25 Maple Street, Holyoke, Massachusetts  01040

Dear Parents and/or Guardians,

Welcome to the 2008-2009 school year. The tuition reduction program will begin on September 10 for pre-orders and payments. Orders will be filled every 3 weeks when possible. Stop & Shop is available in $20 and $50 increments. Big Y is only available in $20 increments. For your convenience, checks will not be cashed until Fridays to allow time for the families who may need time to deposit their paychecks. The gift certificate orders are available the following Thursday for pickup in the school office or you can elect to have them sent home with your child. In the event of school canceled due to snow or any other reason, pre-orders and payments are due the next day school is open. Keep in mind, the tuition reduction committee, teachers, or office staff are not responsible for lost or stolen certificates.

For those that are unfamiliar with the program, Stop & Shop and Big Y sells us gift certificates at a discount. In turn, we give everyone who participates the same discount which is refunded to you at the end of the school year. Stop & Shop gives us 5%, Big Y is 2% and gives us 6% in the months of October and April. For example, for every $100 in Stop & Shop you purchase, $5 will be credited towards your account.  This year, will be issuing participants a check  for the amount accrued.

If you have any further questions regarding the program, please direct your e-mail to JMakow9107@aol.com. E-mailing orders tends to be convenient, as reminders when certificates can be ordered and other
correspondence results in quicker responses.

If you are interested in participating, please fill out one of the order sheets on the back of this page and return it to school no later than the due date in an envelope clearly marked Tuition Reduction Otherwise, they may get misdirected and will not get filled. Orders can also be e-mailed to the above e-mail address. Make checks payable to MD PTO #2.

The following are the dates for the second half of the school year that the certificates can be ordered and available for pickup: