Grade 5 Math

Today I had a blast listening to students in fifth grade during math. In the following pictures, Mrs. Fitzpatrick is showing the differences between and area model and the traditional algorithm when solving a math problem. In the other two pictures, Ms. Lane is having her students share how they used the distributive property to solve problems. The rich math vocabulary used by the students and their reasoning was really great to watch.

Pumpkin Patch

BHS Boosters Fundraiser - Super Bingo!

Join the BHS Athletic Boosters at our Fall fundraising event: 

                              Super Bingo!

               Saturday November 7th, 2015 6:30 pm:

Come play for a chance to win some fabulous prizes:

Keurig 2.0 brewer ($150 value)

Chipotle buffet for 25 people

Kings pizza, bowling

3 yards of mulch delivered in Burlington by Jimmy Martin (value approx $150)

Tavern in the Square $100 gift certificate

Seasons 52 $100 gift certificate

and more!

We're expecting a full house, we encourage you to gather 10 people and reserve a table to be sure you get in!

This new event is the Athletic Boosters Club's fall fundraiser (replacing the annual craft fair).   

Help the BHS Athletic Boosters continue to support all BHS athletic programs.

We hope to see you there!

Guided Reading

Ms. Merlino is in this picture is working with a guided reading group. I love listening in on the discussions and questions that happen during guided reading at all the grade levels.

Pine Glen Bus Schedule Changes

Please note that our Pine Glen bus schedule has had a slight change regarding bus 10 and bus 12. Two stops: Lantern Lane and Lantern & Ledgewood have moved from bus 10 to bus 12.  The current Pine Glen bus schedule can be seen below and at the tab above.

Burlington Fire Department - Open House Saturday, October 10th

The Burlington Fire Department will be hosting an Open House on:

Saturday, October 10th, from 10am-1pm 

at Burlington Fire Headquarters

Scheduled activities will include:

                                         Interactive Hose Stream Demonstrations

                                         Vehicle Extrication

                                         Search and Rescue Exercises

                                         Interactive Demonstrations using our “Hazard House”

                                         Blood Pressure Screenings

                                         Boston Medflight Ambulance and Crew

Stop by with the entire family to meet the firefighters and learn more about your local fire department.

BHS Robotics Club Fundraiser

Elaine Babajtis' Retirement Celebration

Music

Mrs. DeMartinis was teaching her first grade students the song Five Little Pumpkins today. The students enjoyed acting out the different parts of the song.

Saving Photos

The PTO sponsors the creation of a Fifth Grade Yearbook that is typically presented to students after the Moving Up Ceremony in June. Parents on the Yearbook Committee find acquiring pictures of students from prior years to be time consuming because parents or guardians have to look through a lot of photos.  The Yearbook Committee has asked me to please ask parents to save pictures over the years in a file so they are easy to find when students are in fifth grade.  Examples of pictures to save would be from concerts, field day, field trips, and grade specific events such as fourth grade’s Rocket Day.  A Photo Parent would be an individual who saved these photos over the years to share when his or her child was in fifth grade for the yearbook.  Any parent of a student at any grade can be a Photo Parent.  

A terrific tool to organize these photos is Dropbox.   Dropbox can be found in an app version. It helps organize photos by date and the user can create multiple files within it.  In addition, the photos and albums in it are accessible from any device.  Another great organizational tool is Google Drive.  A recent article from CNET OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive and Box: Which cloud storage service is right for you? discusses some of the some of these tools.

                      

Grade 5

Fifth grade students left for Camp Bournedale today. We hope they have a terrific trip.

Music

In this picture Mrs. Agati and some third grade students are singing during music class.

Centers

The following pictures show one of the centers in Ms. Mills first grade classroom.

Grade 3

Students in Mrs. Doherty's 3rd grade classroom responding to their reading with writing.

Volunteers Needed at the Pine Glen Library

Burlington's First Annual Bowl-A-Thon - Sunday, October 4th

Burlington's First Annual Bowl-a-thon at Kings Burlington will be on Sunday morning 9am - 12pm, October 4th.  $15 per person (for ages 3+) and bring the littler ones (0-2) at no extra charge.  This is an ALL AGES family event.  "GUTTER BUMPERS" are available so even the young ones will have a blast bowling!   There will be plenty of carnival style activities for everyone to enjoy before or after their turn on the lanes at no extra charge.  

The $15 for admission gets you 2 strings of bowling, shoe rental, food, beverages, carnival activities, and entry into the door prize (Kings Gift Certificate).

