Flynn PTO Update 5/7/12

Hey There Flynn Families - Flynn families celebrate our teachers monthly with small, grade sponsored events.  This month every year we celebrate as a Flynn community, hosting a Staff Luncheon with lots of yummy foods and extra free time to relax and chat.  Thank you to all the parents providing food and recess help this week - your generosity and gift of time are greatly appreciated by Flynn staff.  We are a great school community at Flynn and I am proud of the many ways we support our staff and one another.  Have a great week! Kate B.


Staff Appreciation Luncheon this Friday, May 11th. So far we still need:
1 more parents for Shift 1 Recess Duty (k/1) 11:15-12:10 (have 7)
2 more parents for Shift 2 Recess Duty (2/3) 11:55-12:50 (have 6)
2 more parents for Shift 3 Recess Duty (4/5) 12:15-1:05 (have 6)


ALSO NEEDED:
2 more desserts
1 Fruit Salads/fruit kabobs


Please respond ASAP to flynnschoolpto@gmail.com to help - we really need your help- especially with lunch/recess duty!!!!

Help make an improved playground a reality for all of our children!  Fundraising is underway to purchase a new universally accessible playground to be built and ready for the 2012-2013 school year.

Several grants have been secured as well as other funding sources, including a generous contribution from our PTO, to raise almost $24,000! We are reaching out to Flynn families and businesses in our community to help raise the remaining $15,000. We can do it!  This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and support our children by providing them with a safe and inclusive playground.

Donations can be made to JJ Flynn Elementary School and sent to the office with the word “playground” noted on the check. Please see if your employer is willing to match your contribution! Every dollar helps- with your help, we can make this happen!

For questions or more information, please contact:

Sarah DeShaw  399-2882  sdeshaw@mac.com or Mary Mitchell 863-8983  maryellemo1@hotmail.com

Total Project Budget $38,500

Funds Raised $18,500

PTO Contribution $5,000

Fundraising Goal $15,000

1st Annual JJ Flynn SPRINGFEST Sunday May 20, 2012  

Flynn School Playground
2:00- 5:00 pm
Rain or Shine

FUN RUN...Choose your course (1/2 mile or 1 mile) All runners get a free marathon bib and ribbon! Race registration begins at 2:00pm...
CAPTURE THE FLAG...All abilities welcome! Kids lead the charge with this fun family game where you try to capture the other team’s flag- game begins right after the fun run around 3:00pm
BOUNCE HOUSE...Bounce away for a 3-5 minute bounce (depending on line!) 2:00-5:00pm
BAKE SALE...Enjoy fresh, yummy, delicious treats throughout Spring Fest 2:00-5:00pm
FACE PAINTING...Offered throughout the event by talented young artists 2:00-5:00pm
DANCE PARTY...Spring Fest will conclude with a huge dance party on the playground!!

Volunteer Info: Help make Spring Fest a success!! Volunteers are needed for 1.5 hour shifts the day of Spring Fest. Please sign up to help sell baked goods, watch kids in the bounce house, guide the runners or more! Help with set-up and clean-up will be needed too!  

We also need yummy baked items and freezy pops donated for this event. Please drop baked goods and freezy pops at school on Friday or bring them to school the day of the event! To sign-up for a volunteer shift or for more information, please contact:Jen DeBedout jkdebedout@burlingtontelecom.net or 859-9416

The Treasurer's Report for May can be viewed by clicking on the following link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag-zi-SCj-zndHN2Z0VCcFF6UWJvUGUyR3ZuODNDWlE

Minutes from the May PTO meeting are included at the end of this post - lots of exciting stuff to report....  Last meeting of the year is scheduled for June 7th - please come vote for the next PTO Board!


5th Grade tshirt orders went home at the end of last week - Forms are due back in the office by Tuesday.  Questions?  Contact Laurie Buker at lbuker@greatnorthernstereo.com

Perennial Plant and School-wide Yard Sale at  Hunt Middle School                        
Saturday, May 26th 
8:30-2:00pm

Pay it Forward!  Most Flynn students will move on to Hunt Middle School.  Any interactions with Hunt now will strengthen your connection with the middle school in the future.  Any donations of plants/yard sale items will go towards projects that will directly benefit YOUR CHILD! (see below) 

All proceeds from sale will be used to create a peaceful garden setting including a stone circle, a vertical garden, plants that require little maintenance, and benches. This will provide a beautiful space where students, staff and Hunt families can relax and talk. Together we can make the entrance to Hunt a welcoming place we can be proud of!

How can you Flynn parents help? Bring your divided perennial plants such as hostas, lily of the valley, shasta daisy, iris, coneflowers, and herbs that you can share from your garden to Hunt on May 9, 10 or 11th from 3:00-6:00pm. There will be volunteers available to re-pot your perennial plants.

How else can you help? Start cleaning out those closets at home and save all the household items, sporting goods, games, toys, DVDs, kids and teen books, holiday decorations, and other yard sale items in clean and good working condition. We will gratefully accept these items on Friday, May 25th from 3:00pm-7:00pm.

