The PTO hopes everyone had a safe and joyful holiday season! It’s hard to believe that we have turned the calendar to 2019 and are halfway through our school year. Here’s a quick look at what we’ve been up to since our last report as well as a glimpse of what’s still to come this Winter/Spring.
Just prior to the holidays, the Scholastic Book Fair Committees at Kelly Lane and Wells Road hosted successful “Enchanted Forest”-themed book fairs. Through our volunteers’ hard work, the gym at Kelly Lane and the media center at Wells Road were transformed into reading wonderlands for students, families and teachers to enjoy. Each school also participated in a Unicorns vs. Dragons coin war in furtherance of our theme (a big thank you to Dr. Bailey for dressing up as a Dragon, the winning animal at Wells Road, during our book fair days!). Sales for both fairs exceeded $18,000, with a portion returned in cash and scholastic dollars to support the schools and classrooms. Thank you to everyone who purchased items at the fairs to give the gift of reading this holiday season.
When they returned from winter break, Wells Road students were introduced to Austin Dailey (aka “Red Supreme”), a hip-hop dance artist and DJ who spent a week-long residency at Wells teaching the students about the benefits of incorporating movement into a healthy lifestyle, about spreading kindness and, of course, about hip-hop. Over the course of his residency he met with each class at least two times for an intensive workshop where the students learned a grade-specific dance routine. Wells Road families were then invited to a Family Dance Night, DJ’d by Dailey, where the students showed off their moves and learned new ones as well. Dailey brought along some members of his dance troupe and entertained a large enthusiastic crowd with their stunning hip-hop and breakdancing abilities before rounding out the night with a parents vs. kids dance battle! The feedback regarding Dailey’s residency and Family Dance Night is extraordinarily positive; we can’t wait to hear from the families at Kelly Lane, where he is scheduled to begin his residency later in January and where he is sure to get the little ones moving and grooving as well. Thank you to the PTO Cultural Arts Committee for sponsoring and coordinating Dailey’s visit to Granby and introducing our students and families to the exciting world of hip-hop. Thank you to Dr. Bailey, Mr. Migneault, Mrs. Dessert, Mr. Sobowicz and all of the Wells and Kelly teachers for being gracious hosts and working with Mr. Dailey to accommodate his scheduling needs.
In terms of upcoming events, we have the following fun activities in the works: Paint Night (adults only); Volunteer Recognition and Recruitment Event; annual PTO Art Project; spring session of after school chess; Coding Night; Teacher Appreciation Week; 5th Grade Picnic; Summer Kickoff and more. Please like and follow our Facebook page for updates regarding these activities and all PTO news: facebook.com/granbyctpto/
We anticipate having a number of open Executive Board and Committee Chair positions for the 2019-2020 school year. If interested in volunteering, please contact at vp@granbypto.org. Please also join us at the next PTO Meeting on March 11, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in the Wells Road Media Center, where we will hear from Dr. Addley regarding next year’s school budget.