What’s new with the Hastings PTO

October 2, 2019

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

View this week’s message from Hastings Principal Louise Lipsitz.

Hastings News

Harvest Run Thank You
Thank you to EVERYONE who helped make this year’s 10th Annual Hastings Harvest 5K Run/Walk a great event! Approximately 525 people registered for the race and there were close to 575 total in attendance between registrants and volunteers. Final numbers aren’t in yet, but we are fairly certain that the total amount raised for Hastings somewhere around $11,000! 
A HUGE thank you to this year’s Harvest Run Team: 
Sharon Musto – co-Director, Registrations, T-shirts, Volunteer Coordinator
Krishna Pulakhandam – co-Director, Course Logistics
Patrick Farrell – Sponsor Solicitations
Kim Ryan – Post-Race Party Coordinator
Mahesh Kulkarni – Communications & Marketing
Shankar Venkateswaran – Course Logistics

Special thanks to Nicola Rinaldi for keeping the event GREEN; to Liz Lin and Anita Kirmani for helping with Post-Race Party organization on race day; to Sarah Conrad for helping with race bag prep, race day set up, and helping to organize our high school volunteers; to Dan Strollo for transporting the tables and registration items to and from Hastings and for setting up/picking up the cones & barricades; to Greg Carr, Marshia Loucks, Sascha Lamstein, and Soumya Rajaram for overseeing the registration table; to Andre Toro-Martins for taking BEAUTIFUL photos of the day (stay tuned for a link to see them), and to the MANY volunteers who helped make the race a success: Meredith Applegate, Heather Baker Nielsen, Aleena Banerji, Beth Bristol, Colleen Gallagher, Katie & Brian Herrick, Jessica Hess, Jessica Holt-Carr, Courtney Horvath, Priti Kapoor, Carrie & Frank Klemovitch, Sheethal Kundoor, Saskia Lachowitz, Grace Lee, Ali Lynch, Sean Bridgeo, Venkata Mungara, Shivani Munjal, Kanchana Padyana, James Pan, Robyn Piasecki, Rachel Segaloff, Radika Shankar, Hyunjoo Song, Satya Sudireddy, Liz Sullivan, Phoebe Tian, Julia Weng, Xiaorong Yang, Sarah Zhai, Jean Zhang, and the 40+ High School and Middle School volunteers.

Finally, thank you to the MANY Hastings (and former Hastings) Heroes for helping to assemble bags, distribute bags/t-shirts, set up and take down tables, set up and clean up on race day, hand out water and medals to racers, manage water tables, and cheer on racers! 

Ultimately, we are thankful for EVERYONE who participated in any way and helped make the Annual Hastings Harvest 5K Run/Walk an event not to be missed. Watch for next year’s 11th Annual Run date to be announced soon!

Harvest Run Sponsors
The Hastings PTO asks that you join us in thanking the following sponsors for supporting this year’s Harvest Run:
PLATINUM (cash/donation of $1000+): Agility Orthopedics, Levine Orthodontics, Dunkin’ Donuts (Riverside Management Group)
GOLD (cash/donation of $500+): Coppe + Sears Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, Maragal Medical, Chase Plumbing Co., delSur, Red Heat Tavern, Bertucci’s, foTees Design & Screen Print
SILVER (cash/donation of $250+): DCU: Digital Federal Credit Union, Capstone Mortgage Company, Inc., Russian School of Mathematics, Barrett Sotheby’s International Realty, The Math Club, Tricon Sports Inc., Wicked Bagel, Buffalo Wild Wings, Andre Toro Photography
BRONZE (cash/donation of $100+): Empow Studios, Glynn Physical Therapy, Lexington Dental Associates, Cambridge Savings Bank, Pure Barre, Wegmans, Stop & Shop, Lexington Graphics
CONTRIBUTORS (cash/donation up to $100): PRIME – Your Trusted Butcher, Neillio’s, Wilson Farms, Frank Pepe Pizza, The Chateau, Costco, Starbucks, Rancatore’s Ice Cream and Yogurt, Qdoba

Winners of 10th Annual Hastings Harvest 5K Run/Walk
Congratulations to this year’s winners:

