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Upcoming Events
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Saturday, January 23rd
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4th and 5th Grade Father-Daughter Jubilee, 7 to 10 pm, Middle School Cafe
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Wednesday, January 27th
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Presentation for 5th Grade Parents Regarding Puberty, 7:00 to 8:30 PM, Atkinson School Cafe
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Thursday, January 28th
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Early Release Day, 11:50 am
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Friday, January 29th
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Kindergarten report cards distributed
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Saturday, February 6th
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2nd and 3rd Grade Father-Daughter Valentine Dance, 6:30 to 9:30 pm, Middle School Cafe
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Tuesday, February 9th
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NAPAC presentation Preparing for Transition to Middle School, High School and Beyond, 7-9 pm, NAHS Library
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Wednesday, February 10th
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PTO Meeting, 7 pm, Thomson Cafe
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Week of February 14th
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Winter Vacation – School Closed
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From Mr. Gilligan
We had a great turnout for the “Thomson Night” at the basketball game last week. I was thrilled to see so many Thomson families and kids having a good time. I want to thank Athletic Director Jon Longley for helping make this night possible.
Appleseed, the Merrimack Valley’s public school literary magazine, recently had their winter launch reception at South Lawrence East. Thomson had three students’ work selected by Appleseed to be published. They are: Sam Wright-3C, Karly Smith-5R, and Thanh Thao Nguyen-5R. Congratulations to those three as well as to all students who submitted entries. Thanks to Debbie Gilmartin who is the Thomson School Appleseed liaison.
The Student Council has once again run another successful coat drive this winter in conjunction with Anton’s Cleaners. The coats are cleaned and then distributed to local shelters. I could not be more proud of our kids and their families for lending a helping hand to local families in need.
MCAS: Save the Dates
The dates below are just the window for testing; exact testing days will be sent home after the tests have been scheduled.
March 22-April 12: ELA MCAS for grades 3 and 5
March 24-April 12: ELA MCAS for grade 4
March 23: Long Composition Writing Prompt: Grade 4
May 10-27: Math MCAS Grades 3,4,5
May 11-27: Science/Technology: Grade 5
From Thomson School Nurse Kathy O’Neill
5th Grade Parents
You are invited to attend a parent-only presentation at the Atkinson School on Wednesday, January 27th from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the school cafeteria. In the event of snow, this presentation will be postponed until Wednesday, February 3rd. At that time you will have the opportunity to view the videos addressing puberty and communicable disease. Following the presentation the school nurses will be available to answer any questions you have regarding this content.
PTO Updates
Father – Daughter Dances
Ticket Sales – NOT AVAILABLE at the DOOR
There is a limited number of Father-Daughter Dance tickets available. Tickets will not be sold at the door. If you missed the tickets sales, please contact Holly Breen at hkbreen@verizon.net or Kelley Plodzik at gkplodzik@comcast.net. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
Volunteers Still Needed
We are still looking for volunteers for the Father-Daughter Dances. We will be setting up the day of each dance (Jan. 23rd and Feb 6th) from 1-5 pm. We also need volunteers to help during the dance. If you can offer an hour of your time please contact Holly Breen at hkbreen@verizon.net or Kelley Plodzik gkplodzik@comcast.net.
Bakers Wanted!
If you are willing to bake some nut-free goodies for our refreshment tables at the dances, please contact Molly Fowler at rmfowler1@verizon.net or 978-688-6288. She will need to know what you can bake and for which dance. The baked goods can be dropped off at the middle school from 1-4pm on the day of the dances.
Order Your Knight Lights
Remember that Knight Light orders are due on Friday, Janaury 22nd. On January 31st from 4-7 pm, all members of the community are invited to light luminary bags in their neighborhood or gather at Patriots Memorial Park (across from the library). Please support the Enrichment Council.
Little Caesars® Pizza Kit
Please remember that your Little Caesars® Pizza Kit order is due by this Wednesday, January 20th. Orders will be fulfilled on Wednesday, January 27th, and pick-up will be from 3-5 pm in the nook outside the cafe. All details are outlined on the form, which you should have received in your child’s backpack last week. Proceeds from this offer will benefit the 5th Grade Committee. Any questions? Please contact Sharyn Twomey at stwomey69@comcast.net.
Academic Opportunities
Building Structures has started! We are planning lots of great projects for the kids! With the large number of kids attending, we could use another volunteer or two. Please contact Ellen Rademacher at (978) 688-4595 or ecrademacher@gmail.com if you’d like to help out.
