Gorman Fort Banks PTO 

presents

Family Movie Night

Friday, December 12th, 2014

Gorman Fort Banks School gym

Doors will open at 6:00 pm

Movie will start promptly at 6:30 pm

$4 per person includes popcorn and water

All children must be accompanied by an adult

Pre-registration is required for each person in your party

Registration ends December 5th

No outside food or drinks will be permitted

Please email fortbankspto@gmail.com with questions or if you would like to help

Great News!

The Meadow Farms fundraising items will be delivered to the school on Tuesday, December 2nd.  You may pick up your orders on Wednesday, December 3rd, between 5 and 7 pm in the school gym.

Gorman Fort Banks PTO

Meeting Agenda for November 12, 2014

● Welcome

• Introduction of Board
• Co Presidents Kristen Buonopane and Christa Shea
• Co Vice Presidents Mariana Babine and Jennifer Gorman
• Co Secretaries Lauren Capasso and Crystal DeMayo
• Co Treasurers Reena Cash and Gillian Teixeira
• According to our PTO Handbook: If any member of the PTO would like to have an item addedto the agenda, they can submit a written request to the secretary at least seven (7) days before a meeting.

● Principal’s Report (Mrs. Pearson)

● Treasurer Report (Gillian Teixeira)

•  Summary Report of Disbursements and Balance

● Volunteer Update (Mariana Babine)

• Loop (Sarah Pettee/Reena Cash)
• School Volunteer help please contact Mariana at mbabine@winthrop.k12.ma.us

● Room Parent Update (Kristen Buonopane)

• Teacher Gifts

● Meadow Farms Fundraiser (Christa Shea)

• Update on salea
•  Delivery

● Affiliate programs (Doreen Araujo)

• Box Tops
• Labels for Education
• Target
• Stop & Shop A+ Rewards

● Event review

• Spooky Bingo (Gillian Teixeira)
• Paint Nite (Christa Shea)

● Upcoming Events (Kristen Buonopane)

• Movie Night
• Someone Special Dance (Doreen Araujo)
• Math Nite­ vote on budget

● Recess

• vote for budget for recess toys
• vote for $100 budget for baby wipes

● Playground
● Fundraising
● Open Forum

Get your PaintNite tickets!!

GFB PTO Meeting Minutes

October 8, 2014

* Email the PTO 7 days prior if you want something added to the agenda.

• Principal’s Report (Mrs. Grimes)

• We need loop volunteers and substitutes. 
• We also need to address the benches because we need room in the shed for winter equipment.
• There is no room for another mural. In addition, the kids haven’t received their certificates or art work.
• Halloween will be addressed to the faculty. It’s a half day and there have been no firm decisions on costumes, etc.

• Treasurer’s Report (Gillian Teixeira)

• No new updates. We prepaid $1089.50 for t-shirtss
• $8580.76 in general funds 
• We sold $1054 worth of shirts and still have some new orders coming in. We should break even.

• Volunteer Update

• Loop ( Sarah Pettee): Reena will take over. We need volunteers from approximately 7:30-8:00. Please spread the word! Email or sign up sheet.
• School volunteers (Mariana Babine): If a teacher is being pulled out for a meeting we need volunteers – contact Mariana to sign up and she will post a meeting schedule. Sometimes she can post teacher’s names if you choose to volunteer for your child’s classroom.

• Room Parents (Kristen Buonopane)

• 2 classes have not had volunteers. All selected room parents have received an email and paper notification. If you are a room parent, please contact your teacher ASAP about Halloween. If you weren’t picked you can still volunteer in the classroom.

• Walk to school day (Gillian Teixeira)

• We need someone to take over the event (2x a year). There are 3 schools participating so it’s growing. Email GFB PTO if you’re interested in coordinating.

• Affiliate Programs (Christa Shea)

• Box Tops - Doreen Araujo will take over box tops and will meet with Tatiana. 
• Target - take your checkbook to customer service and you can get a Target debit card and still receive 5% off. Go online and you can select your school.

• Meadow Farms Fundraiser (Christa Shea)

• Gillian received her order in less than a week. The company will send itemized lists for each child for the raffle. The asterisk means it’s the automatic prize sent if a gift isn’t chosen. If you purchase online you can have items shipped to your home or to the student. Emails are sent to student/parent that shows item purchased and the amount spent.

