Sunday, March 30, 2014

Flynn PTO update 3/30/14

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope you had a great weekend and productive parent/teacher conferences - Finally looks like Spring is around the corner - pull out the rain boots!!!  
Dan's Chocolate Fundraiser Underway - How is it going???   TIMELINE: We hope your kids are out there having fun selling chocolates!!!  Orders are due in by MONDAY APRIL 7.  

SUBMITTING ORDERS:
Please submit your order online and then send in the bottom part of the order form with your money to the office on MONDAY APRIL 7 (you need to keep the top part of the form so you know which customers to deliver your chocolate to)

Here is the website to submit your order: http://www.dans.com/fxbg

DELIVERY & REWARDS:
All chocolate and your child’s cash reward will be available to pick up at school onTHURSDAY APRIL 17 (before and after school) and FRIDAY APRIL 18 (before school only).  Rewards must be picked up by an adult.  Please be aware that if you do not pick up your chocolate and reward during these times you will not be able to receive either until after April vacation.  Please contact:  Sarah DeShaw sdeshaw@mac.com | 399-2882 with any questions.

PTO meeting this week - Thursday at 6:45 in the Library. (come at 6-6:45 to hear a presentation by the North Avenue Corridor Study)  There is free childcare and a light supper provided if you an come a little early.  Hope to see you there.  Agenda at the end of this post.
News from the Library... Thank you EVERYONE who supported our Spring Scholastic Book Fair. We earned $762.01 in cash profit which will go towards an author visit in May. We also earned $265.53 in free books!

It's a JOY to see so many volunteers, kids, and families jazzed up about reading!  Cara
Update from 3/25 School Board Meeting:

 Dear faculty, staff and administration:

What a turn out you had tonight at the Board meeting. For 3.5 hours, the Board heard testimony that supported the schools budget and requested a new budget to bring to the voters. The energy in the room was inspiring. Thank you for standing up for our kids.

The Board did vote to take Option 3 off the table. This was the option that cut $4.1M from the rejected budget including full day K and magnet coaches. While the Board cannot restore everything in that budget option, as they still need flexibility to build a new budget, the intention was clear. Thus at this time, we will not RIF the K positions or the magnet coach positions. Everything else in Option 3 is still in the air, however.

To see all three options, go to tonight's meeting on Board Docs https://www.boarddocs.com/vt/bsdvt/Board.nsf/Private?open&login# and look under finance. 

The timeline for the next vote starts when the new Board agrees upon a budget proposal. It is anticipated that will happen in three weeks. If it does, they will need to hold hearings, then decide on the budget number and the vote can occur 45 days after the ballot is warned, likely June 10. If they decide earlier, everything moves up from there.

Sadly we still need to issue more RIFs that we believe we will need and hope to send these RIFs out tomorrow, or by Friday at the latest. Who is actually going to be affected by not RIFfing K positions will be reviewed by administration and the BEA tomorrow. 

Please know your voice was heard and please  know that it still needs to be until we have an approved budget by the voters. This vote demonstrated that your engagement can make a difference, and a lack of engagement also makes a different type of difference." 

-- 
Jeanné Collins, Superintendent Burlington School District 
PH: 802.864.8474 FAX: 802.864.8501 
Follow us on Twitter @BTVSchools.

Proposed Budget Options as of March 13, 2014:
http://tinyurl.com/Budget-Options
                                             

Burlington Friends of Education is a group of people committed to ensuring quality education in the Burlington schools.

A group of parents, teachers, students and community members are meeting to work towards passing a school budget that supports quality education in Burlington. We will need many volunteers to get this done. 

Please come to a meeting on Tuesday, April 8th at 7 PM at the Burlington High School cafeteria. 
For more information, please contact Chris Hood at chood@cvuhs.org or Barb Prine at prine05401@gmail.com
Facebook Event Page for 4/8 meeting:
 https://www.facebook.com/events/1418287778429704/


