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March, 2012 – Endocrine Disruptors

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ask-the-docsAsk the Docs

Endocrine Disruptors

Lesley Glover, MD

 

There has lately been a lot of discussion and concern about how chemicals in the environment can affect our health.  At a continuing education conference recently, we reviewed substances known as endocrine disruptors – chemicals, both natural and man-made, that can interfere with the hormonal system.  This discussion served as a reminder of things that many of us know, but also as a learning experience.  Here is some background, as well as tips to minimize your exposure to endocrine disruptors.

The endocrine system, also referred to as the hormone system, is found in all mammals, birds, and fish. It is made up of glands located throughout the body; hormones (i.e., chemical messengers) that are made by the glands and released into the bloodstream or the fluid surrounding cells; and receptors in various organs and tissues that recognize and respond to the hormones.  The endocrine system regulates all biological processes from the conception of an organism through adulthood and into old age regulating many functions of a body, including metabolism, blood sugar levels, growth and function of the reproductive system, and the development of the brain and nervous system. The female ovaries, male testes, and pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands are all endocrine glands.

Some chemicals can interfere with the endocrine system. They are called ‘endocrine disruptors’.  . Endocrine disruptors may be found in many everyday products– including plastic bottles (BPA and phthalates), metal food cans, detergents, flame retardants, food (especially soy and beef), toys, cosmetics, lotions (ie tea tree oil and lavender), and pesticides.  It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, in this day and age to avoid all endocrine disruptors, but here are some steps we can take in our daily lives that can decrease our exposure:

Try to go organic where possible, with foods.  This minimizes exposure to added hormones as well as pesticides.  Store foods in glass containers instead of plastic, when feasible.  Pay attention when purchasing food or drinks in plastic containers – look for bisphenol-A/phthalate free containers.  Also , avoid plastic food and drink containers that are designated as number 3, 6, or 7 (numbers usually located inside a small triangle imprinted in the container).    Never heat plastic containers (including baby bottles) in the microwave.  Do not wash plastic dishes in the dishwasher. 

There is not enough room in any one article to detail all of the different chemicals that are considered endocrine disruptors, but the above suggestions are a good place to start.  You can also find more information at the Centers For Disease Control website at cdc.gov/exposurereport. 

And as always, we invite you to visit us at Family Medical and Wellness Center to address any questions or concerns  (561-721-1953).

March, 2012 – The Tutoring Club of Wellington

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The Tutoring Club of Wellington

Guaranteeing Success

 

By Krista Martinelli

 

One of the great things about the Tutoring Club of Wellington is that they offer a guarantee. The Tutoring Club guarantees to improve academic performance in less time and at a lower cost than any other program. 

In today’s competitive world of FCATs, SATs and more challenging homework assignments than we remember growing up with, it’s very reassuring to know that guaranteed good help is available for students. They tutor from preK to adult students. Thanks to a structured, tested program, they can move a student from one grade level to the next level within 32 hours of tutoring.

Denice and Roger Thomas, co-owners of The Tutoring Club of Wellington
Denice and Roger Thomas, co-owners of The Tutoring Club of Wellington

I asked co-owners of the franchise Roger and Denice Thomas to find out what makes the program effective? “We make an effort to get to know our students,” says Roger. “We do an assessment test, which tightens our focus. Then we work on the incorrect answers.”

 

 

The work is done face to face with one of their six experienced tutors.  There’s never more than a 3 to 1 ratio, three students with one tutor.  It’s a quiet, but friendly work environment, where students get to work right away. The students quickly get into good habits with their tutors and with getting their work done. “It’s not totally serious all the time. If you listen to the noise, you’ll hear laughter and a little conversation,” says Roger.

Parents seem to appreciate no longer having a “homework battle” after their children get into better homework habits and strategies, thanks to the Tutoring Club. The students appreciate a new feeling of confidence when they master a task and often come back to report their good news.  “We hear from the kids about their getting an A on a test,” says Denice, “And it’s rewarding. We see shy kids opening up.” 

