From the Co-Presidents
It was so great to see so many of you last night and to see Alcott filled with families and positive energy!
As we shared at Back to School Night, the PTG works to make Alcott a great place to be a student, staff member, and family. There are lots of ways to get involved:
Donate: The Alcott Annual Fund is officially underway! Each year, the PTG invests about $150 per student to support field trips, classroom resources, community events like Fall Fest and Movie Night, and more. If you're able, please consider making a donation to help us continue providing these experiences for our students and school community.
Thank you for supporting Alcott in whatever way works for your family. As always, please reach out with any questions or ideas!
Abby + Sarah
News & Announcements
Help Shape Concord's Vision of a Graduate
The district is seeking one parent from each school to join the Vision of a Graduate Design Team. The team will help define K-12 learning goals and the key experiences students should have before graduating.
The team will meet six times at CCHS:
Monday, October 5: 11:00 a.m.–2:45 p.m.
Wednesday, October 28: 8:00–11:00 a.m.
Wednesday, December 9: 8:00–11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, February 2: 11:30 a.m.–2:45 p.m.
Wednesday, March 17: 8:00–11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, May 4: 11:30 a.m.–2:45 p.m.
Interested or have questions? Email the PTG Co-Presidents at ptgalcott@gmail.com.
Alcott Fall Fest Is Sunday
Join us this Sunday, September 20th from 11am–1pm for bounce houses, games, face painting, crafts, pumpkin fun, live music, treats, and more! Pizza and concessions available for purchase. We’re still looking for volunteers to help make Fall Fest a safe and fun event for all. Sign up to volunteer here. Please note: Fall Fest is not a drop-off event. All children must be supervised by an attending adult. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!
School Picture Day is on September 23rd
Scholarships are available via Coffee Pond for families. Students in grades K, 2, and 4 can reach out to Michael Kordosky at mkordosky@concordps.org. Students in grades 1, 3, and 5 can reach out to Lauren Jepsky at ljepsky@gmail.com.
Alcott Movie Night is October 2nd
The movie will be decided by the students the week leading up to the event via small change donations in buckets in the main lobby. Concessions (popcorn pails are back!) will be available starting at 5:30, and the movie will begin at 6pm. Kate Smith & Emily Dreitz are looking for additional volunteers to help make Alcott Movie Night another blockbuster event! Please consider helping, and sign up here! Tickets are $25 per family and can be pre-purchased here.
Alcott Multicultural Night – Many Cultures, One Community
Join us Sunday, October 18 from 3–6pm at Alcott for an evening celebrating the cultures, traditions, foods, music, and stories that make our community special! Families can share a cultural dish and its story, or submit a song representing their culture for our Music Without Borders playlist. Volunteers are also needed. Unity • Understanding • Respect. Find out more and sign up to participate and help us celebrate our diverse Alcott community!
3rd Grade Fall Meetup
This casual fall get-together is for all Alcott 3rd graders and their families — siblings welcome too!
When: Friday, 10/23 at 4pm
Where: Emerson Playground, Concord
What to bring: A picnic dinner if you'd like — we'll also have some kid-friendly snacks on hand. Feel free to bring a craft, Pokémon cards, or another quiet activity if your kid isn't in the mood for the playground.
Hope to see you there!
Alcott Front Flower Beds Restoration
Please sign up to plant shade and drought-tolerant native plants in Alcott’s front flower beds on Sunday, September 27th from 9-12. Bring gardening gloves and trowels if you have them!
Wednesday Library Volunteer Needed
Mrs. O’Rourke is still looking for someone to shelve books on Wednesdays from 8:50-9:15am. If you can commit to a weekly spot, please email korourke@concordps.org. Thank you!
September Composting Volunteers Needed
Little kids and big trays sometimes need a helping hand, as well as some guidance as to what is compostable and the occasional removal of a ketchup packet or fork! Sign up here.
Calendar & Important Dates
Every Wednesday is a half day
September 20 - Fall Fest
September 23 - Picture Day
October 2 - Movie Night
October 7 - METCO Family Friends Apple Picking
October 12 - Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day - No School
October 18 - Multicultural Night
October 23 - 3rd Grade Fall Meetup
November 6 - K-5 Conferences - No School
November 11 - Veterans Day - No School
In the Community
Kicks for Cancer is Coming September 26
Save the date for the 20th Kicks for Cancer event at CCHS on September 26! Kicks brings the community together to raise funds to advance research at Dana Farber focused on the early detection of ovarian cancer. Info about the event’s history and fundraising impact are attached here. Purchase lawn signs and find event details here.
