JJ Flynn PTO

Flynn PTO Update 2/20/12

2012-02-20T13:36:00.001-05:00

Hey There Flynn Families - We're on the homestretch to Winter break - Have a great week and a relaxing break!

Jeh Kulu--Traditional West African Music and Dance Flynn school came alive last week with the pulsing sound of West African drumming and excited primary children dancing. Kids got a healthy cardiovascular work-out daily as they learned dance steps from Guinea, Mali, and Senegal from master artists. Students danced with “smiles a mile wide”, according to principal Graham Clarke.

All K-2 students learned dance from Jeh Kulu artists and experienced the joy of vigorous daily exercise. Sponsored by the PTO, the week-long artist-in-residency program was led by Jeh Kulu artists who also danced at two student performances on Friday, February 10. This community-building event ended with parents, students, and teachers dancing to traditional rhythms together. It was a fabulous evening for Flynn School!

Staff Appreciation for February is underway this week. Thank you 2nd grade room parents for organizing. Students will be creating thank you notes and cards while parents will be sending in a variety of breakfast/brunch type treats. I often hear feedback from teachers about how much they enjoy our monthly celebrations. Our teachers put great time and energy into our kiddoes - how nice that we can fete them regularly!

Narnia Update: We're all working hard, learning songs and lines, dance moves, organizing volunteer labor, selling ads/preparing the playbill and sewing costumes. So far so good - we seem to be on a path towards producing a stellar show! If you have a child in the show, ask them to show you some acting or singing techniques they are learning from Don and Ashley. More than half the parents have already pledged to volunteer their time to help make the play a success. There will be many opportunities during Production week to help afterschool and many roles to be filled in the greenroom helping the kids with costumes, make-up and general kid herding. We need you too! We will be reaching out to parents - if you have not yet volunteered for a task, we encourage you to contact us and we will help you find a job that fits your schedule and skills. Email us at flynnschoolpto@gmail.com

Mark your calendars to come help at the Set Building day on March 17th 8:30am -????? We will be at school all day painting, putting up the stage and preparing props - join us for a few hours or for the whole day - we will keep you fed and if it is anything like last year, we will have a great time!

Town Meeting Day is Tuesday, March 6th, but you don't have to wait for Election Day to vote! Please exercise your right and privilege to vote!

Vote Early at City Hall:

8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri (closed Monday, January 20th).
9 am-noon on Saturday, March 3rd
8am-7:30pm on Monday, March 5th

If you are a registered voter in Burlington, you can walk into the Clerk's office and vote--no ID required.

If want to register to vote in the March 6th election, the deadline is Wednesday, February 29th. City Hall Clerk's Office

Vote by Mail:

Absentee ballot request form can be found at http://www.burlingtonvt.gov/CT/Elections/Information/.

Request must be in to City Hall by Friday, March 2nd.

Vote on Town Meeting Day--Tuesday, March 6th: Polls are open 7am-7pm.

These are some great options for busy families. A sick kid, a snowstorm, a trip to see relatives--there are lots of things that can keep you from getting to the polls on March 6th. Avoid the unavoidable and vote early or absentee.

Check your Calendar...

February 20 - Parent PBIS meeting at Flynn - 6:30, childcare provided
February 21 - PTO Pizza Pick up 4:30-6pm
February 27 - March 6 - Winter Break
March 7 - Narnia Costume Check
March 9 - Flynn Skate Night at Leddy Arena 6-8pm
March 17 - Narnia Set/stage building day - 8am - 5pm
March 17 - Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction at Hunt Middle School - Eat, check out the auction and connect with friends at the middle school!
March 18-24 - Narnia production week - clear your calendars!
March 18 - Narnia tech dress rehearsal 11:30-4:30 - ALL CAST
March 19 - Chess Club

March 22-24 – School Play
March 29/30 - Joseph Bruchac 2 day Artist in Residence
April 2 - Chess Club
April 6 - Flynn Talent Show and bake sale to benefit the 3rd grade overnight trip to Camp Abenaki

Flynn PTO update 2/14/12

2012-02-14T14:19:00.000-05:00

Hey There Flynn Familes - Looks like the students and families had a ball at the Jeh Kulu extravaganza. Hope families had a chance to see their kiddoes in action. More info on this coming from 1st grade teacher, Claire Noble. Have a great week. Kate B.

PTO PIZZA REMINDER!! PIZZA ORDERS ARE DUE Today! TUES. FEB. 14!! YIKES! Did you forget? No worries, send it in tomorrow to the office....only because we love you...

Please vote on March 6th! The following is posted on behalf of "Burlington Friends of Education"...

Investment in Burlington Schools is paying off!
80% of 2011 graduates have gone on to higher education;
Over the last ten years, the drop-out rate has decreased to 2.8%
66% energy cost reduction at renovated schools: Smith and Sustainability Academy;
Meeting the needs of all students, from Advanced Placement to foundational skills.
Families are attracted to Burlington for its quality of life and excellent school system. Enrollment in Burlington schools continues to increase. Over the the last year, enrollment has grown 3%, in contrast to the decline in student population statewide.
Our students need technology skills for future success in a global, technology-rich workforce.
Through a competitive process, BHS was recently awarded a grant from the Nellie Mae Foundation.
A portion of the grant will pay for 50% of the 1-1 technology initiative, including resources to make BHS a wireless school.
This initiative provides an opportunity for all students to access technology required in the modern world.
The video http://www.champlaininitiative.com/technology-stories/ provides examples of how technology is being integrated into Burlington classrooms.
For more detailed budget information visit http://bsdweb.bsdvt.org/Board/BoardBudget.php
Burlington Friends Of Education is sponsoring a contest that celebrates our great schools!

Contest Name: Success in Burlington’s Public Schools!
Guidelines: Post great Burlington public schools school stories to your front porch forum and email us your posting at bfoevt@gmail.com.
Contest open until March 5, 2012
Prize: A donated $50 gift certificate to August First
For more information about the budget and Burlington Friends of Education, go to http://burlingtonfriendsofeducation.wordpress.com/

Fourth Annual IAA (Integrated Art Academy )Silent Auction: Sunday, Feb 19. from 2:00 to 4:00 at the IAA. Kids welcome.-- Sweets, beverages, and incredible auction items.

They have live music, a wonderful bake sale and over a hundred amazing items to bid on. Any budget, any interest, lots of bargains to be had.
Come Bid: Bonnie Acker Art, Home Made Jam, Mad Men Cocktail Party Tickets, Kids' Books, Lakefront Vacation Rentals, Autographed personalized Johnny Boo drawing, an oil change, Limited Edition Burton Snowboard signed by Shaun White, a Family Photo Session with Sam Simon, Jewelry, a Chocolate Raspberry Torte, Lake Monsters Tickets, Judy Klima's Chicken Prints, and about 100 other items.

Bid Online: Visit us at Bidding at BiddingforGood.com/IAA. At this site you can bid in advance on some pricier and more choice items. Anyone can bid on these ahead of time from anywhere! Autographed baseball bat. Bite Me Organic Pizza Party Jewelry Bonnie Acker Paintings 4-BR Isle La Motte Vacation Rental

This is IAA's fundraiser, and all proceeds will benefit the school by funding classroom grants, community building, field trips, artist residences and a clay studio. A great way to beat the midwinter blues!
We hope to see you there

Check your Calendar...

February 13 - Chess Club
February 15 - Early Release day - 11:30!
February 20 - Parent PBIS meeting at Flynn - 6:30, childcare provided
February 21 - PTO Pizza Pick up 4:30-6pm
February 27 - March 6 - Winter Break
March 7 - Narnia Costume Check
March 9 - Flynn Skate Night at Leddy Arena 6-8pm
March 17 - Narnia Set/stage building day - 8am - 5pm
March 17 - Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction at Hunt Middle School - Eat, check out the auction and connect with friends at the middle school!
March 18-24 - Narnia production week - clear your calendars!
March 19 - Chess Club

March 22-24 – School Play
March 29/30 - Joseph Bruchac 2 day Artist in Residence
April 2 - Chess Club
April 6 - Flynn Talent Show and bake sale to benefit the 3rd grade overnight trip to Camp Abenaki

2012-02-06T14:09:00.000-05:00

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope everyone has recovered from Superbowl madness... Our fundraising team has been in overdrive this past week - check out all their/our success! Thank you Tammy Kuypers for leading the charge!

PTO PIZZA NIGHT A FABULOUS SUCCESS!! Thanks so much to Ramuntos Pizza in Williston and to the wonderful parent volunteers (especially Sarah Deshaw and Tammy Kuypers) who made the first PTO Pizza Night such a roaring success! We raised $290! All that money goes right back into enriching the lives of our students right here at Flynn. How awesome is that? The best part is that the PTO is doing a pizza night every month, so you can look forward to a non-cooking night and help your school at the same time!!!

The next Pick Up Dates are:
Feb. 21
March 27
April 17
May 29- this will be the last one for the year and we will start again in Sept. :)

***Order forms are always due on Tuesday, one week, before the pick up date.*****

So grab your friends, neighbors, co-workers, family and yourselves and take a night off from cooking, raise $$ for Flynn School and enjoy a yummy Ramuntos pizza!! Order Forms come home in the Flynn Flyer and there are always extras in the office. Feel free to put in your orders early if you think you might forget! THANKS SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING FLYNN SCHOOL!!!!

The February Treasurer's Report can be accessed by clicking on the link below. Our balance is currently around $24,000. We will be debiting our account in the next two months for payments to Jeh Kulu, Verry Merry Theatre and bills associated with putting on a school play. Thanks for all your support!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag-zi-SCj-zndGRSQ3lOM3hqbUkwZFY1cGxrUVd0Smc

ZUMBA is offered every Saturday morning 9-10:15 at the Miller Center. This past Saturday, instructor (and Flynn parent) Shannon Stem offered her class as a fundraiser for Flynn school.She had a packed class of regulars and another half dozen Flynn parents.  Shannon raised ~$150 for Flynn school and gave us a great workout to boot.   Give it a try - you just might like it! Thank you Shannon for your enthusiasm and generosity!

The February PTO meeting was productive and well-attended - the only thing missing was YOU! Consider putting this on your bucket list! I can't believe there is any TV programming on Thursday night that could trump the drama and intrigue of a PTO meeting - do come next month on March 8th! Minutes are at the end of this post - thank you Sarah D.

Box Tops are collected year round for Flynn school - FREE, FREE money that we can access just by clipping off those pesky pieces of cardboard! Denise will be sending in another batch in a few weeks - it will be the last submission until next Fall.   Send tops to the office or drop them yourself in the yellow bins located just inside the library. But please, collect all summer and ask your friends and family to pass them to you as well - after all, who doesn't like/need FREE money? Thanks you Denise for organizing!

Dr Frankowski spoke to parents about Adolescent Sexuality last Monday night at Hunt Middle School. Unfortunately, there were very few 4th and 5th grade parents in attendance. Despite what you think, it's coming....

Narnia is off to a great start. There are daily rehearsals during lunch/recess and the 3rd grade chorus had their first session last week. All cast will be getting CD's of the songs so they can sing along and get to know the tunes at home. Parents will be pleased to hear a bunch of famous oldies that have been re-worded to fit Narnia. Costume letters went home last week and families will be contacted by their costume leaders. Costume donations should be pouring into the office to help off-set all the costume pieces being constructed.

Do you own a business and want to take out an ad in the Narnia playbill? Take a look at our ad sheet - prices range from $25-$150 - very reasonable! Becky Holt is leading the charge on ads, she can be contacted at beckster412@gmail.com.
Ad Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UlM_c83Z5FF6S0hmZOGrJZfLOW3_up-sHlPhs3JVAyY/edit

Check your Calendar...

February 6-10 - Jeh Kulu Dancing and Drumming Residence for grades K-2 (your PTO dollars at work)
February 13 - Chess Club
February 13 - Parent PBIS meeting at Flynn - 6:30, childcare provided
February 15 - Early Release day - 11:30!
February 17 - Flynn Talent Show and bake sale to benefit the 3rd grade overnight trip to Camp Abenaki
February 27 - Chess Club
March 9 - Flynn Skate Night at Leddy Arena 6-8pm
March 17 - Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction at Hunt Middle School - Eat, check out the auction and connect with friends at the middle school!
March 18-24 - Narnia production week - clear your calendars!

March 22-24 – School Play
March 29/30 - Joseph Bruchac 2 day Artist in Residence

P.T.O Meeting Minutes

February 2, 2012

Meeting was called to order at 6:30pm

Child care was offered in the stage gym

School Budget Update- Bernie O’Rourke, A representative from the Burlington School Board, shared highlights from the 2012-2013 proposed budget. Items mentioned, that were specific to Flynn, were the addition of permanent Para-Educators in all Kindergarten classrooms and the transferring of students during the phased construction to Flynn School- more information is available at:

http://burlingtonfriendsofeducation.wordpress.com/

Treasurer’s Report – reported by John Boone

• Box tops brought in $267 dollars this period- Thank you to Denise Haggerty for continuing to coordinate this!