• In-school Enrichment Activities (Kristen Buonopane)

• We will have 5 this year (3 in the fall and 2 in the spring). 
• All programs have been booked except for February. Math night is Feb so we are considering a math month with a math enrichment. Mad About Math costs $1625 which exceeds the $1500 limit so we need to vote. APPROVED!

• Upcoming Events

• Spooky Bingo (Gillian Teixeira) The flyer went out. We only have 200 tickets for both adults and children. We are sending an email confirmation to those who register. No tickets will be sold at the door. We sell out fast so send them back ASAP. If a child is over age 1, count them as a child.
• Adult Paint Night (Christa Shea) This year registration is online only. We will receive $20 from each ticket. We are looking for donations for paint night and spooky bingo. Email Christa for paint and Gillian for bingo. 
• We are looking into a letter for tax purposes.

• Email Communication (Gillian Teixeira)

• We are working on email communication including a link to enter child info and email to be added to the volunteer list or general list so that event info can go out. The confirmation may go to another folder (spam or promotions). Check our blog and like us on Facebook.

• Summer Reading (Christa Shea)

• The ice cream coupons are going out next week. 200 kids participated. We got 2 $20 gift certificates for bingo and paint night. This is Christa’s last year so someone needs to take over.

• School Dance (Doreen Araujo)

• Doreen will research and have a committee. Looking at DJ, light food, pizza and water? Can our gym support this? Would it be allowed here? We are thinking after the holidays (January)? Doreen will bring some info to the next meeting.

• Playground Update (Kristen Buonopane)

• 4 benches were made for the playground but after delivery we saw some safety issues. Kids can climb over or beneath them and get trapped. Donate them!

• School Book Fair (Dawn Hurley)

• This was the largest selling event to date. Scholastic received $6443.28. We will repeat in March and June (BOGO). 60% profit margin. Also, the library is opening and we need volunteers Monday through Friday. A notice will go out next week.

• Mural (Kristen Buonpane)

• Certificates for the mural were not the responsibility of the PTO. Cara Huberman was responsible and will be contacted.

• Open Forum

Sign up for Shoparoo. It’s easy to do! PTO may send out a flyer that bullets everything (Amazon orders, etc).

Don't miss PaintNite!

Get your tickets now!

http://paintnite.com/pages/events/view/boston/847110

Add caption

Spooky BINGO is now

SOLD OUT!

If space becomes available, we will post this information on our Facebook page and Blog.

Thank You!

REMINDER!

Meadow Farms Fundraising packets/order forms are due back on Wednesday, October 15th.  You can return them in your child's backpack (or order online).  All money raised will help support Gorman Fort Banks School!  We appreciate your efforts to help!

Gorman Fort Banks PTO 

Meeting Agenda for October 8, 2014 

• Welcome
• Introduction of Board
• Co Presidents Kristen Buonopane and Christa Shea 
• Co Vice Presidents Mariana Babine and Jennifer Gorman 
• Co Secretaries Lauren Capasso and Crystal DeMayo 
• Co Treasurers Reena Cash and Gillian Teixeira 
• According to our PTO Handbook: If any member of the PTO would like to have an item added to the agenda, they can submit a written request to the secretary at least seven (7) days before a meeting.

• Principal’s Report (Mrs. Pearson) 
• Treasurer Report (Gillian Teixeira) 
•  Summary Report of Disbursements and Balance 
• Volunteer Update (Mariana Babine) 
• Loop (Sarah Pettee) 
• School Volunteer help please contact Mariana at mbabine@winthrop.k12.ma.us 
• Walk to school day (Dawn Sullivan) 
• Meadow Farms Fundraiser (Christa Shea) update and clarifications 
• Affiliate programs (Crystal DeMayo) 
• Box Tops 
• Labels for Education 
• Target 
• Stop & Shop A+ Rewards 
• In-school Enrichment Activities (Kristen Buonopane and Jennifer Gorman) 
• March enrichment 
• Upcoming Events (Gillian Teixeira and Christa Shea) 
• Spooky Bingo October 26 (200 people max) 
• Adult only Paint Nite November 7 (100 people max for painting) 
• looking for Prize and Raffle donation for Spooky Bingo and Raffle items for Paint Nite 
• Email communication (Gillian Texeira) 
• Summer reading (Christa Shea) 
• approximately 200 students participated 
• special thanks to Twist and Shake for the Free cone for each child that participated 
• Someone Special Dance 
•  when and where 
• need a committee to research it more 
• Playground Update (Kristen Buonopane) 
• Open Forum

Meeting Minutes

September 23, 2014

• Principal’s Report (Mrs. Pearson)

• Staff scheduling is currently being worked on. 
• The traffic situation and wrap-around program are going well. 
• One of the main problem areas is security volunteers (loop and substitutes).
• Curriculum night had a disappointing turnout.
• GFB is going paper-free so submit email addresses and check the school web page.

