The Thursday Owl - November 16, 2023

ALCOTT NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Alcott School Turkey Trot: Hello Alcott Community- I just wanted to give an update on our 2023 Turkey Trot.  Over the last 2 weeks we have raised approximately $500.  Just a reminder that pledges can be donated in multiple ways.  Cash or checks (made out to Alcott PTG) can be sent in to classroom teachers or electronic "Paypal" donations can be processed on the Alcott PTG website. Here is a link to the PTG Turkey Trot page, click the donate button on the bottom.  We had 381 students jog on 11/1/23 they completed 1852 laps which is 463 miles.  Last year we raised $9,704, which was the 2nd largest amount in the event's history.  Deadline for pledges is Monday, December 4th.  Let's try to top that this year Alcott!  The Open Table has counted on our generosity for all the great work they do in multiple communities. Thank you for your support.

Tim Gaudreau. Alcott PE Teacher

5th Grade Food Collection to Benefit Open Table: A reminder that our 5th graders have organized a food drive to support Open Table.  The food drive ends on Friday, November 17th - information can be found in this flier. Thanks to our 5th graders for coordinating and to our families for supporting!

The Meadow Farms sale has been extended! Continue to shop until December 1. As a reminder, Meadow Farms provides an opportunity to purchase items from their catalogue and a percentage of the proceeds goes back to Alcott as part of our fundraising efforts. It's a win win!

You can purchase anything from candles, to wrapping paper, to food and kitchen items, to flower bulbs! Use the following link to browse the online storefront: Meadow Farm Alcott Sale. Or follow the instructions in the flyer sent home to set up your own account to share with family and friends. Get those perfect holiday gifts and give back to the Alcott community!

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Calendar and important dates

***Every Wednesday is a half-day***

Nov 23-24 - Thanksgiving Recess

Dec 22- Half Day

December 25- January 1- Winter Recess

CPS/CCRSD 23-24 School Calendar can be found here.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Attention 1st-8th Grade Girls + Boys CCYL Spring 2024 Registration is OPEN!

 Grades 1-2 take part in an in-town program with 1x week sessions.  

• Grades 3-8 participate in their respective girls/boys leagues, with two weekday practices and Sunday games.  

Please visit: www.ccyouthlacrosse.com and go to REGISTER (top right nav). IMPORTANT: Grades 3-8 registration closes 12/31/23

Concord Conservatory of Music: invites you to Harmolodic Microjam, a jazz concert on Friday, December 1st at 7:30 pm. Enjoy captivating and innovative sounds of Harmolodic Jazz, which integrates harmony, movement, and melody in equal measure, and draws inspiration from diverse cultures and traditions. Harmolodic Jazz will feature guest musicians, percussionist Jonathon Birch, keyboardist Dave Bryant, electric guitarist David Fiuczynski, bassist Anderson Mirafzali, as well as CCM faculty member and saxophonist Tsuyoshi Honjo. We are grateful to 2023-2024 Concert & Lecture Series Lead Sponsor, Emerson Health and Supporting Sponsor, Middlesex Savings Bank. $25 General Admission/Free for students age 18 and under. Get tickets at ConcordConservatory.org or at the door. CCM is located at 1317 Main Street in West Concord. Harmolodic Microjam, a jazz concert - Concord Conservatory of Music

The Cognitive Neuroscience Group at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston: is recruiting children between the ages of 8 and 12 years to participate in a research study funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH). The purpose of the study is to evaluate the learning patterns of children with typical and atypical language development. The study will involve 1 virtual visit via a secured Zoom and 3 in-person visits to the lab at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. During the visits, children complete several cognitive and language-based assessments, play several games on the computer, and complete several language/memory tasks. The lab visits include safe and noninvasive EEG recording.  The virtual session will last about 30 minutes, and the in-person sessions will last about 2 hours each. We are looking for children who were late to develop language, have received services for language or learning difficulties, or still have difficulty with language, reading comprehension, or learning. More information can be found at: https://rally.partners.org/study/learning_differences Payment is $150 for completing all study visits. We provide free parking for the duration of the study visit near our lab in the Charlestown Navy Yard. We will mail you a report of your child’s scores on the cognitive and language assessments. Please email us at cnglead@mghihp.edu or call us at (617) 724-7363 if you are interested or if you have any questions. We are running multiple research studies in our lab so please feel free to add your contact information to our recruitment database by right clicking on this hyper link: Child Research Recruitment  and a member of our research team will reach out if your child is eligible for any of our current studies.  

Cool Science Artwork Competition.  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. However, students from any location around the world are welcome to participate. This year’s deadline is January 14, 2024.

Challenge Questions This year, we are asking young artists to answer one of the following challenge questions with a visual work of art: 

1) Sunlight is the largest source of energy on the surface of the Earth. How does sunlight fuel extreme weather (e.g., extreme storms)? 

2) Increases in carbon dioxide in the air lead to more extreme weather. Animal homes do not make carbon dioxide on average (they are Net Zero). What can we learn from animals to help us get our homes closer to Net Zero? 

3) What simple thing could you do now to better prepare for extreme weather in the future?

Competition Winners During this winter, we will select the best entries for display on public buses in Massachusetts and Kansas in 2024.  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. We look forward to receiving lots of creative entries from your community by January 14, 2024!

Concord Public Library Offerings

Teens and Tweens

  • Homeless Care Packages: Tuesday, November 21 at 4 PM

    Come help us assemble care packages for the Concord-Carlisle Community Chest. One hour of community service will be given for participation. Do something kind for a neighbor in need! Main Library. No registration required. More info here: https://cfpl.info/3QypcOM.

  • Videogame Tournament: Tuesday, November 28 at 3:30 PM

    Prizes are up for grabs at this ranked win Super Smash Bros tournament, but bring your deodorant because the competition in this classic brawler is gonna be extra sweaty as you fight to be the tournament champion! Main Library. No registration required. More info here: https://cfpl.info/3McWD6Y.

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!