• $800 added to the account from class photos

• A motion was passed to grant $500 towards an upcoming Artist in Residence: Joseph Bruchac (an author of Abenaki descent who has published over 60 books) will be coming to Flynn and working with all grades over a 2 day period

Principal’s Corner – Graham Clarke

· Successful professional development workshops were highlighted such as a recent workshop in classroom management that 14 Flynn teachers participated in and an ongoing math class that several teachers are taking with Sandy Stanhope from the Vermont Mathematics Institution

· PBIS parent meeting on Monday, February 13th at 6:30pm

· There will be conferences held in April this year (dates TBD)

· There will be a picnic held at St. Josephs in May for families who will be moving to the new location during construction (dates TBD)

Enrichment Update– -Sarah Smith

• Jeh Kulu will be coming this week (February 6-10). There will be a daytime performance for K,1,2 families at 1:30 on the 10^th and an evening performance for 1,2 at (it was requested that families attend only 1 performance)

• It was announced that there are still many volunteer opportunities for Narnia - more information available on the blog

Fundraising- Tammy Kuypers

• PTO pizza kick-off raised $290- the plan is to continue this event on the last Tuesday of every month for the remainder of the school year

Room Parents/Staff Appreciation Update– Lisa Tulkop

• February Teacher Appreciation will be a week full of breakfast foods

• March will be provided by 1^st Grade and April by Kindergarten

School/Family Partnership Update– Shanta Eastman

• Update was tabled until next month’s meeting

Open P.T.O Positions

• Kate made another announcement about the need for a new 2012-13 President and provided job descriptions to the members present

Opportunities

• Talent show help- contact Karen Carr

• Family Nights – opportunities to help coordinate: Skate night (3/9) and Lego night (4/4)

• Narnia volunteers needed: Selling Ads, Make-up, Front house, Volunteer coordinator

Open Forum

• Heather Simmons shared an experience from the recent movie night where she had to stay with children who had been dropped off without supervision and alert police to a suspicious person on school grounds. It was decided that a sign-in and further coordination of safety procedures should be enforced during family night events

• Homework discussion was tabled until next month by Tammy Kuypers

Meeting was adjourned at 7:45pm

Next Meeting: Thursday, 3/8/12, 6:30-7:30pm

Flynn PTO Update 1/30/12

2012-01-30T13:47:00.000-05:00

Hey There Flynn Families - Glad to hear that a lot families turned out for Kung Fu Panda last Friday. Hope to see parents at the monthly PTO this Thursday - it is never too late to attend - you might just like it! We are a friendly bunch and welcome your ideas and commitment to Flynn school.

Good News for our Kids!!! Burlington/Winooski Districts Win $3.5 million for School Reform Click on the link below to read the article http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20120126/NEWS02/201260309/Burlington-Winooski-School-Districts-win-3-5-million-grant?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Positive Behavior Interventions Support (PBIS) kickoff! Don't know about PBIS? Me neither! Ask your child what he/she knows about the new program being implemented in all Burlington schools. Find out what it is and how it affects our kids by coming to the parent meeting on Monday, February 13th at 6:30pm. There will be childcare provided - heck, think of it like a pre-Valentine's day date or night out on the town! Bringing your kids? Contact Karen Carr to RSVP - kcarr@bsdvt.org
I have heard that Flynn school has a new mascot because of PBIS. We are now the Flynn Fireflies. Karen Carr is looking for a few parents to help with a few firefly related projects - here is the skinny,

2 oversized paper fireflies need to be created to put up on the walls in the cafeteria. All materials provided. Skills needed: Cutting, pasting, possibly painting with posterpaint...
1 large wooden firefly needs to be created to hang outside the school. Skills needed: Woodworking, painting, sanding

Can you help??? Contact Karen at kcarr@bsdvt.org

PTO meeting this Thursday, February 2nd from 6:30-7:30. Childcare provided. The agenda is included at the end of this post.

ZUMBA!!! Join instructor (and Flynn parent!) Shannon Stem at the Miller Center on Gosse Court this Saturday (2/4) at 9am for a Zumba workout. ALL proceeds go to the Flynn school PTO, so bring yourself, your friends and neighbors and be ready to shake your thang. This is an adult class. Dress in comfy clothes, bring sneakers and some water. Anyone who bought PTO pizza this week should come for the workout!!! Class donation is $5-$10/person. Questions? Contact Shannon at shannonstem@gmail.com

Narnia News We need Narnia playbill artwork! Get your creative juices flowing!!! If your child lost his/her form, there are more in the office. Like last year, we hope to use many student drawings throughout the playbill - we want yours in there too! Happy drawing!

The parts are cast and rehearsals have began - Don't forget, Permission slips and behavior contracts are now due. Chorus rehearsals start this Thursday for 3rd graders - those permission slips will be due by Thursday. If you haven't seen the form, check your child's backpack, pick up another in the office or email Sarah at sarah@esptrans.com so you can print the file at home.

Costuming has begun! Keep your eyes peeled for a letter coming home this week with information about the parent costume lead for your child's group, information about what your child needs for his/her costume and information about costs associated with making costumes. We will be asking parents to contribute money towards costumes on a sliding scale.

Flynn Family Nights have begun! Thanks to all the families who joined us for Kung Fu Panda 2 - there was great excitement to be had last Friday. Join us again at the Talent Show in a few short weeks.

Check your Calendar...

January 30 - Chess Club
January 30 - Health Chat with Dr. Frankowski (parents of 4th, 5th graders) 6-7:15, Hunt Middle School Library
January 31 - PTO Pizza Pick-up in Lobby 4:30-6
February 2 - Flynn PTO meeting - 6:30-7:30 pm - childcare provided
February 2 - School Food Project Meeting at Hunt Middle School 6-7pm
February 6-10 - Jeh Kulu Dancing and Drumming Residence for grades K-2 (your PTO dollars at work)
February 13 - Parent PBIS meeting at Flynn - 6:30, childcare provided
February 15 - Early Release day - 11:30!
February 17 - Flynn Talent Show and bake sale to benefit the 3rd grade overnight trip to Camp Abenaki
March 9 - Flynn Skate Night at Leddy Arena 6-8pm
March 17 - Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction at Hunt Middle School - Eat, check out the auction and connect with friends at the middle school!
March 18-24 - Narnia production week - clear your calendars!

March 22-24 – School Play

February PTO Meeting

2/2/12

6:30 pm

AGENDA

Welcome– Kate Belluche

UPDATES

Treasurer’s report- John Boone
Principal’s Corner – Graham Clarke
Enrichment Update– Jeh Kulu/ FlynnTheatre -Sarah Smith
Fundraising Update- PTO Pizza - Tammy Kuypers
Room Parents/Staff Appreciation Update– Lisa Tulkop
School/Family Partnership Update– Shanta Eastman
President/V President/communications - job description – Kate Belluche

OPPORTUNITIES

· Family Nights

· Lots of Narnia jobs!

OPEN FORUM – What’s on your mind? Burning questions and novel ideas:

Homework discussion – Tammy Kuypers

MISC

Next Meeting: Thursday, 3/8/12, 6:30-7:30

Flynn Family PTO Update 1/23/12

2012-01-23T21:20:00.001-05:00

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope you had a relaxing weekend. I don't know about you, but I have my fingers crossed for some snow... it would be a pity to have a winter without sledding....(and maybe a snow day!)

Flynn Family Night: Out to the movies this Friday, January 27th! Come with your comfy blankets and low beach chairs for a showing of Kung Fu Panda 2. The movie starts at 7pm in the stage gym, so come a little early to settle in. After the movie there will be a free raffle and one lucky family will leave with this fun DVD for years of viewing pleasure at home. FREE + FRIDAY = FUN!

PTO Pizza Did you get your order in for pizza night??? In case you forgot or lost the form, click on the link below and print yourself a copy!
https://docs.google.com/open?id=1-Sb6drmgA0gduyoe6qWc7vmmmydmQTiupF6zQYBZB9N-MO33uiBNV743Qoo9
Questions? Contact Tammy Kuypers at kuypers5@yahoo.com

Hunt Drama Program Presents: Adult Dance Party… for Hunt Parents, friends of Hunt Parents and Hunt Staff (to benefit Grease, March 30th and 31st)
Believe it or not, in a few short years your child will be Hunt Middle School (yeah, I didn't believe it either...) This fun adult event will help support the fledgling theatre program at the middle school - if you help build and support it, there will be a well established tradition at Hunt by the time your child enters 6th grade! I bet you have plenty of friends going already - come on out on the town!

Saturday February 4, 7-12 pm
St. John’s Club, 9 Central Ave, Burlington
Come join us and raise funds for the Hunt production of Grease – Hang out with your friends and neighbors while dancing, and enjoying appetizers and a cash bar – Tickets are limited – Order Early – Bring a friend!
Suggested Ticket price: $20 per person/$30 per couple
For more information call Anne Williams 658-9615 or
annenicholswilliams@gmail.com or Bella Nadworny at bella@bellabueno.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name_________________________________________
Phone/Email _________________________________
#of Tickets ____________________________________
Amount Included________________________________
Please make checks payable to ‘Hunt Drama Program’
Drop off at Hunt Middle School – Attn: Dance Party
Or mail to Bella Nadworny, 132 Cumberland Rd, Burlington, VT 05408
Include a SASE or Pick up at the Middle School on 2/2 and 2/3 after school

Narnia Update: Parts were announced today - be sure to ask your child about the read through. Now the work begins! 3rd grade parents, keep your eyes open for Chorus permission slips this week. We will be assembling a group of 3rd grade sprites. 3rd grade is the introduction to the JJ Flynn theatre and Very Merry Theatre - please encourage your child to get involved - everyone is welcome! Chorus practice will be during lunch and recess on Thursdays starting February 2nd.

Box Tops - Keep sending in those box tops!!! Denise is getting ready to organize our Spring submission. This is an easy way for our PTO to raise hundreds of dollars! Box Tops can be sent into the office or put in the box top boxes in the library - THANKS!
Check your Calendar...

January 23 - Parts announced! - Narnia Script reading

January 24 - Pizza orders due - more order forms in the office and at this link

January 27 - Flynn Family Movie Night (free!)
January 30 - Chess Club
January 30 - Health Chat with Dr. Franckowski (parents of 4th, 5th graders) 6-7:15, Hunt Middle School Library
February 2 - Flynn PTO meeting - 6:30-7:30 pm - childcare provided
February 2 - School Food Project Meeting at Hunt Middle School 6-7pm (other days too - see blog post last week)
February 6-10 - Jeh Kulu Dancing and Drumming Residence for grades K-2 (your PTO dollars at work)
February 15 - Early Release day - 11:30!
February 17 - Flynn Talent Show and bake sale to benefit the 3rd grade overnight trip to Camp Abenaki
March 17 - Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction at Hunt Middle School - Eat, check out the auction and connect with friends at the middle school!
March 18-24 - Narnia production week - clear your calendars!

March 22-24 – School Play

Flynn Family PTO Update 1/16/12

2012-01-16T16:46:00.001-05:00

Hey there Flynn Families- I was pleasantly surprised to see so many families braving the wintry weather last Friday - hope you had a great time and will join us for future family events!

Who knew we could turn out the whole school for the Annual Family Traditions Dinner! If you were there, you know that it was standing room only and a food line that stretched around the cafeteria. What a great problem to have! We had abundant food, great entertainment and patient, engaging dinner guests. Thank to all the families who braved the wintry weather, the teachers/classes that provided entertainment and all the parents who spontaneously jumped in to help with passing out ice cream and cleaning up after the event- I love to see families playing and working together - we are a great community. HUGE thanks to the Family School Partnership team and the PTO for all the behind the scenes work that went into this event - hopefully I can remember everyone.... The Kuypers family, Peterson Family, Eastman Family, Belluche Family, Wanda, Nijaza, Smith family, Happy, Brad, Mary, Claire, Susan, Graham, Karen... Please say I didn't miss anyone! We welcome any feedback you might have about improving this event in 2013.

Found: Clear pot top. It is washed and will be dropped in the PTO mailbox on Monday. Come and get it!

Burlington School Food Project Meeting For all PTO, Parents, and Staff
January 19th (6-7pm) @ Edmunds cafeteria
January 24th (6-7pm) @ IAA cafeteria
February 2nd (6-7pm) @ Hunt cafeteria
Meet with members of the Burlington School Food Project. Topics to include:
Farm 2 School Initiatives, School Gardens, Volunteer Involvement, Community Outreach, School Food Changes. Bring your questions!

Sarah Heusner
Farm 2 School Coordinator
Burlington School Food Project
sheusner@bsdvt.org
office: 802.540.0291

PTO January Meeting Minutes can be found at the end of this post.

Narnia Update

Auditions for grades 4/5 took place on Wednesday and Thursday last week
Bella Nadworny held the first costume planning session last week - there were unicorn horns and eagle beaks strewn across her living room... Narnia is a fantastical story with lots of fantastical creatures. Once we find out parts, we will be looking for parents to take the role of parent helper for each group - this person will help make sure the people in that group are getting costumes together. Some costumes will be made for students (unless the parent has someone in mind to construct the costume) Some costume pieces can be borrowed from the costume closet at Edmunds and some stuff will be things that can be found at home. We will let you know for your child and we will be asking parents to help pay for their child's costume if they are able.
Singing auditions for 5th graders will be on Tuesday, January 17th with Ashely
Parts will be announced on Friday the 19th and the cast will read through the script during lunch. As soon as students get their script, they should start memorizing their lines!
Rehearsals will begin on Monday, January 23rd. Students will need to bring their script, a pencil, good listening skills and a good attitude to rehearsals
2nd grade parent, Bren Alvarez has graciously donated her time again this year to design our playbill. Now we need to start selling ads to fund this play! What are your connections? Do you own your own business and can take out an ad? Do you work for a company where you can ask them to buy an ad? Do you have friends/connections with businesses in the New North End? We need your help! We will have an ad sheet available for you to download and take to businesses.

