• Goodbye Note from PTA Co-Presidents
• Greetings from In-coming PTA Co-Presidents
• Highlights of Amazing PTA Events in the 2023-2024 School Year
• Community Events & Activities

Fall 2019: First day of Kindergarten

I remember it felt like a punch in the gut as I stood there, waving a reassuring "You've got this!" goodbye to my 5-year-old as she followed the line of brave Kindergarteners as they marched into their new school.  

Like a zombie, I followed the crowd of parents into the cafeteria for the "First Day of School PTA Welcome Breakfast”. There I sat in the Harrington cafeteria clenching a tear-stained napkin with one hand and holding a Harrington PTA flyer with the other. The message from the Principal, Ms. Daley, and the PTA leaders was simple: get involved, as much as possible, because your child’s time here goes by quickly and you can never get it back. The idea that we had six years ahead of us in this school filled me with immediate comfort. After all, that was longer than my daughter had even been alive! We were going to be here for like...forever.

At that meeting I signed up to be a room parent, to volunteer in the library and to help with the Green Team in the cafeteria. Those simple decisions ended up being the best thing I have ever done for myself and my family. The Harrington volunteer community is a strong, caring, kind group of caregivers, and being part of this community has given back more to me than I have ever given to it.  

As my time as Harrington's PTA President comes to an end, my message to all of you today is the same message I received on the first day of school six years ago. Get involved, sign-up, chip in, and be present. You will never regret a single moment you give to this school or these kids, I promise. 

It may feel like these volunteer opportunities will be here forever, but take it from me, it goes fast. What feels like yesterday, I was watching my daughter walk into a kindergarten classroom, and in a few days, I'll be watching her walk out of the Harrington front doors for the last time.

If you'd like to learn more about all of the parent volunteer opportunities we have at Harrington, please click on this link. I promise, you won’t regret it!

Meg Tabela and Wei Ding

Harrington PTA Co-Presidents

Harry Palooza was an amazing event and it was enjoyed by all!! This was not possible without all of our dedicated volunteers and sponsors. 

Big thank you to Riddhi Shah, Maryam Ahmad and Ruchi Shah who co-led this event.

Another thank you to the core team who helped with all the tasks: Shirley Zhao, Meg Tabela, Bridget Koha, Asma Sadaf, Nicole Narang, Shefali Frampton, Wendy Ballard, Jwala Adhikari and Lori Harrington.  Thanks to you all we generated about $10,000 in profit. 

Harrington Elementary School's Little Hawks Marching Unit stole the show with their incredible spirit and enthusiasm! Led by our beloved mascot, Harry the Hawk, and Mrs. Daley, our Principal, our students showcased our school's core values of Honesty, Acceptance, Work, Kindness, and Self-Control with pride.

We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who came out to support us on Patriots' Day Afternoon Parade in Lexington, MA. Your cheers and encouragement meant the world to our students as they marched proudly, embodying unity, pride, and patriotism.

The Little Hawks truly shone as they represented our community's spirit and values with unmatched energy and dedication. We couldn't be prouder of their performance!

And once again, thank you for being a part of this incredible celebration of our school and community.

Go Little Hawks!

- Wei Ding

Harrington PTA Co-President

Teacher Appreciation Week was a great success! Each day the teachers received goodies and treats in the staff rooms & the teacher bathrooms were stocked with lovely items - thank you to all the families who donated to make this possible! On Tuesday, the teachers were treated to coffee beverages by Espresso Dave and at the end of the week, the teachers were treated to a catered lunch & ice cream truck. And thank you to all the room parents who organized daily tokens of gratitude from the students in their classrooms!

- Bridget Koha

Our annual "The Kindness Rocks Project" Night was in April! We had so many families joining us for this wonderful night that was full of kindness and positivity! It was a wonderful time to connect with other Harrington Families and everyone left with beautiful kindness rocks to share with our greater community.

