02.24.2016
PTO CORNER  
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org

FIRST SPRING FUNDRAISER PLANNING MEETING
Fri., 2/26th, 8am @ cafeteria
Pierce's annual spring fundraiser will take place on Saturday May, 14th, and we need help planning both the fundraiser and the event. Please come to our first planning meeting to help make this event a success! Coffee provided! Questions? Please contact pierce.pto@gmail.com.
______________________________________

BOOGIE FEVER: PTO KID'S DANCE NIGHT 
Thurs., 2/25, 5:30-7:30pm
Come out and dance away the winter blahs! This dance night is meant to get kids moving in the middle of winter. We'll have a DJ playing fun music and engaging the kids in hula hoop battles and conga lines! Pizza will be available for the first ½ hour. Dance Night is for kids in grades 1-5 and is not a drop-off event. Interested in helping or have ideas to make it an amazing event? Please contact us at pierce.pto@gmail.com. 

Kid's Dance Night is also seeking parent volunteers to help out the night of the event. Sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c49a5a92aab9-ptokids 
______________________________________

WANTED: YOUR USED BOOKS
Now through April @ Pierce main entrance
Pierce's annual book fair is coming our way 4/11-4/14. Please consider donating your gently used books for kids and adults in the gray bin outside of the front office. Thanks so much for the book donations so far!
_____________________________________

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. Each time you shop at Amazon, remember to go to the Pierce homepage first, and click on the icon below: 

 
______________________________________
SCHOOL CORNER   
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org

SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
Thurs., 2/25, 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 participants. Please see the full meeting docket here. Contact Robin Coyne with questions at 617-730-2430 or robin_coyne@brookline.k12.ma.us.

For more information on Teacher Contract Sheet please visit: http://brookline.massteacher.org/2016/01/26/bulletin-from-the-beu-still-without-a-contract/
______________________________________

TALK: INTRODUCING INNOVATION AT BROOKLINE HIGH SCHOOL
Mon., 2/29 6:45-9:30pm @ the VineRipe Grill, 1281 West Roxbury Pkwy
Parents are invited to join BHS teacher Sam Dickerman to hear him talk about his special projects as the 21st Century Fund's first ever Innovation Fellow. He will then lead a workshop on how parents can use technology tools like Naviance and Canvas to help interface with the high school. $15 per person, registration required http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ec67w0l0dc2d9c8e&llr=ruorsuhab. For more information, visit www.bhs21stcenturyfund.org or contact Stacey Zelbow (stacey_zelbow@brookline.k12.ma.us). 
______________________________________

ANNUAL FIFTH GRADE SPELLING BEE
Sun., 3/13, 1pm @ BHS auditorium
What's more amazing than a talking dog? A spelling bee! Support the town's 5th grade students as they spell their way victory at the annual 5th Grade Spelling Bee, hosted by the Brookline Education Foundation. 
______________________________________

YOUTH CLIMATE ADAPTATION CHALLENGE 
Sat., 4/2, 11-2pm @ Pierce School Cafeteria
Tues., 3/1: registration deadline
In celebration of Brookline Climate Week March 28 - April 4, participate in this unique environmental science fair! Examine an environmental issue and present your solution! Think BIG! Be creative, practical or outrageous! Judging starts at 11:30 am. Certificates awarded 1:30 pm.
 
Guidelines:
* Address current climate change adaptation challenges.
* Present a new idea, concept, theory, experiment or drawing that addresses a topic such as energy, transportation, air, water, ocean, land, waste, biodiversity, food supply, eco-friendly fashion, or other environmental issue you are passionate about. 
* For beginners, intermediate and advanced science students.
* Spend less than $20 on materials.
* Grade categories: K/1st, 2nd/3rd , 4th/5th, 6th - 8th, and 9th - 12th.
 
Register as an individual, group (with friends), class or school. Registration is free and open until March 1, 2016. Limited space.
 
