ALCOTT NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Welcome back Alcott Community!! Spring is going to be busy and fun! Lots of things are happening, this newsletter will be long, please bear with us. Let’s go right into it :)
Sales for the 2022-2023 ALCOTT YEARBOOK have been reopened through this Friday, April 28th! Order online at coffeepond.com by Friday, 4/28. The price is $42 and the password is hellobronson (all lower case, no space). All sales must occur by Friday -- don't let this chance slip away!
Please Donate to the Annual Appeal: The Alcott PTG has launched its annual appeal campaign which will run until May 6th. Your contributions are what make our school so special. Every year, the Alcott PTG spends about $7,000 in community support for families in financial need (this pays for back to school supplies including backpacks, funding of school pictures and book fair purchasing). Did you know that 100% of the enrichment programs offered to every grade at Alcott are funded through the Alcott PTG ($1,000 pays for one grade to experience an enrichment program). The Alcott PTG also pays for staff appreciation gestures, underwriting all of our free family events (e.g. multicultural night), and Metco Family Friends events. Please consider making a donation today to support Alcott. Every dollar counts. Your Alcott community, staff and students thank you. Click here to donate.
Alcott Chess Club: Welcome back from vacation break. Yes, it's time for the Alcott Chess Tournament to start, but the actual games won't begin until next Thursday, so there is still time to enroll. This tournament is for all Alcott students. Fun for everyone; everybody wins! Enroll today and treat your children to the memory of a lifetime: the Alcott Chess Tournament. See the attached flyer for details, Direct questions to Ken Belt at alcottchess@hotmail.com.
School Budget Cuts TOWN MEETING THIS WEEKEND, YOUR PARTICIPATION IS CRITICAL TO THE PROCESS. The Alcott PTG is inviting Parents and Guardians to Participate in the School Budget 2023-2024. For those who are new to the issue, the School Committee is asking for a 4.7% increase, not adding any new services to cover the cost of inflation. The Finance Committee for the Town of Concord (FINCOM) voted for 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, THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 30th, 1:00pm and VOTE . As a PTG, we take no position on a town vote, but encourage the participation of our members to voice their concerns in either direction. PLEASE NOTE: THERE WILL LIKELY BE TWO STAGES to this voting process. The FINCOM may introduce an amendment to this article, cutting the school budget. Please carefully pay attention to the process. A vote for the FINCOM amendment will cut the school budget, whereas a vote against their amendment would allow the School Committee’s proposed budget (article 17) to come to a full vote. A vote for Article 17 IF NOT AMENDED would approve the 4.7% increase as proposed by the School Committee, and a vote against would mean failure to pass a budget.
Alcott's Earth Hero BINGO Ends May 1st! Earth month is over soon! Don't let your student(s) forget to return their Earth Hero BINGO cards to the front office to be displayed on the wall. The first 200 receive a wildflower seed packet prize! - The Alcott Green Team.
Enjoy the spring weather at the 5th Grade Lemonade Stand! On Wednesdays 5/3, 5/10, and 5/17, students and families can pick up a lemonade and cookie ($1 each) near the parking lot at dismissal. Funds support the 5th grade class gift to the school and other end of year traditions. (Sorry: treats are available only for pick-ups/walkers. Buses need to leave on time, plus sticky seats are no fun!)
Join us for the 2023 Alcott Parent Social on May 6th at 6:30pm, hosted by Erika & Rich Santoro! Food will be from the Bon Me Food Truck! The night will be a great opportunity to reconnect with friends and meet new Alcott families. Tickets are $20 per person. BYOB. The night will also feature a raffle for TWO tickets to the SEASON OPENER of the PATRIOTS will be sold over the next 2 weeks. Additional details to be announced. Purchase Social Tickets here!
See you May 6th, 6:30-10PM. Address will be provided in your ticket purchase confirmation.
