Burlington Baseball and Softball Association

The BBSA is conducting tryout evaluations for the 2011 Ripken Major League.  The tryouts are to be held at Regan Park on September 22nd, 2010 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm and on September 25th, 2010 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.  Please note, all players must attend one of these tryouts in order to play in the 2011 Ripken Major League. Please direct any and all questions to Pat O'halloran at patohalloran@verizon.net.

Cub Scouts, Boys Grades 1-5

Be part of the fun and adventure, be a Cub Scout!  Please come join us on Wednesday, September 29th from 7-8:30 for our Pack Registration Night, at Fox Hill School.  Along with information regarding Cub Scouts we have a special demonstration by Guard Up for all the boys to enjoy.  Please contact Kathleen Smith for information 781-229-7945 or mamakin3@gmail.com.

PTO Announcements

Welcome back to all!  We hope your child's first week back to school has been a pleasant one.  Please join us in welcoming the 2010 Kindergartners and their families!  This past summer the PTO sponsored a couple of play dates to welcome the newest students to Pine Glen.  Courtney McDonnell and Christina Russo organized this fun event held in the school playground.  We want to thank them both for chairing this committee.  Also, Kindergarten orientation day was held last Thursday and we had the opportunity to meet the excited children, parents and guardians.  The PTO hosted a table with refreshments and play dough and introduced parents to the program in each of the three Kindergarten classrooms.  Thank you to: PTO Secretary Monica Brown who greeted the parents and children and Joanna DeFrancesco, PTO Co-Vice President, who provided the homemade play dough.  We are eager to welcome the new families into the PTO.

All families should have received the 2010-2011 PTO pamphlet, membership dues envelope, and volunteer form that were sent home in your child's backpack.  Extra copies may be found in the school office.  We hope you will renew  your membership (only $15), become an active member, and encourage a friend to join.  Some of the highlights of last year's PTO accomplishments include the purchase of a new school laminator, enrichment presentations by author Jerry Pallotta and artist Rob Surette, and the purchase of National Geographic social studies materials - just to name a few. 

This year there will be some added "PTO Member Perks".  Each family who has paid membership dues will receive a free copy of the Student Directory and email notifications of meetings and school updates.  We hope you will renew your membership again this year.  We also hope you will be able to volunteer on a committee.  The 2010-2011 PTO volunteer form lists over 20 opportunities to help make a difference in your child's learning experience.  Please remember that CORI checks must be current in order to volunteer at the school or to attend field trips.  CORIs expire every three years and must be renewed at the Superintendent's Office.

Special thanks to: Nancy Keddy for printing the PTO pamphlets in color; Julie Gosselin for making copies; and Joanna DeFrancesco for assembling the 400 PTO packets for distribution to all students.

We look forward to working with you to enrich the educational experience of all children at Pine Glen.

Flexible Reading Instruction and Intervention

September 13, 2010

Dear Parents,

Reading instruction addresses five essential components: phonemic awareness (the knowledge and manipulation of sounds in spoken words); phonics (the relationship between written and spoken letters and sounds); reading fluency (the ability to read with accuracy and with appropriate rate, expression, and phrasing); vocabulary (the knowledge of words, their definitions, and context); and reading comprehension strategies (the understanding of meaning in text).  

We are continuing to use several different instructional programs to teach reading at Pine Glen School.  All accomplish the same goal of improving reading performance, but they take somewhat different paths in helping students reach his/her goal.  The staff at Pine Glen work very hard to match our young readers with an appropriate instructional approach.  Based upon our notes from working with your child and reading assessments, your child may receive additional interventions and instruction to address one or more of the five essential components of reading.

All students participate in guided reading instruction, where she/he will develop fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies.  Grade level literacy teams continue to watch and monitor all students learning to ensure students are making effective progress and growing in skills.  Grade level literacy teams are made up of classroom teachers, reading specialist, literacy tutor, special education teacher, special education assistant, and principal. 

