The Peirce Weekly
January 9, 2024
We've got a lot of exciting things in store for the upcoming months. We need volunteers to help plan and execute all of these fun, community building activities, especially Bingo Night, Multicultural Night, the Fun Run, Talent Show, and Spring Picnic.
- Rainbow Alliance - January 24
- Family Literacy Night - January 25
- Peirce Winter Concert - February 1
- Bingo Night - March 1
- Peirce Multicultural Night - March 22 - interested in volunteering and planning? Email Simmy and Brian at lovinglittleminds@gmail.org.
- Fun Run -April 7
- Talent Show - TBD (May)
- Spring Picnic -TBD (June)
Whether you're a seasoned PTO pro or a newcomer, your presence and ideas are invaluable, and we can't wait to collaborate and make this year the best one yet!
If you have any suggestions, ideas, or if there's anything specific you'd like to see happening this year, don't hesitate to reach out. We're all ears!
Thanks so much to Mr. Ahmadi for this great opportunity, and for sharing this picture of some 4th graders playing Jenga!
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 mid-March. If you would like to be a part of the bulk order, you MUST place your order by Friday, February 16. 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 the Rainbow Alliance for its first meeting of 2024!
January 24
1:15 - 1:45 PM
Pickup at 1:45 at the main door, unless your child goes to PASP
Questions? Email Mrs. Lloyd or Mrs. Clark (Colletti)
RSVP here
The Peirce School Rainbow Alliance is a safe space for LGBTQIA+ students and ally students, along with their families to socialize, learn about LGBTQIA+ topics, and participate in inclusive activities.
Join us for a Family Literacy Night on January 25th, from 6-7 pm, where we will delve into the beautiful and powerful world of Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour and Daniel Egnéus.
Student leaders from grades 4-5 will lead engaging discussions with K-3 graders, sharing ideas and impressions of the book.
After the discussions, we will move into the cafeteria to unleash creativity by decorating rocks with paint pens. The painted rocks can be placed around the school or taken home.
Students should bring a small rock to decorate.
All are welcome to join in this literary and artistic celebration.
Who is performing?: 3rd Graders on their recorders, as well as the 4th & 5th Grade Peirce Chorus!
What is happening?: A bunch of music! 3rd Graders will be performing what they have learned so far on the recorders, and 4th and 5th Graders will share their full chorus concert set!
Where is this happening?: In the Peirce gym!
When is it?: Thursday, February 1 at 5pm!
Who is invited?: Parents and families! We cannot wait to see you all and thank you for your support that you have given us!
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. 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 Lost & Found is located on the 1st floor by the elevators. We would appreciate it families could label clothes and water bottles to minimize all that has to be donated. We try and take pictures of most items in the lost and found but it does become overwhelming.
Please be sure to check out our google photos for your students lost sweatshirts, water bottles and lunch boxes. The lost and found is already overwhelmed with items.
Arlington Public Schools proudly presents our next
LGBTQUIA+ Community Conversation - focused on Creating Inclusive Learning Environments
Wednesday, January 24
6:30 pm
Arlington High School
Discourse Lab
869 Mass Ave
The Arlington Public Schools LGBTQIA+ Rainbow Task Force is hosting its next Community Conversation focused on Creating Inclusive Learning Environments.
Kim Visco (APS Director of Wellness) will moderate a panel that includes: AC Calcaterra (4th Grade Teacher, Brackett; Rainbow Alliance Administrator), Renae Nichols (Peirce Elementary School Librarian), Justin Bourassa (AHS English teacher) and Jasper Fiorina (AHS Junior).
Please register here :
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScd_T6Oi3cxQbACWcgNRWahh2MV_8U4T0zY2yZITQBCb1qx-g/viewform
Join AEF for an evening of inspiration and celebration as grant recipients highlight their creative project happening throughout the Arlington Public Schools.
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Punjab, 485 Massachusetts Ave. Arlington, MA
Guest Speaker
Dr. Mona Ford Walker
Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
Live Music, Small Plates, and Cash Bar.
The suggested donation is $75 per person.
Learn more and purchase tickets: https://www.aefma.org/events/innovation-showcase/
Capacity is limited. Register today.
Arlington SEPAC is seeking input from Arlington parents and caregivers around their experiences with special education in the district. The SEPAC welcomes feedback from anyone with an interest in special education, whether you have a child with an IEP or not. Please help the SEPAC to understand and advocate for the needs of students and families by completing the annual SEPAC survey.
The survey is anonymous. Survey responses will be collected and viewed by SEPAC officers (parent volunteers), and a report on the results will be shared with the administration and with the School Committee. No identifying information will be shared.
