09.23.2015
PTO CORNER  
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org

ANNUAL APPEAL FUNDRAISER CHAIR NEEDED!
The PTO is looking for someone to lead the Annual Appeal this year, a 4-6 week fall fundraising effort focused on parents and community members. This is the single largest fundraising activity for the calendar year. 100% of funds raised go to support PTO activities which support teachers and specialists and enrich the education of our children. No fundraising experience needed. Please email pierce.pto@gmail.com if you are interested.
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JOIN US FOR HARVESTFEST: A PARENT & TEACHER SOCIAL
Sat., 10/17 7-10pm @ Pierce School
Book your sitters and join us for this free social event with a cash bar and light snacks. Come enjoy a night out and mingle with other Pierce parents and teachers. HarvestFest is sponsored by the PTO and Brookline Education Foundation. $10 raffle tickets will be available with great prizes! For more information please contact pierce.pto@gmail.com.

HARVESTFEST PLANNING MEETING
Fri., 9/25 8am @ Pierce Cafeteria
Come to the planning meeting for this year's fabulous Pierce HarvestFest! Volunteering for events is a great way to meet other parents and to get involved. This event is a perfect opportunity to provide short-term volunteer help with food, beverages, decorations, and ticket sales. If you'd like to volunteer, but are unable to attend this meeting, please contact pierce.pto@gmail.com. 

RAFFLE ITEMS NEEDED FOR HARVESTFEST
We're looking for 3-4 items to be donated for a raffle at HarvestFest . In the past, families have donated sporting tickets and restaurant dinners. Please contact us at pierce.pto@gmail.com if you have something you can donate for a small raffle. All proceeds will directly benefit the school. Thank you.
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ROOM PARENTS NEEDED
Many thanks to everyone who has volunteered thus far. While many classes have RPs, there are still plenty of slots that need to be filled. It's a great way to help your classroom teacher over the course of the school year, and it doesn't require a big time commitment. Click here to find out what a room parent does. And If you are a room parent, please send your contact information to Volunteer Coordinators Jean Sandler and Barbara Kamholz at jean.sandler@comcast.net and bwkamholz@gmail.com.  
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BE A 7TH & 8TH GRADE REPRESENTATIVE
While grades K-6 have Room Parents, the 7th & 8th grades at Pierce have Grade Representatives. Much like RPs, they serve as a communication link between the teachers and parents. This is an important role and can be done by one person or a couple of parents per grade. At this point, those slots are all open! Please inform Jean Sandler and Barbara Kamholz at jean.sandler@comcast.net and bwkamholz@gmail.com if you would like to take this on.  
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NO ROOM PARENTS IN YOUR CHILD'S CLASS? GET TOGETHER ANYWAY! 
Since some Room Parents are still being identified, families are encouraged to take initiative to organize an introductory gathering for families/students in their class (or grade, for the upper grades), e.g. a casual weekend gathering at a local park. We have a small budget available, so if you'd like to reserve park picnic areas, contact jean.sandler@comcast.net.
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STOP & SHOP A+ REWARDS
Pierce School is once again earning cash through Stop & Shop A+ School Rewards Program. After you register your card, each shopping trip at Stop & Shop using your Stop & Shop Card earns CASH for our school! Each month, the amount of CASH awarded will be updated on the Stop & Shop website. But you MUST register your Stop & Shop card and designate Pierce School in order to make it happen! (NEW: If you registered previously, you do not need to re-register!) Your friends and families can designate Pierce School, too. Log on towww.stopandshop.com/aplusto register online- use ID Code 07899 -- or call 1-877-275-2758 to register your card over the phone. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Colleen Muldoon, colleen_muldoon@brookline.k12.ma.us.
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BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
There is yet another way to support Pierce School! Collect Box Tops for Education. Simply clip the designated Box Tops at home and bring them to school! Pierce School earns money with every Box Top you donate! You can drop them in one of the collection boxes around Pierce:
  1. In the foyer by the Main Office
  2. In the hall just outside KM, Historical Building
Please contact Colleen Muldoon, colleen_muldoon@brookline.k12.ma.us with any questions. 
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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., 9/24, 6pm @ James F. Walsh Committee Room, 5th Floor, Town Hall
This is an open discussion with the Brookline School Committee and the public, with topics to be determined by the participants. Please see the 
full meeting docket here. 
The School Committee will also be holding Office Hours prior to the meeting from 5-6pm in the same room. Contact Robin Coyne with questions at 617-730-2430 or email robin_coyne@brookline.k12.ma.us.
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CAR-FREE SCHOOL DAY 
Wed., 10/7
Brookline families join with 4 million students in 44 countries...If you can, leave your car at home and walk your child to school. Bike, rollerblade or skate (helmet required)! Ride the school bus or T! Meet the crossing guards, greet your neighbors. Talk with your child(ren) about street safety and the health benefits of not driving. Car-Free School Day is good for children and families, and it's good for the environment. Help build a community where neighborhoods are full of people, not cars. For further information contact Lynne Karsten, lkarsten@brooklinema.gov or (617)730-2336.
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CROSS COUNTRY IS COMING!
Thurs., 10/15 or Fri., 10/16 @ Larz Anderson
Cross country is a district-wide meet where students compete in a 1-mile race against other students of the same grade and gender at Larz Anderson. It will take place on Thursday October 15th with a rain date of Friday October 16th. It is open to all students in grades 5-8. The only requirements are that the student 1) sign up in the gym, 2) bring in a signed permission slip by Fri., 10/9 and 3) have prepared physically for the meet. To show us a student has prepared, they can either come to at least 2 of the 6 practices offered here (dates below) OR fill out a running log that is signed by parents 
that show at least 4 different ways they have exercised outside of school. 
 
