Leverett

NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Wednesday-Friday, November 26-28

            Thanksgiving Break – NO SCHOOL

Monday, December 1

            School Committee Meeting – 6:00 pm

Tuesday, December 9

            Winter Concert – 7:00 pm

Thursday, December 11

            PTO Holiday Get-Together Mtg. - 5:30 pm

Friday, December 19

            All-School Assembly

Wednesday – Sunday, December 24 – January 4

            VACATION  - NO SCHOOL

Monday, January 5

            First Day of School in 2015

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IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE

Family Time

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. It is a chance to be together with family and friends without the frenetic expectations of the Christmas and New Year holidays. Thanksgiving meals with my family have often been preceded or followed by multi-generational hikes. In recent years, the day after Thanksgiving has been our time to decorate gingerbread houses together. I bake and build the houses, gather together the decorating materials, and load up my car to take it all to New Hampshire. It is always a great deal of fun, and I continue to be amazed at the creativity. Over the years, the basic gingerbread structures have been turned into a Ninja dojo, a Spanish mission, and the three houses from “The Three Little Pigs,” in addition to the more traditional houses. In thirty years of decorating houses, I can not recall a harsh word being exchanged, even when there have been up to ten, sometimes very small, people working alongside one another.

But the part of the Thanksgiving weekend that I find most fun is the opportunity to play games together. Set, Trivial Pursuit, and Scrabble have always been high on the list. Given the family emphasis of the Thanksgiving holiday, it was not altogether surprising to me that next week is National Games and Puzzles Week. 

Playing games is an essential part of a child’s learning. The advent of electronic games has made it challenging for children to acquire many of the skills that are inherent in traditional board games or games like Charades. Learning to take turns, to strategize, and to pay attention to what other players are doing are important skills for children to learn and practice.  Many games require counting and others, like Scrabble and Boggle, develop vocabulary and spelling.

When I spoke with children her at LES about playing board games, their eyes lit up, and I could tell that they enjoy them as much as I do.  I’ve included the results of my games poll in this edition of the Friday post.

Whatever your family tradition is over the Thanksgiving break, I hope you have a happy, safe, and relaxing holiday.

                                    -Margot Lacey

Favorite Games of Students and Staff at LES

PTO SPOTLIGHT ON . . .

Leverett Community Interview of the Week

Clay Donachie, Grade 1

PTO News

What do you like about Leverett School?
I like that every Thursday and Friday we have gym. I like playing at choice time.

What do you like doing outside of school?
I like that our old babysitter Katie is coming over today and I like playing with Legos.

PTO Update

•Geneveive’s olders will be in early next week. Thank you for supporting LES PTO.

•Our next event will be a Talent Show/Games Night on January 30th. The evening will open with a talent show and will be followed by games and a dessert bar. We can use your help. Are you a great show organizer? Maybe you can help with the dessert bar? Help with some active games for the children? We need you! Let Jo-Ann know if you’re available [email protected]

•This year we are introducing the PTO Holiday Giving option. You can choose to acknowledge a Leverett teacher or staff member by giving to the PTO in their honor. Look for the details in next week’s Post.

•Next month (December 11th) is the PTO Holiday celebration meeting. This is a great time to join our group! More details in the weeks to come.

 KIMBALL TRUST FUND

Winter Clothing for Kids

Now that colder weather has arrived, please send your child/children to school dressed warmly for outdoor recess. This includes wearing socks, a hat, gloves and a winter weight jacket. 

If your family is having financial difficulty keeping up with the clothing needs of growing children, the Kimball Trust Fund is available to help you buy basic, protective clothing for your children.  The Fund was established in 1909 by Catherine Kimball to help purchase warm clothing for low-income Leverett families with children under the age of 18. Please contact Nurse Jill at 548-9144 ext. 3 to apply for financial assistance through the Kimball Trust to purchase winter clothing and boots for school aged Leverett children. If your family benefited from Kimball Trust funds in the past, please consider passing this year, in order to give new families the opportunity to apply.

Thank you.

Nurse Jill

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COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

(Items listed here are not school sponsored)

CRAFT FAIR, TAG SALE, BAKE SALE & LUNCHEON.

Saturday, November 22, 9 am to 3 pm, Leverett Town Hall. Handmade one-of-a-kind crafts, homemade baked goods. Light café style luncheon for purchase. Sponsored by the Leverett Congregational Church (LCC).

CRAIGIEBURN OPEN FARM DAYS - 10:00am to 3pm

Saturday, Nov. 29^th; Sunday, Nov. 30^th; Saturday Dec. 6^th; and Sunday Dec. 7^th.

Once again, it’s time for the annual Open Farm and Holiday Sale at Craigieburn Farm alpacas.  This is our final year for hosting our annual holiday event.  The support we have received from Shutesbury and our neighboring communities has been heart-warming.  Our decade as alpaca farmers has connected us to the earth in inspirational ways.  We are deeply grateful for this experience in our journey.  So please come one last time.  Visit our farm, sip cider, enjoy some holiday shopping and meet the whimsical creatures that provide us with soft and insulating fiber.  Our selection of products includes yarn, roving, sweaters, shawls, jackets, throws, hat, socks, gloves, and soft, cuddly teddy bears. We are located at 243 W. Pelham Rd (Shutesbury), across from Leonard Rd.  Visit our website (Alpacas4u.com) for more details or call us (413-253-4485).

Happy Valley Children's Chorus Concert!

Sunday, Dec. 7th, 1:30 PM, at the First Congregational Church of Amherst, 165 Main Street

Children ages 5-12 will sing a collection of Pete Seeger songs, including many solos. Join us! Call 413-323-9383 with any questions.  

CRAFT FAIR, TAG SALE, BAKE SALE & LUNCHEON.

Saturday, November 22, 9 am to 3 pm, Leverett Town Hall. Handmade one-of-a-kind crafts, homemade baked goods. Light café style luncheon for purchase. Sponsored by the Leverett Congregational Church (LCC).

Saturday Full Moon Girls: Cultivating feminine leadership

This Saturday, November 22nd + Monthly Saturdays Jan-June 

Cultivate your wild nature with girls like you! An immersive opportunity for young women to claim 

their own courage and grow a passionate relationship with their living surroundings.

WHEN: Join us for our Launch Day on November 22nd, from 9:30 - 2:30.

WHO: Girls ages 7-15; we will have an older and a younger clan.

WHERE: At Brook's Bend Farm in Montague, MA.

This Launch Day has a suggested donation of $30-50.

Registering now - Sign up in our very popular January-June 2015 program, sliding scale of $45-75/day,

Brook's Bend Farm Montague, MA. 

We want you with us! Ask about scholarship and barter.

Who do you know that would also love this program? Call or text us – this changes lives!

http://www.vermontwildernessschool.org/full-moon-girls 413-367-6191

For the future, Dhyana Miller - Founding Director and Lead Mentor

The Young Shakespeare Players East and the Shea Presets. . . Twelfth Night Or, What You Will, a comedy by William Shakespeare performed by dedicated young actors.  Saturday, December 6^th, 1 pm and 6 pm, Sunday, December 7^th, 1 pm and 6 pm.  At the Shea Theater, 71 Avenue A, Turners Falls.  Free Admission.  For more information, conctact [email protected], 801-258-7922, or visit www.youngshakespeareplayerseast.org.

HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!