Because snow total estimates have jumped up within the past few hours, we’ve been advised by BPS to CLOSE the Curley After School Program (CASP) early after all today.

So please make plans to come and pick up your student at the usual dismissal time of 2:30pm today, even if your child attends CASP.

This will allow all the CASP students and staff, and the parents picking them up, to safely make it back home and avoid the worst of the snowfall to come. The heaviest bout of snow is forecast to arrive during the height of the rush hour.

Please call the CASP director Torri Canada at (617) 777-9330, or the school directly at (617) 635-8239 for further information.

Have a safe journey home!

Quick snow advisory for all: the Curley After School Program (CASP) is OPEN as normal this afternoon. This will allow parents to benefit from their surround care despite the snow. Thanks to Torri Canada and her staff!!

Please note: all regular buses will also run as normal at the usual dismissal time.

However, late buses which take students home from after-school activities only have been cancelled.

Tenacity, however, will be CLOSED this afternoon since they are dependent on these late buses to bring some of their students home.

Please call the school directly at (617) 635-8239, CASP director Torri Canada at (617) 777-9330, or Tenacity at (617) 562-0900 for further information.

Safe and warm travels home.

Principal’s Breakfast/Circles Practices Presentation

Friday, December 20th
8:45 am – 10:45 am, Library

Please join Principal Grassa for her monthly Principal Breakfast, which will be followed this month by a presentation on circles practices and their use in conflict resolution, and community building.

8:45 am – Coffee/Breakfast

9:00 am – Holiday wishes from Principal Katie Grassa

9:20 am – Circles Practices: A New/Old Approach To Community Building – Linda Solomon-Key, and Courtney Grey. Circles assume a universal human wish to be connected to others in a good way.

If you have any questions, please contact Betty Villalba-Alvarado, 617-304-6771 or Maria Monteiro-Roby, 617-756-3667.

*************

DESAYUNO CON LA PRINCIPAL
Y UNA PRESENTACIÓN DE PRÁCTICAS Y CÍRCULOS

El viernes, 20 de diciembre, 2013
8:45 am – 10:45 am, en la biblioteca de la escuela Intermedia

8:45 a.m. – Desayuno

9:00 a.m. – Mensaje de las festividades del mes de diciembre por la Principal Sra. Katherine Grassa

9:20 a.m. – “Restorative Justice” – PRÁCTICAS Y CÍRCULOS: UN MÉTODO PARA CREAR COMUNIDAD
Los Círculos asumen un deseo humano universal para conectarnos con otras personas de una manera positiva. La Sra. Linda Solomon-Key y Courtney Grey nos introducen a los Circulos Abiertos.

Si necesita más información, por favor póngase en contacto con Betty Villalba-Alvarado, 617-304-6771 o Maria Monteiro-Roby, 617-756-3667.

This week’s Paw Prints from Principal Katie Grassa:

• School Showcase: There will be two more School Showcase events for perspective Curley families. If you are interested in volunteering for any of the dates below, please contact Kristin Jurkoic at kjurkoic@yahoo.com or sign up here: http://doodle.com/yg4vb69dsyppn6dn.
  • Thursday, December 19th, 7:00am – 8:30am
  • Tuesday, January 7th 10:00am – 11:30am
• Principal Breakfast: Please join us on Friday, December 20th from 8:45am-9:45am and have breakfast with Principal Grassa. This month we are welcoming 7th grade teacher Linda Solomon-Keys to discuss circle practices.
• Report Cards: Elementary School (K-5) report cards were sent out this past week.
• Shop Local and Support the Curley: Thank you to the local businesses for supporting the Curley K-8 School last week. Boing! JP’s Toy Stop, Kitchenwitch, On Centre, and Streetcar Wine and Beer donated a portion of their sales to the school. Thank you!
• Vacation: Students will be on winter recess from Monday, December 23rd through Thursday, January 2nd. Students should report to school on Friday, January 3rd.
• New Year: We wish all the Curley K-8 families and community members a happy and healthy 2014!

