05.18.2016
PTO CORNER  
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org
_____________________________________

PUBLIC MEETING ON THE 9TH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Wed., 5/18, 7pm @ Pierce School Auditorium
All parents, guardians, and community members are invited to attend a public meeting about the site selection process for a new K-8 elementary school. The presentation will cover the current timeline for site selection and construction of a 9th K-8 elementary school, an update on the site studies that will be conducted on three sites, and an update on the Village School site that is under consideration. There will also be time for questions and answers. 
_____________________________________

PTO COFFEE
Fri., 5/20 8am @ Pierce cafeteria
Join the PTO leaders and other members of the Pierce community for coffee and conversation.
____________________________________

A FEW LAST THANK YOUS...
In our rush to send out a thank you email for everyone that helped out on the spring fundraiser, we forgot to mention Dan Saltzman for his AV/Tech support, and Jean Sandler for her lead on organizing the volunteers!
____________________________________

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. 
_____________________________________

DAVID WEINSTEIN RETIREMENT PARTY
Fri., 6/10, 1:50-2:30pm @ Pierce Auditorium 
Come celebrate (mourn?) the retirement of First Grade teacher extraordinaire, David Weinstein, a.k.a. BMT.
_____________________________________

PLAN AN END-OF-YEAR GATHERING!
Is your child's class having an end-of-year gathering? It should! Getting together for one last hurrah in a neighborhood park is a great way to strengthen community and celebrate a wonderful year. The PTO is happy to reimburse minor expenses such as reserving picnic tables or buying popsicles. Contact your child's teacher and/or room parents to plan an end-of-year gathering today!
_____________________________________

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
_____________________________________
SUPPORT OUR 8TH GRADERS' FUNDRAISING EFFORTS  
Pierce School class of 2016 is raising money for its graduation party, and holding several fundraisers. Be generous and send these terrific kids off in style!

BAKE SALES
Fri., 5/20 and Fri., 5/27 @ 1:45pm
Morning drop-off
Send your child to school with a little bit of cash in their pockets to buy up the 8th graders' yummy baked goods. Parents, be on the lookout for scones at morning drop-off.

BABYSITTING DURING DR. SMITH-MUMFORD'S PARTY
Wed., 5/25
Are you coming to Dr. Smith-Mumford's celebration, but don't have a babysitter yet? Worry not, 8th graders will happily watch your child at Pierce during the party for $10 per kid (additional donations welcome!). Activities and adult supervision provided. Please contact Robbyn Issner at issner@comcast.net if you are interested.

PIERCE 2016 SWEATPANTS
Celebrate the class of 2016 with your own PIERCE 2016 sweatpants, for $25 each. Please contact Robbyn at issner@comcast.net to place your order.
_____________________________________

SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
Thurs., 5/19, 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.
_____________________________________

BE A SCHOOL COUNCIL PARENT REPRESENTATIVE
Deadline Fri., 5/20
Would you like to participate more directly in Pierce's improvement efforts? Run for a seat on the Pierce School Council! Comprising parents, teachers, community members and the Principal, the School Council helps identify students' educational needs and school goals. The Council: 
*  makes recommendations to the principal about curriculum development, implementation, and assessment;
*  helps review school budget priorities; and
*  helps formulate an annual school improvement plan to boost student performance and meet designated goals.
School Council meets once monthly during the school year, and requires a couple of hours per month of preparation. Representatives serve a two-year term. Three parent seats are vacant for the upcoming term. To run, please contact the PTO at pierce.pto@gmail.com, and provide your name, email address, the grade(s) of your child(ren) at Pierce, and a brief statement about your background and your interest in serving on School Council that will be used on the ballot. For more information about School Council, including a list of current members who can be reached for questions, go to http://www.pierceschoolbrookline.org/school-council.html. Questions? Please contact School Council Co-Chair, Naomi Sweitzer at justicedoit@yahoo.com.
_____________________________________