We are also selling tickets for a Grand Raffle ($10 for one ticket and $20 for three tickets).  [1st Prize - iRobot Roomba Vacuum : 2nd Prize - Kings Bowling Party for 10 people : 3rd Prize - Cases-Cases Inc. BackYard Campfire Basket].

  

You do not need to attend the bowl-a-thon to win the Grand Raffle, so it is a great way to support the cause if you cannot make it on the 4th.

To purchase admission tickets, grand raffle tickets or for more information, visit our website at www.burlingtonbowlathon.com

All proceeds benefit the Adopt-a-Class 2027 Program

BHS Robotics Fundraiser - Thursday, October 8th

Boy Scouts Registration - Wed. 9-30-15

"Did you miss it?  Don't worry.  Parent Open House Registration night for Cub Scouts will be Wednesday 09-30-15 from 6:30pm - 7:30pm in the Fox Hill School lobby.  Come and see more information and to sign your son(s) up for Cub Scouts.  This program is available for boys in grades 1 through 5.  Please contact Monique or Kim for further information or questions. 
klynch@bpsk12.org or pgrasso1970@yahoo.com.

Kindergarten and Reading

Students in Mrs. Parnell's kindergarten classroom were reading poems and making Mother Goose Books today. After reading the poem, the students would make an inference as to what color the author wished to convey in the writing.

Response to Intervention (RTI)

Burlington Public Schools

Pine Glen Elementary School

---

John Lyons, Principal jlyons@bpsk12.org

1 Pine Glen Way Burlington, MA 01803 Phone 781-270-1712 Fax 781-229-5793

September 17, 2015

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Our goal throughout the year is to provide your child with specific support in curriculum areas where he/she needs it.  Soon we will begin our tiered literacy and in some grades tiered math instruction.  This is done to create educational groupings to work on specific skills and is often referred to as RTI (Response to Intervention) or MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports).  In order for each student to receive tailored instruction, he/she may experience different classroom teachers throughout the school year.   The classroom teacher may be different for reading and/or math instruction.  In addition, specialists and RTI tutors may be in students classrooms throughout the day.

We will target instruction and provide specific interventions in areas where students need it.  Assessments and progress monitoring help teachers and specialists determine which skills to address within the classroom.   We also use this information to provide interventions as extra support in addition to the core curriculum in literacy and math.  These intervention/skill development groups take place during our daily thirty minute Intervention/Extension Block and may change frequently throughout the year.  Instruction during the Intervention/Extension Block might be provided by the classroom teacher, specialist or RTI tutor.   

Grade level teams work closely with one another, specialists and myself to examine your child’s progress and skill development.  We refer to the practice of having changing classroom tiers and skill intervention groups as flexible grouping.  If you have any questions regarding your child, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s homeroom teacher.   Also, please feel free to email me if you have any questions (jlyons@bpsk12.org) regarding this process.

Sincerely,

John Lyons, M.S. Ed.

Principal

Pine Glen Elementary

Hero Assembly 2015

On (9/11/15) we had our annual Hero's Assembly at Pine Glen Elementary School. On this day we say thank you to the police officers, firefighters, first responders, and members of our different military branches that help keep our community and country safe. In addition, we remember Lieutenant Commander Thomas McGuiness, an F-14 Fighter Pilot, and alumni of Pine Glen Elementary School.

Hero Assembly 2015

This is a short clip from our 2015 Hero Assembly.

Thank you

It was wonderful to see everyone at Back to School Night this week.  I would like to thank Steve Cross (School Resource Officer- Burlington Police), Kelly Kasparian (parent), Dawn Thyne-Naddaff (parent), Sarah Visocchi (grade 4 teacher), and Lauren Zanotti (Guidance Counselor) for volunteering their time to be on the School Council with me this year. The School Council meets regularly throughout the school year.  

Physical Education

Third grade students in Ms. Govoni's physical education class played a game called Pin Ball today. The students loved the game!

Grade 2 Science and Trees

Mrs. Beaulieu's second graders are learning about coniferous trees and their characteristics. Her students will be able to use pictures and field notes taken on their iPads to later create a book comparing and contrasting different types of trees.

School Cafeteria Substitute List

Looking to work three hours a day on a per diem basis?  How about joining our school     cafeteria substitute list?   If you are interested please contact Karen Damaso at 781-270-1756. Thank you.

