Two requests for wrapping up the school year
Beth Soltzberg
Look for an article about the Sol y Canto concert in tomorrow's Arlington
Advocate!!
And thanks to all who attended the final/meeting and celebration last
Thursday. For those who weren't able to attend, we missed you, and I know
that I speak for all of us in sending you my great appreciation for all of
your work this year!
The group had some great feedback about what went well and what could be
improved for next year. Please email me at any point if you think of more
ideas. One topic of discussion is volunteer recruitment for next year.
While we have at least one person committed for each school, the goal is at
least two.and, the more who get involved, the better! If some schools are
able to have a small committee of volunteers, the tasks can be shared, and
more can be done!
It would be ideal to identify at least some interested folks now, before
school lets out. Therefore, I have two final requests for you. (That
sounds dramatic, doesn't it!?!) I realize that this is a VERY busy time of
year. If you are not able to do these tasks, please let me know. Thanks!
(1) Please forward the following message to your Third Grade room
parents, and ask them to distribute this message to their class lists.
(It's possible that some principals would wish to "okay" a message before
distribution to classrooms. Please follow your school's protocol...)
"Volunteer Opportunity for Fourth-Grade Parents.
Next year, your children will take part in the Teosinte Curriculum, a
program of studies about life in the village of Teosinte, El Salvador, which
has been Arlington's Sister City since 1988. Teosinte (pronounced
"Tay-oh-SEEN-tay"), is a farming community of 350 people in a rural
mountainous region, where villagers treasure their community history, their
traditions, and their long-standing friendship with Arlington. This
curriculum is an opportunity to help our children develop global awareness
through personal contact with children in Teosinte, and to promote Spanish
language enrichment. Because the curriculum is now part of fourth-grade
education at all seven Arlington elementary schools, it is also an
opportunity for your children (and you) to connect with the other elementary
schools, in preparation for our children being together at Ottoson.
You are invited to share in this experience as a Curriculum Volunteer. Time
commitment: Variable, including periodic classroom activities for those who
are able to volunteer during the weekday, and/or activities that can be done
from home. One evening meeting every other month with volunteers from all
seven Arlington elementary schools. The Arlington-Teosinte Sister City
Project, a nonprofit town organization, coordinates the curriculum in
partnership with the Arlington Schools. Please contact: Elizabeth Dray,
781-643-0769 or std...@aol.com."
(2) Please contact your PTO representative, and ask him/her to add our
volunteer opportunity to their list of volunteer activities. If the PTO
doesn't maintain and distribute a list like this, then it is still good for
them to be aware of our program so that they can refer parents who are
interested in volunteering to us. Suggested text for our listing:
"Fourth-Grade Teosinte Curriculum Volunteer. Description: Join other parent
volunteers in supporting and enhancing the town-wide fourth grade curriculum
about life in Teosinte (pronounced "Tay-oh-SEEN-tay"), El Salvador.
Arlington and Teosinte have been Sister Cities since 1988. This is an
opportunity to help our children develop global awareness through personal
contact with children in Teosinte, and to promote Spanish language
enrichment. Time commitment: Variable, including periodic classroom
activities for those who are able to volunteer during the weekday, and/or
activities that can be done from home. One evening meeting every other
month with volunteers from all seven Arlington elementary schools. Contact:
Elizabeth Dray, 781-643-0769 or std...@aol.com."