PTA Newsletter #046: Book Fair eWallets Open + Halloween Parade Friday

October 26, 2026
Northeast PTA Newsletter № 046 — Week of October 26
Northeast Elementary
Northeast Elementary PTA · Montclair, NJ
Join the PTA for 2026–27 →
Newsletter № 046 · 2026–2027

Week of October 26

October 26–30, 2026
Book Fair eWallets · Halloween parade Friday

Hi Northeast families! Book Fair eWallets are open, so this is the week to set one up before the Scholastic Book Fair, Nov 14–18. The fair still needs register helpers, too. Also inside: the Halloween Cast of Characters Parade on Friday, Oct 30, and new Northeast spiritwear.

Members only
The newsletter email goes to 2026–27 PTA members only. Found this on the site, or had it forwarded to you? Memberships reset every year, so last year's doesn't carry over. It's $20 and takes two minutes. Why this changed.
Join or rejoin the PTA →
§ Scholastic Book Fair · November 14–18

Book Fair eWallets are open.

An eWallet lets your child shop the Book Fair on their own, without carrying cash. You add the money online, and at the register they just give their name. Set it up now and it's ready when their class visits the fair, Monday to Wednesday, Nov 16–18.

1
Go to Scholastic's eWallet page. Tap Find your fair and pick Northeast Elementary, Montclair.
2
Create an eWallet for each child and add funds. The money is ready to spend right away.
3
Invite family and friends to add to it, if you like. Grandparents can chip in from anywhere.
4
Leftover money stays in your Scholastic account. Use the same eWallet at future fairs, or move it to a sibling.

Set up an eWallet →Watch how it works (video)

In the Northeast Library
Sat, Nov 14
The fair opens at the Pancake Breakfast.
Nov 16–18
Classes visit, Monday to Wednesday. This is when your child shops with their eWallet.
Families welcome
Until 4:30 PM Monday and Tuesday, and until 7:30 PM Wednesday.
§ Book Fair · Volunteer

Half the shifts are filled. Grab one of the rest.

Thank you to everyone who has signed up already! The fair runs on parents at the registers, helping kids find books and ring up their picks. These are the shifts that still need people:

Sat, Nov 14
Pancake Breakfast registers, 8:45–10:00 AM and 10:00–11:15 AM.
Mon–Wed
After school, 2:30–4:00 PM, all three days. A few daytime spots on Tuesday and Wednesday, too.
Wed, Nov 18
Family shopping night, 4:00–5:30 PM and 5:30–7:00 PM. Nobody has signed up for these yet.
Thu, Nov 19
Pack-up, 12:30–2:30 PM. Two more hands needed.

Pick a Book Fair shift →

Picked a shift during dismissal? Ask your child's teacher to dismiss them to the library.

Scholastic Book Fair: You're invited!
§ Friday, October 30 · Halloween

The Cast of Characters Parade is this Friday.

Northeast's annual Halloween parade steps off at 1:30 PM on Friday, October 30. Students who are marching can wear their costumes to school. Here's what the school asks of families.

Costumes
No masks, and nothing that looks like a weapon. Any part of a costume that gets in the way of a school day will come off until the parade.
Where to watch
K and 1st grade: along the route in the parking lot. 2nd and 3rd: in front of the school. 4th and 5th: on Windermere Road, where students walk back into the building.
Parking
Cones and barriers will mark the route. Please don't park in the circle driveway or the staff lot.
Pickup
Regular dismissal at 2:35 PM. The school can't do early pickups that afternoon.
If it rains
The parade moves indoors at the same time, and parents can't come inside. The school will send a final update by 11:00 AM that day.

Not marching? There's a supervised activity for students who'd rather sit it out. Class Halloween parties are organized by each class parent, who sends any sign-ups directly.

