Happy Summer, Loring!

6/12/2024 2:30 pm

And that’s a wrap on the 2023-2024 school year!

As my two year term as Co-Chair of the Loring PTO comes to a close and I write my 38th and final newsletter, I would like to take a moment to thank all of the wonderful families and staff for their tireless efforts to make Loring the amazing school that it is.  Our volunteers and staff truly go above and beyond to enrich our students’ education and experience at Loring.

As you read in yesterday's email, we have accomplished so much together over the past year!  I won’t repeat it all here (I’m sure you’ve all had time to thoroughly digest our latest e-blast, right?), but we planned and funded 26 creative enrichment programs, 10 staff appreciation events, eight community events, six hospitality events, extensive classroom support in the form of books, activities, seating and supplies, plus so much more.  (Seriously, read yesterday’s email - it’s impressive what we were able to achieve together!)  Your support is what keeps our PTO rolling along year after year, whether you volunteered your time, supported our fundraisers or just attended our events with your children.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

As I finish up my 9th year as a Loring parent, I’m just as impressed by the PTO’s impact on the Loring community as I was in the fall of 2015.  I truly appreciate the opportunity to be a part of such a dedicated team of women over the past two years.  I would like to especially thank this year's Executive Board for all their hard work and support.  As co-chair, Melissa Perla jumped right in and served as a sounding board all year.  Cate Kashem is finishing her tenure as Treasurer, and her thoughtful input was always appreciated.  Sharon Brady, our Secretary, always pitched in to help wherever she was needed.  Heather Larson served as Assistant Treasurer and will take the Co-Chair role next year.  Sergey Zinger and Michael Landberg will round out the Board as Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer, respectively.  Thank you both for stepping right in!

Our events and initiatives would not be possible without the support of Loring’s staff.  Thank you to Paula Saliga and Vicki Harrington for helping out with everything that we do; Shawn Maguire and Susie Trubiani, the absolute best custodial team we could ask for; and all of the teachers and staff, who dedicate each and every day to educating and enriching our kids.  And, last but not least, thank you to Sara Harvey and David Gaita for their partnership, collaboration, and tireless support of the PTO.

While I am definitely looking forward to my “retirement” from the Board, my feelings are bittersweet as I transition back to my other, less time-intensive coordinator roles.  (Please, no one tell my husband, but I’ll be back next year to help plan Leopardfest and, let’s be honest, probably volunteer in a myriad of other ways.)  I will miss working so closely with fellow parents and staff members, but I know that Melissa, Heather, Sharon, Sergey and Michael will bring us a pawsome 2024-2025 school year! 

Have a wonderful summer, everyone!

Sincerely,

Anne Devine, Loring PTO Co-Chair

Fourth Grade Creative Enrichment: Geography History Show

6/12/2024 2:29 pm

Last Friday, fourth grade students enjoyed Neal Nichols' US Geography History Show.  Students enjoyed a fun interactive experience that took them through the history of the US States. The students watched as Neal drew the map of the US and provided interesting historical facts about each state with prompts and quizzes throughout so the students could interact and truly understand what they were learning.

Thank you to our wonderful Loring community for supporting the PTO and making these programs possible.  Also, thank you to our fourth grade creative enrichment coordinator, Rachel Heckler, who worked with teachers to bring this program to Loring!

Congratulations 5th Graders!

6/12/2024 2:28 pm

As our students prepared to move on to middle school, they’ve been celebrating the end of their time at Loring with many special events.

Loring 2024 T-Shirts

The 5th graders recently received their special 2024 autographed Loring t-shirts, sponsored by the PTO. The t-shirt is signed by each member of their class.  Thank you to Erin Ciaccia for organizing the ordering and distribution!

Field Day

On Monday, 5th graders participated in Field Day.  Thank you to our Field Day Committee - Holly TenBrook, Christy Kirk, Wei Han and Laura Warren.  - for helping Ms. Nute plan such a fun morning for the students.  Also, thank you to the many parents who volunteered, purchased/lent supplies, took a shift and helped set up and clean up - Maite Garcia, Katie Carroll, Frederique Bazin, Melissa Fisher, Melissa Arbuckle, Erin Lindsey, Meghan Seaberg, Kara Tartufo, Claudia Perry, Christy Kirk, Kevin Carroll, Valerie Friedholm, Holly TenBrook, Wei Han, Laura Warren, Nicola Premock, Renana Embon, Jessica Cooper, Almas Dimitri, Aylin Utke, and Krista Alexander. 

Moving On

On Tuesday, 5th graders participated in their Moving On Ceremony.  Thank you to our Moving On Committee for setting the stage for such a special ceremony to commemorate the students’ time at Loring.  Thank you to Aylin Utke, Lindsay Philbrick, Christy Kirk and Erin Lindsey for all of your behind the scenes efforts to get everything picture perfect!  

Class Gift Committee

The 5th grade teachers, along with parent volunteers, worked closely with selected 5th grade students to select and purchase a class gift. The 5th graders have chosen a lenticular print for the 2nd floor hallway as their gift to Loring.  Thank you to the parents who patiently guided the students over the past few months and helped purchase and assemble the items - Laurin Belanger, Katie Carroll, Erin Lindsay and Lindsay Philbrick.

Congratulations again to the 5th Grade Class of 2024!

Reimbursement Requests

6/12/2024 2:27 pm

 Outstanding reimbursements must be submitted by Sunday, June 23rd!

Did you volunteer on a committee this year and spend your own funds but need to submit for reimbursement?

Click HERE for the form.

Questions? Contact Cate Kashem at treasurers@loringpto.org.

2024-2025 Events: Save the Date

6/12/2024 2:26 pm

Fall will be here before you know it - get these dates on your calendar so future-you won't have to stress in September!

