Dear P.A.W.S. Community,
This evening, as I sat in my office, I watched a crew of workers in yellow rain slickers planting shrubs and trees in the islands in and around our parking lot until it was quite dark. They worked steadily and cooperatively, each knowing what to do, and how to do it. There was a large flatbed truck with giant trees in it, and a big tractor to lift the trees so the workers could reach them. I’m sorry the children were not here to see it! I think they would have loved to have watched the big trucks work!
Seeing this reminded me of our work at P.A.W.S. where we have a team of dedicated and invested educators who are ready each day, with a plan, tools, and purpose. Sometimes our work requires heavy lifting, but we work together with our colleagues and with parents, to reach our students through offering our very best to provide each and every child with play, learning, and growth experiences that nurture curiosity and inspire wonder. The teachers at P.A.W.S. have passion in their hearts for their work with students and they, along with parents and students, make P.A.W.S. a truly special place.
This month has been an exciting and busy one and I am so impressed with the smooth start to the school year we have enjoyed inside the school! While the new parking lot will be beautiful with all of the new green plantings, I know it has been a little challenging for many of you to find parking. Please read through this lengthy update for more information about the parking situation and some potential solutions.
Thank you for partnering with us at P.A.W.S. and for supporting our work!
Please take note of the following important dates and events:
10/3 – ROSH HASHANAH-NO SCHOOL10/4 – BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT* @ P.A.W.S. 6:30PM
*Bring your decorated luminary for display or purchase one at the door to light up the night!
7:00pm P.A.W.S. PTO MEETING, ALL PARENTS WELCOME @ THE FISKE LIBRARY
10/10 – COLUMBUS DAY – NO SCHOOL
10/12 – YOM KIPPUR – NO SCHOOL
10/17 – PICTURE DAY @ PAWS FOR PAWS AND FISKE
10/17 – Scholastic Book Fair Week
10/31- ORANGE DAY – Wear something orange to school – please leave costumes at home.
LOOKING AHEAD TO NOVEMBER
11/1- PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
– STUDENTS DISMISS AT 11:45
11/2 – PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
11/8 – DELAYED OPENING – STUDENTS BEGIN @ 10:45
– PICTURE DAY @ PAWS FOR T/Th classes
11/9 – PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
11/11 – VETERAN’S DAY – NO SCHOOL
P.A.W.S. UPDATES
Back to School Night, Tuesday, October 4, 2016 @ 6:30 pm
The parents of P.A.W.S. students located in our preschool classes at Fiske and Hunnewell have enjoyed visiting the classrooms for their Back to School Nights. Tuesday, October 4th we welcome parents to the P.A.W.S. main campus at 6:30pm for our Back to School Night. This is a night for grown-ups to come and visit their child’s classroom, hear about the daily schedule, see some of your child’s work, meet the parents of your child’s classmates, enjoy time with the classroom teacher and specialists, and learn more about your child’s preschool experiences.
After the classroom presentations, all parents are invited and encouraged to attend the P.A.W.S. PTO meeting which we will host in the Fiske School Library.
Luminary Sales
We started a tradition last year on Back to School Night, to light up the path to P.A.W.S. with luminary bags purchased by parents and decorated by families. If you purchased a bag ($10 donation), but have not received your bag, please send your teacher an email to let her know you need your bag and we will send the bag home in backpack mail on Tuesday. Luminary bags may also be purchased at the door at Back to School Night. Thank you to all who have purchased bags! Please be sure to bring them on Tuesday or Tuesday night and we will add the light!
School Picture Day
We have school picture days on October 17 and November 8 (for Tuesday/Thursday classes) for the P.A.W.S. and Fiske campuses. Picture order forms went home in backpack mail this week. If you need a form, please let your teacher know or stop by the front desk at P.A.W.S. and we will gladly provide you with another.
SPIRIT DAY!
If we are in school on the last Monday of the month, we will celebrate a “SPIRIT DAY”! On spirit day children, staff, and parents are invited to wear something in the color of the day. It is fun to see all the different shades and versions a color can have! This is designed as a fun, optional activity and all are invited, but not required, to wear something in the color of the day. This month, Monday, October 31 is ORANGE DAY! We invite everyone to wear something orange that day! Our friends who come to school only on Tuesdays and Thursdays will enjoy their spirit day on the last Tuesday of the month, in this case, their Orange Day will be celebrated on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
Monday, October 31 also happens to be Halloween. We do not celebrate Halloween at the preschool and we ask that parents keep costumes at home. Some of our children are not yet able to tell the difference between real and pretend and become upset or confused by different costumes, wigs, and face paint. We wish to maintain that preschool is a happy, safe, welcoming, and friendly place to play and learn and we do not wish to have unexpected or upsetting surprises for our littlest learners. Thank you in advance for saving your Halloween costumes for events outside of school.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Please be on the lookout for communications from your child’s classroom teacher about the upcoming Parent/Teacher conferences. Teachers have special release time provided to them to meet with you on the afternoons of November 1, 2 and 9. We encourage all parents to enjoy the one-on-one meeting time to sit with your child’s teacher and to hear about your child’s preschool learning journey this year!
Election Day – Delayed Opening, November 8th
Please be aware that Election Day, Tuesday, November 8th will be a DELAYED OPENING for all schools in Wellesley, including P.A.W.S.. Instead of starting school at 8:45 the children will have a two hour delay and will start school at 10:45am on November 8th. School will dismiss at the regular time your child typically dismisses.
Parking Lot
As I mentioned, I watched the crews bring what looks like hundreds of plants, bushes, shrubs and trees into the parking lot this evening and it already looks lovely. I am thankful for the rain, too! The plants will be happy! If the construction work for the parking lot is almost done, we may regain some of the parking spaces that have not been accessible, but even with all parking spaces free for use, we still seem to be needing more parking to accommodate our morning drop-off. Many parents have expressed their frustration with the parking challenges in the morning this year and are often circling the lot, waiting to find a place to park.
This morning we conducted a CAR LINE which is a convenient way for parents to drive up to the front of the school where P.A.W.S. staff members are waiting to greet the children at the cars and walk them into the building. Some parents love this helpful service, and others prefer to bring their child into the building. I would be interested to hear your thoughts about offering a car line every morning. Please email me with your thoughts, or join us at the PTO meeting on Tuesday, October 4 @ 7:00 in the Fiske library to share your ideas there.
Thank you for reading through this lengthy update! Enjoy your long weekend! We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday and throughout the month!
Sincerely,
‘Becca Z.