10.21.2015
PTO CORNER  
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org

HOORAY FOR HARVESTFEST!
HarvestFest was huge success! Thanks to everyone who volunteered and came out to the event. Special thanks to Jen Amigone, Jen Rothstein and Deb Troderman for planning the event, Catalina Escalante Roseto for preparing all the food and Jeff Walker for the pumpkin carving contest, decorations and flyers. Additional thanks to our planning committee: Jennie Roffman, Jean Sandler, Sonia Silverman, Wade Thomson, Marina Blumenthal, and Hillary Janowski, and to those who helped out that night: Kha Dickerman, Jim Roseto, Tara Rubenstein, Jennifer Hunt, Dan Saltzman, Sylvia Eash, Keith Duclos, Claire and Brian Hochleutner, Richard Madden, Rachel Hope, Jean Kane, Elinor Alon, Revital Shaar, Waijiao Cai, and Kim Percival. We thank the new PTO co-chairs, Lauren Carroll, Maryann Senn, and Hisako Yoshido, as well as Dr. Smith-Mumford, for her continued support of the event. We appreciate the support of the Brookline Education Foundation, specifically Ian Roffman, Chuck Silverston and Kate Thibault for their contributions. Finally, our sincerest gratitude goes to the families who donated raffle items: Marcita and Roy Thompson; Tim and Kim Rowell; James Kim and Marianna Yang; and Matt Revis and Mara Littman. 
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ITS PIERCE SCHOOL PTO ANNUAL APPEAL TIME -- DONATE TODAY! 
All of our children benefit from the work of the Pierce Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) every day in their classrooms and throughout the year. This week, we kick off the Pierce PTO Annual Appeal to raise money to support academic, cultural, and community enrichment activities for Pierce students, teachers, and families. All Pierce parents are PTO members, and, once a year, during this Annual Appeal, we ask families to be as generous as they can to support the PTO.  

No donation is too small! The PTO will spend more than $160 per student for the 2015-2016 school year. Any amount you can give is appreciated -- truly. We want our students to know that all Pierce families care about them and their school. If your family is able to give a bit more, we are delighted to use that extra amount to help subsidize other families. We're aiming for 100% family participation. 

Please help us continue to offer our students all that we can by making a donation today. Checks can be made out to "Pierce PTO" and returned to the PTO mailboxes near the main office and cafeteria (look for the giant penguins!) or look for volunteers collecting donations at Drop-off and Pick-up. You can also make a secure donation online at http://www.pierceschoolbrookline.org. 

Note: Pierce pays a 3% fee to process online donations.  All 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.

#WeLovePierce @PierceSchoolPTO

Tell us on Twitter and Facebook why you love Pierce and why you give.  We will make you a star! Questions? Email us at pierce.pto@gmail.com.
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RESERVE YOUR CELEBRITY SERIES TICKETS
The Celebrity Series of Boston offers $10 tickets to exciting performances by world-renowned artists. Through the Take Your Seat program, you can see favorites such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and many more. The program requires that you purchase a minimum of 5 tickets for each performance. You also need to maintain a ratio of 1 Adult: 4 students. Take Your Seat is a program that serves urban K-12 schools and community groups to make a wide range of artistic performances available to students who might not otherwise be able to attend. Click here to view the list of performances and order form: http://www.pierceschoolbrookline.org/uploads/7/5/6/9/7569534/celebrity_series_take_your_seat_2015-16.pdf. There are a limited number of seats available at the $10 price for each event, so please return your order form and payment ASAP to Pierce Parent, Mara Littman at maralittman@yahoo.com. 
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PTO COFFEE MEETING 
Fri., 10/23 8am @ Pierce cafeteria
join us for the first PTO meeting of the year open to all parents, where we will discuss the PTO budget and how money is spent by the organization.
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NOVELIST CELESTE NG SPEAKS AT PIERCE
Tues., 10/27, 7pm @ Pierce Auditorium
The New York Times best-selling writer and author of this year's Brookline Reads selection 'Everything I Never Told You' will be at the Pierce School auditorium to discuss her book. Free and open to the public.
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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 to www.stopandshop.com/aplus to 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., 10/22, 5:45pm @ James F. Walsh Committee Room, 5th Floor, Town Hall
This is an open discussion with the Brookline School Committee and the public, with topics TBD by participants. Please see the full meeting docket here. Contact Robin Coyne with questions at 617-730-2430 or robin_coyne@brookline.k12.ma.us.
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6TH, 7TH AND 8TH GRADERS -- JOIN MATHCOUNTS!
Fridays, 7:15-7:55 @ Math Center (behind the Pit)
Be a part of Pierce's MATHCOUNTS team, a national math competition open to students in middle school. Students practice each week in a collaborative environment by solving challenging problems together, sharing their solutions, and learning new strategies. The regional competition takes place in February. The top teams and individuals continue on to the state and then national competitions, where they compete for thousands of dollars in scholarships. Practices take place every Friday morning. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Hansel at alison_hansel@brookline.k12.ma.us. 
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CHECK YOUR PIERCE FAMILY DIRECTORY ENTRY
The Pierce School Family Directory has been updated, and includes any students whose parents/guardians did not opt out of participating in the secure online directory. Student names have been arranged in to 2015-2016 classes, class parents have been added and the teacher and staff list is being updated. Here's what you need to do:
  • New families need to request access electronically. Visit http://www.pierceschoolbrookline.org/ and select Family Directory. Once your child's name and class have been verified, access will be granted. Once logged in, please add any family contact information that you would like to be included in the directory.  
     
