Dear Driscoll families-
Over the past couple of days, I can't tell you how many messages to the community I have started writing only to have them be out of date before I reached the end of a sentence. The scope and speed of how things have been unfolding this week is literally unprecedented in our time. Six days ago, we were holding the Science Fair; ask anyone who was there, and they'll say it feels like a year ago already.
The Public Schools of Brookline will be closed until Monday, March 30th, at the earliest. At this point, no one knows what is going to happen next. I'm sure you will be hearing from the Public Schools of Brookline with more information as soon as things are decided. But, as a PTO Executive Board, we felt it was necessary to check in with all of our families as soon as possible to reassure them that even though we are not together physically, we are still a strong community.
You will hear from us again in the days to come with more specific information. During this time of "social distancing" we are looking at ways to keep the "social" aspect going, while remaining at a necessary distance. We are also looking at ways of keeping our children's love of learning going strong through this period of disruption, and will share anything we can find. In the meantime, the easiest ways of staying up to date will be through the Driscoll PTO website (www.driscollpto.org/blog) or our Twitter page (https://twitter.com/DriscollPTO). You can also always email us with any questions at driscollpto@gmail.com.
One final note: due to the COVID-19 state of emergency and the unprecedented cancelling of so many events, the Driscoll PTO has decided to end this year's Family Giving Campaign ahead of schedule, although we will continue to accept donations through the end of the month. We are still well below our goal, with only around $12,000 raised out of $40,000, but we believe that given the uncertainty surrounding so many things right now, this is not the appropriate time to run a fundraising campaign. As this situation continues to unfold, we ask that you consider supporting our community members in need. In particular, the Brookline Food Pantry has already noticed an uptick in services due to COVID-19, and is seeking financial donations to enable them to meet the needs of our neighbors during this challenging time. The Food Pantry also runs Brookline Thrives, which works in partnership with the Public Schools of Brookline to provide free take-home weekend meals to school-age children in need; we are proud to say that this program will be expanding to Driscoll in the near future. To support their important work, please click here: http://www.brooklinefoodpantry.org/donate-now.html
Stay healthy and safe,
Ryan Garms
PTO co-chair