Tuesday: New Family Coffee
We hope that all new families will be able to join us at our annual New Family Coffee, from 8 - 9 AM in Driscoll's Amy Neale Library.  It is a great chance to meet other people who have just joined the Driscoll community and learn about some of the great programming that makes Driscoll special.   This is open to families from all grades (and we'd love to see some returning families there too!).

How can you help the Driscoll PTO?
Every parent and caregiver, along with every teacher, is automatically part of the Driscoll PTO; it is up to you to decide how active a member you will be.  The PTO is your voice and venue to be involved and heard, but without parent support we cannot continue to offer the level of programming that all of our families have come to depend on.  There are numerous ways to get involved with the PTO: on a one time basis at one of the various parent-run events held throughout the year, or on a more regular basis through one of the event committees or Executive Board.  Our goal is to have every family volunteer at least one time a year.

We are currently looking for help with the following open positions:

DASA Coordinator (2 Open Positions): DASA (Driscoll After School Activities) offers a variety of after school classes for all Driscoll students.  This program is one of the major fundraising programs for the PTO, and requires parent volunteers to keep it running.  We need two parents to take over this program immediately: we are looking for one who can handle more of the back-end work, lining up instructors and handling online student registration; and one to be more of a presence at school to assist with the transitions, especially the first week of each of the three sessions.

We are offering an incentive for parents volunteering for this position: both of the DASA Coordinators will receive free DASA enrollment for their children (base level classes only).  If we do not find volunteers for the open DASA positions, we may not be able to continue to offer DASA programming.

Early Release Movies Coordinator (2 Open Positions): The PTO offers movies on Early Release Days (four times in the Fall and four times in the Spring).  This both allows parents the convenience of picking up their children at the normal pickup time, and raises money for the PTO.  We are looking for people who can be responsible for the movies, from purchasing snack and supplies beforehand, to working with the Volunteer Coordinator to line up parent volunteers to staff the movies.  (It is important that any volunteers are able to be at school for all of the early release days).

We are offering an incentive for parents volunteering for this position: both of the Early Release Movie Coordinators will receive free movie enrollment for their children.  If we do not find volunteers for the Early Release movies, we may not be able to continue to offer them.

Spring Fair Committee Chairs (2 Open Positions):  The Spring Fair is one of our most popular events, and is held every May.  We are looking for two parents, preferably with younger children, to join our Spring Fair committee to replace parents whose children have moved onto high school.  They will be working with the existing committee chairs to help organize and carry out the Spring Fair, from dealing with food and ride vendors, recruiting parent volunteers, and more.  (It is important that any volunteers can be at school for the entire day of the Spring Fair to assist with setup).

What’s Growing On?
Many thanks to all of our summer volunteer families for sustaining our crops! We have an inviting jumble of vigorous plants, including those our students planted and others that planted themselves. Anything useful for teaching, snacking and wildlife has been allowed to grow, and fruit and seed. The variety of things hidden among the sunflowers includes: lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, dill, parsley, coriander, lemon balm, Stevia, husk cherries, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, bee balm, sedum, & marigold.

The husk cherries (a relative of tomatoes and tomatillos) are sweetest when the husk is completely dry and the fruit has become more orange than green - look for them on the ground after they have fallen. “What’s eating the sunflowers?” As the seeds ripen, birds, chipmunks and squirrels are eager to enjoy them, sometimes removing whole chunks of the seed heads, and inadvertently snapping branches. Take a look and have a taste, before we make way for fall crops.

Please attend our first meeting of the school year Wednesday 9/18 at 8:00am (likely in the cafeteria). There are always opportunities for those willing to help on the garden committee or to take on specific tasks. Please help us to create an awesome outdoor experiential learning environment for the whole school. Contact us to get involved: driscollschoolgarden@gmail.com

Brookline Child Assault Prevention (CAP) Program Seeking Volunteers for 2019-2020 School Year
Do you have two -three mornings a month free during the school year?  Are you looking for a meaningful and fun way to make a difference in children’s lives? If so, then join our dynamic team of trained CAP volunteers who are committed to using guided discussions and role plays to teach elementary age children in the Brookline Schools that they have the right to be Safe, Strong and Free with their friends and peers, when they meet adult strangers, and with those who are trusted to take care of them. We are now accepting applications for the 2019-2020 school year. The next training begins on October 20^th.  For more information or an application, please visit our website at http://familyaccess.org/family-support/child-assault-prevention/ or contact Gail Sommer, Director, at 617-969-5906, ext. 143 or gsommer@familyaccess.org

Volunteer with Brookline Thrives
Brookline Thrives is growing and needs your help. Brookline Thrives is a free weekend food program serving students and families in the Public Schools of Brookline.There are many volunteer opportunities, most needing only 1.5 hours or less of your time. Help is needed packing bags, delivering bags to schools and serving as a program liaison in schools. Learn more and sign up to help at www.brooklinefoodpantry.org/brookline-thrives.html.

Book Release:  
Maxim D. Shrayer, father of Mira (8th grade) and Tatiana (6th grade), is happy to share that his new book of fiction, "A Russian Immigrant: Three Novellas," has just been released. Maxim will be doing a number of book events in the area and would love to see you. The details are found here: http://shrayer.com/events.html