Welcome Back Peirce Families & Staff!
Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! The Peirce PTO is excited to help make this year a terrific one for every member of our community. Volunteers have already been hard at work buying and distributing school supplies to all Peirce classrooms. Making sure every student has what they need to start the year is just one part of the Peirce PTO's commitment to doing all we can to create as equitable and inclusive a school environment as possible. We also support room parents, plan teacher appreciation activities, fund field trips and enrichment, and support the library through fundraising. We ALWAYS need more people to get involved, and hope that as many of you as possible will try to come to our monthly meetings and/or sign up to plan or help with an event. Our first meeting of the year is on Tuesday, September 17 from 7 - 8 pm over zoom. All are welcome! The link to the meeting will be in the September 17 newsletter.
Are you interested in helping the Peirce PTO as a Room Parent for your child’s class during the school year 2023-2024?
As a room parent, your role is to help connect student parents/caregivers with each other and with the classroom teacher. By doing so, you will help Peirce PTO build a stronger community that makes our elementary school so special!
**You do NOT need to have daytime availability to be a room parent!!!
Questions? Email Sarah Pierson at sarahemcsweeney@gmail.com
Ready to sign up? Click here.
If room parent isn't your thing, there are many other ways you can help the PTO. If you would like to learn more about what we need, please email peirceschool.pto@gmail.com or attend our September meeting!
Make sure and mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
- Friday, September 6 - Coffee & Conversation with Mr. Ahamadi after drop off. Meet at the back entrance for coffee and then move inside for a conversation about communication and community
- Thursday, September 12 - Welcome Back to School Picnic
- Wednesday, September 25 - Back to School Night
- Thursday, September 26 - Picture Day
Last, but definitely not least, please welcome all of our new Peirce staff members! Please say hi and introduce yourselves if you see an unfamiliar face!
Heidi Clement - Assistant Principal
Hannah Honig- 3rd grade
Sophie Thoft- Brown- Long term substitute for Mrs. Clark (2nd grade)
Cecelia Leblanc - Long term substitute for Mrs. Cohen (1st grade)
Isabella Kashkin- School Psychologist
Marion Nolan- Team Chair/Reading Specialist
Mary DeWitte - Math Interventionist
Sharyn Von Trapp- PE Teacher
Rye Daily- PE Teacher
We hope everyone has a flamazing first week of school! Oh, and DON'T FORGET TO LABEL YOUR WATER BOTTLES! Need labels? You can order them from Mabel's Labels and 20% of your purchase will be donated back to the Peirce PTO!
Cheers,
The Peirce PTO 2024 - 2025 Board
Kelly Kemp, President
Laura Gitelson, Vice-President
Stephanie Taylor, Treasurer
Beth O'Brien, Secretary
Thursday, September 12
5:30 - 7:30 PM
Peirce Big Playground, Field & Basketball Court
Del's Lemonade will be sold at the event, and pizza will be available for pre-order. Be on the lookout for links to volunteer and pre-order pizza in the next couple of days.
WE WILL NOT HAVE PIZZA AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON THE DAY OF THE PICNIC - YOU MUST PRE-ORDER
We are in need of a new Picture Day Coordinator!
After many years of making Picture Day go smoothly, Sarah Barton is in her last year as a Peirce parent. We need a new volunteer (or two) to work with Sarah this year and take over the process for next year. This is a great, time limited way to help contribute to the Peirce community. If you have questions or are interested in volunteering please comment here or email peirceschool.pto@gmail.com
The School Picture Day Coordinator(s) will organize and manage picture day at Peirce School, working closely with Coffee Pond Photography, school staff, and parent volunteers. The role can be shared between two people, and daytime availability is not necessary as long as you can handle volunteer coordination and pre-picture day logistics. Outgoing Picture Day Coordinator Sarah Barton will be available to help you get up to speed.
Key Responsibilities:
- Coordinate with Coffee Pond Photography to confirm details and ensure materials are ready.
- Distribute the picture day schedule to teachers and manage time slots.
- Work with the school social worker on scholarship packages.
- Recruit and schedule parent volunteers.
- Oversee picture day logistics, including setup and ensuring classes follow the schedule.
Check out lots of classic and new items - from sweatshirts and t-shirts to mugs and water bottles at our online store here.
When you make your purchase you will have multiple shipping options in a dropdown menu. You can either pay for shipping direct to your home, or the PTO will absorb the shipping cost and have a bulk order shipped to the school for pickup available at the beginning of November. If you would like to be a part of the Fall bulk order, you MUST place your order by September 30. This is a hard deadline set by our vendor. If you miss that deadline, the store will still be open year round, but you will need to pay for shipping.
The PTO Spirit Wear store is primarily designed to enhance school spirit, rather than serving as a significant fundraiser. While it generates some funds, its main goal is to cover the costs of production and our ability to offer these items to teachers and staff at cost.
Please join us for our bi-weekly regular meetings 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, September 12, 6:30 PM - Regular School Committee Meeting
- Thursday, September 26, 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.
Friday, September 6
6:30 PM
St. Camillus
1185 Concord Turnpike
Arlington, MA
Cub Scouts is a program for boys and girls in kindergarten through fifth grade that provides a safe and fun way to learn new skills and have great experiences. Most events are open to the whole family, so older and younger siblings can also participate.
You can get an idea of future Pack events from the Pack 313 annual calendar.
For new Cub Scout parents, here is more information.
If you and your child are looking for fun and adventure, Cub Scouts with Arlington Pack 313 might be for you! Check out https://www.arlingtoncubs313.com/ and/or email cubmaster@arlingtoncubs313.com for more information.
Come join us for our meeting on September 6th!
If you've been thinking about trying lacrosse for the first time, come join us for a free clinic.
All are welcome, sticks will be provided. Come for one or both sessions!
September 29 & October 6 (Robbins Farm)
K - Grade 3 (3-4PM)
Grades 4-8 (4:15 - 5:30PM)
Enjoy live music, more than 200 booths for arts and crafts, non-profit and local business displays, as well as an enormous assortment of enticing food.
Town Day takes place on Massachusetts Ave. from Pleasant Street to Mill Street. There are booths offering craft exhibits, bake sales, educational displays, raffles, club membership information, games, food vendors, and/or other such “fair type” activities.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Fireworks
Fireworks by Pyrotecnico Fireworks, Inc. will begin at 7:30p.m. over Spy Pond. There are NO organized or planned activities around this event, just fireworks. Parking in the area is very limited and walking is encouraged.
Walter V. Moynihan Town Day Run
Arlington Recreation is excited to announce that we will be holding its annual Town Day Road Race at the Arlington Reservoir Beach. Three laps around the Res followed by events at the Res, including DJ, bounce house, food, beer tent, and more. Co-sponsored by Arlington Recreation, Arlington Boys & Girls Club, and Arlington Fidelity House with all net proceeds going to youth programming. Learn more and register.
AFD Touch-a-Truck and Smoke House, Jaws of Life Demos
Behind the library.
Arlington Fire Fighters will provide fire safety demonstrations from behind the library. Metro Fire SAFE’s Smoke House, a 3-room trailer designed to teach children about fire hazards in the home. Jaws of Life demonstrations and touch-a-truck opportunities are also planned.
APD Family Services Team and K9 Eiko Demos
APD booth at Mass and Robbins library.
Arlington police will be providing public safety information and discussion at their booth on Mass Ave. at the Robbins Library entrance throughout Town Day. The Family Services Team will be on hand to provide assistance on a wide range of topics. K9 Officer Michael Hogan along with the APD's K9 Eiko will be conducting demonstrations in the Robbins Library parking lot.
Free Drinking Water at Town Day - BYO Water Bottle!
Saturday, September 28, 9:00am -1:00pm
Rain date, Sunday, September 29, 9:00am -1:00pm
Spooky witches, glowing jack-o-lanterns, and scary ghosts will come alive as Arlington residents
decorate 60+ designated storefront windows in 25 Heights businesses on Saturday, September 28, 9:00am
to 1:00pm. Rain date, Sunday, September 29, 9:00am to 1:00pm. Paint a window by yourself or grab your
friend or parent and paint one window together. All windows must have a family friendly Halloween
theme.
Registration: Saturday, September 7, through Saturday, September 21 (two weeks)
Only online Registration.
Entries are accepted on a first come-first served basis. Space is guaranteed to the first 62 entries.
Registration site closes when all slots are filled. No confirmation will be sent.