Literacy teams have looked at all the students’ reading assessments while discussing each of them as readers.  Your child will be provided with flexible reading instruction with a member of their grade level team.  As a team working together we can present the best possible reading instruction to your child, and monitor student learning to ensure that he/she is making effective progress as a reader. 

The instructor may -- or may not -- be your child’s classroom teacher.   All the teachers are excited to get to know your child as a reader and as a learner. 

If you have questions, please call your child’s classroom teacher or me.   We would be happy to speak with you.

Sincerely,

John Lyons

Principal

Pine Glen School

jlyons@burlington.mec.edu

Growth Model

For the first time ever, this year's MCAS Parent Reports will include growth model data. Many parents will likely have questions about this new data.  To make this new data less confusing I recommend going to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education online tutorial which is geared specifically for parents. The tutorial is in powerpoint format with audio and requires no special software.  It was created to help parents understand what the growth model represents. The tutorial is posted at http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/growth/tutorial2.html. 

 

Heroes Ceremony

Note from Instrumental Music Teacher Mr. Napierkowski

4th graders attended an assembly this week that demonstrated the flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet and trombone. Students interested in beginning lessons on one of these instruments received a notice describing the instrumental program. Please email the information or return the bottom of that notice to school by Tuesday, September 14 if you and your child wish to participate. A commitment to practicing at home is essential for success.  The Rayburn Music company will be at the Burlington High School cafeteria on Tuesday, September 14 from 6:00-8:00 pm. They offer a rent-to-own program for new and previously owned instruments. If you can not attend this event, please call Rayburn at 1-888-729-2876 or the company of your choice to obtain an instrument and an Accent on Achievement method book. Beginner lessons will start the week of September 20. Deadline for obtaining instruments is the week of October 4. Any questions please email Mr. Napierkowski at napierkowski@burlington.mec.edu or call his voicemail at 781-273-7032. You may also check the elementary band blog at www.elemband.wordpress.com for further information and updates.

Girl Scout Registration Event for 2010-2011

Registration for families of girls in grades K-12 wishing to join Girl Scout troops in Burlington will be on Tuesday, September 14th, from 7pm to 8p at the Pine Glen School (1 Pine Glen Way).  Please plan on attending for the hour; there will be activities for interested girls and siblings.


Girl Scouting builds Courage, Confidence, and Character; girls learn teamwork, mutual respect, goal setting, and leadership in all of their Girl Scout activities.  The troops are all-volunteer run, so we NEED YOU to make Girl Scouts happen.  Please consider helping Burlington Girl Scouts, either by stepping up as a leader or volunteering with a troop. We can't do this without you!  [ http://www.burlingtongirlscouts.org ]www.burlingtongirlscouts.org

Burlington Youth Soccer

The Burlington Youth Soccer Fall U6 (Kindergarten) and U8 (1st & 2nd graders) Clinic programs will begin Saturday, September 11th and run through Saturday, November 6th at Lower MSMS.  U6 will run from 2:30 - 3:30 pm and U8 will run from 4:00 - 5:00 pm. Please register online at www.burlingtonsoccer.org.  The fee is $60 per player and after September 18th a $15 late fee will apply.

CORI

We love to have volunteers at Pine Glen School.  It would be very difficult to do field trips without our wonderful chaperons.   The first step in being a volunteer (chaperoning on a field trip) is to be CORI checked. 

Burlington School Policy requires all volunteers to be CORI checked.

If you are unsure about your CORI being up to date, please email Mrs. Gosselin (gosselin@burlington.mec.edu) to confirm. A CORI can be completed at Central Office located at Burlington High School.

The CORI form may be obtained at the Burlington Public School Office of the Superintendent during business hours 8:00am to 4:00pm. Photo identification, such as a driver's license or a passport, is required to complete the process.

Below are some frequently asked questions and answers related to the CORI Form. 

