*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Brackett eNews 4/7/16

View this email in your browser

April 7, 2016

See www.brackettelementary.org for more calendar and event information

If you have news that you would like to share with the community, please email brackettenewsletter@gmail.com. Thank you! Kristin LeClair

IN THIS ISSUE:

Save the Dates
APRIL FUNDRAISER: every Tuesday in April at Not Your Average Joe’s
Parent-Child Time in the Brackett Library! 4/7 (TODAY!) & 4/14, before school
April PTO Meeting – Tuesday, April 26^th at 6:30 PM
JUNE FAIR: Brackett June Fair 2016 Leaders Needed!!
THANK YOU S.T.E.M. COMMITTEE AND ART SQUAD!
2016 Brackett Science Fair a Big Success!
SAVE THE DATE: WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE– The Musical
WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE – The Musical! Rehearsal Schedule (for 5^th Graders)
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE BOOK DONATIONS!
Cheer Basics Clinic
Arlington Patriots' Day Parade to Return in 2016

SAVE THE DATES!

4/14/16 - Brackett Spring Concert & Art Show- 9 AM
4/16-4/24/16 - April Break
5/6/16 - DATE CHANGE: Brackett Movie Night in the Brackett Gymnasium
6/3/16 – 3^rd Grade Colonial Day
6/17/16 - 5th grade Brackett dance
6/21/16 – 5^th Grade Field Day
6/23/16 - 5^th Grade Graduation Ceremony/Reception

APRIL FUNDRAISER: every Tuesday in April at Not Your Average Joe’s
Brackett PTO has been named Not Your Average Joe's cause of the month! That means they'll donate 15% of your check to our PTO every Tuesday, all month long. Simply mention the Brackett School or present our certificate located at www.brackettelementary.org ( hardcopy or from your smartphone.) It’s a delicious way to show your support and take a break from the kitchen on April vacation. Your kids will thank you too! So tell all your friends and post on Facebook each Tuesday!

Parent-Child Time in the Brackett Library! 4/7 (TODAY!) & 4/14, before school

Spring is here and we're growing readers in the Brackett Library!

Are you looking for some focused reading time with your child? On Thursday April 7 & April 14, parents and kids can visit the Brackett library together before school to read and check out books, and see what's new in the library. Join us starting at 7:30 AM on 4/7 and 4/14. (No drop-offs, please!)
Brought to you by the Friends of Brackett Library committee.

Questions: Carrie Finison (carriefinison@mac.com) or Luchy Roa (luchyroa@yahoo.com)

April PTO Meeting, Tuesday, April 26th, 6:30 PM

The Brackett PTO will meet in the cafeteria at 6:30 p.m. We are excited to vote in our new treasurer, Rich Pelletier, and we will also have a presentation by the Friends of the Brackett Library Committee. The committee has prepared a “Brackett Library K-2 Reading Corner Proposal” for the community to review. Please join us and learn more about how you can get involved and possibly help the group fundraise to fit their budget goals. This is a wonderful opportunity for those who like to be creative and make things happen! The PTO is very grateful to Carrie Finison, Erin Hajduk and Luchy Roa for their dedication to this project.

JUNE FAIR: Brackett June Fair 2016 Leaders Needed!!

It's that time again...The June Fair will be held on June 11, 2016 and we need your help! We are looking for an amazing group of volunteers who are willing to lead each group of activities. As a leader, you are in charge of organizing volunteers and supplies. You are NOT expected to help on the day of the fair (though you are welcome to!). Once the slots are filled, we'll be hosting a meeting to get you started. Take a look at the great positions we have available and sign up!!
For more information, contact Ryan Rosenstein at ryanandsteve1@yahoo.com or Suchi Mumford at suchitrab30@hotmail.com.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e45abad2ea20-brackett1

THANK YOU S.T.E.M. COMMITTEE AND ART SQUAD!
A huge thank you is due to the organizers, volunteers, and student participants of the Science Fair and the Art Show celebrated in March. The art show was represented by 202 artists within the Brackett community including students, siblings and parents. The science fair had 32 fourth grade and 77 fifth grade participants. Both events are wonderful traditions that Brackett families remember and cherish as years pass. We are grateful to committee chairpersons, Carolyn Vincent of the Art Squad, and Karen O’Hagan and Bill Kirtley of S.T.E.M. for their time and effort dedicated to bring such wonderful and enriching programs to our school community! Pizza and bake sales were excellent and raised nearly $1,000 for both evenings. Your PTO thanks you for making both events a huge success!