Their SAT program seems to be the most effective one in the area “because of the effectiveness and low cost,” says Roger. They have seen gains of over 300 points per test. Part of their program is a special strategy for writing a proper essay. Their SAT program contains tips and strategies that help a great deal and show tangible results.

See the video (below) of Roger and Denice Thomas talking about their scope of services at The Tutoring Club and all they have to offer.

 

Roger and Denice talked about an extreme challenge that they were handed one time, due to the time constraints. A high school student came to them before the day of a critical test. If he didn’t pass this test, he would not graduate high school and also would not get to go on a class trip to Europe (that his parents had already paid for).  The pressure was on. They stepped up to the tutoring challenge with three hours of intense tutoring.  And yes, the student passed his test the next day!  The student and the parents were extremely pleased.

“We have been called Miracle Workers,” says Roger.  Other students have come back to share success stories of doing well on the SATs, ACTs, FCATs and individual tests. The bulk of the tutoring is focused on math, which seems to be the biggest struggle for local students.

  

How did Roger and Denice Thomas get into this business, which is now an international franchise?

“We have always worked with kids,” says Denice. Roger is a retired teacher. Denice has been a classroom aide, playground supervisor, PTA President and served other school-related functions – all during their years in Washington State. They moved to Florida to be near Denice’s mother, and then realized they were not quite ready to retire. “With our both of our backgrounds in education, it was a perfect fit,” says Denice. This past month (February, 2012), they celebrated running the business for three years. The Tutoring Club has been helping students at their location in Wellington (in the Courtyard Shops) for seven years now.

The challenge of being after-school tutors? They become tied into their students’ success and see the progress happening. Then, quite frequently, parents will pull the students out of tutoring to enroll them in a sports program or karate or another activity. While they agree that these are all excellent, learning activities, it’s never a good idea to take out a student prematurely, if he or she hasn’t reached the original goal. 

The tutors at the Tutoring Club find that the biggest weaknesses of our school system fall into the category of math. They’ve noticed that students grades tend to take a nose dive somewhere between 4th – 8th grades. Kids today are missing some building blocks for pre-Algebra and Algebra it seems. 

“We are looking for a partnership with our Palm Beach County schools,” says Roger. They would love to see a mutually beneficial relationship with the local schools, since they are tackling the same issues anyway.

For older students, they find that the students become self-motivated as soon as they see that the program is working and that they are getting better grades. For younger students, they use plastic tokens to add a little extra motivation. The elementary students can take their tokens and buy items at the Tutoring Club Store (which is also inside their shop). They also have the option to turn their tokens into a Gamestop gift card. 

They are happy to work with special needs students and have found that treating them just the same way as other students works effectively. They work at the pace of the student. So in the case of an ADHD student, for example, the advantage is having that special focus and quiet learning environment, which might not be the environment they are getting at home during homework time.

The Thomas family enjoys living and working in Wellington. They have a 25-year-old daughter Kelsey, who is a marketing professional and a 29-year-old son Greg, who teaches English in China. They are the proud parents of one 3-year-old grandson named Max, who also lives in China.

In addition to overseeing the Tutoring Club, Roger and Denice place international students in host families’ homes for the E.F. Foundation for Foreign Study. They enjoy taking groups of these international students on trips, during spring break, for example. They find that it’s always an enriching experience for the host families and for the international students. 

One of the many nice things about the Tutoring Club that parents

The Tutoring Club of Wellington
The Tutoring Club of Wellington

 find is that there are no long-term contracts. Everything is done on a month-to-month basis, which seems to work better with students’ busy schedules these days.

So if you have a child who is struggling in school, don’t continue to get frustrated over it. Instead of blaming yourself or blaming the system, call the Tutoring Club. You’ll get the help you need and guaranteed positive results!

 

 

The Tutoring Club

A Class Above. Guaranteed.

13860-6 Wellington Trace

The Courtyard Shops

Wellington, FL 33414

(561) 784-4434

See The Tutoring Club ad on

for $50 OFF the first month!

