Flynn PTO Update 4/27/14

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope you had a relaxing break from the daily grind.  6 more weeks of school and lots of learning still to come...

PTO meeting this Thursday at 6:30 in the library.  Light supper and childcare available.  Hope to see YOU there!

The Play committee met just before break to wrap up Tom Sawyer and lay plans for next year.  The play for 2015 was chosen: The Marvelous Land of Oz (Book 2) by L. Frank Baum.  Most people are not aware that Oz was written as a series.  Summer would be a great time to work your way through the series- maybe connect it to the Fletcher Free Library Reading program - the series is available at the FF Library on College Street.

Forgot to order your DVD?  You still have time - print the DOC below and send it into the PTO mailbox or let me know and I will get one sent home to you via your child.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SuWZ2eRumpaB5EOTO8kZDZt9xaTKMaKFsedJ8XaVOV0/edit?usp=sharing

Save the date!! (while this is a Hunt event, all of our kids will end up at Hunt middle school in a few short years.  Events like this raise money to support the Healthy City Teaching Garden, field trips, teacher grants, outdoor classroom, summer programming and mmm)

Perennial Plant and School-wide Yard Sale at L.C. Hunt Middle School

Saturday, May 24th from 8:30-2:00pm

How can Flynn families help? Starting May 9th, bring divided perennial plants from your perennial garden, such as hostas, lily of the valley, pachysandra, phlox, astilbe, coneflowers, and herbs, to the green area between the parking lot at Hunt.

You can drop your well watered plants at Hunt any time of day. Donated plants survive best when they are kept in their own root ball of soil, are well watered when left at Hunt, are re-potted right away by a volunteer, and not left for too long in the hot sun. Please be sure to notify susanrutherford@hotmail.com when you drop off plants for donation. 

How else can Flynn families help? Start cleaning out those closets at home and save all those unwanted and unused household items including sporting goods, kitchen items, games, DVDs, kids and teen books, holiday decorations, tools, and other yard sale items in clean and good working condition. We will gratefully accept these items on Friday, May 23rd 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 to volunteer or with any questions.

Children and Food. Another Relationship to Consider. (from   Parenting   on   Track   blog)

“You know, all those kids whose parents were sending them to school with carrot sticks and avocados and 3 oz of lean turkey 5 years ago are now showing up in my office as pre-teens with serious eating issues.  They are starving and now they have this wonky idea about the role food plays in their lives.  I wish I could record some of the conversations I have with these kids, so their parents could hear how messed up their views on food and nutrition are. I spend half my time trying to re-educate them, but many of the kids say they have to sneak to eat anything that isn’t sanctioned by mom or dad.”

I almost fell out of my chair when my friend who is a nutritionist and pediatrician shared this with me.  I asked her to share three tips she would give parents that would help correct this dangerous trend.

I have listed her suggestions for creating a more balanced approach to nutrition.

1.  Keep your own eating issues out of the equation. When talking to the parents whose kids communicate unhealthy ideas around food, eating and nutrition, it is immediately understood that it is the parents’ issue that is driving the decisions around their child’s nutrition. Either parents are afraid kids will struggle with weight issues and start focusing too heavily on calorie counting at a very young age or they are hyper vigilant about disease and limit any and all processed food. Parents must first examine their own relationship with food, health, nutrition, and disease and deal with those issues personally.  Then, seek out a nutritionist who can help address concerns and assist in helping the parents create a more balanced approach to nutrition.  With all this focus on obesity, it’s easy to understand how we can let fear drive our decision making process around nutrition, but it’s important that we recognize that swinging the pendulum too far the other way is just as dangerous.

2.  It’s tempting to connect nutrition, food, and fuel for the body, to body size, body type or body weight in order to “motivate” kids to eat in healthier ways. Unfortunately, the minute parents begin making those connections is the minute many kids start thinking there is something wrong with their bodies.  Teaching kids about healthy nutrition starts by inviting them to look at cookbooks to find tasty meals, weighing fruit and veggies at the grocery store, selecting healthy snacks and sometimes, not so healthy snacks, and then being invited into the kitchen where they have the opportunity to develop a healthy relationship with food.

3. Everything in Moderation. Whether you are Vegan, Paleo, or somewhere in between, your kids need a variety of food to not only stay healthy, but to develop that healthy relationship with food. Limiting certain foods or denying them all together will only create power struggles and eating problems. When kids see their friends eating those tasty treats and they know what the “food policy” is in their homes, the more tempted they are to sneak which leaves them feeling badly about who they are and nervous about talking to their folks.

Save the date...

April 28 - Back to School!!!

April 30 - chess club - 7:30am in the cafeteria

May 1 - Meeting about 5th grade Bridging Ceremony - 5:30pm in the library (any 5th grade parents welcome to attend and help plan!)

