|
|
|
|
Hardy Happenings
September 2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"And suddenly you just know it’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings."
- Meister Eckhart
Please email PTONewsletter@hardyschool.com if you have any questions about our monthly e-newsletter, and add us to your address book to avoid spam filters. |
|
|
Save the Date: Hardy Harvest Fest!
 When: Saturday, October 13, 1-4PM
Where: Hardy School Front Yard
In this fun annual event, pumpkins, potted mums, apple cider, and donuts will be for sale to benefit the school. It's a great way to support our school, connect with other Hardy families, and meet the entire neighborhood! But, we REALLY need energetic volunteers to keep this favorite Hardy tradition going and successful.
Here’s how you can help:
|
|
$hop to $upport Hardy!
 There are so many ways to make your shopping dollars go back into the school where your kids will benefit from your purchases! Check out these easy ways to shop and donate in one fell swoop!
Stop & Shop
Register your Stop & Shop card with Hardy School’s code # 07542 in the with the A+ School Rewards Program and use it when shopping there or at Peapod. Click here for instructions.
Maxima Gift Center
212 Mass. Ave.
Just sign up for the free “My School Program” next time you make a purchase there and tell them Hardy’s your school.
Amazon Smile
Register Hardy School as your AmazonSmile charity and be sure to login from smile.amazon.com whenever you do your online shopping!
Box Tops for Education
Look for the pink Box Tops on hundreds of participating products. For each clipped Top, Hardy receives 10¢. No-strings-attached money for the school! Look for collection sheets in your child’s backpack or drop a plastic baggie in the mailbox near the nurse’s office. Our goal this year is $1,000.
The Book Rack
13 Medford St.
Donate used books to The Book Rack, and apply your donation to the Hardy School credit! This year's Book Fair will be in partnership with the Book Rack, so that credit will flow straight into the Hardy library!
Not Your Average Joe's
645 Mass. Ave.
Eat at Joe's any Thursday in November, and a percentage of your check will go to Hardy PTO! Mention the program when you visit the restaurant.
|
|
|
Hardy Directory: Count Yourself In!
 Need to plan a playdate? Send birthday invites or thank yous? Call a parent for homework or event planning? The annual Hardy School PTO Directory is awesome for keeping in touch and connecting with the community! Participation is voluntary and the full directory is distributed to all Hardy School families. Whether you’re a new family at Hardy, missed being included last year, or just need to confirm/update existing information, opting in to the directory takes less than 3 minutes to complete.
We’re testing a new system this year, so please be sure to opt in even if you were in last year’s directory. Thanks!
|
|
 Mark Your Calendars
Wednesday, September 19 - NO SCHOOL - (Yom Kippur)
Thursday, September 20 - SCHOOL PICTURE DAY
Thursday, September 27, 6-8 pm - OPEN HOUSE (CURRICULUM NIGHT)
Wednesday, October 3 - WALK-TO-SCHOOL DAY
Monday, October 8 - NO SCHOOL - (Columbus Day)
Tuesday, October 9, 6:30-8 pm - PTO MEETING in the Hardy library The minutes from the previous meeting can be found here.
Saturday, October 13 - HARDY HARVEST FEST
|
|
Picture Day Is Here!
Say cheese! School Picture Day will be Thursday, September 20 during the school day. Although there is no obligation to purchase photos, each student will have his or her picture taken. But if you do order photos, your purchase helps the PTO--we will receive 20 percent of all proceeds!
 Online ordering makes life even easier! Click here to order prints online.
Please note that if your child is absent, there will be a "Re-Take Day" on Tuesday, November 13.
|
|
|
Walk & Roll to School Day 10/3!
 In celebration of International Walk and Roll to School Day, Hardy Safe Routes to School will be handing out rewards to students who walk, bike, or scooter to school on Wednesday, October 3rd. We'll also have information about walking and biking to school safely. Please volunteer for our tables at drop-off! 4th and 5th graders can volunteer alongside their parents, too. Thanks!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040449a4ac2da13-international
|
|
Wanted: Parent Recess Volunteers!
 Our new principal Kate Peretz is exploring the idea of inviting parents to volunteer to help out on rainy days when kids have indoor recess, to monitor the playground during outdoor recess, or both!
