Come join us at Hadlock field for a night of fun! Click on the link below for all the details and get ready for a rousing good time as Hall-Dale Elementary heads to Portland for a night with the Sea Dogs! Friday, May 9th, at 6 p.m. is game time, be there 45 minutes earlier for a warm up run around the field. Deadline for sign up is Monday, April 28th; send your check along with your child’s name to his or her homeroom teacher. We’ll see you at Hadlock!2008_sea_dogs_flyer1

Congratulations to our very own 4th grader Avery Page for winning the Maine DOT Work Zone Safety Poster Contest!

PTO Newsflash:

The PTO is meeting on February 12 at HDES at 6:30 p.m.  Please come and see the beautiful artwork that local illustrator Annie Sibley O’Brien has done with the grade 2-3 students this week.  The kids are writing and publishing their own books under the guidance of Ms. O’Brien and author Margy Burns Knight.  This in-school enrichment has been made possible by the planning and funding of the PTO.  

You will also see the Star of the Week posters that our SOTW committee has worked so hard on for yet another week. Thank you to all PTO members who have helped by interviewing our stars, coloring posters, laminating posters, developing photos, and providing support.   We have created excitement among our students and boosted self-esteem by your continued efforts.   

We’ll also see a short YouTube video on learning in this age of technology.  We’ll discuss a Spring fundraiser and would love to hear your ideas.  We’ll start making exciting and fun plans for Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week, which is May 5-9, 2008.  And don’t forget to mark your calendar for Hall-Dale Family Night with the Sea Dogs on May 9, 2008!

There are so many exciting things happening at school thanks to the efforts of PTO volunteers.  Just walk into the school and you will instantly see the positive impact that our PTO has at HDES.   

Please join us! 

Howdy, Parents, Teachers and Caregivers:
 
Can you believe it’s almost February?  What a great PTO year we’ve had so far.  Due to our early and successful fundraising, we have been able to disburse funds to teachers for fieldtrips and we’ve planned enrichment for every grade in our school.  We’ve had informative programming and a wonderful Star of the Week program.  We have an informative website. We are in great organizational shape as a 501c3, incorporated, charitable organization.   We have done so much, and most importantly, we are known as a welcoming, open group.   

As we near the halfway school year point, we need to start planning for the rest of the year.  Here are some tasks that need our attention:
 
Spring Fundraiser - Got any good ideas for a FUNdraiser for this Spring?  We’ve done math-a-thons and read-a-thons, bulb sales and garage sales.  I’d like to get some ideas generated so we can consider them at our February PTO meeting.  A Spring fundraiser will help ensure that we will have some funds in the bank for next years enrichment planning.  Please email me at kristinaiello@roadrunner.com  with your ideas.  
 
Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week - For Parents Only: Our teachers and staff loved the week we planned for them last year, with a new breakfast menu each day and wonderful notes from their students.  This year, Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is scheduled for May 4-10.  Let’s start planning now for another special week honoring those who do so much for our kids.     
 
Bulletin Board - HELP!  Anyone interested and willing to help keep up the bulletin board?   Please let me know if you can help make our lobby bulletin board as vibrant and informative as our PTO! 
 
Sea Dogs:  Mark your calendar for HDES PTO night at the Sea Dogs Game on May 9!!  This has become such a cherished HDES tradition and our kids now look forward to every Spring.
 
Thinking About Leadership for Next Year - Elections are not until May, but it’s not too early to start thinking about taking on a leadership role in the PTO for next year.    The PTO is a dynamic, diverse and wonderful organization and I encourage you to consider a leadership role for next year.  
 
Thanks for all you do,

Kristin

Remember the old days when neither cell phones nor the internet existed?  Heck, when I was in fourth grade, I pulled the encyclopedia off the shelf for my research project … and now my nine year old starts hers via Google.   As far as communication and learning go, it’s a whole new world.  Please come to our PTO meeting on February 12 at 6:30 p.m. to see a YouTube presentation (what else?!)  on technology and learning.  See you then!  - Kristin

Today the PTO remembers Martin Luther King, Jr., a great leader of the American civil rights movement.   Dr. King played an invaluable role in helping to end segregation and racial discrimination in American schools.    May we continue his work by pledging our support for the inclusion of all in our own school, regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, disability, religion, ancestry or national origin.  