May 1 - PTO Meeting at 6:30pm in the Library - light dinner and childcare provided
May 6 - chess club - 7:30am in the cafeteria
May 9 - Kindergarten Orientation
May 18 - Springfest at Flynn
May 22 - Staff Appreciation Luncheon

June 11 - Last Day of School (note date change due to last snow day...)

Flynn PTO Update 4/13/14

Hey there Flynn families - So fun to see so many families turn out for math night!  If you weren't able to make it, it was a super fun night with 300+ Flynn family members playing math games and solving math puzzles, gambling with Mr. Abbey and chowing down on pizza, salad and fruit provided by the Family School Partnership.  Many teachers and families had a hand at making this another successful evening of learning and community building.  Just ask your kids, math is fun!!!

Tom Sawyer wrap up meeting tomorrow -  Monday, April 14th at 7pm at the home of Kim Hunt.  Play families new and old are welcome to wrap up this year's production and weigh in on choosing a play for next year.  If you have an incoming 3rd grader, you might want to chime in too - all are welcome!  This is an adult only event.  Contact Kim for directions to her home  kimberlyannhunt@gmail.com

Principal's Coffee this Thursday at 8:30

Staff Appreciation Luncheon coming up on May 22nd.  A flyer will be coming home this week with details about parent volunteers to cover playground duty and/or send in specific items for the luncheon.  This is an annual event at Flynn much anticipated by the staff.  Not only do they get a delicious lunch, they get the entire lunch/recess period to sit back, enjoy and chat with their colleagues - something that does not happen enough!  Parent volunteers in the cafeteria and playground allow this to happen.  I hope you have the opportunity to come in on the 22nd to help pamper the staff and hang out with our awesome kiddos on the playground.  

Please respond to the handout or contact Kate Belluche at akbelluche@aol.com and she will hook you up with a job or a food item to send in.  Many thanks!


The Vermont City Marathon needs a WATER STATION in the NEW NORTH END.  They would like it to be organized by parents or faculty from one of the three neighborhood schools and staffed by students.  The marathon will be run on Sunday, May 25th at 8 am.  The water stop will be "open" from 9 am to 1:30 pm.  It will be located on the bike path at the end of North Ave and requires about 20 students to operate.  If you are interested, contact J.P. Gagnon at jpegagnon@yahoo.com or jpgagnon@bsdvt.org.

Save the date...

April 14 - Tom Sawyer Wrap up meeting

April 16 - Chess Club meets in the cafeteria - 7:30am
April 17 - Principal's Coffee, 8:30am

April 21-25 - Spring Break - No School!

May 1 - Meeting about 5th grade Bridging Ceremony - 5:30pm

May 1 - PTO Meeting
May 9 - Kindergarten Orientation
May 18 - Springfest at Flynn
May 22 - Staff Appreciation Luncheon

June 11 - Last Day of School (note date change due to last snow day...)

Flynn PTO Update 4/6/14

Hey There Flynn Families - Sooo loving this sun and warmer weather.  I encourage you to visit the Flynn playground for some good (muddy) family fun!  We have a great, new play structure, accessible to everyone and a full basketball court (not muddy).  Enjoy!

The North Avenue Corridor study presented at the PTO meeting last week.  Below is a link to the document.  They will have a public forum on May 20^th at 7:00 pm.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1UXS2vf_5OeY0ktZ2NSMkZPZnBMSGhaYno5TVBsU0wtQjlj/edit?usp=sharing

Attention 5th Grade Families  There will be an organizational meeting for the fifth-grade bridging ceremony on Thursday, May 1st at 5:30 in the library.  5th grade parents organize this event to mark the transition of their kids from elementary to middle school.  The event usually consists of a slideshow, certificates, songs and a dessert reception.  Come be part of the planning team.  There will be a PTO meeting to follow if you choose to stay.

Dan's Chocolate orders due in on MONDAY!!!

Math Night at Flynn this Thursday - be there or be square(d)- get it, be squared???  Come play fun math games from around the world and eat free pizza with your friends and neighbors - family fun for all ages!

PTO Minutes are included at the end of this blog post.

BFOE The Burlington Friends of Education will be hosting a meeting on Tuesday, April 8th at 7 pm in the BHS cafeteria to educate community members about how they can assist efforts to pass the next budget. 

The specifics and timeline for the next vote are not yet known, but the next vote is likely to occur in early June.  It is critical that supporters of public education in Burlington rally and organize now to avoid the drastic cuts that will result if this second budget gets defeated.

Donations of any size are always welcome to help defray expenses related to advertising and the get out the vote effort that we are currently planning. 

Checks can be written to BFOE and mailed to Christopher Hood at 44 Caroline Street Burlington, VT 05401.  Paypal donations can be made by visiting

http://burlingtonfriendsofeducation.wordpress.com/

After the April 8 meeting, the BFOE will send out information and updates so that people can learn how they can help get the next budget passed!

