[CabotCommunity] Jabberlite for Tuesday October 24, 2006

Tue Oct 24 13:36:41 EDT 2006

JABBERLITE   TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2006

Upcoming Dates
A complete & updated calendar for all events for the year can be found at www.cabotpto.org  

October 24, 2006Affinity Group 12:30 PM
October 25, 2006School Committee Meeting, Interactive Forum: Short Term Space Needs 7:30 PM
October 25, 2006PTO Papa Gino's Fundraiser
October 26, 2006CA&S Program K-5 Semenva McCord - Journey into Jazz, 1-3PM
October 28, 2006Coffee Pond Family Photo Day (rain date 10/29)
October 30, 2006Morning School Entry Procedures and Classroom Routines Meeting 6:00 - 6:30PM
October 31, 2006Wellness Day
October 31, 2006Morning School Entry Procedures and Classroom Routines Meeting 8:35 - 9:10AM
October 31, 2006Halloween UNICEF Collection
October 31, 2006CASP Haunted House 4 - 5:15PM Gym
November 1, 2006PTO Launch "Campaign for Cabot"
November 1 to Nov 2, 2006UNICEF Collection and PTO Rosie's Candy Drive
November 2, 2006Making Peace with Autism 7:30 PM Education Center, 100 Walnut Street
November 5, 2006Cabot Connecting Families Ethnic Potluck 4-6PM (snow date 11/19)
November 7, 2006Election Day and Bake Sale
November 7, 2006Child Assault Prevention Meeting for parents at Horace Mann 7:00 - 8:30PM
November 7, 2006PTO Meeting, 8:40 AM
November 9, 2006Grade 5 Circus
November 9, 2006Understanding our Differences Grade 4  1:00 - 2:45 PM
November 10, 2006Veterans Day, NO SCHOOL

This Jabberlite contains information about:
Cabot Political Issues Committee
Cabot School Forms that Need to be Returned
Papa Gino’s Fundraiser
Directory Update
Blue Zone
Out-of-District Policy
Technology Advisory Committee for Newton Public Schools
Newton Parent Advisory Council
Register your Email
PTO Meetings

CABOT POLITICAL ISSUES COMMITTEE
Cabot had the largest turnout of all the elementary schools at the October 23rd School Committee meeting – thank you to all the parents who were able to join us and thanks to those of you who tuned in at home on NewTV.  The School Committee spoke about the policy options for next year’s space crunch and now they want to hear from you.  Please join us on Wednesday, October 25th at 7:30pm (Oak Hill Middle School Library) at the School Committee Open Forum for opportunity to have an interactive question & answer session with the School Committee. We urge you to take this opportunity to let the School Committee know how you feel about this situation.  

Cabot School Forms Need to be Returned
Earlier on in the school year every family was given information which needed to be completed & returned to school. These forms are:
Emergency card (small yellow card)
Emergency Contact form (A4 yellow sheet)
Student Conduct Agreement
Allergy form
Insurance information

While it is important for the School office to have all student records complete it is imperative for them to have the first 2 forms. 

Every student at Cabot needs these 2 forms otherwise no-one will be able to contact you to tell you about an evacuation or emergency situation at Cabot.

What do you need to do?  Check your piles of papers to find these documents, complete & return them as soon as possible. The A4 yellow Emergency Contact sheet is the final page in the “Cabot School Safety and Security Procedures and Playground Guidelines” – the blue stapled handout provided at Back to School Night. If you are unsure whether you have provided these forms please check with your child’s teacher or your class room parent.

IT'S TIME FOR THE FIRST PAPA GINO'S FUNDRAISER OF THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR!!

Get out of the kitchen and support the Cabot School PTO at the same time! What could be better?  Either dine in or pick up at Papa Gino's on Watertown Street (Stop & Shop Plaza) on Wednesday, October 25th between the hours of 4-9 pm, and 20% of your purchase price will go directly to the Cabot School PTO.  Look for the Papa Gino's flyer that will come home in folders today.  The flyer you received must be presented when you pay for your food and you must mention that your purchase is for the Cabot School Fundraiser in order for Cabot School to benefit. Grab your pizza, feed the family, and then head on over to the Oak Hill Middle School and have your voice heard about the space crunch at Cabot School!

Any questions?  Contact Julie Stonehill at jastonehill at rcn.com or
617-964-4937. See you at Papa's!

LAST CHANCE TO PRE-ORDER YOUR CABOT PTO DIRECTORY!!!

For those of you who have not yet ordered a Cabot PTO Directory, this is your last chance.  There will be LIMITED extra copies available after printing next week.  Don’t be left without this important school resource -- please fill out your PTO Dues form today!  Extra forms are available online at http://www.cabotpto.org under Jabberwock/News  Welcome Packet - Dues & Volunteer Form (Word doc)

Blue Zone Blues
Please remember that the Blue Zone is a moving lane of cars.  Students should exit or enter a vehicle onto or from the sidewalk in the Blue Zone.  If the moving lane is full, you must circle around the block until you can enter the Blue Zone lane.  If your child is not at the fence waiting for pick-up, please circle the block.  Please do not park in the Blue Zone and exit your car.  For a more detailed explanation, please refer to your Cabot Handbook.  We thank you for your cooperation in this matter!

