Rowe PTO News

• 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
• Tuesday, 11/12-Wednesday, 11/13: Conferences
• Tuesday, 11/12-Wednesday, 11/13: Online Book Fair with Back Cove Books
• Sunday, 11/24, 1:00: Rowe Day at Maine Celtics Game + 50/50 raffle

Rowe’s largest fundraiser of the year, the Walk-A-Thon is happening on Friday, October 25th. We’ve set a goal to raise $15,000 and walk/run 500 collective laps! Every donation from family, friends, neighbors and community members makes a difference. This is a super fun day for the kids and Rowe Community alike!

Want to join in on the fun?

• Donations can be made by following the link roweschoolpto.org/walkathon or send in cash or check in your child’s Walk-A-Thon packet by 10/25.

• Volunteers can sign up during their child’s class time here: https://shorturl.at/WvFFB

Students should wear their Rowe River Otter T-shirts, sneakers or comfortable shoes, and be dressed for outside weather.

Join us for our October PTO general meeting on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at 6:00 p.m.

We will gather in the Rowe library. We will have snacks available, as well as free childcare for school-aged children. We will hear from Assistant Vice Principal Melissa Richard and Dr. Julianne Opperman, the District 3 representative to the Portland Public School Board.

If you can’t make it in person, join us by Zoom.

Join us for Family Science Night in the Rowe cafeteria. Future teachers from the University of New England have put together a fun, hands on science fair for Rowe students!

This is a FREE event and transportation is available! If you need transportation, please email secretary@roweschoolpto.org

Get your holiday shopping done early while supporting Rowe and a local business! We will be hosting an online book fair this year on November 12 and 13th with Back Cove Books, located in Woodfords Corner. A percentage of the proceeds will go towards a store credit for Rowe teachers and staff to purchase books for their classrooms. Stay tuned for more details.

Join us for Rowe day at the Maine Celtics basketball game on Sunday, November 24, 2024, at 1:00 pm! Purchase tickets here: Rowe School Night Out! (fevo-enterprise.com).

Every ticket purchased receives a free Maine Celtics hat!

**Call for Volunteers: Help Us Sell 50/50 Raffle Tickets!**

We're looking for 2-6 enthusiastic volunteers to assist with selling 50/50 raffle tickets during the game. This is a fantastic opportunity to support the Rowe School PTO while enjoying an exciting game!

If you're interested in volunteering, please sign up here: volunteers: Maine Celtics Rowe 50/50 Raffle (signupgenius.com). Volunteers should arrive by **11:45 AM** for a brief training session on selling raffle tickets.

Join us for a fun day supporting our school community! Thank you for your help!

Do you get dressed? Do you talk to people? Have you used an iPad or iPhone before?

Then you are have the exact skill set needed to sell spritwear during conferences in November. We will have a new shipment of Rowe spiritwear to sell including adult crewneck sweatshirts, t-shirts, and winter hats.

Sign up for a one hour shift here (or two)

Looking to get involved and help your child’s teacher?

The following classes don’t yet have a Room Parent!:

• Levesque (K)
• Gellar (2nd)
• Bufano (3rd)
• Chepke (4th)
• Feigenbaum(5th)
• Soules (5th)

Plus, there are additional spaces for co-Room Parents in all grades.

The time commitment is only 2-4 hours per month. Sign up here

Questions? Email Jess Hsu at vicepresident@roweschoolpto.org

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!

Are you looking to connect with other families for playdates, party invites, or carpools? Look no further than the Rowe School Directory! Information is organized by Teacher Last Name and will be updated regularly.

Want to be included? There's still time to sign up! When you, don’t forget to consent to having your information shared in the School Directory. You can also opt in to the class directory organized by Room Parents too!

For updates to your information, email vicepresident@roweschoolpto.org

If you’ve been to the Rowe playground this year, you may notice a brand new fence behind the swings and monkey bars! In collaboration with Rowe administration, the City of Portland Parks and Recreation, and Portland Public Schools, the PTO was able to get the fence approved and funded to provide a safe and defined space to our playground.

One of our favorite activities of the year is handing out the classroom stipends to teachers in the school. With the robust fundraising efforts and generosity of our Rowe community last year, we were able to hand out $100 cash to our teachers! The Kindergarten team and 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Orcutt, were so very appreciative they even agreed to snapping a photo 🙂

Registration for Rowe's Odyssey of the Mind is now open through Friday, November 8th!

OM 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, 11/8, 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 have great resources to help you get started and guide you through the season.

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

Join Us for the Annual Staff Cookie Extravaganza!

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, December 18th as we celebrate our dedicated staff with our beloved Cookie Extravaganza and Hot Chocolate Bar! We’re looking for 55 dozen cookies or treats to create a delightful spread, allowing each staff member to pick a dozen cookies as a heartfelt holiday thank you. We will also have a hot beverage station available.

We invite you to dust off your favorite recipe or grab some treats from your favorite local bakery—whatever works best for you! Let's show our incredible staff just how much we appreciate all they do.

How You Can Help:

• Sign Up: Please use this link to indicate if you can bring cookies and/or hot chocolate supplies, or if you’d like to assist with setup or cleanup: Cookie Extravaganza Sign up
  
  

• Variety Matters: We have staff members with various dietary needs, including vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and peanut allergies. Your contributions will help us ensure everyone can enjoy the treats!
  
  

• Comment: When you sign up, kindly note what you’re bringing to help us avoid duplicates. Here is a wishlist on Amazon for ideas: Hot Chocolate Bar wishlist

Thank you for helping us make this celebration special for our amazing staff!

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

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