Q. Where do I get the Form?

A. The CORI Form is at the Superintendent's Office. 

Q. What do I bring to the Superintendent's Office to complete the form?

A. You must bring photo identification with you. It can be a driver's license, a passport or a college ID.

Q. How far in advance do I need to fill out the form if I plan to volunteer?

A. You need to complete the CORI information 10 days in advance.

Q. How will I know if I have "passed" the CORI?

A. If you do not receive a notice from the Superintendent's Office, you have "passed".

Q. How often do I have a CORI report done?

A. All current or prospective employees, volunteers, subcontractors, school bus drivers, and laborers commissioned by the school department who may have direct and unmonitored contact with children will have a criminal offenders records check conducted periodically, but not less than every three years.

Volunteers

Volunteers from Pine Glen are needed to help distribute vouchers at Barnes & Noble on Friday, September 10th in 2 hour shifts from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.  If interested, please contact Mrs. Ogren at 781/334-6705 or ogren@earthlink.net.  A percentage of purchases made at the bookstore on Sept. 10th - Sept. 11th will benefit the Burlington Public School's children.   

A Can't Miss Parent Presentation With Angela Maiers - September 16, 2010

Burlington High is thrilled to announce that we will be hosting nationally known education consultant Angela Maiers. Angela will speak to parents in the Burlington High School Auditorium from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 16, 2010.  Angela is regarded an expert on 21st Century education, learning, and literacy and she is excited to offer our community her enlightening perspective on how the world inside schools needs to change in order to better prepare our students for the world outside of our schools.

More importantly, Angela brings the perspective of a mom with two school-aged children.  This is an important opportunity for all parents of students in Burlington to get involved in the conversation concerning where we need to go as both a high school and a school district in order to provide our students the most relevant education possible. 
(Posted by Patrick Larkin- Burlington High School Blog 9/2/2010)

Children and the First Week of School

If your child comes home and has a lot of energy, this is a very normal and developmentally appropriate means of communication for children.  It might feel like you encountered Tigger in the 100 Acre Wood and you’re looking at Winnie the Pooh as if to say, “How did this happen?” 

This is often seen the last week of summer vacation into the first week or school and last week of the school year, too.  This can be witnessed in preschoolers through high school seniors.  During the first week of school, students are making a big transition in their schedules.  They are adjusting from a summer vacation schedule to structured school day.  The range of emotions can go from being nervous to sheer excitement.  Students, unlike adults, do not have a lot of years of reference to refer back on when encountering new situations.  When your children arrive home, a wonderful activity to do is to ask a directed question such as “What was the best part of your day?” or “What made you feel good today?” 

          Children sometimes come home and talk about an unpleasant part of their day.  I know as a parent it breaks your heart.  What helps me in these situations is to remind myself that not everything is going to come easy for my child.  One of the best strategies a parent can do in these situations and at any time is to empower my child. 

 Parents and teachers can’t provide a road map for children for every situation they will encounter.  Children will hit some streets that branch off in two directions and they will be required to make a choice.  

One of the best things we can do to prepare our children for those situations is to capitalize upon their strengths.  When children feel upset or discouraged, remind them of their strengths.   Tell them what they are good at and what they like to do.  When we do this, we allow children to build upon their strengths like climbing a ladder.  

Whether it is a high level of energy or a child being quiet deep in his or her thoughts, this is a very normal part of childhood particularly this week.   Along with this also come humor, joy and love.  It is what makes being a parent great.   

As I see it, if you’re quiet, you’re not living.   You’ve got to be noisy, or at least your thoughts should be noisy and colorful and lively.

                                                               -Mel Brooks

Bus Schedules

To find information about bus schedules please go to the Burlington Public Schools Web Page. 

Burlington Public Schools Web Page

On the web page there is a heading titled Resources.   If you click on the Resources heading,  this link will take you to the bus schedules.  

The link below goes directly to that page.