March, 2012 – Looking for a Sugar Mommy

wendell-abern-cantank-yoursCantankerously Yours

Looking for a Sugar Mommy

By Wendell Abern

 

Dear Womanizers,

          From the time I was seven until I was twelve years old, I read four to five books a week.  Histories.  Biographies.  Mythology.  Sports.  Mysteries.  Anything.  Everything.

          At the age of twelve, I discovered girls.

          Over the next five years, I read two books.  And then only because they were required.

          Girls mystified me, excited me, confused me, and most of all, terrified me.

          I have never recovered.

          By the time I was in high school, I had fallen in love with at least a dozen girls, most of whom didn’t even know I existed.  However, the only one that counted was Jackie Margolin.  In sixth grade, I had decided I would marry Jackie.

          By the time we were sophomores, everyone wanted to date Jackie, who was smarter than most of us, bubbly, gorgeous and buxom.  When she walked down the hall, you could almost hear the male hormones, always perched in avalanche mode, crashing to the ground.

          She was the first girl I ever telephoned.  I fortified myself with a two-page list of topics to discuss, and trembling, called to ask her to a dance the following month.

          “Hello?”  It was her voice!  Not her mom!  Now what?

          “Um, hi, Jackie.  It’s Dendy.”  My nickname.  No one called me Wendell.

          “Hi, Dendy, how are you?”

          I glanced at my list.

          “Fine.  Do you think the White Sox will win the pennant this year?”

          It was all downhill from there.  And future possibilities disappeared when she told me she had just been pinned to Bob.  I knew which Bob she was talking about.  A terrible second baseman.

          I never did go out with Jackie.  But eventually, I did marry and stayed married for 54 years.  I have now been a widower for more than two years,

I have two kids, both genders, and two grandchildren, ditto. 

This month, I will be 79 years old and yet, to this day, women befuddle me.  And the more attractive the woman, the more buffoonish

I behave.  To wit:

            About six months ago, I went to my bank to cash a check, pulling behind two other cars queued up at the drive-through (I rarely actually go into the bank).   For the next five minutes, not a car moved.  This happens too often, I thought, and backed up, turned and drove to a parking space outside the bank.

          Storming in, I shouted angrily, “Hello!  Does anyone work here, or is this a bank holiday no one knows about?”

          A pleasant voice asked, “Can I help you?”

          I turned and looked at a beautiful young woman wearing a badge that read, “Jamilla.”  Perfectly cut bangs.  Dark eyes, would wither a priest. 

          “Sir, can I help you?” she repeated.

          Dimples, yet.

          “Sir?” 

“Um … do, um, do you think the White Sox will win the pennant this year?”

          “I really don’t know,” she said, keeping a straight face.

          “I, uh, I … just want to cash a check.”

          Reduced to a humiliating stammer, I cringed over to a teller’s cage, vowing to conduct all further transactions at the ATM machine.

          That resolve disappeared a few months ago.  Same bank.  Longer queue.  Seething, I backed out of line and drove to a parking space.

          Yanking open the door as fiercely as I could, I marched in, determined to humiliate everyone, and shouted as loud as I could, “Hello!  They got a whole new thing, it’s called a bank teller!  Anyone ever hear of it?”

          Another pleasant voice.  “Can I help you, sir?”

          I turned and looked.  Another one.  Her badge read, “Priscilla.”

Chestnut eyes.  A smile that’s a sunrise.

          “Sir?”

          They were ganging up on me.  Convinced that my bank only hired female employees straight out of a beauty school, and that their name had to rhyme with vanilla, I began another stammering routine.

          Priscilla patiently tolerated me.  I cashed a check and slinked out of the bank as unobtrusively as I could.

          Later that day I thought to myself … I’m still twelve years old!  I see a pretty woman and I stammer!  I stutter!  I blurt! 

          However, there’s hope.

          A recent article in the Sun-Sentinel (written by the Miami Herald’s Michael Vasquez) announced a new website called SeekingArrangement.com.  This brainchild of CEO Brandon Wade brings together young women, AKA “Sugar Babies,” looking for older, wealthy men, AKA “Sugar Daddies.”  And vice versa.

