1. education
2. school

Tiger Tales
Monthly Newsletter of the Matthew Thornton PTA
Volume 29, Issue 7: April 2015
www.mtpta.com
LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Dear Matthew Thornton Families,
Can you believe only two and a half months of school remaining? Hold on.... the end of the year flies by with
all the exciting activities that will be happening! I know we are all looking forward to warmer weather, but we
would like to thank Stacie Street for her unbelievable organization of the Ski Club! The students had a blast
and were able to enjoy outdoor winter activities. It was amazing to see how many parents skied and helped
out, too!
Turn Off The Screens Week was a huge success! We were so happy to see so many students enjoying the
week of activities - Matthew Thornton is a great place to be! A big THANKS goes out to the Reading
Department, Mrs. Putney, and Mr. Thompson for a night of fun at Story Night! Mr. W and the Wellness Club
for a fun night of physical activity at PE Night! Lynn Hoyt did a terrific job with the very popular Beach Party
Dance! All the families that attended really seemed to have a great time dancing! As always, our Book Fair
would not happen if it wasn’t for Stacie Street and her fabulous group of workers. Thank you all for your time,
effort, and for continually giving back to our school and children!
Staff Appreciation Week will be the week following vacation, May 4-8. We will be looking for volunteers to
help distribute “thank yous” during the school day. If you are available, and would like to help, please email
me at rmcroteau@comcast.net. Shawna Carroll has been very busy planning a wonderful week for the MT
Staff; many, many thanks to her!
We will have a PTA meeting on Thursday, April 9th, 6pm in the MT Library. We hope you will join us as we
discuss end of the year events and look to fill PTA Board positions - we hope you will join us! It’s hard to
believe the end of the year is closing in on us already. End of the year scheduling (Field Day/s, Family Barbeque
Day, etc) will be coming out soon… stay tuned!
Maggie Croteau
MTPTA President
rmcroteau@comcast.net
Stacie Street
MTPTA President-Elect
staciestreet@hotmail.com
1
APRIL HAPPENINGS
April 2
April 2
April 6-10
April 9
April 17/18
April 22
April 27-May 1
May 4-8
Custodian/Cafeteria Appreciation Day
Popcorn Sale during lunch recesses, $0.25
Volunteer Appreciation Day
PTA Meeting 6pm
MTS Drama play, tickets on sale 1st week of April in the MT front lobby
Administrative Assistants Appreciation Day
Spring Break
Staff Appreciation
SPRING BOOK FAIR
Thank You Thank You Thank You!! The Spring Book Fair was another big success!! Over 1800 books/items
were sold!! That's a lot of reading :) Thank you to the families who purchased books and also to all of the
wonderful volunteers who helped make the event so easy and flawless!! The "search the sand game" game
went over way better than expected!! Every last prize was won and we collected over $200. Scholastic Books
will match this amount and the total $$ will be used to purchase books for students in need. The Book Fair is
always a great event -- again, thank you for your support!!
~Stacie Street
PARENTS OF FIFTH GRADERS!
It's hard to believe that our 5th graders will soon be Middle Schoolers!!! As they end their time at Matthew
Thornton, there is a lot to look forward to. Be on the lookout for a VERY important notice to be sent home
soon! The notice will detail all of the end-of-the-year events coming up such as: yearbook, move-up day, field
day, 5th grade fun day and more!! If you have an interest in volunteering to help out during these events,
please contact staciestreet@hotmail.com. Exact needs are currently unknown, but one thing is for sure... we
will need lots of help :)
BOOKS AND BEYOND
As this issue of Tiger Tales goes to press, there are only 2 more collection dates left in Books and Beyond
BINGO! Be sure to mark April 1st and May 13th on your calendar! There is still time for students who haven't
turned in a Bingo sheet yet to complete enough tasks to get a free book (3 Bingos), and a gold medal (6
Bingos). Plus, every Bingo equals one entry into the grade level drawing at the assembly in June. If you have
any questions about the program, there is information under Programs on the PTA website, or you may call
Kelly Sarbaugh at 432-6937 ext. 6535, or Vicky Stickney at ext 6002.
The snow is FINALLY melting and spring fever will be setting in soon! Reward yourself for surviving a long
winter by spending a little time with a good book! Happy reading!
