On Sept. 5th, the PTO sponsored the Teacher's pizza lunch from our friends at Stoked.Dr. Talukdar announced that each returning teacher is entitled to a $150 grant this school year, and new teachers are entitled to $250, care of the generosity received in last year's Family Giving Campaign.
First Day of School
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!
We are excited to see you all for the first day of school! Please refer to our parent handbook for Driscoll 101!
First Day of School Procedures
The first day of school is an exciting day and we cannot wait to see you! For 1st-8th grade students, the first day will be on Thursday, September 6th. For Kindergarten students, the first day is eitherThursday, September 6th or Friday, September 7th (not on both days) and will be dismissed at 12:40. Your first day assignment was sent with your kindergarten class information. All Kindergarten students come to school on Tuesday, September 11th.For all Driscoll students, the school day is from 8am-2:30pm Monday-Thursday and from 8am-1:40pm on Fridays. On their first day, students should arrive between 7:45AM and 7:55AM. There will be many signs and friendly staff members helping every student get to where they need to go.Students should go to the following meeting places when they arrive on the first day (not to their classrooms).
- Kindergarten will meet in the library (look for a sign with your teacher's name).
- 1st grade will meet in the cafeteria (look for a sign with your teacher's name).
- 2nd-5th grade will meet on the tennis courts (look for a sign with your teacher's name); in the case of rain, 2nd-5th grade students will wait in the main lobby/hallway near the library and main office until 7:50am and then proceed to classrooms.
- 6th-8th grade will meet in the theater.
Just after 8:00AM, once all students are gathered together, K-5 students will line up with their teacher and walk to their classroom together as a class. Kindergarten parents will spend a short time in the classroom with their children to help ensure a smooth transition. 6th-8th grade students will start their day with a meeting in the theater.
DAILY HOURS AT SCHOOL
REGULAR SCHOOL HOURS
Pre-Kindergarten:Monday to Friday: 8:05 am to 12:15 pm
Kindergarten to 8th Grade:
- Monday to Thursday: 8:00 am to 2:30 pmFriday: 8:00 am to 1:40 pm
EARLY DISMISSAL DAYS
- Parent Conferences (8 days/year) 8:00 am to 12:40 pm (lunch is served)
- Day before Thanksgiving and Last Day of School: 8:00 am to 12:00 pm (lunch is NOT served)
LUNCH AND RECESS BREAKS
Students at each grade level from kindergarten through eighth grades will enjoy 20 minutes to eat lunch each day. With regard to recess, students in Grades K - 5 will have 29 minutes/day (or approximately 145 min/week) and students in Grades 6 - 8 will have 22 minutes/day (or approximately 90 min/week).
SCHOOL CANCELLATIONS
The Town makes automated phone calls to advise families of any cancellations.
Meeting with Superintendent Bott
Dear Driscoll School Community,As a first step in the Driscoll School Renovation and Expansion feasibility study that was moved forward by the Select Board and School Committee this past Wednesday, two Driscoll community forums have been scheduled for next week. These forums will be attended by me and members of the School Committee. The community forums are scheduled for:
- Thursday, June 21 @ 6:30 p.m. in the Driscoll School library
- Friday, June 22 @ 8:15 a.m. in the Driscoll School library
I look forward to seeing you next week to hear your concerns, answer your questions, and engage in an important conversation about this process.Sincerely,Andrew J. BottSuperintendent
Bob Thomas is Retiring!
Dear Families,Bob Thomas, Driscoll's Educational Technology Specialist and Computer Teacher extraordinaire is retiring after 19 years. Bob is loved by students, staff, and families. Please join us for an adults only celebration in honor or Bob on June 19th in the Library from 3pm-5pm. RSVP with a suggested donation $10 HERE. On behalf of the Driscoll Staff and the Driscoll PTO, we are looking forward to celebrating Bob's retirement with the community.Warmly,Driscoll Staff and Driscoll PTO
Come see the 8th grade play!
Come see the 8th grade play!
"Lion King Jr."
Friday, June 15 at 6:30pm
Saturday, June 16 at 6:30pm
You can buy tickets ($10.00 each) in the main office.
