Dear Sprague Community, You have surely seen reports about the devastating earthquake in Nepal and the effects on its people and infrastructure. This tragedy has hit home for one of our Sprague families with immediate relatives in villages outside of Kathmandu. As a community, we would like to do what we can to help the people in Nepal and particularly the villages of this family. We will begin collecting change in each classroom tomorrow, Wednesday, April 30 and continue until the following Wednesday. Mrs. Gledhill (Madden)’s class has made labels for containers that will be located in each classroom. They say, “Sprague HEART helps Nepal.” Donations of any amount will be welcome! Additionally, we will have a “Hats for Helping” day on Friday, May 1st in which students can wear a hat in school if they pay $1 (or other donation). We will be sure this collection is given to a charity organization that can promise to send aid to the earthquake victims of the Archarya’s family village, Dhading. The Archarya family has shared that the extent of damage outside of Kathmandu is still unknown, and an article in NY times (link below) is one of the first to provide some information about one of the affected towns of the district (Dhanding Besi,Dhading) and neighboring district Gorkha. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/world/asia/nepal-earthquake.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0 (This article will break your heart!) Some of you may wonder how to talk to your child about the earthquake in Nepal and the tragic effects of it. Generally speaking, kids either know about most current events from the media or from friends or they soon will hear of it. Experts usually recommend that adults focus on reassuring kids that the adults will keep them safe—whether a tragedy is close by (as was the Boston Marathon bombing) or far away (as is Nepal.) Be honest about what you know, but keep your comments developmentally appropriate for their age. Encourage them to ask questions, but start by asking your children what they already know. This way, you can clear up any misinformation they could have or allay any fears. While experts usually encourage questions and honest discussion, they also recommend not keeping the TV news on too much. Overexposure isn’t good for them or us, but support is. The link below contains advice from Wellesley’s own Rob Evans, from HRS. Rob always provides good advice and perspective on many subjects. This article is from a past tragic event, but the advice is still relevant. http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/coping.html Tomorrow (April 29th) is Walk to School Day! Remember that you can order a yearbook ad by following the directions in the PTO newsletter. We had a bicycle safety presentation from Officer Kathy from WPD the Friday before vacation. She reminded all students to wear a helmet and ride safely. She also reminded students to get off of their bikes and walk when crossing a street. Students in grades 3-5 are permitted to ride to school alone and students in grades K-2 may ride when accompanied by an adult. Parents who wish to submit a placement form with input for next year should do so by May 8th. We will be unable to accept forms after that date. The form and accompanying letter were sent last week and are attached again for you convenience. Dates to remember: April 29: Walk to School Day April 30: Kindergarten Screening May 1: Hats for Helping Nepal Day ($1 donation suggested) May 4,5: Grade 3 Math MCAS May 6: WMS volunteers will help at Sprague May 6: Career Day for 5th Graders from 12:00-2:30 May 7,8: Grade 5 Math MCAS May 8: Walk to School Day May 8: PTO meeting @ 9 a.m. May 11,12: Grade 4 Math MCAS May 14,15: Grade 5 Science MCAS
Wellesley Public Schools would like to continue connecting with you via email. If you prefer to be removed from our list, please contact Wellesley Public Schools directly. To stop receiving all email messages distributed through our SchoolMessenger service, follow this link and confirm: Unsubscribe If you need to update your email address or phone number, please contact the secretary at your child’s school. SchoolMessenger is a notification service used by the nation’s leading school systems to connect with parents, students and staff through voice, SMS text, email, and social media.