Flynn Flyer
January 13, 2023
Flynn Annual Family Traditions Dinner and K-2 Art Show
Flynn Family! *PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF TIME*: Family Traditions Dinner on Friday, Jan. 20 will be held from 5:45 - 7 PM to accommodate the set-up of the K-2 Art Show being held on the same night at the same time. (This is a change from the 5 PM start time advertised previously.) Please join us for an evening of fun, connection ... and delicious foods. The Family Traditions Dinner is a lively potluck where we celebrate the foods YOU eat at home with your families! Dinner is FREE! In addition to our school-wide invitation to bring a dish to share, there are ways you can help out here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c054ca8a722a5fa7-family1#/. You don't need to sign up to bring food -- just be sure to label your containers and carry your food in with you when you come. THANK YOU, FAMILIES!
Volunteers Needed for Art Show Prep
Are you creative? Do you like helping other creatives in need? Please come help Mrs. Plumer set up for the upcoming Kindergarten through Second Grade Art Show happening on Friday, January 20th.
Mrs. Plumer needs a few volunteers to help with preparations for the Art Show. The jobs include labeling and mounting artwork, making display panels, and hanging panels prior to the event. Times to help include Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (January 17, 19th and 20th) after school. Any time from 3:15 - 5:30. If you are interested, please contact Karen and let her know when you can help.
Principal's Corner
Greetings Flynn families,
Happy New Year! I can’t believe we are already halfway through the 2022-2023 school year - time has flown!
This month, we have our annual traditions dinner on Friday, January 20th at 5:45pm. This will be an opportunity to come together and connect as a community similarly to how we connected during the BBQ in the fall. I encourage all families to join us for the traditions dinner because it will be an opportunity to connect with some staff and with other families from Flynn. After all, we’re so much better together!
If you are interested in opportunities to support classroom teachers at Flynn, check out the bulletin board inside the main vestibule of the school…there are teacher wish lists posted there with a range of requested classroom items!
In partnership,
Nikki Ellis
Flynn Chess Club
Want to learn how to play Chess?
Chess Club begins January 19th. We will meet in the steam room from 2:50 to 4:00.
Thank you to parent Volunteers Jared Carter and Elizabeth Dyer.
See Ms. Priebe for a permission form.
Counselor's Corner
Please read below for some updates from your school counselors!
A note from Emily Russen:
Hello Flynn Families,
I wanted to send a quick update to let you all know that I am officially on maternity leave! I expect to be back to school mid-April. If you have any questions, needs, or concerns that pop up while I am away, please feel free to reach out to our K-2 counselor, Jill Everett, who will help support grades 3-5 while I am on leave. Jill can be reached via email at jeverett@bsdvt.org or phone at 802-864-8478 ext. 51227.
Warmly,
Emily Russen
802-864-8478 ext. 51005
A note from Jill Everett:
It has been a great few months since I started as the K-2 School Counselor at Flynn School. I have enjoyed working with students K-2 and getting to know the whole K-5 Community as a whole. Please see below for some updates for classes and how the school counseling program works.
K-2 Wellness Class
These past few months we have been talking about feelings, feeling identification, bullying prevention and learning about the Zones of Regulation. Please click here for information about the Zones of Regulation and click here for a list of books that you can read with your learners to enhance their social and emotional learning.
Services, FAQ’s, and More…
What is a “Lunch Bunch”?
A lunch bunch is when a student(s) can stop by to have lunch with their school counselor. The frequency of lunch bunches can vary and there is not a formal referral process (most often students seek us out and ask for a lunch bunch to switch up their lunch routine!). If students need more regular and structured support, a teacher or school counselor may reach out to you to explore helpful options.
Can my student just stop by a counselor's office to check in?
Absolutely! Students can stop by without a referral to check in to see the school counselor. If we are not in our office, students are encouraged to leave a note (or have a teacher reach out) and we will check in with them as soon as possible. If we think it would be beneficial to meet with students on a regular basis, we would check in with you at home first to discuss what this may look like and gain your consent to provide ongoing, regular support.
What is a “social cognition” group?
A social cognition group is designed through a referral process (most often initiated by teachers and caregivers) and consists of a small group of students. The focus of the group is to learn various skills such as communication, friendship, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and so much more! Groups usually run once a week for about 6 weeks. Caregiver consent is required.
