Flynn PTO Update 11/25/12

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope you had a relaxing break from school/work/routines.  Not much new to report - I'm sure things will be right back up to speed in no time at all...

Flynn school will be kicking off their annual giving drive for donations.  There will be a schoolwide meeting soon, but if you want to get you holiday teacher "shopping" out of the way early, donations can be made to the Flynn Staff Appreciation fund at INLU (see link below)  Money collected through school and from INLU will go into this account and be used by teachers to help spread joy to needy Flynn families.  Flynn teachers appreciate your generosity all year long.
http://www.inlu.com/registry?key=1A74TKT22G1756

Play Planning Meeting ( yes, it's that time already...) Greetings fellow Flynn parents,

I am writing to invite you to be a part of our first planning meeting for Frankenstein. We are going to meet on Monday, December 3 at 6:30pm in the Flynn learning center (library).

 For parents new to Flynn, grades 4/5 can have speaking roles or work in the crew.  Third graders make up the chorus and our K-2 kiddoes make a great audience!   If you have a child in grade 3-5, we will need your participation!  If you have a younger kiddo and have time/energy/enthusiasm to share, we welcome you too!  For more infomation, feel free to contact me at sarah@esptrans.com.
Hope to see you there! Sarah

The outerwear swap is here! The outerwear swap is set up soon in the newly renovated front lobby at Flynn. You can access the lobby through the hallway near the stage gym (not the front doors). Flynn families who have items to donate, please donate all CLEAN items by bringing them to the office at Flynn campus. If you have questions, please contact Christine Leithead (863-1446).

Send in: Winter coats, boots, mittens/gloves, hats, snowpants of all sizes - munchkin through adult. There are adults and pre-school siblings that need warm clothes too! PLEASE, only clean items in good shape!

Stuff is trickling in. Check back often to see what new stuff is in.   If you need some specific size or item, let Karen or Theresa know at the front desk and we can get the word out. 



<sub>SAVE THE DATE

November 29 - Chess Club - 7:30am - Learning Center - All levels invited!
December 5 - Principal's Coffee at 8:30
December 6 - Flynn PTO meeting 6:30pm - Learning Center</sub>


 

Flynn PTO Update 11/18/12

Hey There Flynn Families - Thanks for all the food donations last week - your generosity will help a number of Flynn families this Thanksgiving.  Have a great week - drive safely if you are heading out of town!


The outerwear swap is coming! The outerwear swap will be set up soon in the newly renovated front lobby at Flynn. You can access the lobby through the hallway near the stage gym (not the front doors). Flynn families who have items to donate, please donate all CLEAN items by bringing them to the office at Flynn campus. If you have questions, please contact Christine Leithead (863-1446). 

Send in:  Winter coats, boots, mittens/gloves, hats, snowpants of all sizes - munchkin through adult.  There are adults and pre-school siblings that need warm clothes too!  PLEASE, only clean items in good shape! 
PTO Pizza Pick-up on Tuesday between 4:30-6 - Flynn "office"

Meeting Minutes from the November meeting are included at the end of this post.

<sub>SAVE THE DATE

November 20 - PTO Pizza Pick-up 4:30-6pm
November 20 - Report Cards go home
November 21-23 - No School - Thanksgiving Recess
November 29 - Chess Club
December 5 - Principal's Coffee at 8:30
December 6 - Flynn PTO meeting 6:30pm - Learning Center</sub>


Nov. PTO Meeting 11/1/12
6:30 pm

AGENDA

Welcome-Tammy Kuypers

Special Guest- Henri Sparks, The district's new director of Equity, talking about Equity in the Burlington Schools

Some points discussed:

- How the district is addressing Equity and the steps they are taking to address any claims of inequity in discipline tactics.

- All teachers are going through training to make sure they are "culturally competent"

- Ensuring that all student feedback

- Main goal is to make the schools feel safe for all children

- Question about how bullying will look like in a PBIS format- when it is rolled out it will be similar to the PBIS model

- Question- how are the translators being utilized in this process- all translators have been moved to the high school with a shared office so that they can be better utilized.

- Question- can the PTO use translators to get more families involved- translators would need to be paid extra. It was suggested that the PTO approach the school board.

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

(possibly some ?'s can be brought to discuss at the principal's coffee)

- Kate Belluche- wondering if we can utilize Facebook more- is there anyone who wants to take it on?

