To recap the last few months:
Our PTO ELF (Enhanced Learning Fund) and STEAM Committees awarded their final grants of the year, bringing the total PTO investment for the 2018-19 school year to over $18,000 between Kelly and Wells. Among other things, these committees hosted Family Coding Night at Kelly Lane and Family STEAM Night at Wells; approved requests for in-class field trips from Roaring Brook Nature Center and the Connecticut Historical Society; and authorized the purchase of a colored poster printer, sensory tents, books to enhance classroom libraries, stuffed animals to serve as class pets, and much more. A big thank you to the parents, teachers and staff who volunteered their time to serve on these committees.
A huge shout out to our Teacher Appreciation Committees at both Kelly Lane and Wells Road schools and all our parent volunteers for making the week of May 6 to 10 so amazing for our Pre-K-5 teachers and staff. From the baseball-themed decorations to the breakfasts, lunches and treats and end-of-week prize drawings, our “Major League Awesome Teachers and Staff” certainly felt the love.
We are happy to report that our second PTO Paint Nite on Thursday, May 16, at Lost Acres Vineyards was a huge success! Thanks to Lost Acres Vineyards for the amazing space and equally amazing wine, and to Andrea Reilly for her patient and fun instruction and donating 100 percent of the profits back to the PTO. We will be hosting more paint-and-sips in the future, including a possible event over the summer, so please check the PTO Facebook page frequently for dates and sign-ups.
On May 30 our fifth graders enjoyed a day of food, fun and friends at their end-of-year picnic at Salmon Brook Park. Thank you to the 5th Grade Picnic Committee and all parent volunteers, and 5th grade teachers and staff for their hard work in making this day so special for our rising middle schoolers!
Our first annual Kickoff to Summer Movie Night co-sponsored by the PTO and the Granby Parks and Rec Department at Salmon Brook Park on June 8 saw a great turnout, despite many competing events. We kicked off the festivities with a Cruise into Summer Reading book fair, gaga pit and Kona Shave Ice truck, and capped off the evening with a showing of Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation under the stars. Thank you to all who attended.
Looking ahead to the 2019-20 school year, the PTO will be hosting a Back-to-School Social for our incoming Kelly Lane Pre-K and Kindergarten students and families at Salmon Brook Park on August 26 from 3-5 p.m. We will have crafts, snacks and lots of opportunities for the kids to interact with their new classmates! If anyone is interested in helping to organize the Social, please email our incoming PTO President, Jess Tsaptsinos, at jessw2780@gmail.com. Please also email Jess if you are interested in volunteering as a Kelly Lane or Well Road room parent for the 2019-20 school year; include your name, your child/ren’s name, teacher and grade.
Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the contributions of several individuals who will no longer be serving our Granby educational community come next fall. As most families are aware, Dr. Bailey will be retiring from Wells Road at the end of this school year. Dr. Bailey has served as principal at Wells for nine years, and in that time earned the trust of her staff, parents and all the students she has mentored and loved throughout her tenure. To her credit, she also oversaw the successful merger of faculty and students from two intermediate schools with limited disruption to all affected. We will miss her greatly and cannot thank her enough for all she has done for the Wells Road community during her many years of service. We wish her a long and happy retirement.
We also bid farewell to Superintendent Dr. Alan Addley, who is beginning a new chapter in the fall as superintendent for the Darien school system. Dr. Addley has served the Granby education community for the last 21 years, first as assistant principal and then principal at GMHS, and finally, for the last 11 years, as superintendent. The recipient of numerous leadership awards, including Connecticut’s 2019 Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Addley has enriched our school communities and increased program opportunities for all students in Granby through his hard work, dedication and professionalism. We are grateful for his service and wish him much luck in all his future endeavors.
Lastly, of the current PTO Executive Board, all but one member will be transitioning at the end of June. Thank you to Beth Cherubino, Corrine DelGallo, Sara Pomponi, Nicole Marks and Whitney Sanzo for all of the time, effort and energy they have invested in the PTO and the Kelly and Wells communities over the last several years. The PTO will be left in the more-than-capable hands of Jess Tsaptsinos, who will take the helm as president for the 2019-20 school year with the backing of a new executive board including Caroline Caldwell, vice president; Colby Custer, treasurer; Melissa Royer, assistant treasurer; Kristin Ryan, secretary; and Anam Zafar, assistant secretary. Congratulations to our incoming executive board and best wishes for a successful 2019-20 school year!
We wish all of our families, teachers and staff a fun and safe summer!