Literacy Night March 1st

If you would like to help and volunteer, please contact Christa Shea.

Meeting Agenda for Tonight

We are meeting tonight at 6:30 pm. Below is our anticipated agenda.

Gorman Fort Banks PTO

Meeting Agenda for February 13, 2013 6:30 PM

·      Welcome

·      Introduction of the Executive Board

·      Principal’s Report (Mrs. Grimes)

·      Treasurer’s Report (Dawn Sullivan)

·      PTO Events Update (Marcie Moline)

o   Family Skate Party – Jan. 13^th– Went well. Boston University donated skates for our use

o   Literacy Night (Christa Shea) - Need committee volunteers

§  Fliers were distributed today

§  We still need volunteers

§  Contact cdancets[insert ampersand symbol here]aol.com

·      Fundraising Efforts

o   Calendar fundraiser (Dawn Sullivan)

·      Volunteer Update (Mariana Babine)

o   Drop-off (Carolyn Gagnon)

o   Absence Hotline and Room Parents (Linda Straccia)

o   Library (Dawn Hurley)

o   Recess and lunch (Marci Campo)

·      Affiliate Programs

o   Send in those Box Tops! We have a spring collection deadline of 2/25.

o   Stop & Shop A+ Rewards

o   Target RedCard (see the blog)

o   Labels for Education

o   Recycle Rewards rrewards.com

·      In School Enrichment Activities (Linda Straccia and Marcie Moline)

o   February enrichment program – Kid Power an environment presentation

o   March Activity

·      PTO Meeting Attendance incentive will be awarded twice more

·      Open Forum

Executive Board Birth

Congratulations to our PTO Co-Vice President, Christa Shea. She delivered a healthy baby boy at 1:48 am today, February 11th. Our best wishes to go her and her family. And thank you for keeping the William P. Gorman Fort Banks Elementary family growing!

Problems at the Middle School

State finds indoor air problems at Winthrop Middle School bo.st/YNZRxK via @bostondotcom

— Winthrop/Boston.com (@WinthropInfo) February 11, 2013

Feeling Cooped Up? Snow Day Idea.

As we are all about to spend a second snow day and our fourth day at home, I'd like to share an idea to break the boredom. There can only be so many board games, card games and arts and crafts that a child and parent can do without eventually turning into whining puddles.

Make a boredom jar. Take a jar or in my case, an empty cardboard oats container. Cut up slips of paper.  Write tasks. In my case, I wanted my children to get some chores done too. I made sure that I had an equal number of work tasks as fun tasks.

Here is a list of some of the tasks that went into the jar:

• Do jumping jacks for 60 seconds
• Go brush or pet Chester, our dog
• Call any grandparent
• Empty the missing sock sack and match as many socks as you can
• Pick up all clothes off your bedroom floor and put them away
• Do three sets of wacky jacks (they're jumping jacks that look something like some of the moves from Shirley Temple doing the Good Ship Lollipop routine)
• Remove all toys found in the living room
• Watch one 30 minute TV show
• Play one computer game 
• Give [insert your name] a hug
• Draw picture for Mommy to take to work
• Empty all the waste paper baskets
• Empty the dishwasher
• Turn on music and show me the Dougie. Parents, this is the step by step to the Dougie. Can't dance? These folks might inspire you.
• Read for 30 minutes

Now, it is important that you set some hard rules. You must do the task that you draw. No throwing it back and trying to draw a more interesting one. 

Do you have ideas? Post them to the comments below.