PTO Notes 10-25-20

Oct 25, 2020

In This Edition

Curriculum Nights: This week!

Hybrid Families

Thursday, October 29
K-1: 5:30 – 6:15pm
2-3: 6:30 – 7:15pm
4-5: 7:30 – 8:15pm

DLA Families

7:00-7:30pm
K-1: Tuesday Oct. 27
2-3: Wednesday Oct. 28
4-5: Thursday Oct. 29

Note: This is the same as Back-to-School night. Zoom links will be provided by teachers, in advance.

5th Grade Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular

We hope everyone will attend the Halloween Spectacular, sponsored by the 5th grade graduation committee, on Friday, Oct. 30the from 5-8pm. This fun outdoor event will include a pumpkin carving contest and a viewing walk. All proceeds will go to the 5th Grade Class Graduation Fund.

See LINK for more information, to buy timed tickets and for sign-up to enter the pumpkin display.

Mason-Rice Serves

Special Presentation: The Air We Breathe
Presentation for K-5 students (and families) by BU Environmental Health Professor & former Mason-Rice parent Dr. Diana Ceballos (Oct. 28 @4-5pm). RSVP HERE  for our next (virtual) Green Team event, where Dr. Diana Ceballos will engage and interact with students on the topic of air quality and how the air we breathe impacts us. Sign up your child to come learn about this important topic, and feel free to join as well! See blog to learn more about Green Team events.

Families Organized for Racial Justice (FORJ):

Raising Antiracist Kids Panel: October 27, 7-8pm

This program is part of Overdue: Confronting Race and Racism in Newton, a city-wide read and series of events and conversations on race and racism. Click HERE for more details.

Next FORJ Meeting: November 4, 8-9:30pm

The Mason Rice FORJ (Families Organized for Racial Justice) chapter has grown to 25 strong! Please consider joining and learning from our podcasts/books/speaker discussions! Contact us to join this growing group of learners!

Meeting topic: Continuing discussion of the Nice White Parents podcast (all 5 episodes)

Zoom: 890 0700 1229; Passcode: 019357

After School Update: Spaces available
The Mason-Rice After School Program is offering remote academic learning and our typical fun base of activities designed to express creativity, get some exercise, and learn socially & emotionally! We have openings in many grade levels/cohorts! Kids can only attend on their in-person school days Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday, and we are offering a full day Wednesday program for both Group A and Group B (although the two groups will remain separate).  

If you have questions, want to check in on rates, or want to get your child signed up for fun at MRASP, reach out to Josh.  Also, check us out online. 

“Give-Back” Business of the Week: Create a Cook

Create a Cook is a culinary studio and event space for kids and adults in Newton, offering in-person and virtual events/classes. Explore the culinary world, learn new techniques, travel the world through food, get into cupcake war or get chopped in the delicious way. Above all, have a good time! Join us for holiday and birthday parties, anniversaries, team-building workshops and many other possibilities! For more information on our programs and menus, please visit our website here.

Just for Mason-Rice families- code MASONRICE10 for 10% off your purchase from the monthly calendar. Offer expires 12/31/2020.

Shopping: Support M-R with your regular purchases

The PTO promotes shopping initiatives as a way to support the school community throughout the school year. If you’re already purchasing from these vendors, consider using our affiliates, partners, and promotions to support Mason-Rice at the same time!

 
UPDATE! If you usually shop at Amazon, remember to click through our PTO homepage on your browser before you shop. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

 
NEW! The seasonal Minted promotion is on! From now through December, get 20% off all card and gift orders with special promo code- see your emailed Notes for code.
Minted, an independent-artists marketplace for stationery, gifts and decor, will donate 15% of orders back to the PTO!

Just Launched!: A New PTO Website

 
With most sincere thanks to the many parent volunteers–especially Kevin Greenstein and Annie Madden–who’ve helped to create and launch our new PTO website, we are excited to announce a new look for the PTO. Check us out here and let us know what you think!

We are looking for 3 volunteers to join our Web Team to help with updates and ongoing maintenance. Experience with WordPress and Divi is preferred, but not required (it’s all learn-able!). It’s a low-lift, volunteer-from-home role that shouldn’t require more than a few hours per month. Interested? Email us here.