Rowe PTO News
April, 2025
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
ROWEFEST!
RoweFest (formerly known as SpringFest) will be on Saturday, April 12, from 1-3 pm.
What is RoweFest?
A very popular annual community event where students can enjoy a wide range of fun activities!
Only Some of the Activities!
-Bounce houses and carnival games
-Concession stand with pizza, popsicles and so much more
-A fun prize tent to cash in your tickets
-Tattoo parlor and face painting by some of your favorite Rowe teachers
-A magical adventure taking place at 2pm
-Visit from the Portland Fire Department and Locker Project
-Character visits and photo opportunities (including with our very own Rocky The River Otter!)
How to Join in the Fun
We Need You!
Need a Ride?
Please view the bus schedule here.
Questions?
Contact Amy Sweeney at amyjosweeney@gmail.com
Rowe Happy Wheels Night, 5/2
Save the Date - Happy Wheels Night: Enjoy a night with the Rowe community at Happy Wheels on Friday, May 2, from 5-7pm. Open to all students, families, staff, and friends. $11 admission, includes skates. A portion of each ticket sold will come back to the PTO so we can say yes to supporting field trips, classroom supplies, student clubs, and more! Happy Wheels is at 3 Chabot St, Westbrook, ME 04092. If you would like to wear a helmet, please bring your own!
Contact Molly Hemkens (mollyhemkens@gmail.com) with any questions.
Call for Volunteers/Donations
Calendar Raffle is coming in May
What: Every day in May, we will raffle off an incredible prize of the day! Local businesses have generously donated a variety of gift certificates and experiences to support the Rowe PTO. See the prize calendar on the back of this flyer. All proceeds will go to the Rowe PTO to support classroom materials, field trips, and other enrichment activities.
When: The deadline to purchase tickets is Monday April 28th, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. All payments must be submitted by the deadline.
How to Buy Tickets: This year, we are going paperless for tickets! Calendar Raffle tickets will be sold exclusively online:
Each raffle ticket is equal to one entry for a particular day’s drawing.
If there is a specific prize you want, buy one or more tickets for that day.
Or, you can buy 31 tickets to be entered one time in each day’s drawing.
This year, we will again have a "Classroom Bundle" ticket option - $30 for 25 paper student tickets. This option allows a parent or other community member to sponsor a classroom's participation in the Calendar Raffle. Students will be able to pick between 4 particular prizes, and any extra tickets will be distributed to teachers and staff!
Ticket Pricing:
1 Ticket = $5
3 Tickets = $10*
5 Tickets = $15*
10 Tickets = $20*
30 Tickets = $40*
*For the multi-ticket packages, all tickets are for a single day’s prize. So if you purchase a 5-pack ticket package for $15, your name will be entered 5 times for the day you select.
How To Pay: When you check out online, you can pay with a credit card
or PayPal. If you cannot access tickets online, prefer to pay by cash or check,
or have other questions, please contact Melanie/Jay:
PTO Board - 2025/2026 Elections
YOU are the PTO! If you are interested in becoming more involved in the Rowe community, we encourage you to join the PTO Board! We will be nominating officers at our May 1 PTO meeting, with elections to take place at our June 11 PTO meeting. Please contact Ashley at president@roweschoolpto.org if you would like to learn more about how you can get involved! We expect to have openings on the Board in several roles.
Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week Preview
Ahoy, Mateys! Join Us for a Swashbuckling Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week!
Dates: May 5th – 9th
Theme: Pirate Adventure – “Our Teachers & Staff Are Treasured!”
Prepare to set sail on a week-long voyage filled with festivities to honor our incredible teachers and staff. To make this event a treasure trove of success, we will be seeking donations and volunteer time from our community for the following themed activities. Any non-perishable items can be dropped off at school on Sunday, May 4th between 2pm and 4pm.
Sunday, May 4th 2-4pm Chalk the Walk & Donation Drop Off
Help us decorate the teacher and staff entrances with drawings and notes of gratitude to greet them when they arrive for school on Monday morning. We’ll have chalk. If you can't make it between 2:00 - 4:00pm, feel free to visit the school and decorate the sidewalk any time on Sunday.
Monday, May 5th: Bouquet Bar
What it is: A vibrant selection of flowers for our educators to create personalized bouquets.
Seeking: Donations of fresh flowers, greenery, and new or used vases of any size. We will also need volunteers to set up the flowers and assist with the bouquet making.
Tuesday, May 6th: Breakfast Buffet
• What: A hearty morning feast to energize our crew.
Seeking: Contributions of breakfast items such as pastries, fruits, yogurt, and other morning delights. Please remember we do staff who are gluten free, diary free, and/or nut free. Thank you.
Thursday, May 8th: Hydration Station
• What: A refreshing assortment of beverages to keep our staff hydrated.
Seeking: Donations of drinks including bottled water, juices, flavored syrups, and drink mix packets.
How You Can Help:
• Donations: Sign up to donate items. Captain's Log of Volunteers
• Volunteer: Assist with setting up or managing the event stations.
Your support will ensure our teachers and staff feel valued and celebrated. Let’s come together to show our appreciation in true pirate fashion!
For questions please contact Emily Davis or Kayla Theriault at communitybuilding@roweschoolpto.org.
Thank you for helping us make this Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week an unforgettable adventure!
Announcements
Enrichment Update
Our final session of before and after-school clubs for this school year is scheduled to begin after April break!
Thank you to everyone who has participated and helped in bringing this new programming to our Rowe community. The enthusiasm has been tremendous! We plan to have many exciting club offerings throughout the next school year as well!
If you might like to volunteer to run a club in a future session, or if you have any ideas, questions or feedback, please feel free to reach out to the enrichment committee at Enrichment@roweschoolpto.org.
Rowe Champions
Support the PTO by joining our monthly giving program and becoming a Rowe Champion! The PTO provides vital funding to our teachers and staff for enrichment programming, field trips, classroom supplies, and school safety projects. As just a few examples, the PTO last year:
Helped fund the new fence at the school to improve student safety
Provided Puberty Packs for all 4th Grade Students
Funded 3d Grade field trip to Portland Ovations and Maine Wildlife Park
Funded 2d Grade field trip to the Children’s Museum and new books
Paid for supplies for 1st Grade classes to raise chicks and build bird curriculum
Sponsored the Kindergarten Passamoquody guest speaker
Please consider giving $10 per month for each student you have at Rowe, and, if you have the capacity, please consider giving an extra $10 to support another student. Become a Rowe Champion today!
Third Party News: Foundation for Portland Public Schools Spring for Teachers
The PTO is sharing the following information; note this is NOT an event sponsored by or affiliated with the Rowe PTO, Portland Public Schools, or Rowe Elementary School
Enjoy a casual evening out for adults with music, international appetizers, and a cash bar at Bunker Brewing Co. The Foundation for Portland Public Schools (FPPS) will present the second annual Distinguished Alumni Awards and share our appreciation for the staff of the Portland Public Schools.
What: A celebration of Portland teachers / fundraiser for FPPS
When: 5:00 pm–7:00 pm, Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Where: Bunker Brewing Co. 17 Westfield St Unit D, Portland
Tickets: bit.ly/SpringforTeachers2025
Support the PTO
You can help by:
Join Rowe Champions by setting up a monthly donation
Use PTO Clynk bags for cans and bottles
Support our fundraisers