FIND THE GOLDEN SHOES
Sun., 5/1 - Tues., 5/31
Celebrate our walkable neighborhood! 100 golden shoes have been hidden throughout the neighborhood surrounding  Pierce -- on sidewalks, in parks, or around local businesses. Each shoe is specially marked with a certificate with instructions on how to enter the grand prize drawing, to be held 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. 
_____________________________________

SAVE THE DATE: PIERCE PICNIC
Thurs., 6/9, 5:30pm @ Pierce Park 
It's that time of year again -- PIERCE PICNIC TIME! Bring a blanket and some food while kids play and dance and celebrate another terrific year. Planning is underway and volunteers are needed. Email Nora O'Farrell noraofarrell3@gmail.com and Tamisha Atkins tamisha31@msn.com if you can help. Rain date Fri., 6/10.
______________________________________

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. 
_____________________________________

THE FUTURE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION IN BROOKLINE
Fri., 5/20 8:30-9:30am @ Town Hall, Walsh School Committee room
The Brookline Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC) invites you to attend our monthly meeting, with special guests Interim superintendent Dr. Connelly and Incoming superintendent Andrew Bott. Come hear about future plans for Special Education. Q&A will be included. No RSVP required.
________________________________________
BROOKLINE MUSIC SCHOOL FACULTY CONCERT
Sun. 5/22 7pm @ Bakalar Recital Hall, Brookline Music School
Brookline Music School presents its Faculty Concert "Translations" with the Marvento Duo. Join Elizabeth Chladil (piano) and guest Weronika Balewski (flute) for a free concert featuring Robert Schumann's Three Romances, the duo's transcription of Claude Debussy's Violin Sonata, Bohuslav Martinu's Sonata for Flute and Piano, and David Dzubay's "Footprints." Marvento Duo explores musical translations in the flute and piano repertoire: text to melody, movement to sound, violin to flute, birdsong to sonata. For more information, visit http://www.bmsmusic.org/event/faculty-recital-7/.
________________________________________
VOLUNTEER CORNER
Want to get involved? Here is a sampling of the ways that you can help the Pierce community. 
_____________________________________

EDIT THE PENGUIN POST
The Penguin Post, the 5th and 6th grade newspaper is an entirely volunteer-run program, and seeks parent volunteers for 2016/2017 to manage and edit the student writing team 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.
_____________________________________

FINAL UNDERSTANDING OUR DIFFERENCES UNIT
Fri., 6/10 8:15-10:30am @ Pierce
The last remaining unit of the Understanding Our Differences program is Intellectual Disabilities. Volunteers needed on 6/10, in addition to training Mon., 6/6 at 7pm. To volunteer, please visit https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gN6R6Ker7Vo-AyVyOypWeygcEFwtnvX2KsxlqR-dk1Q/edit#gid=0. 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.
_____________________________________

RETURNING PIERCE FAMILY LOOKING TO RENT
Returning Pierce family looking for a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath rental in the Pierce school district. We are looking to move in this summer before the start of the school year in September. Contact: Milly Villafane @ miltonst77@gmail.com or call 917.992.6451.
____________________________________
BOSTON PATIO PLAYHOUSE SUMMER OPERA & MUSICAL THEATER PROGRAMS
Boston Patio Playhouse announces summer programs in Coolidge Corner! Backyard Opera (Musical Theater & Opera Program) runs from July 5-15; Front Porch Players Musical Theater program runs from August 1-12. In both programs, students participate in acting, dance, voice, and backstage classes while working on a final performance in which everyone is a soloist! 
For more information or to register, visit www.bostonpatioplayhouse.com or contact Stephanie at stephanie@bostonpatioplayhouse.com.

THE HOUSE OF COLORS ART STUDIO/SCHOOL
The House of Colors Art Studio/School has an exciting summer program. 

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.

Quick Links...
Join Our Mailing List
Contact Information

phone: (617) 730-2580