Male Female
Overall Timocin Pervane Yvonne Green
Kindergarten Oscar Baker Nielsen Bella Myers
1st Grade Benjamin McPhee Alexandra Wang
2nd Grade Mahir Syed & Yoonjae Suh Saina Joshi
3rd Grade Lucas Waller Elizabeth Roell
4th Grade Rohan Banerji Jane Conrad
5th Grade Eli Selsky & Soham Padyana Emma Xu
Faculty Jarett Piette Rebecca DeSantis
10 and Under Baylen Fuselier Sofia Mikek
11 to 15 Cormac Dowgert Asha Banerji
16 to 19 None Olivia Sahagian
20 to 29 Christopher Chinman Kelly Stratford
30 to 39 Hadrien Delande Liz Mettetal
40 to 49 Suresh Joshi Robyn Piasecki
50 to 59 Gerry Brennan Marsha Hogan
60 to 69 Craig Mercier Kathy Kozul
70 to 79 Kenton Griffis Kathleen Vandiver
80 and Over Edw. S. Ginsberg None
Signup for Destination Imagination
Lexington Destination Imagination (DI) Teaches creativity and problem solving for kids. Registration for the 2019-2020 DI season closes in early October. Click here to register. Destination Imagination is a global organization with a fun, hands-on system of learning that fosters students creativity, courage and curiosity through open-ended academic Challenges. Participants learn patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others, and the collaborative problem-solving process. Teams of five to seven kids work to solve their chosen Challenge and then showcase their solutions at a tournament in March 2020.
For more information please email LexingtonMAdi@gmail.com.
Join the Hastings Math Olympiad Team!
Motivated 4th & 5th graders who are not participating in Math Olympiad through another math enrichment program are welcome to join the Hastings Math Team. Registration cost is $50. There is a limit of 25 students. Priority registration will be given to students with a parent who volunteers for at least 2 meeting dates based on first come, first serve sign up.

Math Olympiad test dates are Nov 12, Dec 10, Jan 14, Feb 11 and March 1. Tests will be administered on those dates before school at Hastings. There will be 2-3 practice sessions prior to each test, held on Tuesday mornings before school on non- test weeks. Dates TBA.

If you have any questions, please email: matholympiad@hastings-pto.org

Food Drive for Lexington Food Pantry – Thank you!

Thanks to everyone for your donations of cereal and oatmeal!  Parents and students at each elementary school in Lexington teamed up to restock the Lexington Food Pantry with cereal and oatmeal, canned beans, boxed pasta, canned tuna, mac & cheese, canned fruits and vegetables! Check out the Food Pantry Facebook Page for photos!

PTO Open Positions

The following positions are still open! We need parents like you to help to fill the following roles:

  • Math Olympiad: one 5th grade parent (4th grade position filled)
  • School Committee Liaisons
  • Green Team Co-Chair

Please email vp-planning@hastings-pto.org for more information or to offer your help.

Upcoming Events

Playground Meet-Up for New and Returning Families

Date: Friday, October 18 (note date change)
Time: 3:30-5:00pm
Location: Center Playground (between the high school and tennis courts) 

Hosted by the Welcome Committee, come join us for an informal playground meet-up after school on Friday, October 18th from 3:30-5:00pm.  Now that school is well underway, and classmates’ faces are no longer so new, we invite new and returning Hastings families to reconnect on the Center playground.  Grab a buddy and come join the fun! Please email welcome@hastings-pto.org if you have questions. 

Community Meeting: Update on the Building Project

Date: Tuesday, October 22nd
Time: 7:00-8:00pm
Location: Hastings Cafeteria

Head of the Department of Public Facilities Mike Cronin will facilitate the conversation including the topics below.  There will be time for questions.  

