORD CONSERVATORY—Try out a fun ukulele class on Wednesday, April 5th. Get ready to learn the ukulele, or pick it back up again! Sample a Concord Conservatory of Music ukulele group class and see why the uke is a fun and popular instrument to learn and play with friends. Sign up for a free trial group class for beginners on Wednesday, April 5th at 6 pm for the Ukulele Crash Course. Already have some experience, the Uke 2: The Sequel at 7 pm will help to hone your fundamental playing skills. The 6-week semester begins on Wednesday, April 12th. Sign-up for your free trial ukulele group class here, ConcordConservatory.org, info@concordconservatory.org, (978) 369-0010. Financial assistance available.
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!