Brackett PTO

• 02/24-03/07 - Read-a-thon
• 03/12 - Pick Up at Pick Up
• 03/20 - 4th and 5th Grade Science Fair
• 03/21 - STEM Night & World Down Syndrome Day
• 03/28 - 5th Grade Fundraiser Movie Night
• 04/07 - 04/14 - Spring Food Drive

There are few days left in the Read-A-Thon, which ends Monday, March 10th! There's still time to reach our goal of 200,000 minutes read and $20,000 raised!

This week was also Literacy Week, with fun activities to help foster a love of reading. Tomorrow, March 7th, is Dress as Your Favorite Character Day (no masks or weapons)!

Reading of ALL Kinds Counts: Listening to audio books, being read to, magazines, graphic novels, comic books, picture books, and chapter books are all meaningful forms of reading and count toward our goal. Use your Bingo Sheet to get creative about when and how you read together at home.

Record & Vote: Digital Reading Log. Don’t forget to log your reading minutes and vote for which inflatable costume you want to see Mr. Vanderlaine and Dr. Vice wear! When we reach our school reading goal, students will earn extra recess and get to see their principals in the amazingly ridiculous costumes they voted for.

Raise & Support: The Read-A-Thon is a major fundraiser for Brackett, and allows Brackett PTO to support Field Trips, STEM Night, Author Visits, School Presentations, Classroom Materials, Community Events, and much more. If you're able to, consider donating here and sharing with friends and family!

Now that the snow is melting (knock on wood), it's a good time to help clean up Brackett's outdoor areas. On Wednesday March 12th, right after school, the Green Team will lead a clean up session with gloves and trash bags provided - everyone is welcome to help and we're hoping that 5th graders can lead the charge!

4th and 5th Grade Science Fair: Thursday, March 20, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Calling all 4th and 5th Grade Scientists!

The annual Brackett Science Fair is coming up on Thursday, March 20 — there’s still time to sign up! The fair begins at 6:30 p.m., but students presenting projects should arrive by 6:00 p.m. to setup their table.

Don’t miss out on your chance to think like a scientist, run a self-designed experiment, and share your results with your scientific peers. Further information can be found here or at www.brackettpto.org/stem.

While experimental submissions are limited to the 4th and 5th grade, the Science Fair is open for the whole Brackett community to attend — additionally, the projects will remain on display and be available to view for the entirety of STEM Night the following evening.

4th/5th grade parent/caregivers: We need a few volunteers to help set up/break down the fair. Sign up here!

STEM Night: Friday, March 21, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

STEM Night is coming to Brackett on Friday, March 21! Join in the fun — Brackett's first and second floors will be filled with amazing STEM activities designed to engage students’ minds and inspire curiosity about the world around them.

This year’s STEM Night promises several new activities as well as some annual favorites, including:

• Touch a Brain & Touch, Hear, and Make a Heart
• Magnetic Magic: Exploring the Invisible Forces of Stars

• Harness the Wind: Design, Build, & Test a Wind Turbine

• Brackett Math Adventure Scavenger Hunt

• Make Your Own LED Craft Project

• And so much more!

STEM Night is FREE to attend!

Concessions (pizza, snacks, and drinks) will be available for purchase in the cafeteria — don't forget to check out the 5th Grade Bake Sale.

We are looking for volunteers to help lead activities — sign up here! If you don’t want to be an activity lead, but still want to contribute, stay tuned for more volunteer opportunities.

More information about STEM Night and a full lineup of the activities, as well as volunteer opportunities/updates can be found at www.brackettpto.org/stemnight.

Thank you for your generous donations to the “Cookies and Crafts” themed basket for Beats for EATS, Arlington EATS’ annual fundraiser. Arlington EATS is a vital organization in supporting the Arlington community, and it also supports Brackett Elementary’s snack program.

Mark you calendars...Our spring food drive for EATS and the Brackett Snack Program is April 7-April 14. Fifth grade students will have an opportunity to deliver and process donations after school on April 16.

Fifth graders, your final year at Brackett is well on its way — but it’s not over yet! Keep these dates in mind as we enter the spring of 2025. Don’t miss out on all of the fun activities that have been planned especially for you!

