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Work Hard, Be Your Best Self, Do The Right Thing
Welcome to the Martha Jones School. The core values of the school, which can best be summarized as academic excellence, respect for others, and personal responsibility, underlie all that we do. With the implementation of a rigorous academic curriculum in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and social competencies and high expectations for student and teacher engagement, our students thrive. I am delighted to welcome you to Martha Jones.
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Message from the Principal
I want to start this week’s Leaps and Bounds with a huge Thank you to Ms. Mary O’Toole. Mary is retiring from the Westwood Public Schools after 33 years of service! Mary has touched the lives of so many Westwood children in so many positive ways it is hard to put into words how much we will miss her. And while this is a sad time for us, we know that great things are ahead for Mary. If you know Mary, you know she has boundless energy. I am confident it will be put to good use tending gardens, caring for dogs, and doing many other wonderful things. If you see Mary, please wish her well!
Before the end of the year officially arrives, I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for allowing me the privilege of spending time with your child(ren) each day. The best part of my job is being in classrooms watching students learn and grow and watching teachers teach. It is amazing how much a child can learn in one year, especially at this age. We have a wonderful school community at Martha Jones and it takes all of us, the parents, teachers, support staff, administration, and students to make this place so special.
Every year we ask for many parent volunteers to engage in numerous activities and every year you step up to the plate. Whether you’ve helped in a classroom, fundraised, planned or worked an event, or provided a teacher a resource - THANK YOU. Your support of the schools and commitment to providing every child with an outstanding education is commendable. You should be proud to be part of the Westwood community.
PMC KIDS RIDE: June 23
Coordinators for the 12th annual Westwood PMC Kids ride, being held this year on Sunday, June 23 @ 8:30am, have announced that this year’s ride will be dedicated to Westwood 4-year-old Daniel Kelleher. The event, will honor Daniel’s 2 year battle with cancer and celebrate the end of his treatment which he wrapped up in February. "Daniel had just turned two when he was diagnosed," says mom Lori Kelleher who was 9 months pregnant with her second child at the time. "We had brought him to the doctor because he had started limping a few days prior and after some blood work they sent us right to Children's where we camped out for the next month so Daniel could receive treatment." Daniel was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) which is a type of blood cancer that can progress rapidly if not treated immediately. "Three days into our stay," continues Lori, "I walked over to deliver my daughter at Brigham and Women’s and brought her back over. The staff and nurses at Dana-Farber did such an amazing job accommodating the four of us so we could all be together."
"The crazy thing about all this is he wasn't ever a sick kid. He was always smiling and running around, he was just a happy, easy little boy, and this diagnosis came out of nowhere. It could truly happen to any family." Daniel continued to receive chemo on a weekly basis (in addition to 9 different drugs he had to take daily) for the next two years.
"Not nearly enough money goes to pediatric cancer research," Lori says. "Every little bit helps, whether it's funding or awareness, anything we can do to make people understand how devastating a cancer diagnosis is for a child and their family. Starting to teach kids at an early age to give back is so, so important. Funds from events like the Westwood PMC Kids ride help to support families like mine. It pays for the treatments Daniel had, the toys he played with while undergoing chemo, and now the monthly labs and check-ins that he will continue undergo.”
“We aren’t out of the woods yet,” says Lori, “side-effects of treatment could rear their ugly head at any time. But we hope the worst of it is behind us. Our goal is to get Daniel’s story out there so other families going through what we did can see that there is a light at the end of all the treatment.”
Your donations allow there to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Please ride.
To sign up to ride on Sunday, June 23 visit: kids.pmc.org/westwood.
Another Silent Auction Winner - Molly Shay was Secretary for the Day recently. Thanks Molly, you did a great job!!
Library Books - The end of the year is fast approaching, please return all library books! Even if you’ve had a book for years, return it - this is a no-judgement week :).
Lost and Found - Last chance to claim those lost coats, sweatshirts, books, etc. All will be donated at the end of the year.
Thank You Martha Jones Families
As we begin to wrap up the school year we would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the parents who gave their time, generous donations and support to Martha Jones. Thank you for attending PTO meetings, serving on committees, acting as room parents and going on field trips. Our strong school community is a direct reflection of our strong parent community. It would not be the same without you.
Thank You Fifth Grade Committees
We’d like to give a special shout out to the parents and students who served on various committees to make this year special for the fifth graders. This includes the class gift, end-of-year celebration and yearbooks. We wish all the fifth graders the best as they move on to middle school.
SHOW US YOUR MARTHA CONTEST!!!
As we head into the summer break, we want you to share your family’s adventures in the PTO’s Show Us Your Martha Jones Magnet Contest!
Here’s how it works:
1.) Take your Martha Jones School magnet on your travels and snap a photo of where it’s been. Headed to Mount Washington, take a pic of someone holding the magnet at the summit. Planning a beach trip? Slap the magnet on your beach chair for the day and take a pic.
2.) Share the photo on the Martha Jones PTO Facebook page, mention @MarthaJonesPTO on Insta or #MarthaJonesMagnets. Not on social media? No worries email the photo to Jamy Sesselman at jamypombo@yahoo.com.
3.) Two $25 gift cards to purchase Westwood Gear will be awarded! One prize for the photo of the magnet that traveled the farthest from Martha Jones Elementary School and one prize for the most creative photo.
4.) The MJ PTO Board will determine the winners. All photos must be submitted between June 18 and Sept. 2.
MJS magnets were given to everyone who joined the PTO in September.
If you need a new magnet, they are available for $5. Please reach out to Rachel Lipton atrachelaalyson@gmail.com to purchase a new magnet.
ATTENTION PTO COMMITTEE MEMBERS/VOLUNTEERS
If you are requesting a reimbursement for an expense incurred during a PTO event or fundraiser, you will need to fill out a form for the PTO board, and it must include your receipt. All requests MUST be received by June 15th.
Click here for the reimbursement form
MJ PTO BOARD POSITIONS OPEN
We are looking for an incoming treasurer to shadow for the 2019/2020 school year and take over for the following year. If you are interested or would like more information, please reach out to our current Treasurer, Kathryn Travers at kramos16@yahoo.com
MARTHA JONES PTO FACEBOOK GROUP
Did you know Martha Jones PTO has its own Facebook group page? Join the Facebook group to get the latest PTO news and updates delivered right to your news feed! Click here to join!
PTO CONTACT FOR EVENTS, NOTICES:
If you have an event or notice for our PTO update, please email it to PTO Co-Secretary Erica Howe at erica.gregg.howe@gmail.com.