Curley K2 teacher Ms. Cullen during our recent Fall Fling

Below is a lovely piece by parent Dana Willeke on working as a parent volunteer in Ms. Cullen’s K2 classroom.

__________________________

It’s Tuesday morning in Mrs. Cullen’s K2 classroom. Students are arriving and checking in. They produce folders from backpacks, practice writing their names by signing-in, place their picture to indicate how they are feeling on a chart, wash hands, eat breakfast, greet friends, tell Mr. G. about something they found on their way to school or animatedly describe to Mrs. Cullen what a sibling did at dinner the night before. It’s late October and they know the routine now, but I am just learning. I am a parent classroom volunteer and today is my first day.

As we rushed out the door this morning, my husband asked “What will you do?” to which I shrugged and answered, “Whatever is needed!”. There are no shortage of jobs in a kindergarten classroom as students transition from breakfast to Circle time. A 15 year veteran BPS teacher, Mrs. Cullen shows me how to cut the corner of the juice box, so as not to drive yourself mad trying to poke the weak straw through the side. She shows me where children strain their uneaten portions of cereal/milk through a sieve so as not to clog the sink drain. She tells me what materials need to be laid out on the work tables while she is leading Circle. Perhaps the most useful instruction comes from watching her interact with students. She is respectful, clear, and kind. This first day I muddle through, learning names and personalities as I go, but I have some successes. A child trusts me to help open a milk carton, tie a shoe, or even spell a word. The time flies by.

Every Curley parent is already “volunteering” whether they realize it or not. Every time they make sure their child has a hat so they can enjoy recess on a cold day, gets their child the sleep they need (not simple, I know!), or donates a box of tissues, they are making the classroom a better place to learn. Those of us fortunate enough to also volunteer our time IN the classroom get to see our work in action. We see how helping to put a straw in a juice box (also not simple!) or picking up raisins off the floor helps children and teachers spend more time learning. We see how making photocopies allows teachers a few precious minutes to plan lessons or work with a student individually. We see how reading a story engages children that might not be ready to jump into other busy activities when they first arrive at school. We also get to meet our children’s classmates and see first hand parts of their curriculum, so that our conversations with them at home are more enriched and we are better able to make connections to the work they are doing at school.

On my way out, I notice that the majority of the class is feeling “Happy” today as indicated by their pictures aligned all in a row by the word “Happy” and I realize that I am too. It will undoubtedly be the most satisfying 90 minutes of my day and I can’t wait to come back next week.

— Dana Willeke
__________________________

Thank you to the many parents already able to volunteer in classrooms. We are now especially looking for parents who can support our wonderful specialists in class, helping in science, art, and special needs classrooms to empower even better learning and teaching.

Classroom Volunteer Applications are available in the Family Resource Center (next to the Curley Upper School main office) OR in the Lower School office OR online right HERE. Please return your completed application and Criminal Offense Record Indicator (CORI) form with photo ID to the Family Resource Center.

Feel free to email Classroom Volunteer Liaison Val Snekvik with questions:  val.snekvik@gmail.com.

Thanks again!

–Val Snekvik

First Writer’s Club is a program at CASP (Curley after school program) encouraging students to write as journalists.   The club is run by Zachary Shaw, below is their first article written after a few sessions.  A group of the students wrote about their experiences with the CASP sailing program.  Look forward to some forthcoming missives from our aspiring writers – what will they write about next?  The sailing program instruction is provided by the Curley’s David Vasile and with equipment provided by Courageous Sailing our students from the Curley K8 school get to enjoy sailing and kayaking about on Jamaica Plain Pond.  Here is what they wrote:

Sailing Club on Jamaica Pond

11/21/13

This past spring, several students from the Curley k-8 school in Jamaica Plain participated in a sailing club, which offered sailing instruction and guidance to students after school.  The group met twice every week from 3-6 in the afternoon at Jamaica Pond, and learned everything from the names of the different parts of the boat to how to actually sail with little adult guidance.  Several students remarked on the different activities they engaged in, the general instruction of the adults, and the fun time that they had.

