Friday begins the February holiday break for students and staff at Erving Elementary School. The school will resume its classes on February 27, a Monday. During this vacation week, President’s Day is celebrated on the third Monday in February. George Washington, the first President of the United States, is honored with a federal holiday around his birthdate, which is officially February 22. Generally, school vacation is scheduled around this important holiday.

Here are some important facts about George Washington:

• When George was 20 years old, he inherited the family estate, Mount Vernon in Virginia.

• George’s farm was approximately 8,000 acres

• Married Martha also was a wealthy landowner who owned 18,000 acres

• An exemplary slave owner who treated his slaves compassionately; gave them good clothing, fed them properly, provided for medical care when they were ill

• As a farmer he experimented with cattle breeding

• Acquired a buffalo to learn about the possibility of using it as a meat source

• Had peach and apple orchards on his land

• Washington was appointed Major General and Commander-in-Chief of the colonial forces against Great Britain.

• During the winter of 1777 at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 11,000 men Continental Army force went into winter quarters and over a six month period suffered thousands of deaths, primarily from disease. The army emerged from the winter still intact and in relatively good order.

As you can clearly see, George Washington was visionary in his thinking before he became the first President of the United States.

This past Saturday five staff members; Ms. Bridgewater, Ms. Samuels, Mr. Hines, Mrs. Mathey, and I traveled to Springfield for the second phase of the “Together We Sing” competition. We were all so thrilled with our 26 fifth and sixth grade choir who performed some of the All School Play selections. Mr. Hines accompanied them in their musical renditions. Please know all the adults present felt so very proud that our small Erving community could present a program exemplar among other schools some of whom specialize in music. We all anxiously await April 11 to learn if Erving will continue into the semi-final level. Regardless of what happens, the Erving staff knows our choir and musical department of Ms. Samuels and Mr. Hines is already a winner.

The PTO again sponsored a storyteller for all to enjoy Thursday evening. What a great time everyone had. Before that program, Ben Rubin and Jane Urban organized a parent/guardian discussion group for preschool through first grade children’s families. The intent of the discussion group was to discuss the importance of oral reading to children and language development. These opportunities to share positive working experiences among families are so valuable. Thank you to Ben and Jane for coordinating this discussion group.

When school resumes on February 27, the second trimester officially concludes. Teachers begin to prepare for upcoming conferences on March 6, 7, and 8. The School Council will have its monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 28. An important meeting for sixth grade parents/guardians will be held on Tuesday evening at 6 PM to discuss the children traveling to Hancock, New Hampshire for a Nature’s Classroom experience. Details about this field experience will be sent to each family during the vacation.

On Thursday, March 1 the school will enjoy the All School Sing experience. Later in the day, the rescheduled lockdown drill will be held at 1:30 PM.

I wish everyone a restful and enjoyable holiday break. It always is important for staff and students to have some time to simply relax before beginning the last “push” to the end of the 2011-2012 school year.

Charlene Galenski, Principal