Library News
Books Due Back at the Library
The end of the year is approaching, so it is time to get those library books back to the library! All library books are due back this week, on your child’s normal library day. If you are not able to find a book, please contact me so that we can make arrangements to find a replacement for the library.
Summer Reading
Driscoll Summer Reading is going online this year! In an effort to go green and make summer reading materials available wherever you may travel this summer, all the great Driscoll summer reading resources will be posted online. The summer reading page (featuring icons designed by Driscoll students) will include summer reading requirements for each grade and links to reading lists, reading logs, reading bingo, and even writing bingo sheets - all wonderful, fun ways to keep those reading and writing skills up over the summer! The link to this page will be emailed out to families.Students will visit the library over the next two weeks for Summer Reading Assemblies. They will learn about summer reading expectations for their grade, hear from the public librarian Miss Caroline about their fabulous summer reading program, and browse books from the summer reading list to make a list a books they want to read this summer. Happy Reading! Ms. Reid, Librarian anne_reid@psbma.org
The Latest from the Driscoll Garden
What’s Growing On?We are recovering from a great Spring Fair. Thanks to our volunteers, and all those who stopped by the garden to learn about and support the garden program. We shared 150 salads grown organically in our school garden by students. We are composting the plates and forks. Fairgoers also helped paint 120 pickets that we will use to make a mini-picket fence to brighten up the garden and protect flower seedlings. The fence will be installed within the next two weeks.Our Wednesday after school class was chaotic, occurring right before the start of the fair. We tried our luck at bug racing, and we also did an exploration activity I’m thinking of calling Who’s In My Pile - basically we met organisms that inhabit garden material piles. Various insects, invertebrates, cephalopods, amphibians, and reptiles were observed, handled and discussed.We have begun signing up families for summer garden maintenance/harvesting. SIGN UP your family to get hands-on with your Driscoll Garden, and reap the rewards. You can choose one or more weeks to be responsible for monitoring, watering, weeding, harvesting, and eating. Victor will conduct an orientation class in June, and be on-call all summer to answer questions and help solve problems.The next garden committee meeting will be Wednesday June 6th, 8:00 am in the cafeteria. There is so much potential at Driscoll, to create an awesome outdoor experiential learning environment for the entire school community. Let's keep growing!Contact us to get involved: driscollschoolgarden@gmail.com
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU: Hands down the best Spring Fair yet!We are grateful for our amazing Spring Fair Team: Connie Clauson, Lakia Rutherford, Jennifer Klaus, and Desmond Hall! Huge shout our to our Janitors Larry and Tom! Thanks to our parent & teacher volunteers...we couldn’t do this event without you. Another huge shout out to our Dunk Tank Participants: Superintendent Bott, Dr. Talukdar, Ms. Hibbard, Ms. Keach, Mr. Youkilis, Ms. Bouquet, Mr. Iadarola, and our very own PTO Co-Chair, Ryan Garms!! Thanks to Steve & Kates Camp for sponsoring the Dunk Tank!
Calling All Volunteers!
The Few. The Brave. The Bouncers. The Spring Fair Inflatables need YOU!!! The Moonwalk and Chaos Obstacle course MUST have volunteer adult safety monitors or they CANNOT open! We need one adult per hour to time kids entering the Obstacle Course so they can move through without colliding with someone else. The Moonwalk needs one to two adults per hour to divide groups into "Bigs" and "Littles" (so the little kids don't get squished), time the rotations, and monitor safe behavior while bouncing. A loud voice and firm hand on the stopwatch is a plus, but not required! If this sounds like you, sign in here and add your name to the list!A heartfelt Thank You to everyone who has signed up to volunteer so far. Overall, we are looking good! If you haven't signed up yet but want to, there are still opportunities available in all areas!
Spring Fair Ticket Sales!
Spring Fair Tickets and Bracelets on sale now! Don’t miss out on the action standing in line the day of the Fair!Visit our pre-Fair ticket table outside the Main Office before or after school on Friday, May 18, Monday, May 21 and Tuesday, May 22. Main Office table will be open before school only the day of the Fair!Bracelets are $35 and include all rides, games and most activities. Tickets are $1 each and can be used to purchase food, individual rides and activities. (Dunk Tank is not included in bracelet price).
What’s Growing On?
