Flynn family PTO Update 10/31/11

Hey There Flynn Families,  Guessing by the amount of pizza consumed and the wall to wall people in the multi-purpose room at Math night, it appears that the entire school was in attendance!  Flynn staff and volunteers really outdid themselves - clearly math+pizza= success.  What fun to see families playing together with teachers and volunteers.  I hope folks have had a chance to peek in the math goodie bag and try out some new activities.  Kudos to all who organized and volunteered.  Thanks also to all the families who turned out and made it such a roaring success - we rock!

November PTO Meeting -  Thursday, November 3rd from 6:30-7:30 in the Library. Childcare provided.  See agenda below.  Everyone welcome - last month we had more than 20 parents - let's see if we can top that this week - it is never to late in the game to come to a PTO meeting  - your participation helps build our Flynn school community and sends a clear message to your child that school is important (plus the kiddoes LOVE to play in the gym at night!)

Box Tops - Denise Haggerty reports that Flynn parents are sending box tops in.  She recently submitted box tops for $240.00 (that's up from $150 last year at this time!).  What a great start to the year - who doesn't like free money?  Keep clipping and also look for them on some stationary products and paper reams.   Send your tops into the office or drop them yourself in the bin located just inside the library.

Wrapping Paper came in last Thursday.  If you have not yet picked up your order, please contact Theresa Giallorenzo at tgiallorenzo@hotmail.com to work out a pick-up.

Bookfair is next week - Monday through Thursday.  Still looking for some parent help during the day and also at the evening event on Thursday.  Students will be visiting the fair during the week and will be able to purchase books during the day on Thursday as well as Thursday evening.  Parents can purchase books all week during the day.  Contact Alice Wells with questions and to volunteer - awells@bsdvt.org.

Pasta Dinner scheduled for November 10th from 5:30-7pm. A letter went out last week asking for donations.  Can you help?  Room Parents should be contacting families soon, but you can also let them know what you plan to send in.  Bins are located in the office for non-perishable donations.  Fresh foods should come in either the afternoon of 11/9 or the morning of 11/10.  We need volunteers for set-up, clean-up, food prep., check-in, bake sales, baking! How can you help? Contact Tammy Kuypers at kuypers5@yahoo.com  Lots of help still needed - do not delay!!!

Check your Calendar...

• November 2nd - Picture Re-take
• November 3rd - PTO meeting 6:30-7:30pm. Childcare provided
• November 6th - Daylight savings - set your clocks back 1 hour!
• November 7 - 2:30-3:30 - Free Chess Club in the Library - everyone welcome
• November 7-10 Library Bookfair
• November 10 Evening bookfair from 5-7, Pasta Dinner from 5:30-7 (multi-purpose room)
• November 23-25  No School - Thanksgiving Break

October PTO Meeting - 11/3/11

6:30 pm

AGENDA

• Welcome– Kate Belluche

UPDATES

• Treasurer’s report  - John Boone
• Farm to School – Sarah Heusner and Jen McGowan
• Principal’s Corner – Graham Clarke
• Enrichment Update –Grant, Chess – Sarah Smith
• Room Parents/Staff Appreciation Update– Lisa Tulkop
• Fundraising Update – Tammy Kuypers
• Flynn Gardens – Claire Noble
• School/Family Partnership Update– Shanta Eastman
• Looking to elect the 2012-13 President – Kate Belluche
• Electing replacement  Secretary 2011-12
• Google docs/Blogger- Introduction/training– November 14 or 16? - John Boone

OPPORTUNITIES

• Book Fair/Pasta Dinner – 11/10/11 – Help!
• Student Art Sale – 11/10/11 - Kate B.

OPEN FORUM – What’s on your mind?  Burning questions and novel ideas: 

MISC

• Meeting Facilitator for December?  (needs to meet with me to discuss agenda prior to meeting)  

Next Meeting:  Thursday, 12/8/11,  6:30-7:30p

Flynn PTO Update 10/24/11

Hey There Flynn Families - Looks like we are at peak foliage in Burlington and I don't know about you, but I am finding the mornings quite nippy!  Pull out that winter weather wear - if you are missing some key pieces, pop on over to the swap located just inside the front doors.  New stuff arriving daily.

Hope to see families Thursday night for math games!

October PTO Meeting Minutes - See below

2nd Annual Math Night is this Thursday from 5:30-7pm.  Don't miss this family favorite.   Free dinner provided and plenty of math activities for the whole family.

Breaking News!!!  Our fundraising items will be delivered this Thursday.  Volunteers will be needed after lunch to help sort orders by classroom.  We will also need folks to help distribute orders at pick-up (2:30pm) and again at the math night (shifts from 5-7).  Can you help?

