Rowe PTO News

Monday 5/6-5/10 Teacher Staff Appreciation Week

Friday - 5/10 Rowe Night Out! Sea Dogs Game

Friday - 5/10 - Rowe OM Family Karaoke Night

Friday - 5/17 - Bike to School Day

Saturday - 5/18 - Springfest

Thursday, 6/6 - Field Day

Portland Sea Dogs Vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Friday, May 10th @ 6:00pm EDT

Tickets are $6 each

Hadlock Field, 271 Park Ave, Portland, ME

fevo-enterprise.com/event/rowe24/offer

Purchase Deadline: May 3rd @ 11:59pm EDT

Save the Date - the much beloved Jump into Math night has evolved this year into Jump Into Learning Night (with an emphasis on math!).

Thursday, 5/16 is the day.

There will be fun learning activities, prizes, music, and more. See you there!

Rowe will celebrate Bike to School Day on Friday, May 17th.

We will celebrate our bike riders with festive music and stickers. Last year, our group of parent volunteers helped kids pump up tires and do other small fixes to their bikes. If this is something you’d like to help with this year, please email Nikki Anderson at n.annetteanderson@gmail.com

Enjoy a fun, family, night out and silent auction in support of our Rowe Odyssey of the Mind Technical Team on Friday, 5/10.

They placed first in their division and problem at the Northeast OM Tournament and are headed to Iowa for the World Finals.

Whether you’re a seasoned performer, or a first-time karaoke enthusiast, there’s something for everyone at this family-friendly event, in this great Portland venue.

The team will also receive special recognition for their perfect score from special guest Jason Wheeler of Maine OM. Come celebrate with them!

Purchase your tickets in advance here! Prices increase at the door, so get them now!

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is next week (May 6th to 10th) and this year we're turning up the energy with a health and fitness twist. We are planning a variety of events to show our gratitude for the incredible difference the teachers and staff at Rowe make every day!

The week will start with a Build a Bouquet morning on Monday, then continue with yoga classes, a full breakfast buffet Tuesday, a raffle of amazing health and wellness gifts, catered lunch on Thursday, and finishing with a fun Oula dance fitness class on Friday.

We need your help to make all the fun of TSAW happen!

Please see the sign up below to volunteer your time or select items for donation.

STAW: Staff & Teacher Appreciation Week (signupgenius.com)

As part of Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week, we will be chalking the walk!

Chalk the Walk with us at Rowe on Sunday, May 5th from 4-6pm.

We will have sidewalk chalk available for students and families to write sweet and encouraging messages or draw pictures for our teachers and staff to see as they walk into school Monday morning. You can also drop off your flowers and other donations on Sunday from 4-6pm.

It’s almost time for our most beloved annual community event…Springfest!

Springfest is the work of MANY volunteers and members of our community. We need YOUR help to make it happen.

Volunteer - sign up here to help with tickets, concessions, silent auction basket assembly, and more.

Donate - to our silent auction baskets. Check out our themes here. (Need link to Bianca’s Smore)

Purchase - all students will receive ten tickets upon entry to Springfest. Additional tickets are available for purchase in advance here. Get them now to avoid lines on the day of.

Get all of the details and more information on our website here.

Mr. Custeau is excited to announce the upcoming 4th & 5th grade Recess Track Events that will take place during the students' recess time. This program aims to promote physical activity and healthy competition among our students.

The Recess Track Events will be open to boys and girls in the 4th & 5th grade during their school recess time, 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm. It's a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their athleticism and sportsmanship.

Rowe is looking for volunteers to help time the events, please sign up HERE.

If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to reach out to Mr. Custeau.

Rowe’s Field Day will take place on Thursday, June 6th. This year, we have an array of exciting stations planned and each station is vital in creating a memorable and enjoyable experience for our students.

Mr. Custeau is seeking enthusiastic and responsible parents to volunteer their time to facilitate these stations. No prior experience is necessary – just a willingness to have fun and engage with our students. Whether you're a seasoned volunteer or new to the experience, we welcome your participation!

SIGN UP here if you can help!

Do you ever think, “the PTO should….” or have some ideas you’d like to help implement at Rowe? If so, we need you!

PTO Board nominations will take place at our June meeting on Monday, June 3.

Board Positions Include:

President

Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer

Community Chair

Fundraising Chair

Please let us know if you’re interested by emailing president@roweschoolpto.org

Starting this Friday, 5/3, Rowe has a new Bike Bus! If you ride your bike to school, and would like more information about the Bike Bus, or to become a parent volunteer, please contact Meg Farrell at 207-318-1264.

The Portland Public Schools (PPS) Budget process for next school year (FY2025) is continuing to move forward.

• What’s happened so far? Recently, the City Council Finance Committee approved the FY 2025 Budget that has been proposed by the PPS School Board.
• What’s next? The PPS Budget heads to the full Portland City Council for approval, and then eventually will be voted on by the public on June 11, 2024
• What can you do? The PTO encourages all Rowe families to remain engaged in the budget process. Opportunities for engagement include:

• Attend upcoming City Council meetings to provide public comment

• May 6, 2024 at 6 pm

• May 20, 2024 at 5 pm

• Submit written public comments by publiccomment@portlandmaine.gov in advance of the upcoming meeting (by noon the day before)

• Email the full City Council to express your support in the proposed budget at council@portlandmaine.gov

• Vote on June 11 - find your polling place here.

Questions? Feel free to reach out to Rowe parents Lara Rosen (lara.k.rosen@gmail.com) and Brittany Peats (brpeats@gmail.com), who have done an amazing job of keeping interested families in the loop and updated.

The Calendar Raffle was another huge success this year! Thank you to Ashley Eiler, Jay Weinberg, Katie Paye, and Jodie Ureneck for collecting our amazing prizes and coordinating the calendar! We raised more than $5,000, and were able to offer one free raffle ticket to each Rowe student and staff member thanks to the generosity of our Rowe Community. It was exciting to see the names pulled each day and hand over their winnings! Thanks for a successful fundraiser Rowe! Please check out the complete list of winners here. And thank you again to our very generous donors.

Teachers are busy planning field trips which are always fun this time of year when students have created close connections with their peers and teachers and they can celebrate together off campus. The second graders recently visited the Children’s Museum and loved being there with all their friends! The fifth grade team is heading to a Sea Dogs game this month and look forward to a final outing before they head off to middle school.

We were also able to put together “puberty packs” for each 4th grade student. Following the district-wide required curriculum unit on Puberty, the fourth graders were able to walk away with an informed sense of their growing mind and body and a kit of body wash, face soap, moisturizer, deodorant, and period products in their own zippered pouch.

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

Buy spirit wear

Use PTO Clynk bags for cans and bottles

Support our fundraisers