  • Drop off/pick up traffic pattern changes as of February 2020 after moving into the new building
  • Student experience February-June 2020 with the tearing down of the old building
  • Summer 2020 work on the site
  • Final traffic pattern for the start of school in August 2020

Hastings Halloween Party

Date: Friday, October 25
Time: 6:30-8:30pm
Location: Hastings School

The 5th Graders and their families encourage you to SAVE THE DATE and plan on attending what will be the most legendary event of the year!  Count on Goblins and Games for all ages, crafts, food, baked goods and a few surprises! 5th Graders and Parents of 5th Graders: Please keep an eye out for sign up opportunities to volunteer (This event funds 5th grade activities and all are encouraged to volunteer).

Hastings Multicultural Potluck

Date: Wednesday, November 20
Time: 6:15-8:15pm
Location: Hastings School

The Hastings Multicultural Potluck is an annual event where families, teachers and staff from the Hastings community gather together to enjoy delicious food from around the world, visit Cultural Activity Booths created by students/families, enjoy entertainment, and celebrate our school community’s rich diversity. Please plan to join us for this fun event.

We are actively seeking volunteers interested in sponsoring Cultural Activity Booths (either your own, or another culture you want to learn more about) and performers for our multicultural show (Hastings parents/students/friends are welcome). Please contact potluck@hastings-pto.org if you are interested in either of these opportunities.

For more information please visit: http://hastings-pto.org/multicultural-potluck/

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 Committee

Upcoming Meetings:

  • Tuesday, October 15 (Regular meeting)

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 Hearings:

  • Wednesday 10/16 at 9am
  • Thursday 10/24 at 6pm

All hearings will be held in the Estabrook Hall Meeting Room at Cary Memorial Hall (1605 Massachusetts Ave.).   

There is also an online form to submit comments. 

October 1st School Committee Meeting Update – Redistricting Announcement

Proposed Redistricting Recommendations were presented to the School Committee on October 1 for review. All of the 6 Elementary Schools and the 2 Middle Schools will be impacted by these proposed changes, and Hastings will grow from 439 students to 646 students. More information is available in the School Committee Packet and Redistricting Update Website (now with searchable maps).

Please note: All questions about redistricting can be sent to president@hastings-pto.org. We will send a message to Superintendent Julie Hackett who will answer questions. There is also an online form to submit comments in addition to the hearings listed above. 

School Committee Liaisons
We are still looking for additional school committee liaisons. Consider being a school committee liaison by attending or watching the School Committee meetings remotely and sharing news relevant to the Hastings community in this section of the weekly bulletin. With 3-4 parents participating the commitment would be one two-hour long meeting approximately every two months. Contact Christine at vp-planning@hastings-pto.org if you are interested!

 Upcoming Month’s Calendar

10/14 Monday – NO School – Holiday – Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day
10/15 Tuesday 7pm School Committee Meeting
10/16 Wednesday 9am Redistricting Hearing #1
10/18 Friday 3:30 – 5:30pm Welcome Committee After School Playground Meet up – Center Playground
10/23 & 10/24 Wednesday – Thursday 12:15pm dismissal both days Parent-Teacher Conferences
(Babysitting Available)
10/22 Tuesday 7-8pm Community Meeting – Building Update with Mike Cronin
10/24 Thursday 6pm Redistricting Hearing #2
10/25 Friday 8:55 – 9:25am All School Meeting
10/25 Friday 6:30 – 8:30pm Halloween Party
10/27  – Diwali (school in session)
10/30-10/31 Wednesday – Thursday 12:15 pm dismissal both days Parent-Teacher Conferences
(Babysitting Available)
11/5 Tuesday 7pm School Committee Meeting
11/8
Friday		 NO School – Professional Development Day
11/11 Monday NO School – Holiday – Veterans’ Day
11/14 Thursday  7 – 8:15pm Perfectly Puzzled (formerly Math Night)
11/15 Friday 8:55 – 9:25am All School Meeting
11/19 Tuesday 6pm* School Committee Meeting (Boston)
11/20 Wednesday 6:15 – 8:15pm Multicultural Potluck
11/27 Wednesday 12:15 pm Early Dismissal for All Students
11/28-11/29 Thursday – Friday – NO School – Thanksgiving Break
12/3 Tuesday 7pm School Committee Meeting

Community Events

Please see this link to view the latest Community Events.  These events are announced through the PTA Presidents’ Council. 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.