Back to School Night

It was wonderful to see everyone at Back to School Night. Mrs. Salvador our reading specialist spoke to first grade parents about assessment and response to intervention (RTI).

We are so fortunate at Pine Glen to have amazing resources like a reading specialist and such talented professionals like Mrs. Salvador working with our students.

Grade 3 Math

In the following pictures you can see Mrs. Cunha, Mrs. Doherty, and Ms. Hayes all teaching different parts of a lesson on number lines. The student's knowledge and use of math vocabulary is amazing.

PTO and Twitter

The Pine Glen PTO Twitter account is @pineglenpto.

A Parent Guide to Response to Intervention (RtI) and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)

Back to School Night for Grown-Ups

Back to School Night for Grown-Ups is scheduled for this Wednesday, September 16th from 6:00 to 7:30.  The night will begin in the cafeteria at 6:00 with opening remarks from the principal.  We will leave the back doors of the cafeteria open to parents in order that they can enter and exit the building through the cafe.  At 6:15 parents are free to proceed to classrooms.  We will continue to have two informational sessions.  The first session will be held from 6:15-6:45.  The second session will run from 6:55-7:25.   Parents are welcome to attend either session.

This is a great evening when teachers and parents can discuss expectations, curriculum, classroom procedures and establish a partnerships between home and school.  We regret that we are unable to provide child care.  We appreciate parents making arrangements for the care of their children in order to attend this important evening.

Grade 1 and Google

Ms. Mills this morning was reviewing with her first graders how to access their Google Accounts on their iPads. It is terrific how a teacher can use a big screen to model what her students will see on their smaller screens.

Universal Screening

First grade students in Mrs. Hayes classroom took the i-Ready screener today. All students at Pine Glen receive universal screening for math and literacy.

This allows us to asses student's skills and focus our instruction. We also learn which students will benefit from interventions to improve skills. I often think of it like a pediatrician taking the temperature of 289 children at the same time.

Art

Fourth grade students today worked on making three dimensional shapes during art class with Ms. Fallon.

First Day of Kindergarten

Kindergarten students had their first day of school today. They were very excited to start learning.

Adopt A Class 2027 Bowl-A-Thon

Confidentiality Meeting

All parent volunteers are required to have an updated CORI form on file at Central Office and also attend a Principal’s Confidentiality Meeting to be eligible to chaperone field trips and volunteer.  

Volunteers are expected to attend a Confidentiality Meeting hosted by the principal. These meetings will be held periodically throughout the year.  This orientation will review expectations and confidentiality.  All schools need to maintain strict confidentiality of all student information. It is a privilege to be a volunteer and any breach of confidentiality will result in a discontinuation of volunteer services. If you have already attended a Confidentiality Meeting and it is on record at the school, you do not need to attend another. 

All parent volunteers are required to have an updated CORI form on file at the central office to be eligible to volunteer at school.

I will be hosting a Confidentiality Meetings on the 14th, 15th and 18th of September at 8:40 am.

Grade 5 Writting

Today during my daily walk-through of classrooms I saw students in Ms. Lane's 5th grade class working on written expression.

Stage Curtain

First grade students were very excited to help point out our new stage curtain. We are thrilled to have to this new curtain!

First Day August 31, 2015

Students had a great first day back to school today. The new tables and chairs in the cafe were well liked by students and staff. It was wonderful to catch up with students and hear all about what they all did this summer.

Welcome Back 2015

August 28, 2015

Dear Pine Glen Community:

It has been a wonderful summer and I am sure everyone has enjoyed this time with family and friends.   This summer my wife and I celebrated our fifteenth anniversary.   We also had a great week at Cape Cod with our daughters.   My youngest daughter will be in second grade and older daughter in sixth grade at the middle school this fall.   In addition, this fall will be my 20th year of having the joy of working in the field of education.  I remember very clearly being 22 and excited to start my first year of teaching like it was yesterday.    That 22 year old and I still share the same excitement and joy at the opportunity to help children develop a life-long love of learning.  I have grown over the years to have an even higher degree of respect for the role parents play.    I have to thank our Pine Glen community for the incredible privilege you provide us with to educate your children and see them grow.  

We will commence the 2015-2016 school year at Pine Glen Elementary School on August 31st for students in grades 1-5.  Kindergarten students first day is September 8th.   Students can be dropped off starting at 8:20 am.  Instruction starts at 8:35 am.  Students who arrive at 8:35 or later will be recorded as tardy.   Students will dismissed at 2:40 pm.    Kindergarten hours are 8:35am-1:00 pm.

