11.5.2014

PTO CORNER >

Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org

ANNUAL APPEAL: GREAT START, PIERCE FAMILIES!
In Week 1 of the Annual Appeal, you donated $8,011.
Any amount is appreciated! We're striving for 100% participation.

Donate securely through Paypal.

All of our children who attend Pierce School directly benefit from the work of the Pierce Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). This month, the PTO Annual Appeal is raising money to support academic, cultural, and community enrichment activities that occur throughout the school year for our students, teachers, and families. All Pierce parents are PTO members! Once a year, during this Annual Appeal, we ask families to be as generous as they can to support the PTO. Contributions to the Pierce PTO are tax-deductible and will be acknowledged with a receipt for tax purposes. The PTO's tax ID number is 35-2197562. Please also consider using your employer's matching grant program.

Why an Annual Appeal? Please read the FAQ.

Click here to donate through our secure Paypal site.

Questions? Write to pierce.pto@gmail.com.

_______________________________________

PRINCIPAL'S FORUM WITH CATHERINE STEINER-ADAIR

Save the Date! Thurs., 12/4, 7pm @ Pierce Auditorium

Please join us for a PTO-sponsored Principal's Forum with author Catherine Steiner-Adair.

Dr. Steiner-Adair will discuss her latest book The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. Please see a brief review below, and plan to join us for what will no doubt be a lively evening with this dynamic author, researcher and professor.

"Technology is changing our world and the world of our children at a blistering pace. Every parent struggles with the benefits and limitations of a perpetually plugged in lifestyle. Something doesn't feel quite right and Catherine Steiner-Adair with great wisdom, and compassion for our confusion, helps lead us out of this technological thicket. She is a worthy guide, not simply pointing out stumbling blocks, but helping us find our way around them. A mandatory read for our own sake as well as the sake of our children."

- Madeline Levine, Ph.D., Author of Teach Your Children Well and The Price of Privilege

Dr. Smith-Mumford

Principal

_______________________________________

SCHOOL CORNER >

Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org

TAKE NOTE! SCHOOL SCHEDULE CHANGES NEXT WEEK

School is closed on Tues., 11/11 for Veteran's Day. School will dismiss early on Wed., 11/12 at 12:40pm (for teacher conferences).

_______________________________________

SUPERINTENDENT LUPINI COMING TO PIERCE

Fri., 11/21, 8-9am @ Pierce Auditorium

Brookline's Schools Superintendent will be meeting with the Pierce community. Bring your questions and comments!

_______________________________________

MATH LEAGUE COACHES NEEDED

Math League is starting up soon for 4th-, 5th-, and 6th-graders, and we're looking for more parent volunteers to coach one morning per week before school (Mon.-Fri., 7:20-7:55am). Regular practices will begin the week of Mon., 12/1 and continue until Thurs., 3/19. During practices, two to three coaches help children work through sample Math League problems. Each morning will feature a certain topic for students to practice. The five topics that the students will compete in are: Operations, Geometry, Bases, Patterns, and Problem Solving. We will provide coaches with plenty of practice problems from previous year's meets, and each topic will have an experienced coach to support you. If you have coached or are interested in coaching, please contact Tara Washburn or Dave Carter at piercemathleague@gmail.com.

_______________________________________

ATTN 7th & 8th GRADERS: SCHEDULE CHANGE FOR MATH COUNTS!

Now on Fridays, 7:15-7:50am @ Math Center (behind the pit)

Math Counts is open to all 7th- and 8th-graders who are looking for a competitive math opportunity. If you enjoyed Math League, you may want to check this out. Practices have moved to Friday mornings. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Hansel at alison_hansel@brookline.k12.ma.us

_______________________________________

PIERCE SCHOOL SOCK DRIVE!

Mon., 11/3 through Wed., 11/26 - Donate in classrooms

Pierce School students have a longstanding tradition of supporting the most vulnerable members of our community. We hope to collect at least 600 pairs of new cotton socks (all sizes, white ones preferred) to donate to the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP) "foot room" program.

About the "foot room" program:

Homeless people suffer high rates of foot infection and disease. Athlete's foot and pre-frostbite are two common foot conditions that can be helped by wearing clean dry socks.
In the foot room, homeless patients can have their feet cleaned, nails trimmed, underlying medical issues assessed and treated, and each patient is given a pair of clean cotton socks. This can greatly reduce the risk of many foot infections.
While patients are there talking with staff, other medical issues often come up and can then be assessed and treated.
Preventing foot infections reduces trips to emergency rooms, which saves lives and minimizes costs to the health care system.

Questions? Please contact Jamie Yadoff at Jamie_yadoff@brookline.k12.ma.us. To learn more about BHCHP, please visit http://www.bhchp.org/.

_______________________________________

SPECIALIST'S CORNER >

SPANISH

Visit the Spanish page on the school website to see what our little estudiantes are learning!

_____________________________________

PROBLEM OF THE WEEK >

POW #5: FRUIT STAND

Due Mon., 11/10

Look for POW #5 on the board this Friday. Visit the POW page on the school website:

http://www.pierceschoolbrookline.org/problem-of-the-week.html

_____________________________________

MATHLETES PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #2: STORMING THE CASTLE

Due Mon., 11/10

Look for the new Mathletes POW #2 on the Mathletes bulletin board near the first floor entrance to the library. Put your solutions in the green box by the Mathletes bulletin board.

SOLUTION FOR MATHLETES POW#1: TRIANGLES

The fewest number of non-overlapping triangle shapes needed to cover the triangle was 9. We had 20 students take the challenge and try out our new Mathletes problem of the week. Bravo! Check out the bulletin board to see their solutions. Questions? please contact alison_hansel@brookline.k12.ma.us or tara_washburn@brookline.k12.ma.us

_____________________________________

COMMUNITY CORNER >

Come support BHS Warriors in the State Playoffs! Also: Brookline Teen Grantmakers Program accepting applications... Shakespeare... Dress for Success Clothing Drive... Jewish Film Festival... Sports clinics... and more. Visit Community Corner on the right-hand side of the "News & Bridge" page on the school website.

_____________________________________

CLASSIFIEDS >

Want to see your ad here? Send an email to piercebridge@gmail.com.

HELPING KIDS COMMUNICATE!

In-home speech-language therapy is provided by Meryl Heller Schram, M.S., CCC-SLP, a seasoned and respected pediatric speech-language pathologist. Youngsters with speech-language disorders (including articulation/phonological disorders, apraxia, language-learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders) are serviced. Phone: 617-733-1995; email: mhschram@comcast.net.

____________________________________

STUDY WITH BUDDIES: ARM YOUR 6th/7th GRADER WITH CRITICAL STUDY SKILLS

Is your 6/7th grader relying on you too much for homework help, struggling with how to study the "right" way, and planning ahead? You're not alone! Study With Buddies is here to help. I'm a Pierce parent (Robyn Holzman) and experienced middle school educator who provides kids with a unique opportunity to learn organization, time management and active study skills with their friends to decrease stress and increase success. Parents receive weekly emails with strategies to support children at home. Interested? Email studywithbuddies@gmail.com to arrange a regular meeting time.

____________________________________

Quick Links...

Contact Information

phone: (617) 730-2580