Archie T. Morrison PTO

March Newsletter

Apr 04, 2004

Spring Fundraiser ?– The Spring Fundraiser concluded on March 15th. Our goal was $4,000 to cover expenses budgeted for the remainder of this school year. We are thrilled to report that our profits exceeded $6,400.00!
40% of the student body (182 students) participated in the fundraiser. The average sales were $89. We had six children with sales over $300 each! Special thanks goes to Donna Price for her help organizing the fundraiser! Thank you to everyone who participated or sent in a donation! We appreciate your continued support! Delivery will be in time for Mother's Day.

?“Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles, the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build their philosophy of life." ~ A. J. Cronin ~

Family Fun Nights ?– The PTO sponsored a Candy Bar BINGO night for 4th & 5th grade students on Friday, March 19th. Forty-five students (33%) attended the social with their friends and families totaling 75 people in all. We had 17 winners! Emily Coraine was our grand prize winner. She walked away with the 5lb ?“World?’s Largest?” Hershey?’s chocolate bar. Congratulations Emily!
Three boxes of food were collected and donated to the Braintree Food Pantry overseen by the Marge Crispin Social Services Center.
Special thanks go out to Gene Raux at Sacred Heart Church in North Quincy for donating the Bingo cards, Marge O?’Brien for her donation of candy bars and Sue LaPaglia for her excellent job calling BINGO. We?’d also like to thank all of the 4th & 5th grade parents that volunteered to help with the social.
The ?“Family Fun Nights?” were a new addition this school year. We?’d like to recognize Amy Carnicelli, our Hospitality Chair, for going above and beyond in creating a fun and welcoming environment for our families with the three socials. We plan on having them again next year and making them even better!

Box Tops for Education - Nicki Shaban, our Box Top Coordinator, reports that we have exceeded our goal of $1,000 (10,000 box tops). The contest deadline was Friday, March 26th. Nicki will announce the contest winners and the grand total box tops collected this week! Children whose families sent in more than 100 box tops before the deadline will be invited to an ice cream party in April. Thank you to all of the families and staff members that contributed! Please keep collecting for next year!
We would also like to acknowledge Nicki?’s contribution to this effort. She not only promoted and coordinated the program but she also donated four of her own beautiful handmade baskets as contest prizes. Thank you Nicki!

Life Touch Family Portraits ?– Thirty-five Morrison families signed up to be photographed by LifeTouch Portrait Studios on Friday and Saturday, March 26th and March 27th. Multiple packages were available. The PTO will receive 20% of the portrait prices.
LifeTouch will mail five proofs to participant's homes in a few weeks. Please select a proof and a package and mail it back to LifeTouch with your payment. Please return your proof as soon as possible to receive your packages by Mother's Day! Thank you to Julie McKinney for coordinating this effort with Life Touch!

Decorations & School Spirit - The PTO Officers would like to express our gratitude to Colleen McDonnell for the beautiful handmade ?“Morrison Spirit Wreath?” now hanging in the office. If you're in the building please take notice. It?’s a work of art! Thank you to Jane Wilson at Signature Signs and Graphics for donating the banner for the wreath.
We would also like to recognize Lori Kephart for her outstanding efforts beautifying Morrison. Lori painted the huge rainbow scene on the front doors. She also decorates the office bulletin boards and the ledge on the stairway where our new school mascot ?“Stang?” has found a home! All of the enhancements have really brightened up the building!

MCAS Snack Donations ?– The PTO would also like to add a thank you to all the parents who brought in snacks for the MCAS pre-testing and testing for 3rd and 4th grades. Your kindness and generosity were both welcome and appreciated!

MCAS Tutoring - On the same note, we would like to thank PIP, Mrs. Fontaine, the 4th grade teachers and our parent volunteers for their time and effort in creating the after school MCAS tutoring program to prepare our children for MCAS testing. This program had been eliminated this year due to budget cuts. It was reinstated thanks to the dedication of Julie McKinney and PIP-Parent Involvement Program.

