May/June 2018

Dear Little School Families,

It’s hard to believe, but we are nearing the end of the school year! It has been a busy month and the PTO is still going strong. The end of the year has many field trips and enrichments, in addition to our planter sale and Little Laps. And, of course, Arts Night is a highlight of May. We hope you enjoyed the evening celebration of our children’s visual and performing arts skills!

Our planter sale wrapped up just in time for Mother’s Day. Thank you to Kate Schulz for coordinating with Larry at Wagon Wheel Nurseries to provide us with these gorgeous planters delivered right to school. We love this beautiful and convenient service!

Our final big event of the year is Field Day and Little Laps – Ninja Warrior Edition. Mr. Nackley and Michelle White are working to create a fun and challenging obstacle course for all of our children. We are looking for volunteers to help at Field Day (Tuesday, June 12th) so if you have a valid CORI check, please to sign up to volunteer.

We will vote on next year’s PTO Board at the June 13th meeting so PLEASE get those nomination forms in – there is a role for everyone and we would love to have you! Finally, we wish our 5th graders all the best as they move up to Middle School! Wishing you a fun-filled and safe summer with family and friends!!

Linda Emery
ljm0818@hotmail.com 
PTO President

April 2018

The birds are singing every morning and the sun is warmer. Despite some lingering snow piles, Spring is here!!

Our Comedy Night was a great success – thank you to all who attended and bid on our silent auction items. We shared a lot of laughs all while raising money for our general PTO account that funds teacher stipends, amazing enrichment programs, and so much more. Special thanks to Jenn Vant and her entire team for coordinating yet another seamless event!

As you might remember, the Comedy Night committee decided to exclude the Teacher Gifts of Time from the silent auction at the event and so the PTO hosted its first ever online auction last week! THANK YOU for helping to make this a HUGE SUCCESS!!! We are so excited about this more modern and equitable way to involve all parents who want to bid on these experiences.  It was very fun and exciting to watch the bidding unfold over the week. Special thanks to Stacey DiCarlo, Michelle White and Amy Darling for their tireless work on this new event!

Looking further ahead toward the end of the year, we will again have our Mother’s Day Planter Sale in May as well as our biennial event, Little Laps - Ninja Warrior Edition, coinciding with Field Day. Watch your inboxes and your kids’ backpacks for more information soon!

Lastly, it's not too early to think about joining the PTO next school year in a leadership role. Please reach out to me if you are interested. There is a lot of opportunity to help out in big and small ways.

Linda Emery
ljm0818@hotmail.com
PTO President

March 2018

Dear Little School Families,

It is hard to believe that it is already March - February flew by! Hope all of you are enduring the prolonged winter weather and taking advantage of the extra time at home with the kiddos.

We are very busy working on our 2nd Annual Comedy Night! Mike Koutrobis will be back to emcee the event with three new comedians. Our raffle baskets look amazing and and during the event, we will have many silent auction items, including those always popular teachers' gifts of time. Grab your friends and get your tickets now to join us for a hilarious night out!

As Spring arrives, stay tuned for details on our Mother's Day Plant sale as well as our biannual Little Laps Walk-a-Thon. And it's not too early to think about joining the PTO next school year in a leadership role - please reach out to me if you are interested.

Hope to see many of you on March 17th!!

Linda Emery
PTO President

February 2018

Dear Little School Families,

It was fantastic to see so many of you at Bingo Night on January 19th! The Fundraising Committee hosted a fun and exciting evening of pizza and bingo for the whole family. Thank you to Kate Schulz, Jenn Vant and all of the volunteers for making this event happen!

On January 18th the Little School hosted an anti-bullying presentation by Johnny the K. Thank you to Emily Lazure for coordinating this fantastic presentation. Read below for more details and ask your children about it!

Lastly, save the date for our adult spring event, Comedy Night. It will be on Saturday, March 17th at the Moose. We hope you'll be able to join us for an evening of laughs and camaraderie celebrating the Little School and St. Patrick's Day. If you'd like to help plan this event please reach out to me...many hands make light work!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe February Vacation!

Linda Emery
ljm0818@hotmail.com
PTO President

January 2018

Happy New Year Little School Families!

I hope everyone enjoyed peaceful and healthy holidays with family and friends.  Our two snow days extended the vacation, and now we are really ready to jump into a busy and fun 2018!