What’s Growing On?Last week, 2G explored soil in the garden as an extension of their spring science unit. They especially enjoyed meeting Misters Squiggles, the red wriggler composting worms. This week we plan to host 2Har and 2S for the same extension activity. Also this week, we will host the 4th grade Girl Scouts as they tour the garden and help construct a potato tower.The after school garden class planted some more seeds last week. They planted the “seed tape” they made the previous week - a method of insuring proper spacing of small seeds. They also planted seeds for a flower border, and constructed some temporary fencing to protect these new seedlings. They always enjoy using tools.The garden program will be taking part in the Spring Fair - stop by our table for a garden activity, salad samples to supplement your cotton candy, horticultural advice, and information on the Driscoll School Garden Program. It will also be a good opportunity to sign up for slots on the summer maintenance calendar, so your family can help sustain (and consume!) this season’s crops. No experience is necessary, as an orientation class and on-call horticultural help will be available.There was a small, but productive, Garden Committee meeting last Wednesday. We are making progress filling administrative rolls, but need as much help as we can get. Contact us to get involved: driscollschoolgarden@gmail.com
Writer Melissa Sweet Visits K-5th Graders
With generous support of the 2017 Family Giving Campaign K-5th Graders were able to spend Tuesday, May 8 with children’s book writer and illustrator, Melissa Sweet. Learn more about Melissa’s books here, and be sure to ask your child about Melissa’s visit. http://melissasweet.net/. Thanks again for your support of the Family Giving Campaign, and the Library!
Teacher Appreciation Week
NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK starts today, May 7 until the 11th, and Driscoll will be celebrating our teachers and staff in grand style! We have events and goodies planned for each day of the week, with the festivities culminating in our traditional breakfast which willl be held Friday, May 11.Be sure to thank teachers and staff this week!
VOTE TUESDAY, MAY 8
TWO IMPORTANT BALLOT QUESTIONS ON MAY 8: these relate to the operation of Brookline Schools and we encourage you to take the time to vote. It is our hope that this information on the ballot questions will support you in deciding how you want to vote on them. Regardless of how you decide to vote – we urge you to vote and show your children how to participate in civic life! This is a long but important – please read!
The two questions are both related to overriding the property tax laws of the state which limit increases in property tax increases to 2 1/2 percent annually. The Select Board of Brookline voted to place two questions on the ballot on May 8th (the full text of the questions is at the bottom of this email):The first question asks voters if they want to permanently increase the Town’s tax levy limit by $6,575,425 in order to fund costs in Brookline Schools ($5,873,642) and in municipal departments ($701,783).A Yes vote will fund the current school budget plus:
- increased school staff to maintain class size and services to keep up with enrollment growth (20%);
- Contractual increases in teacher salaries (56%),
- services for special education (9%);
- classroom supplies, intervention support for struggling learners, transportation, and equity professional development (26%)
A No vote will require the School District to make cuts in current operations to fund contractual obligations. Superintendent Bott projected these in a January School Committee Board presentation which include:
- Eliminating 20 positions across the district which would reduce teachers in several schools, reduce paraprofessional support, and reduce professional development for teachers;
- Eliminating transportation from South Brookline to the high school, new funding for basic supplies classrooms, and limiting the district’s ability to use new strategies to resolve conflicts;
- Reducing student support in mental health, behavior, and decreasing support for struggling students; and
- Reducing professional development for teachers, limiting curriculum coordination and improvements, and delaying technology purchases.
The second question asks voters if they will temporarily increase property taxes to fund some of the costs of the High School expansion through a debt exclusion.A Yes vote will fund the expansion of the High School to accommodate increasing high school enrollment.A No vote will cancel the expansion of the High School, which will result in more students in the current BHS building, increased class sizes and insufficient space for the library, cafeteria, performances, and out of date science facilities.The estimated tax impact of passing both overrides for a median value property in Brookline over a four year period is $1,039 for a single family, $344 for a condo, and $2,263 for commercial.Please read carefully and decide! And please vote on May 8th!