          While many protest this is nothing more than thinly-veiled prostitution, Wade claims college students make up 40 percent of the Sugar Babies, and that his site carefully screens out prostitutes and professional escorts.

          After reading this, I thought, “If young girls can look for a sugar daddy, why can’t I look for a sugar mommy?”  I could do my own screening, and find some willing young woman to squire me everywhere.  More importantly, turning a relationship into a business arrangement might eradicate my puerility at the mere sight of a woman.

          I put together some personal information, called my kids in Chicago and told them to get together that night for a conference call so I could read my profile to them.

          I first explained the new website, reading to them from Vasquez’s column.  When I finished, I told them I wanted to seek out a Sugar Mommy.  Amy said, “DA-a-ad!”  Joel said, “Amy, I think it’s time we put him in a home.”

          “Listen to my profile!” I interrupted.  “How’s this?  ‘Active, 79-year old man is seeking young woman interested in a meaningless relationship.  Woman must be no older than 30 –‘“

          “DA-a-ad!”

          “DA-a-ad!”

          “Okay, 35.  ‘No older than 35, gorgeous, a superb bridge player and obscenely wealthy.  Think Croesus.  Older man agrees to tell all of the woman’s family and acquaintances that he has just bought out Warren Buffet, and is re-creating Buckingham Palace on the west coast of Florida.”

          Resounding silence.

          “Well?  Kids?”

          Over my loud and expletive-laced objections, my children booked a flight to Florida as soon as our conversation ended, and are on their way here as I wrap this up.   If my column doesn’t appear next month, you know who to blame.

          Cantankerously Yours,

          Wendell Abern                   

Wendell Abern can be reached at [email protected].

March, 2012 – YWCA Hosts National Exhibition Spotlighting Children’s Issues

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For further information contact: Suzanne Turner, CEO

YWCA of Palm Beach County

561-640-0050, Ext. 137

[email protected]

West Palm Beach, February 28, 2012

 

            YWCA OF PALM BEACH COUNTY HOSTS NATIONAL EXHIBITION SPOTLIGHTING CHILDREN’S ISSUES

 

The YWCA of Palm Beach County in conjunction with Every Child Matters – Education Fund and Colors of Life Foundation is presenting to the community during the month of March a national photography and banner exhibition as part of a non-partisan public education campaign to spotlight the needs of children in 2012. Children from around the world are the subjects of a photography exhibit; and President’s Helping Children, including a  booklet and fact-filled banners designed to inform the public about how earlier Presidents and Congresses steadily advanced child well-being over the last century in areas of nutrition, health, education and child safety, completes the exhibit.  Tana Ebbole, Executive Director of the Children’s Services Council, stated, “Every Child Matters has outlined clearly the support that today’s families want and need to help them raise their children to be healthy, safe and strong; accesses to affordable quality child care, early care and education, health care, early identification and intervention for developmentally delayed and disabilities, programs to prevent child neglect and abuse and strategies to reduce poverty.”

 

Suzanne Turner, CEO of the YWCA explains, “We all should know where public officials being elected in the upcoming 2012 election stand in terms of investment in the needs of our children making them a national priority!  Our global economic competitiveness is at stake when over one-half million children annually are abused and neglected; more than seven million children do not have health care; and nearly half of all kindergarten teachers report that at least 50% of their children come to school with problems that hinder their success.”

 

The exhibit will be on display during the month of March at the Children’s Home Society, 3333 Forest Hill Blvd. in West Palm Beach and the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum, 129 East Ocean Avenue in Boynton Beach.  Opening of the exhibit will be Monday, March 5th from 5-7pm at the Children’s Home Society and Thursday, March 8 from 6-8pm at the Schoolhouse Museum.

 

In addition to Children’s Home Society and the Schoolhouse Museum, supporting agencies are Adopt-a-Family, The Arc of Palm Beach County, Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, Families First and The Lord’s Place. These agencies will be working with parents and advocates to better understand the federal issues that directly affect how children will be treated and cared for in the future and the environment in which they will become adults.       

