As part of Green Apple Service Day (nice picture on their site, no?), our science teacher Stephanie Selznick is organizing a schoolyard cleanup day this Friday, September 26 with the help of Viridian, one of our community partners. Yes, Green Apple Service Day is listed as Saturday on their site, but our cleanup is this Friday.

If you would like to help, the effort will be from 9:10 am – 11:25 am, and from 12:50 pm -2:15 pm. If possible, Ms. Selznick is looking for donations of flower bulbs for students to plant, and soil. If Curley community members can bring shovels, garden sheers, and rakes with them, they would be a big help.

Please contact Ms. Selznick directly.

This week’s Paw Prints from Principal Katie Grassa:

• Arrival: Please keep in mind that the doors open at 8:15am and the official school day begins promptly at 8:30am. Please make sure to have your child arrive on time for the start of the day. All families can now walk their child to class as long as they enter the building by 8:35am. After 8:35am students will be considered tardy.
• Dismissal: Dismissal begins at 2:25pm. We are asking all families to remain outside at dismissal and not to release their child from school after 1:45pm.
• Social Media: If you are on Twitter be sure to follow me @principalgrassa. This is a great way to share up to date information about the Curley.
• School Parent Council (SPC): The first School Parent Council meeting will take place in the Lower School Gym on Tuesday, October 7th from 6:00pm-8:00pm. All families are encouraged to attend!
• Supera and TerraNova Testing: The Supera Test will be administered to grades 3, 4 and 5 this Wednesday, September 24, and Thursday, September 25, 2014 to all Spanish-speaking English Language Learner students to determine eligibility for Spanish AWC. The TerraNova 3 Test will be administered during the period of September 30 – October 2, 2014 to students in grades 3, 4 and 5. The TerraNova 3 Reading and Mathematics tests determine AWC eligibility for SY 2015-2016. Please make sure your student gets a good night’s sleep the night before, and a good breakfast on the days of the tests.
• Schoolyard Clean-Up as part of Green Apple Service Day: As part of Green Apple Service Day, our science teacher Stephanie Selznick is organizing a schoolyard cleanup day this Friday, September 26 with the help of Viridian, one of our community partners. If you would like to help, the effort will be from 9:10 am – 11:25 am, and from 12:50 pm -2:15 pm. If possible, Ms. Selznick is looking for donations of flower bulbs for students to plant, and soil. Parents and Curley friends can come with shovels, garden sheers and rakes. Please contact Ms. Selznick directly.
• Fall Fling: Save the date for the first SPC fundraiser of the year, the 8th Annual FALL FLING! This is a fabulous family event that will take place on Friday, October 17th from 5:30pm-8:00pm. All families and staff are welcome! To volunteer, please sign up here. To help sell tickets outside JP Licks on the weekends before the event, please click here.

Help is still needed to sell Fall Fling raffle tickets, especially THIS WEEKEND.

If you can, Sign Up For A Shift Here

The annual Fall Fling, now in its 8th year, is one our biggest community events, and is a key fundraiser. This year’s Fall Fling is on Friday, October 17th.

As you know, we selling raffle tickets to the community for our major prizes ahead of the event. This year’s prizes are an iPad Mini, a Chromebook and bike from Ferris Wheels.

Shifts last 2 hours each, are on Saturdays and Sundays. JP Licks shifts are from 10am – 12pm, 12pm – 2pm, and 2pm – 4pm. Brewery shifts are from 11am – 1pm, 1pm – 3pm, and 3pm – 5pm.

This weekend is also JP Open Studios, one of the busiest weekends around Jamaica Plain. So this weekend, in addition to outside of JP Licks, we will sell tickets outside the Brewery Complex as well.

It’s fun, the forecast is gorgeous, we’ll give you everything you need, and your kids will sell tickets quicker than you can say, “Win an iPad Mini for $5!” It’s a very fun thing to do with others friends and families.

So sign up, then bring another family, and wear your Curley shirt!

Sign Up For A Shift Here

Bring your kids – they are our best salespeople!

More information? Email Kristin Jurkoic or Noreen Power.

