May 21, 2010 Newsletter

QUOTATION
The essence of an effective community is the participation of all members for the well-being of others. ~LJR

CALENDAR
May 21, 2:15 pm – Ice cream Sale outside to benefit Bridge the Gap at Dallin
May 22, 10 – 4pm – All School Ice Cream/Bake Sale (town-wide) to benefit Bridge the Gap at Jefferson Cutter House, Pleasant St & Mass Ave
May 27- Field Day, Grades K -4
May 28 – Field Day, Grade 5
May 31- Memorial Day, no school
June 2 – Colonial Day (Grade 3)
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 24, 25- Science MCAS, Grade 5


An Interview with Principal Rossi by 5th Grader Julie Powers

Recently I had the opportunity to interview Ms. Rossi, Principal of the Dallin School. I interviewed her so everyone at Dallin could get to know our new principal better.

Ms. Rossi grew up in Methuen, Massachusetts, which is far from Arlington (about fifty-five miles) and now lives in New Hampshire, which is about a two hour commute each day. When Ms. Rossi was a little girl, she always knew she wanted to be a teacher or a lawyer when she grew up. Ms. Rossi has one sister and two brothers as well as two nieces, ages three and five. Ms. Rossi’s favorite grade when she was in school was 4th grade with Ms. Roy and 5th grade with Ms. Shadallah. Her favorite subject in school was math. When Ms. Rossi was in high school she liked drama and singing. The people Ms. Rossi most admires are her parents who raised four kids in a close family that is caring, giving, and hard working.

Ms. Rossi became a teacher before she served as an assistant principal for six years. Ms. Rossi loves Dallin, especially the students and the staff. If Ms. Rossi could change anything about Dallin it would be to have more money in the school budget. She would also like a technology teacher, more computers, GPS systems, and also a backstage room. The “perfect” teacher to Ms. Rossi is someone who is creative, motivated, and has a good connection with students and parents. If Ms. Rossi could have anyone in the history of the world come to Dallin it would be President Obama to talk about education.

Ms. Rossi’s favorite sport to watch is baseball. When she was a little girl, Ms. Rossi liked swimming and figure skating. Ms. Rossi’s favorite TV shows are “Oprah” and “Glee”; her favorite bands are The Dixie Chicks and Train. Ms. Rossi’s favorite place is the beach at sunset because it is pretty and quiet. Ms. Rossi did not have any pets when she was a little girl, but now she now has a yellow lab named Scooby.

I learned a lot about Ms. Rossi during our interview. She is outgoing, friendly, a music lover, and easy to talk to. So, if you see Ms. Rossi, be sure to ask her about the latest episode of “Glee”, or how her dog Scooby is doing.

Ice Cream Sale @ Dallin – today after school!
Come out to the playground today after school at 2:15pm for an ice cream treat for $1.00. All proceeds will benefit the Bridge the Gap Fund! Thanks to parent Jessica Kerr for coordinating this!

GIANT ALL-SCHOOL ICE CREAM/BAKE SALE – tomorrow
Our PTO is joining forces with the other public school PTOs across town to hold the bake sale to top all bake sales! Make sure to be a part of this town wide effort happening this Saturday, May 22 from 10 - 4. This Ice Cream/Bake Sale to benefit Bridge the Gap will be held in an excellent, central location - on the lawn of the Jefferson Cutter House/Cyrus Dallin Museum (the house in front of the Farmer’s Market parking lot at the intersection of Mass. Ave. and Pleasant Street).
Please bring your baked goods to the sale any time between 9:30 - 3:00 (earlier is better). We’re looking for home baked or store-bought:
Muffins, Quick breads, Brownies, Cookies, Pies, Rice krispie treats, you name it
It would be best if you could bring muffins and quick breads earlier in the day as we are getting donations of coffee. If possible please individually wrap cookies and brownies in baggies that you believe are $1 packages. Send breads and pies whole.
Please tell all your friends to stop by. It’s supposed to be a warm day, and it will be a great place to come with your kids after a ball game to enjoy an ice cream bar, to grab a late morning brunch with friends, or to join neighbors for an afternoon snack!
We also need volunteers. If you’re able to volunteer for even a half an hour please contact Nili Pearlmutter at nilipearlmutter@rcn.com.
Please contact Lisa Robinson at lmrobin@MIT.EDU or Liz DiNolfo at edinolfo@rcn.com if you have questions. For more information about the Bridge the Gap Fund please go to www.arlingtoneducationfoundationma.org.

Field Day coming! Next week!
Reminders:
Field Day for K-4 graders will be Thursday May 27th, weather permitting.
· Team assignments will be made early next week, and children will be asked to come to school wearing a yellow, blue, red, or green t-shirt (just do your best - don't buy anything!)
· Please send kids to school that day wearing sunscreen, if you wish, and with a hat and water bottle.
· 5th graders will be running field day for the K-4 graders on Thursday, and will be having their own field day on the morning of Fri May 28.
We're all set for volunteers on Thurs May 27 (thank you!) but could use another 1-2 for Fri May 28, if you're available. Any questions, please email Phyllis Wentworth or Mary Jacey (phylliswentworth@yahoo.com, jjacey@rcn.com).

