04.29.2015
PTO CORNER  
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org

BROOKLINE OVERRIDE UPDATE: EARLY VOTING HAS BEGUN; ELECTION DAY IS MAY 5TH; EVERY VOTE COUNTS!
Brookline's town election on May 5, 2015 gives voters the opportunity to vote on two important ballot measures: question 1 to raise funds to address the 38% (and growing) increases in townwide elementary school enrollment, and question 2 to fund a long-delayed renovation and expansion of Devotion School. Yes votes on both measures would directly benefit Pierce School, which would get additional funding, including money to handle crowding within Pierce classrooms. The two ballot questions were formulated after a lengthy process in which both higher and lower funding numbers were rejected and compromise numbers were agreed to in an effort to keep the town and schools on a solid financial and educational footing. Both ballot measures are unanimously supported by Brookline's elected Board of Selectmen and School Committee.  

Please vote, and please encourage your friends and neighbors to vote -- every vote counts! The last time a similar "override" measure was on the ballot in Brookline, the outcome was decided by less than a thousand votes, and this year's election is expected to be very close. Any registered voter can vote by filling out and submitting an early/absentee ballot at the Clerk's Office in Brookline Town Hall (right next to the Pierce School) anytime between now and election day during their office hours: Mon-Wed 8-5, Thurs 8-8, Fri 8-12:30, and Sat 9-1.  

On election day, Tuesday, May 5th, vote at your local precinct polling 
place (for location information check  http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.aspx).

For more information, visit www.yesforbrookline.com or contact Pierce parents Brian Hochleutner ([email protected]) or Mariah Nobrega ([email protected]).
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NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK APPROACHES
May 4-8
Be sure to thank our teachers next week for everything they do, as part of the National PTA's Teacher Appreciation Week. Visit http://www.pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=3270 for ideas on how parents and children can show their appreciation. 
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THANK YOU TO JULIET....AND WELCOME TO ALEX BARRETT.....
Juliet Eastland is stepping down as Bridge Editor, and we wanted to thank her for her careful editing of the Bridge these last two years. Juliet worked tirelessly every week to ensure that the Bridge was error free and easy to read -- thank you, Juliet! Another Pierce parent, Alex Barrett, has taken over as Bridge Editor, so we wanted to publicly welcome Alex to the team and thank her for helping out!
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STRATEGIES FOR NURTURING CONFIDENCE AND RESILIENCE IN OUR CHILDREN  

Tue., 5/12, 7-9pm @ Multi-purpose Room, Runkle School

An evening with critically acclaimed, author, speaker and psychologist Dr. Robert Brooks. Dr. Brooks is a psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. He has lectured nationally and internationally and written extensively about the themes of resilience, parenting, family relationships, school climate, and balancing our personal and professional lives. 

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CALL FOR DONATIONS: PTO UNDER THE BOARDWALK EVENT
Sat., 5/16 @ Pierce School Auditorium 

Donate your talents, unused gift cards/certificates, vacation homes and other creative biddable items to the auction to be held May 16th at the PTO's Under the Boardwalk spring fundraiser! Your donation will raise money for field trips, teacher supplies, instructional tools, arts and cultural assemblies at school, plus supplemental programs including the homework club. To make a donation, email [email protected].

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WANTED: BEACH CHAIRS AND BEACH UMBRELLAS

This year's PTO 'Under the Boardwalk' fundraiser and celebration is right around the corner (May 16th), and preparations are well underway. As the celebration approaches, the decoration committee is seeking families willing to loan beach chairs and beach umbrellas for the evening. The committee will return them promptly once the evening is over. Your donations are much appreciated. Please contact [email protected] if you have some chairs or umbrellas to loan for this special event.

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The PTO needs YOU!!!

Consider donating your talents and time in support of our amazing community! Transform the cafeteria in to a summer beach paradise for the Under the Boardwalk spring fundraiser. Sell books to eager young readers at the Book Fair. Scoop ice cream at the Pierce Picnic. Take volunteering to the next level as the next PTO co-chair. It's never too late to lend a hand!

Learn more or sign up for upcoming volunteer opportunities:

Under the Boardwalk Spring Fundraiser:

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0C49A5A92AAB9-pierce/9806886

Book Fair: [email protected]

Co-Chair & Leadership team positions: [email protected]

Pierce Picnic: sign-up to follow next month
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HELP THE PTO RAISE EASY MONEY!
Sign up for a free parent account on Sopico.com, an online marketplace for children's activities, and Sopico will donate $5 to the Pierce School PTO! When asked "How did you hear about us?" choose PTO/ PTA  and type "Pierce School, Brookline" into the text box. Sign up by 4/30 to get $25 off your first camp or activity purchase. Thanks for supporting our PTO!
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SHOP AMAZON AND BENEFIT PIERCE SCHOOL
When you shop Amazon through the school website, Pierce PTO receives a percentage of your purchases at no extra cost to you. Remember "Go to School" before you shop online at Amazon! To shop, go to the school website homepage and look for this icon:
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SCHOOL CORNER   
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org

SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING TOMORROW  

Thurs., 4/30, 6pm @ James F. Walsh Committee Room, 5th Floor, Town Hall

The School Committee will be honoring outgoing School Committee member Abby Cox from 6-6:30pm in the School Committee Room. All are welcome. Please see the full meeting docket here. This is an open discussion with the Brookline School Committee and the public, with topics to be determined by the participants. Contact Robin Coyne with questions at 617-730-2430 or [email protected] 

