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10.02.2013

TheBridge
WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

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PRINCIPAL'S CORNER
 

GREAT ATTENDANCE AT K-8 OPEN HOUSES

Thank you to all the Pierce parents and guardians who attended our Open Houses last week. We had a great turnout and received such positive feedback from families on the event. This is one of our most important opportunities to formally launch the school partnership with families. Your attendance and participation helped make the Open House a success. I want to also thank all Pierce teachers and staff for their great preparation and warm welcome to over 600 families.

Thank you again for your support and I look forward to seeing you throughout the school year!

 

Dr. Pipier Smith-Mumford

Principal

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PTO CORNER >PTO
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org   

  

PTO K-2 POTLUCK WELCOME BREAKFAST

Thursday, 10/10, 8am @ Cafeteria 

Join parents and PTO leaders as we greet the new school year with a potluck breakfast. Please bring something to share if you can. Coffee will be available. Contact pierce.pto@gmail.com with questions. See you there!

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JOIN US FOR HARVEST FEST:  A PARENT & TEACHER SOCIAL

Friday, 10/18, 7-10pm @ Pierce School
Book your sitters and join us for this free social event with a cash bar and light snacks. Come enjoy a night out and mingle with other Pierce parents and teachers. HarvestFest is sponsored by the PTO and Brookline Education Foundation. $10 raffle tickets will be available with excellent prizes! For more information please contact dkm2001@columbia.edu or jennifer.rothstein@comcast.net
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FOOD ON WHEELS TO HELP THOSE IN NEED

Donations accepted now through Friday, 10/18; Parade on Sunday, 10/20, 1pm

The PTO and The Brookline Food Pantry invite you to join us for Food on Wheels! Please donate non-perishable foods and supplies (canned goods, boxed goods such as oatmeal and pastas, toiletries, etc.) in the bins at the entrance to the Main and Historical Buildings. The need is great, all donations welcome!

 

On 10/20, please join Pierce families for a parade as we walk from our school to the Brookline Food Pantry (a few blocks away) to deliver our collective donation. Bring your whole family, plus wagons, backpacks, shopping carts, etc. There will be refreshments at the Pantry, and a group play date at Pierce park after that!

 

Questions?  Please contact Marissa Heller-Treistman (marissaheller@gmail.com), Toby Raybould (tobyraybould@gmail.com) or Jen Rothstein (Jennifer.rothstein@comcast.net).

 

About the Brookline Food Pantry

The Brookline Food Pantry is housed in St. Paul's church (at the corner of St. Paul and Aspinwall) and has been serving our community for years. From 2009 to 2012, there was an 85% increase in usage of the pantry. In 2012, the Pantry received 4,900 client visits.
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PIERCE SCHOOL DIRECTORY - PLEASE ADD/UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION 

Thank you to the families who have updated their information in the School Directory. Your time spent fine-tuning this valuable family resource is much appreciated! To date, 69% of students have information in the Directory. We'd like to see everyone entered into the Directory by Harvest Fest (10/18). For those who still haven't been able to complete this important task, here are instructions:

Go to: http://www.pierceschoolbrookline.org/. Click 'Family Directory.' Click again to open, or select the Instructions. 

RETURNING students/families: Enter your email to log-on. At the next screen, enter your password (or select 'Forgot password?'). Once logged in, please review, update, & edit your information. 

NEW students/families: Navigate to the directory from the PTO website, then enter your email and follow the prompts. The registration code for first time users is 'coolidge.' IMPORTANT: enter this registration code when prompted before your temporary password.  

Contact PierceFamilyDirectory@gmail.com with questions.  

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SCHOOL CORNER>SCHOOL
Stay connected! Visit pierceschoolbrookline.org 
  
 

MATH COUNTS STARTS TOMORROW!

Thursday, 10/3, 7:15-7:50am @ Math Center behind the pit

Math Counts practices will begin tomorrow, and will be held every Thursday. Rebecca Freedman is this year's coach. Contact her with questions at rebecca_freedman@brookline.k12.ma.us

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FUNDRAISER: ARTWISE FOR SCHOOLS

Artwork & parent permissions due Wednesday 10/9

This year, students in K, 2nd, 4th, 7th & 8th grades will participate in a wonderful fundraiser for Pierce School: Artwise for Schools. Students will create artwork for the project in their classrooms, which will then be sent for processing. The end result will be beautiful 4"x6" cards, with envelopes, that make ideal gifts, invitations, and thank you notes.

   

To include children's artwork, parents must submit permission online. Go to http://www.artwise.com/campaign-details?slug=john-pierce-school-fall-2013 or visit http://www.artwise.com/ and choose "Parents Sign up" button. Your participation is important - thank you!

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CAR-FREE SCHOOL DAY - WALK MORE, DRIVE LESS

Wednesday, 10/9, 7:30-8:30am

As part of International Walk To School Day, all entering school will have their hand stamped to call attention to "Car Free School Day," and to remind us about our community's partner program, Climate Action Brookline, whose goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Brookline. Several volunteers needed at school entrances from 7:30-8:10am to provide stamps and encourage students and families to walk more often. Please contact Blanka at belablanka@me.com.

