Teacher/Staff Appreciation Luncheon

This year the Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, June 4th at Butternuts Eatery (owned by chef and Wildwood parent Andy Sussman).
Donations are needed for the Teacher/Staff Appreciation Luncheon. We are asking families to send in money to the PTO box in the office or to the Luncheon money box which will be set up in the office as well. $5/child or max of $10/family or whatever you can give. Please send in cash or check (made out to Wildwood PTO) in a sealed envelope marked "PTO" by May 28th.

BOOK SWAP - donations

Just a reminder to bring in your gently used books to donate to the Annual Wildwood BOOK SWAP. The swap will be taking place on Wednesday, May 14th from 9a.m.-1p.m. Every child gets free books to take home. Book donations can be dropped in any box around school labeled "book swap" or sent in with your child (each classroom has a box). Thanks for your support. This is a great event!

Chess Tournament

Wildwood Chess Tournament...
Pre-registration is not required - your children are most welcome to simply show up to play on Sunday. (The purpose of preregistration is to get a head start on computer data entry.) If you come late on Sunday, we'll fit you in - your child may have to skip the previous round(s), that's all.

We still need parent volunteers. It will be very light work to monitor and help the kids.

* Sunday May 4th
* groups broken up as follows: K, 1st and 2nd, 3rd and 4th, 5th and 6th graders
* Registration at 12:30, tournament from 1-5
* 4 rounds, everyone plays all 4 games, so plan to stay through to the prize ceremony
* You may preregister by sending name, grade, and teacher to

wennemyr@comcast.net

BOOK SWAP

CALLING ALL PARENTS!
TIME FOR CLEARING OUT ALL THOSE UNWANTED BOOKS!

The annual Wildwood Book Swap is taking place May 14, 9 to 1 pm. In every classroom there is now a box awaiting all the picture books, preschool readers, chapter books, series, etc. up to grade 6 reading level you have lying around the house. Please take this opportunity to THINK SPRING CLEANING and bring to the school any of these books simply collecting dust. The kids really love the idea of selecting at least 2 free books on the day of the swap when every
class gets a turn to go to the front hall to rifle through all the boxes assembled there, sorted and categorized for them, and the teachers get to take their turn at the end of the day.

Help make this year's swap another huge success and when it comes to unwanted books, THINK SPRING CLEANING!!!!

A nonprofit event sponsored by the Wildwood PTO

Wildwood Family Spring Dance

GET READY TO BOOGIE!!!!!!
Come one, come all to the Wildwood Family Spring Dance. Friday, May 2nd from 6-8:00 p.m. in the Wildwood gym. It's FREE!!! Pizza and water will be for sale, bake sale items and a 50/50 raffle. Bring your whole family, bring all of your friends. Come support your school and dance the night away!

Wildwood Auction!

Wildwood parent, Adam Siegel (Isaac, grade 5), through his company, Academic Ambassadors, is offering three hotel nights in Manhattan up for auction to benefit the Wildwood PTO.

The Mansfield, in the Theater District (W. 44th near 5th Ave.), has generously agreed to provide 2 nights to us. And, its sister hotel, the very swish Shoreham (on W. 55th, near the Museum of Modern Art), donated one night.

With first-class rooms at a premium in NY, each night is worth around $400. So, we hope to raise over $1,000 for projects at our school.

Bids for the Mansfield must be for the two consecutive nights. Let's start the bidding at $400. The minimum bid for the Shoreham is $200.
[buy the package now (all three room nights!) for $1,000].

HOW TO BID:
Bids can be made by emailing Adam Siegel at academicambassadors@yahoo.com
We'll keep the bidding open until the end of May.

You can review these hotels, and all Academic Ambassador hotel partners at
www.academicambassadors.com. All non-profiteers (professionals and volunteers) are eligible for the discounts at the over 30 hotels coast-to-coast.

Book Sale- town common

Friday morning, May 2 the League of Women Voters of Amherst’s giant book sale opens under the big tent on the Amherst Town Common. The sale continues through Sunday, May 4. The hours will be from 9:00a.m. to 7:00p.m. Friday and Saturday and on Sunday from 11:00a.m. until 4:00p.m.

Plant Sale

Bridge of Flowers Benefit Plant Sale. Saturday, May 17, 9:00-noon (rain or shine). On the green between Main and Water Sts., Shelburne Falls

Perennials from the Bridge of Flowers -- amazing variety, excellent quality. Annuals at great prices, including gerraniums. Nursery-propogated wildflowers. High-quality gardening tools, hats, and other products for or inspired by the garden. Proceeds benefit the Bridge of Flowers.