- Sand box disrepair - Chris Reid offered to repair the roof of the sand box and help get new sand this Spring

 

UPDATES

Treasurer’s report- John Boone

- VCF grant for playground was awarded for $1750

- Meadowfarms gift warp fundraiser- almost $4000

- Six teacher grants have been requested and dispersed

- Suggestion that PTO could help with bus rides (Claire Noble paid $290 for bus to Shelburne Museum) More discussion continued about reengaging parental involvement in carpools for field trips and what are other options about. Graham offered to have someone look into what some other options are about transporting children to field trips.

Principal’s Corner – Graham Clarke

- 60 kids walked from St. joe's on a field trip to the international field trip "11" about life around the world as an eleven year old

- Teamwork acknowledged work done to extend a bus route to Appletree

- Full time grounds person and janitor at St. Joel's to thoroughly search grounds before school

- Solid fence being installed at St. Joe's to separate the playground and parking lot

- Graham pushing to have security cameras installed at school and has ensured that the infrastructure is in place during the construction

- Parents interested in helping with the security issues should call the school board and BPD

- 3 hours science workshop with first grade teachers

- Leah Marmelstein, a literacy consultant coming to Flynn to work with teachers

- Jan. 25 family traditions dinner and also the same day that the whole school will be moving back to the Flynn campus. Graham spoke about a potential 2 day project explore curriculum for this time- potentially seeking funding to help with supplies and donations for the volunteers. Some suggestions for this time: field trip to ECHO Race exhibit, dragon dancing, Thai cooking etc.

Enrichment Update -Sarah Smith

- First chess club meeting was a huge success- 16 kids came! If interest continues it may switch to every week

- Sarah submitted the grant request for Ben and Jerry's to help fund the play

- New Enrichment Coordinator needed for next year to take over Sarah's position- more information to come in the blog

· Fundraising Update- Tammy Kuypers –

- PTO pizza-2 free pizzas- Ms. Cronin and Shanta Karson,

- Nov. book fair- need volunteers- Kate and Tammy will email any holes in the

- Chris and Amanda Reid are the new fundraising chairs- (discuss fundraising calendar at next meeting)

School/Family Partnership Update– Shanta Eastman ( Mary- bike mobile- $600)

-FSP is funding the flat screen that will displayed in the newly constructed entryway- graham ensuring that every child will have several pictures displayed

- Paints have been purchased and a mural is being planned for a new exterior wall at Flynn

- A suggestion was made to tie in MLK recognition with work that needs to be done to Flynn to prepare for the move in

- Would the PTO be willing to partner with this initiative? The service has doubled every year and it is growing beyond the FSP budget- it was voted YES.

Room Parents – Lisa Tulkop

- Teacher appreciation in NOV is 4th grade- snack at the teacher meeting

- PTO is doing DEC- TBD as to what will be done

- Christine shared the 2 suggestions from the staff suggestion box- help with bussing funds and have more parent volunteers to help with photocopying and laminating in the beginning of the year.

Tabled for Next Month:

* Star Base is happening!!! May be asking for money from PTO.

* Suggestion box in teachers room- thanks to Christine

* Monthly walk to school days- shanta or sarah smith

* Garden grant and Farm to School Grant- Sarah Kleinman

* Outerwear swap- where to have it?

* Magnetic Calendars

* Sign-ups for 2012-13 Events

* Babysitting – guidelines for kids/sitters- Mary

* How do we want to spend our money

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

Flynn PTO Update 11/11/12

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope you had a lovely weekend and enjoyed the respite from those chilly days last week!  It was fun to connect with so many Flynn families at the bookfair last Thursday.  Thank you for your participation and for helping to build our Flynn community via family centered events.  It is lovely serving with you!


Bookfair/Pasta Dinner Hello Everyone, What an amazing evening! I love when everyone comes together to enjoy a Flynn Community Event! These fabulous Flynn events only happen because of YOU!! We so appreciate your time and hard work and support and dedication to Flynn School. Thanks so very much for making the pasta dinner such a huge success!! We raised over $500 on the pasta dinner alone! We have a great parent community - Go Flynn!! Sincerely, Tammy Kuypers 

   

Parent Help Requested this week!   Can you help???  From Ms. Carr:  I am looking for some parents to help cover some recess duties to allow teachers more time to do report cards.
Contact Karen for times and days at kcarr@bsdvt.org

Legos?  Has your kiddo grown out of Legos?  Any chance you might want to donate some to Ms. Luna's 3rd grade classroom for classroom play when there is indoor recess?  You can touch base with Ms. Luna at mluna@bsdvt.org

Review the Flynn PTO Treaurer's Report can be accessed by clicking on the link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag-zi-SCj-zndGtnXy1RNzRKbnQzZUxrME9VODU3RWc   Thanks, John Boone for helping to keep us in the black!
 