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PIERCE SPORTS

Before & After School Sports Have Begun!

Open to students in grades 4-8. No fee to participate.

Before school: Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 7:15-7:55am.

After school: Thursdays, 2:30-3:30pm and Fridays, 1:50-2:45pm.

 

The 7/8 Volleyball Team Has Been Selected

Practices on Mondays from 2:30-3:30pm. Games on Wednesdays; please check schedule for location. 

 

Cross Country Meet

The Cross Country meet is Thursday, 10/17 (rain date Fri., 10/18). Open to anyone in grades 5-8 who wants to participate. This fun event will occur during the school day; parents & families are welcome and encouraged to watch. Sign up has begun in PE class. Packets with permission slips are available in the gym. There will be 6 practice sessions from 2:30-3:30pm after school to train for the meet. Practice dates will be posted in the gym and announced to all classes.

 

Contact Amanda Grindstaff for more information: 

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SMILE! IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR PICTURE DAY

Mark your calendar for School Picture Day, Wednesday, 10/16 

Volunteers needed! This is a fun, easy, (very) short-term volunteer opportunity. Volunteers help each class get ready for individual/group pictures, check order forms, and occasionally make faces behind the photographer to get kids to smile! Six volunteers needed per time slot (you can sign up for partial slot if necessary): 

 

- 8-10am

- 10am-12noon

- 12:45-2:30pm 

 

Please contact Molly Zuker at molly.zuker@comcast.net to volunteer.

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ROOM PARENTS STILL NEEDED

The following classrooms do not yet have room parents identified: KN, 1AB, 1H, 1Y, 2Y, 3BA, 5A, 5W, 6M, and 6S. If you are a room parent for one of these classrooms, please inform the PTO Volunteerism Chair, Hillary Janowski, at hillaryjanowski@gmail.com. If your child's class still needs room parents, please consider taking on this role. Visit: 

 

BOOK FAIR DONATIONS

Cleaning out your bookshelves? Think about donating to the Pierce Book Fair. In preparation for the spring Book Fair, we are accepting donations of gently-used books for all ages throughout the year. There is a blue donation bin in front of the main office. For large donations, contact Carin Aquiline, caquiline@mindspring.com.

We appreciate your generous donations that make our book fair such a success. However, we ask that you donate only books or audiobooks (please, no magazines, games, puzzles or videos/VHS).
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SPECIALISTS' CORNER >SPECIALIST
 
SPANISH

In kindergarten, we began the year by learning how to greet one another: hola, c�mo est�s? bien, mal, m�s o menos, adi�s, chao. We do the calendar every day, and we count from one up to the number of the day. We sing the weather song, and say sol, nubes, and fr�o.

 

In 1-3, we reviewed words, expressions and sentences that we remembered from last year. In grades 1&2, we have been adding to our Kindergarten foundation with words like cansado/a, triste, enfermo/a, buenas tardes. And in 2nd grade: hasta ma�ana, hasta luego, qu� tal?. We are also learning how to describe ourselves: pelo rubio, casta�o. Soy morena/o pelirroja/o, rubia/o. Tengo ojos verdes, azules, pardos, marrones. In third grade, we expand to soy alta/o, inteligente, bajo/a and include yo soy, yo tengo, yo vivo, mi maestra se llama. We are incorporating countries from Central & South America to realize that there are people of all races everywhere. We have been practicing how to introcuce ourselves in a polite way.

 

5th graders have been introduced to their cultural focus for this year: Spain! We are reviewing last year's vocabulary, and moving beyond numbers 1-100 to 500. Ask your student about a chico que necesita ir al ba�o. In 6th grade, we have something new this year: Real World Homework. RWH is assigned about once a week and students have a choice of various activities they can do outside of the classroom to practice their Spanish - for example, change their cell phone to Spanish, have a cultural exchange in their community, or send me a gmail in Spanish.  

Visit the Spanish page on the school website:

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PROBLEM OF THE WEEK >POW
 
POW #2: MOVING COINS
Due Tuesday, 10/8 

POW #2 is available on the school website at http://www.pierceschoolbrookline.org/problem-of-the-week.html. Contact the math specialists with questions: tara_washburn@brookline.k12.ma.us or rebecca_freedman@brookline.k12.ma.us.  

