Rowe PTO News

• Thursday, 9/19, 6:00: PTO Meeting (hybrid option offered)
  
• Tuesday, 9/24, 5:30: Parent University: Celebrating Neurodiversity (Presumpscot Elementary)
• Thursday, 9/26, 6:00-7:00: Rowe Open House
• Sunday, 10/13, 1:00-3:00: Craft and Quest,
• Tuesday, 10/22, 6:00-8:00: PTO Meeting (hybrid option offered)
• Friday, 10/25: Walk-A-Thon
• Wednesday, 10/30, 5:30-7:00: Family Science Night in Rowe Cafeteria

Please join us for our first PTO general meeting of the year on Thursday, September 19, at 6:00 p.m.

• The meeting will be hybrid, in the Rowe Library and with a Zoom option for remote attendees.

• We will hear from Rowe Assistant Vice Principal Melissa Richard about how the year is going and what new positions/staff have joined the Rowe community this year!

• We will vote on our 2024-2025 budget, several nominees for open PTO Executive Board positions, and will cover other normal PTO business.

• Free childcare will be available at Rowe for all school-aged children.

• We will have light snacks and hope all can stay for a brief socializing period after we finish PTO business.

We hope all can join us to build connections and become more involved. Any questions, please contact president@roweschoolpto.org.

Please join our very own Rowe parent and PTO secretary (and newsletter putter together!), Dr. Audrey Bartholomew for a Parent University. A professor of special education, she will be providing information and recommendations around disabilities and special education. Come ready wth questions and ready to learn from each other!

9/24, 5:30-7:30 at Presumpscot Elementary School

Interpretation, childcare and refreshments provided

https://parentu.portlandschools.org/.../embracing...

Save the date for Rowe’s annual Open House on Thursday, September 26, from 6-7 pm ! More details coming soon. The PTO will be selling Rowe-branded Spiritwear. Stay tuned for updates about an order-your-own Spiritwear later this year!

HEAR YE! HEAR YE! Good morning all ye realmlings!

In conjunction with Kids Arcanum, the PTO is excited to co-host the 3rd annual ROWE CRAFT & QUEST on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13th, from 1-3pm. This is a FREE community event, so all are welcome! Join us for some shield making, coloring, snacking, and historical learning. Our friend of the realm, The Agincourt Soldier, (History Live North East) will be making a special guest appearance with all of his fancy armor and shields in tow, to teach the kids about heraldry and of course, the Battle of Agincourt! (NO WEAPONS will be on display). Cosplay is encouraged!

WALK-A-THON SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 25

Rowe School’s long-standing fundraiser to support our awesome kids will be held on October 25 during school hours! The Walk-a-Thon raises funds for field trips and special guest classroom visits, to purchase art and school supplies, to buy new books for the library, support classroom needs, and more. More information regarding the Walk-a-Thon will be sent home with students soon!

Work some stress off afterschool in the Rowe gym! Every Monday between 4:15 pm and 5:00 pm, join other members of the Rowe community for a FREE workout led by Special Ed Teacher Darshana Spach! No experience is necessary. Begins Monday, 9/16. Bring your own sneakers and comfortable clothes.

If you want to learn of volunteer opportunities and ways to get involved with the Rowe community, please complete our volunteer form to receive updates. We will have lots of chances in October to help out, including by volunteering for Walk-a-Thon!

The PTO is looking for volunteers to act as Room Parents this year! With a time commitment of 2-4 hours per month, Room Parents serve as an important community-building link between teachers and classroom families. New this year: Room Parents will work together at the grade level to organize at least one grade-wide social event/meet-up.

Join here! Questions? Email PTO Vice President Jess Hsu (vicepresident@roweschoolspto.org).

Recess Runners is a program designed to encourage our students to stay active and have fun during their recess breaks. This program will run for five weeks, from Tuesday, September 24th to Thursday, October 24th, and will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week.

Program Details:

• Tracking Progress: Students will use QR cards to scan their laps around the course set up by Mr. Cuesteau on iPads located at the end of the route.
  

• Incentives: Every day they participate, students will earn a colorful Toe Token to attach to their shoelaces or wear on a chain, providing a fun incentive to keep them motivated.
  

• Recognition: We will showcase students who reach milestones of 5 miles, 10 miles, and even 20 miles on a bulletin board in the lobby.

Culminating Event: The program will culminate with the PTO Walk-a-Thon fundraiser on Friday, October 25th, celebrating the students’ efforts and fostering a sense of community spirit.

Volunteer Support Needed: We need parent volunteers to help with scanning students’ progress each day.

Please sign up here at our Sign Up Genius link. Your support will be invaluable in making this program a success!

Mrs. Lenehan is raising money to help replace library books that have been damaged or replaced. Donate here to help ensure she has the funds the Library needs!