Please join us for the Curley K-8 Open House is this Thursday, September 18th, from 5 pm – 7 pm.

All families are encouraged to attend this event. It is a great opportunity to meet teachers, learn about your student’s curriculum, and to see student classrooms.

If families are bringing their students with them they are asked to make assure that they remain with their families throughout the entire event.

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Escuela Curley K-8 Casa Abierta

Jueves 18 de septiembre

5 pm – 7 pm

Exhortamos a todas las familias a que participen de este importante evento. Visite el salón de clases, conozca a los profesores de su hijo/a y aprenda sobre el currículo escolar.

¡Les esperamos!

The first School Site Council (SSC) meeting of the school year is tonight from 5:30 pm – 7 pm in the Upper School Library. All meetings are open to the public and all are welcome to attend.

The meeting will include important (and exciting!) updates on academic programs, school climate, staffing, and preliminary enrollment figures from Principal Katie Grassa. Many other issues will also be discussed. The agenda for tonight’s meeting is here.

The SSC is the central decision making body of the school, and includes the Principal together with parent, and teacher/staff representatives.

For more information, visit the SSC’s page.

This week’s Paw Prints from Principal Katie Grassa:

• Arrival: Please keep in mind that the doors open at 8:15am and the official school day begins promptly at 8:30am. Please make sure to have your child arrive on time for the start of the day. Starting Monday all families will be able to walk their child to class as long as they enter the building by 8:35am. After 8:35am students will be considered tardy.
• Dismissal: Dismissal begins at 2:25pm. We are asking all families to remain outside at dismissal and not to release their child from school after 1:45pm.
• School Site Council (SSC): The first School Site Council meeting will take place in the Upper School Library on Tuesday, September 16th from 5:30pm-7:00pm. All are welcome to attend.
• Open House: Open House will take place at the Curley K-8 School on Thursday, September 18th from 5:00pm-7:00pm. All families are invited to the school to meet their child’s teacher and see their classroom.
• Celebration: The Curley K-8 School was recognized as the Best of JP in the Jamaica Plain Gazette. Thanks to all those who voted for us and congrats to all the winners!
  http://jamaicaplaingazette.com/2014/09/12/the-guide-to-jp-best-of-jp-2014-winners/.
• Social Media: If you are on Twitter be sure to follow me @principalgrassa. This is a great way to share up to date information about the Curley.
• School Parent Council (SPC): The first School Parent Council meeting will take place in the Lower School Gym on Tuesday, October 7th from 6:00pm-8:00pm. All families are encouraged to attend!
• Building a Culture of Caring: All students will participate in an assembly this week. We will review the school wide expectations and share a video created by staff about caring. To learn more about this process please come to Open House on Thursday, ask your child about they are learning about caring and attend the first SPC meeting for a glimpse into our work.

Visit the library for free, drop-in homework help and mentoring provided by high-achieving high school students. Open to students in grades K-8. No registration required.

September 15, 2014 – May 22, 2015
Mondays – Thursdays, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Connolly Branch of the Boston Public Library
433 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain
617.522.1960

For a complete schedule of Homework Help at Boston Public Library locations across the city (including the Jamaica Plain branch on South Street), visit www.bpl.org/homework.

Homework Help is not available on Boston Public School holidays, early-release days, or long weekends.

Homework Help Connolly Branch Flyer

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GRATIS! Ayuda con las tareas en la biblioteca Connolly Branch de J.P.

Comenzando el 15 de Septiembre hasta el 22 de Mayo del 2014
Cuando: Lunes a Jueves
Horario: 3:30 p.m.- 5:30 p.m.
Donde: Connolly Branch Library – 433 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 522-1960

Visite la biblioteca en estos dias y horarios para recibir ayuda con las tareas escolares completamente gratis.

La ayuda con las tareas y tutoria es proporcionada por estudiantes de escuela secundaria con altos rendimientos academicos. El programa es abierto a estudiantes en los grados K-8. No es necesario registrarse.