• Treasurer’s Report (Gillian Teixeira)

• We closed out last year on a positive note ($19k)
• $7900 for technology grant 
• The guidelines for the classroom grants have changed and moved back to Feb.
• General fund is currently at $7200 and $5-6k will be spent on enrichment.

• Room parent (Jennifer Gorman)

• The drawing will be held after the meeting – please consider volunteering even if you are unable to be a room parent.
• 
  

• Volunteer Update

• Loop ( Sarah Pettee): Loop assistance is needed, even if someone can help for 20 minutes after dropping off their kindergartener. Please pass on the word!
• School volunteers (Gillian Teixeira): We need volunteers for several events. 

• Walk to school day (Dawn Sullivan) Wednesday, October 8

• The Safe Routes to School Program encourages people to walk to school to increase physical activity and decrease traffic. People can walk in groups or meet at lots (Crest Ave, Veteran’s Rd, George St). This year, we are leaving it up to parents to coordinate. Info is on the school website and Facebook. The bus will run on its regular schedule.

• Meadow Farms Fundraiser (Lauren Capasso)

• We are starting the fundraiser on Oct 1 and running it for 2 weeks. We are looking at a 40-50% profit margin. We are selling tumblers and a variety of gift/holiday items from another catalog. Online ordering is available. The items will be boxed by child by the company. We were working on a location to store them but the gym or basement may be available now.

• Updates (Gillian Teixeira)

• Kindergarten social: Aug 17. We gave out freeze pops and waters. It cost PTO under $141. We made $91.
• Kindergarten Tea: Sept 8. We got some Stop & Shop cards. It cost PTO under $100.
• Ice Cream Social: We had over 300 registrants and collected over $1000. We are normally billed over $600 but it was only $450 this year due to volunteer scoopers. We raised $550 and hope to do another at the end of the school year.
• T-shirt Sales: We are working on the forms now and will place the order on Monday. We are doing short sleeve only at this time and may do sweatshirts or long sleeve for the fall/winter.

• Affiliate Programs (Gillian Teixeira)

• We are collecting box tops and labels for education. Send them into school at any time. Sign up for S&S cards so your food shopping goes towards the school.

• In-school Enrichment Activities (Jennifer Gorman)

• We will have 5 this year (3 in the fall and 2 in the spring). 
• October: Domino the Great, Buddies not Bullies
• November: Museum of Science, Observing Air & Flight  and States of Matter (3rd Grade)
• December: New England Aquarium Rock Hopper Penguins

• Upcoming Events (Gillian Teixeira)

• Spooky Bingo Sunday, October 26. Doors open at 2pm. All events will be pre-registered. There is a max capacity of 200 people. We are trying an email confirmation this time around. Let us know if you don’t get a flyer for any event. We need volunteers to set up, break down, do raffles, etc.
• Adult only paint night is Friday, November 7 at Winthrop Yacht Club. There is a 100 person limit. We are looking for adult raffle prizes.

•  Poster Enlargement Printer (Christa Shea)

The printer will make 24x36 posters to enrich learning. Current cost is $6694 and

this price is only effective until 9/30/14. There is additional $2000 for a 5 year

contract. Viking Pride will donate $2000. There is 1 training included and Mrs.

Pearson will designate someone to use the machine. Voted and approved.