If you placed an order, you can pick-up on Thursday at 2:30-3 or between 5-7pm at Math night.  If those times do not work for you, please e-mail Theresa Giallorenzo at tgiallorenzo@hotmail.com to work out a pick-up.

Outerwear Swap is Open!  Already, the swap is a big hit - winter wear is getting into good hands almost as soon as it is put up on the rack.  Adult and some child size coats will arrive from Gadues in November.  Do you have gently used outerwear to donate?  Wash it up and send it into the office - we'll take care of the rest!  This is a swap, so come check out what we have week to week- everyone is welcome!

Picture Retake is scheduled for November 2nd.  Additional forms can be found in the office if  you were absent.  If you are getting a re-take, be sure to return the photos you do not want.

November PTO Meeting - Thursday, November 3rd from 6:30-7:30 in the Library.  Childcare provided.  What's on your mind?  Do you have items for the agenda?  Interesting ideas? Gripes?  Send us an e-mail at flynnschoolpto@gmail.com 

Bookfair Pasta Dinner scheduled for November 10th from 5:30-7pm.  We need volunteers for set-up, clean-up, food prep., check-in, bake sales, baking!  How can  you help?  Contact Tammy Kuypers at kuypers5@yahoo.com

Check your Calendar...

• October 27th, 5:30-7 is Math Night at Flynn - free dinner and fun math games for your family
• October 31st around 1:15 is the annual Halloween parade at Flynn. Ask your Room Parent or Teacher if they need any help with costumes or goodies for a class party
• November 2nd - Picture Re-take
• November 3rd - PTO meeting 6:30-7:30pm. Childcare provided
• November 7-10 Library Bookfair
• November 10 Evening bookfair from 5-7, Pasta Dinner from 5:30-7 (multi-purpose room)

P.T.O. Meeting Minutes

October 6, 2011

Meeting was called to order at 6:30pm

Babysitting was offered in the multipurpose room.

Parks and Rec

·         Burlington Parks and Rec Department Representatives Susan and Sarah Carter were present to discuss new programs that have been added for children and families

·        Some events that were mentioned were After School Bowling @ Champlain Lanes (with transportation from the Miller Center, and Holiday Crafting. 

·        Any feedback is welcome – As well as ideas for future events.  Please contact ShCarter@ci.burlington.vt.us with ideas and feedback. 

·        Some ideas given were After School Cross Country Skiing at Ethan Allen Homestead, Kids Night Out, Open Gym at the Miller Center.

Treasurer’s Report

·        The current balance is $19,184.19 

Family Directory

·         The directory is well underway and should be made available to families soon.

Staff Appreciation/Room Parents

·        The first room parent meeting was widely attended by room parents and a great success.

·        Fifth Grade room parents are working on the October Staff Appreciation event.

Fundraising

·        The wrapping paper sale brought in ~ $3,000.00!!

·        $993.00 has been raised (so far) in donations to Flynn PTO

·        The Bookfair Pasta Dinner will be on November 10.  Room parents will be contacted to help gather goods for the dinner and bake sale.  Volunteers will also be needed to help with book shopping, cash registers, clean up, and bake sale.

School/Family Partnership

·        Suggestion boxes have been placed in the front office for ideas to better involve families at Flynn.

·        One ideas presented in the suggestion box was to include more flags in the building representing all of the students at Flynn School.

·        The theme of Math Night on October 27 at 5:30pm will be “Math Around the World.”

·        BHS and St. Michael’s students will be present to volunteer

·        The next School/Family partnership meeting is October 27 at 2:45pm.

Walk to School Day

·        Walk to school day was a great success with at least 1/3 of the school participating!!

Outerwear Swap

·        Tammy Kuypers is organizing the swap this year

·        Winter coats/snowpants, boots, hats, mittens are donated by Flynn families and Gadues dry cleaners

·        Donations can be brought into the office.

Inclusion and Accessibility

·        It was suggested that Flynn School create an Inclusion committee of two or three people to put out awareness of what inclusion looks like at our school.

·        The question that the committee would address is, “Is there a need we are not aware of that prevents a family from attending a book fair/math night/Flynn family night, etc.?”

·        The team would come together to brainstorm ideas to include and open our community to all families.

Student Art Sale

·        It was proposed that the PTO could host a fundraiser that would include framing the self-portraits (painted every September in Art class) for a reasonable fee.

·        It was voted to look into the cost of frames, etc.

Meeting closed at 7:30pm

The next meeting is November 3, 2011 at 6:30pm in The Learning Center

Flynn Family PTO Update 10/17/11

Hey there Flynn Families - Despite the chilly nights and shorter days, it is not time to hibernate.  We're just getting going at Flynn and many fun opportunites await you and your child this year both in class and at social events. 

Check your Calendar...