All Arlington School Committee meetings are open to the public, and most are held both in person and over Zoom. For additional information on the Arlington School Committee, including its working groups, please visit their website. Agendas and reference material for each meeting will be available at least 48 business hours prior to the meeting and may be viewed on the Committee’s Agendas and Minutes page.
- January 24, 3:00 PM - Arlington School Committee - Policies and Procedure Subcommittee Meeting
- January 25, 6:30 PM - Arlington School Committee Meeting - Hybrid
Dear APS community,
Thompson DIG is excited to be hosting another Unpacking Whiteness dialogue group this spring co-lead by parents Anne Moore and Elizabeth Rocco. The group will critically examine whiteness and the impact of white supremacy, with the goal of developing self-awareness and a working knowledge on a variety of issues. By creating a safe, brave space, we hope that we can more effectively work toward justice in our own lives and the world at large.
Intro session (no commitment required): Jan 30th from 7-8:30pm
Unpacking Whiteness series
When: 8 sessions, every other Tuesday from 7-8:30pm, Feb 13th- May 21st
Where: Virtually over Zoom
Who: Adults in the APS community, min 4 participants, max 10
Cost: Free!
Register: https://forms.gle/fHGrf1xuNtRwpxM79 (deadline Feb 10th)
What previous participants say:
- "Unpacking Whiteness was way better than any diversity training I've had at work. Taking real world experiences and having a safe place to talk about them has been helpful to me."
- “It helps to hear other people processing because it pushes me to think about my identity and my actions in a way I wouldn’t have thought about otherwise.”
An opportunity like this could cost hundreds of dollars, but this is free of charge. If you want to learn more about being anti-racist, start here!
For questions please contact Anne Moore (amoore26@gmail.com) or Elizabeth Rocco (egrocco@gmail.com). For questions about sign ups contact Megan Crowe-Rothstein (megancr@gmail.com).
From,
The Thompson Diversity and Inclusion Group
Thursday, January 25
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Town Hall Auditorium
Town of Arlington will celebrate our second annual Lunar New Year Celebration on January 25th at 4 pm at the Robbins Memorial Town Hall Auditorium with performances, activities, games and more. Lunar New Year is the most significant celebration of the year in cultures across Asia and is celebrated by millions of people all over the world as welcoming of Spring. Arlington's celebration is presented by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division in collaboration with Enhance Asian Community on Health (EACH), Arlington High School’s Asian American Coalition and Chinese Culture Club, and the APS Mandarin Language Department. We are actively seeking volunteers to help co-create this special celebration, please reach out to Community Engagement Coordinator, Teresa, at tmarzilli@town.arlington.ma.us to get involved!
There is a lot to learn about the Lunar New Year! Did you know that in Vietnamese culture the Lunar New Year is called Tet? Seollal is the name of Korean Lunar New Year where it is customary to hide your shoes lest a ghost steals them and curses you with bad luck! Tibetan culture keeps its own lunar calendar, sometimes Losar (Tibetan New Year) is the same as the Chinese New Year, sometimes it’s a whole month later. According to Chinese legend the fireworks, firecrackers and red clothing and decorations customary of the Lunar New Year is due to the monster Nian who used to attack villagers at the beginning of the new year. Nian was terrified of bright lights, loud noises and the color red, so the villagers used those things to chase him away!
- Rainbow Readers Book Club, grades 3-5: Fun book club for kids who fall under the LGBTQ+ Rainbow umbrella. We’ll read a graphic novel with an LGBTQ+ main character and then meet up to chat and make a craft. We meet Thursdays at 3:30pm at Robbins – February 29th, March 14th, April 4th. Sign up is required at RainbowReadersSpring24.eventbrite.com.
- Second & Third Grade Book Club: Kids in grades 2 & 3: will meet and talk about fun books and do an activity. We meet Thursdays at 3:30pm at Robbins – February 8th, March 28th, April 11th. Sign up is required at https://secondthirdspring24.eventbrite.com
- Graphic Novel 4/5 Book Club: A graphic novel book club for kids in 4th & 5th grade: We will discuss the book and do an activity or craft. We meet Thursdays at 3:30pm at Robbins–February 15th, March 21st, and April 25th. Sign up is required at https://Graphicnovel-45-bookclub.eventbrite.com
- Kindergarten/1st Grade Book Club at Fox Library: https://K1bookclubfebmarapr.eventbrite.com
Join The Arlington Human Rights Commission & The Arlington Rainbow Commission in a
Day of Learning
Focused on Building Welcoming Communities
February 10, 11:00am to 2:00pm
Arlington High School
Featuring Keynote Speaker Sasha Chanoff, Founder & CEO of RefugePoint
Register here.