Your child is in the play - hooray!!!! - Now what?

Run lines with them - everything will need to be memorized - the sooner the better!
Read the book, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - the play is based on this book (the DVD is also at the Fletcher Free library)
Make sure your child gets to bed on time and eats healthy meals - sleep and good food are important for our young actors!
Complete and return any paperwork required for your child to participate - a play of this size does not run itself- we need to stay well organized and keep in touch with families !
There is already a crew of parents working on supporting our children and the play. You too will be asked to contribute - your skills at sewing or baking, helping to sell ads for the playbill, volunteering to help the kids into costumes and make-up. Many of the costumes will need to be made this year and parents will be asked to pay for their child's costume.
We are not planning to offer t-shirts this year. However, if you feel strongly about having shirts, we are happy to pass along printing contacts and you can organize this piece. Please let Sarah know if you are interested.

Do you have a desire to help and/or a skill to share? Reach out to us - come join the team! Questions can be directed to Sarah Smith at sarah@esptrans.com

Let’s talk about SEXuality – Adolescent Sexuality

Attention Parents of Tweens and Teens at Flynn Elementary and Hunt Middle School. Parents of students in grades 4-8

You’re invited to a health chat with our own, Dr. Barbara Frankowski. Dr. Frankowski is a pediatrician at Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen, has been teaching sexuality education classes in the Burlington schools for over 15 years, and she firmly believes that parents are the most important partners in this process! She looks forward to sharing her experiences teaching your sons and daughters, and discuss ways you can take an active role in influencing your adolescents to make the best decisions! Bring your questions and concerns as there will be discussion time. Dr. Frankowski will bring some of her favorite books on the subject and she encourages you to bring yours too so we can share recommendations.

Be sure to put this opportunity on your calendar! Monday, January 30^th,6pm – 7:15 (can go longer if there are lots of questions!) Hunt Middle School Library

Questions? Contact Kate Belluche at huntmiddleschool@gmail.com or 658-6831

Check your Calendar...

January 16 - No School for Martin Luther King Day
January 23 - Narnia rehearsals start

January 24 - Pizza orders due (order form was in the Flynn Flyer last Friday)

January 27 - Flynn Family Movie Night (free!)
January 30 - Chess Club
January 30 - Health Chat with Dr. Frankowski (see above) 6-7:15, Hunt Middle School Library
February 2 - Flynn PTO meeting - 6:30-7:30 pm - childcare provided
February 2 - School Food Project Meeting at Hunt Middle School 6-7pm (other days too - see above)
March 18-24 - Narnia production week - clear your calendars!

March 22-24 – School Play

JJ Flynn P.T.O

Meeting Minutes
January 2, 2012

Meeting was called to order at 6:30pm

Babysitting was offered in the multipurpose room

Treasurer’s Report – reported by John Boone

• Ben and Jerry’s grant rec’d - $1k to play

• Some big expenditures coming up – Jeh Kulu, Narnia

• Art Frames – some portraits framed – project still on-going. All profits will go to Art Department when completed

Principal’s Corner – Graham Clarke

· 3 new para-educator hires and teacher, Alison Tinson, a long term sub for Keith Brown (in Equador for remainder of schoolyear)

· Teachers to participate in behavior management workshops Jan.23/24

· Plans being made for meetings about school construction

· Insurance payout from playground arson. Will be getting some new equipment that fits mobility/accessibility issues. School has ~$18k

· Graham addressing issue of idling of cars in parking lots. It is against the law. Blurb in North Avenue News, will be a reminder in the Flynn Flyer and Burlington Police will be making rounds to help support.

Flynn Gardens – Claire Noble

• Participants voted to earmark $2k for use on gardens when construction is complete.

Enrichment Update– Kate Belluche for Sarah Smith

• Chess club going well – next meeting 1/30 – no school on MLK day

• Jeh Kulu will do performances – Friday afternoon and then eve. Graham still working on space issues for families to attend.

• Narnia tryouts next week – everyone gets a part

• Meeting for Narnia 1/10 – filling organizing roles and play specifics

Fundraising- Tammy Kuypers

• Pizza fundraiser off and running. Pizzas delivered the last T of each month. Order forms to go in Flynn Flyer next week. Volunteer to distribute between 4:30-6pm on that T. $8 of each pizza to PTO. Talked about maybe doing a pizza night in conjunction with a family night.

Room Parents/Staff Appreciation Update– Lisa Tulkop

• Third grade parents cleaned out the break room for January appreciation

• February will be 2nd grade parents

PTO Leaders Salon – Kate Belluche

• PTO reps met on December 19^th- very interesting conversations about communication, class size

School/Family Partnership Update– Shanta Eastman

• Committee is finalizing action plan. Teachers will be offering literary events in each class this Spring.

Open P.T.O Positions for 2012-13

• Kate will bring job descriptions to PTO meeting next month

Opportunities

• Family Traditions Dinner- greeters/set-up at 4:30 (Kuypers, Belluches, Happy V.) Scoopers: Brad I., Mary M.

• Family Nights all set up thanks to Christine L. – lots of help needed for talent show (Karen Carr)

1/27 – Movie Nt

2/10 – Jeh Kulu

2/17 - Talent Show

3/9 – Skate Nt

4/4 – Lego Nt.

Meeting was adjourned at 7:30pm

Next Meeting: Thursday, 2/2/12, 6:30-7:30p

Flynn family PTO Update 1/9/12

2012-01-09T09:45:00.004-05:00

Hey there Flynn Families - Hope to see families this Friday evening at the dinner - Have a great week!

Family Traditions Dinner this Friday!!!! Bring your family and a yummy main dish to add to this annual potluck. Does your family make a special dish that you would like to share? Is there a special food that hearkens back to your family heritage? No matter, make something! We also encourage you to bring re-usable dishes so we make less garbage - every plate, fork and cup counts!!! We will gather at 5:30 and the buffet will be open to eat by 5:45. Come early for hot food and lots of choices! Linger after dinner for ice cream, entertainment and great company!

World Music? Karen Carr is compiling some world music to accompany our Family Traditions Dinner on Friday. Do you have some CD's that could be used that evening? If you are willing to lend them, put your name on them and deliver them to Karen Carr in the office. All Cd's will be returned promptly. Thanks!

PTO Nice to see so many parents at the PTO meeting last week. You are all welcome each and every month - come find out what's up at school and how you can be a part of it. The minutes of the meeting will be out next week. A link to the January Treasurer's Report is below.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag-zi-SCj-zndDBieGJ0R3Jid0hvOEVUYlppaWtramc

You asked for it, they provided... The School Food Project Parent Outreach Meetings: An open discussion about school food, upcoming initiatives, and all things Farm 2 School.
CP Smith, Hunt, Flynn & BHS parents, February 2nd, 6-7pm @ Hunt Cafeteria
For more information, visit their site at: http://www.burlingtonschoolfoodproject.org/

Fifth grade students at Flynn elementary school were the subjects of a research project conducted by UVM med students. Here's the scoop!

Game-based food education: Medical students think it's silly enough to work | Serving Up Vermont | C

www.citymarket.coop

Picture this game: There are two teams of 10 and 11 year-olds. Each team has to answer a smorgasbord of food-related questions in order to move forward in the game. The kids themselves are the life-sized game pieces, wearing straw-brimmed hats loaded with fruits and vegetables.

http://www.citymarket.coop/blog/content/game-based-food-education-medical-students-think-its-silly-enough-work

Narnia news:

The next meeting is on Tues, Jan 10 at 6:45 in the learning center. Don Wright from the Very Merry Theatre will be there

Auditions this week. Interested students brought home paperwork on Friday - Students must have completed paperwork returned to audition The play is a family event - family participation in costumes/volunteering will be required.
Costuming preparations have already begun! Searching for plastic icicles (like ornaments) and plain headbands. If you have or come across cheap ones while out and about, let us know! Contact Bella at bella@bellabueno.com.

Do you have a desire to help and/or a skill to share? Reach out to us - come join the team! Questions can be directed to Sarah Smith at sarah@esptrans.com

Annual Flynn Talent Show You won't want to miss this annual event on February 17th! Students are signing up their acts and starting to prepare for their big debut. The show starts at 7pm and lasts until.... Be prepared for a late night out on the town! Parent volunteers are needed both behind the scenes and in the stage gym. If you have a child performing, this would be a good time for you to jump into a volunteer role - don't worry, we will make sure you don't miss your own munchkin on stage!!! Take a look at the needs and email Karen Carr at kcarr@bsdvt.org to help out. Don't delay - we hope not to have to call parents to volunteer.

6:20 - 2 parents to help cue up performers and seat them in Stage gym

6:30 - 1 parent to keep parents out of performer seating

6:30 - 2 folks to help backstage to keep kids quiet and get them on stage

6:00 - 1 person to help with lights

6:45 - 1 person to direct kids exiting stage back to their seats

6:45 - 1 person to sit with kids in performer seating to help them stay quiet

Martin Luther King Day volunteer opportunity at Flynn school. The library will be bar coding several thousand books! There is no school on January 16th in honor of MLK - Can you help???? Mrs. Wells invites volunteers to sign-up with her. The project starts at 1pm and will take place in the library. Children grades 3+ accompanied by an adult are encouraged to help. Please e-mail Mrs. Wells at awells@bsdvt.org to RSVP.

FYI... Family ski and snowshoe program with Burlington Parks and Recreation

Enjoy a weekend afternoon snow shoeing and Nordic skiing at Schmanska Park. Parks and Recreation will outfit the kids with skis or snowshoes and provide hot chocolate, and the barn as a warm-up hut! Art activities will be available for the little ones. Adult skis and snowshoes, when available.

Saturdays, January 14, 21, 28 & February 4, 11, 18, 25

Time: 1–4 pm

Resident Family rate: (will cover maximum of two adults and three children per visit):

$15/non-resident $17

Additional rentals: $7.50/non-resident

The dissemination of this material is intended to be of community service. BSD does not endorse or sponsor this organization.

Check your Calendar...

January 10 - Narnia meeting at 6:45 in the Learning Center

January 13 - Family Traditions Dinner - 5:30-7:30pm - Multipurpose room

January 16 - No School for Martin Luther King Day

January 24 - Pizza orders due (order form in Flynn Flyer this Friday)

January 27 - Flynn Family Movie Night (free!)
January 30 - Chess Club

March 22-24 – School Play

Flynn Family PTO Update 1/3/12

2012-01-03T09:35:00.004-05:00

Hey There Flynn Families - It's about time we booted those munchkins out the door and got back to business. Hope you had a lovely break and some relaxing family time.

Might I suggest a nifty New Year's Resolution - one that won't be hard to keep... Make 2012 the year you engage in Bulington schools. It might seem a long way off, but in a few short years one or more of your kids will be off to the middle school or high school. There are so many big changes around the corner for your child and for the school district. Do you know where we're headed? Do you know what opportunities are being offered to families at Flynn? Do you know what your taxes pay for? What can you do?

Go to the Budget hearing this Wednesday at BHS - find out what the District plans to spend in 2012-13 The following link connects you to the BSD Powerpoint presentation about the 2012-13 Budget:
http://bsdweb.bsdvt.org/Board/budget1213/BudgetOverviewPPTFY2013.pdf

Attend your school PTO meetings - there is one this Thursday at 6:30 and there is free childcare! (Agenda included at the end of this post)

Vote on Town Meeting Day on Tuesday, March 6th

Staff Appreciation Flynn staff returned today to a spiffed up staff room. Several third grade parents were able to come in to school over break to wipe, wash, organize and stock essential items in the staff room. Big thanks to The Coutrayer family, Krista Poquette, Lisa Tulkop and Kate Belluche.

Chess Club continues... Don't know how to play? Now is the time to learn! Are you tired of being trounced by your child? Send them to the class so they can find a worthy opponent! It is never too late to try this bi-weekly drop-in class. Monday Jan 16, Jan 30, and Feb 13.

Flynn Family Nights – 2011-2012 Thank you Christine L. for arranging the line-up and recruiting Flynn parents to lead family nights. For new and returning families, Flynn Family nights are organized to bring Flynn families together for free, fun play and socializing. There will be several friday events organized each month during the winter months. Flynn students and families are encouraged to participate. Students must be accompanied by an adult - this is not a drop off event. We'll start with the Family Traditions Dinner on January 13th from 5:30-7:30pm. This is a potluck dinner and families are asked to bring a main dish to share. There will be plenty of entertainment and ice cream sundaes after dinner. If you can bring your own utensils and plates we can cut down on how much garbage we produce. This dinner is a collaboration between the PTO and the School Family Partnership team.

Other Family Night include:
Jan 27 Family Movie Night
Feb 10 - Jeh Kulu performance
Feb 17 – Talent Show
March 9 – Family Skate Night
May 4 – Lego Night

Jeh Kulu J.J. Flynn PTO has been awarded a Teaching Artist Learning Grant in the amount of $750 from the Vermont Arts Council to support to a residency with Jeh Kulu for K-2 students. HUGE thanks to Sarah Smith for her excellent grant writing - the application for state grants is a whopper!

JJ Flynn Theatre committee has begun meeting to plan the production of Narnia. Here is the scoop so far...

4/5 students will have acting roles and 3rd graders are encouraged to join the chorus
The next meeting is on Tues, Jan 10 at 6:45 in the learning center. Don Wright from the Very Merry Theatre will be there
If your child is in the play, we will be asking families to volunteer some time to help with a wide variety of tasks from making costumes to helping create the sets and helping the students get ready on the days of the performances. You do not need to have a child in the play to participate - the last 2 years we had parents from K, 1, 2 helping in lead roles - just because....
Auditions will be during the week of January 9th and parts will be announced the next week. Interested students will have some paperwork for parents to complete giving permission for them to participate. The play is a family event - family participation in costumes/volunteering will be required.

