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The Hastings Green Team will share a weekly Green Tip! Tip #6: Black Earth, who takes the lunchtime compost from Hastings, also picks up at your home, for an annual fee of $99. Visit | November 20, 2019In this Bulletin
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPALThe Lexington community as a whole is looking at race, ethnicity, bias, “ismsâ€, and how our own background culture impacts how we treat others. At Hastings, one initiative is being spearheaded by our counselor Celeste Freeman who is facilitating learning about our diversity as she visits classrooms across the grade levels. The Skin Tone Project provides openings for children to consider the color of their skin and of their classmates, and to recognize the surface level of skin tone and separate it from the deep level of who we are; what we bring to relationships and what we can learn from one another. Ms. Freeman starts by reading the children’s book Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o. Sulwe tells the story of a child who is unhappy about the dark color of her skin. The lesson Nyong’o shares is one of celebrating what is inside each of us. After reading and discussing the book, children look at a variety of skin tone paint chips, then select one that most closely matches their skin tone and makes a hand print using that color paint. The conversations generated by the project gives us a window into what children are thinking and how they feel about skin color. This is one way to encourage open, honest discussions among students, and offer explicit lessons regarding race and ethnicity, respect and human dignity. November is National American Indian Heritage month. National Museums, local organizations, and the Hastings School join in recognizing the contributions of Indigenous People to the history and heritage of our country. The Thanksgiving holiday gives each one of us time to consider where we come from, what we learned about the native people who inhabited this land, and what we can do today to shift the incomplete and often false narratives we learned as we raise our children. Wherever you are during the school holiday, I wish you and your family special time together to share traditions that are meaningful to you.
Hastings News Square 1 Art Fundraiser Deadline for online orders is Friday, November 22 at midnight. Celebrate your Hastings student's artistic talents with gifts from Square 1 Art! All students have received personalized catalogs, showcasing their artwork and the many products available for purchase. Water bottles, tote bags and mugs are popular gifts for the artist and for family members. Get a jump start on your holiday shopping and support Hastings in the process. The more you buy, the more our school earns. If we are able to reach our participation goal of 45%, we receive an even higher profit percentage, so every purchase counts! All products will go home with students by Monday, December 16th. Please email squareone@hastings-pto.org if you have any questions.  Frank Pepe Pizza Fundraiser - Thursday, December 12 Don’t cook your kids lunch or dinner on Thursday, December 12th. Order some take out or go to FrankPepe’s in the Burlington Mall for some awesome pizza! (there's reserved parking right in front for take out customers - Open 11am-10pm). All friends, family and supporters of Hastings Elementary School are invited to participate in this fundraising event. Please bring this flyer or simply mention Hastings Elementary School and 25% of your purchase will be donated to the Hastings PTO! If you have questions, please email: vp-fundraising@hastings-pto.org Acknowledgements
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Thank you to all who collected donations for UNICEF. Your donation went towards children in need worldwide. If you have any questions or there are any outstanding donations, please email unicef@hastings-pto.org. Upcoming EventsHastings Multicultural Potluck Date: TONIGHT - Wednesday, November 20 Time: 6:15-8:15pm Location: Hastings School The Hastings Multicultural Potluck is a fun annual event where we all get to celebrate the diverse cultural background of the Hastings community. In addition to a potluck dinner, the event will include the opportunity to visit cultural booths, watch/participate in a Parade of Many Cultures and a multicultural performance. (If you prefer to dine at home, you can still join for the rest of the event.) Festive/cultural attire is appreciated. All types of food welcome (pizza, take-out and macaroni and cheese included) but due to allergies at Hastings, please be sure that your dish does NOT contain any nuts, nut products, nut oils, etc. or shellfish. RSVP here with number of participants and preferred seating time (don’t worry if something changes in the last moment - you can switch times or come without an RSVP, but getting a rough idea will help us plan). https://forms.gle/oqxzDvnPKmPSoXJ89 Volunteers needed - If you are available to assist with event set up (5-6:15pm) and/or clean-up (8:15-8:45pm) please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080C4CADAF2FAB9-multicultural or if you would like to host a cultural booth, please write to us at potluck@hastings-pto.org. Hastings Spirit Wear will be available for purchase! Items for sale will include winter hats, sweatpants, Camelback water bottle, long sleeve Hastings t-shirt and Hastings high legged socks!
Early Literacy Coffee with the Literacy Specialists Date: THIS WEEK - Friday, November 22 Time: 8:15-9:00am Location: Hastings Library Join the literacy specialists, Dr. Reinhart, Miss Muzyka, and Ms. Densmore, to learn about what early literacy learning looks like in Lexington Public Schools and what you can do to support your student at home. If you have questions please email Ms. Densmore at adensmore@lexingtonma.org.  Hastings Parents' Night Out Date: Thursday, December 5 Time: 7:30-9:30pm Location: il Casale Lexington (1727 Mass Ave.) Stop by to celebrate the holiday season with old Hastings friends, and make some new Hastings friends! Light appetizers will be served. Please contact Christine with any questions at vp-planning@hastings-pto.org.
PTO Meeting with Superintendent Julie Hackett Date: Tuesday, December 10 Time: 7-8:30pm Location: Hastings School Please mark your calendars for the next general meeting on Tuesday, December 10th. We will be joined by Superintendent Julie Hackett, who will speak about the Lexington Public School District and answer any questions you may have. Please look out for an opportunity to rsvp soon. Babysitting will be provided. If you have questions, please email president@hastings-pto.org. School CommitteeRedistricting Hearing #4:
Upcoming Meetings:
All meetings are at 7pm in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room (1625 Mass. Ave.) unless otherwise noted. Full schedule is posted on the town website. Redistricting information & Timeline October 1: Redistricting Announcement Proposed Redistricting Recommendations were presented to the School Committee on October 1 for review. More information is available in the School Committee Packet and Redistricting Update Website (now with searchable maps). October 15: Redistricting Update
October 16 and 24: School Committee Hearings #1 & #2
October 31: Superintendent Dr. Julie Hackett sent out this letter Redistricting Letter - Oct 31, 2019 outlining a revised timeline for LPS Redistricting.
November 5: School Committee Meeting
November 18: School Committee Hearing #3
November 19: Letter from the Superintendent
Please note: The central place for information on redistricting is the Redistricting Updates section of the LPS website. There is also an online form to submit comments. School Committee Liaisons Upcoming Month's Calendar
Community EventsPlease see this link to view the latest Community Events. These events are announced through the PTA Presidents' Council (PPC). Community Events are also emailed out to the Hastings Families Google Group approximately twice a week. Other members of the Hastings Community are welcome to post to the group as well by sending an email to hastingsfamilies@googlegroups.com.
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