OPEN PTO LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
Open PTO LEADERSHIP POSITIONS for 2018-2019. We have some great opportunities for anyone looking to help our Driscoll kids, work with wonderful parents or gain new skills. Our current openings are:
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PTO Executive Board: 1 co-chair, 1 secretary
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Spring Fair: 2 co-chairs
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Early Release Movies: 1 or more co-chairs
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Volunteer Coordinator: 1 or more co-chairs
If you’re enthusiastic, interested, or just curious, contact: driscollpto@gmail.com
The Spring Fair Needs You!
SPRING FAIR ON MAY 23rd: The Spring Fair needs YOU! This beloved community event revolves around volunteer support. It takes around 200 volunteer hours to make this event run smoothly. We will need volunteer support from 9:00am-9:00pm the day of the fair. Please consider donating your time and energy to this fabulous end of year event! Sign up sheet HERE. Contact driscollspringfair@
What's Growing in the Driscoll Garden
WHAT'S GROWING ON? Our carrot, snap pea and lettuce seeds have sprouted outside - see if you can spot them. The after school garden class has been learning all about seeds, as we get the raised beds going for the season. Honestly, I’m geeking out about some amazing seed facts. We learned two-thirds of all calories consumed by humans come from the endosperm within seeds. The students enjoyed eating the illustrative sample endosperm (popcorn). And that power-packed sack-lunch a mother plant puts in every tiny pebble-baby-spaceship (a.k.a. seed), is what makes it possible for the embryo to travel great distances of space and time - like the 32,000 year old Silene embryo from Siberia that was germinated in 2012, and then grew to produce it’s own seed. But time isn’t as kind to humans, so we must move on next week, past germination to growth and nutrient cycles, as we nurture our growing voyagers/vegetables.
Let’s all nurture our other voyagers, our students. There is so much potential at Driscoll, to create an awesome outdoor experiential learning environment for the entire school community. But, a lone turd does not a compost pile make. WE NEED YOUR HELP! to make it happen. Become a garden committee member, and share the green glory, and corny humor. Corn!All kidding aside, there are many ways to help, and most of them don’t involve gardening. Creating and maintaining a successful school garden program requires an organized leadership committee to apportion the many tasks involved. It’s a lot of work for a simple gardener, but pieces of cake for a skilled team. You have the skills - bring them. YOU! CAKE!The next Driscoll Garden committee meeting will be Wednesday May 9th, 8:00 am (location TBD). Contact us to get involved: driscollschoolgarden@gmail.com
POPSICLES ON THE PLAYGROUND
POPSICLES ON THE PLAYGROUND: Join the PTO as we congratulate and celebrate Dr. Talukdar on being officially named as Principal of Driscoll School. This Friday, April 13, at 1:40pm.
From the Amy Neale Library
From the Amy Neale LibraryOn May 8, Caldecott Honor winning author/illustrator Melissa Sweet will visit Driscoll for a full day, speaking to students in grades K-5. Driscoll students are in for a treat! Melissa Sweet is a highly sought after speaker and an incredibly talented illustrator. Her presentations for K-3 will focus on her picture books (You Nest Here with Me for K &1, Balloons Over Broadway for grades 2 & 3). Grades 4 and 5 will learn about Driscoll Student Book Award nominee Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White. This is a must read for fans of Charlotte’s Web! If you would like to order a book for Ms. Sweet to sign when she is at Driscoll, please print and fill out the form in your child's folder (or on the library's upcoming author visit page) and return by Thursday, April 12.
This program is made possible by the Family Giving Campaign and annual book fair.
Questions? Contact Ms. Reid, librarian, at anne_reid@psbma.org
The Driscoll Garden Team is Growing
What’s Growing On?The Driscoll Garden team is growing. We had a good turn out Wednesday, for our (re)kick off meeting. We are laying the groundwork for the next phase of garden program development. We are organizing a formal leadership committee to apportion the many tasks involved. We also discussed: articulating a focused mission and goals; utilizing an incremental approach to curriculum integration; ideas for fundraising and community events; and the new after school gardening class.The new parent-lead after school garden class begins this week, and has several students registered. We will be amending the soil, planting the beds, and taking stock of maintenance needs as we make observations in the garden. We will discuss the needs of plants, the differences between native/natural and domestic/cultivated, and relate that to what we know about expected behavior in our community in order to agree on rules for our class and visitors to the garden.Parents have already stepped up to fill some garden committee positions, but there are still opportunities for those willing to help on the 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