Copy

Weekly PTO Bulletin 


Have news or events to share? Email us at driscollbulletin@gmail.com by Thursday at 5pm to submit. 


Important This Week:

METCO March for Equity
METCO Needs Your Voice oTuesday, March 15, 2016, METCO supporters will come together on Beacon Hill for METCO’s March for Equity (Lobby Day).  This only requires a morning commitment and a full day of participation is not needed.
In the words of Dr. Jean McGuire, "Plan on being educated while having a good time. This is democracy in action. For all involved, there is new learning each year and this is the time of the year where hundreds of supporters are telling their METCO story."
All METCO Lobby Day Participants are encouraged to make an appointment to speak with their legislators on or before March 15th about the value of the METCO Program. To find out who represents you or to get contact information go to: www.WheredoIvoteMA.com and type in your home address. Rally Begins at 9:00am in the Nurse’s Hall and the Grand Staircase, Massachusetts State House, 2nd Floor. 10:45am – Legislator Visits begin.

  

Driscoll Events

PTO Board Meeting, Tuesday, March 15 at 7pm in the Cafeteria. This is a business meeting of the full PTO Board. Interested parents are welcome to attend. The Board will work through an agenda that includes updates from committee chairs. 
FORUM WITH DR. JOE CONNELLY INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT: Thursday, April 7, at 8:00 am in the Driscoll Cafeteria. Topics include: FY17 Budget, 9th School,  Lawrence / Pierce Principal Searches, Enrollments, and Superintendent Search. All parents are encouraged to attend. 
BROOKLINE TALKS SPEAKER SERIES Executive Function 101: Strategies and tools for teaching children how to develop independent executive function skills.  An evening with Sarah Ward, Co-Director at Cognitive Connections. Tuesday, March 29th  7:00-8:30 pm in the Heath School Auditorium. Sponsored by Brookline K-8 PTOs (including Driscoll PTO), the Brookline Education Foundation & the Brookline Community Mental Health Center.
SAVE THE DATE  -- Friday, April 1st: 8TH Grade Babysitting and Fundraising Evening at Driscoll. 6 pm – 8:30 pm. Fun activities, movies, games and pizza for Pre-K to 5th Graders!!  $20.00/Child  - All funds will be used for 8th grade graduation  
For information and to RSVP, please contact Faye Hark (frhark@msn.com)
 
 
Driscoll News

CONGRATULATIONS to all of the students who participated in another successful Driscoll Science Fair this past Saturday morning. Now in our 6th year, we had roughly 20% of Driscoll students participate. As usually, the staff and faculty were well represented - many thanks to Dr Woods, Mr Youkilis, Ms Sullivan, Mr Chen and Mr Hazlinski for coming to support the budding scientists. Also a special recognition to Shahin Lockwood for her efforts in recruiting another blue-ribbon panel of volunteer judges. 

We look forward to supporting those middle school students who continue on representing Driscoll and Brookline at the Regionals Fair on April 23 and possibly the State Fair on June 4th.

As a final note - while it is easy to get caught up in the awards and external recognition, I know we are all proud of the great curiosity and creative energy exhibited by all the students as they learn about and practice the power of the scientific process.

On behalf of everyone who volunteered to help make it happen,

Perry Stoll & Susan Han 

Please join us in supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student Series campaign today through 3/28/16. Your support will help fund the therapies and treatments that help save the lives of blood cancer patients today. Nurse Dewing is sent penny boxes home with K-1st students. Grades 2nd - 8th will have larger boxes in their classrooms to collect change. Online donations can be made here: http://bit.ly/1QEfRvU

DEDP Fundraiser: Are you sick of your kids coming home with only one glove, a missing hat, or even one single snow boot? Tired of rummaging through the lost-and-found areas and trying to figure out whether this is your child's sweatshirt or coat?  We know how you feel!  Driscoll Extended Day Program is hosting a fundraiser with Label Daddy to get the labels you need for those sports items, lunch boxes, winter clothes and accessories. Not to mention with Summer coming, all of their clothes and items for camp.   Labels are dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer safe.  All you do is peel and stick. You can personalize these as you like. Just go to www.Driscoll.labeldaddy.com and use our promotion code DRISCOLL to save 10% on your order today.  This is a great way to support Driscoll Extended Day Program and get your kids belongings back.