Para un itinerario completo donde se ofrecen los servicios de ayuda con las tareas y tutoria dentro del sistema de Boston Public Library (incluyendo la sucursal J.P. Branch en la calle South), favor de visitar el portal www.bpl.org/homework.

Ayuda con las tareas y tutoria no sera ofrecida durante vacaciones de las Escuelas Públicas de Boston, dias de salida temprana o fines de semanas largos.

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Big thanks to Curley parent Sylvia Velez for the information!

If you want to make a strong impact on your child(ren)’s school experience, consider signing up now to help our Curley teachers in their classrooms!  Our awesome teachers have great goals for the 2014-2015 school year, which are supported by us offering helping hands with the students.

There are one-time projects, weekly or monthly student help, and countless other opportunities to support teachers directly. Our staff is eager to welcome parents’ help and many have already posted specific needs HERE. More opportunities will be added as the school year continues. This year we’d love to see a boost in cross-pollinating parents of younger students, with our oldest grades to continue building an even stronger Curley K-8 community.

What’s required to volunteer in the classroom? The only requirement is that you fill out a CORI form and submit it with a copy of your photo ID, and make arrangements with the teacher. Once the Curley secretaries Ms. Powers (Lower School) and Ms. Vazquez (Upper School) receive your paperwork, they submit it to the state and then inform you of your clearance, and you’ll be ready to go. This process takes approximately 2-3 weeks, so the sooner you submit, the sooner you can get started.

What’s recommended for classroom volunteers? If you are new or feeling new to volunteering, or not sure exactly how your schedule or skills could match up with teachers’ needs, fill out a Classroom Volunteer Application. (This is also how you’ll be kept in the loop with other classroom volunteers.) One of our Classroom Volunteer Liaisons (Val Snekvik or Kristin Shapiro) will quickly follow up with you to orient and help connect you in a way that works for you. We will also run a classroom volunteer training this fall.

Questions? Email Val (val.snekvik@gmail.com) or Kristin (k_brennan2001@yahoo.com).

Now that school is back in session, it’s time to start up the Curley Uniform Exchange, where families can donate their out-grown uniforms and/or take home donated uniforms for the new school year. If you have uniforms to donate, please leave them in the donation bins located in the Family Resource Office in the Upper School, and under the stairwell by the entrance in the Lower School.

This Wednesday night, September 10 at 6pm, we will be setting the Exchange up in the Family Resource Office in the Upper School. Please come lend a hand sorting and hanging up donated uniforms! If you have any questions, please contact Megan Jewett at 617-833-5665 or megan@imperial-jewett.com.

This week’s Paw Prints from Principal Katie Grassa:

• Welcome Back: We would like to welcome back all students, families and staff for SY 2014-2015. We had a great first two days and we look forward to the rest of the school year.
• Paw Prints: Each Sunday night I will send out the Paw Prints to the website. It is an opportunity to share information with our entire community.
• First Day of Kindergarten: Tomorrow we will welcome 150 Kindergarteners to school! This is an exciting day for all and we can’t wait to meet the newest members of our community.
• Kindergarten Picnic: Thank you to the families and staff that helped with the Kindergarten Picnic on Saturday, September 6th. It was a hot afternoon but we had a great turnout by all.
• Arrival and Dismissal: Please keep in mind that the doors open at 8:15am and the official school day begins promptly at 8:30am. Please make sure to have your child arrive on time for the start of the day. Dismissal begins at 2:25pm. We are asking all families to remain outside at dismissal and not to release their child from school after 1:45pm.
• School Site Council (SSC): The first School Site Council meeting will take place in the Upper School Library on Tuesday, September 16th from 5:30pm-7:00pm. All are welcome to attend.
• School Parent Council (SPC): The first School Parent Council meeting will take place in the Lower School Cafeteria on Thursday, October 2nd from 6:00pm-8:00pm (please note, this was just updated, NOT WEDNESDAY BUT THURSDAY). All families are encouraged to attend!
• Open House: Open House will take place at the Curley K-8 School on Thursday, September 18th from 5:00pm-7:00pm. All families are invited to the school to meet their child’s teacher and see their classroom.