Bottle Drive  A BIG Thank you to Merola's Market and our friends, neighbors and Flynn Families who dropped their deposit bottles this past Saturday at Merola's Market to benefit the JJ Flynn PTO.

Over $100 was raised for the school.  The next bottle/can collection will be Saturday, March 10^th.  (The Saturday of Daylight Savings Weekend.)  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you for your continued support! 

School Pictures Email feedback from a pleased Flynn parent, "Wanted to thank the PTO for getting a new school photographer this year- wasn't sure what to expect but was incredibly pleased with my girls photos and class pictures!"  What do you think about our change in photographers?  Pleased? Disappointed?  We welcome your feedback as we make decisions for next year.  If you are not pleased with your pictures, please let us know so we can help turn you into a satisfied customer!  Email the flynnschoolpto@gmail.com

Picture Retake Day is scheduled for Nov 14th (next wed).  They will do Flynn first and then head over to St. Joe's right after.   Students should bring in their picture packages if they would like a re-take

J.J. Flynn's Scholastic Book Fair is continuing Online until November 23rd! Flynn us offering an ONLINE FAIR from November 3rd to November 23rd. Scholastic's entire catalog will be available to you, thus extending your opportunities for buying books. Online purchases will add to our school's sales total.  You will also find classroom wishlists on our Scholastic Pages. These are similar to gift registries that are instantly updated with online sales. More teachers will be adding their wishlists in the next week, so please check back!
Please follow this link to learn all about our Scholastic Book Fair!

Flynn School annual Thanksgiving food drive will begin this week!....We encourage families to send in canned foods to share with other Flynn Families in need.

VERY IMPORTANT.....St Joe students need to drop off their food at FLYNN in the morning before boarding buses...there will be a few boxes in the cafeteria each morning for students to deposit food.

 

A BIG Thank You to all who participated in our Fall Fundraiser and bought and sold gift wrap from Meadowfarms!!  You have helped our school earn over $3000 that will go towards many new and exciting things for your own children.  The money may be used for anything from field trips to new recess equipment.  Our kids will be benefiting in a BIG way!  Thanks for your continued support.  Enjoy the Fall weather!  Teresa Giallorenzo

Flynn Teachers were busy last week with Professional development during the school day with demonstration lessons by Leah Marmelstein.  Leah led Flynn classes in Mrs. Brooks room, Ms. Burdick's room and in Ms. Lessard's room, and all teachers were able to come observe a lesson.  Ask your child about their guest teacher and the work they will continue in Writer's Workshop, writing persuasive essays and creating opinion books.

New this year at BHS!!!  YEAR END STUDIES (YES) SESSION
(it may seem like forever before your kiddo hits 9th grade, but I thought parents might want to see what amazing things are coming down the pike)

The BHS Year End Studies session concludes each school year by offering all students of the BHS community exciting alternatives for learning. These non-traditional courses expand student understanding and inspire new student interests. Intensive, interest-driven opportunities enhance enthusiasm for learning and strengthen relationships within BHS and the Burlington community.

Ten days of classes are followed by an 11th day for student Presentations of Learning.Take a peek at what is being offered this Spring:
http://bhs.bsd.schoolfusion.us/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/2383201/File/YES%20Course%20Descriptions.pdf?sessionid=b7f79b2d4946219ba467a6fd8324b085

Did you know that our District Superintendant has a blog?  You can subscribe to her blog at  http://collinsj.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/north-avenue-news-november-superintendents-message/   On the right hand side of the page is the sign-up.  Just FYI, part of the November Superintendant's Message is below

Greetings Burlington,
Have you hugged your computer today? At Burlington High School, our 9^th graders do just that. The iPads that each 9^th grader received in September are changing the way of learning and connecting with material in the classroom and beyond. Students can look up what they don’t know right on the spot, collaborate with peers creatively on projects, and organize their homework and notes without lugging a huge backpack. I even saw a student shoot video at a recent soccer game and have the parents around him ask for an instant replay. The iPads are changing the depth and breadth of curriculum. Check it out for yourselves at WCAX with the video “Bringing iPads to the Classroom”: http://www.wcax.com/video?clipId=7758855&autostart=true.