 

Community News 

SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING on Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 6:00 PM in the James F. Walsh School Committee Room, 5th Floor, Town Hall.

Create artwork and crafts using discarded books. The top nine entries in the age range categories kids, teens, and adults will be voted on by the community during National Library Week, April 11-16. Winners will be on display in the library for the month of May 2016. If you need a book, the Friends of the Brookline Library have generously provided gently used books on a special cart near the Awesome Box at the Main Library.  Check out the details and download an entry form at brooklinelibrary.org.

Youth Climate Adaptation Challenge, Saturday, April 2, 11 AM -2 PM, Pierce School, 50 School St.  Brookline students with a passion for science invited to create and present new ideas that address current climate change challenges.  Participants with the most innovative ideas will receive a certificate. crystaljohnsonises@gmail.com


Walk a Mile in her Shoes, Sunday, April 3, 1PM - 3PM, begins at Garden of Remembrance, 11 Pierce Street.  Men and boys of all ages are encouraged to don a pair of red high heels and walk 1 mile to show their commitment to end gender-based violence. Women, families, and the entire Brookline community are welcome to join in the walk and support the walkers.  Registration:  inhershoesbrookline.weebly.com


Girls’ Night Out! for Brookline women.  Monday evening, April 4, 7PM – 9PM.   Come unplug and unwind. Talented Brookline women (including some current/former K-8  parents) Elaine Shannon and her tap dancing partner, Rose Giovanetti; Dr. Susan Linn, faculty at Harvard Medical School and an award-winning  ventriloquist;  local writer and co-author of Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas, Michelle Ephraim;  Brookline Police Officer and storyteller, Casey Hatchett;  Jenna Lea Scott, musical theatre performer and Brookline Music School teacher; and Natalie Miller, staff at the Department of Public Health and a professionally trained opera singer, will perform.  7PM - 9PM Puppet Showplace Theater, 32 Station St., Brookline.  RSVP:   lkarsten@brooklinema.gov.


Critter Proofing Your Home, Wednesday, April 6, 6PM, Denny Room, 11 Pierce St.  Pat Maloney, Assistant Director of Public Health, will discuss steps to keep bats, raccoons and other critters out of your home and your yard.  617-730-2300.


Wildcrafting: Foraging for Edible and Medicinal Plants, Thursday, April 7, 3:30PM-4:30PM, Brookline Main Library, Hunneman Hall. Join herbalist Danielle Laberge as she discusses the benefits of wildcrafting, with a focus on nutritious food plants and medicinal weeds to be made into teas, tinctures and salves for personal health.


Teens and Opiates, Thursday, April 7, 7PM-9PM, Lincoln School Auditorium, 19 Kennard Rd. Learn more about the opioid crisis currently affecting Massachusetts. Dr. Ruth Potee, addiction specialist, Valley Medical Group in Greenfield, MA, is featured speaker. All events are free and open to the public.  For further information:  617-730-2336,  Lkarsten@brooklinema.gov.


 

PTO Spotlight:

PTO Spotlight with former PTO Co-Treasurer, and current Room Parent Meg Brackley. 
(with photos on driscollpto.org)

Q: Tell us about your family.

A: My family is my husband, Kunal, daughter, Ellora (2-G), and my son Devan (K-Shea).  I grew up in Hingham and still have lots of family there and in RI.

Q: Tell us how you've been involved at Driscoll.

A: I spent two years as a Co-Treasurer with David Souza. I am room parent for KShea and 2-G and this year I was a co-chair on the Book Fair with Amy Grayson and Grace Johnston.  

Q: What's your favorite PTO program?

A: I really enjoy a lot of the great programs- this year I had so much fun working with Amy G, Grace J and Amy Neale on the Book Fair.  It is a great way to help the library and meet some of the children, parents and teachers in the Driscoll community.

Q: Tell us about your hobbies. OR Tell us about your favorite restaurant. 

A: Favorite restaurant- so many choices, just went to a great pop-up restaurant in Brookline village that was a lot of fun.


