Print out this flyer and send in your check or cash to purchase tickets to our annual Paton Pancake Breakfast! Ticket orders must be received by April 1! Questions can be directed to walterjpatonpto@gmail.com
March 15, 2016
Paton Pancake Breakfast set for April 9th
Paton’s annual Pancake Breakfast will take place on April 9th and planning is underway for another great event this year.
Each year, the Paton community comes together to enjoy breakfast, conversation and fun as part of this important yearly fundraiser.
“I have always thought it’s what Paton does best- come together to enjoy our community and time with each other – all while supporting a good cause,” said Melissa Wensky, Paton PTO President.
In addition to the food, a themed basket created by each classroom in Paton will be raffled off. The baskets, with themes this year that range from Legos, Star Wars, American Girl, New England Sports, springtime activities and more, are put together by teachers, students and their families and are made possible by generous donations from families in each class.
A silent auction will also be held at the breakfast and the list of prizes offered this year is below.
“The Pancake Breakfast is such a nice compliment to our PTO fundraising model,” said Wensky. ” It never fails to be a warm, community event while at the same time providing an unmatched boost to our fundraising efforts.”
Here is a list of the generous donating organizations and the great prizes available in our silent auction this year:
AJ Tomaiolo’s Restaurant
$50 Gift Card
Bertucci’s Gift Card
$25 Gift Card
Boston Duck Tours
Two Passes (Valid April, May, September, October or November departing
from the Museum of Science location.
Boston Red Sox
Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings Gift Basket including a $15.00 gift card to Buffalo
Wild Wings.
Casson-Foster Photography
Family Portrait Session & 8X10 Enlargement
Central Rock Climbing Gym
(2) Introductory Belay Classes (Minimum age 13 years; does not include
climbing access or rental gear)
Cheesecake Factory
$50 Gift Certificate
Davis Farmland
Admission for (2) to either Davis Farmland or Davis Mega Maze. Valid for
the 2016 season.
DCU Center
Family 4 Pack for Ringling Brothers B&B Circus. Vouchers good for
Friday April 22nd, Saturday April 23 or Sunday April 24th. Vouchers must be
redeemed at DCU Center Box Office for hard tickets.
Discovery Museums
(1) Day Pass for Family of 4 to the Discovery Museums
Disney World Park Hopper Passess – 4 One
Day Passes
(4) One-Day Park Hopper tickets.
Tickets are valid during normal operating hours and provide admission
to a magical one-day experience at Disney World’s unique theme parks.
Drawbridge Puppets
Admission for Four (4)
Ecotarium
Family Pass – 2 Adults/2 Children
Fitness Asylum
10 Bootcamps and Fitness Asylum Polar Bear Cooler
Garden in the Woods
Admission for Four (4)
Gymnastics Learning Center
1 Month of Gymnastics Lessons Free (Not valid for summer programs or
teams. Valid thru 4/30/17)
ICA
(2) Passes
Isabella Stewart Gardner
Museum
Admission for Four (4)
JFK Library
Admission for Two (2) (Valid through 12/31/2017)
Lakeside Bar & Grille
$25 Gift Card
LaserCraze
(5) Certificates for either Adrenaline Zone Admission or one Laser Tag
Session
Learning Express
Gift Basket Assortment
Mass Audobon
Annual Pass
New England Aquarium
Admission for Two (Valid through 12/31/16)
O’Connors Resataurant
Dinner for Two (2)
Papa’s Hardware
Plimoth Plantation
Admission for Two (2). Valid through 2016.
Roger Williams Park Zoo
Admission for Four (4)
Roller Kingdom
Deluxe Birthday Party for 10 People
Roller Kingdom
6 Free Admission (2)
Scizzors Hair Salon
Scruba Dub
Five (5) Express Washes
Shrewsbury Fire Department
Birthday Party at the Fire Station for 20 People. Includes a station
tour, souvenir fire hats, stickers and safety info. (Cake, refreshments and
paper products are not included, but you are welcome to bring your own.)
Six Flags New England
(2) Tickets (Valid thru 10/31/2016)
Southwick’s Zoo
Admission for Two (2).
