Friday Features - 1/18/19

Your Weekly BGS PTO News & Happenings

Beach Blanket Bingo - TONIGHT!

Join us tonight for at 7 PM for a Free Family Fun Night. We'll bring the bingo and kid-friendly prizes - you just need to bring a beach towel and wear your best Hawaiian shirt, sunglasses or whatever screams summer to you!

We know the weather's always fickle this time of year, so be sure to watch our webpage for last minute cancellations.

Don't Miss Gardens' Greetings from Mrs. Binford

Click here to check out the latest BGS news - report card reminders, Teachers of the Year, Nurses' Notes, Students of the Month and MORE!

Congratulations to Our Mini-Grant Winners!

Did you know that the PTO sponsors a grant program for the BGS faculty? At the end of last school year, we started a program to help bring the funds we raise throughout the year into the hands of the teachers. Our grant program is designed to fund projects developed by our teachers and staff, individually or as a group, that are not provided by the district. Proposals should have a direct academic impact on the majority of the Bradley Gardens students, benefitting an entire class, grade, or even the whole school.

Over the summer, we funded about $400 in grants for 2 classrooms. Mrs. Corrales' Panther Preschool received manipulatives and games to engage her students in fine motor skill development and interactive activities. Ms. McNulty and Mrs. McLaughlin's third grade requested a variety of flexible seating choices to enable students to promote a collaborative
learning environment where students have choice in selecting their seating style.

Since then, word has spread amongst the faculty. We were thrilled to receive 11 grant requests from the faculty. Special thanks to our PTO Co-Vice Presidents, Sally Bartlett & Jennifer Winchock, for coordinating the program.

Our fall grant awards, totaling nearly $3500 in enrichments for the school, covered requests for a wide range of needs and grades, including:

Flexible seating for Mrs. Shomers', Mrs. Bohen's, Mrs. Fornaro's, Ms. Whalen's and Mrs. Coleman's classrooms
Math games to build math fact fluency in Mrs. Maciolek's 3rd grade
Books to enrich the 4th grade social studies unit on Immigration, requested by Mrs. Hudock
Sensory supplies requested by our Occupational Therapist, Ms. Lewinski, to help students with self-regulation and attention throughout their school day
Amazon Fire Tablets and cases requested by the Response to Intervention Committee as part of a program to boost reading and math achievement
Leveled reading books to supplement independent reading choices in Ms. McNulty's & Mrs. McLaughlin's 3rd grade
Flexible seating and science center supplies for Mrs. Corrales' preschool classes

Thank you both to the teachers for advocating for their classes and to our BGS community for helping to raise funds for our classrooms!

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Help Take the Faculty Room from Drab to Fab!

At recent PTO meetings and during the fall grant submissions, the faculty and our PTO community has started getting some energy around ideas for a Faculty Room makeover. The teachers have begun brainstorming on how they might better use the space. Suggestions have ranged from practical (more refrigerator space and a better coffee maker) to structural (renovate outdated portions of the room to make it more functional). They've also discussed simple changes like a fresh coat of paint and some new seating.

With all of these ideas, the group agreed that a more cohesive plan was needed. We could also use someone with a keen eye for design. If you have professional design experience might be able to lend a hand to help us create a plan to turn the faculty room from drab to fab, please reach out to the PTO (bgsptopresident@gmail.com) and we'll get you in touch with the committee working on the effort.

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Get Fit & Raise Funds for a Cause at Fitness Night

Our BGS Wellness Committee wants to get you up and moving at this year's Fitness Night on Wednesday, January 30 (snow date is Friday, February 1). This annual favorite challenges our Bears to kick off a healthy new year while we raise money for a cause. Grades K-1 will run from 6:15 - 7:30 PM, then Grades 2-4 will follow at 7:30 - 8:45. The event is free, but donations are encouraged. This year, our Wellness Committee has committed to raising funds for some adaptive equipment our playground and gym classes to make our school more inclusive for all!

Help us run some of the fitness stations while your kids participate! Sign up for a slot here: http://bit.ly/BGSFit

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RSVP for the Sweetheart Dance

Mark you calendar for a night of memories. We cordially invite you to our Sweetheart Dance on Friday, Feb. 8 from 6:30-8:30 PM. Dress your best and come prepared to dance the night away!

This event is open to BGS Students (teachers too!) only and a Sweetheart of their choice (mom or dad, grandma or grandpa, or other special person in their life).

Reservations are required and cost is $5 per child (payable at the door). Register for the dance here: http://bit.ly/BGSDanceRSVP

Contributions of small snacks and juice boxes are appreciated. Let us know how you can contribute by signing up here: http://bit.ly/DanceHelp

In Case You Missed It...

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Bring Box Tops & Win Your Class Popcorn & a Movie

Our Class Box Top contest runs through Feb. 1. Simply clip those unexpired Box Tops and send them in to school in a bag marked with your teacher's name. The class with the most Box Tops wins a popcorn and movie party!

Not sure what products carry those coveted Box Top for Education labels? Check out the full list here.