- Angela Carpenter

The Science Fair on March 15 was a lot of fun. It was attended by over 50 families and we had over 70 presentations. Kids were very excited and showcased their scientific experiments to the visiting scientists with so much passion and dedication. It was so great to see such amazing young minds and their talent. We want to thank all the volunteers, visiting scientists, school staff, and PTA members, for all their support and help. 

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our esteemed judges: Sayi Abi, Sirarpi Heghinian Walzer, Stacey Simiar, Michele Pratusevich, Elisabeth Piquet, Eric Ballard, and Jeff Disko. Your exceptional guidance and infectious enthusiasm have truly inspired our students. Thank you for your invaluable contribution and for making this event a remarkable experience for everyone involved.

- Riddhi Shah

On February 27th Harrington students participated the Big Book Swap, an initiative organized by the Harrington PTA to promote literacy and the joy of reading. Students were encouraged to bring books they had finished reading and exchange them for others they hadn’t yet discovered. Thanks to the generosity of our Harrington families and staff, we collected around 1,500 books, allowing each student to take home 3-4 books!  Many students and staff dressed up as their favorite book characters—with prizes for Favorite Costume. Students also had a chance to participate in a “Name the Character” raffle, with winners and prizes handed out at the All Hawks Meeting. Thank you again to the Harrington Community for making the Book Swap a big success! 

- Colette Powell

YouTube link of the event:https://youtu.be/TInt9DyoVhM

We would like to express our appreciation to all the volunteers who contributed their time and energy to ensure the night ran smoothly. Your commitment to creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere did not go unnoticed, and it played a significant role in making the event enjoyable for everyone. Thank you for your efforts to make the event that not only celebrated our differences but also strengthened the bonds within the Harrington Elementary family. Your hard work has left a lasting positive impact, and we are grateful for the effort you put into making International Cultural Night a memorable experience for all.

Our volunteers (list may be incomplete):

Winston Novas, Cassie Dong/Andrew Parfionovas, Sam Kim (1st grade) and his parents Robert Kim/Jungim Mun, Yul Ra, Lena Ra, Yuri Lee, Jiawei Liu (Clarke), Yiling Wang, Adelynn Wei (kindergarten), Luyu Zhang, Aiden Song (Kindergarten), Yidan Guo, Adalyn Wang (3rd grade), Michael Wang (Clarke), Ying Wang, Emma Li (4th grade), Yu Zhu, Isaac Chen (Clarke), Brooke Chen, Kevin Liu, Xin Yang, Flor Miranda-Cole, Yidan Guo, Christina Buniak, Jwala Adhikari, Eunju Lee, Adalyn Wang, Chang Suk, Choi, Stephanie Stonefish Ryan, Caitlin (5th grade) and her mother, Katherine (5th grade), Rachael (5th grade) and her dad, Angelina Ding (5th grade), Wei Ding, Jackie Daley.

- Wei Ding

Families enjoyed delicious food at Fiorella’s Italian at Lexington, and supported Harrington PTA fundraiser. HUGE THANK YOU to Riddhi Shah for organizing this Harrington Fundraiser!

We raised $357.71 in one night and had a lot of fun doing it! The food was delicious and the staff was wonderful and kind. It was so nice to see so many Harrington families bopping in and out...some families chose to order ahead for take-out and some families came and stayed for dinner! We even saw several families coming in between after school activities with different children! Overall it was wonderful! Thank you to all who participated. 

After the Back to School Night, Meg Tabela organized the Harrington parents to enjoy a wonderful evening at Beijing Dining Restaurant, generously sponsored by the restaurant.

The event was organized by Sarah Carter. It was a delightful picnic gathering for families aimed at facilitating connections between PTA families, allowing them to meet both old and new friends.