Storyland
(2) Tickets to Story Land (Valid thru 10/10/16)
Sturbridge Village
Admission for Four (4)
Tavolino
$35 Gift Certificate (Valid for Lunch, 11:30am-4pm M-F; Sat. 11:30-3.
Does not include tax, gratuity or alcohol.
The Butterfly Place
$35 Gift Certificate
Tower Hill Botanical Garden
Admission for Four (4)
Trader Joe’s
West End Creamery Mini Golf
Four (4) Tickets to Mini Golf
Westboro Tennis and Swim
$100 off of tuition for one week of camp (excludes
tennis camp)
Westin Waterfront
One Night Stay for Two (Based on Availability)
Wicked Good Cookies
Deluxe Cookie Basket
Worcester Art Museum
1 Year Membership for (2) Adults and (2) Children
Worcester Bravehearts
4 Reserved Box Seat Tickets to
any 2016 Home game excluding the 2016 FCBL All Star Game.
YMCA
One Week of Camp Borroughs (New Registrations Only)
March 15, 2016
Order your Paton Spirit Wear!
PATON SPIRIT WEAR ::NOW OPEN::
Orders accepted online until 3/27
Orders are accepted online only until 3/27 when the site will close and orders will be processed.
Visit http://tiny.cc/PatonSpiritWear to place your order for T-shirts, water bottles, coffee mugs, fleece and much more!
All orders are custom and for that reason, no returns or exchanges can be made.
March 15, 2016
2016 Book Blizzard winners recognized
At a special Paton Pride last Friday, the results of the Book Blizzard were announced. Congratulations to our Top 4 Book Blizzard Readers:
Grade K/1 – Brandon Curtis
Grade 2 – Maggie Garbarino
Grade 3 – Dahlia Welland
Grade 4 – Shuling Lin
Each of these super readers received a certificate for a party of their choice at the Boroughs Branch YMCA.
We had 50 students in the 300+ Minute club, 89 students in the 500+ Minute club and 52 students who read 1000 minutes or more.
Our all-school total was 3372 hours and 21 minutes of reading. Sponsorships are still rolling in but have reached about $4000 to date.
Congratulations to all the students and families! Your support of this program is deeply appreciated!
December 21, 2015
PTO Sweet Treat event fills bellies and warms hearts
Close to 50 parents in the Walter J. Paton Elementary School community took time out to bake cookies and other goodies this month for the annual Paton Sweet Treat event. Each year, the Paton PTO hosts the event, which aims to say “thank you” to our wonderful Paton teachers and staff.
The event, formerly known as the Cookie Swap, was held Friday, December 11th and includes treats for everyone, including teachers, administrators, ESC staff, custodial and cafeteria staff, bus drivers and crossing guards. The aim is to show appreciation for their hard work each year by offering them a fun opportunity to fill their plate with cookies made from the heart.
Each year, the PTO recruits volunteer parent bakers who take time to make a batch of their favorite cookie and donate it to the school event. The day is always a staff favorite that the school looks forward to each year, according to many teachers and staff within the school.
“One teacher said, ‘It is our most favorite day of the entire year,’” said Paton Principal Wendy Bell. “She wasn’t kidding. It can be a busy and stressful time of the year and the time and thought put into the event makes everyone feel so appreciated. “
Many others took time to let the PTO know how much they love the Sweet Treat event, too.
“That morning I had parent drop off and I watched as the parents drove up and dropped off their trays of cookies as they dropped off their children,” said Camille Viscomi, a first grade educator at Paton. “The jovial atmosphere was contagious and the holiday spirit was so uplifting that you just had to smile.”
Paton staff and teachers enjoyed many cookies and treats at this year’s Sweet Treat event
“To be honest, the cookie swap may seem like a small thing to the parents, but it really is a big deal to me,” said Kristin Kilgore, also a first grade educator at Paton. “Walking into a room filled with festive decorations and treats is actually very overwhelming. What may look like just plates of cookies actually comes off as support. I know it is such a busy time of year for everyone, so when I see how many people took extra time to think of us, it really makes me feel wonderful.”
Paton PTO President Melissa Wensky and parent volunteer Marcia Blakely package up “to go” treat plates for bus drivers and other staff who need their treats on the run!