School Publication of Out-of-District Policy Statement - 2007:

•Out-of-District placements for students who wish to attend a school in Newton other than his/her district school are limited.  Such placements are made on a space available basis only.  Newton families, as well as members of Units A, B, C, D, E, NESA Custodians and Boston parents of students participating in the METCO Program, should call the Attendance Office at 617-559-6030 for information.*  Students who receive acceptance for Out-of-District placement must remain in the school selected or file for out-of-district placement at the appropriate time.

• Applications for the following school year must be submitted on forms, which will be available in the Attendance Office at the Education Center beginning November 1.

•A lottery will be implemented to determine the order in which placements will be made.  Completed applications, signed by the in-district principal, can be submitted no earlier than the first school day in January in the school year preceding the desired registration and no later than the last school day in January.  Applications submitted after January 31 will not be included in the lottery.

•Hand-delivered applications will only be accepted from the parent or legal guardian.  Application forms must have the 'Reason for Request' section completed in order to be considered.
•Class size in a given grade, in a given year, in a specific school, may preclude any placements including siblings.

•Parents will be responsible for transporting their child to the out-of-district school.  

*It should be noted that Tuition-Free Enrollment is limited to regular education programs only.

Call for Participation - Technology Advisory Committee For Newton Public Schools - 2006- 2007

The Newton Public Schools Department of Information Technology is inviting community members and school staff to serve on an advisory committee for technology in the Newton Schools. The Technology Advisory Committee offers the school system the exciting opportunity to join the interests and values of the community with the expertise of school department professionals.

The Department of Technology includes both the instructional computing and library media program as well as administrative computing.  The department provides the technological infrastructure, professional opportunities, and staff support to enable teachers and administrators to use technology as a teaching, learning and administrative tool.  The goal of the advisory committee is to provide a vehicle for community input into the development of an updated four-year technology plan.  (The current plan can be accessed at http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/technology/ ).

Community members can play a crucial role in contributing to the vision and providing recommendations for the development of a comprehensive technology plan for the schools. Advisory committee membership will be a wonderful opportunity for citizens to share their expertise and varied experience. In addition, advisory committee members can help expand communication channels within the Newton community about the importance of the school's technology initiative. 

The primary focus of the advisory committee will be to research and review a variety of successful strategies that support teaching and student learning, allowing Newton to develop and implement the best possible technology program within current fiscal restraints. The advisory committee will make recommendations that will be used in the development of an updated Four-Year Technology (2007-2011).

We are asking community members to serve at minimum one year with the possibility of two years. Each member will be expected to work on smaller subcommittees, depending on interest and expertise. The entire advisory committee will meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month (excluding December) from 4:30 to 6 pm. Subcommittees will also meet during the month with the amount of time dependent on scope of work. The first meeting will be Tuesday, November 28, 2006 at the Ed Center, 100 Walnut St.

If you are interested in finding out more or joining this committee, please contact our Cabot School Technology Committee Parent Coordinator Richard Wright at Richard.Wright at parexel.com by October 29, 2006.

NEWTON PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL
The Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education (PAC) meeting was held on Thursday, October 5.  This months meeting reviewed the Newton Public Schools Special Education Programs and Services for the 2006/2007 year. It was attended by Margie Daniels, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services, other members of the Administration from the Office of Pupil Services representing k-12, as well as many Newton parents.  The different programs and services for students with special needs in the Elementary, Middle and High Schools were discussed. The evening involved an energetic discussion with administration members and concerned parents about the support for children with special needs. This was the first PAC meeting of this year. The PAC will meet once a month, with the next one on Thursday, November 2. All meetings are at 7:30 pm at the Education Center, 100 Walnut Street, Newton.

I encourage parents to get involved, the children need our support!  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions,  Lisa Spagnuolo, spags70 at peoplepc.com and information can be found at newtonpublicschools.com, under Partner Organizations. 

REGISTER YOUR EMAIL TO RECEIVE PTO EMAILS 
Our webmaster Mie-Yun Lee has been hard at work updating our website & email distribution system. If you are a new family to Cabot & need to register, or if your email changes or you want to add another email to our distribution system, please go to http://cabotpto.org/mailman/listinfo/cabotcommunity_cabotpto.org 

You will be guided through the steps & will receive a confirmation email to indicate you have been successfully added to the Cabot PTO email distribution list. In the event you have any questions please contact our webmaster, Mie-Yun Lee at mylcabot at gmail.com  

PTO Meetings
The minutes of the first two PTO meeting of the year are now posted online at www.cabotpto.org  Take a few minutes to read up on what your PTO is doing to benefit your child’s experience at Cabot. Don’t forget to join us at our next PTO meeting on Tuesday November 7th at 8:35am in the Library.

Compiled for you by the Cabot PTO 

Mary Kathryn Fallon
Cabot PTO Co-President
10 Worth Circle,
Newton, MA 02458
617-244-1821
MaryKathF at aol.com

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