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COMMUNITY CORNER >COMMUNITYCORNER   
 
QUEST FOR WELLNESS, INCLUDING SCAVENGER HUNT FOR KIDS

Sunday, 10/6, 1-3:30pm @ Brookline Village

Join health & wellness practitioners as they open their doors! Come learn about various styles, modalities, and approaches to wellness available in the Village. There will be a scavenger hunt for kids, sales at Henry Bear's Park, Village Baby, and Abeille, and free drinks from Clover Food Lab for those who stop by a few studios. Maps will be available at Abeille and Clover, as well as other locations throughout the Village. For more information, visit www.villagewell.net. For a list of participating businesses, visit http://www.villagewell.net/quest-for-wellness/participants
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AN EVENING WITH DENNIS LEHANE

Monday 10/7, 7-8:30pm @ Brookline High School Auditorium, Admission: FREE

Dennis Lehane - award-winning author of Mystic River, Gone, Baby Gone, and Shutter Island, and Hollywood creative consultant for HBO's hit series Boardwalk Empire - is returning to Brookline for a special evening. Mr. Lehane is known as "the crime writer's crime writer," and as one of the "most accomplished American novelists of any genre." This event is sponsored by the Trustees of the Public Library of Brookline.
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CELEBRATE "POETRY BROOKLINE"

Free! Tuesday, 10/15, 7-8:20pm @ Brookline Main Library, Hunneman Hall

Hear Brookline students and adult writers honor Brookline's Special Places through poems and songs. Explore parks, ponds, neighborhoods, gardens, libraries, bookstores, culinary delights, seasons, sports, and history. Hosted by Brookline Poet Laureate Judith Steinbergh, creator of "Poetry Brookline." See the website: www.brooklinepoetlaureate.org.

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MATH, ENGLISH, IT/COMPUTER SCIENCE CLASSES

Top Banana Education Foundation offers after-school and weekend classes for students in grades K-9 (and preschool classes at the JCC). Classes include: Math, English, Handwriting and Information Technology/Computer Science. For more information, contact Ashley Zinchuk at azinchuk@topbananaeducation.org, or visit www.topbananaeducation.org.

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CELEBRITY SERIES TICKET OFFER
The Celebrity Series of Boston announces the Take Your Seat program for 2013-2014! Take Your Seat makes a wide range of artistic performances available to urban K-12 schools and community groups that might not otherwise be able to attend. Exciting performances by world-renowned artists include annual favorites Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and What Makes it Great? with Rob Kapilow, as well as the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Luciana Souza Trio, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and many more. Visit the school website to download the order form
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CLASSIFIEDS >CLASSIFIEDS     
Want to see your ad here? Send an email to piercebridge@gmail.com.

BROOKLINE SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY
Brookline Speech & Language Therapy is a private speech-language pathology practice that provides speech, language, and literacy services for children and adolescents. We are currently accepting new clients for evaluations and/or therapy. Please reference our website for further information, www.brooklinespeech.com, or contact us at zarah@brooklinespeech.com.

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CHUNGDAHM ReadWrite ENRICHMENT CLASSES  
Newton Grand Opening! Give your child an academic edge this fall with CHUNGDAHM ReadWrite's advanced reading and writing enrichment classes. Email or call for a free assessment of your child's critical reading, writing, and thinking levels to learn how our rigorous and engaging curriculum will provide your child with tools for scholastic excellence. Inquire about our discount for first-time students. info@BostonReadWrite.com or 617-960-8877. www.BostonReadWrite.com.  

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PIANO LESSONS - BEGINNER & INTERMEDIATE LEVELS 

Classical and Jazz. Contact Jacob Friedman at jacobmfriedman@gmail.com or 917-915-7682. 

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PANACHEBOX: KIDS STYLE IN A BOX 

Pierce mom and Brookline resident Bre Vader has recently launched a company designed to simplify the lives of busy parents! PanacheBox.com is a website which links you to beautiful, quality kids fashions from around the world. Available in boys and girls sizes 2-8, PanacheBox delivers them right to your doorstep in a stylish Box. A special coupon code is available for Pierce families, worth 20% off your first order. Just visit panachebox.com and use code "PIERCE" at checkout.  

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SABRE FENCING FOR BEGINNERS

MIT's Fencing Rm., DuPont Athletic Ctr. (Bldg. W32-124 - entrance via 120 Vassar St., Cambridge)

A 6-unit (60 min.) beginner course designed for kids ages 10-14 with no prior experience. Each session is $180 per student (equipment rental included). 

Session I: Six consecutive Saturdays, 2:30-3:30pm, starting Sat., 10/5

Session II: Six consecutive Sundays, 2:30-3:30pm, starting Sun., 10/6

To reserve your spot and for payment information, please contact Evan Prochniak (MIT Assistant Coach, Bronze Medalist 2010 Junior Team World Championships) at evanpro13@gmail.com or 603-897-5116.

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KIDS' YOGA SERIES

Check out Coolidge Corner Yoga's Kids After-School Yoga Series. Classes start at 3pm and 4pm and are broken down by age groups 4-6, 7-10, and 11-14 years old. The 4pm classes will have an adult yoga class at the same time in the second yoga room, so both kids and caregivers can reap the benefits of yoga! Sign up online: http://www.coolidgeyoga.com/pages/kids-yoga. Questions: call 617-699-1638. 
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PIANO LESSONS: GLORIA JASINSKI   

Bachelor of Music in Composition from Berklee College of Music, Master of Music in Jazz Studies from New England Conservatory. 30+ years teaching experience. Learn Jazz/Blues/Classical, theory, sightreading. Build a high quality musical foundation with a patient, upbeat, and caring instructor. Beginners especially welcome. Have a positive and successful learning experience. Phone: 617-566-9704, email: piano566@comcast.net 
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