  

Bus Schedule

Burlington Principal featured in Boston Globe

This article was featured in the Boston Globe on Sunday.   The link below will take you to the article.
http://www.boston.com/community/moms/articles/2010/08/29/burlington_high_principal_plans_to_incorporate_more_technology_in_learning/

September Lunch Menu

Printable copy

Start of a New School Year

August 20, 2010

Dear Parents,

It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome students to the 2010/2011 school year!  I hope everyone has had a healthy and safe summer.  There are so many memories made during the summer months as we perhaps saw our children jump off a diving board for the first time, ride without training-wheels, or grow in responsibility and independence.   The times we spend with our children doing such activities as tide pooling at the ocean are truly priceless.

A great memory I had from this summer was the time I spent studying at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.   I attended the Principal Institute with 140 other administrators from all corners of the world.  It was very common during my weeks there to be having a discussion with a principal for example from Texas, Maryland, Australia, the Middle East, New York, or Germany.  No matter where we came from one clear theme was apparent –our strong passion for student growth and our dedication to develop life long learners.   An additional thrill was participating in Project Adventure.  Project Adventure involved tasks such as being 45 feet up in the air and walking across a telephone pole positioned like balance beam with a repelling line as my safety.  This allowed for great intrapersonal thinking and team building ideas for the fall.

We have been very busy at Pine Glen this summer. As a result of the flooding, once students departed for the summer, teachers on the first floor had to pack-up entire classrooms and put all the items in storage.   An asbestos abatement was conducted as the entire first floor tile was removed and new tile was installed.  Teachers have been very busy unpacking their rooms these past two weeks.  This has presented a much shorter window of time for the custodial staff to prepare the building and teachers to prepare their classrooms. When students arrive this fall to a clean building and classrooms all set up, it is due to the hard work and dedication of the teachers and custodial staff.  Please be sure to express thanks to all the staff.  This summer was particularly hot and humid and the custodial staff did a remarkable job.

We are also extremely excited to have a new field in the playground area in back of the school (my blog has before and after pictures).   This was a big project and involved removal of large amounts of sand, the bringing in of topsoil, and landscaping with laser technology.  Rocks where also put around the perimeter of the field where it meets the building and hot top was put down in a new elevated path leading to the gym structure.  An additional benefit will be the redirection of water away from the building to hamper flooding.  Children will be able to play on the gym structure and other areas of the field until the new grass grown.   Once the grass is grown we will all delight in seeing students play on the new field.

We have purchased a large degree of new curriculum particularly in the areas of reading comprehension and written expression.   Throughout the academic year teachers will participate in curriculum councils and all teachers will continue at grade level meetings with myself to look at curriculum, instruction and assessment.  Curriculum pilots and new intervention pilots will also be implemented in various grades and subjects in areas such as math, vocabulary, and comprehension.  We saw tremendous growth this past academic year from our students.  In fact, we had to order a large amount of new fiction and non-fiction books.  Students are reading more books than they ever have in the past.   This fall all grade levels will be tiering instruction during language arts.   The most noticeable change for students will be that their classroom teacher might be different than their reading teacher.  This affords teachers the opportunity to work with a narrower teachable range, provide interventions and maximizing efficiency.  This is not leveled reading instruction.  We are providing flexibly grouped reading instruction that changes based on data.  We will also be implementing this in some grade levels in math.   This in a way can be thought of as football practice for a college or professional team.  A team like the Patriots has multiple coaches for say special teams, offense, defense, and receivers etc.   During practice, players work with these coaches in small groups on a specific skill or area.  This is much like a reading teacher working with a group on reading comprehension, fluency, phonics, or phonemic awareness.  We will continue to use D.O.R.A. (Developmental Online Reading Assessment) our online universal screen to become aware of where to focus our instruction and provide interventions.