April, 2012 – The Great American Cleanup

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YOUR CLOSET’S NOT THE ONLY THING THAT NEEDS

SPRING CLEANING

Looking to make Palm Beach County a cleaner, greener, more livable place? Local non-profit, Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful, Inc. and the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County encourage you to get involved in the 2012 Great American Cleanup™, a national campaign organized by nonprofit Keep America Beautiful.
 
In what continues to be the nation’s largest grassroots community improvement program, Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful’s volunteers will clean up litter and debris from public spaces, neighborhoods, roadways, waterways, parks, and schools.  Additional community improvement activities include tree and landscape plantings, and other beautification projects. Moreover, the Great American Cleanup is a significant opportunity for local organizations to coordinate activities that encourage civic engagement and action.
 
To usher in Earth Day 2012, the Great American Cleanup will take place in Palm Beach County officially on Saturday, April 21, with additional dates. Volunteers can visit the Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful website at www.keepPBCbeautiful.org for further details and sites or call (561) 686-6646 for more information. Volunteers are encouraged to pre-register by contacting the volunteer coordinator at their chosen location. All supplies will be provided and commemorative t-shirts will be given away to volunteers while supplies last. Community service hours will be given.
 
The Great American Cleanup takes place across the country in urban areas and rural hamlets alike, reaching its apex during the spring season. Throughout the months of March, April and May, an anticipated 1,200 KAB affiliates and participating organizations will bring together an estimated 3.8 million volunteers to produce more vibrant, beautiful, cleaner and safer towns and cities.
 
The 2012 theme — #GreenStartsHere – is a call to action that civic leaders and volunteer groups can use to create more sustainable communities. Focusing their volunteer efforts on activities surrounding waste reduction, recycling, beautification and community greening, Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful will foster unity and strengthen community bonds through the Great American Cleanup. Following Palm Beach County’s official Cleanup date, the national movement will be highlighted by a National Day of Action on Saturday, April 28, featuring large-scale cleanups and coordinated events in cities across the country – including some in Palm Beach County.
 
“Service to the community is the ultimate demonstration that you love where you live,” said Matthew McKenna, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “Participating in the Great American Cleanup can become a foundation for uniting friends, family, neighbors and communities in activities that don’t just make your community aesthetically pleasing, but also make it more effective at overcoming challenges.”
 
America’s leading companies and brands support the campaign. The National Sponsors of the 2012 Great American Cleanup to date are:  The Dow Chemical Company; The Glad Products Company; LG Electronics U.S.A., Inc.; Nestlé® Pure Life® Purified Water; PepsiCo’s Pepsi-Cola and Gatorade companies; Solo Cup Company; Troy-Bilt® Lawn and Garden Equipment; Waste Management, Inc.; and Wrigley. Promotional Partners are: Crescent Art and Framing Products; Clorox® Green Works®; and Miss America Organization. Educational Partners are: Rubber Manufacturers Association and WM Recycle America.
Local Palm Beach County sponsors include Pratt & Whitney, Waste Management, Publix Super Market Charities, Veolia Environmental Services, and Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, Attorneys at Law. 
 
About Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful, Inc.
Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful, Inc., established in 1988 is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-based non-profit organization which serves as the local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Its mission is to improve the quality of life in Palm Beach County through litter prevention education, beautification efforts, and environmental stewardship. www.keepPBCbeautiful.org
 
About the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County
The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County is the governmental agency responsible for providing an economical and environmentally conscious integrated solid waste management system for Palm Beach County, FL.  www.swa.org
 
About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. This national nonprofit forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. Its national program, the Great American Cleanup is one of many initiatives that encourage people to care for communities through volunteer participation.  To join the Great American Cleanup and let green start with you, visit www.kab.org
 

February, 2012 – The Government Affairs Committee of the Central Palm Beach County

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The Government Affairs Committee of the Central Palm Beach County

 

Chamber of Commerce will host Greenacres’s candidate forum on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Greenacres City Hall Council Chambers, 5800 Melaleuca Lane, Greenacres, FL 33463.  Members of the public are invited to attend and will have an opportunity to meet with the candidates prior to the forum. Neil Shpritz, Director of Economic Development for the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce is the moderator and an editorial panel made up of local media will ask questions of the candidates.  Time permitting, members of the audience will be able to pose questions to the candidates through previously submitted comment cards.   

