Brackett PTO

December

• 12/06 - Brackett Bank (8-9am)
• 12/06 - Picture Retake Day
• 12/06 - Brackett Movie Night (6pm)
• 12/09-12/13 - Brackett Book Fair
• 12/09 - Room Rep Meeting (7:30pm)
• 12/10 - Maxima Holiday Shopping Day (10am-8pm, mention "Brackett" at checkout)
• 12/10 - Coffee with Dr. Vice (7:30-8:30am)
• 12/19 - Andrina's Fundraiser (mention "Brackett" at checkout)
• 12/23 - 01/01 - Winter Break

January (more details coming soon)

• 01/02 - School Resumes
• 01/07 - Early Release (11:30am) for teacher conferences
• 01/08 - Early Release (11:30am) for teacher conferences
• 01/09 - Evening teacher conferences (6-8pm)
• 01/13 - 2nd & 3rd Grade Math Night
• 01/16 - Brackett PTO Community Meeting
• 01/20 - No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• 01/24 - Brackett Movie Night
• Tissue and Wipe Drive (dates TBD)

Friday Math Mornings - every Friday at 7:20am for 3rd (Brackett Library), 4th (Room 312), 5th (Room 201)

The fifth grade class would like to invite the Brackett community to their fundraiser Movie Night on Friday, December 6 (doors open at 6:00 p.m.; the movie will start at 6:30 p.m.). They will be showing “Ferdinand” in the Brackett gym, in honor of this year’s fifth grade mascot, the Brackett Bulls.

Come watch the story of Ferdinand, a giant bull with a big heart who is mistaken for a dangerous beast; after being torn from his home, he rallies a misfit team of friends for the ultimate adventure to return to his family.

This fundraiser supports the fifth grade fund and has a suggested donation of $5/person up to $20/family. Pizza, drinks, and snacks will be sold in the cafeteria beginning at 6:00 p.m. – be sure to check out the fifth grade bake sale!

Fifth Grade Families: There is still time for you to volunteer to help staff the Movie Night or bake for the Bake Sale. Both student and adult volunteers are needed! Sign up here.

The annual Brackett Book Fair is taking place on December 9-13. Students will attend the fair during their regularly scheduled library class time — parents and caregivers are welcome to join! If your child is allowed to buy books independently, please send in cash. Adult volunteers will be present to help children choose and purchase books.

The book fair will also be open before/after school and during our Family Night on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Consider contributing to your student’s classroom by donating to your teacher’s Book Fund! Your teacher will be able to use funds donated by the class to buy books from the book fair for use in their classroom library. Unused funds will be donated to the Brackett Library.

Volunteers are needed to operate registers, restock books, and help students select and purchase books.

Proceeds from the Book Fair benefit the Brackett Library. For more information about the fair, including hours of operation and volunteer opportunities, please visit www.brackettpto.org/bookfair.

The Brackett School Council is looking for 4 Representatives for a two year term beginning after a January 2025 election.

The Brackett School Council is a separate entity from the PTO and works with the administration to discuss issues of policy, procedure, and improvement of our school. The School Council is composed of the principal, teacher, parent, and community representatives and will convene quarterly at in person meetings.

Under Massachusetts state law, school councils assist principals in these four primary areas:

1. Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards.

2. Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school.

3. Reviewing the annual school building budget.

4. Formulating a school improvement plan.

Learn more about Brackett’s current School Improvement Plan by watching the video of our administrator’s presentation to the School Committee on November 14th. The Brackett presentation begins at the 38:42 minute mark.

If interested, please submit your name as a candidate for the School Council Parent Representative position to the PTO (president@brackettpto.org) with a brief bio of yourself which will be published on our digital ballot. Bios should be one paragraph, and you may include a picture if you like.

Please send your email for candidacy by Friday, December 20th.

For more information, please refer to the information at the DESE site, or contact Dr. Vice.

Time to find your bank books! Brackett Bank will open this Friday, December 6th from 8-9 am.

We'll also be holding trainings for any 5th grader who is interested in becoming a teller this year on Wednesday, December 4 and Friday, December 6 at 7:45 in the cafeteria. Hope to see your student there!