Do you have a desire to help and/or a skill to share? Reach out to us - come join the team! Questions can be directed to Sarah Smith at sarah@esptrans.com

We Deliver (sort of...) Keep your eyes open for a flyer in your child's backpack. Order delicious pizza from Ramunto's in Williston and pick it up at Flynn School- 1/2 of the money goes to the PTO!

Orders Forms Due In The Office: Tuesday, January 24th

Pizza Pick-Up: Tuesday, January 31st, 4:30-6:00 pm in the Stage Gym - Just pull up to the side entrance (by the Kindergarten doors) and we will deliver your pizzas!

Check your Calendar...

January 4 - BSD Budget Meeting at Burlington High School
January 5 - PTO Meeting 6:30pm (childcare provided)
January 10 - Narnia meeting at 6:45 in the Learning Center
January 13 - Family Traditions Dinner
January 16 - No School for Martin Luther King Day
January 24 - Pizza orders due
January 27 - Flynn Family Movie Night (free!)
March 22-24 – School Play

AGENDA January PTO Meeting

1/5/12 6:30 pm

AGENDA

Welcome– Kate Belluche

UPDATES

Treasurer’s report- John Boone
Principal’s Corner – Graham Clarke ( Idling cars at S side of school)
Flynn Gardens – vote on 2-3K restricted - Claire Noble
Enrichment Update– Jeh Kulu/Theatre -Sarah Smith
Fundraising Update/pizza – Tammy Kuypers
Room Parents/Staff Appreciation Update– Lisa Tulkop
School/Family Partnership Update– Shanta Eastman
PTO Leaders Salon – report out
Looking to elect the 2012-13 President/V President – Kate Belluche

OPPORTUNITIES

Family Traditions Dinner- 2-3 more volunteers needed pre-dinner set-up/ice cream help
Family Nights – Announce Line-up, vols for Talent Show (6-8- preferably parents with kids in show)

OPEN FORUM – What’s on your mind? Burning questions and novel ideas:

MISC

Next Meeting: Thursday, 2/2/12, 6:30-7:30

Flynn Family PTO Update 12/19/11

2011-12-19T10:15:00.003-05:00

Hey there Flynn families - Happy holidays - I hope you have a relaxing break from school and work. Kate B.

BSD Budget Hearings The next public hearing is January 4, 2012 and will be held in the Burlington High School cafeteria at 7:00 pm. The public will have additional opportunities to
comment on this budget at a special Finance Committee meeting of the Board on January 9, 2012 (6:00 pm, 150 Colchester Avenue), at a presentation to the City Council also on January 9 and finally at the regularly scheduled School Board meeting on January 10, 2012 (7:00 pm, Burlington High School cafeteria).

The following link connects you to the BSD Powerpoint presentation about the 2012-13 Budget:
http://bsdweb.bsdvt.org/Board/budget1213/BudgetOverviewPPTFY2013.pdf

Letter of Intent-J.J. Flynn Garden Fundraising At the January PTO meeting, parents will vote on the following proposal to restrict funds for the Flynn gardens. It is proposed that $2,000 be restricted.

It has been the intention of the fundraising coordinator/chair for the past four years to assure the continued use and care of the Flynn School garden and to maintain and expand the garden areas in the future. Garden areas include the raised beds, the garden borders at the main entrance, and those lining the south parking lot and south entrance doors.

In the last two years the PTO fundraising chair (Susan Rutherford) has led the “Perennially Green Sale” fundraiser. Not only does this event bring parents and staff but also community members to the school to donate plants, but also to participate in the plant and yard sale that is held on the same day. In the past, 50 - 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale were set aside for improvement of the school gardens. This has amounted to $1,500 to $2,000.

Because the school garden raised beds will be dismantled during the school renovations next year, it is requested that the proceeds from last year’s Perennially Green sale be earmarked and reserved for re-establishing the gardens following construction next year. It is also requested that grants the PTO apply for grants as in the past to re-build the raised beds and continue to improve the Flynn School gardens. In order to do this, it is important to set aside funds for that purpose.

FLYNN FAMILY TRADITIONS DINNER

The PTO and the Family School Partnership Team

would like to invite you to our

annual family potluck dinner!

Friday, January 13th, 2011

Multi-purpose room

5:30-7:30 PM

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT!!!

Please bring a MAIN dish to share.

To reduce waste, please also bring your own plates and utensils.

Drinks and dessert (ice cream sundaes) will be provided by the PTO.

We will have multi-cultural tables set up for display. If you have traditional items that you would like to display from another country or cultural, please bring it to share. If you have traditional clothing, feel free to wear it if you’d like. Please contact Melisa Peterson at JiberJab@comcast.net or 651-9039 for more information.

Check your Calendar...

December 19 - Chess Club at 2:30 - All welcome
December 22 - Schoolwide Meeting - 8:30am - Caroling and Intervale Farms Collection wrap-up - Parents Welcome!
December 23-January 2 - Winter Break
January 5 - PTO Meeting - childcare provided
January 14 - Family Traditions Dinner

Flynn family PTO Update 12/12/11

2011-12-12T14:34:00.000-05:00

Hey there Flynn Families - I won't waste your precious time - Here's what's up...

Staff Appreciation The 4th grade parents showed their appreciation for the Flynn staff in November with a full array of hot soups and fresh breads, donated by Klingers, served with butter and olive oil. They also got a Flynn parent specialty, fried rice and eggrolls. Sparkling water and soda rounded out the meal. It was a warm and cozy luncheon that the staff seemed to really enjoy.

This month and this week, the PTO is charged with staff appreciation. Once again, food is our theme and staff will be treated to an Italian themed lunch with baked ziti, salad, breads and homemade baked goods. Thank you to the parents making dishes and baking - Flynn staff will love it!

For the start of the new year, 3rd grade parents will be appreciating staff by cleaning and stocking the breakroom. If you are a 3rd grade parent who wants to help, cleaning elves plan to meet on the 26th of December to have things ready for after the break. Contact Lisa Tulkop to help - lisaspurplepalace @gmail.com

TOYS! The PTO funded the purchase of some outdoor toys to help keep kids active and industrious in the snow during recess. We are hoping for some great construction projects to come out of the infusion of shovels, trowels, snowblock makers and plastic tubs. As soon as we get some snow, ask your child how the toys are received. We bet they will be a big hit!

The Annual Holiday School Assembly is scheduled for December 22nd at 8:30 am. Parents are invited to join their child in the multipurpose room for caroling, reporting on the Intervale fundraiser and to see Mr. Clarke choke down brussel sprouts. Last year it was kissing a cow, this year it is cruciferous vegetables - I for one, would choose the veggies - Russel sprouts are yummy!

JJ Flynn Theatre committee has begun meeting to plan the production of Narnia. The ball is rolling - now we need you! The next meeting is on Tues, Jan 10 at 6:45 in the learning center. Don Wright from the Very Merry Theatre will be there. 4/5 students will have acting roles and 3rd graders are encouraged to join the chorus. We don't plan to strong arm anyone to participate, but know that this is an awesome opportunity for all children to explore acting and singing and maybe find a true calling. We offer this during school hours so that any child can participate and teachers/administration are flexible because they recognize how important the arts are in nurturing the whole child. We have lots of opportunities for parents too! You do not need to have a child in the play to participate - the last 2 years we had parents from K, 1, 2 helping in lead roles - just because.... Do you have a desire to help and/or a skill to share? Reach out to us - come join the team! Questions can be directed to Sarah Smith at sarah@esptrans.com

Breaking news: Auditions will be during the week of January 9th and parts will be announced the next week. Practice will begin later in the month. Don Wright will visit classrooms after the break and interested students will have some paperwork for parents to complete giving permission for them to participate. The play is a family event - family participation in costumes/volunteering will be required.

Check your Calendar...

December 14 - Early Release Day at 11:30
December 22 - Schoolwide Meeting (Parents welcome)
December 19 - Chess Club
December 23 - January 2 - Winter Break
January 5 - PTO Meeting
January 14 - Family Traditions Dinner

Flynn Family PTO Update

2011-12-05T12:27:00.001-05:00

Hey there Flynn Families - Lots of exciting stuff happening this month at Flynn and beyond. Hope you are able to take advantage of all the season brings. We had another productive PTO meeting last week and are making plans for many fun family events in the new year. Hope you will join us in organizing, volunteering and playing together. Meeting minutes and Treasurer's Report are located at the end of this post. (please excuse the messy formatting this week - unidentifiable glich - too lazy to spend all day working on it!)

CHINESE EXCHANGE TEACHER AT FLYNN!!! Flynn is proud to welcome Crystal to our school! Crystal comes to us from Shanghai, China, where she is a High School teacher. She is doing an exchange program called Visiting Scholars through the Asian Studies Outreach Program at UVM. She will be with us teaching in different classrooms until Jan. 13. One of her main focuses will be in Mrs. Brooks class because coincidentally there is a Chinese student who arrived a few weeks ago with limited English. It was meant to be! She will also be in other classrooms teaching Chinese language, songs, games, art, and cooking as requested by the teachers. We are very excited to have her here and to have the children learn about a different culture. If you see her around please give her a warm welcome!!

The Kuypers family is hosting Crystal at their house, but they are traveling for the holidays. It would be wonderful if there were some families that could show her some good ole’ VT winter fun like skiing, sledding or ice skating or invite her to dinner or to a movie. This would really make her feel welcome and make her vacation special! You can contact Tammy Kuypers at: 598-4293 or 863-1943 to arrange something or you can e-mail Crystal directly at sgh1121@hotmail.com

Thanks so much in advance for making her time here at Flynn a memorable one!!

Did You Know? All Flynn Families are welcome and encouraged to use the library at school! Mrs. Wells will be happy to set you up with an account and lend books that your family can enjoy at home. Holiday break is coming up - make sure you have lots of good reading material to get you through the break!

Exchange Student #2 Hello Flynn Families - I just received this emergency request and I am sending it on to you all in the event that a Flynn family might want to help or would know another local family that would:

From PAX Coordinator Alysse Anton http://www.pax.org/hschools.html

One of our students (Marieke) is in need to be relocated in another family. She is only here for a semester (she will fly back to Germany at the end of January).
She is currently going to BHS, so we would need a family who lives in Burlington.
We are looking to find a family with other children/teenagers.
Would you be able to help us with this emergency?
Thank you.
Alysse Anton
PAX Coordinator
Please make sure that all inquiries are directed to Kelley Cartularo (kelleycartularo@gmail.com)

Check your Calendar...

December 5 - Narnia Pre-Production Meeting - 6:45 in the library
December 5 - Drop in Chess club at 2:30-3:30 in the library
December 5 - Narnia Production Team Meeting in the learning center at 6:45
December 14 - Early Release Day at 11:30
December 22 - Schoolwide Meeting (Parents welcome) Mr. Clarke to eat Brussel Sprouts and caroling with Mr. Reynolds - Time yet to be announced - stay tuned
December 19 - Chess Club (see above)
December 23 - January 2 - Winter Break
January 5 - PTO Meeting
January 14 - Family Traditions Dinner

View the Treaurer's Report by clicking on the link below:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag-zi-SCj-zndGZZWWxkdkNmb1BtS3VvTHVyR0hKUkE

P.T.O Meeting Minutes - December 1, 2011
Meeting was called to order at 6:30pm - Babysitting was offered in the multipurpose room

Treasurer’s Report – reported by Kate Belluche

It was discussed that PTO Funds are currently in a checking account and not earning interest- putting funds in a CD was suggested to generate more incomeFurther financial planning was discussed- how much to maintain as a “cushion” and if it makes sense to expand our offerings
Pasta dinner generated $815!
Winter toys (ice block makers, trowels, shovels) were purchased for the playground for $100. Money leftover will be used to purchase more playground toys in the Spring.
A motion was passed to replace the black signs used for special events for $169. It was suggested that existing signs could be sold or donated- possibly to Hunt Middle School

Principal’s Corner – Graham Clarke

Crystal Chen, a teacher from Shanghai will be joining Mrs. Brooks’ class until January 14th. She will be staying with the Kuypers family (it was also approved to purchase a bus pass for Crystal for use while she is in Burlington)
There was excellent attendance at the recent Literacy Café in Mr. Brown’s class as well as the Butterfly performance by Ms. Noble’s class
Next all school meeting will be held December, 22
School wide fundraiser has begun- for every 20 donations (marked by the student’s handprint on the display in front of the office) Mr. Clarke will eat a brussel sprout (his least favorite food)
Fourth Grade teacher appreciation of array of soups very well received
Family Traditions dinner will be held January 13

Flynn Gardens

– Claire Noble

Letter of intent has been submitted to ensure that roughly half of the proceeds from previous plant sales be set aside to perpetuate the Flynn school gardens
It was asked that Flynn Gardens become a line item on the budget and that the money be earmarked for use on gardens when construction is complete- it will be voted on at the January meeting

Enrichment Update

– -Sarah Smith

Jeh Kulu date has been changed to February 6-10
It is not yet determined if there will be multiple performances
It was decided to reimburse Sarah Smith for travel chess sets she purchased for the students who have attended the Chess club this fall
First meeting for people interested in helping with the Narnia performance will be held Monday, December 5th at 6:45

Fundraising

- Tammy Kuypers

The Tag and Plant sale has been given to Hunt
Pizza fundraiser- offering families the option to purchase pizza and pick it up at school on a certain night with a % of the sale going to PTO- a similar fundraiser takes place at Champlain Elementary and has been very successful. Start date TBD

Room Parents/Staff Appreciation Update

– Lisa Tulkop

PTO will be providing a lunch and dessert for Teachers during the in-service on December 14th
January Teacher Appreciation (provided by the Third grade parents) will be to come in before school begins and clean out the break room

PTO Leaders Salon

– Kate Belluche

December 19th- ongoing meetings for PTO leaders from Burlington to share ideas, 7-8pm location TB

School/Family Partnership Update

– Shanta Eastman

Several new members joined and attended the meeting on 11/23 to take a survey on how Flynn is perceived as a welcoming environment. The results will be discussed at the next meeting Wednesday 12/7 at 2:45

Open P.T.O Positions

Kate made an announcement about the need for a new 2012-13 President

Opportunities

Family Traditions Dinner- opportunities to help in planning
Family Nights – opportunities to help plan and run- some suggestions: Lego night, movie night, talent night, skating at Leddy, BINGO
Dana Stevens needs volunteer(s) to help hang art in gallery-everything provided to frame student self-portraits.