2
BEACH PARTY
Everyone had a great time at the Beach Party dance during Turn off the screens week!! Thank you to all the
volunteers who helped out
-Lynn Hoyt
STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK
STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK is May 4th or 8th. Each year, with the help of all of our Matthew Thornton Families,
the MTPTA is proud to sponsor a week of fun events for the Staff at Matthew Thornton School. This is a great
opportunity for us to show them that their hard work and dedication to our kids does NOT go unnoticed.
We have lots of surprises planned. Keep an eye out for donation and volunteer sign-ups, which will be sent
soon. More importantly, don't forget to encourage your child to write a special note, draw a picture, or even
simply say something nice to the staff that week...or anytime. Together we can make this a huge success!
-Shawna Carroll
SCHOOL STORE
SMENCILS ARE COMING IN MAY!
Smencils will be available at the school store on May 13th and 14th. Gourmet scented pencils
made from recycled newspapers. Check them out and collect them all!
ANNUAL TOY SWAP
Have lots of Kids Stuff, and no time For a Yard Sale? Looking for Bargain Toys to Purchase—Bikes, Games,
Little Tikes®????
The Annual Toy Swap/Sale will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2015 at the Matthew Thornton School Gym.
This is a great opportunity to sell children’s and baby’s items that are no longer being used, but that are still in
good shape. It is a consignment sale with the price being set by the owner. The owner receives two-thirds of
the money for which the item sells and the Londonderry Women’s Club keeps the remaining one-third. This
year, proceeds will benefit Moore Mart, which sends supplies to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Registration forms with complete instructions can be found at the Leach Library starting April 1, 2015.
Used children’s items in good condition may be sold (infant-16 years old):
Baby equipment (bassinets, strollers, etc.), Sporting goods, Halloween Costumes, Games, Books and Wooden
Puzzles.
Stuffed animals, cribs, car seats and regular clothing cannot be accepted.
Registration is from 7:30 am-9:00 am and the sale is from 9:30 am-12:00 noon on Saturday,
3
May 16th.
This is a great place to pick up toys, etc. for your children that are in great shape, but don’t have a big price tag
and benefits a great cause!
Contact: Kimberly Hooley, kjmrshoo@comcast.net or 818-4789 .
PAWS NEWS
PAWS Behavioral Expectations
Positive Attitude
Act Responsibly
Work and Play Safely
Show Respect
Program
The PAWS program at Matthew Thornton is a program to maintain and support positive school behaviors. If
your student arrives home with “PAWS” stickers, it indicates that they were observed demonstrating a
positive behavior in areas such as the hallway, cafeteria, classroom, library, etc.
The focus for the month of February continued to be following bus rules and exhibiting respectful behavior on
the bus and toward the bus driver. In addition to the “Behavior of the Month”, classes earned stickers for
demonstrating “PAWS” behaviors in the classroom, as well as other areas of the school. The classes with the
most stickers at each grade level earned the “Golden PAW”. Winners from all the grades were able to have an
indoor yarn snowball fight in the cafeteria.
Winners announced at the beginning of March were:
First grade
Mrs. Dolan’s class
Second grade
Mrs. Lynch’s class
Third grade
Mrs. Mack’s class
Fourth grade
Mrs. Slozak’s class
Fifth grade
Mrs. Lesieur’s class
Congratulations to our winners!
March’s behavior of the month was hallway behavior and classes earned double stickers when found
exhibiting appropriate hallway behavior. The reward for this month was a hat day and students also received
popsicles.
April’s behavior of the month will again focus on bus behavior. Bus drivers will decide on a “Rider of the
Week” and those names will be announced. There are the “Big 3” behaviors that will be the focus for the bus.
Those are: Using indoor voices, staying in assigned seats, and keeping hands, feet, and backpacks out of the
aisles. The winning classes exhibiting PAWS behavior for the month of April will receive a beachwear and
popsicle day.
Additionally, “PAWS” stickers are given in the cafeteria to class tables who demonstrate positive school
behavior. When tables received ten stickers, that class received a special table setting during a Monday
4
lunchtime. When classes received 25 stickers, they received a special guest or grade level music during
lunchtime. As lunch tables continue to accumulate stickers, they will receive other rewards.