2016 Brackett Science Fair a Big Success!
The Brackett Science Fair has been held for the last eight years. It took approximately 35 parents and a few student (eighth and ninth graders) volunteers to stage the Brackett Science Fair this year, which included student work and hands-on events. Thirty-two fourth graders and the majority of the fifth graders completed at-home experiments voluntarily. Many of these projects involved a team effort that mirrored the collaboration that takes place in real-world science. New this year, one group project was completed by partners in two different schools - one from Brackett and one from Bishop Elementary School.

Members of the PTO STEM committee visited the fourth and fifth grade classrooms to do a short science demo, give advice on doing experiments, and highlight a guide to help the student scientists with their work. The teachers, who also provided advice as needed, approved the topics of the student projects. And, as a new follow up activity, the fourth and fifth grade students shared their projects with their first and second grade buddies during a class period of the next school day. As a result, a few of the younger students are already plotting and talking about what project to complete next year.

The hands-on events completed by the volunteers focused on experiments involving color and all things green as the event took place on Saint Patrick’s Day. These events included DNA Extraction from Strawberries, Light and Prisms, and Red Cabbage Juice, among others. Red Cabbage Juice proved to be especially popular as students wore gloves and safety glasses to experiment with a handful of color changes. The celebration also included demonstrations of The Soil Food Web by the Brackett Green Initiative Group and Biomimicry by Beyond Benign (a local science outreach organization). Many parents remarked that this year's students’ projects were equally amazing as they explored topics such as How Color Effects Taste and How Long Each Traffic Light Time Varies upon the Intersection. Overall, the Brackett Science Fair was wonderful exhibit of the passion this community has for science.

SAVE THE DATE: WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE– The Musical
Presented by Brackett 5^thGrade

Wednesday, June 1,
7:00pm – 9:00pm (doors open at 6:30)

Arlington High School Auditorium
869 Massachusetts Avenue

Mark your calendars! This will be a great show for kids of all ages, family and friends! You will not want to miss!

Tickets go on sale in May.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE – The Musical! Rehearsal Schedule

Dear 5^th Grade Parents,

Please mark your calendars with these important rehearsal dates for WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE – The Musical, the upcoming 5^th grade performance.

All grade imperative after school rehearsals (1:00pm – 2:30pm) Brackett Gym:

· Tuesday, April 12

· Tuesday, May 3

· Tuesday, May 17

Additional Rehearsals: After school rehearsals are also going on from April 29 until Showtime, please ask your kids if this includes them!

Dress Rehearsal:

· Tuesday, May 31, 4:00pm – 6:30pm (At Arlington High School Auditorium)
*please mark your calendars for this ‘kids only’ dress rehearsal, it is imperative we have ALL the kids at the dress rehearsal!

Showtime:

· Wednesday June 1, doors open at 6:30, Curtain at 7:00, Kids arrive by 5:30 please.

Thank you for your support! Please contact Nicole Antonakas (nicole1014@gmail.com) with any questions.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE BOOK DONATIONS!
We collected over 200 beautiful books to give to families during the April Vacation lunches hosted by Arlington EATS. Thank you to the Brackett community for your generosity!

Cheer Basics Clinic
Join us Friday April 29th from 6:30 - 8pm at the Gibbs Gym, $15 per child ($25 per family for siblings) Grades K thru 5. We will learn some basic motions, jumps, tumbling, stunts & more! Open to anyone - you do not have to be a cheerleader!

*Please respond if you are interested so we have an idea of numbers. Payment can be made at the door*
apwcheer@gmail.com - Hope to see you there!

Arlington Patriots' Day Parade to Return in 2016
Come celebrate Arlington at the annual Arlington Patriots' Day Parade!
Sunday, April 17th at 2pm beginning in Brattle Square and marching east towards Linwood Circle in East Arlington. There will be many community groups participating, exciting bands performing and Arlington's very own heroes will be celebrated. The late Kenny Simmons will be honored as the Grand Marshal, with his family representing and Officer Michael Hogan will be honored as the Honorary Grand Marshal.
For more info: www.arlingtonma.gov/parade

For daily updated calendar and event information, please check the Brackett Website at http://brackettelementary.org/