From the Mindfulness Committee:
If you haven't time to respond to a tug at your pants leg, your schedule is too crowded. 
~Robert Brault

Field Days Continue At Murray!
As a reminder, have your child(ren) wear a shirt in their team color, with shorts and sneakers, and bring a full water bottle that morning. Kids only, please!

The Spring Fair Is Tomorrow 11am-4pm Rain Or Shine!
All-Aboard......Take the “M” Train to the Spring Fair! There will be games, rides, prizes, arts & crafts, raffles, food and fun! Proceeds from the Fair benefit the Murray Avenue School PTA. This is THE event of the year, don't miss the "M" Train!

Buy Your Spring Fair Tickets Today and Save!
You'll get 25 tickets for $10 - a 5 ticket bonus over waiting until Saturday! Today 8:30am at the Main Entrance 3pm on the Small Playground.

Show your Murray Pride!!!
Remember to show your school spirit and have your children wear their "Take the M train" T-shirts to the Fair. They were sent home in your child's backpack earlier this week. If you didn’t order a shirt and still want one, a small selection of shirts and other great items will be available for purchase - check out the Spirit Wear table located near the ticket booth. Thanks so much for supporting our school! Questions? Contact Jill Godin (jillradding@aol.com) or Jessica Ettinger (Jessica.ettinger@gmail.com).

Bake or Buy - The Country Kitchen Needs You!
We need cookies, cupcakes, brownies, Rice Krispie treats and other goodies to make our Country Kitchen a success. You can bake at home or buy! Drop-off items Fri, May 10 from 2:30-4pm in the small cafeteria. Please label as 'includes nuts' or 'nut free'.
  
Bake or Buy Round Two - The Cake Walk Needs Cakes!!
The Cake Walk always stands out as one of the most popular events at Murray's Spring Fair, and we want this year to be no exception. Please consider baking or buying a cake or two to contribute to the fun. Why not try a family project where everyone decorates a cake for the event, or even a cake-decorating playdate with a group of your child's friends? The more sprinkles and colored frosting, the better! Drop off your cakes on Fri, May 10 from 2:30 - 4:30pm in the small cafeteria.

Pave The Way – Purchase A Brick and Help Our Garden Grow!
A School Garden is coming to Murray Avenue next year, and we need your support to help make this project a reality! To support the building and maintenance of the Garden, members of our school community – past, present, and future – can purchase engraved personalized bricks, which will be used to create a beautiful pathway throughout the Garden.  Come see the booth at the Spring Fair for more about the Garden. To buy a personalized brick, click Pave The Way - Purchase A Brick For Murray Ave.  Contact Yvette Hammel at yhammel@gmail.com for more information.

Walk to School Week Is Next Week; Volunteers Needed!!
Get ready to lace up your sneakers and walk to Murray Ave starting this Mon, May 13.  Check your children's backpacks today for a bright orange card. Walkers bring this card with them to school each morning and look for parent volunteers (and balloons) along Murray Avenue and Daymon Terrace to receive a stamp for participating. Students who walk to school all 5 mornings turn in their orange cards outside their classroom on Fri, May 17 to be entered into a raffle. We still need volunteers to stamp cards from 8:30-8:50am each morning that week.  Please contact Emily Levine (emily_levine@yahoo.com), Danicia Ambron (danicia@mindspring.com), or Jennifer Tomkiel (jennifer.tomkiel@gmail.com). Thank you in advance for your help in making WTSW both fun and successful.

Coming Soon - 1st Grade Science Workshops
On May 13 and 20, the first graders will participate in 'Kinetic Contraption' classroom workshops presented by Stepping Stones Museum.  Stepping Stones Museum educators will lead each class in an interactive inquiry-based workshop that complements the science curriculum.  The first graders will use balls, ramps and blocks to explore different forms of energy, force and motion.  Working in groups, they will build a system of kinetic components that create a chain reaction event.  This program is co-sponsored by the PTA Science Activities committee. Questions, please contact Wendy Raso at wmraso@gmail.com.

“Thinking Differently About Learning” Featuring Special Guest Speaker David Flink
4th Graders (and older) and their parents are invited to join us for a unique family evening Mon, May 13 at 7:00pm, MHS McLain Auditorium.
 
Diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD at a young age, David Flink struggled through much of his pre-college education feeling hopeless and left out of education as a whole. In 1998, David co-founded Eye to Eye, a national mentoring movement. Since then, Eye to Eye has grown to include 51 chapters in 19 states. With every speech, David gives young people a sense of how to overcome challenges in life and have the courage to overcome personal obstacles. Learn more at:
www.eyetoeyenational.org or www.facebook.com/eyetoeyenational.