One student, Virginia, states “I came from a long line of sailors.  Even before I joined Sailing, I was friends with swaying hulls and flapping sails, but I had only experienced a few kinds of boats before.  Sailing at Jamaica Pond taught me new skills, and taught me about myself.  I can’t wait to go show the ocean what I’ve got!”

Another student, Donald, also thoroughly enjoyed his experience sailing.  “It was exciting because we got to learn about sailing.  One Monday, we got to do ‘Free Play,’ which means that we got to sail boats, and do a boat challenge.  On the last day, we got to eat pizza and go sailing!  My favorite part of Sailing Club was doing the kayaking and row boating, and the most challenging part was learning about the parts of the boats.”

One more student, Mohammed, exclaimed “After a while, we got so good at sailing, that we were able to pilot a boat with just 2-3 people and no grown-ups!  We ran sailing derbies sometimes – the sailing instructors put out life jackets on the water, and we raced to get as many as we could.  My favorite thing in Sailing is when we did a race against another school because we got a chance to put our training to use!”

The Curley School intends to run the Sailing Club once again in the spring semester, so that students will have another chance to further improve their sailing skills.

First Writer’s Club

Curley K8 School

Please join us for the next Health and Wellness Committee meeting tomorrow, Tuesday December 10th, from 3 – 4:15 pm in the Guidance Office.

ALL are welcome to attend, we need your input!

The agenda for tomorrow’s meeting is below:

1. Initial summary of walk through by Katie and Ann
2. Parent Health and Wellness Initiative by Fatima
3. Discussion of Nutritional Action Plan
   1. Create a Curley Health and Wellness plan
   2. Ban snacks from the cafeteria
   3. Get the salad bar up and running

Thank you!

The Curley K-8 Health and Wellness Committee
Katie Fitch (kathleenfitch@hotmail.com)
Ann Greaney Williams (ann.greaney-williams@tufts.edu)
Sue Trotz (strotz@bostonpublicschools.org)

The December meeting of the School Site Council (SSC) is this Tuesday, December 10th from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm in the library.

All are welcome, and encouraged, to attend the meeting. All SSC meetings are public meetings, but please note that only elected SSC members are able to vote. The SSC meets every second Tuesday of the month from 5:30 pm – 7 pm.

The SSC is the governing body of the Curley. It consists of the Principal, 7 elected parent members (together with 2 alternate members this year), and 6 Boston Teachers Union (BTU) members. It is co-chaired by the Principal and by at least 1 parent SSC member.

The agenda for Tuesday’s meeting is as follows:

1. Announcements (1 minute)
2. Approval of the minutes from past meetings (1 minute)
3. Public Comment Period
4. Standing and Ad-hoc Committee Reports
   1. Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) report – Katie Grassa (5 minutes)
   2. Personnel Committee report – Katie Grassa, Carrie Fletcher, Darryl Elow (5 minutes)
   3. Parent Involvement report – Maria Monteiro-Roby, Betty Alvarado, Leah Barcan (5 minutes)
   4. Health & Wellness report – Sue Trotz (5 minutes)
   5. School Climate – Katie Grassa (10 minutes)
   6. Uniforms – Katie Fitch (5 minute)
   7. Other standing or ad-hoc committee reports (5 minutes)
5. Principal’s Comments – Katie Grassa
   1. Quality Schools Plan – Discuss implementation updates with involved teachers, staff, and parents. (5 minutes)
   2. Budget Report/Discussion (30 minutes)
      1. Report on projected preliminary enrollment data for coming academic year.
      2. Continuation of discussion about the 2014/15 school year budget.
      3. Schedule special January budget presentation if budget due date is known.
   3. Other items at the Principal’s discretion. (5 minutes)
6. Old Business – SSC Training dates/update (1 minute)
7. New Business
   1. Check in about SSC participation – Heshan Berents-Weeramuni/Katie Grassa (5 minutes)
   2. Curley Pledge – Carrie Fletcher (1 minutes)
   3. Curley AWC priority seats for non-Curley students – Carrie Fletcher (1 minutes)
8. Other Business
9. Adjournment