Meeting was adjourned at 7:45pm

Next Meeting: Thursday, 1/5/12, 6:30-7:30p

Flynn Family PTO Update 11/28/11

2011-11-28T21:12:00.002-05:00

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving and some free time to relax and recharge. Everyone is invited and welcome at the December PTO meeting this Thursday at 6:30pm in the library. We will have childcare available. The meeting agenda is posted below.

Zumba Fitness Please help support the Flynn PTO and try this class on Wednesday, November 30th from 6-7pm in the gym. Bring water, sneakers and a smile. All proceeds go to the Flynn PTO. Bring the whole family and your friends and neighbors! Suggested donation is $5-10. Questions? Contact Shannon at shannon-stem@gmail.com

JJ Flynn Theatre Presents: Narnia Performances March 22-24, 2012

The first play production meeting is scheduled for Monday, Dec 5 in the learning center at 6:45. We will go over the pre-production schedule and start to define committees for the Playbill, Advertising, Green Room, Costumes and Make-Up. MANY hands make light work and a more enjoyable experience for all. Please turn out to support your young thespian and all the other parents putting in their precious time - we need you too...

ALSO - You do not need to have a child in the play to participate - the last 2 years we had parents from K, 1, 2 helping in lead roles - just because.... do you have a desire to help and/or a skill to share? Reach out to us - come join the team!

Questions can be directed to Sarah Smith at sarah@esptrans.com

Check your Calendar...

November 30 - 6-7pm - Zumba Workout!!! - meet in the gym
December 1 - PTO Meeting at 6:30 in the Library. Childcare provided. Join us!!!
December 5 - Drop in Chess club at 2:30-3:30 in the library
December 5 - Narnia Production Team Meeting in the learning center at 6:45
December 14 - Early Release Day at 11:30
December 23 - January 2 - Winter Break

December PTO Meeting

12/1/11, 6:30 pm

AGENDA

Welcome– Kate Belluche
Welcome Sarah DeShaw– Secretary for 2011-12

UPDATES

Treasurer’s report, PTO Funds – carryover, savings, spending

- John Boone

Principal’s Corner – Graham Clarke
Flynn Gardens – Claire Noble
Enrichment Update– Jeh Kulu – date change/multiple performances? -Sarah Smith
Room Parents/Staff Appreciation Update– Lisa Tulkop
PTO Leaders Salon – December 19th
School/Family Partnership Update/Minutes from Nov. Meeting– Shanta Eastman
Looking to elect the 2012-13 President – Kate Belluche

OPPORTUNITIES

· Family Traditions Dinner- Date? Roles?

· Family Nights – scheduling and activities

· Dana Stevens needs volunteer(s) to help hang art in gallery – everything provided

OPEN FORUM – What’s on your mind? Burning questions and novel ideas:

MISC

Meeting Facilitator for January? (needs to meet with me to discuss agenda prior to meeting)

Next Meeting: Thursday, 1/5/12, 6:30-7:30pm

Flynn PTO Update 11/21/11

2011-11-21T15:57:00.000-05:00

Hey there Flynn Families - Have a relaxing

break. Hope to see folks at the December PTO meeting on

December 1st!

Kindergarten and New Student

Registration Opens Monday, 11/28

Registration then closes on Friday, March 16th, with placement letters slated to be sent home to families by April 30th. Please visit our website closer to 11/28 for more information and forms related to this process. Or, call 865-5332.

JJ Flynn Theatre Presents: Narnia Performances March 22-24, 2012

Preparations are underway for this years student production. The play has been chosen, a grant of $1000 from Ben and Jerry's foundation has been secured to get us off the ground - now we need you! Any child in grades 4 and 5 can try-out for a spot - all students are guaranteed a role. Students in grade 3 may be part of the chorus. The first play production meeting is scheduled for Monday, Dec 5 in the learning center at 6:45. We will go over the pre-production schedule and start to define committees for the Playbill, Advertising, Green Room, Costumes and Make-Up. MANY hands make light work and a more enjoyable experience for all. Please turn out to support your young thespian and all the other parents putting in their precious time - we need you too...

Questions can be directed to Sarah Smith at sarah@esptrans.com

Jeh Kulu drumming and dancing residency coming to JJ Flynn after the Holidays. We are firming up an amended date with Jeh Kulu and will let you know as soon as we know. All students in K-2 will participate in this active artist in residence program with a performance to follow. More information to come...

Check your Calendar...

November 22 - Report Cards go home
November 23-25 No School - Thanksgiving Break
November 30 - 6-7pm - Zumba Workout!!! - meet in the gym
December 1 - PTO Meeting at 6:30 in the Library. Childcare provided. Join us!!!
December 5 - Narnia Production Team Meeting in the learning center at 6:45
December 14 - Early Release Day at 11:30
December 23 - January 2 - Winter Break

Flynn Family PTO Update 11/14/11

2011-11-14T16:03:00.000-05:00

Hey there Flynn families - Thanks for your participation. Each month, we have had hundreds of parents turn out for school events like Open house, Math night and most recently, the Bookfair and Pasta dinner. If you keep coming, we'll keep offering! Your participation is so much more than just showing up. You are making connections and building relationships with teachers, administrators and Flynn families as well as showing your child how important school is. We know, it can be a drag to leave the house after a long day at work - your time is important and we hope that you have had fun learning and playing with your family at school.

In the Winter, the PTO plans and hosts "Flynn Family Nights." These nights are free to families and have included activities like Zumba, Movie night, Annual Talent Show, Family Traditions Dinner, Lego Challenge and Skating at Leddy Arena. We are currently planning activities for the new year - what are your ideas for fun, low-cost activities? E-mail us at flynnschoolpto@gmail.com.

Pasta Dinner 2011 was a Terrific Success!! The PTO pasta dinner and bake sale alone made $776.16!!!! (We hope that the book fair did just as wellJ) All that money gets put right back into Flynn events and different ways of supporting our students and families. Go Flynn!!

This would not have been possible without so many helping hands:

1. Thanks to all the families who braved the rainy weather and came to the book fair and dinner to support our school!

2. Thanks to all the room parents who worked tons at organizing for all the donations.

3. A big thanks to all the families that brought in donations for the dinner and the bake sale. The dinner was delicious and there were a countless amount of very yummy goodies which made the bake sale so successful.

4. Thank you to Hannaford for the bread donation and to Jane Hondal for arranging it!

5. And last but certainly not least, a huge THANK YOU TO ALL THE WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS THE DAY OF THE EVENT: HAPPY VAIL, JON KUYPERS, DASHA ZENTRICHOVA, KATE BELLUCHE, WANDA HLORDSZ, MARIE CLAIRE SMITH, JEN DEBEDOUT, MISSY HELLYER, KATE WHEELER, SHELLEY WATERMAN, TERESA GAILLORENZO, KIM HUNT, LISA TULKOP, BECKY HOLT AND EDITH DUCHARME!! The dinner would not have been possible without all of you. Thank you soooo much!!

Student Art Gallery Ms. Stevens is looking for a parent to come in and get student artwork into frames for our gallery located in the hall outside the multi-purpose room. Every year, Ms. Stevens chooses works that are framed and displayed until the child leaves Flynn at the end of 5th grade. This is a special honor and a Flynn tradition. Every year, the PTO (that's you!) pays for frames so we can continue this tradition. All the materials will be provided and you do not need any special skills - just the gift of time. Framing can be done before, during or afterschool on site. Please contact Dana at dstevens@bsdvt.org or leave a message in the school office and she will return your call.

Flynn School Thanksgiving Food Drive - November 14-18. Canned goods and Hannaford gift Cards can be brought to the office. All Food/cards go to Flynn families in need! If your family is in need of food, please contact Liane Couture at 864-8445.

Five Flynn teachers received PTO Mini-Grants Five teachers pooled their checks to buy leveled books for classroom libraries. They got packs of six books and shared them among the three first-grade classroom libraries. Students take 5 books home every week so they have appropriate books to read at home. Books get lost and misplaced over the years, so teachers neeed to update their stocks each year in order to have enough books on each level to offer to students. In recent years, teachers have gotten $200 - $300 per classroom to spend each year. With required ordering of math practice books, spelling notebooks, and other expenses like desk nameplates, potting soil, correction tape, and packing tape, there is rarely any money left for buying books for the classroom. As you may expect, many teachers spend thousands of dollars of their own money to create a classroom library. The PTO mini-grants are very much appreciated to defray these costs. Our teachers thank you for your generosity. (Remember, you are the PTO - the money they rec'd to buy books came from the fundraisers you participated in -thanks!)

Parent Information Sessions: Puberty, Sexual Development & Safety Tuesday November 8th and Tuesday November 15th - Integrated Arts Academy at H.O. Wheeler - 8 Archibald Street

November 15th Two Sessions: (choose 1 - they are the same!)
6-6:45pm In English, with Interpreters for Swahili and Burmese
7-7:45pm In English, with Interpreters for Russian, Arabic, French, Bosnian

Dr. Frankowski will provide parents with information about adolescent issues related to puberty, sexual development and safety. She will also provide parents with information about how they can discuss these sensitive topics with their children. For parents’ convenience, Dr. Frankowski will offer the same workshop twice each evening, on two different nights. Childcare and refreshments will be provided. If you have questions, please contact Meredith Hoisington, EMS School Guidance Counselor, at mhoising@bsdvt.org or 865-4177.

Check your Calendar...

November 14-18 Thanksgiving Food Drive
November 22 - Report Cards go home
November 23-25 No School - Thanksgiving Break

The Farm to School Project conducted taste testing at Flynn school this past Friday with the 5th graders and a group of Medical Students from UVM- ask you kiddo what they thought of the new recipe- Thanksgiving Pudding. If you would like to try it at home, Sarah Huesner sent us the recipe. The formating is a bit off as it is cut from an excel spreadsheet -Also note that the recipe feeds 100 - industrial scale cooking! What a great math project to cut down the recipe into a more reasonable family serving - Let us know if you try it! (recipe below)

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

STANDARDIZED RECIPES

ITEM:

Butternut Squash Soufflé

ITEM CATEGORY

Dessert

ELEM

ELEMENTARY

PORTION SIZE

1/4 Cup

SERVING UTENSIL

# 12 Scoop

#12 Scoop

COMPONENT

Orange Vegetable

The sugar can easily be substituted with maple syrup.

RECIPE YIELD

100

INGREDIENTS

QUANTITY

UNIT

PREPARATION

Carrot(or, butternut sq.)

Pounds

Peeled and rough chopped.

Margarine

Pound

Melt

Sugar, white

3 1/2

Cups

Flour, ap

1 1/3

Cups

Could use wheat flour

Baking Powder

Tbsp.

Vanilla Extract

Tbsp.

Eggs

4 1/4

Cups

Beaten

Nutmeg

tsp.

RECIPE PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until fork tender.

Drain carrots then mash.

Add all the ingredients except the nutmeg to the mashed carrots and mix thoroughly.

Transfer to two well greased 2 inch hotel pans.

Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes.

Flynn PTO Update 11/7/11

2011-11-07T10:41:00.001-05:00

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope to run into many families this Thursday at the Bookfair and Pasta dinner. Join us for a quick, easy, lowcost dinner and then get a jump on your holiday shopping. Books make great gifts and Flynn families are nice people to hang around with - how can you lose?

November PTO meeting was widely attended and productive. Highlights included a presentation about the district Farm to School program, updates about the October Staff Appreciation event, reporting on the success of the new drop-in chess club and a vote to allocate $300 for winter recess toys. Big welcome to Sarah DeShaw who has volunteered to take on the role of Secretary for the remainder of the year - Gracias! See November meeting minutes below.

The following link will take you to the November Treasurer's Report - Take a peek. Questions can be directed to John Boone at jbgoode@gmail.com

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag-zi-SCj-zndEZnSFRBbkNEX05ERThYWHJCTzVuUkE

We will be purchasing some playground items to encourage the kids to be active in the snow. On the list are plastic sleds, plastic trowels for digging, snowblock makers and plastic snowshoes. Might you have any of these items that your children no longer use? We will gladly accept your cast offs if they are in good shape. Donations can be left in the office. Thanks!

