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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 all PTO volunteers but especially Kirsten Moore and the Enrichment team, Heidi Collins, Julia Whitney, Julie Robinson and Tony Keady, Ashley Ghislandi, Lou Lou Tran, Eryn Kelly, Yvette Kanter, Kate Mozinski, and Skye Wiseman
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Special thanks to Mrs. Barry, Teri Howard and Kirsten Moore for their contributions to this month's edition.
We hope you enjoy it!
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New England Aquarium (Grade 2)
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| The second graders ventured into Boston to visit the New England Aquarium where they saw sharks, sea turtles and penguins. |
| On Sunday, March 25, East school students got to spend the afternoon with their favorite adult mixing, mushing, squishing, and getting slimy. |
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| East School Teachers scooped ice cream at Nona's on March 12 and a percentage of the proceeds benefited East PTO. Thank you East teachers! |
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| East PTO hosted a presentation from Jason Wheeler, program manager from the MA Dept of Elementary and Secondary Education Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students. He provided information to parents on how to address children's questions about the topic of gender identity. |
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| Thanks to the East PTO, fifth graders enjoyed a Friday night out at the Hingham Rec Center playing sports and eating pizza with friends. |
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BOKS (Build Our Kids' Success)
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| The BOKS program at East has been a huge success, thanks to all the parent volunteers. It was so popular this year, additional sessions were added and the kids are having a blast and getting good exercise before school. |
| The PTO Mini Grant Committee works on grants for teachers and special classroom projects. So far, $2700 has been awarded in teacher requested grants for the library, computer science and the 4th grade for items such as a 3D printer, Bee Bot mats and an Artificial Intelligence kit. |
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Michelle Barry (Fifth Grade Teacher)
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Q: What do you enjoy most about teaching?
A: I love starting my day greeting each child in my class. Our morning meeting is such an important way to begin our day, wishing everyone a great day. How many people get to start their work day like this? To me, there is nothing more rewarding than to hear one of my students say, "Oh, I get it now!" I love working with children! It is not just the teaching part that I find fun. I also witness kindness, helpfulness, and acceptance in each other. The world could learn a lot from our children.
Q: If you weren't teaching, what would you like to be doing?
A: I am sure you have heard this a lot, but I have always wanted to be a teacher. When I was a child I would play school in my basement, complete with chalkboard, name cards, gradebook and neighborhood kids. However, when I was applying to colleges, my high school teachers and guidance counselor advised me not to be a teacher due to the lack of jobs. So, at 17 years old I thought being a physical therapist sounded good as a runner up. After dissecting a fetal pig during my sophomore year (and barely getting through that) and knowing that the next year I would be required to dissect a cat and finally in senior year I would be dissecting a human cadaver, the time had come for me to switch majors. To much relief I became an Elementary Education and a Spanish major. Moral of the story: Follow your dreams and passion. I also have so much respect for physical therapists!
Q: What is the best gift you've ever been given?
A: The best gifts I have ever been given are my son and my daughter. I am incredibly proud of them. They bring so much joy to my life!
Q: What is your dream vacation?
A: My dream vacation would be to go to the Sanderling Inn in Duck, North Carolina with my husband and two children. It is a beautiful inn on the beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We have stayed at this wonderful hotel a couple of times in the past. Listening to the waves, biking along the coast, relaxing at the beach, and eating at top restaurants sounds perfect to me right now as we await another nor'easter. |
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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.
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