Food Pantry at Flynn
We hope you had a wonderful week and are enjoying this snow we are getting! We want to let you know that since our recent food drives have been so successful and valued that we have decided to keep a permanent “food shelf” in the entryway of Flynn School. We intend to keep it stocked with pastas, sauces, canned/boxed goods, cereals, etc. If you would like to donate similar items to the pantry, please feel free to do so! If you are in need of any food items, you are more than welcome to stop by to take what you need! In addition to food you will also find information posted above the shelf with a list of helpful local resources. Check it all out and let us know if there is anything you may need additional support with!
PTO Corner : Stay Informed
Interested in the Flynn PTO? If you are an adult in the life of a Flynn student, you are already a
member! We invite you to participate in the PTO in a way that works for you!
Here is the link to our meeting minutes from our meetings this year:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1k6WbpEDxIqqodGc3S8gLqxHVymVG2aZI?usp=sharing
Effects of Proposed Budget Cuts at Flynn:
- Here is the link to the district’s proposed budget proposal for the 2023-2024 school
year: https://www.bsdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/20220118-Budget-
- If you have thoughts on the proposed cut to the STEAM program at Flynn, you can reach
out to our school board members, Martine Gulick (mgulick@bsdvt.org) and Kendra
Sowers (ksowers@bsdvt.org) and share your opinion.
- Also, another avenue for voicing your thoughts is to attend the upcoming school board
meeting. The next school board meeting will be Tuesday, January 17th at 6 pm. Meetings
are open to the public in-person or online. Please visit www.bsdvt.org and click on the
‘school board’ tab for more info. You can watch live, or watch a replay of any meeting at
https://www.mediafactory.org/bsd
Family Traditions Dinner
- Flynn Family! *PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF TIME*: Family Traditions Dinner will be held
on Friday, Jan. 20 from 5:45 - 7 PM to accommodate the set-up of the K-2 Art Show
being held on the same night at the same time. (This is a change from the 5 PM start
time advertised previously.) Please join us for an evening of fun, connection ... and
delicious foods. The Family Traditions Dinner is a lively potluck where we celebrate the
foods YOU eat at home with your families! Dinner is FREE! In addition to our school-
wide invitation to bring a dish to share, there are ways you can help out
here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c054ca8a722a5fa7-family1#/. You don't
need to sign up to bring food -- just be sure to label your containers and carry your food
in with you when you come. THANK YOU, FAMILIES!
Other ways to get involved:
Choose J.J. Flynn as your AmazonSmile beneficiary. When you shop on Amazon, a percentage of
what you spend gets donated to the PTO at NO cost to you!
How to use AmazonSmile on a web browser:
- Visit smile.amazon.com
- Sign in with the same account you use for Amazon.com
- Select your charity
- Start shopping! Remember to checkout at smile.amazon.com to generate donations for
your chosen charity.
Tip: Add a bookmark to make it easier to shop at smile.amazon.com.
How to use AmazonSmile using the Amazon app on your mobile phone:
- Open the Amazon Shopping app
- Navigate to the main menu (≡)
- Tap on Settings and then select “AmazonSmile”
- Select your charity and then follow the on-screen instructions to turn ON AmazonSmile
in the mobile app
Once AmazonSmile has been activated in your app, future eligible app purchases will generate a
donation for the charity you have selected.
Note: The tablet app is not yet supported. Please visit smile.amazon.com/onthego to learn
more.
Cooking Cart Update
Flynn students have been honing their culinary skills as they peel, chop, slice, and measure their way through the latest Cooking Cart recipe - minestrone soup! The addition of cumin makes this version of the recipe pop! It's a flavor students often associate with tacos, and it has been fun to taste it in a new and exciting way!
Girls on the Run Seeks Volunteer Coaches
Volunteer to be a Girls on the Run coach for JJ Flynn GOTR team! The impact of a Girls on the Run volunteer coach is as boundless as it is beautiful. The Girls on the Run program is an after school program that uses a research based curriculum to empower, increase self-worth and spark joy in its participants.
Our 10-week season begins the week of March 27. Our team will meet twice weekly for 90 minutes each session to connect, move, learn and have FUN! Not a runner? Haven’t coached before? No problem! Girls on the Run VT (GOTRVT) provides training, easy to follow lesson plans, supplies and support from GOTRVT for a transformational season.
Visit gotrvt.org/coach to learn more or sign up to volunteer. Questions? Contact GOTRVT at stephanie@girlsontherunvermont.org or 802-871-5664.