A sneak peek at what’s coming up this month:

• March 12: Pick Up @ Pick Up
• March 13: Food Link Volunteer Opportunity
• March 21: STEM Night 5th Grade Fundraiser Bake Sale
• March 28: 5th Grade Fundraiser Movie Night

That’s just the beginning — check out the Fifth Grade Important Dates Flyer and visit www.brackettpto.org/fifthgrade for more information!

Additionally, if you haven't submitted them already - the Yearbook Committee needs your pictures and your 5th grader's survey responses! Instructions can be found here.

June Fair is back by popular demand, taking place on June 8th (11am-2pm), and the organizers have been hard at work!

This is an event that needs LOTS OF VOLUNTEERS to make it a success - more details will be coming, but if you're able to commit some time to help out, please sign up here!

Did you know that over 100 students have enjoyed Brackett Bank this year? We need your help to keep it going!

The PTO is seeking a few parents to volunteer to keep the program at our school. Brackett School Savings Bank, currently in its 38th year, is a savings bank operated by 5th graders and parent volunteers and is sponsored by Cambridge Savings Bank.

Students can open a savings account with a $1 minimum and make deposits and withdrawals on banking days during the school year. First through fifth graders may participate in the bank.

Volunteering involves a total of less than two hours a week (this time can be split between multiple volunteers) — Brackett Bank is a great way to get involved at the school and help students learn banking basics!

Find out more information about Brackett Bank and volunteer responsibilities here.

The Lost and Found is filling up...and is very soggy! Please drop by on Friday at drop off or pick up to look for any missing things - pictures can be found here. Unclaimed items will be donated or recycled soon to make more space.

Glow Dance

The Glow Dance was a huge success - thank you to all the organizers and volunteers who worked to make it an amazing night of dancing and fun!

Hour of Code

Thank you to everyone who volunteered to lead Hour of Code in Brackett classrooms in February! We had over 50 parent/caregiver volunteers join us in introducing computer programming fundamentals to our students through a series of coding games. Thanks to your participation, we had another successful year — the students had a blast!

March PTO Meeting

Thank you to everyone that came to the March PTO meeting - notes from the meeting can be found here.

The annual APS Pride Logo Competition is happening now. The competition is open to all students and logos can be submitted here until March 28. The logo will be selected April 11 and displayed at the May 10 District-Wide Pride Parade. More info can be found here.

A slack group has been created by Brackett parents as another way to connect - you can log on to Slack here and search by #elementary-brackett. There are also other channels discussing camps, buy-sell-borrow and more.

The next monthly SEPAC meeting is coming up on March 11 (7:30-8:30pm) via zoom. Details about the meeting and more can be found in the newsletter here.

• Enrollment details for BASP can be found here. The deadline for returning families was Feb 16; deadline for new families is March 24.
• Enrollment for AASP (Spanish Immersion) can be found here. The deadline to be placed into a lottery for enrollment is March 24.

Girls’ self-confidence begins to drop by age 9 and their physical activity levels decline beginning at age 10. Girls on the Run is changing that.

Girls on the Run (GOTR) is a nonprofit after-school program designed to inspire and empower young girls*. Our fall and spring seasons run for 8–9 weeks, with teams meeting 2x/week for 90-minute sessions led by dedicated volunteer coaches. The program’s curriculum emphasizes social-emotional learning, building self-confidence, promoting physical activity, and encouraging healthy habits. This spring, we’re excited to welcome Arlington girls as part of the 2,500+ participants joining us across Eastern Massachusetts!

*Open to 3rd-5th grade female-identifying, non-binary, and gender non-conforming students.

Spring '25 Details:

• Practice Schedule: Practices will take place throughout April & May on Mondays & Wednesdays from 3:30-5:00pm. (The first practice will be Monday, 3/31.) There will be no practices the week of April vacation.
• End-of-Season (Regional) 5K: Sat. 5/31 or Sun 6/1 (TBD)
• Location: Based at Calvary Church, 300 Mass Ave.
• Cost: $225 with financial assistance available.
• Registration Opens: Monday, Feb 3rd (Team Max = 20 girls)

Learn more at www.girlsontherunboston.org and/or reach out to Steph Gendron, Stratton/Ottoson mom and GOTR Greater Boston Program Director at steph.gendron@girlsontherun.org.

Spring baseball and softball registration is now open at https://www.aybsaonline.org/