February, 2018
The East PTO Digest is a monthly recap of all the great activities, events, and initiatives the PTO sponsors - thanks to your Annual Appeal contributions.  A big thank you to Kirsten Moore and the Enrichment coordinators, Suzanne Kracunas and Julie Robinson, Lou Lou Healey and Ashley Ghislandi, Heather Bastardi, Caitlin Shea and Colleen Timmons .  Special thanks to Ms. Fahey and Mrs. Vernon for their contributions to this month's edition.   We hope you enjoy it!
Out and About


Harvard Museum of Natural History (Grade 3)
Third graders enjoyed a trip to the Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge, a new field trip for East, thanks to the PTO Appeal funds.
Events

Bingo Night
BINGO night was a hit for students and their families. East teachers and staff were the callers, and everyone enjoyed pizza and prizes.
Enrichment
Boston Children's Theatre Performance (5th Grade)
Thanks to the Boston Children's Theatre volunteers and the fifth grade teachers, the fifth grade students had a blast writing, staging and performing original plays that incorporated their social studies curriculum.  This is an annual tradition at East School and can be viewed by clicking here. 
Community Service

Valentines for Seniors
The Community Service Committee at East organized a special event in which East students made and delivered Valentines to Hingham seniors at Allerton House.
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Hingham Food Pantry (5th Grade)
East Fifth Graders gave back to the Hingham community by collecting food items and volunteering their time to sort the donations at the Hingham Food Pantry during this month's Early Release day.
Did You Know?
Your generous appeal contributions are funding new Enrichment programs for East students. The East PTO will spend $5,302 in the month of March to provide our children with 5 extraordinary presentations and/or field trips such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, and much more! Thank you!
Getting To Know . . .
Caitlin Fahey (Fourth Grade Teacher)
Q:  What do you enjoy most about teaching?
A:   I enjoy so many things about teaching: influencing a young life, sharing knowledge, empowering children, witnessing those "ah-ha" moments.  Teaching is a profoundly challenging and rewarding job.  Every day is so different and yet I am in the unique position of being able to reflect and improve upon my lessons year after year.  I am constantly striving to increase student engagement and enjoyment a little bit each day.  I love being able to help children discover hidden gifts and realize they are stronger than they think.  I have learned so much from teaching children.  I love their creativity, enthusiasm and sincerity.  There are not many jobs where you can genuinely laugh out loud every single day.  Making those kinds of connections with the kids is my favorite part of teaching.  

Q:  If you weren't teaching, what would you like to be doing?
A:   I truly believe I am in the right career, so this is a tough question for me.  I studied psychology in college and considered going into counseling prior to becoming a teacher.  This is a field that still interests me greatly, and I think it is extremely important work.

Q:   What is your dream vacation?
A:    I love to travel and have been wanting to tour around Italy for years.  I know it is absolutely beautiful, and I think I'd enjoy the people, history and food.  I feel the same about Greece, where my grandfather's family is from.  A trip that combined tours of Italy and Greece would be a dream vacation!

Q:  What would people be most surprised to know about you?
A:   I competed in National History Day in Washington DC twice while in school in Hingham.  In 8th grade all American History students had to create a History Day project on a chosen topic.  My 4 best friends and I decided to write and perform a 10-minute play about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.  We were all softball players at the time and the movie A League of Their Own inspired us.  We had an absolute blast writing the play and somehow won the school, regional and state competitions.  In June we headed to the University of Maryland to compete at Nationals.  In 11th grade another History Day project was required.  Nearly the same group of friends and I wrote and performed another play about women in medicine.  Again, we went to the national competition in DC, missing our junior year finals, which was undoubtedly the most exciting part of the whole experience.   
We Need You!
When parents get involved, kids do better! Click here to visit the East PTO website and sign up for one day events or ongoing committees! 

Give once. Your kids benefit all year long. All of the PTO field trips, events and programs are funded by your generous contributions!

STAY CONNECTED:      
For questions, or if you have content you'd like to share for an upcoming Digest, please contact Kathie Cronin at kcronin99@comcast.net or Sarah D'Souza at sarahjdsouza@yahoo.com.