Support the PTO by joining our monthly giving program and becoming a Rowe Champion! The PTO provides vital funding to our teachers and staff for enrichment programming, field trips, classroom supplies, and school safety projects. As just a few examples, the PTO last year:

• Helped fund the new fence at the school to improve student safety

• Provided Puberty Packs for all 4th Grade Students

• Funded 3d Grade field trip to Portland Ovations and Maine Wildlife Park

• Funded 2d Grade field trip to the Children’s Museum and new books

• Paid for supplies for 1st Grade classes to raise chicks and build bird curriculum

• Sponsored the Kindergarten Passamoquody guest speaker
  

Please consider giving $10 per month for each student you have at Rowe, and, if you have the capacity, please consider giving an extra $10 to support another student. Become a Rowe Champion today!

A huge thank you to Pre-K teacher and mom to two Rowe students, Jaime Cobblah for advocating for a calm, peaceful and updated teachers’ lounge. With funds from a donors choose grant and some PTO funds, the room was completely transformed into a warm, inviting space that is actively used to eat, hold team meetings, rejuvenate, etc. Staff have been bringing in snacks to share with their coworkers and fresh cut flowers to adorn the tables. If families have flowers to offer or healthy snacks or sweet treats to donate to the lounge, the staff will be forever grateful.

Sign up here to be included in the school directory organized by the PTO so that other families can contact you for carpooling, playdates, birthday party invitations, and more. Opt in on the sign up form or contact your class’s Room Parent to be included in a classroom directory as well. Please submit one form for each student.

The PTO Executive Board encourages all families to take an active interest in what is happening at the local, state, and national levels as it relates to education policy and funding. We share below an update from two Rowe parents who help interested members of the community navigate the current issues and suggest ways to get involved:

The Maine Department of Education is requesting feedback on the EPS Funding Formula, which allocates general-purpose aid for local schools. From the website:

This review will focus on recruitment, retention, salaries and benefits; property valuation as a determinant of municipal ability to pay; regional cost differences; and a comparison of other states’ mechanisms. Within these focused themes, the Maine DOE will be considering expenditure-driven components, municipal ability to pay, regional adjustments, and adjustments to the state share of the total allocation.

Educate Maine has a great primer on how Maine funds schools available here. While the formula details may be quite complicated, this is a great opportunity to share what you think should be prioritized. You can provide feedback at a listening session and learn more on the DOE website:

• September 23, 2024 from 11:30 am-1:00 pm, Zoom Link

• September 24, 2024 from 3:00 pm-4:30 pm, Zoom Link

• September 25, 2024 from 7:00 am-8:30 am, Zoom Link

• September 26, 2024 from 5:00 pm-6:30 pm, Zoom Link

• September 27, 2024 from 3:00 pm-4:30 pm, Zoom Link

If you want to learn more about the state-level funding formulate for Maine schools or other advocacy issues and opportunities , please contact Lara Rosen (lara.k.rosen@gmail.com) and Brittany Preats (brpeats@gmail.com) to be added to their advocacy-related distribution list.

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition that requires students to work together to build, write, design, perform, and above all else, work as a TEAM to solve a problem within set parameters. Students are required to accomplish this goal entirely independent from adult help.

Rowe’s OM, parent-led club for fourth and fifth graders will begin their third year this fall. Registration is open from now until Friday, 11/1, with teams formed by Friday, 11/15.

Rowe celebrated two winning teams in 2023, and 2024, and is looking forward to growing our program even more. This program cannot run without parent coaches, please consider coaching a team, we’re here to help you get started!

Visit the PTO website to register, for more information about the program, or email roweodyssey@gmail.com if you have questions.

Mad Science is running an afterschool program at Rowe on Wednesday afternoons. We understand that spots may still be available! Children will make gooey slime, experiment with different reactions and learn to use the tools that chemists use. At the end of every class, they take home an educational toy that extends the learning experience! Learn more here.

Join the parent-led Rowe Bike Bus on Friday mornings. We leave at 8:15 am from Wayside Street and Ludlow Avenue, picking up kids along the way. You will need: your own bike, a helmet, and a bike lock.

If you don’t live along the Bike Bus route but still want to join, meet us at the beginning of the route!
Contact Meg Farrell to join - 207-318-1264. We are looking for parent volunteers to ride with us!

Have an idea for an event? ! Submit an event application here to detail your idea and let the PTO know how we can support you.

Want to start a student group or club? The PTO provides stipends and other support to Rowe School student clubs to help offset some of the costs for supplies and fees. Clubs, which are led by parent volunteers, must be open to all eligible Rowe students to qualify for PTO funding. If you have an idea for a student group or club that you would like to lead, please submit an application here.

Check out the Rowe PTO calendar for 2024-2025 here.

The Portland Public Schools News and Calendar for 2024-2025 is here.

Each year we raise approximately $30,000 (about $65 per student) to support classroom supplies, books, field trips, families in need, ad more.

You can help by:

Make a direct donation

Join Rowe Champions by setting up a monthly donation

Buy spirit wear

Use PTO Clynk bags for cans and bottles

Support our fundraisers