Cross country packets that include the permission slip are available in the gym. Your child's P.E. teachers will also be explaining this to students in class. 
 
PRACTICE DATES:
Mon., 9/28 2:30-3:30 
Tues., 9/29 2:30-3:30
Mon., 10/5 2:30-3:30
Wed., 10/7 7:00-7:55am
Thurs., 10/8 2:30-3:30
Tues. 10/13 2:30-3:30

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SEPAC NEEDS A PIERCE PARENT VOLUNTEER
The Brookline Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is an all-volunteer organization of parents/guardians of children with IEPs who meet to learn more about special education in Brookline. We sponsor workshops, informational meetings, discussion groups, legislative lobbying efforts and a variety of other activities to help improve our children's education. SEPAC is looking for a Pierce parent or two to serve as a SEPAC liaison within the school. The role is not time-intensive but it is important. If you are interested or want to know more, please contact Elizabeth Myska at 
e@thebeardgroup.comor 617-721-1155.
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COMING SOON: PIERCE FAMILY DIRECTORY UPDATE!
The secure online Pierce Family Directory will be updated with student names, family contact details, and class information once all updated information is received from the school. Only families who agree to have their information included in the directory will be added. Once uploaded, families should logon and review information. At that time, instructions will be sent to new families on how to access the directory. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jennifer Hunt or Beth Ng at
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PIERCE LIBRARY NEEDS VOLUNTEERS! 
Donate an hour of your time each week to keep the Pierce library program strong. 
Pierce librarian Amanda Kretschmar helps K-8 kids develop their literacy and research skills, and needs help with the day-to-day work -- especially shelving! More than 7,000 books were checked out in the first 10 weeks of school last year; we have some BUSY readers in this school!  
There are three options for volunteering during each school week day: 8-9 am, 1:30-2:30 pm and flexible times after school, until 8pm.
Please consider signing up for a regular weekly slot through December (or even June!), even if you can't come every single week. Feel free to sign up for more than one session! You will need to fill out a simple CORI form (background check) in the main office if you do not already have one on file.  Please contact Carol Jennings (carol.jennings@gmx.com) with any questions, and click here to sign up.
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PROBLEM OF THE WEEK 
 
POW #2: ALL ABOARD
Due Fri., 10/2
A train can hold 78 passengers. The train starts out empty and picks up 1 passenger at the 1st stop, 2 new passengers at the 2nd stop, 3 new passengers at the 3rd stop and so forth. After how many stops will the train be full? Look for POW #2 on the board this Thursday and visit the POW page on the Pierce website.

SOLUTION TO POW #1: LINING UP!
There are 21 students in line.
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MATHLETES PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #2: GLIP GLOP GLEEP!
Due Fri., 10/2
If 4 gleeps are worth 3 glops and 2 glops are worth 5 glips, how many glips are worth the same as 10 gleeps?

Copies of the Mathletes Problem of the Week are available in the front lobby and on the Pierce website. Please put solutions in the green Solution box next to the first floor library entrance.

SOLUTION TO MATHLETES PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #1: HAVE A SEAT!
There are 27 people in the room. Look for student solutions on the Mathletes bulletin board by the first floor library entrance
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SPECIALISTS' CORNER

SEPTEMBER MUSIC UPDATE 
Click on over to Specialists' Corner to hear the latest about your little songbirds, including Winter and Spring Sing schedules for the 2015-16 year.
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COMMUNITY CORNER
 
Go see the 'The Lorax' at Olmstead Park! Try out for Brookline Travel Team Basketball! Run the Boston Marathon for Team Brookline! Play poker to support the Teen Center! Read all about it in Community Corner. 

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

COMIC BOOK ART AT THE GOLDEN CHICKPEA CENTER
In this class we will be drawing comics and learning to use new art skills and tools. if your child loves superheroes, cool aliens, awesome robots, cute animals, funny faces, beautiful princesses and awesome adventures, then this is the perfect class! 
Total sessions: 10. Instructor: Eli Portman. Ideal for Grades 1-5.
Join us Wednesday, September Thursday 24 From 5 - 6 pm. 
Visit our website http://www.thegoldenchickpeacenter.com/apps/webstore. The Golden Chickpea Center 224 Washington Street, 857-210 9122  Brookline Village. Thank you !!!

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phone: (617) 730-2580