Bookfair is this week - Thank you to all the parents volunteering to help Mrs. Wells during the week and Thursday night. Students will be visiting the fair during the week and will be able to purchase books during the day on Thursday as well as Thursday evening. Parents can purchase books all week during the day. Contact Alice Wells with questions - awells@bsdvt.org.

Pasta Dinner scheduled for November 10th from 5:30-7pm.
Your donations are critical!! As of last Friday, there was 1 bottle of salad dressing, 2 boxes of pasta and one jar of sauce in the donation bin. Without your generous contributions, we will not be able to put on the Pasta dinner. Donations allow us to keep the dinner price very reasonable. Your small donation equals a reasonably priced dinner that you do not have to make or clean-up - what could be nicer??? Dinner pricing is as follows:

Adult $5
Child 5-12 $3
Child under 5 - Free
Family $15
Bins are located in the office for non-perishable donations - send in your donations today!!!. Fresh foods should come in either the afternoon of 11/9 or the morning of 11/10. We still need volunteers to make goodies for the bake sales. How can you help? Contact Tammy Kuypers at kuypers5@yahoo.com

Parent Information Sessions: Puberty, Sexual Development & Safety Tuesday November 8th and Tuesday November 15th

Integrated Arts Academy at H.O. Wheeler
8 Archibald Street

November 8th Two Sessions:
6-6:45pm In English, with Interpreters for Somali/Somali Bantu & Nepali
7-7:45pm In English, with Interpreters for Vietnamese and Kirundi

November 15th Two Sessions:
6-6:45pm In English, with Interpreters for Swahili and Burmese
7-7:45pm In English, with Interpreters for Russian, Arabic, French, Bosnian

Dr. Frankowski will provide parents with information about adolescent issues related to puberty, sexual development and safety. She will also provide parents with information about how they can discuss these sensitive topics with their children. For parents’ convenience, Dr. Frankowski will offer the same workshop twice each evening, on two different nights. Childcare and refreshments will be provided. If you have questions, please contact Meredith Hoisington, EMS School Guidance Counselor, at mhoising@bsdvt.org or 865-4177.
Clothes for Kids Did you know that the health office stores clothing for students in need? Daily there are spills, sock and underwear emergencies and blowouts of all kinds. The following items are needed in the Health Office:
1.Boys and girls underwear (new please!) for ages 5-7

2.Sweatpants, stretchy pants, and any pants with elastic for boys and girls ages 5-8. No jeans please - they don't fit a large enough group of kids with different sizes.
3. Gloves and mittens of all sizes

4. Any gently used winter outerwear to put in the Flynn outerwear swap. Boots, coats, ski pants, gloves, mittens and gloves are all very appreciated and widely used.

Check your Calendar...

November 7 - 2:30-3:30 - Free Chess Club in the Library - everyone welcome
November 7-10 Library Bookfair
November 10 Evening bookfair from 5-7, Pasta Dinner from 5:30-7 (multi-purpose room)
November 23-25 No School - Thanksgiving Break

P.T.O Meeting Minutes
November 3, 2011

Meeting was called to order at 6:30pm
Babysitting was offered in the multipurpose room

Treasurer’s report

Wrapping paper fundraiser generated over $3000!
Pay it forward fundraising event has generated over $1000
5 mini teacher grants were awarded - $100 each grant
Questions were raised about placing a portion of the funds into an interest earning checking account or a savings account. John is researching the best option and will report back.
Concern about how the excess money in PTO account can be best used- Claire Noble is taking suggestions from teachers at the next staff meeting.

Farm to School

Sarah Heusner and Jen McGowan shared ideas about new foods being introduced in the cafeteria at Flynn and passed examples of Shelburne Farms cheddar biscuits for members to taste.
Some successful events were discussed- the Flynn dinner held earlier in the fall had almost 300 attendees and over 60 people have expressed interest in the Flynn Community Garden shares.
For more information or to provide feedback contact Sarah at sheusner@bsdvt.org or check the website: www.burlingtonschoolfoodproject.org

Principal’s Corner

Math night was a success- over 300 people attended!
Conference attendance was higher than last year
Overall feedback has been very positive on the curriculum summaries that parents received at conferences
11/11 a taste test of new foods will be conducted through a research project by UVM Med students

Enrichment Update

Ben & Jerry’s grant successful- $1000 obtained towards Spring play
Final plans and details are being formulated for the artist in residence program for grades K-2 (Jeh Kulu dancing and drumming)
13 kids participated in the chess club - The participation has been growing.

Room Parents/Staff Appreciation

The Fourth Grade will be providing a Soup and Bread luncheon to the Teachers in November and PTO is scheduled for December.

Flynn Gardens – Tabled until next meeting
School/Family Partnership Update

Next meeting is 11/23 at 3pm to discuss format for upcoming walk through event with families to assess Flynn on how welcoming it is to families. For more information contact Shanta Eastman at shanta_eastman@yahoo.com. The meeting is open to parents.

Open P.T.O Positions

Kate made an announcement about the need for a new 2012-13 President
Sarah DeShaw agreed to be the new Secretary for 2011-2012

Fundraising/Upcoming Events

Book Fair/Pasta Dinner – 11/10/11 – volunteers still needed for the evening as well as donations of food or baked goods for the sale- contact Tammy Kuypers at kuypers5@yahoo.com
Student Art Sale – 11/10/11 –Framed portraits of your child will be available for purchase at the book fair.

Meeting was adjourned at 7:45pm
Next Meeting: Thursday, 12/8/11, 6:30-7:30p

Flynn family PTO Update 10/31/11

2011-10-31T14:29:00.000-04:00

Hey There Flynn Families, Guessing by the amount of pizza consumed and the wall to wall people in the multi-purpose room at Math night, it appears that the entire school was in attendance! Flynn staff and volunteers really outdid themselves - clearly math+pizza= success. What fun to see families playing together with teachers and volunteers. I hope folks have had a chance to peek in the math goodie bag and try out some new activities. Kudos to all who organized and volunteered. Thanks also to all the families who turned out and made it such a roaring success - we rock!

November PTO Meeting - Thursday, November 3rd from 6:30-7:30 in the Library. Childcare provided. See agenda below. Everyone welcome - last month we had more than 20 parents - let's see if we can top that this week - it is never to late in the game to come to a PTO meeting - your participation helps build our Flynn school community and sends a clear message to your child that school is important (plus the kiddoes LOVE to play in the gym at night!)

Box Tops - Denise Haggerty reports that Flynn parents are sending box tops in. She recently submitted box tops for $240.00 (that's up from $150 last year at this time!). What a great start to the year - who doesn't like free money? Keep clipping and also look for them on some stationary products and paper reams. Send your tops into the office or drop them yourself in the bin located just inside the library.

Wrapping Paper came in last Thursday. If you have not yet picked up your order, please contact Theresa Giallorenzo at tgiallorenzo@hotmail.com to work out a pick-up.

Bookfair is next week - Monday through Thursday. Still looking for some parent help during the day and also at the evening event on Thursday. Students will be visiting the fair during the week and will be able to purchase books during the day on Thursday as well as Thursday evening. Parents can purchase books all week during the day. Contact Alice Wells with questions and to volunteer - awells@bsdvt.org.

Pasta Dinner scheduled for November 10th from 5:30-7pm. A letter went out last week asking for donations. Can you help? Room Parents should be contacting families soon, but you can also let them know what you plan to send in. Bins are located in the office for non-perishable donations. Fresh foods should come in either the afternoon of 11/9 or the morning of 11/10. We need volunteers for set-up, clean-up, food prep., check-in, bake sales, baking! How can you help? Contact Tammy Kuypers at kuypers5@yahoo.com Lots of help still needed - do not delay!!!

Check your Calendar...

November 2nd - Picture Re-take
November 3rd - PTO meeting 6:30-7:30pm. Childcare provided
November 6th - Daylight savings - set your clocks back 1 hour!
November 7 - 2:30-3:30 - Free Chess Club in the Library - everyone welcome
November 7-10 Library Bookfair
November 10 Evening bookfair from 5-7, Pasta Dinner from 5:30-7 (multi-purpose room)
November 23-25 No School - Thanksgiving Break

October PTO Meeting - 11/3/11

6:30 pm

AGENDA

Welcome– Kate Belluche

UPDATES

Treasurer’s report - John Boone
Farm to School – Sarah Heusner and Jen McGowan
Principal’s Corner – Graham Clarke
Enrichment Update –Grant, Chess – Sarah Smith
Room Parents/Staff Appreciation Update– Lisa Tulkop
Fundraising Update – Tammy Kuypers
Flynn Gardens – Claire Noble
School/Family Partnership Update– Shanta Eastman
Looking to elect the 2012-13 President – Kate Belluche
Electing replacement Secretary 2011-12
Google docs/Blogger- Introduction/training– November 14 or 16? - John Boone

OPPORTUNITIES

Book Fair/Pasta Dinner – 11/10/11 – Help!
Student Art Sale – 11/10/11 - Kate B.

OPEN FORUM – What’s on your mind? Burning questions and novel ideas:

MISC

Meeting Facilitator for December? (needs to meet with me to discuss agenda prior to meeting)

Next Meeting: Thursday, 12/8/11, 6:30-7:30p

Flynn PTO Update 10/24/11

2011-10-24T16:44:00.000-04:00

Hey There Flynn Families - Looks like we are at peak foliage in Burlington and I don't know about you, but I am finding the mornings quite nippy! Pull out that winter weather wear - if you are missing some key pieces, pop on over to the swap located just inside the front doors. New stuff arriving daily.

Hope to see families Thursday night for math games!

October PTO Meeting Minutes - See below

2nd Annual Math Night is this Thursday from 5:30-7pm. Don't miss this family favorite. Free dinner provided and plenty of math activities for the whole family.

Breaking News!!! Our fundraising items will be delivered this Thursday. Volunteers will be needed after lunch to help sort orders by classroom. We will also need folks to help distribute orders at pick-up (2:30pm) and again at the math night (shifts from 5-7). Can you help?

If you placed an order, you can pick-up on Thursday at 2:30-3 or between 5-7pm at Math night. If those times do not work for you, please e-mail Theresa Giallorenzo at tgiallorenzo@hotmail.com to work out a pick-up.

Outerwear Swap is Open! Already, the swap is a big hit - winter wear is getting into good hands almost as soon as it is put up on the rack. Adult and some child size coats will arrive from Gadues in November. Do you have gently used outerwear to donate? Wash it up and send it into the office - we'll take care of the rest! This is a swap, so come check out what we have week to week- everyone is welcome!

Picture Retake is scheduled for November 2nd. Additional forms can be found in the office if you were absent. If you are getting a re-take, be sure to return the photos you do not want.

November PTO Meeting - Thursday, November 3rd from 6:30-7:30 in the Library. Childcare provided. What's on your mind? Do you have items for the agenda? Interesting ideas? Gripes? Send us an e-mail at flynnschoolpto@gmail.com

Bookfair Pasta Dinner scheduled for November 10th from 5:30-7pm. We need volunteers for set-up, clean-up, food prep., check-in, bake sales, baking! How can you help? Contact Tammy Kuypers at kuypers5@yahoo.com

Check your Calendar...

October 27th, 5:30-7 is Math Night at Flynn - free dinner and fun math games for your family
October 31st around 1:15 is the annual Halloween parade at Flynn. Ask your Room Parent or Teacher if they need any help with costumes or goodies for a class party
November 2nd - Picture Re-take
November 3rd - PTO meeting 6:30-7:30pm. Childcare provided
November 7-10 Library Bookfair
November 10 Evening bookfair from 5-7, Pasta Dinner from 5:30-7 (multi-purpose room)

P.T.O. Meeting Minutes

October 6, 2011

Meeting was called to order at 6:30pm

Babysitting was offered in the multipurpose room.

Parks and Rec

· Burlington Parks and Rec Department Representatives Susan and Sarah Carter were present to discuss new programs that have been added for children and families

· Some events that were mentioned were After School Bowling @ Champlain Lanes (with transportation from the Miller Center, and Holiday Crafting.

· Any feedback is welcome – As well as ideas for future events. Please contact ShCarter@ci.burlington.vt.us with ideas and feedback.

· Some ideas given were After School Cross Country Skiing at Ethan Allen Homestead, Kids Night Out, Open Gym at the Miller Center.

Treasurer’s Report

· The current balance is $19,184.19

Family Directory

· The directory is well underway and should be made available to families soon.

Staff Appreciation/Room Parents

· The first room parent meeting was widely attended by room parents and a great success.

· Fifth Grade room parents are working on the October Staff Appreciation event.

Fundraising

· The wrapping paper sale brought in ~ $3,000.00!!

· $993.00 has been raised (so far) in donations to Flynn PTO

· The Bookfair Pasta Dinner will be on November 10. Room parents will be contacted to help gather goods for the dinner and bake sale. Volunteers will also be needed to help with book shopping, cash registers, clean up, and bake sale.

School/Family Partnership

· Suggestion boxes have been placed in the front office for ideas to better involve families at Flynn.

· One ideas presented in the suggestion box was to include more flags in the building representing all of the students at Flynn School.

· The theme of Math Night on October 27 at 5:30pm will be “Math Around the World.”

· BHS and St. Michael’s students will be present to volunteer

· The next School/Family partnership meeting is October 27 at 2:45pm.

Walk to School Day

· Walk to school day was a great success with at least 1/3 of the school participating!!

Outerwear Swap

· Tammy Kuypers is organizing the swap this year

· Winter coats/snowpants, boots, hats, mittens are donated by Flynn families and Gadues dry cleaners

· Donations can be brought into the office.