SCHOOL FUNDRAISERS
Hello All!
By now you should have received your child's Art to Remember Fundraising merchandise. Thanks again for
making this a successful event. The kids love creating their art work and then being able to see it on various
items. Such a fun time for the kids.
We are excited to be hosting another Sweet Kiwi Frozen Yogurt night. The event will take place on Thursday,
April 16th. All you need to do is go to Sweet Kiwi anytime between 3-9pm and a portion of your purchase will
be donated to Matthew Thornton. Such a fun and tasty way to support your school!!! We had such a HUGE
turnout last year, we are hoping to be able to repeat that fantastic turnout! So mark your calendars and get
ready for a sweet treat!
Also, coming up this spring is Matthew Thornton's night at the ballpark! Come help support the Matthew
Thornton Chorus as they sing the National Anthem at the Fisher Cat's game on Friday, June 5th in
Manchester. There will be fun and games for the kids and a FIREWORKS show after. So mark your calendar
for a fun night at the ballgame! Ticket information will be going home in early May.
Thanks for all your support throughout the entire year!
Robyn Fortier
Kim Laudani
LABELS FOR EDUCATION
Campbell's Labels For Education™ Program Awards Free Educational Merchandise.
With your help, Matthew Thornton can make this year the best ever! Participating in the program is easy —
simply clip the UPC portion along with graphic from participating Campbell products and send them to our
school. Our bin is located in the front lobby. Visit labelsforeducation.com for a complete list of eligible
products and point values and to check on our schools progress!
Ask your friends and family to collect UPCs on behalf of our school.
If you have any questions please contact our program coordinator, April Betty at apryl1207@aol.com.
BOX TOP COLLECTIONS
5
Well, another year of Box Top Collecting has come to a successful end. We did not do as well this year as we
have done in the past, but still I am very proud at our accomplishments for this year. We earned
approximately $1,700. We have been earning approximately $2,000 a year, but several factors hampered us
from meeting our goals this year. First, we had almost 2500 Box Tops that expired and could not be
redeemed. Next, the submission date for March came as we were on our February vacation and we lost an
entire week of collecting.
Still, I wish to thank the students, the parents, teachers, administration and the Matthew Thornton PTA for
supporting our school! Together, we made a big difference! I am proud to say that our Lifetime Box Tops
earning is an outstanding $24,799.00,
I ask everyone to keep clipping Box Tops and send them to school before the fall submission deadline,
November 1st, 2015, or the spring submission deadline, March 1st, 2016, so I can mail them in and get cash for
our school.
I also would like to announce the winners of the Matthew Thornton Box Top collection and recipients of the
Matthew Thornton Book Fair Box Top prize.
October 2014 submission was 10,454 Box Tops.
Mr. Rheault’s class came in first with a total of 1,045 Box Tops.
Gabby Farren is our 1st place winner with 531 Box Tops.
Morgan Laczynski is our 2nd place winner with 475 Box Tops.
Connor Dupuis is our 3rd place winner with 431 Box Tops.
March 2015 submission was 6,701 Box Tops.
Ms. Kennedy’s class came in first with a total of 649 Box Tops.
Camden Brutus is our 1st place winner with 542 Box Tops.
Colby Lynch is our 2nd place winner with 341 Box Tops.
Jeremy Butler is our 3rd place winner with 272 Box Tops.
Winning class receives a $25.00 gift certificate.
First place winners receive a $20.00 gift certificate.
6
Second place winners receive a $15.00 gift certificate.
Third place winner receives a $10.00 gift certificate.
All prizes are sponsored by Matthew Thornton PTA to purchase books at the Matthew Thornton Book Fair.
Congratulations to all our winners and Matthew Thornton School.
Thank you again for your support.
-Kenneth Lynch, Box Top Coordinator.
‘MY COKE’ REWARDS
Save Those Codes… and help make great things happen for our school!
Did you know that Matthew Thornton is part of the My Coke Rewards for Schools program?
Do you have codes saved from the holidays?! Consider donating them to Matthew Thornton!
Drink your favorite Coca-Cola products and save your rewards points to donate them and
help our school.
For more information visit: www.mycokerewards.com/school.
We currently have 4,304 points saved and will be using the points to help our wellness committee purchase
recess equipment for our students. Thank you for your support.