PTA sponsored the event the day before school starts. This event provided a warm and welcoming atmosphere for our teachers, giving them the opportunity to connect and prepare for the upcoming year. The breakfast featured a delightful spread of pastries, fresh fruits, and coffee, creating the perfect setting for our educators to start their day on a high note. Lunch continued the celebration with a delicious assortment of dishes, allowing our teachers to relax and enjoy a well-deserved break before diving into their busy schedules.

A pleasant potluck dinner in the beautiful backyard of our PTA Co-President Wei to celebrate all our outstanding volunteers. This was a delightful evening filled with delicious foods from many cultures, reflecting the diverse and vibrant community we are so proud of. It provided a perfect setting for our volunteers to come together, share their experiences, and celebrate their invaluable contributions to our school. 

Held on the morning of the first day, the event featured a delightful array of coffee, tea, and light refreshments, creating a relaxed atmosphere for parents to connect and share their excitement about the year ahead. This event offered an opportunity for parents to meet new faces, catch up with old friends, and engage with the school community in a meaningful way.

BUDA youth frisbee offers fun and competitive frisbee for kids in grades K-12. Ultimate Frisbee is a non-contact sport that encourages a lot of running and teamwork. Instead of referees, players are encouraged to learn the rules and make their own calls. Not easy, but a valuable life skill. All grades will have at least one opportunity to play against teams from other towns, and players in grades 7/8 will have three all at our home site.

Our youth programs use "call your own fee". At checkout, you indicate the right fee for you. No questions, no emails, just your decision to pay what is right for you. We love having new players and don't want finances to stand in the way of young people learning and playing the sport.

In the summer, we have amazing opportunities for HS players:

• HSSL (High School Summer League). We have 4+ sites around the Greater Boston area, including Boston itself, Lexington, Newton, and Hopkinton. Our kids have two coached practices/week from late June until early August, and two one-day tournaments (both will be at our site in Lexington) on July 14 & Aug 4. It's very fun, low commitment, and a great way to meet players from other schools.

• Regionally Competitive Youth Club teams. We'll run competitive teams open to incoming 9th graders through graduating 12th graders. Commitment is higher than for the HSSL (above), because our teams will play against competition across New England and the Northeast. We won't travel far enough to require an overnight stay, and carpooling is common for the events we do go to. We'll run teams from two different sites (Boston/Brookline is one site, Lexington is the other site), with 2-3 practices/week. 

• Nationally Competitive Youth Club teams (aka YCC teams). These are our top end competition teams. We typically send 3-4 U17 and U20 teams to a national tournament in early August, with rosters of approximately 20 players/team. Competition for the boys teams is extremely high, and interested players must attend the YCC tryouts on June 8/9 here in Lexington unless you have otherwise contacted our YCC director. For the girls teams, we have so far been able to take all interested and committed players, and we treat the tryouts as an open practice, so please plan on going but not in the sense of a tryout.

We also run our K-8 programs in the summer:

REGISTRATION: Click here for more info and registration

WHAT: youth frisbee for grades K-8

WHERE: HARRINGTON elementary school

WHEN: Sunday afternoons

COST: varies by age, but we use "call your own fee" so that no one gets left behind

WHY? Because playing frisbee is super fun! 

WHO: This is for kids, and it's run by BUDA's youth program, which runs youth frisbee events and leagues in many towns including Lexington

PARENTS: We are always looking for more help. We'll make it easy and low stress for you, and it's fun seeing the kids learning and having a great time.

CONTACT: raphael.savir@buda.org with any questions.

The Harrington Parent Teacher Association (Harrington PTA) is a volunteer organization that works with families, staff, and the administration to provide resources and programming that directly benefits the students of Harrington. By becoming a member, you can directly benefit your child and the learning community in which they are a part. 

You can join at this link: https://harringtonelem.membershiptoolkit.com

Donations are always accepted! All donations go directly to support the programs and events Harrington Schools offers. No amount is too small - please consider making a donation today.

Harrington PTA website:   https://harringtonpta.github.io/