Inclusion and Accessibility

· It was suggested that Flynn School create an Inclusion committee of two or three people to put out awareness of what inclusion looks like at our school.

· The question that the committee would address is, “Is there a need we are not aware of that prevents a family from attending a book fair/math night/Flynn family night, etc.?”

· The team would come together to brainstorm ideas to include and open our community to all families.

Student Art Sale

· It was proposed that the PTO could host a fundraiser that would include framing the self-portraits (painted every September in Art class) for a reasonable fee.

· It was voted to look into the cost of frames, etc.

Meeting closed at 7:30pm

The next meeting is November 3, 2011 at 6:30pm in The Learning Center

Flynn Family PTO Update 10/17/11

2011-10-17T14:00:00.000-04:00

Hey there Flynn Families - Despite the chilly nights and shorter days, it is not time to hibernate. We're just getting going at Flynn and many fun opportunites await you and your child this year both in class and at social events.

Check your Calendar...

October 19th is a half day - 11:30...
OFF thursday and Friday for Parent Teacher Conferences
October 27th, 5:30-7 is Math Night at Flynn - free dinner and fun math inspired games for your family
October 31st around 1:15 is the annual Halloween parade at Flynn. Ask your Room Parent or Teacher if they need any help with costumes or goodies for a class party
November 3rd - PTO meeting 6:30-7:30pm. Childcare provided
November 7-11 Library Bookfair

Chess Club started last Monday with a full house of kiddoes ready to learn the game and others ready to pair off for a match. Chess club is a free, drop-in class held every other week. The next meeting is Monday, October 24th in the library. The club meets from 2:30-3:30. If your child needs a nibble afterschool, be sure to send a snack. Kids of all ages play chess - it is never too early to start! If you have questions, contact Sarah Smith at sarah@esptrans.com.

OOPs! Sorry, we missed listing Tammy Kuypers, another key parent volunteer for Walk to School Day.

Subscribe to the blog!- We have this now - it's the "Follow by email" gadget we added at the
bottom of the left hand column. Subscribing means that you will receive an automatic e-mail whenever there is a new post. If everyone subscribes I don't have to send out an extra e-mail....

Contributions When you check out the Treasurer's Report below, notice that the PTO has received just over $1000 in direct donations in our "no buy" fundraiser. Your genorosity in not buying things and in supporting the wrapping paper fundraiser is helping us kick off to a great start in the fundraising department this year - Thanks

Treasurer's Report for October can be viewed by clicking on the following Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag-zi-SCj-zndEZnSFRBbkNEX05ERThYWHJCTzVuUkE&hl=en_US

Inclusion Committee: Hi Flynn Families. We are looking for a few parent volunteers to join our Inclusion committee. The function of this group is to partner with the school and the PTO to help identify barriers for families and to brainstorm ideas on how to provide accommodations so that all families have an opportunity to participate in events and activities at our school. For example, Want to attend the book fair dinner and bake sale but your child has a food allergy? Let us know. We can explore how to provide a safe alternative so they can still participate! Do you have a family member with special needs? Our committee will help to make the environment as accessible as possible to accommodate their need. If you are interested in joining our committee please contact Shelly Waterman at shelly.waterman@vtfn.org or Sarah Buhle at sarahbee6@gmail.com.

November Bookfair - November 7-10

You can participate in the bookfair in several ways. Alice Wells (Librarian) needs a handful of volunteers during the week for set-up, cash register and take down (see list below). You can also purchase a book for your child's classroom - teachers are encouraged to make a list of books they would like to have for their classroom. Scholastic will provide book plates where you can write a message to your teacher. Books also make a great gift - get some holiday shopping done early by buying the gift of books!

Books can be purchased by students and parents M-Th and on thursday evening, the book sale moves down to the multi-purpose room and you can come browse the books and enjoy a low cost pasta dinner with your family.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Morning:

Set-up Monday, 9-Noon (11/7)
Thursday Sales 8:30-Noon (11/10)

Afternoon:

Thursday breakdown Noon-3pm
Set-up in Cafeteria 3-5

Evening: (bookfair and pasta dinner)
Cashiers 5-7:30
Cleanup 7:30-8:30

*The pasta dinner will need a fair number of volunteers too - please specify whether you are interested in the bookfair, dinner or both!

Flynn Family PTO Update 10/10/11

2011-10-10T14:18:00.000-04:00

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)

Flynn Family PTO Update 10/3/11

2011-10-03T11:08:00.000-04:00

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope your week has started off smooth. The information on this week's blog should keep you busy and engaged at school. Looking forward to catching up with folks at some of the upcoming events. Have a great day. Kate B.

Tuesday: GO LOCAL WEEK comes to Flynn School - Did you register to come have a FREE meal highlighting local foods? Come try out what the Burlington School Food Project is serving your kiddoes for lunch. "Lunch for Dinner" is served in the cafeteria from 5:30-7pm.
If you plan on attending please register at: http://www.citymarket.coop/news/calendar/2011/10/4/local-lunch-dinner-burlington-school-district Thank you to the Flynn parents who volunteered to help staff this event!!!

Wednesday: Walk to School Day! Walk, run, bike, blade, skateboard, carpool - we don't care how you get there, just get there carbon free or carbon reduced! When you do get there, look for a welcome table and friendly volunteers handing out participation stickers. We will also celebrate your efforts at a schoolwide assembly on Friday. Go green!

Wednesday is a half day... kids will be liberated at 11:30am.

Thursday: October PTO meeting (10/6) from 6:30-7:30 in the library. Childcare provided. If you attended the first PTO meeting in September - Fabulous! If you can attend in October, you're an old-timer. Come, come often and this time, bring a buddy! Our strength is in both our numbers and enthusiasm. The meeting agenda can be found at the bottom of this post. If you cannot make the meeting and have something to say, by all mean, say it! We welcome you comments and suggestion at flynnschoolpto@gmail.com

Volunteer Opportunities: Some volunteer opportunities have been listed above on the volunteer page. Please take a look and consider how you can be involved at school. Thanks!

Check the Calendar... (more on the google calendar page above)
Oct. 19, 20 - Parent Teacher Conferences
Oct. 27 - Math Night at Flynn School
Oct 31 - Halloween Parade at Birchwood Nursing home (using around 1:30) - more info to come
Nov. 2 - Picture Re-take Day

October PTO Meeting 10/6/11

6:30 pm

AGENDA

Welcome– Kate Belluche
Burlington Parks and Recreation – Sarah Carter

UPDATES

Treasurer’s report - John Boone
Family Directory Update – Brad Ingalls
Enrichment Update –Grant – Sarah Smith
Room Parents/Staff Appreciation Update– Lisa Tulkop
Fundraising Update – Tammy Kuypers
School/Family Partnership Update– Shanta Eastman
Outerwear swap- Tammy K. volunteered – Kate B

OPPORTUNITIES

Book Fair/Pasta Dinner – 11/10/11

OPEN FORUM – What’s on your mind? Burning questions and novel ideas:

1. Inclusion and Accessibility – Shelley Waterman

2. Student Art Sale? – Kate B.

MISC

Looking to elect the 2012-13 President – Kate Belluche
Meeting Facilitator for November? (needs to meet with me to discuss agenda prior to meeting)
Teacher Mini-Grants offered– Kate Belluche
Google docs/Blogger– want more info? - Kate Belluche and John Boone

Next Meeting: Thursday, 11/3/11, 6:30-7:30p

Flynn family PTO Update 9/26/11

2011-09-26T15:56:00.000-04:00

Flynn will be participating in International Walk-to-School day on Wednesday, October 5. We encourage everyone to reduce their carbon footprint by walking, biking or taking the bus to school on that day. When students arrive, sign in at one of the tables at the entrance (look for the balloons) to receive an official International Walk-to-School day sticker!

Room Parents: Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to serve as room parents this year. The orientation is planned for this Wednesday from 6:30-7:30 in the library. Childcare will be available. Not long after, parents should expect to get a letter from the Room Parents, introducing themselves, requesting contact information and letting you know how to reach them with questions and concerns. Please take the opportunity to volunteer in the classroom when able or provide assistance for class trips or parties - many hands make light work. Your Class Parent will let you know what kind of parent participation your classroom teacher is looking for.

Fall Fundraiser: The Fall fundraiser ends on Wednesday. Please send orders and money into the office so orders can be placed. Thanks you for participating - your time and effort spent on this pays directly to programming for Flynn students and families. When you come to see the school play or Jeh Kulu performance, attend a Flynn family night or potluck, you will see your hard work put to good use. Thank you to Theresa Gaillorenzo for leading and organizing - we will be needing some help with order distribution in a few weeks - keep you ears open for the opportunity to volunteer.

Mini Grants: Did you know that the PTO funds teacher mini-grants? Each teacher has the opportunity to apply for up to $100 each year to help pay for things not covered in their classroom budget. Items might include classroom materials or field trip/bus money to help offset families that are unable to pay.

GO LOCAL WEEK:Local Lunch for Dinner with the Burlington School Food Project. Tuesday, October 4, 5:30-7:00 p.m. Flynn Elementary School
Crack open the doors of a school cafeteria to see the fantastic changes being made to school lunch in Burlington and celebrate National Farm 2 School month. Eat a delicious, and FREE, meal featuring Vermont ingredients, including pasture-raised beef, pickled veggies, and other local yummies.
**Local Lunch for Dinner is co-sponsored by the Burlington School Food Project, Flynn Family School Partnership team in collaboration with City Market's "Eat Local Week".

If you plan on attending please register at http://www.citymarket.coop/news/calendar/2011/10/4/local-lunch-dinner-burlington-school-district Please sign -up early to get a spot!!!!! This is not a Flynn school event, questions should be directed to the eatlocalvt.com website or City Market

Volunteers Needed for this event!!!! The PTO has offered to provide 6 volunteers total. Either you can do the entire event (5-7:30 including set-up and breakdown) or hours can split it up. Volunteers will need to help serve food (Lunchroom style) and set-up the food area and break it down. Also we may need 1 or 2 to help work the button table where kids will be able to color and make their own buttons. Can you help??? Kid helpers are welcome with a parent as long as they are able to pitch in!!! Please volunteer at flynnschoolpto@gmail.com or call Kate at 658-6831. Thanks and hope to see you there!

Outerwear Swap: Volunteer position still open to set-up/maintain the Flynn outerwear swap (or maybe 2 folks that want to switch off...) . Please contact Flynnschoolpto@gmail.com to inquire. This is a very important service we provide for all families - help us make it happen!

PTO Meeting: The next meeting is next Thursday, October 6th from 6:30-7:30pm in the library. There will be childcare provided. The agenda will be out at the beginning of next week. If you have something to put on the agenda, please email the gmail account at flynnschoolpto@gmail.com

September 2011 Minutes

2011-09-21T09:52:00.000-04:00

Can't come to the monthly PTO meeting? We encourage you to stay up to date by reviewing the meeting minutes. Comments, suggestions and agenda items should be directed to flynnschoolpto@gmail.com. Enjoy.

BTW: We are still looking for Room Parents for Mrs. Pecor's class. Do you have a child in this class? Step up and volunteer! Contact Lisa at lisaspurplepalace@gmail.com

P.T.O Meeting Minutes

September 8, 2011

Meeting was called to order at 6:30pm

- Babysitting was offered in the multipurpose room.

Welcome

· Kate Belluche is the current and the outgoing PTO President for the 2011-2012 school year. She welcomes anyone who is interested in being President in for the 2012-2013 school year to contact her and she will be more than happy to show them what she has learned.

· Flynn PTO provides a connection between home and school for families. We support and encourage connections between parents of children at Flynn and support educational opportunities (ex: Very Merry Theater and Jeh Kulu, Grants, Chess Club, etc)

Treasurer’s Report

· ~ $16,000.00 in checking

· ~ $3,500.00 in savings

Family Directory

· The family directory is a class by class contact list for students and their families. This year’s list will be under way as soon as all of the information from the first day packed has been compiled.

Enrichment

· The Very Merry Theater production of Narnia will be the weekend of March 24^th. Fourth and Fifth graders who wish to participate will have a speaking role. Third graders are welcome to join the chorus. Sarah Smith has been hard at work applying for Grants to help offset the cost.

· For the 2011-2012 school year, Kindergarten thru Grade 2 will have the opportunity to work with Artist In Residence Jeh Kulu Drumming and Dancing for one week in January.

· Chess Club is a work in progress and more information is to come!

Room Parents

· Room parents are volunteer who help increase parent involvement at Flynn School

· There will be room parent sign ups in each classroom during open house.

· There is a room parent meeting in the evening on September 28^th.

Fundraising

· Wrapping paper order forms have gone home

· Also upcoming is the Book Fair Spaghetti Dinner

· To date, we have raised $330.00 from the PTO donation letter that went home.

Mini-Grants

· The idea that PTO will provide grants available to teachers for the things that they cannot be reimbursed for.

· Mini-Grants will be available to ALL teachers, not just classroom teachers.

· There was some discussion about the teachers applying for grants, or if each teacher should be given a flat grant at the beginning, and then whatever is left over is accessible by application.

Family/School Partnership

· Flynn’s Family/School Partnership team has been working hard to plan and offer activities at Flynn to encourage family involvement.

· Over the summer, they were able to fund the bookmobile (over 70 students participated). They have also purchased RazKids to help with reading comprehension, several math games, reading games, and books accessible to all students and families.

· The Family/School Partnership team has also planned a Flynn Math Night scheduled for October 27^th.