Please email brackettbank@gmail.com with questions!

• Tuesday, December 10th, 10am-8pm - 212 Mass. Ave.
• Come support Maxima, a local gift shop owned by Brackett alumni parents, while also supporting the Brackett PTO (mention "Brackett PTO" at checkout and 15% of purchase is donated to our PTO)

• Save 20% at www.minted.com and help raise funds for Brackett with 15% of your order going to the PTO!
• Brackett Elementary School PTO's promo code is: FUNDRAISEBRACKETT. Share with your family and friends too!

• Andrina's will donate 20% on Brackett PTO Pizza Nights, just mention "Brackett" at checkout on the following dates: 12/19, 01/16, 02/13, 03/13, 04/17, 05/15 and 06/05

We had a wonderful day wrapping gifts at Henry Bear's Park last month! With the help of several volunteers we were able to raise over $250 for the Brackett PTO & successfully spread holiday cheer to our Arlington community.

Thank you for your generous donations to Arlington EATS during our Fall Food Drive! The donation bins were overflowing, and we filled three trunks with requested items from EATS. Seven fifth grade volunteers helped to deliver donations to Arlington EATS after school on Tuesday. Check out the EATS website to learn more about our community partner.

Next Week on Tuesday, December 10th, Brackett Cultural Committee and the PTO will host Li Liu, Chinese acrobat! Students will enjoy a cultural assembly in the gym.

Li Liu began performing with circus artists, and eventually developed her own solo show. The performance includes hand balancing, plate spinning, trick cycling, foot juggling, ribbon dancing and Chinese water bowl manipulation. Li also touches on various aspects of Chinese language, geography and culture while sharing her work and travel experiences with the students and staff.

Students get a hands-on shot at trying some of the easier (and safer!) skills such as ribbon dancing and basic plate spinning. They learn the historical significance of traditional lion and dragon dances and are encouraged to think about what it might have been like to grow up in a different time and place.

If your child is sensitive to music, please bring noise cancelling headphones for them to wear next Tuesday.

Thanks to all of the families who participated in Pick-up At Pick-up! By helping for a few minutes once a month you’re helping keep Brackett litter free!

This year the PTO Board tried something new by asking for families to include their classroom gift contribution in their annual appeal donation amount. This is in an effort to have a more equitable distribution of gifts and resources across all classrooms from year to year.

While individual families are always welcome to give cards or gifts separately (up to $150/year), gifts from the whole class are taken care of by Room Reps and the PTO. The PTO also gives gifts to teachers and staff that aren't covered by Room Reps. Thank you for all the generous donations that make this possible!

Updated Lost and Found pictures- Please take a look for any items that below to you, as all will be donated next week and there are many, many hoodies waiting for their owners!

Please join the family directory in PowerSchool if possible- labeled items are easier to get back to their owners!

Looking for a past PTO Newsletter or Family Newsletter from Dr. Vice? Find them here.

Check out Arlington SEPAC's December newsletter here. The next monthly meeting is December 10th, 7:30-8:30pm (details in newsletter). The SEPAC monthly meeting is the 2nd Tuesday of every month; so mark your calendars! December’s meeting will be a voting membership meeting (Arlington parents and caregivers only).

The Arlington Heights Community Association (AHCA) in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce is pleased to present our fourth Arlington Heights Holiday Stroll & Tree Lighting on Saturday, December 14, 2:00-5:00pm. Free for all!

Visitors of all ages are invited to stroll along Mass Avenue from Shattuck Heights Hardware to Maruichi Japanese Food and Deli and view 60+ winter-themed windows painted by Arlington residents in 26 storefronts. Free family fun activities will take place throughout the afternoon. Explore the vibrant Heights business community and support our unique variety of local shops and restaurants. Visit the Chamber website for more info on the Holiday Stroll.

Make a donation to AEF by purchasing an AEF Star Certificate to recognize a teacher or staff member that shines bright!

Your donation goes to fund grants that benefit Arlington students and educators.