Classifieds: 

Brookline SmartSummers: Brookline SmartSummers 2016 is a summer enrichment program for children ages 5 through 13. Open to Brookline residents and non-residents, we offer a wide variety of educational programs that meet from one to eight weeks. In addition to having lots of fun, children will enjoy indoor and outdoor activities and learn new skills. Programs include: science, computers, arts, puppetry, theater, and more.  http://www.brooklineadulted.org/smartprograms/Here is a link to the SmartSummers website: http://www.brooklineadulted.org/smartsummers/SmartSummers2015.shtml


JOB OPENING AT BROOKLINE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: The BCF is looking for a Development and Communications Manager to join it’s seven person staff.  This is a full-time position that comes with the opportunity to work with a well-recognized Executive Director at an organization that makes Brookline a better place to live. http://www.annaaspharadvisors.com/#!job-listings/asov


Lincoln School PTO is looking for a Brookline parent expert who can speak on topics of cyber-bullying and prevention, online safety and privacy and sexting. It’s for a Friday morning presentation either onApril 1 or May 6th. Please contact lincolnPTOleaders@lincolnschoolpto.org.
16th Annual Brookline Warriors Baseball Camp: For boys and girls ages 6 – 15. June 20 -24 and June 27 -  July 1st at Warren Field. Contact Joe Campagna for more information –617-293-5621



Upcoming Events

MARCH
15


Driscoll Site Council Meeting
7:00 am

MARCH
15


7:00 pm in the Cafeteria

March
18


8:15 am in the Theater

MARCH
25


No school!



Important Links

Support the Driscoll PTO







 









Principal's Corner
(read this on the website here)

 

“It is in fact a part of the function of education to help us escape, not from our own time — for we are bound by that — but from the intellectual and emotional limitations of our time.
”T.S. Eliot

 

The Science Fair was a huge success and our budding scientists were impressive!  We had 81 projects and the students did amazing research on their science projects.  We will be selecting a group of middle projects that will move on to compete in the 2016 Region V Middle School Science & Engineering Fair on April 23rd.  We want to thank parents and teachers for supporting students in their work through the scientific method and inquiry process.  A special thanks to Perry Stoll, Karyn Wang, Susan Han, and Aimee and John Tallarico, who helped bring this important event to us.  

 

Congratulations to our Driscoll Dragons Math team who in the 3rd meet were the overall champions.  We are proud of the extraordinary effort that our students demonstrated. Thank you to Coach Snehal Bhatt, volunteers, and parents, for all of your support, and thank you to our amazing math teachers for their dedication to our students. 

 

Congratulations to Ms. Manion and our girls 7th and 8th grade basketball team for making it to the semi final playoffs this week.  They played a great game but lost to a very strong Runkle team.  They had a very strong season and we are very proud of their effort.

 

We will engage in exciting learning events at Driscoll this week.  On March 15, 2016 Grades 5 and 7 will engage in Urban Improv.  "Urban Improv is an interactive program for young people that uses improvisational theater workshops to teach violence prevention, conflict resolution, and decision-making. The program's innovative curriculum helps students deal creatively with major issues in their lives.  It is truly a rehearsal for life."- (Urban Website) Our Kindergarteners will be going to the New England Aquarium on March 17, 2016.  Finally, we look forward to Grades 3,4,5 Community meeting on Friday, March 18, 2016.

 

The Driscoll culture is built through the countless interactions of staff, parents and children that occur each day.   The norm of high expectation is important to foster a positive climate and I believe that teachers, parents and the principal working collaboratively can achieve this norm.

 

We need your help!   Kindergarten children should not be left unattended during drop-off time in the morning.  For the safety of all our children in the hallway, please stay with your child until the K doors open.  If you are unable to stay with your child, please ask another parent/adult to supervise your child while waiting for school to start.

 

If you are in the morning drop off line, please remember to pull forward in the circle drop off.  This is a chronic problem of people pulling in one car length to drop your child right at the door, and leaving the car unattended has caused major traffic backed up to Beacon Street.  Please understand that this is causing students to be late and additional stress for other drivers.   If you need to support your child by coming into the building, we ask you to arrive early, park and then walk your child in to the building.  Thank you for pulling forward in the drop off as this will result in allowing cars to continue passing down Westbourne and help us with this traffic issue.   

 

Have a great week and please know that we value your ideas and wisdom!  

Regards,
Eileen and David

















Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp