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Hardy Happenings
January/February 2018

Happy 2018, Hardy community!
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.

Movie Night: POSTPONED!

 
We are sorry to say that due to a licensing issue, Hardy Movie Night has been postponed and will not be held on Friday, January 19. Please stay tuned for future events from the Books & Arts Committee!
 
The Next Big Thing
 
What: International Festival
When: Saturday, February 3, 2-5 pm
Where: Hardy School Gym
Cost: FREE!

Sixteen countries are set to be represented at the International Festival, which returns to Hardy after several years' hiatus! Highlights abound, including:
  • The International Cafe, featuring foods from around the world
  • A fashion show, featuring Hardy parents and students as models
  • Performers, including fiddlers, tango dancers, and martial artists
  • More!
We need volunteers! To be a model, chef, or host, don't delay, click away:
 

For more information, please contact Aimee Miller (aimee@hardyschool.com)
Save the Date: Silent Auction

Book your babysitters now for a night out of fun, food, drinks, and bidding, to benefit the Hardy Playground Project! All proceeds will help our community re-imagine and rebuild our main playground to benefit our growing population. This fabulous event will take place March 3 at 7 pm at Town Hall, 730 Mass. Ave. How much fun will it be? Let us count the ways!
  • Food, drinks, and music
  • 50/50 raffle
  • "Wine Pull"
  • Amazing items to bid on
Buy your tickets today! $25 per person / $40 per couple / $30 at the door

In addition to coming and enjoying yourselves, you can help make the Silent Auction extra special!
  • Donate an auction item or experience
  • Create a gift basket to raffle off (theme ideas: Legos, beach, scratch tickets, movie night)
  • Ask your company to donate items, tickets, or experiences
  • Volunteer (sign up here!) to reach out to local businesses for donations, coordinate catering and other logistics, and set up/clean up on the evening.
To get involved and keep up-to-date on all things Silent Auction:
Stay Tuned: Hour of Code!
 
When: Monday-Friday, February 12-16
Who: Hardy Students, Grades 1-5
 

For the fourth consecutive year, Hardy's first through 5th graders will be joining in on the largest learning event in the world: The Hour of Code (Learn more at their website: http://hourofcode.com/us)! It’s a week of computer science where kids learn to program using puzzles and games. We will need parent volunteers to lead the event in each classroom as well as motivating kids to keep trying. No coding experience necessary! Please be on the lookout for the Sign-Up Genius, which we will share shortly!

Mark Your Calendars


Monday, January 15 - NO SCHOOL DAY - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Tuesday, February 6 at 6:30 - The next PTO MEETING in the Hardy Library. The minutes from the previous meeting can be found here.

Monday-Friday February 19-23 - NO SCHOOL DAYS - February Vacation Week
Box Top Winner: Are You Next?

Thank you to the many Hardy students who cut out Box Tops and drop them off in the mailbox next to Ms. Dalton's office. Every Box Top is worth 10 cents, and they really add up, bringing in hundreds of dollars to the PTO each year. In December, we raffled off a gift card to the Capitol Theater as a reward for your ongoing support of this easy fundraising program. We are pleased to announce the winner of the raffle was first grader Calder Pitts. Have fun at the movies, Calder!

We have a second Capitol Theater gift card--would you like it? To enter, just drop off valid (not expired!) Box Tops in the mailbox next to Ms. Dalton's office in the school lobby. put them in an envelope or plastic bag labeled with your child's name, teacher, and grade. Everybody who sends in Box Tops has an equal chance to win the prize!

Questions? Email Anne at coleman.anne@gmail.com
Hardy Construction Update

The School Council has created a web page that pulls together the latest information about the Hardy Facility Expansion. the page covers the latest on the six new classrooms, the Lake St. playground project, and a possible Chandler St. outdoor space redesign study.  For now, it lives under the "About" tab on the Hardy School website.  We will continue to update this page as we know more, so it is a good place to check for the latest information.  If you have further questions, please submit those via the form on the site.  And stay tuned for the date of an informational evening in February that will provide details about the logistics and construction impacts of the classroom building project.

