Newburyport School Notes
Lynne Hendricks
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As parents set about the task of filling their child's backpack with all the supplies they'll need for the coming school year, it's not uncommon that a few parents will throw in a package of extra pencils, some hand sanitizer or a box of tissues for use by their child's teacher. This year, the Newburyport Elementary PTO is hoping to streamline the good intentions of those thoughtful parents by offering these items up for sale as the school year kicks off. And for every purchased PTO kit, which contain hand sanitizer, crayons, tissues, Lysol and glue sticks among other items, the PTO will receive $5 to be used toward funding programs that directly benefit students.
This first official PTO fundraiser of the 2010-2011 school year will be explained in a welcome letter being sent home to parents from the school. Attached to the letter will be an order form listing all the items teachers need most to keep their classrooms running smoothly. Purchase of the kits is purely voluntary, and parents are welcome to purchase one or many of the kits, to be delivered to the child's respective classroom teacher the week of Sept. 13.
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Those interested in filling up their child's afternoons for the coming school year might consider exploring some of the many programs being offered at the city's Middle School Drop-In Center at the Kelley School. The center is hosting an Open House at its new home within the old Kelley School building on High Street on Thursday from 4-7 p.m., which will offer an opportunity for parents and their tween-aged children to check out what goes on at the center once school lets out through the year. Registration forms for the Drop-In Center will be available at the Open House, but are also available on the Newburyport Youth Services website at www.newburyportyouthservices.com/dropincenter.
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Halloween is still two months away, but the month of September is offering its own opportunities to play dress up with the upcoming Labor Day Festival Teddy Bear Parade. The annual event will take place on Monday, Sept. 6 at noon and will bring children and families together downtown to showcase their favorite teddy bears (in full costume) in the hopes of winning one of the many awards reserved for them, including Best Sports Bear, Best Costumed Couple, Most Huggable Bear, Best Bear on Wheels and Best in Show. Directly following the bear parade will be a parade of dogs in Market Landing Park, where families can walk their leashed canine friends around the promenade for all to enjoy. Treats will be offered to participating animals following the parade, and "doggy bags" will be available, compliments of Doody Calls, to ensure a tidy gathering. Prizes will be awarded to the best dressed dogs in the parade, and the event is free to the public. Registration for both parades will take place from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
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Elementary School Parent Volunteer Programs and School-Wide Communications Sign-ups have begun, and parents are reminded that if they want to be apprised of school activities and events or be able to volunteer for various school functions, they should register now via three different online lists at their child's respective schools.
First, the listserv is how the schools communicate with parents by e-mail throughout the school year; to take advantage of that communication, go the school's website and click on the "listerv" link and go to the 2010 -2011 school year.
Second, to sign up for the PTO and be involved in PTO events and fundraisers or be listed in the school directories, go to www.newburyportpto.com or the pto link on the school's website.
And lastly, to volunteer at a child's school or in a child's classroom, go to http://vol.newburyport.k12.ma.us or again go to the school's website and click on the link for "volunteers."
For more detailed information on each program, parents should refer to the communications guide that was sent home in the child's report card folder last spring.
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There are only two days left to contribute to this year's Fall Equipment Swap taking place on Thursday from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Bresnahan Cafeteria. Those who have any gently used sports equipment they would like to clear out before the start of another school season should gather them up and deposit them in the drop-off bins located in the Bresnahan and Molin/Nock lobbies.
Items eligible for the swap include football, baseball, soccer, lacrosse and hockey gear, along with sneakers and accessories for any sports excepting ski and snowboarding gear. The swap is intended to help families clear out their closets without filling up landfills with the discarded sports paraphernalia, and identify new items that a child may be needing as they grow up a size or two.
New this year, the Elementary School Green Team will also be collecting books for a book swap. All books not swapped will be donated to the "Got Books" campaign to raise funds for Cushing Park.
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Lynne Hendricks covers Newburyport schools for The Daily News. She can be reached at 978-462-6666, ext. 3254 or at lhendricks@newburyportnews.com.