  • For families who have already used the directory, we urge you to log on and verify that all the information is correct, and that all of your children are associated with your logon. This is especially important for families who have a new kindergartner joining siblings at Pierce.   
Instructions for requesting access and logging into the directory are on the Pierce website.  If you have any questions, please contact Beth Ng or Jennifer Hunt at PierceFamilyDirectory@gmail.com.
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ARTBARN PERFORMS AT PIERCE
Last week, Artbarn's Out of the Box Productions performed their latest piece,
"Dear Failure: A Message To Mistakes," dealing with perfectionism, taking risks, fear of failure, and that pesky voice inside our heads that says, "I'm not good enough." The show was recently featured in a Boston Globe article, "Dear Failure puts life's mishaps on stage." This program was organized by the Pierce Arts Council and made possible by the PTO, whose goal is to bring a variety of age-appropriate, high-quality arts performances to the school to complement learning in the classroom. 
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PROBLEM OF THE WEEK 
 
POW #4: UNICEF: HOW MUCH MONEY DID PIERCE COLLECT IN 2014? 
Due Fri., 10/30
In 2014, Pierce students collected change for UNICEF on Halloween. When the boxes were emptied by 1W students and the money was sorted there were:
*8,683 pennies
*1,650 nickels
*2,672 dimes
*1,661 quarters
*5 half dollars
*654 dollars
What is the total amount of money Pierce collected? Look for POW #4 on the board this Thursday and visit the POW page on the Pierce website.

SOLUTION TO PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #3: WHAT'S THE SUM?
The sum is 99.
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MATHLETES PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #4: HOW MANY RECTANGLES DO YOU SEE?
Due Fri., 10/30
The first figure above contains one rectangle (remember that a square is a rectangle!). The second figure above contains three rectangles (each of the two squares and then a rectangle containing both squares). How many rectangles are in the third figure above?
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 #3: SHARING THE WEALTH
Anna had $39, Bill had $21, and Clare had $12 to begin with. 
Check the Mathletes Bulletin Board next to the first floor library entrance to see student solutions to last week's problem.
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COMMUNITY CORNER
 
Cheer on BHS Girls' Swimming and Diving teams... Participate in a girls' lacrosse clinic ... Take part in a "real food" scavenger hunt... Celebrate Brookline's Sister City, Quezalguaque... Read all about these and other fun activities in Community Corner. 

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SPECIALISTS' CORNER
 
Click on over to Specialists' Corner for the latest on your K-5 songbirds from Pierce School music teachers Ms. Manion and Ms. Murphy.   

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

PIANO LESSONS: GLORIA JASINSKI 
Bachelor of Music in Composition from Berklee College of Music, Master of Music in Jazz Studies from New England Conservatory. 30+ years teaching experience. Learn Jazz/Blues/Classical, theory, sightreading. Build a high quality musical foundation with a patient, upbeat, and caring instructor. Beginners especially welcome. Have a positive and successful learning experience. 

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phone: (617) 730-2580