04.27.2016
PTO CORNER  
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org
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BOOK FAIR: THANK YOU TO OUR AMAZING TEAM
This year's Book Fair was literally awesome. Congratulations to Shoma Dhar and Joan Mahon for this successful event. The countless volunteer hours they gave to this event created an opportunity for our community to support Pierce, meet others, and encourage a love of books. It was wonderful to see and hear our children's excitement as they came in to browse the selection and purchase their books. Thank you to Shoma, Joan and the many volunteers who made it possible. 
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PTO COFFEE WITH SCHOOL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
Fri., 4/29, 8am @ Pierce Cafeteria
Susan Wolf Ditkoff, School Committee Chairman will join us  for our PTO Coffee and an open forum on the status of our district.
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CHINESE CULTURAL NIGHT
Tues., 5/3 5:30-7:30pm @ Pierce Auditorium and Cafeteria
We invite everyone to come out for Chinese Cultural Night. We'll do many fun Chinese cultural activities including calligraphy, Peking Opera face painting, blue & white porcelain plate painting, kicking the Chinese shuttlecock, authentic Chinese food samples and so much more!
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DONATIONS AND VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR 'TREASURE OUR TEACHERS'
Have a summer home available to donate a stay? Extra gift cards you can't use? Tickets to sporting events? A business that could make a donation? We would love any and all donations to the silent auction for the May 14th Treasure our Teachers event, to help us reach our fundraising goal. To make a donation, please email pierce.pto@gmail.com. 

Also, please consider helping out on the day of the event. There are lots (and lots) of ways to help! Sign up for a shift or two at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c49a5a92aab9-pierce.
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CELEBRATING DR. PIPIER SMITH-MUMFORD
Wed., 5/25 7pm @ Pierce Auditorium
Please join the Pierce community, past and present, to celebrate Dr. Smith-Mumford's wonderful career at the Pierce School. Drinks, light fare and lots of memories. Adults only. Contact charlie@bostonsoftware.com to help with the event. 
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MAKE YOURSELF SEEN OR HEARD AT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS
As contract negotiations between Brookline teachers and the town drag on, having parents present at upcoming School Committee meetings -- to speak, or just to listen -- might spur some progress. Please consider 
signing up for one or more upcoming meetings, to let both SC and teachers know Brookline parents support a resolution. We owe it to our kids! Contact stand4pierceeducators@gmail.com if you'd like background/talking points. 
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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. Each time you shop at Amazon, remember to go to the Pierce homepage first, and click on the icon below: 

 
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SCHOOL CORNER   
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org
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SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
Thurs., 4/28, 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.

The Brookline School Committee, through its Subcommittee on Policy Review, regularly reviews and, when necessary, revises or creates written policies governing the Public Schools of Brookline.  In an effort to improve public feedback on policy revisions, the proposed draft of any policy under review is posted on the Public Schools website when it is approved for a First Reading by the full School Committee.

The Brookline School Committee currently has one policy under review and welcomes your feedback: 
1) Physical Restraint Policy.  
2) Earned Sick Time Policy for Less than Half-time, Temporary, and Certified Seasonal Workers.

Additional information and a copy of the proposed policy can be found on the School Website.
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VISITING ARTIST AT PIERCE: KARIM NAGI
Wed., 5/4 
Next month, Egyptian-American Karim Nagi will join Pierce upper elementary and middle schoolers on an engaging, high-energy journey to learn about Arab and Muslim culture through a variety of traditional instruments, folk music, and traditional dance. Karim uses authentic costumes, maps, Arabic words, lots of audience participation, and humor as he enlightens his audience about a captivating world beyond the headlines. Karim is a master percussionist and dancer who likes to have fun with his audience! Students will clap unique rhythms, dance, and celebrate as they learn about these amazing and ancient cultural traditions. A former faculty member of the New England Conservatory of Music, Karim now performs nationwide to great acclaim with the SHARQ Arabic Music Ensemble.