“The Sweet Treat is just another amazing example of what supportive and involved parents we have at Paton,” said Angelina Ciccantelli, Paton’s School Psychologist. “A school is built on three things; students, staff and parents. It is such a great way to get into the holiday spirit and have some fun while strengthening the bridge between home and school. “
“A lovely holiday tradition,” said Marybeth Leifer, a fourth grade educator. “Eagerly anticipated each year. Thanks so much to our caring families.”
A look at some of the delicious treats available at this year’s Sweet Treat event
October 16, 2015
Donation Challenge funds are crucial to Paton curriculum
Paton’s annual Donation Challenge kicked off at the beginning of the month, and there are only a few days left to log on and make a contribution to fund the program of your choice.
How does the Donation Challenge work? Follow this link to our Sign Up Genius list of important enrichment programs made possible with PTO funding. Choose the program you want to support by signing up to pledge. Or simply go with a “you choose” option and fund any dollar amount you wish to pledge. Payments can be made with checks made payable to the PTO or through our Paypal account.
“Donation Challenge started years ago as a response to a direct request from the parent community,” explained Melissa Wensky, Paton PTO President. “Overwhelmingly, the PTO was receiving feedback that multiple traditional sales fundraisers were a burden of time and money for many families. Parents expressed plainly that if they had a certain amount of dollars budgeted for donations, they wished for 100% of the funding to support their student. The “Challenge” was created.”
In 2014, the Donation Challenge raised over $5000 for Paton enrichment programs during these few, critical weeks. But once the Challenge is over, if goal is met, the Paton community can be assured they will not be asked to fundraise again in some of the more traditional ways, such as bake sales and road races. Each dollar raised through the Donation Challenge goes directly to fund programs that would not be possible without donation dollars.
“Without the donation challenge, we would struggle to fund the programs that Paton students look forward to each year, such as the Historical Perspectives actor, Wingmasters, and the fourth grade Cartography program,” said Wendy Bell, Paton Principal. “We are so grateful to our community for the opportunity to provide our students with these experiences.”
In fact, your dollars donated through the Challenge help make Paton’s curriculum more rounded each year.
“Without the support of the Paton PTO, we would not have nearly as robust of a reading, math, science, or social studies curriculum,” said Mrs. Bell. “In particular, most of the grade level hands-on science materials are funded through the Donation Challenge: the live tadpoles in grade 2, butterflies in Kindergarten and grade 3, Acton Discovery in grades 2 and 4, and the Bee Lady in grade 1. These are all paid for through the generosity of our families and would be difficult to fund without the PTO.”
The Donation Challenge ends on October 19th. Please check out the list of funding options at this link today and make your donation.
“Although a donation challenge looks a bit different from other ‘traditional’ fundraisers, the ideal approach is the same: If you would share a sales catalog with family and friends, the PTO would urge you to share this donation opportunity with them as well,” said Mrs. Wensky. “The ‘bang for the buck’ is bigger with 100% of your donation guaranteed to be spent on support for your student. As always, if the donation challenge is not successful, the PTO is inclined to add other types of fundraisers to the schedule rather than discontinue funding for programming that educators and students have come to expect.”
See below for updated information on which programs still need support!
October 15, 2015
Paton’s Scholastic Book Fair kicks off this month!
Paton’s annual Scholastic book fair will run October 29-November 6, 2015. This is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year and we are seeking lots of help to make it a success. Please see our Sign UP Genius for opportunities on how you can help us!
See our flyer below for more information on buying and ordering books this year.
October 14, 2015
Fall Social 2015
Join Paton Families and the PTO for a night of fun! Our Fall Social Festivities include a DJ Dance Party, pumpkin painting and concession stand. This is a free event but donations are welcome.
Join us in the Paton Elementary School Café-Gym-Atorium Friday, October 23rd 6-8pm. Please note, this is not a drop off event, parents are expected to remain with their children.
Volunteers needed! Check out our Sign Up Genius for more information on how you can help!
Sign-up to donate refreshments, setup, clean-up or work a shift during the event.
Contact Joan Diaz at joancdiaz@gmail.com with questions! See our flyer here:Fall Social
Walter J. Paton Elementary School 
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