Sunday, May 18, 2014

Flynn PTO Update 5/18/14


Hey there Flynn Families - Lovely playing and chatting with so many families at Springfest - hope you had some good, clean family fun! So nice of the weather to cooperate!  Thanks, Tammy, Heather, Shanta and Betsy for spearheading this fun event! 
Staff Appreciation Luncheon this Thursday  If you signed up to send in food or help at lunch/recess, we thank you for generosity.  Food items can be delivered to the office on Thursday morning.  Recess helpers will check in at the office and then head down to the cafeteria - you will be greeted there by a parent and put to work!  All volunteers should have rec'd a follow up email about Thursday.

 5th Grade "graduation" t-shirts are being ordered on T.  5th grade families, please return your form and payment.  EVERYONE gets a shirt - so even if money is tight and you can pay only a part or none of the cost, please turn in your form so your child gets the proper size shirt.  No worries!

 Donations needed in the nurses office - Can you Help?  Items can be brought into Nurse Mary in the office before the end of school.   
  • All sizes of pull-on, stretchy pants for the summer (legging type for girls, shorts for boys but all stretchy please) in all sizes from 6-12. 
  • We could also use a few t-shirts for girls and boys from sizes 6-12. 
  • All clothes should be laundered and non-stained please. 
  • We can also use some clean plastic grocery bags. 

The Flynn School PTO Finance committee needs your assistance!  We are looking to re-establish our organization’s status with the IRS and would love some help from an individual who has knowledge of tax law or has a background in accounting.  Please let us know if you are willing to help out and share your expertise!  Contact Betsy Ward (betsy.ward4@gmail.com)

VOTE...  I urge you to vote on June 3rd to support the revised school budget.  The School Board is busy drafting up the additional 1.2 million dollars in cuts if this budget does not pass. 

 If the revised budget does not pass this time, the district will be forced to revert to the default budget.  The school board is busy drafting up the additional 1.2 million dollars in cuts in case we are forced to revert to this budget.  So far, these cuts include ALL middle school sports, JV teams at the high school, and all professional development opportunities for staff.  They will continue cutting this week to get to the $1.2 million needed.    NO MATTER which budget passes, taxes will increase slightly.  If the budget does not pass, you will still pay more BUT we will lose more BHS teachers and magnet school teachers, the majority of sports funding, afterschool programs and more (to be decided this week)

This is not a threat, just the reality of what the cuts will mean.  

We all need to feel trust in our School Board and District Administration to spend state and local monies responsibly.   And yes, this trust has been shaken.  Please take the time to think about what you need to regain this trust and what a NO vote on the budget means.  $2.7 million dollars in cuts to our District will be devastating to our city schools and a huge erosion of the great learning that is happening across the District.  Will it help you regain trust?  Do you just want to "punish" someone for this mess?  Will it erase the deficits and penalties we are facing?  Will it help us meet the needs of all our young people and future leaders/citizens?  

For the sake of all our children, please educate yourself the best you can about the school budget and vote on June 3rd.

Respectfully, Kate Belluche


What a No Vote means:
  • Deeper cuts to classroom teachers, paraeducators, athletics, maintenance, and co-curricular activities resulting in a decreased quality product – well rounded, educated young citizens.
  • Deeper cuts  jeopardize our city’s future, impacting real estate values and the city’s ability to attract business to Burlington.
  • Tax raise AND ~1.2 million more in cuts to our district.
Vote YES for vibrant, healthy, flourishing schools for our  children.