Dr Shaps will introduce the event and MHS students will participate. The event is sponsored by: Mamaroneck School District, MHS PTA, Hommocks PTA, Central School PTA, Chatsworth PTA, Murray Avenue PTA, Mamaroneck Avenue PTA and SEPTA in partnership with Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities.

Save the Date!!! 'Wonder' Author Event Mon, May 20
All 5th - 8th graders across the Larchmont-Mamaroneck School District are invited and encouraged to attend a grade-wide literary event Mon, May 20 at 7:15pm in the Hommocks Auditorium.
 
RJ Palacio –Author of Wonder

5th grade students will be reading excerpts from the book in class and library prior to the event. The goal is to bring together the students for a grade-level discussion prior to entering Hommocks in the Fall.

Books will be on sale at the event and we will have an author signing! This event is being co-sponsored by PT Council, Central PTA, Chatsworth PTA, Mamaroneck Avenue PTA, Murray Avenue PTA and SEPTA.

May 21 Is A BIG Day – View New Library Resources, Get A Head Start On Summer Reading Lists and Vote For the Budget
Join Librarian Pam Tannenbaum on Tues, May 21 from 9:15-9:45 am in the Library, and then take time to vote. Our current school calendar was made when 85% of American families were farmers. Children were needed for planting and harvest. Today less than 3% of families are farmers yet we still have our summer vacation. This is a wonderful time for Murray Children to do exciting new things or just relax with friends and family. It has been proven that children learn best when instruction and reading are continuous, however, instruction does not stop at the classroom door!
 
There are so many ways to keep your child's mind active over the summer. Come and see -

• The Mamaroneck School District's summer reading list (no required titles!);
• Our library website with ebooks provided by the School's Foundation;
• Free library resources;
• And (while you are in the building), vote for the budget!!

VOTE for the Mam’k Schools Budget & Board Trustees on Tues, MAY 21!
Our PTA has voted to endorse the School District Budget for 2013-14.  To learn about the budget, click here. Please mark your calendars to vote on May 21st right here at Murray.  

• If you are registered to vote in New York, you may vote on the Budget and election of school board trustees. 
• If you need to register, a special voter registration day will be held on Weds, May 15, in Room N101 at MHS from 7-10am and 4-8pm.  
• If you expect that you will not be available to vote in person on May 21, you may vote by absentee ballot. Absentee ballots are due in the office of the District Clerk by 5 pm Tues, May 21. click here for an absentee ballot application.
• The last day to obtain an absentee ballot, if it is to be mailed to the voter, is May 14 by 4pm
• The last day to obtain an absentee ballot, if it is to be picked up in person, is May 20 by 4pm.

Help Make Murray More Beautiful!
The Beautification Committee is pleased to invite all students and parents to take part in our annual Beautification Day 2013!  The event will take place on Tues, May 21 at 3pm, beginning at the Main Entrance. We all love our school and take pride in its appearance, so please consider giving us 30 or 60 minutes of your time to help us pick weeds and pick up trash.  Rain date is Thurs, May 23.
 
Incoming Kindergarten Meeting Tues, May 21 at 7pm
Parents of incoming Kindergarten students, please join Principal Monaco and the Kindergarten teachers to hear about the Kindergarten experience. The teachers will present the curriculum and a "day in the life" of a kindergartener. There will also be time to answer all of your questions. Please contact Michele Metsch (michele@metschnet.com) or Nancy Zang (nancyzang@gmail.com) for more information.

Healthy Byte: Dare Scares
Kids always love dares and challenges. Talk to your kids about these seemingly harmless games.  X-rays of things ingested by kids and teens - often after dares and trying to do tricks - have shown bottle tops, rocks, soda can tops, and so on. Now there seems to be another slew of dares that kids might not think are dangerous. They use common foods or water, but can cause a lot of harm, and even death, in some unfortunate cases. Check out  Every Day Health - Risky Behaviors. For questions and comments email Juna Bobby: jbobbymd@gmail.com.

Thanks of the Week
The Science Fair Committee extends its deepest gratitude to Ms Monaco & Ms Soler, for their support; Deb Garriola and Sue Valenti, for dealing with all of our logistics and packages; the custodial staff, for a tremendous amount of cheerful work; our volunteers, who made the Fair happen; Mamaroneck HS Original Science Research students who served as judges and terrific role models; the Murray students; STEM Alliance, for their support of science education; SEPTA, for the Science Book Fair; and Kids for World Health, especially Ms Finn, for the pizza.

Link To PAWS For News
Be sure to read the news from Principal Monaco and all about things going on in our community by clicking on the PAWS link, above.