Become a Teosinte Curriculum Volunteer!
The Arlington-Teosinte Sister City Project (ATSCP) is a volunteer-based organization that since 1988 has promoted friendship between Arlington and the village of Teosinte, El Salvador, through dialogue, cultural exchange, and support for each community’s priorities.
Arlington’s seven elementary schools bring real-world content to fourth graders’ Social Studies and English Language Arts requirements through a curriculum about life in Teosinte. The curriculum includes an “Imaginary Trip to Teosinte”presentation, a lesson on “knowing your audience/cultural awareness, and a letter exchange between fourth graders and kids in Teosinte. Arlington High School Spanish students participate by translating the letters.
We are seeking parents who are interested in volunteering to support and enhance the curriculum at their child’s elementary school next year. The time commitment is flexible.
Please contact Beth Soltzberg at bethss@comcast.net or 781-648-1445 if you are interested.


Colonial Day update
Colonial Day is coming up on June 2nd for the 3rd grade. The costume suggestion sheet has come home with the students via backpack mail. Many parent volunteers are needed for this big event. If you can help, please contact parent Mike McGee if you can help (mike.mcgee@nypro.com).




Auction wrap up
Congratulations to all of you who won items in the eBay auction Thank you for helping Dallin in this generous and fun way! We have scheduled item pickup/payment at Dallin on Monday and Tuesday of next week (May 24 & 25th), at both pickup and dropoff in the lobby of the school. Kim and Mary will be there at 8:00 on both days, and at 1:45 on both afternoons to give people the items they won. If you wish to pay by check, you may give them your checks at these times. However, if you are able to pay with Paypal, that will be even easier for us. Also, we will not be printing receipts and invoices, unless you really need them. You are only able to get a tax write-off on the amount of money you spend on an item that is above its estimated value (for example: if you pay $25 for an item valued at $20, you can write off $5) so we imagine that most people will not require receipts. If you do, however, please let us know and we can print one for you. Thanks so much!
"Summer is right around the corner...”I have had a wonderful year at Dallin, both teaching at school and tutoring after school. I want to let Dallin families know that I am offering tutoring services over the summer for anyone who may be interested. Please contact me if you are considering getting summer tutoring for your child, I'd love to hear from you!Thanks! Marina Ross, Learning Specialist Assistant
Massachusetts School Building Authority - “My Ideal School” contest
The MSBA has announced the 4th Annual “My Ideal School” contest. For this contest, you need to draw your ideal school and name 3 things that you love about your school. The entry deadline is next week: May 28th. There is more information on the parent bulletin board as you enter the school. Or any questions please call 617-720-4466.

5TH GRADE SCIENCE CAMPDear 4th Grade Families:
One of the most anticipated programs in the Arlington Elementary Schools is just around the corner: The 5th Grade Science Camp at the W. Alton Jones Environmental Education Center in Rhode Island. At this time, we would like to provide a few more details about the program. WE ARE IN NEED OF SCHOOL LIAISONS. Each Elementary School needs a parent liaison to work with the camp coordinator, principals and 5th grade teachers. Please contact your school principal if you may be interested.
ATTN: FOURTH GRADE PARENTS:
Please consider volunteering for the Fifth Grade Class Night. June 17 @ 6:30 p.m.
If interested, please contact Liz Diggins at digliznow@gmail.com. Thank you.


This coming year, the Arlington Public Schools face a projected deficit of $3.9 million. Next year, the School Department expects to balance the budget by cutting 40 teaching positions, which will:
- Increase class sizes at all grade levels
- Cut elementary art, music and physical education by half
- Leave elementary libraries unstaffed
- Eliminate middle school drama
- Reduce library staff at both the middle school and high school
- Eliminate 6th grade world languages
- Eliminate elementary and middle school gifted programs
- Reduce high school electives
Additional cuts will:
- Eliminate all crossing guards
- Decrease resources for textbooks and supplies
- Eliminate professional development funds
- Reduce the size of the Metco program
Fees will be raised for Instrumental Music, Full Day Kindergarten, riding the Bishop bus and High School athletics.

The FY11 School Gap Fund is a one year emergency fundraiser which aims to bridge the financial gap while Arlington finds long term solutions to the schools' financial stresses. 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. Please help by making a donation – then encourage two other people to give too. If we work together, we can bridge the gap and make a difference in FY11 for Arlington’s students.For more information on proposed FY11 cuts, what could be reinstated with funds from the campaign and to donate, visit http://www.arlingtoneducationfoundationma.org/
Community Events
Relay for Life –Arlington’s annual Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society will be held on June 5-6 at Peirce Field behind Arlington High School. It begins at 6:00P.M. on Saturday and ends at about 9:00A.M. on Sunday. This may be the last year for our MrsShusShoes team as it has become quite difficult to recruit participants.
If you'd like to support our 2010 ACS Relay for Life team and/or me or other individual team members and/or join the team...MrsShusShoes, please go to http://main.acsevents.org/goto/mrsj

-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.

Come See what Middle School Afterschool Is All About!Ottoson Middle School – Arlington Enrichment Collaborative (AEC) Info Sessions
Wednesday, June 16th, 7:00pm Location: Ottoson's Media CenterArlington families are invited to learn about AEC. To RSVP(sessions fill up quickly) or for more info, contact Diana Weisner, AEC Director, at diana@arlingtonenrichment.org
or 781-643-4794. Website:www.arlingtonenrichment.org




See you at Field Day next Thursday!!