Interested parents will need to attend a training session, complete a CORI background check form, and sign up for available slots.
If you would like to be part of this volunteer program, please email Kate at kperetz@arlington.k12.ma.us.
|
|
Buy Your Hardy Spirit Wear Today!
 Get in the Hardy spirit! We are taking and filling spirit wear orders for sweatshirts and t shirts in grade-specific rainbow colors (red for kindergarten, orange for first grade, etc.). Get your order in early so your child can wear it all year!
We also have adult sizes. Supplies can be ordered online or by check, made out to Hardy PTO.
Visit the Hardy Store on the PTO website, or pick up a paper form outside the school office.
Contact Bonnie Walsh at arlingtonwalsh@comcast.com with questions.
|
|
Got An Idea? Get a Grant!
 Arlington Education Foundation (AEF) is our local education foundation. It’s a volunteer-led organization, and its mission is to support Arlington’s students and teachers. Last year, AEF distributed over $100,000 in grant money to educators for projects at all grade levels in the Arlington public schools. Hardy has benefited from these AEF grants in previous years, from a full-school subscription to the Dreambox Learning online math program to a digital art training program to a complex problem-solving games for 4th graders.
These projects are amazing, and they reflect the innovative spirit of our teachers and community. In addition to innovation grants like these, AEF has committed to spending $200,000 over the next three years to support the district’s “Safe and Supportive Schools” initiative to create a comprehensive behavioral health program in all of the district’s schools.
Teachers, families and community members are eligible to apply for grants! Families and community members would need to partner with the school to have a grant approved. Applications are reviewed twice a year. To be considered in the fall, applications must be postmarked no later than November 15 and by April 15 to be considered in the spring. For more information about AEF, please visit www.arlingtoneducationfoundationma.org, follow AEF on Facebook and/or contact our Hardy representative, Lauren Hague (lwhague@gmail.com).
|
|
|
School Council: You're Invited!
The Hardy School Council includes parent representatives, teacher representatives, and the school principal. Our mission is to assist the principal in identifying educational goals for the school, create a School Improvement Plan which addresses these goals, and represent and discuss teachers’ and parents’ school-related interests and concerns to the principal, in an advisory capacity.
The 2018-2019 School Council members are serving the second of a two-year term. We are:
- Kate Peretz, School Council Co-Chair and Principal
- Jennie French, 1st Grade Teacher
- Dara Gibbons, Learning Specialist
- Brandon Jackson, 5th Grade Teacher
- Michael McCarthy, Parent (2nd grade)
- Patsy O'Brien, Parent (3rd grade)
- Ginna Reeder, School Council Co-Chair and Parent (2nd and 4th grades)
- Josh Smift, Parent (1st and 4th grades)
The School Council gives parents the opportunity to shape school policy by giving them an equal voice — along with teachers, the principal and community partners — in school decision making. This can happen in one of two ways: (1) communicating via parent or teacher representatives (or sending an email to SchoolCouncil@hardyschool.com ); or (2) Attending a Council meeting oneself (see schedule below) — as any parent or community member is welcome to attend any meeting.
The first School Council meeting of the year was on Tuesday, September 11. We had a very good turnout with many non-School Council members coming to learn more about the School Council, and what is going on this year. Notes from that meeting can be found HERE.
School Council Meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of the month from 5 to 6:30 pm (prior to the PTO meetings). They are held in the small conference room on the first floor hallway. If attendance requires, we will move to a nearby classroom. We will send the meeting agendas out to the community prior to the meetings. The remaining dates for the 2018-19 school year are:
- October 9
- November 13
- December 11
- January 8
- February 12
- March 12
- April 9
- May 14
- June 11
We look forward to working with the Hardy community this year!
|
|
Hardy Construction Update
Here's the latest on the Hardy construction project, from our friends at School Council:
Lake Street Playground: After a bit of a delay in finishing up, we are hoping and planning for our new playground on Lake Street to be open for business on Monday, September 24! The fence around that area will also be upgraded, but that work has been further delayed due to contractor schedules. Thank you all for your patience as we finish this up, and add this great new element to our school facility!
Classroom Addition: The classroom addition project is going well and on schedule. It is exciting to see it all come together, and we look forward to January when we are moved in and enjoying the new space.