Kicks for Cancer & Mighty Moose Merchandise Pop-Up Sale
Please join us on Saturday, September 19th from 10am-2pm in the CCHS cafeteria to get your Kicks for Cancer and Mighty Moose merchandise! Many new items this year including Kicks mock neck sweatshirts, shorts, pajama bottoms, Kicks ties (for CCHS Homecoming dance), and tote bags. Open to the Community!
Kicks Pink Shirts
CCF and CC Youth Soccer are partnering with Kicks to make sure every student in our community can take part in the pink shirt tradition. This year, we’re hoping that any K–12 student in Concord or Carlisle whose family cannot afford a shirt can receive a pink Kicks for Cancer T-shirt at no cost. We can’t do this without your help! Consider purchasing a shirt to donate at the Kicks Pop-Up Merch Sale on Saturday, 9/19 at CCHS. Contact melissa@concordcarlislefoundation.org with questions.
Safe Routes to School Family Travel Surveys
How do CPS students arrive at and depart from school? To improve safety, we’d like to better understand our students’ transportation choices. Please complete these two-minute, anonymous MA Safe Routes to School Travel Surveys for each school that your children attend. If half of a school's families participate, the school will be awarded a safety incentive package from the state! Select your language in the top left corner. The survey runs through 9/28.
CCHS Survey
CMS Survey
Alcott Elementary Survey
Concord Peace Crane
Please join us on Sunday, 9/20 from 11:30am-3:30pm at Monument Square. The word concord means peace. In celebration of International Peace Day, we are hosting an origami paper crane folding event. See our video, learn how to fold, and learn about us. Event info here.
We the Kids Book Reading
Join us at the Wayside (455 Lexington Road) on Saturday, September 19th at 10:30am for a fun children’s book reading of We The Kids by David Catrow in support of Constitution Week. Please bring a blanket or chair to sit on. This is a joint effort with Minuteman National Park Service. Harriet Lothrop lived at the Wayside and wanted to educate youth about America and instill patriotic values, making the Wayside an appropriate place for a story time about the Constitution.
CCHS Tennis Community Fundraiser Classes
The CCHS tennis teams and coaches are offering a four-week community fundraiser class series. Four classes for $80; all proceeds go to the CCHS tennis program! September 20-October 11. Find more info here.
SEPAC News
Coffee Chat: Join us today from 9-11am at the Starbucks on Elm Street in Concord for casual conversation and to get to know other parents and caregivers with students who have learning differences. SEPAC board members will be available to chat.
Play Date: Saturday, 9/19 from 3-5pm at Rideout Playground. More info here.
Back-To-School Night: Visit the SEPAC table to learn more about our work providing representation, info, resources, and support to the special education community in our schools. Parent volunteers will be available to answer questions and share ways to get involved.
Office Hours: Held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 11-12:30 in the Main Library in the cafe area.
Art Classes with Brigitte Livet
Art Classes with Brigitte Livet offer a welcoming, community-focused opportunity to explore creativity at the Bradford Mill. Brigitte provides personalized instruction in drawing, painting, and mixed media for children (ages 7+), teens, and adults. Small class sizes and flexible scheduling support individual expression, skill development, and the joy of making art in a supportive local setting. More info here and here.
CCM Group Keyboard for Kids
We’ve expanded our popular Group Keyboard for Kids program by adding brand-new Thursday and Saturday section options starting late September. Designed for young beginners ages 5–7, Group Keyboard offers a fun, social way for kids to build foundational piano skills, sight-reading, and ear training through movement and interactive ensemble play. Please see attached for more info.
IMSCC Fall Enrollment is Open
We welcome students of all ages with expert instructors offering lessons for band and orchestra instruments, plus piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, and voice. Small group lessons for first- and second-year players are available on select instruments, offered after school and evenings at CCHS and Carlisle School. Click here to start enrollment. Questions? Contact ldoohovskoy@concordcarlisle.org. Visit www.imsccma.org.
The Garden Club of Concord
The Garden Club of Concord is soliciting proposals from local organizations seeking funding for gardening-related community projects. The club’s grant program promotes horticulture and environmental conservation. To request a grant application or for more info, contact Sarah MacEachern at smaceachern@comcast.net or visit our website. The deadline is 10/26.
Milldam Nursery School Portraits Fundraiser
Milldam Nursery School is partnering with the talented, local husband and wife team Cole & Keira photography to offer family portraits as a fundraising effort. There are mini, double and custom sessions available to meet your needs. The upcoming dates are 9/20 and 10/10. Book yours today!