Brackett PTO
February Newsletter
Literacy Week & Read-a-thon - get your books ready!
- Students will be welcomed back from February Break with Literacy Week (organized by Lorraine Keir, Brackett's Literacy Coach), running from 02/26-03/01. During the week, learners will be engaged with lots of fun literacy activities and celebrations.
- Brackett Read-a-thon will take place from 02/26 - 03/10. The Read-a-thon is an event that aims to get kids excited about reading and also raises much needed funds for the Brackett PTO with students getting "pledges" for their reading from friends and family. This year, the whole school will work together to reach a school-wide reading goal, with some fun all-school celebrations for reaching those goals.
- Be on the lookout for a backpack flyer coming home the Monday (02/26) after break with all the details about how to register, log minutes, and more!
Directory Update
Brackett School Directory
Thank you for your patience and for helping make this directory happen! Using a spreadsheet instead of Membership Toolkit allows the PTO to redirect over $1,000 back into student centered enrichment! Our hopes were to use PowerSchool to populate a school directory, but unfortunately that posed many challenges and wasn't feasible. We hope you all find the new directory useful and that it helps bring our community together!
If you'd still like to be included in the directory, please fill out this form.
Get Involved
Brackett STEM Night - March 15th, 6-8pm
Announcing Brackett STEM Night 2024! Please join us at Brackett for a night of amazing demonstrations, fun games, and hands on science, math, engineering and technology! Also on display will be our 4th and 5th graders super science projects. Mark your calendars for Friday, March 15th at 6pm, and more information to come.
Volunteers still needed for Brackett STEM Night! We're looking for more activity leads and/or helpers for the various activities we have planned for the evening. If you're interested in helping out or would like to learn more about STEM Night, please reach out to Jamie Strand (iahawks98@gmail.com). We'll also have another planning session (via Zoom) on February 29th at 7pm. Stay tuned for more information!
January PTO Meeting Notes & By-Laws
Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to the January PTO meeting - for those who weren't able to attend, notes can be found here. During the meeting, members of the Brackett playground design team from Warner Larson, a representative from Arlington Parks & Recreation and Dr. Vice spoke about the playground design process, plans and timeline. Afterwards, the Brackett Family Directory was discussed and attendees of the meeting voted unanimously to adopt the updated By-Laws - if you would like to participate in the community-wide vote on the By-Laws, please do so here by March 1st.
Please join us for the next Community PTO Meeting on March 21st!
June Fair/Fall Festival Update
Due to the expected construction on the playground and outdoor areas, the PTO is not planning on hosting a June Fair this year. However - we have lots of other fun community events in the works, including a movie night after Field Day in the spring and a Fall Festival. The Fall Festival will need lots of volunteers and planning, so if you'd like to get involved, please reach out to Amanda DeForest
Thank You - Annual Appeal, Glow Dance and Ivy the Very Determined Dog!
Glow Dance
The Glow Dance was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who joined in, to all the 5th grade volunteers and especially to the organizers who did an amazing job of putting on a fun and memorable event (and raised almost $3,000 for the PTO)! All the support for the 5th grade bake sale, which raised funds for the 5th Grade Committee, was also much appreciated!
Made possible by funds raised by the Book Fair, Ivy of "Ivy the Very Determined Dog" and her humans came to Brackett in January for the first author visit of the year!
Upcoming Events and Reminders
Dates (Details Below)
- 02/12-02/16 - STEM Committee - Hour of Code
- 02/26 - 03/10 - Read-a-thon and Literacy Week
- 02/27 - Brackett PTO's Shop at Wilson Farm Day (9am-7pm) - must show flyer at checkout!
- 03/06 - Coffee with Dr. Vice (8:05-8:45am)
- 03/13 - Student Assembly - Brackett Cultural Committee and PTO host the Floor Lords
- 03/15 - STEM Night (6-8pm)
- 03/18 - 03/26 - Spring Food Drive
- 03/21 - Brackett PTO Meeting (6:30-8pm)
- 03/21 - Brackett PTO Fundraiser - Andrina's
- Every Friday at 7:20am - Math Mornings for 3rd-5th Grade
- 3rd graders- Library; 4th- Room 204; 5th graders- Room 201
- Every Friday from 8-9am - Brackett Bank
Event Details
Brackett's Shop at Wilson Farm Day - Tuesday, February 27th (9am-7pm)
- Come shop at Wilson Farm and 20% of your purchase goes back to the PTO - make sure to show the flyer (on your phone or printed out) at check out!
Brackett Cultural Committee Student Assembly - Floor Lords
The Brackett Cultural Committee will host the BBoy group the Floor Lords at Brackett March 13th for a school assembly. Assembly times are below, as is a link to share with your child showing the Floor Lords performance.
Grades K, 1, 5 : 11:30 - 12:05
Grades 2, 3, 4 : 10:40-11:15
BBoy Group, FloorLords:
https://youtu.be/hraPpBZf9aU<https://youtu.be/hraPpBZf9aU>
Andrina's Pizza PTO Fundraiser - Thursday, March 21st
- Mention "Brackett" while ordering pizza from Andrina's (781-648-4800) and the PTO gets 20% back - make dinner easy while supporting the PTO!
Reminders and Updates
Brackett Spirit Wear Store is back open - ORDER BY 02/16!
- We’ve got some new beanie caps, pencil pouches, and all your favorites. 20% of every purchase is donated back to the PTO so they can continue to make investments in our school community.
- Order now through 2/16 and orders will be distributed via student backpacks after break.
STEM Committee
- Chick Hatching for 1st grade: This event happens in May, and with help from parent volunteers for each first grade class, the 1st graders incubate and raise baby chicks in the classroom. The kids get to see the progression of how the chicks grow and hatch. 1st grade parents will get an email from their room parent in the upcoming weeks with more information.
- STEM Night March 15, 2024: This is an evening event held at Brackett, where STEM takes over the school. Parent volunteers set up tables for a wide variety of fun STEM activities that the students can enjoy. Last year there were 18 activities run by 51 parent volunteers. If you're interested in volunteering email stem@brackettpto.org
- 4th & 5th Grade Science Fair: The Science Fair is in coordination with the 4th and 5th grade teachers. The STEM Committee lead visits the classrooms to describe the activity to the students. The students then come up with ideas that need to be approved by their teacher. The STEM Committee provides tri-folds for the students to display their results.Last year there was 40 posters, which were displayed during STEM night.
If you are interested in volunteering for any of the above activities or for questions about the STEM Committee email stem@brackettpto.org. You do not need to have a background in STEM to volunteer, all are welcome! Our STEM Committee Co-Chairs are Jamie Strand and Elly & Ricardhy Grandoit.
- Come help Ms. Alfonso with shelving, circulation and more! Class times and sign ups can be found here. Please reach out to librarycommittee@brackettpto.org with any questions.
Lost and Found
- Photos of items are posted here and students and caregivers can search for lost items in the cafeteria.
- Labels help your items make their way back to you! If you purchase labels through Mabel's Labels (search "Brackett Elementary School" on the fundraising page), you get free shipping and 20% is donated back to the PTO
Looking for a past PTO Newsletter or Family Newsletter from Dr. Vice? Find them here.
Community News/Updates
Arlington Education Foundation
- Give a STAR to recognize a Brackett teacher that shines bright! The AEF STARS program offers a way to recognize teachers, specialists and staff members while funding innovative education in the Arlington Public Schools.
- Learn more about the program and how to donate here