Hey There Flynn Families - Hope the first few days went well for your child. As always, Teachers and Administrators appreciate your patience as all the kinks get worked out around pick-up and drop-off. Hopefully the new playground surfacing will get completed in a timely manner and we can turn the kiddoes loose to explore the new goods... District forms are due in to the office ASAP - please check to make sure the forms made it from the backpack into teachers' hands... Hope to see families new and old at the first PTO meeting. As if you need another reason, studies show that parent involvement plays a big part in your child's school success. (remember there is childcare and pizza to help take some of the post workday stress away...)
First Day Coffee Thank you to all parents and staff who joined in on the first day coffee. The food was delicious. Special thanks to Dave Harnett from the Short Stop Mobil for donating the coffee! Also, for Mr. Weissenstein for giving back to school updates!
First PTO meeting of the year is this Thursday at 6:30 in the "library" (stage gym!). This is a great opportunity to meet other involved parents, get the scoop firsthand on Flynn happenings and PTO sponsored project and events and share your ideas/energy on how we can make the Flynn school experience challenging and enriching for ALL students. There will be free childcare and free pizza, so come a few minutes early so you have time to grab a slice and get your child settled with the sitter before the meeting starts. The PTO Agenda is included at the end of this post
JJ Flynn Theatre will be voting on the Spring play this Thursday at the PTO meeting. Several parents have already cast their votes via our g-mail account (flynnschoolpto@gmail.com) or on our Facebook page. If you have a child in grade 3,4,5 you are encouraged to vote via the above venues or at the PTO meeting. Choose between Tom Sawyer or the Lost Prince. Vote now or forever hold your peace...
Fall Fundraiser ATTENTION Flynn Families!The Meadow Farms Gift Wrap fundraiser is here again! Meadow Farms is a local New England business which is offering us a great opportunity to help Flynn raise money for many of the fun activities and cool resources that your child will be able to take advantage of this year. This year, Meadow Farms is featuring a "Buy Local" catalog so, not only will you be supporting Flynn by selling items, you will also be supporting our own Vermont community. Last year we raised almost $4000 thanks to all of your help and support. Let’s see if we can top that this year!
Be on the lookout for the fundraising packet in your child’s backpack at the end of the week. The sale will run until September 23. Thank you ALL for your continued support in making Flynn a wonderful environment for our kids!
Please contact Teresa Giallorenzo at tgiallorenzo@hotmail.com or 802-540-0331 with any questions.
Calendar 2.0 Flynn families are strongly encouraged to attend the upcoming meetings regarding Calendar 2.0, the proposal to change the school year. The proposal now includes extending the school year one week further into June and beginning one week earlier in August. There would be an addition of two weeks of vacation days during the regular school year to replace the reduced summer vacation so that the total number of days would be the same. This proposal is scheduled to be voted on by the school superintendents in January and implemented next fall if the proposal goes through. The superintendents have said this is not a "done deal" and that parents' voices will be heard if we speak up. Educate yourself and talk to your neighbors and friends. A big decision like this one needs to have everyone involved. Please visit the website http://schoolcalendar2.
plan on coming to the meeting at October 9th at Burlington High School (6:30 p.m.).
Wise Words from parenting guru Vickie Hoefle: A Visit to the Principal’s Office – Three Lessons from Life’s Curriculum (I guess if you don't like Vickie Hoefle's parenting style you might not think her words are wise... I happen to love much of what she has to say and as I am writing the blog, I feel inspired to share some of her awesomeness with you. Check out her book - see below or check out her website/blog)
(Note: We have Vickie's book, Duct Tape Parenting in the Parent Resource lending library located in the main lobby. Find the book and see Karen Carr in the main office to check it out.)
Lesson One: Cause and Effect
Every year I remind my children. “There may be a moment, when…- You oversleep, miss the bus and arrive without a note from a parent.
- You choose to ditch a class to help a friend in need.
- You are caught cheating on a test – not because you didn’t know the answer, but because you were curious as to what would happen if you were caught.
- You thought using fake money for the bake sale was an AWESOME idea and got BUSTED – what a surprise – ( it happened to a friend– he’s almost 40, he still talks about that lesson! He did not become a counterfeiter.)
- You and your normally rule abiding friends decided to yell in the lunchroom when the lunch monitors called for quiet.
- You found yourself defending a friend who has been bullied.
- You walk out of a class when the teacher starts to belittle a class mate.
- You made a mistake and either stole something, broke something or forgot something
I am a big proponent of letting life teach our kids some of the toughest and most important lessons life has to offer. Learning that they are responsible for their choices and experiencing the consequences of those choices allows children a chance to develop critical thinking skills. It also teaches them to take responsibility for their choices and to live with the outcome of those choices. Those are skills that will continue to develop over time and will make it easier to make wiser, tougher choices later in life.
Lesson Two: Compassion
I know from talking to my own children, how upsetting it is for them to watch a classmate be sent out of the classroom and down to the principal’s office in disgrace. As a collective group, my 5 decided that making that walk of shame personally, would help them better understand how scary, embarrassing and humiliating the experience was, and help them show more empathy, compassion and understanding towards kids who struggled in school. As a result of mistakes, humiliation, encouragement, and inclusion.Lesson Three: You’re Never Alone
I wanted my children to know that no matter what they did, no matter how much trouble they might be in, I would be with them. I would not save them. I would not make excuses for them. I would not take the blame. But I would always be there for them. And together, we would figure things out. I felt it was important, for me to SHOW my kids the truth of my words and it occurred to me when they were very young, that getting sent to the principal’s office could be a vehicle to prove to my kids that I would be there for them no matter what the offense.My kids learned it was safe to call their parents. They learned that they would have to figure out a way to make things right. They learned they would have to serve the time (detention, community service, making apologies, and so on.) They learned that their mom and dad had no interest in rubbing their noses in their mistakes. They learned that they could survive the mistakes they made and life would go on.
So this year, consider using the Principal’s Office as a place of learning. Thinking outside the box often provides amazing opportunities for kids to develop skills that will help them grow into amazing human beings (not just to be remembered as a model student.)
| SAVE THE DATE |
September 5 - PTO meeting - 6:30-8pm in the "library". Childcare and pizza provided
September 18 - St. Joe's Open House - 6pm
September 19 - Principal's Coffee - 8:30
September 26 - Flynn Open House - 6pm
October 2 - Flynn Picture Day
October 3 - St. Joe's Picture Day
AGENDA
Flynn School PTO
Learning Center
6:30-8
FREE PIZZA FOR ALL!!!
Enjoy a dinner out with free food and learn what’s going on at Flynn
School!!
Enjoy a dinner out with free food and learn what’s going on at Flynn
School!!
****6:15 -6:30 – Come a little early if you want to get pizza and settle the kids into childcare.
6:30-7pm - Eat free pizza for the whole family! While we discuss PTO meeting agenda
items
WELCOME – Introductions and Introduction of this year’s board members
BOARD REPORTS 1. Principal’s Corner - Graham Clark
● Outside cameras
● Sandbox repairs
● Playground progress
● Playground progress
2. Enrichment - Do we have a committee?
● Vote on this year’s play
● Is there another enrichment activity we could consider besides/or addition to the
play and put to vote (Parent suggestion)
play and put to vote (Parent suggestion)
3. Treasurer – Betsy Ward
● IRS status?
COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. Fundraising - Tammy Kuypers
● School Pictures
● Wrapping paper
2. Landscape/Garden - Sarah DeShaw
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