Additionally...From Burlington Friends of Education Facebook page on 5/16/14

With the high-profile resignation of Superintendent Jeanne Collins, and the finance director, what has become clear is the new school board is taking swift action to rectify the problems related to financial oversight and leadership in the district.
They should be applauded for taking such swift action since they were elected in March and took office in April, and here we are in May.
The school board has worked quickly and intensively to fully understand the financial challenges facing the district and to take action to address them. The school board has:
• Created a FY15 budget that REDUCES spending from FY14 levels and is designed to avoid further deficit spending.
• Begun to create and implement tighter financial management and spending controls that will include:
— an audit of personnel resources and greater oversight on hiring decisions,
— updated processes for approving and overseeing expenditures,
— a more robust system of checks and balances for payroll and other expenditures, and,
— auditing and updating all current financial controls.
• Taken a more active role in overseeing administrative decisions regarding spending and financial planning, ensuring that decisions are fully explained and detailed background documentation is available to the Board and the Public.
• Established a joint cost control committee with members of the School Board and City Council to determine potential cost savings through economies of scale, consolidation and efficiencies.
• Secured Mayor Miro Weinberger’s support to develop a plan in which City financial expertise can be used to assist the School District through this critical transition period.
The new Board can’t dig the district out of nearly a decade of problems in just a few months. These initial, and important, steps are a show of good faith that they’ve heard the call from voters. This is the start of a a multi-year process to get the district fully on its financial feet.
That’s why Burlington Friends of Education is saying … Vote YES ... AND ... Clean up the Mess!


Looking for Parent Helpers for the Annual Flynn

  ice cream sundaes at lunch May 28th
Servers needed: k/1-11:10, 2/3- 11:45, 4/5- 12:20 - 4 to 5 parents per shift
Please Contact Jessica Hook to volunteer -  jessicahook@gmail.com


"We're headed into I think the worst crisis we've been in in 50 years," Buehner said.
Young teachers in the district are seeking jobs elsewhere and mature teachers are taking jobs elsewhere, Buehner said. Burlington citizens and parents need to stand up to protect the school system and protect the education that children deserve, she said.
"Burlington schools may lose more than what they are going to gain with the decisions that were made tonight," Buehner said.
Collins has been under intense pressure to resign before, but managed to ride out the storm. In 2012 she hung onto her job amid controversy about inequities around race and lack of progress on goals to hire more diverse faculty, administrators and staff. Collins earns over $125,000 annually and was promoted to superintendent in 2006 after serving as special education director.





Here is Why your Parenting Style Matters   by Vicki Hoefle


There is loads of talk today about parenting styles and parenting techniques and parenting preferences. All the way from Velcro and Helicopter parenting to CTFD parenting. Truthfully, I agree there is a whole lot of focus and advice smathering cyberspace and I can completely understand why many parents are becoming deaf to any type of talk about this subject.
In most cases I agree – I have two sayings 1. Just because you can write a blog about parenting does not mean you should, and 2. we are all doing the best we can with the information we have. My job is to offer quality information for parents to sift through and decide if they would like to make changes in the way they parent and the relationship they are fostering with their children.
When I discuss parenting styles, I discuss three types.
Authoritarian parenting style which categorizes  parents with clearly defined rules that they expect their children to follow without question or even discussion. Often known as the really strict parents, authoritarian parents hold high expectations for their children and believe that parents are, and should be, in complete control.  These parents “shape, control and evaluate the behavior and attitudes of the child in accordance with a set of standards of conduct, usually an absolute standard[which] values obedience as a virtue and favors punitive, forceful measures to curb self-will” (p. 890).
Permissive parenting style refers to parents who place few, if any demands on their children, allowing children “complete freedom to make life decisions without referring to parents for advice . . .” (Hickman, Bartholomae, & McKenry, 2000, p. 42). Permissive parents allow the “child to regulate his own activities as much as possible, avoid the exercise of control” (Baumrind, 1966, p. 889)  Often these parents view themselves as their children’s friends or peers more than providing the boundaries of the parent-child relationship.
Democratic parenting style is an integration of the other two parenting styles, where parents set clear rules and expectations but also encourage discussion and give-and-take,  especially as their children get older and are able to take more responsibility for themselves. These parents “remain receptive to the child’s views but take responsibility for firmly guiding the child’s actions, emphasizing reasoning, communication, and rational discussion in interactions that are friendly as well as tutorial and disciplinary” (Baumrind, 1996, p. 410).
I find it as no surprise that there are big differences in the ways we approach parenting. Our culture, our situations and even the way our parents raised us influences how we decide what constitutes the right way or wrong way to parent.
What is surprising is the consistent findings about how these different styles of parenting impact our children’s development. The way you parent can influence how your children do in school, relate to others, and whether or not they develop the personal strengths which help them to thrive and how to best deal with life’s stresses.
Having spent years studying parenting and resiliency, research shows that children raised by Democratic parents have higher self-esteem, do better in school, relate better to their peers in large part because they had greater self-confidence and self control.
On the other hand, families with Authoritarian or Permissive parenting tend to have children who can struggle in school, have lower self-efficacy, less self-control, and lower self-esteem, placing these children more at risk when dealing with life’s adversities.
Here are 3 tips to support a Democratic Parenting Style
1.  Include children in the decision making process.  This begins by giving toddlers choices between two things.  Over time, they become skilled decision makers.  Increase their participating by inviting them to help create family policies around bedtime, homework, extra-curricular activities.
2.  Practice being Firm and Kind in both your words, actions and attitudes.  Firm shows the respect you have for yourself and Kind shows the respect you have for the child.  As an example:
Situation:  You have asked your child a number of times to choose which shoes to wear to the store but he refuses and he decides instead to run around.      
Firm: Showing respect for yourself means that you will refuse to fight with the child, manhandle the child or give in to the child.  You understand that when your child refuses to choose, he is abdicating his position in the conversation.  In other words, the child is choosing to have you make the choice.
Kind:  Make the choice for the child in a calm, respectful and friendly manner.  You can maintain a healthy connection with the child and still be in a position of authority.  It might mean that you carry the sneakers to the car to be put on later and his socks get wet as a result or that you leave him home with dad while you run the errands, or you cancel the trip to the hobby shop and go another day.  
Because the situation did not deteriorate into a power struggle, the child is free to learn that by not choosing, he is indeed making a choice.  You have modeled behavior you wish your child to model as he grows and matures and you can continue with your day with little interruption and without feeling resentful.
3.  Create rhythms that support everyone in the home.  Some children like a limited time in the morning to get ready for school while others prefer to wake up with time to spare.  The same is true for bedtime and homework routines and and other routines typically found in busy families.  If you take the time to identify the natural rhythms in your children, you can support them and avoid unnecessary power struggles.  This support is in line with a democratic model which allows everyone in the family to design rhythms that best support who they are without forcing anyone to conform to one persons routines or giving in to the demands of a child.  
The Democratic Parenting Style has benefits for everyone in the family.  
Link to Video:  http://www.kidsinthehouse.com/video/following-your-decisions-democratic-parenting