• Open Forum

“Someone Special Dance” – add this to the October agenda

Gorman Fort Banks PTO

Meeting Agenda for September 23rd, 2014

• Welcome
• Introduction of Board
• Co Presidents Kristen Buonopane and Christa Shea
• Co Vice Presidents Mariana Babine and Jennifer Gorman
• Co Secretaries Lauren Capasso and Crystal DeMayo
• Co Treasurers Reena Cash and Gillian Teixeira
• According to our PTO Handbook: If any member of the PTO would like to have an item added to the agenda, they can submit a written request to the secretary at least seven (7) days before a meeting.
• Principal’s Report (Mrs. Pearson)
• Treasurer Report (Gillian Teixeira)  
• Summary Report of Disbursements and Balance
• Room parent drawing will take place directly following today’s meeting (Kristen Buonopane/Jennifer Gorman)
• Whether you are or are not a room parent, you can still volunteer in your child’s classroom or in the school
• Room Parents will be notified via email on Wednesday
• Volunteer Update (Mariana Babine)
• Loop (Sarah Pettee)
• School Volunteer  help please contact Mariana at  mbabine@winthrop.k12.ma.us
• Walk to school day (Dawn Sullivan)
• Meadow Farms Fundraiser  (Lauren Capasso)
• Starting October 1 and running until October 15
• 40%-50% profit margin
• Running with the gift collection and tumblers at the same time
• Online ordering option available to help expand our contacts
• All items will be boxed by child and the company sorts them by homeroom for us
• We are still working on a location on delivery as we can not use anywhere at the Fort Banks
• The company will provide us a tablet to raffle off
• Updates (Gillian Teixeira)
• Kindergarten Social
• Kindergarten tea
• Ice Cream Social
• T-Shirt Sales
• Affiliate programs (Crystal DeMayo)
• Box Tops
• Labels for Education
• Target
• Stop & Shop A+ Rewards  
• In-school Enrichment Activities (Kristen Buonopane/Jennifer Gorman)
• Upcoming Events (Gillian Teixeira)
• Spooky Bingo October 26
• Adult only Paint Nite November 7
• Poster Enlargement Printer (Christa Shea)
• Total cost of the printer is $6,694
• Includes: Printer, Printer stand and media bin, Scanning system, Computer with poster design software, Educational templates, 2 sets of ink cartridges, 2 rolls of coated paper, 5 rolls of standard paper, one year next day on site service, $500 supply credit.
• For an additional $2,400 we could purchase 4 years of additional coverage.  This would start after the 1 year coverage with HP.  During that first year they would still give us the discounts on supplies that is issued to people with a warranty service.
• The total with the warranty would be $9,094.  However Viking Pride is willing to give us a $2,000 donation towards the purchase of the printer.  Therefore it would be costing us $7,094.  
• This printer has many benefits and it is something Mrs. Pearson has asked us to look into.  I met with Mrs. Pearson over the summer and we did a conference call with the company.  Each roll of paper will cover 50 posters.  I don’t foresee the school going through those rather quickly as they will be given enough to cover the first 350 posters.  The $500 credit will help he purchase additional ink as needed.  
• In June we mentioned using the money left over from the teacher grant fund and the money raised at the paint nite.  I am hoping we are still willing to do this.  Our students would truly benefit from this tool and I would hate to let Mrs. Pearson down as she asked about this a year ago.
• The prices provided are only valid if ordered by September 30 so we have to act on this and take a vote now.
• Open Forum

Remember!

Our Ice Cream Social and Book Fair is next Friday, 

September 19th, from 6-8 pm, at the Gorman Fort Banks School. Don't miss out.....return your registration forms by Tuesday, September 16th!

We are also collecting t-shirt orders; order forms are due back by September 22nd.

A big thank you to the many families who have filled out PTO membership envelopes and sent in PTO donations this week. Your donations go a long way in helping the PTO provide enrichment programs to all Gorman Fort Banks students throughout the year, as well as helping fund classroom supplies and other school/student needs.  We appreciate your support.

Thank You!

Remember!

Our Ice Cream Social and Book Fair is next Friday, 

September 19th, from 6-8 pm, at the Gorman Fort Banks School. Don't miss out.....return your registration forms by Tuesday, September 16th!

We are also collecting t-shirt orders; order forms are due back by September 22nd.

A big thank you to the many families who have filled out PTO membership envelopes and sent in PTO donations this week. Your donations go a long way in helping the PTO provide enrichment programs to all Gorman Fort Banks students throughout the year, as well as helping fund classroom supplies and other school/student needs.  We appreciate your support.

Thank You!

Preschool and Kindergarten Tea

Preschool and Kindergarten families, please join us for a Preschool and Kindergarten Tea immediately after drop off on Monday, September 8th, until 9:15 am, in the school cafeteria.  This will be a great way to meet new families and learn information about our school!  Hope to see you there!

2014 - 2015 GORMAN FORT BANKS PTO BOARD

 Presidents   Christa Shea & Kristen Buonopane

 Vice Presidents   Mariana Babine  & Jennifer Gorman

Secretaries      Lauren Capasso & Crystal DeMayo

Treasurers     Gillian Teixeira & Reena Cash

 fortbankspto@gmail.com            

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The Gorman Fort Banks PTO would like to welcome you to our school!  For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the PTO, we are a volunteer organization dedicated to the successful education of our children.  The Gorman Fort Banks PTO works hard to help ensure that the school year is enjoyable and exciting for students, parents and teachers.  

