12.09.2015
PTO CORNER  
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org
______________________________________

PTO ANNUAL APPEAL: WEEK SEVEN UPDATE 
Raised to date: $54,962/$65,000 goal (85%)
Participation: 249/608 families (41%) 
All of our children benefit from the work of the Pierce Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) every day in their classrooms and throughout the year. All Pierce parents are PTO members, and, once a year, during this Annual Appeal, we ask families to be as generous as they can.  

While 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. We're aiming for 100% family participation. 

Curious about where your money goes? Click here to see a simple breakdown from the PTO treasurer. 

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. 

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.

Tell us on Twitter and Facebook why you love Pierce and why you give. Tweet us at
@PierceSchoolPTO with hashtag #WeLovePierce. We will make you a star! Questions? Email us at pierce.pto@gmail.com.
______________________________________

NEW PIERCE PRINCIPAL SEARCH PROCESS
With the departure of Dr. Smith-Mumford at the end of the school year, the school system central administration is beginning the search for a new principal. The Interim Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Joe Connelly, is leading the process. The hope is to have a new principal selected by the end of March and that s/he will start in July 2016. 

There are multiple opportunities for the Pierce community to provide input about the leadership qualities we'd like to see in the new principal. The PTO and the School Council hope that you'll take time to participate in one or more of the following opportunities to have your voice heard. 

PARENT-TEACHER ONLINE SURVEY
Late December/early January
Watch your inbox for a notice about a survey to give your input about the leadership qualities needed in the next Pierce principal.

PARENT FOCUS GROUPS AT PIERCE
Week of 1/11 -- exact date to be determined
Participate in a focus group facilitated by the Superintendent's office to share your thoughts about the leadership qualities needed in the next Pierce principal. Watch your inbox to sign-up to participate.

PRINCIPAL SEARCH PROCESS UPDATE MEETING
Wed., 1/27 6pm @ Pierce Cafeteria
Learn about the themes that emerged from the surveys and focus groups from the whole community. Share your input with the parents participating on the search committee.

PUBLIC INTERVIEW FORUM
March-exact date and location to be determined
Come to the public interview forum for the final candidates.
______________________________________

DONATE YOUR USED BOOKS 
Now through April @ Pierce main entrance
Every spring, Pierce holds a used book fair. The Pierce community donates gently used books for kids and adults throughout the year, which go on sale for a modest price to raise funds for the PTO. We look forward to continuing the tradition this coming April. Look for an announcement for a volunteer meeting after the start of the new year. 
In the meantime, we will start collecting books for all ages starting the week after Thanksgiving. Please remember to bring your books to the gray donation bin in the front hallway (outside of the main office), starting in December.
______________________________________

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 to "Go to School website homepage" EACH TIME you shop online at Amazon! To shop, look for this icon below:

 
______________________________________
SCHOOL CORNER   
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org 

'WEST SIDE STORY': DON'T MISS THIS FABULOUS GRADE 7/8 PERFORMANCE
Show dates/times
Thurs., 12/10 6:30pm
Fri., 12/11 6:30pm
Sat., 12/12 1pm
Sat., 12/12 6:30pm

Ticket sale times: 
Thurs., 12/10 7:45-8:15am and 2:20-2:40pm. 
Fri., 12/11 as supplies last, 7:45-8:15am and 1:30-1:50pm. 

Tickets will also be on sale 45 minute prior to the shows on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. $7 each--cash or checks only (made payable to Pierce Play).
______________________________________

LOST AND FOUND: LAST CHANCE TO CLAIM YOUR KIDS' STUFF! 
All items in the Lost and Found, located outside the Pierce Gym, must be claimed by Thurs., 12/17 at 3pm. After that date, all unclaimed items will be donated to a local charity. The Pierce Lost and Found is organized and managed by PSED.
______________________________________

TWO WAYS TO SUPPORT THE PIERCE LIBRARY
Donate a book from Ms. Kretschmar's Amazon Wish List
There are two ways you can help support the wonderful Pierce Library and our great librarian, Amanda Krestschmar. Ms. Kretschmar uses money from the Town and the Pierce PTO to keep the shelves stocked with lots of great books. She does not have money to buy all the books she knows the kids will love, so she has created an Amazon "wish list" of books she would like to purchase. Click here to see the wish list and order as many books as you like. The books will be shipped to the school and available to students right away. 