For anyone who can support the night, we have a few sign-up opportunities
The PTG is inviting all Teachers, Parents and Guardians to our OPEN SPRING MEETING on Tuesday evening, May 9th at 7pm on zoom (Meeting ID: 820 3209 6551, Passcode: 332842). Our Open Spring meeting annually is where we vote on next year’s slate and next year’s proposed budget - all Alcott community members are welcome. Next year, we are preparing to move to vote the following PTG Board Members into each of the proposed Offices: President: Melissa Karczewski; Vice President: Elizabeth Gibbs; Treasurer: Jessica Reed; Clerk: Michelle Hage; Communications Chair: Stacia Stornetta; Enrichment Chair: Sarah Flynn; Events Chair: Matt Lech; Fundraising Chair: Allison Flynn; METCO Co-Chairs: Liv Woods and Meghan Clinard; School Community Chair: Michelle Hage. As always, our Executive Board Members are those who have served on Committees or as Chairs in the past, and our Chairs are those who have experience volunteering with the PTG. If you are interested in a Board position in the future, please reach out to the OWL website and let us know of your interests and we can get you involved as soon as possible!
Alcott's Spring Bike-Walk-and-Roll-to-School Day - Wednesday, May 3rd. Move with kid power! Join us as Alcott kids bike, walk, or roll their way to school on May 3rd! Prizes are available for all who participate! Last year we had bikers, skate boarders, roller bladers, walkers and scooters join in the fun. There are three ways to go!
Families can meet at the Keyes Rd parking lot at 8:30am to join the police-escorted "bike train" to Alcott.
Meet up at Emerson Park at 8:45 to join METCO students' "Walking Bus".
Find your own kid-powered route that works best for you!
Note that no organized dismissal plans are in place. Click here to see photos and updates for future Bike to School events! Bike, Walk, and Roll to School Day is a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) event sponsored by the Concord Police Department and Concord Public Schools.
Here are the last few METCO MFF (METCO Friends & Families) Event's for 2022/2023 School Year. For more information or if your child is interested in becoming a friend, please email liv.woods@gmail.com
Saturday May 20th: MFF Spring Picnic Location: Almont Park in Mattapan Time: 1:00PM-4:00PM. Please see more details here.
Wednesday June 7th: Playdate with Buddies and Ice Cream Social (MFF only)
Alcott Parents and Guardian: Kindergarten Open House is May 10!: There will be an open house for incoming K students on the afternoon of May 10th. More information (including the time for each session) will be sent directly to families. If you have an incoming kindergarten student, please make sure that you register them through the parent portal in Aspen so that we can communicate with you about the transition to kindergarten!
Field Day Volunteers Needed: Our Alcott all-school Field Day is scheduled for Wednesday, May 31, 2023 from 9:00-12:00 on the Alcott school fields. This event is always a fun filled day and needs a lot of parent volunteers to make it a huge success. No experience necessary. Please contact me to volunteer at tgaudreau@concordps.org by Friday, May 27th. A current CORI form is needed to volunteer. Thank you for all of your support. Tim Gaudreau, Alcott PE Teacher
MCAS continues through the middle of May. Specific test dates are as follows:
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***
April 26 - New Class Placement Forms due
April 28 - Yearbook Sale Ends
April 30 - Town Meeting on School Budget
May 1 - Earth Bingo Ends
May 3 - Alcott's Spring Bike-Walk-and-Roll-to-School Day & Lemonade Stand After School
May 6 - Alcott Parent Social
May 9 - PTG Open Meeting
May 10 - Kindergarten Open House, Lemonade Stand After School
May 17 - Lemonade Stand After School
May 19 - Alcott Spirit Day - Summer Fun Day
May 20 - MFF Spring Picnic
June 2 - Ice Cream Social
June 7 - METCO Playdate with Buddies and Ice Cream Social
CPS/CCRSD 22-23 School Calendar can be found here
IN THE COMMUNITY
Patriots Field Hockey Clinics offer players fun and intensive field hockey programs for children entering Grades 3-9. Our clinics are appropriate for players of all levels and allow for maximum enjoyment, improvement and understanding of the game for every camper. Registration is open for our 2023 Summer Camp on our website. 2023 Summer Field Hockey Camp, Concord Carlisle High School , June 19th-23rd, 9am-2pm.