We also welcoming new technology at Pine Glen this fall.  We have added 10 additional “Bob Carts.”   These are 4 terminal computer stations.  They are extremely helpful in providing interventions to students and many other educational opportunities that a computer can provide.   Likewise, we have also increased our wireless coverage in the building and expansion of providing laptops and some touch-screen tablets to staff.   We are also beginning the process at Pine Glen of switching our listening centers, which occur during balanced literacy time from tape player to I-Pod technology.   Also upcoming will be the expansion of interactive white board technology. 

This year I will be providing all communication through the blog or a recorded phone call.  Several teachers likewise will be communicating via their classroom blog.  I encourage all parents to pick a time to check my blog, http://pineglenprincipal.blogspot.com, and the Superintendent’s Blog, http://ericconti.wordpress.com.  In addition to upcoming events both of these blogs will be providing information about such upcoming events as the redistricting of the four elementary schools.  Through the Burlington Web page, http://www.burlington.mec.edu, one can access the school calendar, lunch menu, and Pine Glen web page, which provide links to Pine Glen staff blogs. 

We are pleased to welcome two new staff members to our Pine Glen Community.  Amanda Pierce will be our new special education teacher.   Dan Callahan will be our new technology integration specialist (computer teacher).   We are very fortunate to have attracted such high quality instructors to our professional learning community. 

We are also thrilled to have two formerly retired Pine Glen teachers return to Pine Glen.  Martha Ogren, was the librarian for several years at Pine Glen, will be returning to her role as the school librarian.  Jill Papadonis who taught for several years at Pine Glen will be teaching first grade covering Mrs. Hayes maternity leave.   We are so fortunate to have both of these individuals share their many years of incredible instructional experience and skills.

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 new laminator donated by the PTO was greatly appreciated by the teachers particularly with the packing up of classrooms this summer.   Likewise, we were very fortunate to have had incredible student enrichment this spring from Jerry Polatta, a children’s author, and Rob Surette, an expressionistic artist.   Five of Rob’s paintings now hang in the school cafeteria. These vibrant, ascetic paintings not only add cultural and historical value to the cafeteria but, remind students of Rob’s message to live out your dreams, take risks, and be respectful of each other.   We have also added greatly to our literacy collection particularly in the areas of non-fiction text for science and social studies with generous donations from the PTO.  The PTO continues to serve as the best way in which to volunteer and be active in our school community.   If not already, please consider joining this organization, which has, as its main purpose student enrichment at Pine Glen School.

We begin our new school year on September 1^st for grades 1 to 5.  The Pine Glen staff and I are extremely grateful for the opportunity to instruct your children. It is through instruction and our interactions with your children that we daily see those similar magical summer moments you experienced during June, July and August.    

Sincerely,

John Lyons

Principal

Pine Glen Elementary School

Message from the PTO: Summer Social

All incoming kindergarten students and their families are invited to attend a Summer Social on Sunday, August 29 from 4-5pm at the Pine Glen playground sponsored by the Ping Glen PTO.   The social is a time for kids and parents to get to know future friends.  We hope you all can make it!  Please be aware, the school building will be closed, so there will be no bathroom facilities available.

Summer Work

Attached are some pictures of the work that has taken place at Pine Glen.   This summer there was an asbestos abatement of the entire first floor and the carpeting was removed in the library.  We are looking forward to starting the year with our new floors and new carpeting in the library.    Also witnessed in August was removal of all the sand in the playground area.  We are thrilled to have new topsoil on the playground area along with a new paved path and beautiful landscaping.   An additional cause for celebration was the arrival of 10 new “Bob Carts” (computer stations for the classrooms) and exterior painting of the building.  I hope everyone is enjoying there summer and look forward to seeing everyone in the fall. 