Donate an hour of your time
Can you spare one hour of your time per week? With so many students taking out so many books, we need parents to help with reshelving! After a short orientation to the library, you will be on your way to helping keep the shelves stocked and neat.  Volunteer hours are between 8-9am, and an hour before school ends all they way up until 8pm! Please contact Carol Jennings at carol.jennings@gmx.com if you can help, or click here to sign up. 
______________________________________

SEEKING PARENT VOLUNTEERS TO SUPERVISE K-4 RECESS AND LUNCH
Be an additional supportive adult in the playground to foster a safe, inclusive, and fun recess for our students. Walk around, play games and music, hula hoop, jump rope, throw a frisbee and generally help us supervise the kids. Commitment is a small as one 20-minute session per month. Sign up here. Volunteers need to meet with a staff member for guidelines before their first session, and should register for a different time than their own children's recess. Questions? Please email the Recess Revamp Team.
______________________________________

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 middle school students. Students practice each week by solving challenging problems together, sharing their solutions, and learning new strategies. A regional competition takes place in February. The top teams and individuals continue on to state and 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. 
______________________________________

PROBLEM OF THE WEEK 
 
PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #7: SUMS ON A CLOCK
Due Thurs., 12/17
Antonia likes calculating the sum of the digits that she sees on her digital clock. For example, if the time were 11:47, the sum would be equal to 13 (1+1+4+7). What is the largest sum she can get on a 12-hour digital clock?
Look for POW#7 on the board this Thursday and visit the POW page on the Pierce website.
___________________________________

MATHLETES PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #7: THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT?
Due Thurs., 12/17
Michelle has a Number App on her phone. It follows two rules:
1. If an inserted number has exactly one digit, double the number.
2. If an inserted number has exactly two digits, compute the sum of the digits.
The first number Michelle inserts is 1. Then every answer she gets is inserted back into the machine until one hundred fifty numbers have been inserted. What is the one hundred fiftieth number to be inserted?

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 #6: MORE CHEESE PLEASE!
There were 28 slices in each loaf of bread.

Check the Mathletes Bulletin Board next to the first floor entrance to the library to see student solutions to last week's problem.
___________________________________
SPECIALISTS CORNER

Click on over to Specialists' Corner for the latest from the physical education teachers about your little athletes! 
_____________________________________
COMMUNITY CORNER

CARRY THE FUTURE: BROOKLINE BABY CARRIER DRIVE
Pierce donation box located in main lobby
Carry the Future is a global effort to collect and distribute baby carriers to refugee families fleeing war in Syria and Iraq. On the ground, CTF volunteers meet families at port in Athens, and outfit mothers/fathers with donated baby carriers so that parents don't have to carry their babies in arms. Each carrier makes a tremendous difference, rendering the family's difficult journey a little easier. This campaign has gone viral in November, with more than 6,000 moms collecting carriers in their communities. For additional information on the Brookline effort, visit

Donated carriers will be shipped to the charity on Saturday, January 2. To make a donation, look for the Carry the Future Donations drop-off bins near the main office and cafeteria. Alternately, you can donate to CTF in other ways:
  1. Send a carrier by mail: Carry the Future, 121 W. Lexington Dr. Suite L 106D, Glendale, CA 91203
  2. Purchase a carrier from CTF's Amazon Wishlist.
  3. Donate funds directly at CTF's Indigogo page.
Thank you for your support!
___________________________________

SUPPORT PIERCE PARENT'S RUN FOR BEF!
Our very own Pierce parent Chris Hope has been selected to run for Team Brookline for the 2016 Boston Marathon. Chris will be running on behalf of the Brookline Education Foundation and hopes to raise a whopping $10,000 for this important charity. Please help support him and give generously to help achieve this big target and motivate Chris through the long winter months of training and every step of the 26.2 miles to the finish line! Donate today at https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-hope-1/TeamBrookline2016. 
___________________________________

Occasionally, Community Corner features a selection of community news and events in the weekly PTO newsletter. For a full listing, click on over to Community Corner. 
_____________________________________
CLASSIFIEDS
Want to see your ad here? Send an email to piercebridge@gmail.com.

JAVASCRIPT CLASS 
This introduction to JavaScript class, for 7th and 8th graders, will meet on eight Mondays, 3:30 - 5:00 pm, beginning January 25, at the Brookline Teen Center. Topics covered include: variables, data types, loops, conditionals and functions. Students will also learn the basics of HTML as needed to support their JavaScript programming. Previous programming experience is not necessary. To register please visit the JrCode website www.jrcode.com, select the Registration drop down menu and click on Brookline - then click Register. For more information, please contact Sharon at sharonjason@jrcode.com.

HELPING KIDS COMMUNICATE! IN-HOME SPEECH LANGUAGE THERAPY
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. Effective strategies yield success and progress for youngsters with speech-language disorders (including articulation/phonological disorders, apraxia, language-learning disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders). 
Contact information: Phone: 617-733-1995; email: mhschram@comcast.net

Quick Links...
Join Our Mailing List
Contact Information

phone: (617) 730-2580