If you have additional questions that you would like answered please email us at: SchoolCouncil@HardySchool.com. We will respond to the best of our ability, and update the web page with the info as appropriate.

Arlington Community News


The Arlington Youth Baseball and Softball League (ABYSA) announces openings on girls' softball teams for the Spring 2018 season! Girls ages 7-14 are welcome to register and join this fun program that has been part of Arlington town sports for the past 15 years. Boys ages 6-12 can register for baseball teams as well--all should visit http://www.ABYSAOnline.org for more information and to sign up.

Belmont Family Film Festival January 12-15
Belmont World Film’s 15th Annual Family Film Festival, “Where Stories Come Alive,” offers nearly four full days of some of the world’s best films for children and adults, as well as a live version of “Circle Round,” WBUR’s popular children’s podcast. With screenings held at Arlington's Regent Theater, Cambridge's Brattle Theater, and Belmont's Studio Cinema, films are screened in English or their native language with subtitles, some of which will be read aloud via headphones. Many are being screened internationally or in North America for the first time. It kicks off Friday January 12 at the Regent with the North American premier of the Dutch film, Master Spy. There are other films about reindeer herding in Sweden, wild horses in Spain, brave boats in Norway, children overcoming disabilities in Colombia, and a benefit screening about brave and amazing child refugees from all over the world—not to mention a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a whole program of films based on books by Mo Willems!  More info at http://www.BelmontWorldFilm.org or 617-484-3980.

Great Ways to Celebrate MLK Day
Looking for something special to do during your day off for MLK Day on Monday January 15? Mommy Poppins has published an excellent list of free, enriching events and meaningful service opportunities for families to enjoy throughout the area. Options include free open houses at the MFA, ICA, JFK Library and Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum and others; free concerts; and community service volunteer events. For the complete list, click here.


To submit an item for Arlington Community News, please email Holly Rossi  (PTONewsletter@hardyschool.com) and Terry Holt (hardyptopresident@gmail.com)
 
Snacks for Kids, Dinner for Families

Hardy is working with Arlington EATS in two ways this year:
  • HEALTHY SNACKS: We provide a continuous supply of healthy snacks available to our students.  These snacks can be found in the nurse's office and your student can simply go to her office and get a snack. If you are interested in helping provide snacks or making a financial contribution to be used towards snack purchases or if you have any questions, please contact Ann Chhabra (annmastro@gmail.com) or Rebecca Saff (saff.rebecca@gmail.com). 
  • COMMUNITY DINNERS: 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. But whether you choose to donate or not, you ARE welcome and we would love to have you with us. Dinners take place every second Thursday of the month at 6 pm at Thompson Elementary School (187 Everett St. Arlington). The next two dinners are February 8 and March 8.

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, 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, 8:35am- 9:30am Jefferson Cutter House
February 13th 
March 13th 
May 8th
June 12th
 
Evening Meetings, 7pm- 8pm, at Ottoson Media Center (Library)
April 10th 
 
Proposed workshops not yet scheduled:
February – Demystifying the Neuropsychological Report
March/April – Beyond Basic Rights: Mediation, dispute resolution
May – Mindfulness, Handling stress, self-care for the parent of children with special needs

If you have any questions, please email Michele Phelan at michele.j.phelan@gmail.com

Principal's Message


Hello Hardy Families,
 
Here we are in 2018 already!  This is a great time of the school year as teachers and students are using all of the skills they learned in the first four months of school to dig deeper into curriculum.  We also challenged students to be reflective about their work and to be self aware about their behavior.  We talk about what it means to be self reflective and that having a growth mindset about challenges is important as we take academic and social risks.  School council is working to plan an evening event closer to spring for parents around growth mindset work so that you may use these strategies with your children at home.  We are also looking forward to our school renovation project which will begin in about two months!  We plan to have a community evening in late February with lots of information about the project.  In the meantime, please check out the following link put together by our school council to help keep all of us informed.  http://www.hardyschool.com/facility-expansion.html    
 
Have a wonderful January!
 