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PTO Announcements

Hi Fellow PTO Members, 

Please join us in congratulating Principal John Lyons on his first year at Pine Glen. The children remain his main priority.  He has done a wonderful job in helping to make improvements.  He has successfully implemented a new reading assessment program as well as a new elementary school schedule that have yielded terrific results.  Mr. Lyons has also gracefully "weathered the storm" of spring flooding and plans to address the issue with renovations to the first floor over the summer.  These are just a few of his many accomplishments.  We wish him continued success.

Also, please welcome Monica Brown as the new Pine Glen PTO Secretary!  Monica assumed responsibilities a few months ago and is doing a super job taking notes and posting meeting minutes on the PTO link to the Pine Glen website.  Other board positions remain the same for the 2010-2011 school year, as there were no nominations this spring or any expected vacancies.

In other news, the PTO has had a busy end-of-school year.  The PTO membership approved the purchase of a new laminator through a first-time online vote.  Thanks again to Denise Lane for getting the best price and appropriate laminator for the school.  The teachers and staff have been very grateful.

Staff appreciation day held in early May was a great success.  Thank you to Joanna DeFrancesco, who chaired the event, and to everyone who donated food items or gifts or who volunteered that day.  The staff has had said nothing but wonderful things about it.   

The Pine Glen barbecue was a fun night for many families.  A sincere thank you to Erynn Mitchell, who chaired the big event again this year, and to all the parents who volunteered that night.  We also want to thank: DJ Jack Ferren, who volunteered his services and donated the rental of the equipment; former Principal Jane Dwyer for her famous face painting; the Lowell Spinners Cannaligator; and Roche Bros. for donating some of the food.

The barbecue's 50/50 raffle organized by Denise Porcello raised money for the family fund.  Orginated several years ago by Denise, this fund assists Pine Glen families in need.  Thank you to Katherine Swan for generously returning her winnings back to the fund. 

The PTO also sponsored a couple of enrichment days for the children.  Thank you to Michelle Gaffney who chaired this committee and took care of all the logistics.  Jerry Pallotta, children's book author, delivered several age-appropriate presentations in the school's gymnasium.  He was very entertaining and addressed the creative writing process through slides and props.  He also held a book signing during the barbecue.  Each classroom received a signed book by Pallotta that will be a permanent addition to their library. 

Rob Surette, an expressionistic painter, delivered an exciting performance in the cafetorium for the entire school.  Surette wowed the audience as he quickly painted five portraits of Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein,  Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Theresa, and Beethoven with broad, quick brushstrokes.  His live painting performance was accompanied by music and a video that ran simultaneously.  He inspired the children with his positive message about living out your dreams and that anything is possible; you can be whatever you want to be and make a difference in this world like the heroes he painted. These paintings will grace our school and remind us of the major impact these individuals made in U.S. and world history.

Field day was sponsored by the PTO as well.  We funded the rental of the outdoor rides, the water for the children, and refreshments for parent volunteers.  The children had an absolutely wonderful, fun-filled day.  They look forward to this every year.  Thank you to the many parents who volunteered and to P.E. teacher Christie Govoni for organizing the event.

The PTO also sponsored the 5th-grade field trip busses to Cedardale, 2010 T-shirts, graduation, and yearbooks.  Many thanks to: Allison Theirrien for chairing the field trip and graduation; Pam Moreira and Kim Winn for chairing the yearbook committee; all parent volunteers for these special events.  These occasions mark the end of  Pine Glen experiences for the fifth graders.  Undoubtedly, the PTO helped to celebrate and highlight this special time in ways they will remember for the rest of their lives.  Congratulations to all!

Finally, a heartfelt thanks to all Pine Glen PTO members who have helped to make the aforementioned a reality.  Without your support and assistance none of this would be possible.  Your steadfast commitment is truly appreciated by the Board, teachers and staff.  Let's continue our success by increasing participation.  We challenge everyone to invite a friend next year to join and help the PTO's mission to provide educational enrichment for all our students.  We continue to be a role model for other PTOs.  

Have a wonderful and relaxing summer everyone!

Thank you,

Maria Woods and the Pine Glen PTO Board