We are looking for some good ideas for a great FUNdraiser for this Spring.    Why?  Without the efforts of the PTO, our kids would not have the field trips and in-school presentations that they love so much.  The PTO also funds the popular Star of the Week Program and the Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week.    All of these efforts require funding and it’s up to us to get the job done. In the past, we’ve had a great time building community while at the same time raising funds through read-a-thons and math-a-thons.  We’ve had bulb sales and garage sales.   Should we recycle these ideas or come up with some new ones?  What do you think?  Please email Kristin at kristinaiello@roadrunner.com and share your thoughts in time for discussion at our February 12 PTO meeting.  Thanks and see you then!

    The Star of the Week program needs your help! As you may know, Star of the Week (SOTW) is a program sponsored by the Hall-Dale Elementary School PTO.  You’ve seen the posters of our students, and hopefully have heard feedback about it at home. We hope you agree that this is a valuable effort and one that touches every single child in the school.  If you haven’t done it, you should know it is one of the most enjoyable volunteer opportunities imaginable. In order to continue, the SOTW team needs volunteers.  We really hopeyou can help. Here is how the program works: On Monday mornings, from 8:30 am to 10 am, parent volunteers remove the prior week’s posters from the bulletin board, interview one student from each class, take their picture, and give them a ribbon (which they can wear all week), and a 50-cent coupon for the school store. (Note: several parent volunteers are needed for this part). Next, a volunteer has the photos developed, and returns to the school by 1 p.m. with the photos to paste them on the Star of the Week posters. Another volunteer comes in the early afternoon to laminate the posters, and put them on the SOTW bulletin board where they remain for one week. While most of this has to be done at the school, there is some volunteer work that can be done at home, mainly coloring the stars on the poster. *********************************************************************************** Please complete the following and let the PTO know how you can help: Name: ___________________________________  Phone: __________________________ Email address: __________________________________________________ Yes!  I can help with the following (please check all that apply): _____  Interviewing students on Monday mornings  (8:30 to 10 am, approximately)_____  Having photos developed Monday mornings (before 1 pm)_____  Laminating posters in the afternoon on Mondays _____  Coloring the stars on the posters (to be delivered to the school by Monday at 8:30 am)_____  I am not available on Mondays, but can help with one or more of the above tasks on Fridays Please return to PTO basket at office of HDES. Questions? Call Maria at 592-0227 or email her at mariaf1@adelphia.net Thank you!

Greetings, HDES Community:

Thanks to your hard work and generosity, we have been able to raise funds early this year which has meant exciting educational enrichment opportunities for our kids.   Here’s an update on what’s happening with enrichment:

*    At our November 07 meeting, the PTO voted to fund the Johnson-Hall Teen Elementary School Shows (”TESS”) for this Spring!  In TESS, HDES students will work with teens from the area to put on a theater  production.  Two shows will be offered, one to the entire school and one to the community.  This is an exciting, first time opportunity for our students!  Watch for details coming this Spring.

*    The PTO has researched and funded in-school enrichment opportunities for every grade in our school, including the following to date: 

*    Singer-songwriter Martin Swinger worked with 4th and 5th graders in October 07 to write and perform their own songs. Students wrote songs on everything from skeletal systems to “what to do in a fire drill!”  

*    Students in Pre-K and K will enjoy a creative movement program with Barbara Allen who is affiliated with the   Waterville Opera House.

*    Students in Grades 2-3 will create their own color, laminated books with author Margy Burns.

*    Students in Grade 1 will create their own puppets and put on a show with the Milkweed Theater project.

*    In addition, the PTO has provided grants to every classroom teacher for field trips and other opportunities to be planned by the teachers.

*    The PTO has also provided grants to specials teachers to enhance the educational experience in specials classes.

Whether you’re coaching a team, heading up the girl or boy scouts, volunteering in the classroom, or lending a hand in any way, thanks for all you do.

-From your PTO

We have all read about school consolidation but there are still many unknowns.  Please mark your calendar and plan to join us at our PTO meeting on October 9, 2007 to consider how school consolidation may affect our school.  Our own school board member Dan Shagoury will provide information and facilitate a discussion on this important and timely topic.   During the business portion of our meeting, we will consider your ideas for additional programming, hear an update on our recent fundraising efforts, and vote on some exciting enrichment proposals for our kids.  Two babysitters will be available and some fun plans are in store to keep the kids entertained while we meet.  See you there!