Upcoming Events:

Spring Fling ?– The Spring Fling (Beach Theme) is scheduled for this Friday, April 2nd at the Emerald Hall, 120 Bay State Drive in Braintree. There will be a grade split (K ?– 2 and 3 ?– 5). The first session will run from 6:30pm ?– 8:00pm and the second session will run from 8:15pm ?– 9:45pm. Sodas will be sold for $1.00 and water will also be available. Siblings currently attending Morrison are welcome to both sessions and will not be secluded. Preschool age siblings are always welcome. Please wear your summer attire. No bathing suits please!
There will be a DJ, 2 raffle tables each session with children and family items and 50/50 cash raffles. We?’re asking for 1st grade and 4th grade families to please bring the goodies (cookies, brownies etc.) Friday night. Thank you in advance for your donation!
Thank you to Colleen McDonnell and Kerrie Doherty for organizing the raffle and Diane Lowe for creating a beach theme and decorating the hall!

Morrison Apparel Orders - There will be an opportunity to place orders for Morrison Apparel during the Spring Fling. Sample T-shirts and sweatshirts will be on hand. We have also added youth navigator jackets and visors (one size fits most) to the list of available Morrison Apparel items. Items ordered will be delivered through the children the week after April vacation. If you are unable to attend the Spring Fling and would like to place an order please call Lisa Heger @ 781-356-4349.

First Election Day Bake Sale ?– On Tuesday April 6th from 7:00am-3:00pm the Morrison PTO is sponsoring its first ?“Election Day Bake Sale?”. Volunteers are needed to bake, work the sale table and welcome voters (hours are flexible). Anyone interested in volunteering or donating a baked good or paper products please contact Geraldine Gardner at (781)843-4130 or timandger@comcast.net.
Items may be dropped off at school on Monday, April 5th from 2:00pm-4:00pm or early Tuesday morning. This is a unique opportunity to promote community spirit. Any time or talent you are willing to donate will be greatly appreciated. Thank you Geraldine!

Teacher Appreciation Week ?– Plans for ?“Teacher Appreciation Week?” (May 3rd ?– May 7th) are in the making! This is a wonderful opportunity to show gratitude to all the various teachers and support staff who work together to enrich our children's learning experience.
More information on how to become involved will be coming home soon through a backpack notice and via your Classroom Communicator. It is not too late to join the network. Please contact Marie-Anne Baker @ 781-843-1118 to be added to your classroom network list!

?“The strength of the team is each individual member...the strength of each member is the team." ~ Phil Jackson ~

Seminars presented by South Shore Mental Health - The PTO will host a third seminar presented by South Shore Mental Health on Tuesday, April 13th at 7:00pm in the Media Center. The topic will be ?“General Parenting Skills?” including discipline techniques. Kris Clasby, a licensed social worker from South Shore Mental Heath, will return for this presentation. Thank you once again to Mrs. Kane, our school psychologist, for coordinating the seminars for us with S.S.M.H.!

PTO Meeting ?– The April PTO meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 14th at 7:00pm in the cafetorium. The agenda will be sent home through the backpacks a few days before the meeting. We hope to see you there!

5th Grade Week Update - The next 5th Grade Committee meeting (All Committees) is scheduled for Monday, April 26th at 7:00pm in the media center. Please plan on attending!

5th Grade SADD update ?– The PTO has arranged for the Braintree High School Chapter of SADD to visit each 5th grade classroom in May. Details will be available soon. In addition we are currently seeking a substance abuse program alternative to DARE for the 5th grade class! We will keep you informed!

New Principal Welcome ?– Our new principal, Mr. John Riordan has accepted an invitation to attend our Tuesday, May 11th PTO meeting. We?’d like to introduce him to Morrison parents and give you a chance to get acquainted with him before he begins his new role in September. Mr. Riordan grew up in Braintree and is a former Morrison student. Please plan on joining us on May 11th and welcome Mr. Riordan back to Morrison!

5th Grade Promotion Dinner ?– 5th grade students, parents and guardians save the date Tuesday, June 8th for a pasta dinner celebration at Emerald Hall to honor all of our 2004 graduates and their families. Thank you for enriching our school with your presence. There will be more information forthcoming in next month?’s newsletter.

2004 ?– 2005 PTO Nominations - The Morrison PTO will be accepting nominations for the following positions: Co-President (1), Secretary (1), Hospitality Committee (3), Arts Council (2) and School Advisory (2). The terms will begin in September 2004. The nomination period will run from May 17th through May 21st.
If you are looking for an exciting and rewarding volunteer position that will enhance the education of children this could be your chance to make a difference! One that would enable you to work together with other committed parents, teachers and administrators to support a productive, social environment for our Morrison community.
More information will be coming home later in April in a separate notice. If you have any questions please fell free to contact Lisa Heger or Marie-Anne Baker.