April 30, 2010 Newsletter

QUOTATION
“Technology: No Place for Wimps!”
~Scott Adams (1957 - ), Dilbert

THANK YOU TO MR. SCHERSTEN FOR ALL HIS HARD WORK ON OUR SPIFFY NEW WEBSITE!!

CALENDAR
April 30 – AEF Grant deadline – today!
6pm- Movie Night & Scholastic Book Fair continues – tonight!
May 3, 4 – Bottle & Can Drive
May 7 – First Friday Food (FFF)
May 3 – 7- Teacher Appreciation Week
May 4 – KG parent sign up for parent conferences
May 7– Hats for Haiti Fundraiser
Evening: PTO Auction at the Masonic Lodge, Arlington *****
May 27- Field Day, Grades K -4
May 28 – Field Day, Grade 5
June 10, 6 – 7:30 pm – Dallin Art Show & Imagination Celebration
June 17 – Class Night
June 18 – Dallin End of the Year Picnic

MCAS Dates:
May 18, 19- Math MCAS, Grades 3 – 5
May 24, 25- Science MCAS, Grade 5



Movie Night tonight!
Join your Dallin friends tonight for a showing of “Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel”- 6pm in the Cafeteria. The Book Fair will also be open in the Library so bring some money to shop! Also, you should bring your own food & drink as there won’t be any items for sale. Thanks to 5th grade teacher Ms. Connor and her student volunteers for pulling this together on short notice!

Marathon Man
Congratulations to Mr. Schersten on another fine finish in the Boston Marathon last Monday! He was cheered on by many of his devoted students and Dallin friends along the way.

Bridge the Gap
The Arlington FY11 group and the Arlington Education Foundation (AEF) launched an aggressive campaign this week called the FY11 School Gap Fund.

This one year emergency fundraiser aims to bridge the financial gap of $3.9 M that Arlington faces in FY2011. The Fund will support a priority list proposed by the principals and school administrators, which the School Committee voted to authorize on April 27th.

The campaign will close on June 7, 2010 in order to know which teachers and staff can be rehired for next year.

Go to http://www.arlingtoneducationfoundationma.org/bridgethegap.html to get a full list of the FY11 proposed cuts as well as a list of programs that will be added back with the money the fund raises. PLEASE donate today to help bridge the gap!!

Student Council Fundraiser- written by Olivia Weiss
On Friday, May 7, a Fundraiser to support Haiti Relief will be held. This event is called Hats for Haiti. Hats for Haiti will be happening during the school day. Each kid is allowed to wear a hat to school. A silly hat, sports hat, any kind of hat. To raise money, each kids that wears a hat must bring in a dollar. The money will be collected and counted by Student Council, and then sent to a Haiti Relief Fund. Please participate so we can do our part for Haiti Relief.

Periodicals needed
Former Dallin 2nd grade teacher Jan Ford is looking for a few more copies of My Big Back Yard and Ranger Rick for an art project. If you have any, please drop them off in the front office. Thank you for all the donated copies to date.

Scholastic Book Fair- thanks
Thank you to all the many parent volunteers who helped out with the Scholastic Book Fair, especially Dee Cook and Rebecca Aaronson!

DALLIN PTO
PTO Auction Update – from Mary Horgan & Kim McIlvenna
The Spring Auction is just one week away! Please make plans to be there at the Masonic Lodge, 19 Academy Street, Arlington (near Town Hall) on the evening of May 7th, from 6:30-11pm. Also, please note: the auction will be an adults-only event this year. Unfortunately, our insurance policy does not permit us to admit children.

So here's a new great reason to get your tickets now: EXPRESS CHECK-IN. Yes, there will be two check-in lines at the auction, and people who have bought their tickets ahead of time will be ushered to the express line, as they will already have assigned bidding numbers (the check-in people will give people their bidding number when they arrive.)

It is also extremely helpful to the planning committee to know about how many people will attend, so that we will be able to provide the correct amount of refreshments. Local restaurants and vendors have been incredibly generous with food and drink donations, but we will need to purchase some items, and being able to estimate the number of attendees is critical to a good party!

Need more reasons to buy tickets? How about fantastic weekend getaways (near and far), fine dining gift certificates, gym memberships, RED SOX TICKETS (4 sets!), clambakes, summer camp gift certificates--WOW! The list goes on and on, as you will see when the auction brochure gets posted on the new Dallin website later today. There will also be delicious appetizers, beer, wine and soft drinks, awesome music (both a classical combo and Dallin's own DJ Dave Casanave), dancing, and great opportunities
to mingle with the Dallin community.