Kristin

PTO Spotlight On:
Kezia Simister


If you haven't met Kezia Simister, you might have read recently in Wicked Local about her innovative and inspiring food collection program, "Good Teel." Each month, she collects one or two items from 30 East Arlington families. She then delivers the items to the Arlington Food Pantry.

Kezia has lived in East Arlington twice, for a total of twelve years. Her daughter Scarlett is a Hardy first-grader, and her son Nicolas, who is almost five, will start kindergarten this fall. She welcomes any and all Hardy parents who would like to join Good Teel--she will give you a canvas tote bag to hang on your porch on each month's appointed day. Or, if you’d like to start your own neighborhood collection, drop her a line for advice and ideas: keziasimister@gmail.com.

To participate in “Good Teel,” families only need to pick up one or two items each month. How do you reflect on the impact such a “small” gesture has on the greater community?

This question reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, which is from Jon Kabat-Zinn, “The little things? The little moments? They aren't little.” 

It’s takes an hour to pick up donations from 30 households for Good Teel. We start with an empty car and by the time we’re done the trunk and passenger seat are literally overflowing. So, in one hour I see the miracle of “small” giving. The beauty of pooling our resources, no matter how meager, is that together we have an abundance to share. When I bring the carload of donations to the Pantry, volunteers always help unload the bags and they express immense gratitude for our effort, and then items go on the shelves and into neighbors’ homes immediately. This one hour a month I spend collecting is truly awe-inspiring.

Our philosophy is, “Every Hardy parent is a member of Hardy PTO.” What is your view of various ways parents are connected at our school?

Parents are connected to Hardy simply by living in the neighborhood. I see kindness among parents in our community every day. Parents and caregivers greet one another at pick-up or drop-off, say hello around the neighborhood, help each other out after school or on the weekends, organize neighborhood events, foster friendships, and share information. All of these gestures create community in and around Hardy. I think, and hope, that the warm sense of community is felt by our kids and in turn they feel nurtured and safe at school and in our neighborhoods. 

What is your favorite type of food to cook or eat?

I enjoy inventing and eating salads, especially with feta and hazelnuts. Spicy Indian food and popcorn are also at the top of the list.

 

In each issue, we will spotlight a PTO member. Nominate someone to be featured by emailing PTONewsletter@hardyschool.com.

We Appreciate Our Volunteers!


As always, our volunteers brought energy, creativity, and muscle to this month's PTO events. Special thanks to:

Michele Phelan, for collecting and delivering 7 huge contractor bags full of winter clothing to Boston Healthcare for the Homeless, through the Warm Winter Weather Drive!

Sarah Evans, for coordinating the Holiday Help program that brought holiday gifts to so many local families! 

Cedrine Bell and the Enrichment Committee for bringing author Maris Wicks and musician Alastair Moock to Hardy this month!

Kate Leary, Andrew Malone for taking on the role of co-treasurers, and Stewart Ikeda for taking on the VP of Committees role!

Pete Gast and Josh Lobel, for working to complete the Hardy directory (coming to your home very soon!)

Ann Chhabra, for the amazingly successful Halloween Candy Buy-Back fundraiser, which raised $650 for our PTO!

Anne Coleman, for making Box Tops collection project so much fun with the raffle!

Aimee Miller, Doris Pfaffinger, and the whole International Festival team, for working tirelessly to bring back this fun and meaningful tradition!

Patsy O'Brien and Annie Clarke-Lauer, for laying the groundwork for an amazing Silent Auction in March!

Hardy's wonderful custodians Bobby and Rich, who cleared heaps of snow around the school in time for the kids to come back from vacation.

Dr. Kathleen Bodie, APS Superintendent, for her work in helping Hardy find its new principal--and Kristin DeFrancisco, for being so hard to replace!

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, February 6 at 6:30 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)
 

Don't Pitch Out...Pitch In!

  • Box Tops = Money for Hardy School: Did you know that through Box Tops for Education, Hardy School will receive 10 cents for every box top families donate in the collection boxes at the front entrance?
  • Crayola ColorCycle Program: 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.
Hardy PTO 411 Page
School Calendar
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