Please note this months PTO meeting has been moved to Wednesday, May13th  from 7 - 9 pm in the library. We welcome and value your input and hope to see you there! 

Earth Day Clean Up at Franklin School Saturday, May 2^nd  9:30am – 12:00pm Each year Parents and Children pitch in and practice what they've learned about caring for the environment.  Activities include picking up trash at Franklin, planting, raking spreading mulch and pruning shrubs.   For more information please contact the Franklin office at 978-794-1990 or Mrs. Vozella at Vozellae@northandover.k12.ma.us

Franklin Days at Rose & Dove Gourmet:  Looking for that perfect teacher gift, Mother’s Day gift, Father’s Day gift or just something unique for your home or a close friend?  Look no further than Rose & Dove Gourmet located in the heart of the historic Mill district at 181 Canal Street in Lawrence. Owned by Franklin parent, Kellee Twadelle, Rose & Dove Gourmet offers one of kind gifts for everyone on your list!  Gourmet foods, home accents, fashion accessories, jewelry and specialty baskets are just some of the many items you will find in this boutique shop.  Tell your friends, family and neighbors about this wonderful opportunity to find the perfect special occasion gift and support our school.  Shop from 10:00am-5:30pm, Tuesday, April 28^th through Saturday, May 2nd.  15% of the proceeds will go to the PTO.

North Andover selects Franklin School to be Arbor Day School Thursday, May 7^th 10 – 11am The Arbor Bear will attend a ceremony at Franklin School along with the Horticultural Society and the Town of North Andover to proclaim Franklin School Arbor Day School.  A tree will be planted and dedicated to retiring kindergarten teacher Ms. Evelyn Vozella.  Ms. Vozella has been instrumental for years about teaching students at Franklin the importance of caring for the environment.  For more information about this event please contact Franklin Principal, Pam Lathrop at lathropp@northandover.k12.ma.us

Museum of Science at Franklin School May 4 & May 14 for Grades 3 – 5

The kids at Franklin School will get a first hand look at Animal Habitats from the Museum of Science without even leaving school.

SAVE THE DATE!!!  FRANKLIN SCHOOL FUN RUN is Thursday, June 5!!!
The Franklin Fun Run is an annual school event where the students walk or run laps around the playground to raise funds while also promoting health and fitness. The students ask family and friends to sponsor them in this event. Each year 10% of the funds raised goes to charities selected by our Student Council and remaining proceeds fund an all-school initiative. For more information on this year’s Fun Run, contact PTO chair Kathy Keith at skisugarbush@verizon.net.

FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE

As I am sure all of you know, the news has been dominated for the past week by the emergence of the swine flu epidemic, with the first cases being reported in New England this week. The North Andover School nurses are kept informed daily by the Massachusetts Department of Education and the Department of Public Health, and updates will continue to be posted on the North Andover Public Schools website. Please continue to remain calm but vigilant, and reinforce good health habits such as frequent hand washing and covering coughs with a tissue or the inside of the elbow. Should your child develop a fever or any other symptoms of flu, especially if you have travelled recently to Mexico, you must keep your child home and contact your pediatrician to make an appointment for evaluation and possible flu testing. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns, or visit the Department of Education website at www.doe.mass.edu/pandemic.

With the arrival of spring, the children are now outside much more during gym class, recess and other outdoor activities, and thus we become much more focused on issues of sun safety. Please make sure that your child applies sunscreen before school every morning, and encourage them to bring in hats and sunglasses to wear outside during PE and recess. Remember that you are their favorite role model, and if they see you avoiding excessive sun exposure they will be more likely to develop these healthy habits as well.

Mrs. Carroll’s third grade class was once again the winner for March for 5210, and will be enjoying a yoga class in early May as a reward for having the greatest rate of participation in meeting their goal of limiting screen time to two hours daily. The April winner will be announced next week, and the trophy awarded to the class who had the greatest overall participation for all three months of the 5210 program. I would encourage you to reinforce these important health concepts with your children throughout the year, and praise their attempts at meeting their individual goals.

FOLLOW UP ON PAST EVENTS……..

Franklin Night at the Keys Grill

COMMUNITY NEWS…………

On Tuesday, May 5, 2009, the North Andover Foundation for Education is sponsoring the second annual “Shop North Andover Day”.  North Andover residents are encouraged to stay in town that day to shop and dine.  In turn, participating businesses will be donating a portion of their sales to benefit N.A.F.E.  If you want more information or are interested in participating, please contact event coordinator Linda Pegalis at pegalis@ northandoverfoundation.org or 978-837-3383.

The North Andover Rotary Club will hold its Annual Bike Bank collection on Saturday, May 9th. Used bikes in good working condition (inflatable tires and working brakes) may be dropped off at Camelot Hall (Sutton Street) parking lot between 8:00AM and 12:00 Noon. Rotarians and other volunteers clean up the bikes and distribute them at no charge to needy children throughout the Greater Lawrence community- along with a new bike helmet. If you have an unused bicycle in working order, please consider donating it to this worthy cause. This Rotary event is made possible through the support of the Knights of Columbus and Northeast Storage of North Andover. For questions, contact Barbara @ 978-475-3041.

 The Library Book Sale is Friday, May 8, 2009 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, May 9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, May 10 from 12 p.m.-3p.m. Bargains include more than 2,000 children's books priced from 25 cents to $2.50, adult books (fiction & nonfiction), DVDs, CDs, tapes, and records. On Sunday, books and media will be sold for $3/bag. Donations may be left at the library at the staff room door during regular library hours. 100% of the proceeds pay for museum passes, new books, summer reading programs, and special events. Volunteers are needed to help with publicity and book sorting. For information or to volunteer, contact: Marty Larson, President of the Friends, at Larsonml@aol.com or 978-686-1557.

The 8th Annual North Andover Special Olympics Track and Field School Day Games will be held on Thursday May 28th, 2009 at the High School Gymnasium from 8:30am to 12:00pm.  Parents and friends are welcome to attend this fun-filled event to cheer on our very special North Andover athletes! This event is sponsored by the Town of North Andover, the Special Olympics of Massachusetts and the North Andover Parent Advisory Council for Children with Special Needs. For more information on the North Andover Special Olympics Track and Field Games or if you would like to volunteer to help out at this event contact: Kathy Keith at northandovercrusaders@verizon.net.  To learn more about the North Andover Parent Advisory Council for Children with Special Needs or to get involved in our initiatives to create extra-curricular activities for children with special needs in North Andover, contact NorthAndoverPAC@comcast.net.