Questions?? Contact Susan Rutherford at susanrutherford@hotmail.com or 951-2571 or Gabi Baumann at gamabaumann@burlingtontelecom.net or 660-9189 

Check your Calendar...

• Fridays in May - Back by Popular Demand - Freezy Pop Fridays!!! $.25/pop (right after school)
• May 11 - Annual Staff Appreciation Luncheon
• May 18 - Kindergarten Orientation 8:30, 10, 12
• May 20 - Flynn SPRINGFEST - 2-5pm on the Flynn playground
• May 21 - Chess Club at 2:30 - Last one of the Year!
• May 22 - Orientation at Hunt Middle school for 5th grade PARENTS - 7pm
• May 24 - Principal's Coffee, 8:15 in the Library - Everyone is invited!
• May 24 - Flynn Chorus Concert at Hunt MS (Kids to Hunt by 6:15
• May 26 - Plant and Yard Sale at Hunt Middle School (formally the Flynn Perennially Green Sale) 
• May 28 - No School
• May 30 - School Tour, St. Joe's campus on Allen St. at 6:30 pm - 3/4/5 Families
• June 4 - Flynn Olympics - Parent help needed!
• June 6 - 5th Grade Bridging Ceremony, 6:30 pm
• June 8 - Early Release @11:30
• June 11 - Last Day for Flynn!!!! Early release w/ parade at 11:30

May PTO Meeting
5/3/12
6:30 pm

UPDATES
Treasurer’s Report

• $23.075.74
• $2,000 restricted for garden replacements after construction

Principal’s Corner- Graham Clarke

• Flynn will be hiring 2 new teachers in the next few weeks - now interviewing, will send two folks to the Superintendent. There will likely be some teacher shuffling before September. There may be a multi-age ⅘.
• Construction meeting April 17th was well attended
• 5th grade teacher, Joyce Trawsinzky retiring
• Senator Bernie Sanders visited Flynn after school to see the school dinner program in action. Mr. Sanders was an author of that bill funding schools to provide dinner meals to students as well as bfast, free lunch and afterschool snacks.
• May 30 - Tour of St. Joseph’s scheduled for 3-5 parents. Conflict with Hunt MS chorus concert. Stay tuned, there may be a tour offered in the late afternoon as well as eve.

Enrichment Update

• Narnia was a big success! Still wrapping up grants and finances. Play was chosen for next year - Frankenstein!
• Chess club has 2 last meetings
• Rec’d check from Burlington Schools Foundation for play - $500

Fundraising Update- Tammy Kuypers

• PTO Pizza will continue next year with par baked pizza that will be warmed/finished at home - Pizza info will go on the calendar magnets
• Spring Fling on Sunday May 20th from 2-5 - Fun run, capture the flag, bounce house, bake sale, face painting, dance party - Most activities free - other things will be by donation. Can you help???? contact Jen DeBedout at jkdebedout@burlingtontelecom.net.

MISC Spending

• Ellison die Cut Machine- on hold - not sure that teachers want
• Mrs. T. suggested monies be put aside to help teachers complete rooms after construction - area rugs, curtains, shelving
• Also looking into updating sound system - mobile mikes, built in stuff - Brad Ingalls will review info gathered and provide feedback about needs
• PTO voted to allocate ~$350 to purchase reusable dishes to be used at staff appreciation and school wide events.
• $177 left over from early allocation to be used to purchase playground toys - balls, hoola hoops... Make sure there are balls and such to take to St. Joseph’s in Fall.

Room Parents/Staff Appreciation Update

• Kindergarten provided dinner for staff on Thursday 4/12 during conferences
• Things going well for Staff App luncheon on 5/11 - Volunteers needed to help with lunch/playground duty

School/Family Partnership Update– Shanta Eastman

• 2nd Principal’s coffee scheduled for May 24, 8:15
• Tammy K. to send out Homework article via blog and will bring up topic at coffee

PTO Officers for 2012-2013

• Officers will be voted in during the final PTO meeting on June 7th. Tammy Kuypers has volunteered to take the role of President. Kate Belluche will act as V Pres/Communications officer, Returning officers include:John Boone as treasurer, Lisa Tulkop for Room Parents, Sarah Smith for Enrichment, Sarah DeShaw as Secretary. The Fundraising office is vacant. Are you interested? Send a note to flynnschoolpto@gmail.com

Playground Update

• Parent committee working with Mr. Clarke this year to choose a universally accessible playground structure and find funding.
• Budget is ~$38,500. Funds available $18,500. $20,000 still needed. PTO voted to commit $5,000 towards the near structure. Shelley Waterman, Mary Mitchell and Sarah DeShaw are looking for matching grants to complete the funding

MISC

• Checking into Aug 27 for Back to School Potluck at St. Josephs (alt Aug 23)
• PTO offering tours/lunch to incoming Kindergarten families. Talked about the K orientation and how to tweak it in the future to make it a less stressful situation for incoming K and their families. NEXT YEAR have families come for tour/lunch before orientation - next visit they get separated into two groups with K teachers/Graham.

Next Meeting: Thursday, 6/7/12, 6:30-7:30