The SSC is responsible for providing budget review and oversight. It also oversees hiring, the Instructional Leadership Team, and the Quality Schools Plan developed by the Principal, and has the authority to approve waivers. The scope of the SSC’s role, and the way it functions, is dictated by Massachusetts laws and by the present BPS/BTU contract.

All community members are encouraged to read the extensive SSC Handbook developed by the BPS and the BTU.

For a list of parent members of the SSC, please click here.

For more information, please contact this year’s parent co-chair Heshan Berents-Weeramuni, or Principal Katie Grassa.

1st and 2nd Grade Dance Performances Next Week Rescheduled

The 1st and 2nd grade performance that was originally scheduled for December 13th, has been postponed until February 7, 2014 at 9 a.m.

The program will be 50 minutes in length.

Informal Dance Performances Next Week for 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade

Instead, next week will be an informal choreography concert with the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. Parents are welcome and the schedule is as follows:

4th Grade classes
Thursday, December 12th at 8:40 am – 9:40 am

3rd Grade classes
Friday, December 13th at 8:40 am – 9:40 am

5th Grade group
Friday, December 13th at 10:40 am – 11:40 am

Each show is about 40 minutes in length and is the culmination of the Motif Writing Unit.

For more information contact Ms. Taylor Knight at storyinabox@gmail.com

School Closed Monday, December 23rd

More joy comes this holiday season as we learn the BTU and BPS have agreed to make Monday, December 23rd a holiday… So winter vacation now begins after school ends on Friday, December 20th. Students will still return to class on Friday, January 3. To compensate, an extra day has been added to the end of the school year. Below are copies of the letter from John McDonough, the BPS Interim Superintendent, in multiple languages:

• English
• Spanish
• Cape Verdean Creole
• Chinese
• Haitian Creole
• Portuguese
• Somali
• Vietnamese

This week’s Paw Prints from Principal Katie Grassa:

• School Showcase: There will be three more School Showcase events for perspective Curley families. If you are interested in volunteering for any of the dates below please contact Kristin Jurkoic at kjurkoic@yahoo.com or sign up here: http://doodle.com/yg4vb69dsyppn6dn.
  • Wednesday, December 11, 10:00am -11:30am
  • Thursday, December 19th, 7:00am – 8:30am
  • Tuesday, January 7th 10:00am – 11:30am

  A special thank you to Kristin Jurkoic, Heshan Berents-Weeramuni, Jess Ormsby, Arusha Hollister and Dave Demerjian for planning these showcase events and leading tours through our building.

• December 23, 2013: The BTU has voted in collaboration with BPS to cancel school on Monday, December 23rd. This day will be added on at the end of the school year in June.
• Report Cards: Elementary School (K-5) report cards will be sent out this coming week.
• Shop Local and Support the Curley: On Monday, December 9th Boing! JP’s Toy Stop, Kitchenwitch, On Centre, and Streetcar Wine and Beer will donate a portion of their sales to the Curley. It’s a perfect day to do your holiday shopping. Visit these stores and mention the Curley!
  • Boing! JP’s Toy Stop, 667 Centre Street, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Kitchenwitch, 671 Centre Street, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • On Centre Gift Shop, 636 Centre Street, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Streetcar Wine and Beer, 488 Centre Street. Streetcar will also be hosting a wine tasting that evening from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. for shoppers 21+.
• BPS transition to Google: Families be conscious of the fact that all Boston City employees are having their email migrated over to Google this past weekend. If you emailed a Curley staff member and have not heard a response it may be due to this migration. Please just send a follow up email. Also as a way to make things easier you can now reach staff at the exchange @bostonpublicschools.org. For example my email is now kgrassa@bostonpublicschools.org. The old exchange will still work but please note this for future reference.
• Health and Wellness Committee: Please join us for our December meeting on Tuesday, December 10th from 3:00pm-4:15pm in the guidance office.
• School Site Council: Please join us for our December meeting on Tuesday, December 10th from 5:30pm-7:00pm in the Upper School Library.