Oct 30
Friday
Parade 1:30 PM
Dismissal 2:35 PM
Ends Tuesday, Oct 27 · Optional
Popcorn for Montclair teachers
The Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence (MFEE) gives grants to teachers across the district. At Northeast, they've paid for VR headsets, translation devices for multilingual families, musical instruments and new classroom libraries. Their Double Good Popcorn sale ends Tuesday, Oct 27. If you're stocking up on holiday snacks anyway, it helps fund this year's grants. About MFEE grants
Shop the popcorn →  or  donate to MFEE
§ Spiritwear · New this fall

Three new Northeast styles just dropped.

Just in time for chilly mornings at drop-off. Two of the new designs come from Meghan Bissinger, who won the chance to design Northeast merch at the last Globall. Congratulations, Meghan! Kids' and adult sizes are on Uptown Dojo's Northeast page.

Shop all Northeast spiritwear →

§ Coming up

What's coming up

View full calendar →
Oct 27
Tuesday
MFEE popcorn sale ends
Optional. Every order helps fund Montclair teacher grants (more).
Tomorrow
Oct 28
Wednesday
District Technology Town Hall · 6 PM
At Glenfield Middle School, and livestreamed. Superintendent Turner on classroom technology and AI.
This week
Oct 30
Friday
Halloween Cast of Characters Parade · 1:30 PM
Costumes to school, no masks. Regular 2:35 PM dismissal, no early pickups (details).
This week
Nov 3
Tuesday
No school: Election Day
Staff professional development. Schools closed. Early voting runs through Nov 1.
Next week
Nov 5–6
Thu–Fri
No school: NJEA Convention
District closed Thursday and Friday.
Next week
Nov 10
Tuesday
BlueHawks Band at the VA Veterans Day ceremony
The 5th-grade band performs at the VA Hospital in East Orange.
In 2 weeks
Nov 11
Wednesday
No school: Veterans Day
District closed.
In 2 weeks
Nov 12
Thursday
Virtual PTA meeting · 6:30 PM
Online. Link to come.
In 2 weeks
Nov 14
Saturday
Pancake Breakfast + Book Fair opens
In the Northeast Library. Classes visit Nov 16–18. Volunteer.
In 3 weeks
§ Membership

This email goes to members only.

Since September 28, the newsletter email goes only to current 2026–27 PTA members. PTA memberships reset every school year, so last year's membership doesn't carry over. Joining takes about two minutes and individual membership is $20. The newsletter is always posted free at northeastpta.org. Joining is how you keep getting it in your inbox.

First pick when registration opens
Members registered for fall ASE hours before everyone else. The same goes for the next round of sign-ups.
A vote, and a hand in what happens at Northeast
Members vote at PTA meetings, and every membership helps pay for events, teacher support and the extras our kids love.

Join the PTA for 2026–27 →

§ Good to know

Three things worth bookmarking.

Volunteer
Every open PTA sign-up, in one place. No account needed.
See open sign-ups →
Lunch menu
This week's breakfast and lunch menus are always on the site, one day at a time on mobile.
See the menu →
Subscribe to the calendar
Add the Northeast calendar to your phone once and it updates itself whenever a date changes.
Subscribe →
§ Your news

Got news? Put it in the newsletter.

Class events, volunteer needs, club news, community resources: if Northeast families should know about it, we want to run it. There's one form for all of it.

1
Fill out the form. Add a headline, the date and the details. Attach photos, flyers or PDFs (up to 10 files); for a video, paste a link.
2
Send it by Friday at 5 PM for the following week's issue. If your event is coming up soon, send it a week or two early.
3
We follow up. We may edit for length and clarity, and we'll be in touch if we have questions or can't fit it in that week.

Open the submission form →  Questions? Email NortheastPTA@northeastpta.org.

A note from your PTA Board

Thank you to everyone who bundled up for Film on the Field. Next up is the Book Fair, one of our favorite weeks of the year. Set up an eWallet, grab a register shift if you can, and enjoy the parade on Friday. Thanks for being part of this community.

Warmly,
Your Northeast PTA Board

2026–2027 PTA Board
Leslie Crowley & Helen Terrero-Black, Co-Presidents
Lucas Deichl, VP Communications
Ajay Karwa, Treasurer · Melissa Mehl, Secretary
The Global Magnet School · Grades K–5
© 2026 Northeast Elementary PTA
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