This summer, to get teachers ready to use the iPads productively in their classrooms, we offered a School Development Institute for a week in partnership with Winooski teachers. We had students attend and share their thoughts with teachers as well. To get a glimpse of that sharing, you can watch a short video at: http://partnershipforchangevt.org/ called “Student Consultants Visit SDI”.


<sub>SAVE THE DATE

November 13 - PTO Pizza forms due
November 15 - Principal's Coffee at 8:30am (new date!)
November 20 - PTO Pizza Pick-up 4:30-6pm
November 20 - Report Cards go home
November 21-23 - No School - Thanksgiving Recess
November 29 - Chess Club
December 5 - Principal's Coffee at 8:30
December 13 - Flynn PTO meeting 6:30pm - Learning Center</sub>




 

Flynn PTO Update 11/4/12

 

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope you had a great weekend and took advantage of the extra hour of sleep on Sunday!  Hope to see you this week at the Bookfair and Pasta Dinner!

 What's up in the library????  Each week, students come to the library where they are introduced to great books.Children in grades K-4 participate in the Red Clover Award Program, Vermont's children's choice picture book award. Children listen to, read, discuss and vote for their favorite Red Clover nominee each year. Statewide, last year, more than 25,000 students from almost all of Vermont's elementary schools participated in this program co-sponsored by Mother Goose Programs/Vermont Center for the Book, the Vermont Department of Libraries, the Vermont Department of Education and Windham County Reads.  This link brings you to the most current Red Clover picks:  https://sites.google.com/a/etsd.org/essex-elementary-school-learning-center/red-clover-books-2012-2013  Ask your K-2 child which books Mrs. Wells has been reading.

 

Older students are being challenged to read DCF (Dorothy Canfield Fisher) books.  The DCF Award is Vermont's children's choice award for grades 4-8. After reading at least 5 books from the DCF Master List, students then vote for their favorite titles. The winning author is invited to visit Vermont to speak with children about the experience of writing.  Take a peek at the DCF blog for the most current picks. http://dcfbooks.edublogs.org/  Has your child checked out any of the DCF books?  What about a parent/child DCF bookclub???

Speaking of Books... Join us at Flynn this Thursday for a Pasta dinner and great book

shopping to benefit the library. The dinner price is very reasonable - $5/adults, $3/kids, under 5 are free, Family max $15. Doors open at 5:30.

 

 

Dinner Donations If you pledged a dinner donation for the pasta dinner, all non-perishables can be sent into the office through Thursday. Fresh items should be dropped off on Thursday morning. Thank you in advance for your generosity!  Please email the PTO if you have questions or forgot what you pledged - we can help!  flynnschoolpto@gmail.com

Learn More about Burlington's Food Services Posted October 31, 2012
All schools in the Burlington School District offer a full fruit and vegetable bar that is included with every lunch served. On average, 6-8 vegetables and 3-5 fruits are
featured. Students may take unlimited amounts of fruit and vegetables along with their entrée choice. Beans and legumes such as garbanzos, black bean and sweet potato salad, or lentils with roasted roots are also available on a daily basis. Vegetarian and vegan students may take unlimited amounts of these items to meet their daily protein needs. Students may also choose from vegetarian sandwiches including peanut butter and jelly, cheese and vegetables, or hummus wraps. At the K-8 level, hot entrées such as pizza and vegetable pasta are offered several times each month, while at the high school students may choose from hot vegetarian dishes daily. We feel that it is vitally important to offer a diverse menu to our increasingly diverse student body. Many students are new to this country, and it is important that they are offered food that is respectful of their religious and dietary customs. We believe that better food leads to better learning, and we want all students to go to class well fed and ready to learn. It is important to note that our schools have thousands of students and adults that are not vegetarian or vegan and they too need to have a culturally appropriate and varied menu.
It is equally important that as a dairy and agricultural state, we continue to support our farmers, our food system and maintain our working landscapes. We do this through local food purchases, farm and culinary programs for students, and ultimately the creation of a new school food culture. Food unites us all. Hunger affects us all. For more information, visit http://www.burlingtonschoolfoodproject.org/.

