April PTO Meeting - TONIGHT - 7:00 PM
Please join us via Google Meet for our April PTO Meeting. We really need a few more volunteers to step up and coordinate events over the next year - otherwise we will not be able to continue with all of our programming. In particular, we need help with the Spring Picnic, the Welcome Back to School Picnic, and the Fall Festival. We also could use another volunteer or two to help with the Talent Show.
PTO Coffee with the Principal & Literacy Curriculum Presentation
Thank you so much to Mr. Ahmadi, Ms. Fletcher (Principal Intern), Ms. Kennedy (4th grade teacher), & Ms LeDoux (Literacy Coach) for such an informative and interactive presentation this morning about the new APS literacy curriculum. Parents got to experience a small snapshot of how it has worked this year for Peirce K and 4th grade students and will work for all APS elementary students next school year. You can check out the slide presentation here -
https://tinyurl.com/PeircePTOELPresentation.
Do you have ideas about other areas you would like to hear about from school staff? Please let us know by emailing peirceschool.pto@gmail.com.
Next Week is Teacher Appreciation Week!
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week! It is our time to celebrate the dedication and hard work put in by our teachers! The PTO will provide treats and lunches to the teachers throughout the week.
In addition, it would be so sweet if individual families could take time to thank their child's teacher and classroom assistants.
Here are some ideas:
write your child's teacher a heartfelt note
have your child draw a picture or make a card
send in a small gift card for Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts or Roasted Granola or Cookie Time etc.
bake them a special treat or dessert
send in a plant or flowers
send in their favorite snack or drink
other small gifts like books, box of chocolate etc.
Here is a complete list of the amazing Peirce staff:
- Andrew Ahmadi - Principal
- Julia MacEwan - Assistant Principal
- Molly Sanford - School Secretary
- Susan Almquist - Nurse
- Steve Adams - Senior Custodian
- Amy Burgess - Custodian
- Sarah Juusola - Team Chair
- Kristin Burke - Special Ed Coordinator
- Tara Lamont - Kindergarten Teacher
- Colleen Lloyd - Kindergarten Teacher
- Elisabeth Carse - Grade 1 Teacher
- Sarah Mitri - Grade 1 Teacher
- Nikki Cohen - Grade 1 Teacher
- Allison Manning - Grade 2 Teacher
- Meridith Reeves - Grade 2 Teacher
- Alicia Coletti (Clark) - Grade 2 Teacher
- Sarah List - Grade 3 Teacher
- Molly Serventi-Gleeson - Grade 3 Teacher
- Chloe Bone - Grade 3 Teacher
- Emily Stocker - Grade 4 Teacher
- Nicole Hayes - Grade 4 Teacher
- Eva Kennedy - Grade 4 Teacher
- Heather Dooley - Grade 5 Teacher
- Christina Perkoski - Grade 5 Teacher
- Adrienne Dinh - Grade 5 Teacher
- Chelsea Benli - SLC-D
- Jess Frost - SLP & Reading Specialist
- Renae Nichols - School Librarian
- Nikki Shine - Library Para
- Matt Morrison - PE
- Steve Murphy - PE
- Molly Atryzek - Art
- Ivan Shiu - Music
- Lindsay Doherty - Reading Specialist
- Hannah Griggs - Speech and Language
- Cindy Fijux/Kristen Joyce - OT/PT
- Laura Goldstein - ELL Teacher
- Hannah Jerome - ELL Teacher
- Hannah Borden - Social Worker
- Michelle Gibson - SPED Teacher K-1
- Tricia Lynch - SPED Teacher 2-3
- Marisa Holland - SPED Teacher 4-5
- Cheryl Goff - BCBA
- Krissie Delaney - K TA
- Michael Lwanga - K TA
- Lori Pescatore - 1st Grade TA
- Martina Granlund - 2nd Grade TA
- Tracy Breen - TA - Grades K-2
- Emo Orrell - SSP
- Bri Dervishian - SLC-D SSP
- Katelyn Sheehan - TA Grade 4/5
- Susie Hoglund - TA Grades 4/5
- John Pescatore - TA Grade 5
- Dionne Jones - METCO Instructional Specialist
- Mary Engel - Building Substitute
- Elizabeth LeDoux - ELA Coach
- Daniela Hurley - Social Studies Coach
- Stephanie McKenna - Math Coach
- Carolyn Burke - Math Interventionist
- Sarah Huber - K-5 Science Coach
- Greg Bakopolus/Daniel - After School
- Suman Saini and Anna - Cafeteria
Thank you for helping us appreciate the amazing teachers we are so lucky to call ours!