 

For further information call Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce:  790-6200 or visit www.palmswest.com.

March, 2012 – Fundraiser for Isa Kramer

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Fundraiser for Isa Kramer at Binks Forest

Please join family and friends of Isa Kramer for an evening of live entertainment and fun at the Binks Forest Country Club on March 10, 2012.     There will be dancing, auctions, food and drinks along with a No Limit Texas Hold Em’ Tournament. Funds raised will help Kramer, a single mom who has survived Lymphoma Cancer and was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Doors open at 7:00 PM. Contact Stacy Somers at (561) 317-5030 to donate auction items or inquire about sponsorship opportunities. 

April, 2012 – The Secrets of Wellington, A Garden Tour

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THE SECRET GARDENS OF WELLINGTON

      A Garden Tour presented by The Wellington Garden Club                                                                 

Sat., April 14, 2012      10 am – 5 pm   rain or shine

Visit a variety of beautifully planted gardens, all designed with many surprising touches. Pass through a swinging gate to discover unusual plants, fruit trees and vegetable gardens.

Unique Plant Sale ~ Intriguing Raffle ~ Tea & Tasting on the Patio ~ Rare Fruit Sampling

ADVANCE tickets $20 Available beginning March 12 at Whole Foods Market, Rt. 441, Wellington, and Delray Garden Center, 3827 W. Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, and at The Wellington Green Market located on Forest Hill Blvd, Saturday, March 31 and April 7.

DAY OF TOUR tickets $25, SOLD ONLY at First Baptist Church of Wellington, 12700 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington. 

To order tickets by mail, call 561-791-1561 or email [email protected]

Net profits from this fundraising event will support scholarships and community projects, our junior garden clubs, and Habitat for Humanity landscaping.

To learn more about The Secret Gardens Tour, visit our website: WellingtonGardenClub.org  

March, 2012 – Wellington Garden Club’s Summer Camp Scholarships

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Wellington Garden Club Offers Summer Camp Scholarships

 

Wekiva Youth Camp, located north of Orlando in Wekiwa Springs State Park, offers six one-week resident camping sessions during June and July for students who have completed grades 3-8. The camp, managed by the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs (FFGC) and the Florida Park Service, is non-profit and is accredited by the American Camp Association.

 

The Wellington Garden Club, an FFGC club, offers partial scholarships that cover more than half the tuition. The total tuition for one week at Camp Wekiva for students sponsored by the club is $240.00. The Wellington Garden Club scholarship program provides $144.00 or 60% of the total cost.  The family of the camper pays the remaining $96.00.  Opportunities are also available for a parent to accompany a child in exchange for the parent’s volunteer assistance at camp for the week. In exchange, a substantial tuition discount is given for the child and the parent’s room and board is free.

 

Wekiva Youth Camp provides an unforgettable experience enjoying nature, crafts and the beauty of the natural world in a beautiful and pristine setting.  Campers enjoy a unique outdoor living and learning experience with close supervision.  They explore the beauty of Florida, enjoy the plants and animals of Wekiva and discover the importance of conservation for the future of our state and planet. 

 

Details on Wekiva Youth Camp and its programs can be found at: http://www.ffgc.org/youth/camp_wekiva.html.  For Wellington Garden Club scholarship information contact Twig Morris at 561-434-6629 before April 1.

March, 2012 – Wellington Elementary Carnival on March 3rd

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Wellington Elementary Carnival

Enjoy a family-fun day at Wellington Elementary’s 2012 Carnival on Saturday, March 3rd from 11-3.  This PTO sponsored event has something for everyone including bounce houses, pony rides, games, food, face painting, entertainment and local vendors.  Advance discount wristbands are available until March 1st for $20 and include unlimited play of 15 games and all bounce houses. Wristbands will be available for $25 and tickets for $1 each on the day of the carnival.  For more information, please contact Wellington Elementary at (561) 651-0600.