The Patriots Youth Football Fundamentals Clinic is run by CCHS head football coach and teacher Josh Reed, his coaching staff, and high school player volunteers. It is a non-padded, non-contact clinic focused on the instruction of the basic skills, fundamentals, and strategies of football. Players interested in Flag Football and/or Tackle Football will gain tremendous confidence by acquiring and building skills in a positive, supportive environment. Learning, improving, and having FUN are the primary goals of the Clinic! For any questions about the clinic format or expectations for the week, please contact Coach Reed at jreed@concordcarlisle.org or (207) 337-1393.
WHERE: CCHS MEMORIAL FIELD
WHEN: JULY 10th - 12th (Mon, Tues, Wed)
GRADES: Grades 3 - 5 = 8:45am - 11:45am; Grades 6 - 8 = 12:30pm - 3:30pm
COST: $150 per participant, including a t-shirt and CC Football drawstring bag
REGISTRATION: Click Here to Register
ThinkGive, a local non-profit, is celebrating its 10 year anniversary with ThinkGive GROWS at Nashoba Brooks Sureau Barn on Friday May 12th, 7:00–10:00 pm. It will be a fun evening celebrating a decade of bringing kindness and inclusion into classrooms, and raising funds to bring social and emotional learning (SEL) to more under-resourced youth. Buy your tickets today!
How to Talk to Your Adolescent About Healthy Eating & Weight, May 2, 7-9 pm Online with Kristin Jones. Are you concerned about your child's health and food choices? Join us to discuss adolescent vulnerability to unhealthy eating patterns, eating disorders, and how various practices used by parents often unknowingly influence negative eating behaviors. Professional Coach Kristin Jones will help parents and caregivers navigate this sensitive and important topic impacting their children. Information and registration is here.
COAR Discussion, Mon May 8, 2023, 7-8:30pm: COAR (Communities Organizing Against Racism) offers a bi-monthly learning and discussion group open to all. Come join us Monday, May 8th at 7pm on Zoom, to learn about racial disparities in Advanced Placement courses, and what can be done to address this. Check out www.coaraction.org to learn more, or email coaraction@gmail.com to join the conversation!
A Family Revealed: From Slavery to Hope with Wallis Wickham Raemer and Reggie Harris | Tuesday, May 9, 7:00pm – 8:30pm | Nashoba Brooks School, 200 Strawberry Hill Road, Concord, MA | Free In an evening of engaging music and audience conversation, two descendants of a Confederate enslaver, one Black and one white, share their story and discuss what it was like to discover each other’s deeply held feelings, pain, and hope. Presenting are folk singer and social activist Reggie Harris and longtime educator Wallis Wickham Raemer. To underscore their messages and experience, Harris, a prominent interpreter of the use of music in historical movements for social change, sings his stirring, original songs accompanied by guitar. This event is free, advanced registration is required at http://bit.ly/DMSpeakerSeries. Please note this event is live and in-person. It will not be recorded and there will be no virtual component. The event will include ASL interpretation.
Concord Conservatory Presents Southern Rail, A Bluegrass Concert, Saturday, April 29th, 7:30 pm—Get your tickets now for an evening of fun and high-spirited Bluegrass in Concord. Experience bluegrass with riveting harmonies, irrepressible good humor, and sparkling banjo, guitar, and mandolin solo work on Saturday, April 29th at 7:00 pm when the Concord Conservatory of Music presents the band, Southern Rail. CCM faculty member Rich Stillman (banjo and harmony vocals), Jim Muller (guitar and lead vocals), Sharon Horovitch (acoustic bass and harmony vocals), and John Tibert (mandolin and harmony vocals) give us rich vocals on beautiful and creative bluegrass arrangements. Purchase $25 General Admission at ConcordConservatory.org or at the door and free for kids age 18 and under. info@concordconservatory.org (978) 369-0010 CCM is the area's non-profit community music school at 1317 Main Street in West Concord.
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!