THIS Monday, December 9th Boing! JP’s Toy Stop, Kitchenwitch, On Centre, and Streetcar Wine and Beer will donate a portion of their sales to the Curley. It’s a perfect day to do your holiday shopping.

Visit these stores and mention the Curley!

• Boing! JP’s Toy Stop, 667 Centre Street, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Kitchenwitch, 671 Centre Street, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• On Centre Gift Shop, 636 Centre Street, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Streetcar Wine and Beer, 488 Centre Street. Streetcar will also be hosting a wine tasting that evening from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. for shoppers 21+.

A big thank you to all of these businesses for giving back to the community and supporting Boston’s public schools!

*********************

Compre localmente y apoye a la escuela Curley-K8!

El lunes 9 de diciembre los siguientes negocios donaran una porcion de las ventas a la escuela Curley y los programas de Musica y Arte. Es un dia perfecto para hacer sus compras par alas fiestas y apoyar nuestros negocios locales.

Visite estos almacenes el 9 de diciembre y mencione la escuela Curley.  Gracias por comprar localmente.

• Boing! JP’s Toy Stop, 667 Centre Street, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Kitchenwitch, 671 Centre Street, 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• On Centre Gift Shop, 636 Centre Street, 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Streetcar Wine and Beer, 488 Centre Street. Cata de vinos: 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., 21+.

Un gran agradecimiento a todas estas empresas para retribuir a la comunidad y el apoyo a las escuelas públicas de Boston!

Save the Date for the 2014 Silent Auction: Tuesday, March 25th

The annual silent auction is one of the Curley’s most popular fundraisers, generating 25% of the SPC budget. It’s a fun, adults-only evening so line up your babysitters for Tuesday, March 25th so you can have a night out on the town with other Curley parents and friends. The event, from 6pm to 9pm, is being generously hosted by our friends at Canary Square once again, just one block from the Curley School (435 South Huntington Ave, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130). Door prizes will be raffled off, but the main event is bidding for auction items, which may include Red Sox tickets, private swimming lessons, original art, and gift certificates to local restaurants.

We need your help to make the auction a success!

If you have a talent, perhaps you can offer art lessons or math tutoring or car washing. We need people to ask their favorite businesses for auction items–realtors, restaurants, nail salons, yoga studios, etc. We also need volunteers to help package items two weeks before, and help setting up and cleaning up the day of the event.

Please join us for the first Planning Call on Sunday, December 8, from 8:00-9:00 p.m.
Dial-in Number: 1 866 590 3642;
Meeting Number: *9751440*.

If you can’t make the call, please email Heidi Brooks at heidibrooks@yahoo.com to learn more.

If you want to know the difference between an IEP or a 504 Plan, please use this link to view this webinar and download the slides.

IEP and 504 Plans Explained

It’s very informative if your child is in the process of being evaluated or if you feel that your child needs to be evaluated for a disability

Although the webinar is sponsored by an ADD/ADHD on line magazine, it is helpful for all types of learning disabilities.

PC Users: You may first need to install the GoToMeeting codec. The link is provided after you enter your email address – it just takes a few seconds to install – It’s well worth it!!!!

We’ve topped the $100,000 $117,000 fundraising mark! Thanks to a generous gift from the Jessie B. Cox CLT – Cox Family Fund at the Boston Foundation, and well as donations from local businesses, neighbors and the Curley community, we have surpassed the $100,000 milestone. Let’s keep the momentum going!