• October 19th is a half day - 11:30...
• OFF thursday and Friday for Parent Teacher Conferences
• October 27th, 5:30-7 is Math Night at Flynn - free dinner and fun math inspired games for your family
• October 31st around 1:15 is the annual Halloween parade at Flynn.  Ask your Room Parent or Teacher if they need any help with costumes or goodies for a class party
• November 3rd - PTO meeting 6:30-7:30pm.  Childcare provided
• November 7-11 Library Bookfair

Chess Club started last Monday with a full house of kiddoes ready to learn the game and others ready to pair off for a match.  Chess club is a free, drop-in class held every other week.  The next meeting is Monday, October 24th in the library. The club meets from 2:30-3:30.  If your child needs a nibble afterschool, be sure to send a snack.  Kids of all ages play chess - it is never too early to start!  If you have questions, contact Sarah Smith at sarah@esptrans.com.

OOPs!  Sorry, we missed listing Tammy Kuypers, another key parent volunteer for Walk to School Day.

Subscribe to the blog!- We have this now - it's the "Follow by email" gadget we added at the
bottom of the left hand column.  Subscribing means that you will receive an automatic e-mail whenever there is a new post.  If everyone subscribes I don't have to send out an extra e-mail....



Contributions When you check out the Treasurer's Report below, notice that the PTO has received just over $1000 in direct donations in our "no buy" fundraiser.  Your genorosity in not buying things and in supporting the wrapping paper fundraiser is helping us kick off to a great start in the fundraising department this year - Thanks


Treasurer's Report  for October can be viewed by clicking on the following Link:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag-zi-SCj-zndEZnSFRBbkNEX05ERThYWHJCTzVuUkE&hl=en_US

Inclusion Committee: Hi Flynn Families. We are looking for a few parent volunteers to join our Inclusion committee. The function of this group is to partner with the school and the PTO to help identify barriers for families and to brainstorm ideas on how to provide accommodations so that all families have an opportunity to participate in events and activities at our school. For example, Want to attend the book fair dinner and bake sale but your child has a food allergy? Let us know. We can explore how to provide a safe alternative so they can still participate! Do you have a family member with special needs? Our committee will help to make the environment as accessible as possible to accommodate their need. If you are interested in joining our committee please contact Shelly Waterman at shelly.waterman@vtfn.org or Sarah Buhle at sarahbee6@gmail.com.

November Bookfair - November 7-10

You can participate in the bookfair in several ways.  Alice Wells (Librarian) needs a handful of volunteers during the week for set-up, cash register and take down (see list below).  You can also purchase a book for your child's classroom - teachers are encouraged to make a list of books they would like to have for their classroom.  Scholastic will provide book plates where you can write a message to your teacher.  Books also make a great gift - get some holiday shopping done early by buying the gift of books! 

Books can be purchased by students and parents M-Th and on thursday evening, the book sale moves down to the multi-purpose room and you can come browse the books and enjoy a low cost pasta dinner with your family. 

Volunteer Opportunities:

Morning:

Set-up Monday, 9-Noon (11/7)
Thursday Sales 8:30-Noon (11/10)

Afternoon:

Thursday breakdown Noon-3pm
Set-up in Cafeteria 3-5

Evening: (bookfair and pasta dinner)
Cashiers 5-7:30
Cleanup 7:30-8:30

*The pasta dinner will need a fair number of volunteers too - please specify whether you are interested in the bookfair, dinner or both!

Flynn Family PTO Update 10/10/11

Hey there Flynn Families - Flynn students in all grades have been busy drawing, painting and cutting out a whole garden worth of beauty.  Be sure to look around the halls and admire what our kiddoes have been up to with their art teacher, Dana Stevens.  I snapped a quick picture the other night in the primary hall (see left).    Hope everyone had a great weekend and got to enjoy the Indian Summer.  NECAP testing this week - make sure your kiddoes get lots of sleep and a good breakfast - we'll show No Child Left Behind what we've got!

Lunch for Dinner was a big hit last Tuesday.  The cafeteria was packed with Flynn folks and community members.  There were great volumes of yummy, fresh food - who knew our kids had it so good with school lunches!  HUGE thanks to all the helpers including, Jon and Tammy Kuypers, Claire Noble and Wanda Hlordsz.  Compost kings included Jake, Will and Peter Kuypers and Nate and Will Belluche - you guys did a great job helping the adults figure out the trash, recycling and compost!

Walk to School Day  Hordes of Flynn students took up the challenge to walk, bike, skip, skate, run or carpool to school last Wednesday.  Some estimate that more than 1/3 of Flynn students participated.  We appreciate the parents who made this event happen - Shanta Eastman, Alex Messinger, Sarah Smith and Sarah DeShaw.  Rumor has it that Walk to School will be expanded to a week this spring!

