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)