Wrapping up 2017, we had a wonderful Holiday Concert attended by so many family and friends.  Thank you to all who enjoyed an item from the bake sale or participated in the raffle - we raised over $1000 to support our Enrichment Programs!

We kick off 2018 with three events in January.  It all starts with Bingo Night on January 19th at the Moose.  Kate Schulz and the Fundraising Committee are hard at work preparing for a fun family night out.  Earlier this week you should have received ticket information. Sign up early - this fun family event has sold out the previous two years!
Our second January event is the Adult Craft Night on January 25th at the Moose, co-sponsored with the Batch PO. You can make a sign, wreath or both! Details went out via email during the snow storm and registration is online. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or didn't receive the email. Our third January event is a Half Day Movie Day on January 31st. Stay tuned for details!

I wish all of you a healthy and happy 2018!!  I hope to see you at a future PTO meeting or event, and would love to hear any new ideas. Email me any time!

Linda Emery
ljm0818@hotmail.com
PTO President

December 2017

Dear Little School Families,
 
We hope all of you enjoyed the long Thanksgiving weekend filled with laughter and love among family and friends. Here at the PTO we are certainly grateful for the support and friendship of our extended Little School Family!
 
Once again Trivia Night was a fun-filled evening for parents and teachers to come together in friendly competition. Special thanks to Kate Schulz and her amazing team of volunteers for coordinating another seamless event. We hope to see everyone back again next year!
 
Our annual Thanksgiving Pie Sale was a huge success. We are especially proud of the 54 pies donated to the North Reading Food Pantry. Your generosity is consistently overwhelming. Thank you Courtney Mello and Erin Soroko for coordinating this sale.
 
The annual Winter Concert is coming up on Tuesday, December 12th. This is always a wonderful opportunity for our children to showcase their musical talents and hard work. Look for the PTO bake sale table and raffle in the lobby that day. We will also have a few Little School Labradors apparel items for sale that day. If you are interested in baking or helping, please reach out to Robin Taylor or myself. A Signup Genius email was sent out last week looking for volunteers.
 
Lastly, save the date for our third annual Family Bingo night which will be Friday, January 19th at the Moose. We hope you can join us for an evening of family fun!!
 
I hope to see you at a future PTO meeting or event, and would love to hear any new ideas. Feel free to email me or any other Board member if you are interested in getting more involved!
 
Wishing you peace and joy this holiday season!
 
Linda Emery
ljm0818@hotmail.com
PTO President

November 2017

Dear Little School Families,
 
What a busy Fall at the Little School!!
The 2nd Annual Halloween Bash was a HUGE success again this year. Special thanks to Jenn Vant and her entire team of volunteers who worked to host a spectacular party! A sold-out crowd enjoyed games, dancing and contests in our Little School Café. Hopefully everyone recovered in time for trick-or-treating!
 
Our Little School Apparel Sale wrapped up last week. Thank you to Elena DeAngelis for spearheading this initiative. We will all be a tiny bit warmer than usual in our Little School Lab sweatshirts this winter!
 
Pie Sales are in their last week. Please see the link on our website to place an order for these delicious pies. Purchase for friends and family; and donate to our own North Reading Food Bank.
 
Finally, I hope all of you enjoy rest, relaxation and joyful hearts as we approach another Thanksgiving. I am personally thankful for all of you....my cup runneth over. I hope to see you at a future PTO meeting or event, and would love to hear any new ideas. Email me any time!
 
Linda Emery
ljm0818@hotmail.com
PTO President 

October 2017

Welcome Back Little School Families!

Can you believe that the kids have been back to school for nearly four weeks? Hopefully all of you are getting settled into the autumn routine.

The PTO has been busy with back to school events and planning for a fantastic year ahead. In addition to our annual field trips, enrichment programs and fun events, we have some new events planned for this year. Also, this is a Little Laps year so we can all look forward to a fun day of camaraderie during the biannual walk-a-thon in June.

Our next big event is the Halloween Bash on Sunday, October 29th from 3p-5p in the Little School Café. Mark your calendar for this spooktacular event and be on the lookout for more details soon.

I hope to see you at a future PTO meeting or event, and would love to hear any new ideas. Email me any time!

Linda Emery
ljm0818@hotmail.com 
PTO President