Chandler Street Playground Study: Last year, members of our community were successful in receiving a grant from Arlington's Community Preservation Committee to do a land use study of our Chandler Street Playground. The loss of playground space due to the new classroom addition, combined with the increase in enrollment, means that we need to maximize our outdoor area more than ever before! This study will help us come together as a community to identify what is important, and then produce plans for how to best utilize the area that we have. The study will begin this fall, and the intent is for the plans to be finalized so that the playground can be updated after the building construction is complete. Please stay tuned for ways to get involved in this effort!
If you have questions, please feel free to send them to schoolcouncil@hardyschool.com and we will do our best to answer them, or get the answers to them.
|
|
Arlington Community News
 What: Friends of Waldo Park Movie Night
When: Saturday, September 22. Around 6:45 PM, we'll show the short films, and around 7:00, we'll start the feature.
Where: Waldo Park, 65 Waldo Rd.
More: The feature film will be Sing. It’ll be preceded by a couple of young-kid friendly short films. Bring a blanket to sit on the hill, and a picnic dinner if you’d like. Desserts will be on sale to raise funds for Park maintenance and events.
What: Spy Pond Park Fun Day
When: Saturday, September 22, 10AM-1PM (rain date Sept 23, 1-4PM)
Where: Spy Pond Park, 56 Pond Ln
More: This wonderful family event is back with live music, arts, crafts, face-painting, boat rides, scavenger hunts, and much more! See details.
What: Apple Picking with Friends and Family of METCO Students
When: Saturday, September 22, 10 am - 2 pm
Where: Honey Pot Hill Orchards, Stow, MA (16 Boon Rd.)
More: This fun fall outing is a great way to get to know families with students who attend Arlington Public Schools through the METCO Program. The deadline to RSVP is Friday, Sept 14th. Call Margaret Credle Thomas (781) 316-3566 or Aleisa Gittens-Carle at (781) 383-2804 to RSVP.
What: "Paint the Town Green" Sustainability Fair
When: Sunday, September 23, 3-5 pm.
Where: Arlington Town Hall Auditorium (730 Mass. Ave.)
More: Every community has a vital role to play in fighting climate change. Join Town officials and community groups as we celebrate Arlington’s leadership in taking action to achieve a safe, clean energy future. The event will be held September 23, 3:00-5:00 p.m. at Arlington Town Hall. Come see the steps Arlington has taken, plans to take, or is currently working on to achieve a safe, clean, carbon-neutral, and renewable energy future. Elementary school Green Teams--including Hardy's!--will be recognized and celebrated. Read full details at sustainablearlington.org.
What: Volunteer with Your Kids at Arlington EATS
When: Ongoing
Where: Thompson School, 187 Everett St.
More: Looking for volunteer opportunities to participate in with or without your children? Arlington EATS has a variety of opportunities to give back to your community by packing snacks and helping set-up, serve, and clean-up at the community meals. Click https://givebacktime.org/organizations/307 to sign up (kid-friendly opportunities are noted).
To submit an item for Arlington Community News, please email Holly Rossi (PTONewsletter@hardyschool.com) and Terry Holt (hardyptopresident@gmail.com)
|
|
Join Our New Diversity & Inclusion Group
Welcome to the newly-forming, parent-led Hardy Elementary Diversity & Inclusion Group (DIG)!
The over-arching goal of DIG is to raise awareness about diversity & inclusion in order to provide a safe learning space and welcoming environment for all our children and their respective families regardless of race, color, religious views, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, citizenship, age, ancestry, family/marital status, sexual orientation, disability, source of income, and military status.
The concept was started by a Brackett parent in the spring of 2018 with the the idea for every school in Arlington have a DIG.
Here at Hardy, we want to focus parent energy around diversity and equity issues like curriculum, diversity hiring, multicultural library resources and supporting the city-wide METCO program. We hope to plan some parent forums and safe closed-listening groups for parents. We also want to work toward showcasing the amazing global Hardy community.
We will have our first meeting in early October. Do you have ideas? If you would like to attend meeting, please email Sarah Evans (plantains@hotmail.com)
|
|
Take Your Place on the Hardy Green Team!