Help for Peirce family who lost their home to fire
You may have heard that last week a Peirce family was affected by a house fire. Unfortunately, due to the degree of damage, they are unable to return to their home or salvage their possessions. In addition to some direct financial support being provided by the PTO, we are asking if community members are able to donate any of the following needed items:
L/XL shirts boys
L/XL pants boys
Size 7.5 shoes boys
L Socks and underwear boys
L/XL sweatshirts and coat
Toiletries
Market Basket, Target, Walmart, Stop and Shop, or CVS gift cards
Toys (loves Pokémon) or sports items (loves soccer and basketball)
Starting this week there will be a bin near the Peirce office to donate items that would be helpful
(the list was compiled with the input of the family, who has given permission to post this request). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the PTO at peirceschool.PTO@gmail.com.
Mark your calendars for this year's Peirce's Got Talent talent show- Friday May 10th at 6:00 PM in the Cafeteria!
Sign-up to perform or come to support your friends--or both! Peirce students may participate in ONE solo or group act. All types of talents are welcome! Please limit each act to 2 minutes or less and come prepared with any necessary music or backing tracks.
The focus of this talent show is FUN - there is no judging/competition aspect. Younger students will be scheduled towards the beginning of the show and we'll do our best to keep things moving! Sign up here - https://tinyurl.com/PeirceTalentShow2024. Registration will close on Tuesday, May 7th, so be sure to sign up promptly.
All families are invited to attend this fun and fabulous community event. Questions or want to help with the event? Please contact Talent Show Parent Coordinators Jason - jwmartin@gmail.com or Dan - gilcrest@gmail.com
The spring book fair will take place the week of May 6th! All proceeds from this book fair will be used to support and grow the Peirce library. During your child's regular library class time (May 6-10), students will have the option to purchase new books for your home libraries. Watch for PTO announcements indicating before and after school shopping hours. The books range from about $4.00 to $20.00 per book. Purchasing books is optional and there will be other library activities for students who do not plan to buy books. If you would like your child to receive a book fair scholarship to be able to purchase a book, please contact Renae Nichols (rnichols@arlington.k12.ma.us) as soon as possible. Requests for financial assistance will be kept confidential.
Looking for a gift for teacher appreciation week? Fantastic Book Fairs (FBF) is offering a new way for parents to help contribute to their teacher’s classroom libraries during the Book Fair. Instead of a wishlist, parents will be able to add funds to their Teacher’s Book Buying Fund, and that teacher can use those funds to purchase books during the fair. Any remaining funds are transferred to the PTO, who can use the money to buy books that were not available through the book fair.
To shop online or to contribute to a teacher's book fund, head to https://fantasticbookfairs.com/pages/peirce
Thank you to the parents who helped to wash all the coats and sweatshirts that were in the Lost and Found. We still have lots of hats, gloves and mittens that will eventually make their way as well to Cradles to Crayons. Please check out our google photos as we are already collecting more items. Lastly, we have so many water bottles still and would be bummed to throw them out, so please check to see if your student is not missing theirs.
The Peirce Snack Program, supported by Arlington EATS, provides snacks to any child who needs one (for any reason) so there is no stigma attached to getting a snack at school. Snacks are available in the classrooms and in the main office.
Support The Snack Program: If you have the ability, please consider supporting our snack program by donating snacks. Over the last year demand for snacks has increased significantly while donations have declined. You can purchase off the Amazon wish list by clicking the button below, or by donating snacks or money directly. Donations are welcome throughout the school year.
Announcing our APS annual textile recycling competition! Please support your school and help reduce waste by bringing your old, worn, torn textiles (clothing, shoes, towels, bedding, stuffed animals) to your school's collection bin from April 30th-May 30th. The bins at Peirce are located at the front entrance of the school on Blossom Street. All donations must be bagged. The volume of donated textiles at each school will be tracked by Bay State Textiles.
Peirce won second place last year and has been a winner of the competition for seven consecutive years! Like last year, we will award 1st and 2nd place prizes. You will receive weekly updates on the weights collected across the district in order to see where the competition stands and push for the top two spots!
For a list of acceptable donations click here. For questions about the competition or to report bin overflow, please contact Arlington School Sustainability Coordinator Rachel Oliveri at roliveri@arlington.k12.ma.us.
Want to learn more about Textile Recycling? Here are some resources:
The annual Arlington High School EcoFair on Friday May 10 is open to the public and features live music from student bands, food and ice cream, crafts, lawn games, and activities run by student leaders of environmental initiatives. There will be goats too!
Artist Michelle Lougee visits EcoFair for a participatory workshop featuring Entangled, a sculpture made of post-consumer plastic waste to call attention to plastic production and pollution.