Daylight Savings Bottle Drive at Merola's yielded $148 for the PTO.  Thank you families for saving up your cans and bottles and thank you Merola's for giving all the money back to the PTO plus 10% - we appreciate your generosity!
District Equity, Inclusion, and Respect Parent Survey 
Burlington School District believes in celebrating diversity and providing equitable, welcoming environments for every student and family. To measure our success and strive for improvement, we are launching an Equity, Inclusion, and Respect Parent Survey on May 15th. This survey will be accessible via a link on the District website (www.bsdvt.org) and will be open through May 29th.

 Designed by independent technology and communications firm K12 Insight, the survey seeks your views on critical issues such as discrimination, staff respectfulness, and student safety during school activities. While addressing these topics can be difficult, it is essential to helping students reach their highest intellectual and personal potential.
Separate Equity, Inclusion, and Respect Student and Staff Surveys will be conducted at school. Please be assured that all feedback is confidential, with responses anonymous to Burlington School District staff. Once the surveys, the District will share results.

 Thank you for your participation, which will guide the District's work to end disrespect, stereotyping, and discrimination at school. We value your opinions and commitment to drawing great strength from our differences.

Save the date...

May 20 - 5th graders visit Hunt during the day, Parents visit Hunt at 7pm for an Evening orientation - don't forget to sign up for the middle school blog!!!)
May 21 - Kindergarten tours and practice lunch for incoming families
May 22 - Staff Appreciation Luncheon
May 26 - No school - Memorial Day
June 3- Vote on School Budget (or call city hall today for absentee ballot- or voting in person is open at City Hall
June 5 - Last PTO meeting of the Year - 6:30 in the library
June 9 - Flynn  Olympics (am- grades 4-6, pm - grades K-2)
June 9 -5th Grade Bridging Ceremony - 6pm
June 11 - Last Day of School (note date change due to last snow day...) Early release and parade at 11:30


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