~Danielle Barrett
dbsherm8@aol.com
7
MATTHEW THORNTON DRAMA CLUB
proudly presents
Getting to know…
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
Suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp
Friday, April 17th and
Saturday, April 18th
7:00 pm
Matthew Thornton School, Londonderry, NH
Tickets in advance: $5/children & students $8/adults (at the door $5/children & students $10/adults)
Tickets on sale in the MTS lobby Thursdays in April 3:00pm-4:00pm
For more information contact: mtdramaclub@gmail.com or (978) 201-049
8
Londonderry Schools PTA’s/PTO/PTSO Fundraiser
DOCUMENT SHREDDING FUNDRAISER
Safeguard your Personal Information with our cross cutting industrial sized shredder while
helping Londonderry schools raise funds.
It’s simple, bring the box or boxes and we will shred it!
ONLY a $5.00 donation per box or equivalent (Normally $10.00)
All donations to benefit the Londonderry Schools PTA/PTO of your choice
The school with the most funds raised will receive an additional $100.00 from Business Cents
Date: Saturday April 12th
When: 8am to 3pm
Where: 172 Rockingham Road, Londonderry
Cash Or Check payable to: Business Cents
172 Rockingham Road Londonderry, New Hampshire 03053
Phone 603 537 1112 | Fax 603 537 1113 | businesscents.com
info@businesscents.com
www.facebook.com/BusinessCentsNH
1
National Library Week Events
April 13-17, 2015
Matthew Thornton School
SPECIAL EVENTS FOR NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK
Theme: “Reading is a Thrill”
Come join us for this circus and carnival week and participate in the events!
All contest sheets will be available in the library on Friday, April 10th. All contest sheets are due back to the
library by Thursday, April 16th. Winners will be announced and prizes given out on Monday, April 20th.
Borrower of the Day - all grades
At the end of each day (beginning Monday, April 13th), a "Borrower of the Day" slip will be selected from all
that day's entrants. The borrower will receive a prize.
Fairytale Rewriting Contest – all grades
Rewrite the Cinderella fairytale using the setting of a circus or carnival. If possible, give it a new title. Each
participant will receive a bookmark. One winner will be chosen from each grade.
Count the jellybeans – all grades
Beginning Monday, April 13th - Guess how many jellybeans are in the container!
The winner will be the student who comes closest to guessing the correct number of jellybeans and will
receive a prize and the container of jellybeans.
Grades 1 and 2 - Coloring and Design Contest
Use your creativity to decorate and design a clown or clown face from the outlines provided in the library
incorporating the theme of “Reading is a Thrill.” The designs should be original and prepared in whatever
medium desired. Each entrant will receive a bookmark. One winner will be chosen per grade, or at the
suggestion of the judges.
Grades 1 and 2 – Weekly Library Time
During their weekly visit to the library, first grade students will listen to Stand
Straight Ella Kate, about an 8-foot tall girl who became financially independent by
traveling around the country in circus shows. The book is a fictionalized biography
of Ella Kate Ewing. Second graders will listen to a biography of George Ferris who
2
invented the magical riding Ferris wheel.
Grade 3 - Word Search
Complete the word search and be eligible to win a prize. All participants will receive a bookmark. One winner
will be chosen from all entries.
Grades 3, 4, and 5 - Acrostic
An acrostic is a series of lines or verses in which the first, last or other particular letters when taken in order
spell out a word or phrase. Complete the acrostic using words about libraries, books, and reading. All
participants will receive a bookmark. One winner will be chosen from each grade.
Grades 4 and 5 - Complete the “Circus” Quiz sheet
Answer the questions about circuses using the World Book Online website correctly and be eligible for a prize.
All participants will receive a bookmark. A winner will be chosen from each grade.
Jean K. Sand
jsand@londonderry.org
603-432-6937 X6508
FROM THE EDITOR
Tiger Tales is a monthly publication of the Matthew Thornton PTA and is sent to parents and guardians of
every student.
To advertise in the next Tiger Tales, there is a $15 monthly charge. If you’re interested in advertising in the
May issue, please contact me at caro.edwards@icloud.com or 437-6525 by April 20, 2014.
Caroline Edwards
Tiger Tales Editor
3