The purpose of our organization is to provide support for the educational and recreational needs of our students, facilitate communication between administration, teachers and parents and to promote school spirit and pride.  Our fundraising efforts help fund enrichment programs, classroom activities, technology and equipment and many other needs.  We also organize numerous fun-filled family events and educational programs throughout the year.

We encourage you to become a member of the PTO and are excited to meet parents and guardians that would like to get involved this year.  With your donation of $5.00 per family, you can have a hand in enhancing your child’s learning experience.  100% of these donations supports the needs of our children.  Simply fill out the attached envelope (your child will bring it home during the week of September 8th), enclose your donation and return to school with your child.

We welcome your participation in our organization.  There are numerous volunteer opportunities available; volunteers make our programs and events a success!  Your involvement helps build a strong home-school connection and is a key component of a successful school year.  All volunteers are required to have a CORI on file; CORI forms are available at the school and must be updated yearly. Additionally, attending our meetings is a wonderful opportunity to stay informed and learn what is happening in our school.  Our meetings are held monthly, at which time we discuss events, plan fundraisers and share ideas and concerns.  Up to date information can always be found on our Blog, Facebook page or by contacting us through email.

We look forward to working with you and making this a great school year!

Gorman Fort Banks PTO

Please join us at our first meeting on Tuesday, September 23rd at 6:30 pm in the school cafeteria! All meetings will be held at 6:30 pm this year. Meeting Dates are listed below:

September 23, 2014

October 8, 2014

November 12, 2014

December 10, 2014

January 14, 2015

February 11, 2015

March 11, 2015

April 8, 2015

May 13, 2015

June 10, 2015

The William P. Gorman Fort Banks PTO invites you to our

Kindergarten Social !

Meet your fellow classmates and their parents. Ask veteran PTO parents 

burning questions. Meet after school programs representatives and other 

valuable local children's resources.

WHERE: Gorman Fort Banks Elementary School Playground

WHEN:  Sunday, August 17th, 2014  from 2-4 pm

FOR ALL INCOMING KINDERGARTENERS AND THEIR FAMILIES!

Gorman Fort Banks PTO

Meeting Agenda for June 11, 2014 at 6:30 pm

• Welcome

• Introduction of the Executive Board

• Christa Shea & Alicyn Thompson Co-Presidents
• Kristen Buonopane & Linda Straccia, Vice Presidents
• Gillian Texeira & Dawn Sullivan, Treasurers
• Michelle Holmes & Mariana Babine, Secretaries

• Principal’s Report (Mrs. Pearson)

• Treasurer’s Report (Gillian Texeira/Dawn Sullivan)

• General Business

• Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities (Mariana Babine) 
• Summer Reading Update (Christ Shea)
• Math Night Feedback (Kristen Buonopane)
• The Loop (Sara Pettee)
• End of the year Gifts (Kristen Buonopane and Linda Straccia)
• New PTO Handbook (Gillian Texeira)
• Box Top and Stop and Shop Allocation (Linda Straccia)
• Teacher Grant Update (Gillian Texeira and Alicyn Thompson)

• PTO Events Update (Alicyn Thompson)

• Kindergarten Social is August 17th
• Field Day (Linda Straccia)
• Ice Cream Social (Alicyn Thompson)

• School Playground (Dawn Manning)

• Elections

• Running for Candidacy
• Co Vice President:  Jennifer Gorman
• Co Treasurer:  Reena Cash
• Co Secretary:  Lauren Capasso and Crystal DeMayo

• Open Forum

For more information or volunteer opportunities, please contact us at fortbankspto@gmail.com

Visit our blog! fortbankspto@blogspot.com Like Us on Facebook: fortbankspto

Gorman Fort Banks PTO

Calendar Raffle Fundraiser

Help your Classroom &Win an iPad Mini!*

Dear Gorman Fort Banks Families:

This year the PTO is giving you a reason to look forward to May. For our second year, we are running a Calendar Raffle as a fundraiser for the Classroom Grant Fund for our school, and the month of May could be your lucky month!

31 Chances to Win and $2000 in Cash Prizes!

For only $10 per calendar, you can be entered to win daily cash prizes ranging from $25 up to $250 throughout the month of May. All winners are put back into the raffle drum for the next day's drawing, so you can win multiple times with one calendar. The more calendars you buy, the better your chances to win.