To register, email the following to CrystalJohnsonISES@gmail.com
* Youth name(s)
* Grade and school
* Brief description of the project idea
* Individual, group, class or school entry
Sponsored by the Town of Brookline Department of Public Health and Climate Action Brookline.
______________________________________

PROBLEM OF THE WEEK 
___________________________________
 
PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #11:
The Problem of the Week has been temporarily suspended.

SOLUTION TO PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #10: PAINTED FACES
20 of 36 faces

Look for upcoming POWs on the board on Thursdays and visit the POW page on the Pierce website.
___________________________________

MATHLETES PROBLEM OF THE WEEK:
The Mathletes Problem of the Week has been temporarily suspended.

SOLUTION TO MATHLETES PROBLEM OF THE WEEK #10: STAIR MASTER
There are 21 different ways Jo can go up the staircase.

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. 
__________________________________
COMMUNITY CORNER
Occasionally, the Bridge features a selection of community news and events in the weekly PTO newsletter. For a full listing, click on over to Community Corner. 
_____________________________________
TEEN WELLNESS WORKSHOP BY URBAN IMPROV
Sun., 2/28 2-4pm @ United Parish, 15 Marion St., Brookline
Did you know that 82% of Brookline High School students and 79% of Brookline 7th and 8th graders report overwhelming stress or anxiety? Are you a student in 7th grade or above, or parent of one, who wants to learn about stress in adolescents? Urban Improv will take on these topics in an engaging, interactive performance, followed by teen and adult breakout discussion groups. Registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/teen-well-ness-workshop-tickets-20811946091 
_____________________________________

SPECIAL EDUCATION PRESENTATION
Tues., 3/1 6:30-8:30pm @ Driscoll School Library
Brookline Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC) invites you to join a presentation by prominent Special Education Attorney Daniel T.S. Heffernan of Kotin, Crabtree & Strong, LLP. Mr. Heffernan will be discussing special ed law and strategies for effectively resolving disputes with the district. There will be time for questions. Light refreshments will be served. No fee. All parents and guardians welcome. Please visit http://www.brooklinesepac.org for more information.
_____________________________________

BROOKLINE YOUTH BASEBALL REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
Tryouts Sat., 3/8 and Sun., 3/13
Spring Baseball is here, and registration for all players grades K-8 is now open. Tryouts for players age 9 and up will take place on March 5 and 13. Tryouts are for placement only and all age eligible players who register before tryouts will be placed on a team. To register and for more information visit http://www.brooklineyouthbaseball.org. Play Ball!
_____________________________________
VOLUNTEER CORNER
Want to get involved? Here is a sampling of the ways that you can help the Pierce community. 
_____________________________________

UNDERSTANDING OUR DIFFERENCES (& SIMILARITIES): 
A CALL FOR PARENT VOLUNTEERS
Brookline schools have a long tradition of offering an annual parent-run disability & inclusion awareness program, using curriculum provided by Understanding Our Differences in Newton, MA. Every year at Pierce, 4th graders are introduced to four units using interactive materials, small group workshops, engaging guest speakers and organized group discussion. We do this in collaboration with the 4th grade teachers and with the essential support of parent volunteers, as well as our school and town administrators. 

Pierce 2016 UOD dates and units are:
Thurs., 3/17 -- Blindness and Low Vision (Training 3/15 @ 7pm)
Wed., 4/13 -- Physical Disabilities (Training 4/11th @ 7pm)
Thurs., June TBD -- Intellectual Disabilities (Training 6/6 @ 7pm)

We cannot continue this important program without more parent volunteers to help lead our workshops! Volunteers are needed for 8:00 - 10:30 AM. the day of each unit. We schedule a training meeting at 7pm one evening the week of each unit. (If you cannot make the training meeting, there is a brief on-line training video that you may use.)
To volunteer, please follow the link below to a Google document to sign-up:
If you have volunteered in the past or have knowledge of/experience with a disability, we would especially appreciate your help. Please e-mail or call Ann with any questions: annkamensky@gmail.com or (617) 835-9586.
______________________________________

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

Quick Links...
Join Our Mailing List
Contact Information

phone: (617) 730-2580