 

 

Bluebird BBQ  November 7th,  5-9pm

Come on out to Bluebird BBQ and chow-down on some of the best BBQ in the area.
10% of all food purchases for the evening go to the Burlington School Food Project's Farm-to-School program.  Please make reservations with Blue Bird BBQ and tell them that you're with BSFP.  (802) 448-3070  Thanks all and hope to see you there.

 

Ever Wonder about Allowance? Author Vickie Hoefle (Parenting on Track) writes: 11 Big Benefits of Giving Kids an Allowance

There’s little argument at this point that handling money as a child will prepare you for handling money as a young adult and eventually, as an adult. Great. But what exactly- as in literally- do the benefits look like? Why is is such a valuable commitment?

Imagine This First.  Well, imagine for a moment, that you have been giving your children money each week from the time they were four years old and each week they were encouraged to make decisions about the money. Imagine if you handed over the gift buying power, the junk food buying power, the cheap “crap” purchasing power, and so forth. Imagine if you allowed your child to experience the frustration when she didn’t have enough money to go out with friends, buy the perfect jeans or pay for her car payments. If you can imagine these lessons during childhood, you can imagine her respect for money heading into the real world.

The Benefits of Consistent Allowance (Why it’s worth the inconvenience of getting cash and handing it out!)

1. Kids, at an early age learn the true value of money. As in, what can I buy for one dollar? $100?
2. They discover what money can and can not do (happiness is not in the box you waited all month to buy, only to forget about a week later).
3. They learn the “real” way how hard it is to save money and how easy it is to spend money.
4. Kids develop a keen ability to assess what purchases are really important to them and which they can do without. (They’ll eventually say things like, NO. NOT WORTH IT… and walk away).
5. Kids discover things about themselves- Am I a saver? Am I a spender? When will that benefit me? When will it not?
6. Kids who buy their own things, DO NOT expect the adults around them to buy them stuff. In fact, they stop asking.
7. Kids learn to negotiate, barter and work together. (i.e. If one kid only has 15 bucks and his brother pitches in five, you bet they come up with creative reimbursement plans!).
8. Kids who carry their cash grow independent. There is no need to ask mom or wonder what she’ll say or how to sweet talk her (note: no fits because the answer is yes if the child has money). The child simply walks over, and decides if he wants to purchase or not.
9. Kids who make mistakes with their money have learned the good old fashioned hard way money has value, it can go away and with time, you can earn it back– financial resiliency is valuable.
10. Kids who spend enough time practicing also have time to understand- and make a judgement that sometimes, it’s ok to say– it’s only money- and there are things more important than a wad full of ones.
11. And finally, as a result of their experience with money, kids develop a strong work ethic and an appreciation for everything you provide.

Want more money management ideas? Visit  Kids & Money Pinterest Board!

PARENTS FOR CHANGE 

invite you to our

New American Action to Improve

the Student Placement Process

 

Monday, November 12th, 2012

7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Cathedral Church of St. Paul

2 Cherry Street, Burlington

 

Special guests:

Jeanne Collins, Superintendent of Burlington Schools

Amy Mellencamp, Principal of Burlington High School

Henri Sparks, Equity Director, Burlington Schools

Linda Walsleban, English Language Learner Director

Join Parents for Change as we seek to enhance opportunities for

New American students in Burlington by improving the student placement process and communications with parents and multi-cultural liaisons.

By bus: The church is 2 blocks from the Cherry St. bus station.

By car: Parking on Cherry or Pearl St. (free after 6 pm), or Cherry St. garage (free for 2 hours).

Child care is available – please call to request.

For more information about the event, call (802) 318-5892.

Voices for Vermont’s Children and Vermont Interfaith Action support Parents for Change networks. We are part of the Winooski-Burlington Partnership for Change working to reshape our schools and strengthen our communities by better preparing all students for the future.  Voices independent community-organizing helps new parent leaders build relationships, develop leadership skills and identify solutions to improve educational opportunities.

 
<sub>SAVE THE DATE

November 6 - Early Release at 11:30- Election day!
November 8 - Chess Club meets at 7:30 in the Learning Center at Flynn - ALL abilities welcome!
November 8 - Bookfair and Pasta Supper at Flynn - 5:30-7pm
November 13 - PTO Pizza forms due
November 16 - Principal's Coffee at 8:15am
November 20 - PTO Pizza Pick-up 4:30-6pm
November 21-23 - No School - Thanksgiving Recess
November 29 - Chess Club</sub>