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MATH PROBLEM OF THE WEEK NEEDS YOUR HELP! 
Show your love for the Problem of the Week with this awesome volunteer opportunity!
Tara Washburn, Pierce School Math Specialist, is looking for two reliable parents to support the Problem of the Week throughout the school year. Tara will supply the math problems, but she needs help creating the flyer and posters, communicating with the Pierce website and Bridge teams, photocopying materials and managing the bulletin board -- about one to two hours of work every other week when a new Problem comes out. Please contact Tara at [email protected] if you're interested.
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FIND THE GOLDEN SHOES

Fri., 5/1 - Sun., 5/31

Celebrate our walkable neighborhood! During the month of May, 100 golden shoes will be hidden throughout the neighborhood surrounding  Pierce -- on sidewalks, in parks, or around local businesses. Each shoe will be specially marked with a certificate with instructions on how to enter the grand prize drawing, to be held 6/9 at the Pierce Family Picnic. Golden Shoes encourages children to be active, and is sponsored by Pierce Walks, the Brookline Public Health Department, Pierce PTO, and PUMA. To learn more visit www.pierceschoolbrookline.org/golden-shoes.html. First prize: A walking-shopping spree through Brookline, plus PUMA footwear signed by Usain Bolt. Additional Prizes: 30+ PUMA gift cards between $20 and $100.

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PROJECT BREAD'S WALK FOR HUNGER: SUPPORT PIERCE WALKERS!

Sun., 5/3

Pierce parent Jamie Yadoff will be leading a group of alumni and 7th & 8th graders on the annual Walk. Support them and help beat hunger in Massachusetts! Contribute here:

http://support.projectbread.org/site/TR?px=1173211&fr_id=1250&pg=personal.

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UNDERSTANDING OUR DIFFERENCES BEGINS... AND A CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
Every year, Pierce School fourth graders participate in the Brookline Schools' Understanding Our Differences (UOD) program. This program is a collaboration between 4th grade teachers, parent volunteers and school and town administrators.
We cannot continue this important program without parent volunteers. Thank you to those who have already offered your time! If you'd like to volunteer for future units, the commitment is for a single day from 8-10:30am, plus a short training meeting two days before the unit. (If you can't make the evening training, our brief on-line training video may be helpful.) Please consider volunteering for any of the upcoming units:

Thurs., 4/30 -- Vision Impairment
Tues., 6/2 -- Physical Disabilities
Thurs., 6/11 -- Intellectual Disabilities

To volunteer, please visit  
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gN6R6Ker7Vo-AyVyOypWeygcEFwtnvX2KsxlqR-dk1Q/edit?usp=sharing. If you have volunteered in the past, we'd especially appreciate your help! Our thanks, Tiffany Rinne and Ann Kamensky, Parent Coordinators

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WANTED: PIERCE AUTHORS!

Calling all members of the Pierce community who are published authors: the Pierce Book Fair will take place at the end of May, and we'd love it if you'd consider donating 1-5 books for the sale. We'll have a specific table for authors, along with any contact and ordering info you'd like to publicize. Contact Juliet Eastland, [email protected], if interested. Thanks!

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PIERCE BOOK FAIR

Tue., 5/26 - Thurs., 5/28 @ Pierce Auditorium

Spring is around the corner, and with it, the Pierce Book Fair! Thanks so much for your book donations so far and please keep them coming! There is a donation bin in the front hallway by the office and we are organizing some neighborhood book drives. Please email us at [email protected] to let us know if you are interested in coordinating a neighborhood drive, or would like to arrange a pick up.

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IT'S ALIVE! MUSEUM OF SCIENCE BRINGS LIVE ANIMALS TO GRADES 1 AND 2
This June, the Pierce Arts Council welcomes educators from the Museum of Science! The Museum's traveling program will bring live exhibits to our first graders, who will compare egg development, birth, and metamorphosis in different species. MOS educators return to visit second-graders for a program on animal habitats, observing several live animals to determine their ideal shelter and food. 

Thanks to the donations of parents and community members to the Pierce PTO, the Pierce Arts Council brings a variety of age-appropriate, high-quality programs and performances to the school to complement learning in the classroom. The performances are a creative and fun way for students to engage in and learn about arts, science, history, and literature.

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SPECIALISTS CORNER 

SPANISH

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

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PROBLEM OF THE WEEK 

 

POW #15: PALINDROMES

Due Tues., 5/5

Look for POW #15 on the board this Friday. Visit the POW page on the school website:

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

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MATHLETES PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #11: WELCOME TO PLANET FORUX

Due Tues., 5/5

On Planet Forux, there are Fourisies and Fourlegies. Every Fourisie has exactly 4 eyes and exactly 2 legs. Every Fourlegie has exactly 4 legs and exactly 1 eye. A gathering of Fourisies and Fourlegies has an equal number of eyes and legs. What is the minimum of number of aliens present?
Copies of the problem will be available in the rack in the front lobby and on the Pierce website. Please put your solution in the green box by the Mathletes bulletin board. Have fun doing the math!
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COMMUNITY CORNER

This week in the Community Corner: BHS Cherry Blossom Festival, Believe in Kids Gala, Sunday School for Jewish Studies, and summer camps galore! All that and more, on the right-hand side of the school's "News & Bridge" page.  

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CLASSIFIEDS
Want to see your ad here? Send an email to [email protected].

BENEFITNESS HEALTH CLUB FOR WOMEN
**Calling all Pierce Moms, Teachers and Staff!**Join now for $0 Enrollment Fee--originally $79. Discounted monthly rate of only $59 and a FREE Personal Training Session when you join! For more information, visit www.benefitnesshealthclub.com or call 617-232-7440. 62 Harvard Street (Rear Entrance) Brookline, MA 02445.
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