Who Shot Hollywood - Band

Wildwood 6th grader Lucas Graham's band, Who Shot Hollywood, will be opening for Tokyo Police Club at Pearl St. nightclub in Northampton on April 26, show starts at 8:30. Tix are available from the Northampton Box Office, $12.50 in advance.

Bicycle Rodeo - Reminder

Dear Wildwood School Families:

On Saturday April 19, 2008 from 10am to 2pm there will be a Bicycle Rodeo at Wildwood School. The objective of this rodeo is to teach bicycle safety and have each child participate in a bicycle rodeo. This training is part of the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. These sessions are designed to be a dynamic learning experience through which children will learn core skills needed to safely and confidently ride their bicycles. Graduates of this event will be able to join the Amherst Police for their annual “Bike with the Police” event which will occur this summer.

There will be 4 one hour sessions on Saturday April 19th. Each hour a group of students will arrive to participate in the rodeo. Up to forty students can attend per hour. The bicycle rodeo will take place outdoors in the Wildwood parking lot. Students will learn the importance of wearing a helmet and proper helmet sizing, bicycle maintenance, and rules of the road through on-bicycle training.

The rodeo will be led by trained instructors from MassBike, with assistance from teachers and parent volunteers. Please note that this rodeo is intended for students who already know how to ride a bicycle. Helmets and bicycles are required, and it is also strongly recommended that you bring a bicycle lock.
Parent must remain on-site during this event.

To sign up for the rodeo, please cut and return the permission slip below and complete the survey on the opposite side of this sheet. Please provide your contact information and the time you would like your child to attend. We will contact you ONLY IF your child does not get into their preferred time slot. Please return this permission slip by Thursday 4/17/08.

Sincerely,


Mark Prince and the Wildwood PTO

******************************

*****************************************************

I, (Parent/Guardian Name) _________________________________ give my child (Name and Class) ______________________________________________ permission to take part in the Bicycle Safety Rodeo.

My requested time slot is (mark with an X):
10AM ________________
11AM ________________
12PM ________________
1PM ________________

Parent/Guardian Information:

Name: _________________________________ Signature:_______________________________

Home Phone: ___________________________
Cell Phone: _____________________________
Email:__________________________________

PLEASE REMEMBER YOUR TIME SLOT. YOU WILL BE CONTACTED ONLY
IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE YOUR REQUESTED TIME SLOT.

Bicycle Rodeo - sign up NOW!

Look for a permission slip and survey in your child's backpack or pick one up in the main office. Turn your form into the main office by April 15.
Bicycle Rodeo at Wildwood School - Saturday April 19, 2008 from 10am to 2pm. The objective of this rodeo is to teach bicycle safety and have each child participate in a bicycle rodeo. This training is part of the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. These sessions are designed to be a dynamic learning experience through which children will learn core skills needed to safely and confidently ride their bicycles. Graduates of this event will be able to join the Amherst Police for their annual “Bike with the Police” event which will occur this summer.

Arbor Day - event

Come Downtown and celebrate: AMHERST GROWS GREEN! SATURDAY, APRIL 26TH

ARBOR DAY Festivities at Amherst Common (across from Town Hall) 9AM-1PM
EARTH DAY Festivities on North Pleasant Street (shopping area) 11AM-3PM

For details on all information, events and free tree seedlings, Please see "IN THE NEWS" link at www.amherstma.gov
In case of rain, ARBOR DAY EVENTS will take place at THE AMHERST CINEMA BUILDING covered walkway.

Attention

Fathers, Mothers, Guardians, Teachers and Staff of the Amherst/Pelham Elementary School Community~
Join us to explore. Media, Body Image, and Our Kids on Tuesday, April 8, 2008, from 6:30-8:00pm in the Middle School Cafeteria.

Erica Scharrer, Department of Communication, UMass Amherst and Tom Gardner,
Department of Communication, Westfield State College will facilitate a discussion on the following questions: How is body image portrayed in the media? How does media imagery of bodies impact our kids, both boys and girls? What are ways to help kids think critically about messages in the media? We'll view parts of two films, "Slim Hopes: Advertising and the
Obsession with Thinness" and "Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity," and follow with an informal discussion.

For more information, contact Chris Felton, 253-1242,
cmfelton@comcol.umass.edu or Sue Cairn, 253-9148, scairn@verizon.net
Childcare can be provided. Please contact Chris by April 4 if childcare is needed.
Sponsored by: Diversity and Social Justice Committee of the Fort River Parent Council

Earth Hour

Earth Hour 2008, March 29, 2008 at 8 pm.