EcoFair will take place on Friday, May 10th on the front law on Arlington High School from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
What is Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA)?
An evidence- and skills-based training for adults who frequently interact with youth. YMHFA is the help offered to a young person experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. Training is for anyone 18+ connected to Arlington!
What will I learn?
- Common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges in adolescents
- Language and skills to talk to youth about suicide
- 5-step action plan to recognize and respond to youth in crisis and non-crisis situations
- How to refer a youth to the appropriate professional support services
- “Because I participated in this training, I now feel confident asking if someone is thinking of killing themselves”
- “I have applied some [YMHFA] approaches to my 9 year old son - identifying what are normal 9 year old behaviors versus what might be concerning.”
Thanks to the Mental Health Awareness Training grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, this course, originally valued at $170 per participant, is being offered at no cost to learners.
Register here
APS Literacy Coaches and Dr. Mona Ford Walker recently presented an overview of the new literacy curriculum that will be used in all K-5 classrooms beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. The team presented the theory behind EL, the components of the curriculum, shared their experiences, discussed what has been working well and how teachers have been responding and also answered questions. Please review the video for more information. Click the photo to go to the website where the recording is posted. EL Information Session Recording.mp4
Please join the APS LGBTQUIA+ Rainbow Taskforce, Elementary School Rainbow Alliances, Middle School QSAs, and High School GSA
2nd Annual District-Wide Pride Celebration
Saturday, May 18, 2024
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Music, Arts & Crafts, Games, Bouncy House, Community & Fun!
Bring a water bottle, food & snacks will be available for purchase at the event.
All are welcome!
RSVPs are appreciated so we know how many people to expect
Want to volunteer? We would love your help - sign up here
Please join us for our bi-weekly regular meeting that will be held in person at the District Offices in the School Committee Room located at 14 Mill Brook Drive Arlington and online via Zoom or on ACMi at 6:30PM on the following dates:
- Thursday, May 9, 6:30 PM - Regular School Committee Meeting
- Thursday, May 23, 6:30 PM - Regular School Committee Meeting
All members of the school district community have the opportunity to address the School Committee on issues that affect the school district and are within the scope of the Committee's responsibilities during the Public Comment portion of the School Committee Meeting and/or through written correspondence to the Members. For full school committee calendar and more information please visit the School Committee Website. If you have any questions please contact Liz Diggins via email ediggins@arlington.k12.ma.us.
For the most up to date calendar of subcommittee meetings you can look here.
Saturday, May 4th, from 9 AM to noon. (rain date May 11, same times)
Location: the Peirce School neighborhood
What is it? If you live in this neighborhood, gather up your unwanted treasures and put them out front with a sign saying FREE! Then feel free to wander the neighborhood and see what treasures you can find from others! It is the most fun way to de-clutter while sharing with neighbors!
If you have stuff to get rid of: If you live in the Peirce School neighborhood and are interested in being part of the sale, please take 30 seconds to fill out this form so we can make a map of participating addresses (your name won’t be included, just your address).
If you want to find something new-to-you: Save the date, and we’ll be sharing the map as the event gets closer. We’ll also have signs in the neighborhood with a QR code for the map. You don’t have to put out free stuff in order to take free stuff, and you don’t have to live in the neighborhood to come wander - the people putting out items would be delighted for them to find new homes!
The M.O.M.'s Run 5k returns on May 12th, 2024, with the kids run starting at 9:15am at the Dilboy VFW in Davis Square. There is no better way to start Mother's Day than with a 5k! Participate in the 5km run or walk, and have the kids join the kids run! Run with your family and friends. Strollers, kids, and families are all welcome to join in this family friendly event! Proceeds go to the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For more information and to register, visit https://www.srr.org/moms-run
Festivities will take place in the Heights Business District (along Mass Avenue from the Bus Depot to D’Agostino’s parking lot) and at the Park Avenue Congregational Church from 2 to 5pm. Enjoy an afternoon of top-notch live music, art, poetry, activities for children, 55+ painted storefront windows and more – all free!
For more info about schedule of events, location of activities, and a list of participating organizations visit the website.
Volunteers are needed for this event. Sign up here.
Arlington EcoFest inspires connection to and celebration of our natural world through learning and action. Events include park cleanups and plantings, student-led projects, participatory public art, a puppet show, workshops, and fairs. See list of events here.
Children’s Book Sale- Save the Date-Saturday, May 18 at the Robbins Library. We will be selling children’s and Young Adult books, puzzles, games and more. Donations will be received at the Robbins Library beginning in early May. Start cleaning off those bookshelves! Teens may earn Community Service hours helping to prepare for the Sale.