Entering the Raffle is Easy!

Simply buy or sell each calendar for $10, fill out the bottom portion completely and return it with your payment in a sealed envelope (cash or check payable to the GFB PTO) by April 30th. All entries received with payment will be included in the Calendar Raffle drawings.Mrs. Pearson will draw the winners during morning announcements. Winners will be contacted daily, and will also be posted weekly on the GFB PTO website (www.fortbankspto.blogspot.com) and Facebook page. Prizes will be sent directly to each winner at the address provided on each winning ticket.

We hope you will find this to be a fun and exciting fundraiser to be involved in. Please remember that all proceeds raised will directly support the Classroom Grant Fund which will help our teachers purchase special materials to enrich your child’s educational experience. If you are unable to sell any of the provided calendars, please return them to the school in your child’s backpack.

Paint Nite - Friday, April 4

We are so excited to be having our first Adult Only event of the year and hope you will be able to join us for a fun night of painting and mixing among other Winthrop parents and friends.  You have likely received your flyer in your child's backpack, but I have attached one for you to share with your friends and family.  We are limited in the amount of painters we can accommodate so please don't wait on purchasing your desired paint session tickets, however, if painting is not your thing and you'd rather just mingle, we can help you at the door.

The proceeds from this event will be going to a Technology Grant to be used for the purchase of any new technology that will help increase our kids' academic achievement or teacher productivity.  Over the years, research has proven the benefits of technology in education and the question is no longer IF technology enhances learning, but how do we fund it?  

Here are a few ways you can help:

1)  Buy a ticket!  Invite your friends to join you.

2)  Donate a raffle prize. Do you own a business or can you provide a service?

3)  Contribute to our Snack Table.  Fruit, Cheese, Crackers, Popcorn, etc.

If you would like more information about the event or how you can help, please don't hesitate to contact us at fortbankspto@gmail.com.

Thank you, as always, for your time and efforts!

Sincerely, 

Alicyn Thompson

Co-President

Literacy Night 2014

Gorman Fort Banks PTO

Meeting Agenda for January 8, 2014 8:30am

• Welcome

• Introduction of the Board

• Christa Shea & Alicyn Thompson Co-Presidents
• Kristen Buonopane & Linda Straccia, Vice Presidents
• Gillian Texeira & Dawn Sullivan, Treasurers
• Michelle Holmes & Mariana Babine, Secretaries

• Principal’s Report (Mrs. Pearson)

• Treasurer’s Report (Dawn Sullivan)

• General Business

• Stop&Shop Principal’s Challenge (Tatiana Mendieta)
• Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities (Mariana Babine) 
• T-Shirt Pre-sale starts tomorrow 1/9
• BookFlix Renewal in April - $949 Check it Out! Vote next meeting
• User Name: gormanfb Password: bookflix

• PTO Events Update

• Upcoming Family Events Discussion (Alicyn Thompson)
• Family Skate Party  
• Need skating volunteers!
• Admission charge? - VOTE
• Paint Nite (Adults Only) 
• Committee Needed
• April dates available
• Technology grant fund? VOTE
• Literacy Night
• Lucky Bob pre-show? VOTE
• Budget $250 - VOTE
• Gorman Giving (Alyssa Sacco)
• Food Drive dates

• In School Enrichment Activities (Cara Huberman)

• December Enrichment Follow-up – Winter Puppet Show
• January Enrichment – 1/15 Keith Richards: The Bubble Guy

Blizzard Bags – A chance to recoup lost school time?

As we are all enjoying Day 2 of no school this week, has the thought crossed your mind about what would happen if go beyond our allotted number of snow days? Last year, it extended into the last week of June.

A possible solution could be “Blizzard Bags.” These are packets of grade-specific activities that must be completed and submitted to teachers upon resumption of school. They are meant to encourage learning and incorporate learning opportunities outside of the classroom. These bags are not a replacement to snow days, schools that use them intend them to forestall adding on school days after the allotted snow days have been exhausted. This is an example of one school's blizzard bag.

                                                     

Do you like this idea? A few Fort Banks and Cummings parents liked the idea too. Here is what needs to happen before we can do this:

·      Attend the Monday, January 6 School Committee meeting at 6pm and make your support known for a Blizzard Pack during the public comment period.

·      Ask the School Committee and Superintendent if Blizzard Packs would be acceptable to be used to fulfill Department of Education school year requirements if we’ve exhausted our allotted snow days.