March 1--5 Transition Week: grade 8 to 9
March 3 Progress Reports and
Newsletters Distributed
March 3 E.H.S.Evening Open House for 8th graders and parents
March 4 Half-Day: Prof. Development
March 10--12 Freshmen Preregistration for E.H.S. at W.B.M.S.
March 17 Fine Arts Showcase 6--- 9:30pm
March 19 Band Concert
March 19 Dance sponsored by TIO
March 22-- MCAS Testing: ELA
April 12 Reading Comprehension (grade 7 begins on March 24)

March 26 Half-Day: Parent-Teacher Conferences
March 26 Recycle Club Assembly
March 31 Third Quarter Grades Close: Deadline for Newsletter Articles

April 02 No School: Good Friday
April 12 Report Cards and Newsletter Distributed
April 14 Field Trip Grade 7/8 Green
April 19 No School: Patriots Day
April 20--23 No School: Spring Break

May 03 Half-Day: Prof. Devel.
May 4 WSC Trip for 8th Graders
May 10--27 MCAS Testing: Mathematics
May 11--27 MCAS Testing: Science & Tech

Families whose children currently receive Supplementary Educational Services should expect a phone call from the White Brook S.E.S. coordinator during the month of March to conduct a survey about services your child or children are currently receiving. This survey will take only a few minutes.

We wish to thank all members of the White Brook Community for their ongoing support of our school district’s month-long project to benefit the Haiti relief effort. Donations of children’s vitamins, non-aspirin pain relief products, and antibiotic ointments have been collected from participating students and other members of our school community. These items will be brought to Haiti at the end of March by Dr. Mark Bigda of Easthampton, who makes two trips to Haiti annually in conjunction with Mustard Seed Missions. Mrs. Szalankiewicz, Mrs. Kozera, and Mrs. Tenczar, our community liaison, have been working tirelessly with Peer Leaders to manage this project. Everyone has enjoyed the “perks” for those who have donated to the cause. We loved Hat Day and Slipper Day in February, drawings for certificates for the lunchroom, and school-wide weekly drawings for $25.00 gift certificates to the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside.

Last month’s newsletter incorrectly listed Sam Brodeur as the grand prize winner in the Recycle Club’s raffle. The winner of the “A Day at the Movies” certificate was Katherine Zdonek.

W.B.M.S. students and faculty appreciate the generosity of the following people who volunteered to speak to our students during Career Motivation Week:

special thanks to W.B.M.S. guidance counselor Anne Marie Zanfagna for organizing this event which has always been an inspiration to our students.

We would like to thank members of TIO for the assembly they presented on February 26th. TIO stands for “Talk It Out” and is also known as Peer Mediators. This group includes 22 students and the following staff members: Ms. Balise, Mr. Weinberg, and Ms. Zanfagna. All participants are trained mediators who are available to help staff and students resolve conflicts and improve their working relationships. You can get to the root of any problem by enlisting their help to “talk it out”. Just contact one of the mediators for more details.

Please check your payment schedule. The final payment is due in March. We will be having a big meeting in May to clarify all trip details and answer questions you may have. It’s an exciting time and we look forward to seeing everyone!

Food Items: Put food into the plastic-lined trash can in your classroom or into the trash barrel in the cafeteria
Empty Bottles,Cans, and Milk Cartons:
Put them into the hallway bins that are marked for that purpose or into the recycle bin in the cafeteria.
Paper: Only paper goes into the bright blue recycle bins in the classrooms.

Please contact your homeroom representative if you wish to order a yearbook, or go to Whitebrook.org and click on Josten’s to purchase one on-line.