THE SOURCE

Of the 33 Pine Grove students who participated in the Massachusetts Book Award program this year, three students — sixth-grader Rachel Bettencourt and fifth-graders Sophia Corsetti and Molly Gagnon — read all 25 books.

Participants include fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders who have been reading from this year's Massachusetts Book Award list of 25 books since the beginning of school. Those in the program will have a celebration party that includes pizza, cake and awards on Monday at 2 p.m.

At the celebration, the students will vote for their favorite book in the selections, which will be submitted to Salem State College, which administers the book award program, and added to the favorites of other Massachusetts schools. "The students are to be congratulated for working so independently this year," said Anne O'Brien, who is the librarian for all three district elementary schools. "Due to budget cuts this year, we didn't meet once a month for book club as in previous years, so this year we just introduced the kids to the book titles, and they independently followed through with their reading. A great job was done by all students!"

• There will be a PTO meeting on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Pine Grove School.
• A kindergarten parent information night will be held on Thursday (snow date, March 8) from 6:45 to 8 p.m. for those parents whose child will enter kindergarten in September. Children must be 5 years old before Aug. 31 to attend kindergarten.
• At this parents-only event, an introduction to the curriculum and teachers, as well as a classroom tour, will be provided. Information on the half-day and tuition-based full-day programs will be discussed as well as the screening and registration process. Screenings will be held by appointment on Monday, May 3, and Tuesday, May 4.
• The PTO is running a Little Caesar's Pizza kit fundraiser to earn money to put new bark mulch in the playground area to ensure safe play for students. Kits are available for pizzas, calzones, cookies, crazy bread and more, and $3 from each kit goes directly to the school fund. Orders are due by March 5, with pickup of kits on March 24.
• The school has a new parent representative on its school council — John Quigley, who was just voted into office. Quigley, who lives in Rowley with his wife, Amber, has two children at the school: Jake, 9, who is in the third grade, and Katherine, 7, who is in the second grade. Quigley, who grew up in Ipswich, is an attorney with a law practice in Newburyport. He is a youth football coach, basketball coach, and Cub Scout den leader.
• Community Reading Day, sponsored by the Rowley Public Education Fund, will be held on Friday, March 5, at 9 a.m. at the school. On this day, each classroom will have a visit from a special guest from the community, the school or a local business who will share a special book with them. Some guests on the list already include: Superintendent Sandra Halloran; Hermayne Gordon, the new children's librarian at the Rowley Public Library; and Tashi Mark Warner of Mark Warner's Professional Martial Arts Academy.
• The school store will be open on Thursday and Friday before school. Those in kindergarten through grade 3 can shop the store on Thursday, and fourth- through sixth-graders can browse on Friday morning. The store offers items such as pencils, pens, erasers, notebooks, sharpeners, stickers and more from 25 cents to $3.
• PTO movie night will be held on Friday, March 5. The movie to be shown is currently being decided by student vote. Doors open at 7 p.m., and refreshments and popcorn will be available.

Michelle Pelletier Marshall reports on Pine Grove Elementary School for The Daily News. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .