Volunteers Needed to Coordinate Spring Picnic
The Peirce PTO is seeking volunteers to assist in organizing the Spring Picnic. Previous picnics have featured pre-ordered pizza, an array of games and activities for kids, and ice cream or popsicles for everyone. If you're interested in helping to coordinate and keep the tradition going, please reach out to us. While we're delighted to have one new volunteer on board, we're still in need of a few more to ensure that this year's picnic is as fun as those in the past. Bonus of getting involved? You get to help pick the date! Please email peirceschool.pto@gmail.com to get involved!
Talent Show Deadline Extended to Thursday, May 9
There is still time to sign up for Peirce's Got Talent talent show which is coming up this week! 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 HAS BEEN EXTENDED to Thursday, May 9th. 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! Proceeds from our fall and spring book fairs are a significant portion of the funding 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. The Book Fair will also be open from 7:30 - 8:00 AM Tuesday - Friday; 2:30 - 3:30 PM Tuesday and Thursday; and 1:00 - 1:30 PM Wednesday. 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
The next and final Rainbow Alliance meeting for this school year will be on Wednesday, May 22nd 1-1:45 in Mrs. Lloyd's classroom! Please RSVP!
The Peirce School Rainbow Alliance is dedicated to promoting inclusivity, acceptance, and support for LGBTQIA+ students, families and their allies within the elementary school community. The alliance aims to create a safe and welcoming environment where all students feel valued and respected regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Through various activities, discussions, and educational initiatives, the Rainbow Alliance fosters understanding, empathy, and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ rights and issues among students, staff, and parents.
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:
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.
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
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 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, 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.
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.