This event is brought to you by the Pierce Arts Council and the donations of parents and community members to the Pierce PTO.
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SAVE THE DATE: 8TH GRADE BASH!! 
Sat, May 14th 7:30pm-10:30pm. $3.00 entry per person. Brookline Teen Center. 
This party has been planned by a group of 8th graders and BHS students and is for all 8th graders who live in and/or attend school in Brookline.
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FIND THE GOLDEN SHOES
Sunday, 5/1 - Tuesday, 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 6/10 at the Pierce Family Picnic. Golden Shoes is sponsored by Pierce Walks, encouraging children to be active, Brookline Public Health Department, and Pierce PTO. To learn more visit: www.pierceschoolbrookline.org/golden-shoes.html. Grand prize: A walking-shopping spree through Brookline and PUMA footwear signed by Usain Bolt. 
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SUPPORT THE PIERCE 2016 WALK FOR HUNGER TEAM
Over 30 members of the Pierce community will walk in Project Bread's 48th annual Walk for Hunger, and they've already raised $7,757 toward the $20,000 goal to help Massachusetts' food-insecure households. Do your part to support the team at http://support.projectbread.org/site/TR?team_id=77643&pg=team&fr_id=1310&et=48xpWNqEqiWiEwFBBkb_6A.
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READ ALL ABOUT IT IN THE PENGUIN POST!
The Penguin Post, the 5th and 6th grade newspaper, is hot off the presses! You can view a PDF here. 

The newspaper is an entirely volunteer-run program. Students participate during their lunch/recess time over several months and write the articles on their own time. For this issue, the students raised all the funds to print the newspaper through a bake sale. The Penguin Post needs parent volunteers for 2016/2017 to manage and edit the student writing team. Meetings are held weekly during lunch/recess. For more information, please contact the current newspaper editors: Mara Littman, maralittman@yahoo.com or Milly Arbaje-Thomas, milagrosarbaje@yahoo.com.
SUMMER SCHOOL FOR RISING 6TH-9TH GRADERS
6/29 - 8/5 9-11am and 11am-1pm @ Brookline High School
BHS Summer School offers many review and enrichment courses that are available to rising 6th-9th graders, as well as credit-earning electives for rising 9th graders! Courses are offered to all Brookline students and non-residents. Take a class with a friend from another school, including:
  • BHS Transition: One Up, a week-long intensive program to help students to gain a better understanding of the culture of Brookline High School and smooth the transition from 8th grade to freshman year.
  • Enrichment/Review classes:  Reading, Writing, Math, and Science, Geometry Honors Preview
  • ELL classes: Beginner and Intermediate
  • Elective Classes: World Cuisine, Digital Arts/Computer Design, Photography, Drawing, Art Studio, World of Money, Spanish Independent Study, and Life-Time Activities.
  • Original Credit Courses:  Physics, Chemistry, Biology, US History, Spanish
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. 
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MEET "SURVIVOR" CONTESTANT JULIA SOKOLOWSKI
Sat., 4/30, 3-5pm @ Brookline Teen Center
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THE CHILDREN'S CENTER SPRINGFEST
Sat., 4/30 3-5:30pm @ First Parish Unitarian Church, 382 Walnut St.
The Children's Center preschool invites the community to its annual Springfest, featuring music from Wayne Potash, balloon animals, face painting, games, silent auction, bake sale, sno cones, and more! Tickets and more information are available at https://tinyurl.com/tccspringfest and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/249131832100849/

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VOLUNTEER CORNER
Want to get involved? Here is a sampling of the ways that you can help the Pierce community. 
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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. 

The remaining Pierce unit is Intellectual Disabilities, which will take place sometime in June (training Mon., 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.
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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.
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CLASSIFIEDS
Want to see your ad here? Send an email to piercebridge@gmail.com.
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CELEBRATE CREATIVE WRITING WITH A UNIQUE MIDDLE SCHOOL WORKSHOP AT THE BROOKLINE TEEN CENTER
Does your child love writing and storytelling? Here's an exciting opportunity to enhance his creativity, and give her more opportunities to write! Critically acclaimed author, workshop facilitator and Brookline parent Shari Becker will lead this four-week creative writing intensive beginning Wednesday, May 11. Click here for more information about the teacher, the class and registration.
SMART KID LOOKING FOR A CHALLENGE?
Lumos Debate offers a 2 week summer camp where your child will learn public speaking, critical thinking, and leadership skills. Gr 6-10. This month, we're offering a $300 discount for Pierce families, just use the promo code "BRIDGE" (code expires on May 30). Register at  lumosdebate.com or call 617-901-4564 for more info.

ATTENTION TUTORING
ATTENTION TUTORING: is a non pharmacological approach for students with ADHD/ADD, attention and executive function difficulties. This program trains the brain -1- through neurofeedback computerized attention training, -2- executive function/organization skills training, and -3- relaxation breathing. Lessons are delivered at home by Attention Tutoring certified tutors. For more information please email info@attentiontutoring.com, call 857-364-7103, or visit 

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phone: (617) 730-2580