 This year, the Hardy Green Team will be continuing and expanding our efforts to be excellent stewards of our planet! Last year, Arlington Public Schools earned National Green Ribbon recognition, and we are excited and inspired to advance our efforts in the areas of composting, recycling, awareness, and of course continuing our current programs like the Textile Drive and the beautiful Hardy garden.
Our philosophy is that the "Hardy Green Team" is made up of every member of the Hardy community. But if you'd like to be included in future mailings about Green Team meetings and projects, please email Doris Pfaffinger at do.77.ris@gmail.com to be added to our Google group.
In the meantime, there are two ways you can get involved right now!
Recycle Used Markers
Bring your used markers to the Hardy office at any time to participate in our Crayola ColorCycle program, which recycles used markers and turns them into energy! The markers do not need to be Crayola brand.
Water the Hardy Garden This Fall
Everyone is enjoying the beautiful, colorful garden that greets our students each morning as they arrive at school. Garden coordinators Addie Dublin and Ann Chhabra have revitalized this beautiful, green resource, and we want to keep it going until the snow makes us stop! Sign up to oversee watering for a week this fall--it's a fun, easy activity to do together with your kids!
|
|
|
Free Dinners for Arlington Families
Hardy is proud to partner with Arlington EATS to ensure everyone in our community has tasty, nutritious food all year long .
Arlington EATS serves monthly free Community Dinners the 2nd Thursday of each month for Arlington families. The dinners are served at the Thompson School Cafeteria (187 Everett Street) from 6:00PM - 7:00PM. All families are welcome to attend and there often is a pop up pantry for families to bring grocery items home.
An extra note from our friends at Arlington EATS: "When we say join us at the table, we mean just that. No matter your circumstances, you are part of our community and we TRULY want to share a meal with you. If you are hesitant to join us because you are not currently experiencing financial hardship, consider offsetting the cost of your meal with a small donation to Arlington EATS. Whether you choose to donate or not, you ARE welcome and we would love to have you with us."
Here is the dinner schedule for this school year:
October 11, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
November 8, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
December 13, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
January 10, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
February 14, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
March 14, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
April 11, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
May 9, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Visit http://www.arlington-eats.org for more information.
|
|
Help Hardy Provide Healthy Snacks for All Students
 Last year, as part of our partnership with Arlington EATS, we provided more than 2,300 healthy snacks to our students. There is a table outside of the nurse's office where the snacks are available to all students who may need a snack throughout the day. Thanks to the generosity of last year's Walk-a-Thon participants, the PTO will be providing some money to cover the snack program this year.
However, we are looking for parents/child care providers to provide fresh fruit. Please take a moment to sign up if you are interested in providing fruit for this great program:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4ca5ab29a5f49-fruit
Thank you for your support and if you have any questions you can direct them to Ann Chhabra: annmastro@gmail.com.
|
|
|
Focus on: Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC)
Arlington Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) is a parent group that acts as a resource for parents and advises the district regarding meeting the needs of students with special needs. We provide support and networking opportunities for parents and guardians of children with special educational needs, and offer workshops and guest speakers to help parents become better informed about special education issues. We meet regularly with school officials to participate in the planning, development and evaluation of special education programs in town. Mark your calendars with these meeting dates and discussion topics!
 Morning Meetings, 8:35-9:30 am, Jefferson Cutter House (611 Mass. Ave.)
September 11
November 13
January 8
March 12
May 14
June 11
Evening Meetings, 7-8 pm, Gibbs School (41 Foster St.)
October 9
December 11
February 12
April 9
Proposed Workshop Topics (not yet scheduled)
Basic Rights
Adaptive Recreation Fair
Gibbs Transition Night
Mindfulness, Stress Management, and Self-Care for Parents
If you have any questions, please email Michele Phelan at michele.j.phelan@gmail.com |
|
|
Principal's Message
 Dear Hardy Families,
It has been a fantastic first two weeks here at Hardy! As I walk around the school, I see and hear teachers and students getting to know each other better, practicing new school routines, and growing a supportive and collaborative school culture. These are important first steps to learning! I’ve included a few pictures to show you what I mean.
You will hear much more about our first weeks of school at our Open House on September 27, 2018. This evening is for adults only, and has been previously called Curriculum Night or Back to School Night. Any one of these titles is appropriate, because they all mean an evening of sharing what is happening at Hardy with all of you. The schedule will be sent out closer to the event, but we would like to make sure you mark it on your calendars from 6:00-8:00 pm.