A lot of other exciting things are happening:

• $10,000 Match Challenge –  The gift from the Cox Family Fund also comes with a match challenge, so the next $10,000 we receive from now until March 31st will be doubled!  Email your friends. Tell your neighbors. Give today and double your donation dollars! Click here to learn more.

• Northeastern University Partners With Us – When Daniel Sullivan, Northeastern University STEM partner, learned about the Curley K-8 Playing Field Campaign at a spring 2013 SPC meeting, his wheels started to turn. Shortly thereafter, he brokered our introduction to Northeastern University’s chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). It didn’t take long to realize that we had a shared interest. We were looking to get this playing field built. Northeastern University (NEU) was looking for real-world learning opportunities for its students. We joined forces, and today NEU students and faculty are working with landscape architect John Ryther to create drainage and grading plans for the playing field. We are thrilled to be working with such a talented and industrious group of young people!

  Northeastern University Engineering faculty and ASCE leads have also discussed working with NEU engineering alum to prepare the site for field installation. NEU’s Engineering program prides itself on instilling a community service ethic in its students, and their commitment to service is a defining component of our Playing Field Campaign. If all goes according to plan, NEU alum will be on site the week of April vacation to prepare our site for field installation! Stay tuned!  Thank you NEU!!!

• Sponsorship Level Gifts Now Available –  For a gift of $3,500 or more, donors can now sponsor and dedicate a new tree or bench to be installed with our new playing field.  Sponsorship gifts can offer visibility to local businesses and a unique opportunity for neighborhood groups and even Curley families and classes to pool resources, donate to the playing field and leave behind a meaningful legacy to the school.  We’re looking for an organized volunteer to spearhead this effort.  No heavy lifting required.  Email nietorebecca@hotmail.com for more information.

• Boston Marathon Numbers – Parent Dan Barcan is running the 2014 Boston Marathon in support of our playing field – thanks Dan! He would love your support and has set up a GREAT fundraising site for his run: http://dbboston2014.squarespace.com/.

  Are you interested in running the 118th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21, 2014? The Curley school is seeking 1 more runner to run for the school, this time to support the Music, Arts and Science programming at our school. Each Curley runner must give/raise $5,000 for the Curley K-8. For more information, please email skelsbree@yahoo.com.

• Community Outreach Yielding Results – Sharing their own personal stories of life on the crumbling asphalt lot, Curley 6th graders Julian Day and Sam Snekvik garnered appreciation and donations after presenting the Curley Playing Field Capital Campaign to the Jamaica Pond Association in November.  The Curley has also met with the Lochstead Neighborhood Association, the Jamaica Plain Business and Professional Association and other local businesses, who have given generously to our campaign.  We continue to raise awareness of our growing grassroots effort and it’s paying off.  Outreach will be critical to our success.  Contact us and find out how you can help spread the word!

• Sumner Hill Association Fundraiser – They’ve seen our fundraising “thermometer” sign, now they’re mobilizing their neighborhood.  The Sumner Hill Association is gearing up for a Curley Capital Campaign Fundraiser in January. Details to come. If you would like to help with this or other fundraisers or mobilizing efforts, please let us know.  We welcome your ideas and energy.

Don’t have a lot of time? There are many ways you can help.

• Mention the Curley Capital Campaign Match Challenge on Facebook, with a link to our site: http://playingfield.curleyk8.com/. Donating is easy and each gift now gets DOUBLED thanks to our $10K match!!
• Rally your child’s class to sponsor a tree or a bench.
• Find out if your employer would donate to the Curley for their year-end charitable giving.
• Send a link to our playing field website to your neighborhood list-serve.  Quality schools are good for the community.
• Got other ideas?  Please let us know.  Contact co-chairs dougrandra@gmail.com or Fitzgibbonkieran@gmail.com

Find out more.  Visit http://playingfield.curleyk8.com/

Let’s Build It!