Run Your Can Off (literally and figuratively!)- Winooski folks are organizing a fun, funky, family friendly running event again this Fall.    http://runyourcanoff.blogspot.com/

Inclusion Committee Shelly Waterman and Sarah Buhl approached the PTO last week about starting an inclusion committee to review Flynn school/PTO events and make sure we are as inclusive as we can be and that all families feel welcome and safe at events.  There was great support and a committee is now forming.  Intrigued?  Want to be in on it from the start?  Contact Shelly at shelly.waterman@vtfn.org  More information to come...

October PTO  We had another packed house last week - more than 20 parents attended with plenty to say about Flynn school and being active at school.  You are welcome and encouraged to attend meetings and/or volunteer at school.  Don't like meetings or can't make it regularly????  No problem - we are happy to help you find meaningful ways to engage at Flynn school.  Shoot us an e-mail and we can chat  flynnschoolpto@gmail.com.  Keep your eyes open for meeting minutes and the Treasurer's report next week.

Theatre Grant  Thanks to Sarah Smith, we are the recipients of a $1000 grant from Ben & Jerrys to help fund the Flynn Theatre program.  We are off to a strong start with money in the bank and building excitement for our Spring production of Narnia.

Book Fair/ Pasta Dinner  We are starting to gather volunteers to assist with the Fall bookfair and/or help us put on a Pasta Dinner on the last day of the bookfair (Nov. 10)  This is a great, short term opportunity to help at Flynn.  View the Volunteer! page (see top of page) for more information and other opportunities.

School's Out  No school next Thursday and Friday (10/20, 21)

Flynn Family PTO Update 10/3/11

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope your week has started off smooth.  The information on this week's blog should keep you busy and engaged at school.  Looking forward to catching up with folks at some of the upcoming events.  Have a great day.  Kate B.

Tuesday: GO LOCAL WEEK comes to Flynn School - Did you register to come have a FREE meal highlighting local foods?   Come try out what the Burlington School Food Project is serving your kiddoes for lunch.  "Lunch for Dinner" is served in the cafeteria from 5:30-7pm. 
If you plan on attending please register at: http://www.citymarket.coop/news/calendar/2011/10/4/local-lunch-dinner-burlington-school-district   Thank you to the Flynn parents who volunteered to help staff this event!!!

Wednesday: Walk to School Day!  Walk, run, bike, blade, skateboard, carpool - we don't care how you get there, just get there carbon free or carbon reduced!  When you do get there, look for a welcome table and friendly volunteers handing out participation stickers.  We will also celebrate your efforts at a schoolwide assembly on Friday.  Go green!

Wednesday is a half day... kids will be liberated at 11:30am.

Thursday: October PTO meeting (10/6) from 6:30-7:30 in the library.  Childcare provided.  If you attended the first PTO meeting in September - Fabulous!  If you can attend in October, you're an old-timer. Come, come often and this time, bring a buddy!  Our strength is in both our numbers and enthusiasm.  The meeting agenda can be found at the bottom of this post.  If you cannot make the meeting and have something to say, by all mean, say it!  We welcome you comments and suggestion at flynnschoolpto@gmail.com

Volunteer Opportunities:  Some volunteer opportunities have been listed above on the volunteer page.  Please take a look and consider how you can be involved at school.  Thanks!

Check the Calendar... (more on the google calendar page above)
Oct. 19, 20 - Parent Teacher Conferences
Oct. 27 - Math Night at Flynn School
Oct 31 - Halloween Parade at Birchwood Nursing home (using around 1:30) - more info to come
Nov. 2 - Picture Re-take Day

October PTO Meeting    10/6/11

6:30 pm

 AGENDA

• Welcome– Kate Belluche
• Burlington Parks and Recreation – Sarah Carter

UPDATES

• Treasurer’s report  - John Boone
• Family Directory Update – Brad Ingalls
• Enrichment Update –Grant – Sarah Smith
• Room Parents/Staff Appreciation Update– Lisa Tulkop
• Fundraising Update – Tammy Kuypers
• School/Family Partnership Update– Shanta Eastman
• Outerwear swap- Tammy K. volunteered – Kate B

OPPORTUNITIES

• Book Fair/Pasta Dinner – 11/10/11

OPEN FORUM – What’s on your mind?  Burning questions and novel ideas: 

1.       Inclusion and Accessibility – Shelley Waterman

2.       Student Art Sale? – Kate B.

MISC

• Looking to elect the 2012-13 President – Kate Belluche
• Meeting Facilitator for November?  (needs to meet with me to discuss agenda prior to meeting)
• Teacher Mini-Grants offered– Kate Belluche
• Google docs/Blogger– want more info? - Kate Belluche and John Boone

Next Meeting:  Thursday,  11/3/11,  6:30-7:30p