    I must commend our custodial staff for their stellar work in making the school a clean and safe environment for students to learn.   Also, teachers have spent many hours this summer preparing their classrooms to be clean, warm, safe, and inviting places to learn.

     We were fortunate this summer to have begun the process of installing a new intercom system.   In addition, we have installed a Wave System to even further improve the speed that first responders  know to arrive at the school in the event of an emergency.   We have also added new tables and chairs to the cafeteria.   These changes will help make our school an even safer safe place to learn.  I would like to thank everyone in Burlington for their support in making safety the number one priority at Pine Glen Elementary School.  

     We continue to utilize a best practice and highly researched Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) often referred to as Response to Intervention (RtI) with staffing.  A MTSS/RtI approach has allowed us the capacity to best draw upon our staff to address individual student needs.   Please continue to be mindful of the fact that in utilizing this approach a student’s classroom teacher might be different than their reading or math teacher.  This affords teachers the opportunity to work with a narrower teachable range, provide interventions, and maximize efficiency.  This is not leveled instruction.  We are providing flexibly grouped reading instruction that changes based on data.  We continue to use an online universal screening to become aware of where to focus our instruction and provide interventions for students.

     We are pleased to welcome new staff members to our Pine Glen Community.  I am incredibly thankful to the all the residents of Burlington for continuing to provide us with the financial means to attract and retain the highest caliber of teachers.  We enthusiastically welcome many staff to new roles and positions at the school too.   Although not new to Pine Glen, Karen Hoyt, who was a kindergarten instructional assistant, is now a kindergarten teacher.   Elizabeth Bennett will be joining us as a new kindergarten instructional assistant with Mrs. Hoyt.  Likewise, Elizabeth Merlino, who was a Response to Intervention Tutor (RtI Tutor) for Pine Glen, will now be a fourth grade teacher.  In addition, Jackie D’Amato, Janelle Fumia, Jessica Maria, and

Courtney Mulcahy are also joining our staff as special needs instructional assistants.  Andrea Pietragallo is also joining our staff as a RtI Tutor.   Molly Ryan is our new speech and language instruction assistant.   In addition, Sandy Lord will be our new English Language Learner (ELL)  teacher.  Samantha Justice will be joining us as our permanent substitute teacher.  Michele DeMartinis is coming on board as a new music teacher.  Carla Beaulieu is moving from fifth grade to second grade and Sarah Hayes is moving from fourth grade to third grade.   Complementing our new hires is Christine Sheppard, our new fifth grade teacher.   Also,  Ms. Smith had her wedding this summer and will now be Mrs. Bourgeois.  

I am incredibly grateful to the Burlington community for the investment they make in students.   Resources such as Response to Intervention tutors, a school psychologist, class size, reading specialist, librarian, technology intervention specialist, and interventions, as well as technology on which to run them, have provided us with the means to see our students make great growth.

    I wish to thank the PTO for all their assistance.   They have done tremendous work in providing student enrichment, organizing school social events, community outreach, and assistance to the teachers.  The Halloween Dance and the Winter Carnival, and Turkey Trot/Walk-a-Thon are just a few examples of some of the great the PTO sponsors.  The PTO continues to serve as the best vehicle in which to volunteer and be active in our school community.   

Thank you very much for the opportunity you entrust us with everyday in providing instruction to your children!  It is an absolute joy to see students grow and mature throughout the years at Pine Glen.  It is because of this support and partnership we can continue to create a lifelong love of learning for everyone in our Pine Glen Community.

If you have any questions or have great stories to share of your children’s learning journey, please do not hesitate to contact me at jlyons@bpsk12.org.

Sincerely,

John Lyons, M.S. Ed.

Principal

Pine Glen Elementary School

Cornhole Tournament

3rd Annual Class of 2025 Open Golf Tournament

Pine Glen Grade Level Teams 2015 - 2016

Camp Bournedale

Attention Fifth Grade Parents…

Camp Bournedale Health Forms are due ASAP upon your child’s return to school.  These bright pink forms were sent home with your child’s report card in June.  If you need a second copy, please don’t hesitate to ask- the sooner the better!  Please be reminded that these health forms do require a physician’s signature if you would like your child to receive any type of medication while on the Camp Bournedale premises.  This includes Advil and ibuprofen.  Please don’t hesitate to email me with any questions or concerns regarding this form at alane@bpsk12.org

Thanks!

Amanda Lane

Grade 5 Teacher

Summer Reading