Monday, August 26th - Kindergarten Playground and Popsicles (1:00 pm); rain date is Tuesday, August 27th

Wednesday, August 28th - First Day of School (1st-5th)

Tuesday, September 3rd @ 8:00 am - BooHoo WooHoo breakfast for kindergarten families; 1st day for kindergarteners

Friday, September 13th - School Picture Day

Friday/Saturday, September 20th/21st - Fall Book Fair

Saturday, September 21st 4:30 pm - Leopardfest 

Saturday/Sunday, October 26th/27th - Pumpkin Walk

Saturday, May 31st - Fun Run (Tentative)

Open Roles

6/12/2024 2:25 pm

Interested in making an impact on your student's experience at Loring?  We have many open roles for the 2024-2025 school year and there is something for everyone!  Without these critical roles filled, we will need to scale back on our PTO offerings.  

Please reach out to cochairs@loringpto.org for more information.

Food Pantry Thanks You!

6/12/2024 2:24 pm

Thank you for another generous food pantry collection last week! We collected 48 boxes this month, setting the Sudbury Food Pantry up for a great start to summer!
Overall this year, we collected a whopping total of 478 boxes (compared to the 2022-23 school year total of 417)!! Amazing job this year Loring!!
Thank you to the group of 4th graders who did the hard work this month, as well as our parent volunteers - Laura Warren, Katie Dasso, Jess Cooper, Marissa Cole and Caroline Archambault.
And last but not least, a BIG thank you to Brad Jones for being our faculty partner these past 15 years. He will be missed!

Farewell and Thank You!

6/12/2024 2:23 pm

Thank you to the following parents who have taken on substantial volunteer or leadership roles for the PTO over the years, but are moving on from Loring.  We are grateful to Val Friedholm, Maite Garcia, Tina Hermos, Wendy Puryear, Meg Seaberg, and Holly TenBrook.  Thank you to all parents who are leaving Loring this year for all that you've done to support the school - we will certainly miss you!

Also, thank you to the following 5th grade parents who generously supported the PTO as a Business Sponsor: Rob Adams, Melissa Fisher, Christy Kirk, and Rachel O’Brien.  Your support has been invaluable.

Cheers to Retirement!

6/12/2024 2:22 pm

Happy Retirement to Mr. Jones, Ms. Radler and Ms. Kersley!  The entire PTO community would like to extend one more THANK YOU to each of you. We will miss you but wish you all the happiness as you begin your next chapters. Congratulations and thank you again for your many years of service to our children.

Loring Lego Engineering Club

6/12/2024 2:21 pm

The Lego Club is a parent-run student club for 4th and 5th graders that are interested in robotics, using Legos to build a rudimentary robot that can complete simple tasks.  The students prepare for a state-wide competition in December each year, held by FIRST Lego League.  It's a lot of fun and it's so rewarding to see the students go through the problem solving process!   Loring has had a parent-run Lego Engineering club for 4th and 5th grade students on and off over the last few years. It ran for a year before the pandemic and then again during the 22-23 school year. Our previous coordinator aged out of Loring, but we still have the supplies.  If any parents are interested in reviving the club, please email cochairs@loringpto.org so we can put you in touch with the previous coordinator.  

Thank You, Loring

6/5/2024 12:27 pm

Over the course of the year, we try our best to recognize the many volunteers that contribute to the PTO in the Thursday Notices. But, in addition to the board, there are other roles that go on all year long and we would be unable to support many of our initiatives without these dedicated Loring family members. As the school year comes to a close, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the many volunteers who support the PTO in these roles.

First, a huge thank you to Crystal Pike for all of her “advisory” work this past year.  Even though her time on the board ended last June, we kept pulling her back in to help with various tasks.  Thank you so much for continuing to support the PTO - you’ve put in your fair share of time (and then some).  Thank you to Xi Su for all of her work on the Membership Toolkit sales and forms as well as the website.  And apologies for some of our last minute requests!

Thank you to Laura Warren for taking on four roles this year!  Not only did Laura chair the 5th Grade Committees, she also took on the roles of school beautification (the pawsome planter and flowers that greet us as we walk into the school), room parent coordinator, and senior day coordinator (the day where the Loring alums graduating from LS return to visit).

Heather Larson once again coordinated Food Pantry collections and probably shuffled more boxes than my Amazon delivery driver.

Have you ever wondering where those Red Folders come from?  Well, we can all thank Nadia Salman for volunteering each summer to source and label hundreds and hundreds of folders.

Thank you to Katie Riordan and Amy Kohen for coordinating the Birthday Book Club and for fielding many of my continuing questions and frantic texts.

Our previous apparel coordinator, Rebecca Firth, passed the baton to Sarah Astman.  Thank you both for keeping us in our Loring best!

Stephanie Coury stepped up in her first year at Loring to coordinate our Staff Spotlight, which celebrated each and every Loring staff member throughout the year!

Thank you to Colleen Gleason-Epple, our Business Sponsor whisperer, for recruiting our fabulous slate of Business Sponsors.  Our sponsors are responsible for almost 25% of our annual budget!

Kerri Brien was back as our lunch and recess volunteer coordinator and waded into planning the auction/PNO for the first time.

Thank you all for keeping this PTO moving forward each year! 

More to come next week in my 38th and final Thursday Notice (not that I’m counting)!

- Anne Devine

Curtis Gear

6/5/2024 12:22 pm

Congratulations to all the 5th graders who are moving on from elementary school!!! 

If you want to get your 5th grader excited about Curtis Middle School, how about a cool 5th grade graduation gift from the Curtis merchandise store? They can rock a Curtis shirt or a pair of shorts all summer long!

The Curtis store is open through the end of the school year.

Please use the below link, or visit the online store through the Curtis CPO home page.

Curtis CPO - Curtis Gear