 Speaking of photographs, I would like to be able to share images from time to time of the students at work and play. Permission is needed from all of you to do this, and it should have been a box you checked yes or no to in PowerSchool. Please make sure your permission is up to date if you would like to see images of your student in communications from us. If not, that’s okay. Until we are sure we have proper permissions, don’t worry, our students will not be able to be identified in the photos shared.
FYI, the weather is in the way of our playground being ready. The rain has set us back again! We will plan for it to open on Monday, September 24th. If it is inspected and ready to open sooner than that, then we will be pleasantly surprised! I assure you it will be worth the wait.
I want to thank everyone who attended our School Council and PTO meetings on September 11th. It was a good turnout for both meetings and I look forward to a productive year together. The minutes from the School Council meeting will be posted on our website soon.
All my best to all of you, |
|
|
PTO Spotlight On:
Terry Holt, PTO President
 Welcome back to Hardy for the 2018-2019 school year! And a warm welcome to our new Hardy families! As PTO President in my second year of service, I have the privilege of helping to direct funds and activities—along with our hard-working PTO members—toward making Hardy Elementary a special place for our kids, and for our teachers and staff.
I’m the mom of 2 Hardy alumni, who are now at AHS and Minuteman, and I have a 3rd grader in Mr. Nickerson’s class. This year marks the start of my eighth year as a member of Hardy PTO. This organization has done so much for my kids over the years that I am happy to stand up and take my turn at the helm, following in the footsteps of Cedrine Bell — who has been here even longer than I!
 My background in communications and volunteering at a senior level for an annual Boston science-fiction/fantasy convention has prepared me for this role. The rewards are plentiful. I get to spend time with some of the best people in the world, my fellow Hardy parents, who give their time and efforts so generously, at every level. PTO parents find so many varied ways to contribute. From clipping Box Tops and sending them in, to donating items for our Thanksgiving drive, to hosting one of the tables for Harvest Fest, or leading students in a game during Field Day. There is room for every parent to make their mark at Hardy and enrich the learning and social environment of our students throughout the year.
I hope you’ll join us as we plan a full schedule of enrichment programs for our students, run fundraisers to benefit our school library and help our teachers with the supplies and expenses that fall outside of the school/district budgets. Our efforts really do make a difference here at Hardy.
Thank you for being part of our community!
-Terry
|
|
We Appreciate Our Volunteers!
 As always, our volunteers brought energy, creativity, and muscle to this month's PTO events. Special thanks to:
Terry Holt, Stewart Ikeda, Kate Leary, and everyone else who made the summer Ideafest meeting and the first PTO meeting of the school year such inspiring successes!
Laura Ribiero, for serving as the teacher representative to the PTO again this year!
Allison Holt, Stewart Ikeda, Daniel Jalkut, and the Communications Committee for working so hard to thoughtfully plan out and build the beautiful new Hardy PTO website, and to Sarah Evans and Aimee Miller especially for guiding the transition from the HardySchool.com site network that they've managed so diligently for years!
Alex Bilsky, for organizing Hardy's Walk & Roll to School Day!
Janet Marsden, for overseeing Hardy Picture Day!
Ann Chhabra, for the massive job of organizing the School Supply Drive, and to all the parents and students who showed up to help deliver!
Martha Ingolls and Doris Pfaffinger, for leading our Hardy Kindergarten 2018-2019 group and organizing summer playdates for the kids.
|
|
Get to Know Your PTO
Click here for the full list of PTO committee members and volunteer leaders.
Click here to review the minutes of past PTO meetings.
Reach out to us at hardyptopresident@gmail.com to get involved, or join us at our next meeting, Tuesday, October 9 from 6:30 - 8 pm in the Hardy library.
Officers
• President Terry Holt (hardyptopresident@gmail.com)
• VP of Committees Stewart Ikeda
• VP of Fundraising Patsy O’Brien
• Treasurers Kate Leary and Andrew Malone
• Secretary Roslyn Fitzgerald
• Newsletter Coordinator Holly Rossi (PTONewsletter@hardyschool.com)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
