September 7th, 2012

Dear Franklin Families,

Welcome back to all of our returning students and a special welcome to our many new families!  We hope you all had an enjoyable summer.

I am delighted to join the PTO Board this year as President.  We will also be welcoming Deb Carusi as she enters into the role of Co-Vice President alongside Rebecca Abbott, Michele Leahy as she enters into the role of Co-Treasurer alongside Dina Yorke and Kelly Long will continue to be our secretary.  We are enthusiastic to work together with the parents and teachers of Franklin to better our school through various events and fundraisers planned for the upcoming school year. 

We are committed to kick off this year with same the goals in mind that we accomplished last year.  As members of the PTO we strive to achieve a sense of community and work towards raising financial support for the Franklin School.  To enhance these goals this year we would like to put an emphasis on communication to our Franklin families with a Go Green Initiative.  Please take a moment to visit the Franklin website to be continually informed of all the happenings at the school.

We would like to take this time to acknowledge the overwhelming support, help and generosity that the PTO Board received last year with their fundraising efforts.  With the money raised the PTO was successful in funding the following enhancements for the learning environment at our school:

• Beautiful new tables, chairs and circulation desk for our library (to be delivered and installed soon!)
• New tables for our teachers lounge
• Reference Materials including grade level subscriptions
• Franklin Flyer School Publication
• North Andover School Enrichment Council, which brings educational and cultural programs to our school
• Contribution towards the North Andover Speaker Series
• Subsidy for educational field trips
• Supplemental funding to teachers for special projects, supplies and other classroom items
• School social events, including the Spring Social, Ice Cream Social, Holiday Social, Variety Show, Franklin Fun Run and Teacher Appreciation Week

As we look forward to another exciting year we ask you to mark your calendars with these upcoming events:

Welcome Back Coffee – Friday, September 14^th from 9:00-10:00 am in the school cafeteria.  Parents have a chance to socialize over coffee and treats, and learn about a variety of volunteer opportunities.

PTO Meeting – Tuesday, September 18^th at 7:00 pm.  Join us in the school library for our first monthly meeting of the year.  We will discuss our fall activities and upcoming events.  It’s a great way to interact with our principal and other school staff.  Please refer to our school webpage for a complete listing of our meeting dates. 

Open Houses – Tuesday, October 2^nd (K-2) and Wednesday, October 3rd (3-5).  This is a great opportunity to meet your child’s teacher and learn about the year’s curriculum.  You can also meet the PTO Board and learn about ways to get involved.

Stop & Shop A+ School Rewards Program.  Starting October 5^th, 2012 through March 28^th, 2013, Franklin will have the opportunity to earn cash through this Stop & Shop program.  You must register your Stop & Shop card at: www.stopandshop.com/aplus.  Remember, even if you registered your card last year, you must re-register this year.  Please be sure to register your card to benefit Franklin Elementary School using ID #09430.

We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated and enthusiastic community at Franklin.  Working together, we can continue to carry on the successes that we have experienced.  We would like to thank you in advance for your participation and support as we look forward to another rewarding year.

Sincerely,

Lisa Lawton, PTO President