It started with a question: How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?

The answer: Ask the people of Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour.

On 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour. If the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney CBD during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year.

With Sydney icons like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House turning their lights off, and unique events such as weddings by candlelight, the world took notice. Inspired by the collective effort of millions of Sydneysiders, many major global cities are joining Earth Hour in 2008, turning a symbolic event into a global movement.

As a result, at 8pm March 29, 2008 millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities, including Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane and Tel Aviv will unite and switch off for Earth Hour.

Please checkout: www.earthhour.org for more information or to join the effort.

Holiday Drop & Shops at ACAC

Bring your kids to ACAC for a 3 hour workshop while you shop in town!
December 8-Origami Workshop with Annie Zirin- 9:30-12:30am and
Marble Chutes with David Costello -12:30-3:30pm
December 15-Clay Masks with Dara Herman-Zierlein-9:30-12:30am and
Greeting Card & Gift Paper Workshop with Carolyn Toomey-12:30-3:30pm
December 22-Paper & Bookmaking with Sarah Balascio-9:30-12:30am and
Ornament Workshop with Hillary Milens-12:30-3:30pm

$30/session or $50/2 sessions.
Parents may attend workshops with children for a combined cost of $50/session.
*Pre-registration required. Please call ACAC at (413) 253-9265.

Fun Stuff @ The Carle

Meet the Artist - Multiple artists! December 2, 2007, 12:30 to 2:30 pm
Free with Museum Admission
Meet Wendell Minor, Jerry Pinkney, Rosemary Wells, Paul O. Zelinsky, and Jane Bayard Curley Please feel free to come at noon and purchase a bite to eat in the Museum Café before attending the illustrator’s presentation at 12:30. A book signing will follow the presentation. This series is recommended for adults and for children of kindergarten age and older. For more information go to www.picturebookart.org

Safe Routes - Turkey Trot

On Wednesday November 14th over 60 children walked or biked to school as part of the Wildwood Turkey Trot. Upon arriving at school they each feathered the giant Wildwood Turkey and entered a Name the Turkey Drawing. Lydia Rosen of Ms. Kaur's class was the lucky entry and named the Turkey Lilly. You can see Lilly in the front lobby this week. As part of this event, we collected boxes of canned goods for the Amherst Survival Center.

Thanks go out to all the parents and volunteers who helped make this fun morning event possible. And, thank you for your continued support of the “Safe Routes to School” program.

ACAC - News

Drop & Shops Bring your kids to ACAC for a 3 hour workshop while you shop in town.

Saturdays: Dec 1, 8, 15, 22. 9:30-12:30 and 12:30-3:30pm. $30/workshop.Pre-registration required.

Workshops in: Paper-making, Whistle Making, Marble Chutes, Clay Masks, Paper Masks, Cards & Wrapping Paper, Origami

4-week mini sessions

Silver Jewelry Fabrication; Enameling for Everyone; Jewelry Fabrication for Teens. (Ages 12-18 ) *classes with Margaret Langdell
Creating on the Potter's Wheel w/Lucy Fagella (Ages 18 & up)

FOR MORE INFORMATION!

(413) 253-9265 Or EMail: hm.acac@gmail.com

Calling all Volunteers...

Walking Wednesday - TURKEY TROT and CANNED FOOD DRIVE...

"Safe Routes to School" program will be hosting a Turkey Trot and canned food drive on Wednesday, November 14^th . We need a minimum of 10 volunteers to hand out feathers (3) and direct/greet the kids, help put the feathers on the giant turkey(2), coordinate the turkey naming contest (2-3), and collect and deliver the canned food (2). Volunteers should plan to be at school from 8:15-9:15am.

Upon arriving at school, the walkers and bikers will be greeted by parent/guardian volunteers at rear entrance to the school. Each child will receive a feather to put on a huge turkey in the front lobby. During the day there will be additional Turkey Trots through and around the school so that as many children as possible can add feathers to our gigantic wildwood turkey. Additionally, all the children will enter a “Name the Turkey” raffle. At the end of the day the winning entry will be announced over the loud speaker.

If you would like to volunteer please contact sarah.auerbach@comcast.net

Parent/Guardian Education Forum

Topic: MATH NIGHT, presented by Dr. Amy Wolpin, Wildwood's Math Resource Teacher

Date: Wednesday, November 14th

Time: 6:30-8:00

Place: Wildwood School

Babysitting will be available

Amy will provide an overview of the K-6 mathematics curriculum. The theme will be geometry- looking at how geometry is connected to other math topics through problem solving and representations of mathematical thinking