Warmly,

Christopher Hood

BFOE Treasurer

Check out the BFOE Facebook page at:  https://www.facebook.com/burlingtonfriendsofeducation  The clip below is from their Facebook page

A quote from the last school board meeting: "What we're doing is working. Why would we choose to break it?"

We're not the only ones who think Burlington Schools are doing great work. Just read this article from The Atlantic.

Vermont Report: Shaping the Soul of a School

www.theatlantic.com

By Deborah Fallows

Tom Sawyer wrap up meeting scheduled for Monday, April 14th at 7pm at the home of Kim Hunt.  Play families new and old are welcome to wrap up this year's production and weigh in on choosing a play for next year.  If you have an incoming 3rd grader, you might want to chime in too - all are welcome!  This is an adult only event.  Contact Kim for directions to her home  kimberlyannhunt@gmail.com

Save the date...

April 7 - Chocolate orders due in to Flynn

April 8 - BFOE meeting to pass the school budget - Tuesday, April 8th at 7 pm in the BHS cafeteria

April 9 - Chess Club meets in the cafeteria - 7:30am
April 10 -Flynn Math Night - Dinner starts at 5:30 - Please RSVP to dinner if you want to eat at school! 

April 14 - Tom Sawyer Wrap up meeting

April 16 - Chess Club meets in the cafeteria - 7:30am
April 17 - Principal's Coffee, 8:30am

April 21-25 - Spring Break - No School!

May 1 - Meeting about 5th grade Bridging Ceremony - 5:30pm

May 1 - PTO Meeting

June 11 - Last Day of School (note date change due to last snow day...)

PTO Meeting Minutes – April 3, 2014

Meeting was called to order at 6:10 pm.

Heather Simmons facilitated meeting, standing in for President, Jessica Hook.  Minutes kept by Christine Leithead, standing in for secretary Sarah DeShaw. 

Kathy Mathis, Family School Partnership coordinator for Burlington School District.  -Annual Title 1 Meeting.

Discussion included what Title 1 means, how schools qualify, presentation of the Burlington School District Parent/Guardian involvement policy, and presentation and discussion of  JJ Flynn’s Home and School Compact. 

Parents were made aware that they can give feedback regarding the Flynn Home School Compact.   Information about doing so for this year will be on the PTO blog and at Family Math Night.  Kathy Mathis can also be reached directly at kmathis@bsdvt.org

Homework is one of the items included on the compact.  A question was raised regarding whether or not there is an official homework policy at Flynn.  Parents are interested in seeing one created. 

 A copy of the Compact is sent home to every family at the beginning of the school year, to be signed and returned.  It is offered in several languages. There was a suggestion to change the form to include a space for feedback.

Principal’s Corner – Graham Clarke was not in attendance.  Information was presented via written handout, with Graham fielding questions via phone.

Because the budget did not pass, Spanish will not be taught in Burlington elementary schools next year.   At Flynn, STEM will be added as a specials class. 

New school board will be in place soon – agenda and minutes are available online at the BSD website. 

Next Principal’s coffee will be April 17^th.

Family School Partnership – Shanta Eastman

Math Night is next week from 5:30-7, with pizza at 6:00 for families who have returned forms.  FSP will be paying for dinner, organized by Mary Dunsmore.

Currently working to survey teachers regarding classroom events to which parents are invited.  FSP created a classroom events scheduling tips checklist which has been adopted by the district.   Family School Partnership has lost its funding due to budget cuts.

Treasurer’s Report – Betsy Ward  - (See treasurer’s report)

Fundraising for the play was very successful.  We’re about halfway to our goal for fundraising for the year.

Fundraising – Tammy Kuypers

Dan’s Chocolates fundraiser is currently happening.   Spring Fest will be on Sunday, May 18^th, and will include a fun run, bouncy house and silent auction.   “Gift Certificates” from either businesses or those in the school community with talents/skills are needed for the silent auction.  The Fundraising committee was asked to create a form parents can use to try to solicit donations of gift certificates from businesses.

Next year will be Tammy’s last year at Flynn, so if anyone is interested in fundraising chair position, they could “apprentice” with her next year. 

Enrichment – Kim Hunt

The play was great!  There will be a wrap up meeting at Kim’s house, during which, options for next year’s play will be discussed/decided.  Anyone is welcome to come, but please email Kim so she can plan for the right number of people.   There was a suggestion of exploring seating/stage options to hopefully improve visibility of actors for next year.

Flynn Family Nights – Heather Simmons

Plan is to create schedule for next year in advance for improved coordination and planning.

Staff Appreciation –

3^rd grade’s goal of buying a popcorn machine for the staff break room was not met, but will hopefully still be able to happen at a later date.

In May, the PTO will sponsor a luncheon for teachers and staff – any volunteers to help please contact Kate Belluche.

Kindergarten Tours and lunch to be offered to incoming families in addition to an orientation meeting with Graham are in the works, and volunteers are needed.   Heather, Tammy and Christine volunteered.

Meeting finished with a presentation about the North Avenue Corridor Study.