Helicopter Parents Crippling the Next Generation


enthusiasm1It seems that Helicopter Parenting is alive and well and that in spite of all the research that suggests this is a dangerous direction in parenting with negative implications for our kids, families, our communities and our country, there are no signs that this trend is being replaced by a more common sense approach to parenting.  In fact, we seem to be a culture who has accepted that it is here to stay and there is nothing we can do about it.  And this style of intrusive parenting is infiltrating the life of kids over 18 years old, whose parents are still talking to them a dozen times a day, calling college professors, going to job interviews, organizing their lives, making recommendations on food, clothing and the friends they should be spending time with.
As a woman over 50-years-old it is disheartening to think about my future as an over 75-year-old retiree who will be at the mercy of “leaders” who still rely on mom and dad for help in making simple decisions let alone complex, multi-layered decisions with far reaching implications.
Am I supposed to feel secure with the idea that the same individuals who can not seem to manage their way out of a paper bag without their parents direction and guidance and in some cases advocacy, are going to be the same individuals who will be making decisions for us, for ME, when I am old, incontinent and have no teeth?  The world is becoming more complicated, not less which will require future leaders who are smart and thoughtful decision makers, who cultivate relationships of cooperation and collaboration, who can view issues from many sides, who can stand strong in the face of criticism and defend their positions with respect and clarity.
Are you Helicopter Parents asking me to believe that the same kid who needs his or her parents to advocate in a job interview is the kind of leader who can restore a crumbling automotive industry, revamp an entire education system, broker peace talks, put an end to hunger and disease, commit resources to projects that are environmentally sound, and fight for policies that are controversial and forward thinking.  SERIOUSLY?
Maybe instead of a Vice President, a new position will be created in which the advisers are mom and dad who will continue to advocate for their kids, lest they feel unprepared to do it for themselves.  Or perhaps the new press secretary will be a steadfast parent who tells the news hungry journalistic community with their probing questions that the president elect is feeling a little picked on today and could everyone be just a wee bit kinder to said President Elect.
For the life of me, I can’t imagine that anyone in their right mind thinks that continuing this kind of parenting is good for anyone.  I for one am NOT accepting this more intrusive form of parenting as the “norm”, nor will I sit by as more and more parents insinuate themselves into areas they have no business even commenting on, let alone controlling.
Instead of throwing up my hands in frustration and resigning myself to the situation, I WILL CONTINUE to do what I can to offer parents another approach to parenting which will prepare children for the challenges that await them, armed with the skills necessary to navigate a complicated world with grace and dignity.

Save the date...
April 2 - Chess Club meets in the cafeteria - 7:30am
April 3 - PTO Meeting - 6:30 in the library - come early for a light dinner and free childcare
April 4-Talent show-7pm
April 4/5 - Hunt Middle School Theatre Production - West Side Story - 7pm
April 7 - Chocolate orders due in to Flynn
April 9 - Chess Club meets in the cafeteria - 7:30am
April 10 -Flynn Math Night 
April 16 - Chess Club meets in the cafeteria - 7:30am
April 17 - Principal's Coffee, 8:30am
April 21-25 - Spring Break - No School!
June 11 - Last Day of School (note date change due to last snow day...)



AGENDA
Flynn School PTO
Learning Center
April 3, 2014

Free Dinner and Childcare Provided

6:00 - 6:45 - Presentation re: North Avenue Corridor Study
The City of Burlington and the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC), in collaboration of other stakeholders, are studying the North Avenue corridor (between North Street and Plattsburg Avenue) to address transportation issues and develop solutions to improve the travel experience for all users. The study is using a “Complete Streets” approach which considers the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, deliveries, transit, and emergency responders. The study website provides additional information about the study and the Advisory Committee: http://bit.ly/north-ave

6:45 WELCOME and Introductions – Heather Simmons, Vice President


Title One - Graham Clark (10 min)
Principal’s Corner- Graham Clark (10 min)

Treasurer’s Report- Betsy Ward (5 min)
           
Fundraising- Tammy Kuypers (10 min)
Enrichment- Kim Hunt (10 min)
Flynn Family Nights - Heather Simmons (5 minutes)
Flynn Family Partnership- Shanta Eastman (10 min)
Room Parents- Lisa Tulkop (5 min)


Teacher Suggestion Box – Christine Leithead (5 min)

OPEN FORUM (10 min)

On the horizon                      Officers for next year
Volunteers needed for Kindergarten Tours and Lunch - Dates have not been confirmed yet. May 9 and 14th if it is okay with the cafeteria staff. (3 volunteers each day)



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