NAPAC NEWS
On Tuesday, February 9th, NAPAC (The North Andover Parent Advisory Council for Children with Special Needs)will present: "PREPARING FOR TRANSITION to Middle School, High School and Beyond”. We will welcome Special Education Director Joyce Laundre along with several representatives from the Middle and High School who will explain what programs/classrooms/resources are available at these schools, and what parents should prepare ahead for as our kids approach a building/school transition.
We will also welcome Special Needs attorney Elaine Cockroft who will explain the ins and outs of the post-age of 18 issues such as guardianship, transitioning to various agencies, special needs trusts, etc. We will present a parent’s perspective on these complicated post-18 issues, followed by an informal Q&A between parents to share our experiences.
Our meeting will be held in the North Andover High School Library from 7-9pm. We hope you will join us for a very informative evening.
Yearbook Photos Needed!
Theresa Regan looking for photos of students grades K-5 participating in Thomson School activities.If you would like to see your child in the Thomson School yearbook, please submitprinted photos (NO CD'S PLEASE!!) with the name of your child and classroom number writtenon the back. All photos may be dropped off at the office to Theresa’s attention, no later than February 26th.
If you have any questions, please contact Theresa at 978-681-0994 or dtbregan@comcast.net. We look forward to seeing all the great pictures for this year!!
Holiday Food Drive
We want to thank Hailey Atkinson, Kassandra Carrasquillo, and Lauren D'Entremont, the three Thomson students who gave up their lunchtimes to help Mr. Mullen organize and pack up the food for the food pantry.
Around Town
Second Annual Joseph N. Hermann Youth Center Auction
Don't miss the event that sold out last year! Help us celebrate 20+ years of volunteerism at the 2nd annual Joseph N. Hermann Youth Center auction on Saturday, February 27th. Enjoy a night out with good friends and fun with restaurant tastings, live and silent auctions, and dancing provided by Jimmy Carter. Tickets are now available online at nayouth.com.
Reduce your energy use in 2010
Come watch an hour-long movie and learn easy ways to reduce your energy use hosted by the North Andover Sustainability Committee. Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-EnergizeAmerica by Jeff Barrie is the best energy film on the market. No wonder this independent documentary has spawned a nationwide movement to conserve energy. It’s a brilliant, humorous, extremely accessible energy film.
Kilowatt Ours takes you on an educational journey into energy use and consumption. It will inspire you to make changes and provide tools and techniques to achieve them. This award-winning film traces where some energy comes from and shows us the consequences of unbridled and unwise energy consumption.
Jarred by Vice President Dick Cheney’s chilling assessment in May 2001 that “between 1300 and 1900 new power plants would need to be built over the next decade just to maintain our current energy consumption,” filmmaker Jeff Barrie set out to assess the problem himself. He wanted to find alternative solutions to a massive build up of coal-fired and nuclear power plants. His journey across the country uncovered a host of opportunities to reduce our energy usage and to use renewable energy instead of fossil fuel sources… to the point where new power plants no longer needed to be built. In fact, some existing “dirty” power plants can now be taken off line.
After the film, there will be a Q&A session, opportunities to speak with a National Grid representative and buy a CFL light bulb to support North Andover’s Green Teams. Light refreshments will be served. Come get inspired to make a difference! See show time and venues below:
Library
Monday, January 25th at 7:00 PM
Senior Center
Wednesday, January 27th at 1:00PM
North Parish Church Hall
Sunday, January 31st @ 3:00PM
NABC Girls Softball Registration
The North Andover Booster Club has registrations open for Girls Softball Grades 1-8 through 2/28/2010. Register early to avoid late fees. Please see the NABC website, www.eteamz.com/nabc, for more information and to register.
Beyond Town
Take a class at Essex Art Center this winter!
Essex Art Center in Lawrence offers classes and workshops in a variety of media for children age 3 through adult, January 19 - April 9, 2010. School vacation art camps coming up for February and April. Scout Leaders: We design workshops to fulfill your troop badge requirements. Two-hour project is $80 for your group, plus the cost of materials. Contact us for our winter brochure or visit www.essexartcenter.com. Call for details: 978-685-2343
Have something you’d like to see included in Paw Prints? Please e-mail your announcement to Amy Mabley amy@mabley.com by Friday at 10 a.m. in order to have it included in the following Monday’s newsletter. Including “Paw Prints” in the e-mail subject line is helpful. Content subject to approval. Thank you.
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