Parking in the neighborhood of the Masonic Lodge should not be a problem, as people can park on the street, in the Town Hall parking lot, in the Senior Center parking lot, and on Mass. Ave.

So don't wait! Please go to www.supportdallin.org/auction and get your tickets now. Or send back the form that went home in folders with your cash, check or credit card info. Remember: all people who buy tickets in advance will be placed on our guest list, which will be at the door, and will get to use express check-in. No paper tickets will be issued.

Thanks so much! -Kim McIlvenna and Mary Horgan

Bottle & Can Drive- next week
Bottle & can drive Monday May 3 and Tuesday May 4! Bring your Massachusetts 5c Deposit empties to the cafetorium. Volunteers will be there to receive your donations from 8 - 8:30 am. **For safety, please pack glass bottles separately! (if possible in sturdy cardboard boxes.)**
Please provide a count of how many containers you bring in, and the grade level to be credited. If you leave donations without a volunteer there, please put them at the far end of the stage ramp (away from the cafeteria) and please report your numbers to the office so we get full reimbursement.
Thank you to Kate Loosian for volunteering to run the Bottle and Can Drive on Monday. :-)

Field Day coming!
Field Day is scheduled for Thursday, May 27 (for the whole school) and Friday, May 28 (for 5th graders only). For new families, it's a day when the kids divide into teams and go out into the field next to the school to run a bunch of much-anticipated relay games involving balloons, golf balls on spoons, plastic Hawaiian skirts, etc. We are looking for one or two more volunteers to help us run this fun event for the whole school. If you are
interested, please contact Mary Jacey at jjacey@rcn.com or Phyllis Wentworth
at phylliswentworth@yahoo.com.
Community Events
-Town of Arlington Collection Day. Saturday May 1 9:00am-1:00pm
A Community Collection Day will be held at Arlington's Department of Public Works Yard 31 Grove Street
TV/CRT Collection. $10 drop off; $15 curbside pickup
FREE PROPANE TANK DROP OFF: up to 20lbs.
PAPER SHREDDING: drop off two boxes free
BIG BROTHER/BIG SISTER: Clean clothing, jeans, linens, small household items
LITTLE FOX PTO THRIFT SHOP: Children's books and toys in good condition
GOT BOOKS: books, DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs, for the Stratton School
BIKES NOT BOMBS: donate old adult bikes (no rust) $10 donation requested to send bikes overseas
METAL RECYLCLING: old pipes, poles, metal shelves, file cabinets, metal bed frames and other metal items, no appliances
ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL SAVE CLUB: will be collecting returnable bottles and cans
ARLINGTON RECYCLING COMMITTEE: will distribute US recycling bags and recycle labels
ARLINGTON PUBLIC HEALTH: will be collecting old prescription drugs, needles and syringes
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: DPW 781-316-3108

-National Association of Letter Carriers Annual Food Drive – Saturday May 8th
The Letter Carriers of Arlington will hold their annual food drive on May 8th. Please leave your non perishable food items by your mailbox and your letter carrier will pick them up. The Arlington Food Pantry helps feed numerous families in the town and relies on your donations to continue to serve our community.

-St. Eulalia's CATHOLIC HEART WORK CAMP Yard Sale to support their annual Youth Service Trip: Saturday, May 22, 50 Ridge Street Winchester.
Proceeds will help support a July service trip to Maryland. Over 70 teens will be participating!! We need your help. Donate your unwanted furniture, household goods, housewares, appliances, dishes, pots and pans, glassware, tchotchkis, antiques, holiday decorations, sporting goods, bikes, tools, gardening supplies, books, clothing (adults and kids) accessories, shoes, pocketbooks, jewelry and whatever else you think might sell!
If you are unable to bring your donations to Manion Hall, please call Michelle Hamblin at 781-307-0280 for pick-up.

Springstep – Free event in May.
Springstep is sponsoring “A Dance Conversation with Ben Vereen” on Saturday, May 15th at 10:00 a.m. Vereen will discuss how dance and education helped him overcome personal adversity, boosted his confidence, and put him on a successful path in life. His story speaks directly to urban youth and to the potential of the arts to illuminate the possibilities in life. All Greater Boston youth and families are invited to attend this FREE event. This event is geared for youth from about 4th grade up; please call 781-395-0402 for more information.


Happy Weekend!

Bottle and Can Drive

--Bottle & Can drive Mon, May 3rd & Tuesday, May 4th
Bring your MA deposit empties to the cafe. For safety, please pack glass bottles separately.
Please provide a count of how many containers you bring in and the grade level to be credited.
If there is no volunteer there, please put them at the far end of the stage ramp (away from the cafe) and please report your numbers to the office.
Thanks!