Walk To School

· Walk To School Week is the first week in October. There was some discussion whether this should just happen on one day or if we should encourage walking busses for the whole week. Volunteers are welcome!!

Meeting closed at 7:50pm

The next meeting is Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 6:30pm in The Learning Center

Childcare provided

Flynn Family PTO Update 9/19/11

2011-09-19T21:14:00.000-04:00

Hey there Flynn Families - Hope you survived the cold snap. While I may be deluding myself into thinking it is only temporary, I have definitely shifted into overdrive, pulling out warm blankets, long pants and mittens! Kudos to all the families (~150) who attended Open House last week - your participation sent a strong message to your child about the importance of education and your connection to Flynn school - keep up the good work!

Photos: Flynn parent signing up to help at school/PTO events (top) Fletcher Free library joined us at Open House to sign kids up for library cards (bottom)

Picture Day: Many thanks to John Boone, Gabi Baumann, Ginny Wheeler and Lori Trieb-Smith for their volunteer work organizing/staffing Picture Day. Did you know that Picture Day is considered a fundraiser? The Flynn PTO receives a small percentage of the total sale. If your child was absent, no fear, there will be a make-up day in the coming weeks. Flynn families will be notified as soon as a retake date is scheduled.

Outerwear Swap: In a few weeks, Flynn school will host its annual outerwear swap. When you pull-out your warm coats, mittens, hats, boots, snowpants, we urge you to donate outgrown items for the swap. Clean items in good condition can be sent into the office starting immediately. We will get items up onto a clothes rack in the outer lobby for parents to peruse at their leisure. It will likely be mid October before everything gets set-out. Once out, the swap stays up through the end of December. Outerwear comes in from Flynn families as well as Gadues Dry Cleaning. Every year they donate clean, used coats to schools - thanks! We are looking for a parent to oversee/monitor the swap. The commitment is low and the work quick and easy. If you regularly pop by school to pick up or drop off your child, this would be a great volunteer job for you. E-mail flynnschoolpto@gmail.com for more information.

Room Parents: Did you miss the sign-up sheet at Open House? It is not too late to volunteer as a Room Parent. It is a small commitment but a job that is much appreciated by the teachers and students alike. Lisa Tulkop is busy compiling the volunteers and will be preparing information for the Orientation scheduled for next Wednesday. Give it a try - what have you got to lose???? To inquire, contact Lisa at lisaspurplepalace@gmail.com .

Calendar: The Flynn PTO updates a google calendar with all known events. You can find the calendar at the top of the page. Make sure you stay in the know!

Walk to School Day: Shanta Eastman and Alex Messinger are again making plans to get our kiddoes out walking and rollerblading and running and busing. More info to come! Want to help? Contact Alex at alex.messinger@gmail.com

PTO Meetings: Minutes to be posted from the September meeting - likely this week. We are now accepting agenda items/community input for the October meeting scheduled for October 6th. Send us you ideas, comments and topics to flynnschoolpto@gmail.com. Please include your name and, if necessary, how much time you might need. This is your school and your PTO. Nothing makes us happier than engaged parents who want to get involved at school - come be part of the solution.

*Are you a Hunt parent too? Their 1st PTO meeting is scheduled for this Thursday from 7-8pm. Childcare is provided. Hope to see you there!

Have a great week!
Kate Belluche

Flynn Family PTO Update 9/12/11

2011-09-12T10:16:00.000-04:00

Hey There Flynn families - Hope everyone is settling into the school routine and finding time to enjoy this great Fall weather. Hope to see you at Open house on Thursday. Have a great week.

September PTO Meeting: We had a whopping 25 parents at the first PTO meeting last week. Lots of positive energy and great ideas to start the new year. Minutes and the Treasurer's Report from the meeting will be posted by next week. We hope to get the meeting agenda out earlier next month so folks not attending meetings can have a chance to weigh in on items of interest to them. As always, e-mail your concerns/ideas/ramblings to us at flynnschoolpto@gmail.com

Open House: Hope to see you at Open House this Thursday from 6-7pm. The schedule will be as follows: 6-6:10 - Arrive, get family photo taken for bulletin board, 6:10-6:20 Mr. Clarke will address Flynn families, 6:20-7pm Classrooms will be open for exploration and Teachers available for chatting. There will be Room Parent sign up information in each classroom - please consider this important volunteer opportunity!

School Pictures on Wednesday! Thank you to Gabi Baumann and John Boone for making all the arrangements and to the parents who have volunteered to help on picture day. If you need another form, please see Karen Carr in the office.

Sticker Calendars: K families rec'd magnetic calendars but everyone else was issued a sticker to be affixed to their 2010-11 calendar. Wondering what your thoughts are about this? We saved some money and some resources- Is this something we should continue with for next year or should we go back to the magnets? We would love to hear your thoughts.

Walk to School Week: Looking for volunteers to help organize Flynn School's efforts to participate in International Walk to School day on Wednesday, October 5. Getting to school via walking or biking is a great way to promote a healthy lifestyle and reduce our carbon footprint. Nearly 100 students at Flynn participated last year and we recruited older students to talk it up among younger students. As everyone arrived, we had students sign a poster. This year we're hoping to do something similar, but we're open to other ideas as well.
Volunteers are needed to help plan the event (through 1 or 2 evening conference calls to come up with ideas). Volunteers are also needed on October 5 to greet kids when they arrive at school.

Please contact Alex Messinger at alex.messinger@gmail.com for more information

Fundraising: Packets went out last Friday for the annual Fall fundraiser. We encourage families and friends to purchase goodies and help the Flynn PTO fund all the great student/family programming. Nothing catch your eye? Consider making a tax deductible donation to the PTO - 100% of the donation goes towards programming. Checks can be made out to the Flynn PTO and sent in to the office - thanks!

E-Mail/Blog: Do you know a family that is not receiving these updates from the PTO? Please let them know that we will happily keep them in the know if they send us an e-mail and let us know they want to be included on the distribution list. They can write to flynnschoolpto@gmail.com.

Flynn Families PTO Update 9/6/11

2011-09-06T14:19:00.000-04:00

Hey there Flynn Families - So nice to meet so many new families at the Back to School Potluck and again at the first day coffee reception. Of course, I am always happy to see all the oldies (or should I say, returning families?). Seems as if we are off to a great start - beautiful weather, a holiday weekend - what could be nicer? Please read on for news and info concerning our fair school. If you have questions or concerns for the PTO, please contact us at flynnschoolpto@gmail.com. Have a great week. Kate B.

HUGE thanks to Dave Hartnett at the Mobil Short Stop for donating all the coffee for our first day reception and to the families that baked goodies and brought in juice. Lovely way to start the year, catching up and catching a little caffeine buzz.

PTO Meeting - The first meeting of the year will be held this Thursday, September 8th at 6:30 in the Learning Center. Free childcare is provided each month by 2 BHS students earning community service credits. The kids typically play active games in the gym or multi-purpose room. Come find out who is leading the PTO charge this year and how you can engage at school and strengthen our school/learning community. Everyone is welcome and everyone is heard. See draft agenda at the end of this post.

Picture Day - Keep your eyes open for picture day forms to come home this week. Picture day is on September 14th. If you decide to complete the forms on-line, don't forget to print your receipt and send it with your child on the 14th. If you have interest in volunteering to help the morning of picture day, please contact John Boone at jbgoode@gmail.com. Picture Day volunteers receive a free portrait package.

Calendar - After you are finished reading this post, be sure to check out the Calendar. Known events are already posted and other events will be added as they are announced.

Abandoned - A red blanket/tablecloth was left at the Back to School Potluck - it is washed and folded - please respond and we can get it back to you via your child. Thanks!

Volunteer Opportunity:
The Kindergarten team is looking for volunteers to help copy and collate reproducible books that will be sent home, over time, to help our beginning readers. It is a simple job, but time consuming.
Any chance there are volunteers for this?
Thanks for considering,
SuzyT
(please respond to Suzy at stenenba@bsdvt.org)

Free Money For Flynn!
Hello Flynn Families,
This year the Flynn PTO will once again be collecting Box Tops for Education, Labels for Education (Campbells Soup Labels), and Hannaford Helps Schools certificates. This is a short overview of each program, but if you have any questions please email me at denihaggerty@yahoo.com

1 BOX TOPS
    The website for box tops for education is http://www.boxtops4education.com/ Here you can read about the program and see what progress Flynn school is making during the year. You can also find a list of products that Box Tops are on which include cereals, frozen foods, many paper products, and food items.   The box tops are usually pink but sometimes they are certificates, especially if you've bought something in bulk from a store like Costco. Just cut them off the product and send them in to your child's teachers. Sometimes it works easiest to have an small baggie at home to collect them in and then to send it in as it fills up. There is a large box in the Flynn Library entrance to place them in as well. Last year we collected around 5,000 box tops and raised just over 5 $500 for our school. If you know of any family members or neighbors that can collect them for Flynn School-please ask them! They can mail them to the school or send them in with a student. Box Tops can be collected all year round and sent in throughout the year! It is an easy way to support the PTO!

2 LABELS FOR EDUCATION
    The website for labels for education is http://www.labelsforeducation.com/Default.aspx This website has information about the program and includes a list of products. This is also a year round collection. The box for this collection is also in the entrance to the Flynn Library. The labels can be found on soups, goldfish crackers, some paper products and many other food items. Many of you may know these as the Campbells Soup Labels, and they are still on soup cans, but can be found on many other products as well. Again, send in with your child and they go to the box in the library.
The labels are valued at different points which can be redeemed for various classroom items.

3 HANNAFORD HELPS SCHOOLS
    Hannaford helps Schools usually runs from September to December. It is a program where if you buy participating products, the store gives you a certificate to give to your school worth cash. The certificates are given to you when you get your receipt from the cashier. There is a display located in the front of the store to collect the certificates and you can put the certificate in the Flynn School slot. You can also send these in to school with your child. I will put a collection box in the library for them along with the other 2 boxes within the next week or so (haven't quite done that yet). There is also a $1000 bonus for the school that collects the most in our area. I like to send them into school only because sometimes the display in the store gets overloaded and they fall out and I'm not sure if they go back in the right slot. Please try to keep these separate from the box tops and Labels for education because this program only goes through the Fall months so there is a deadline for getting them in! http://www.hannaford.com/assets/hf/assets/content/hhs/index.html is the website to find a list of products.

I think that's it for now-Thank you so much!
Denise Haggerty

PTO Meeting Agenda:

September PTO Meeting

9/8/11

6:30 pm

AGENDA

Welcome and Introductions – Kate Belluche
What does the JJ Flynn PTO do? – PTO Board
Treasurer’s report - John Boone
Family Directory – Brad Ingalls
Enrichment Updates – VMT, Jeh Kulu, Grants, chess club – Sarah Smith
Room Parents/Staff Appreciation – Lisa Tulkop
Fundraising plans for 2011-12 – Tammy Kuypers
Teacher Mini-Grants – Kate Belluche
School/Family Partnership – Shanta Eastman
Safe Routes to school- ShantaEastman, Alex Messinger
Google docs/Blogger– Kate Belluche and John Boone
School Pictures – decide class photo format– Gabi Baumann, John Boone
Open Forum – What’s on your mind? Burning questions and novel ideas
President Elect? – Kate Belluche
Open House – Pics/short bios?- Template of info about each staff member to go up with pics – Flynn Flyer? Main Bulletin board? Same for PTO – help parents get to know Flynn folks…
Sticker Calendars – any buzz?
Meeting format – Interest in rotating facilitators?

Next Meeting: Thursday, 10/6/2011, 6:30-7:30pm

Back to School...

2011-08-24T19:18:00.000-04:00

Hey there Flynn Families, Nine weeks down, one to go until the new school year. Just in case you actually read the back to school letter and you were planning to send your kiddo off to school next Wednesday, think again... School starts on THURSDAY, September 1st (disregard typo in letter!).

As you can see, the PTO has been busy working on tightening up home/school communications and will be using this blog for weekly updates and all kinds of other information. Besides weekly updates, this will be your go to site for a calendar of school events, meeting and treasurer's minutes, volunteer needs, contacts and more. Jump in and discover what's on the blog and then look again as we add more content! BIG thank you to Kacey and John Boone for their technical guidance in setting up our blog.

Karen Carr is looking for some office help to stuff back to school envelopes and help with some photocopying/laminating projects. The school will be open this Thursday, Monday and Tuesday next week. Connect with Karen at kcarr@bsdvt.org.

The PTO is preparing sticker calendars this year that are designed to cover last years magnetic calendar. I believe the sticker will be slightly smaller, so the old magnet will have to be trimmed slightly. Our hope is that we can cut costs on this while also saving resources. If you have any old Flynn Fridge calendars that you want to get rid of, send them into the office and we will put them to good use!

Families/Staff old and new, join us for the Back to School Potluck next Tuesday (8/30) in the multi-purpose room/playground. Bring a yummy main dish to share. The PTO is providing the paperware, drinks and watermelon. Set-up from 5:30-6. We eat at 6pm.

Also join us on the first day of school for the annual Welcome Back Coffee in the North courtyard. When the bell rings at 8:10 parents will gather for a little caffeine, some breakfast goodies and great company. Come help welcome all the new Flynn families!

(a few folks have already volunteered to get coffee and bake something - if you are interested in donating a bottle of juice or baking/buying something, please send us an e-mail (see link on left side of blog or type in flynnschoolpto@gmail.com.

Have a great week. Looking forward to connecting with old friends and meeting the new crop of families. Kate B.