Today is Giving Tuesday, a national campaign to create a day of giving at the start of the holiday season. This year, please consider a donation to the Curley School Parent Council among your year-end charitable gifts. We have found that many small donations really do add up.

Funds raised by the Curley SPC allow us to support the school with:

• music education provided by the Community Music Center of Boston
• field trips for every grade
• materials for arts and science classes
• family night at the Museum of Science
• the annual Spring Arts Show
• a year-end teacher appreciation lunch
• funding for other programs as requested by teachers

Currently the SPC is also supporting ambitious parent-led initiatives to improve the state of technology at the school and to transform a crumbling asphalt schoolyard into a desperately needed sports field.

Please support public education by donating today, and share this page with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter.

Donate Now

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.
• Street Car 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.
• Street Car 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!

This Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. the Curley will host the first of four school preview tours when prospective parents come to tour the Curley. The Curley, along with all other Boston Public schools, also hosted a Saturday Open House earlier.

For many years, parents have played a significant part in showing the school to other parents, and the Curley is noted for our level of parental participation at these tours. Many of you may remember your own tour of the Curley. We (Arusha and Kristin) are coordinating our efforts at the Curley, and we would love your help as tour guides.

New families are encouraged to participate as you give the most valuable feedback to incoming parents. No worries if you don’t know the school yet – we’ll pair you up with a parent who has done tours in the past.

This year’s preview tour times are:

• Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013: 7 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
• Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

You can access the poll here: http://doodle.com/yg4vb69dsyppn6dn

Any help you can give is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Kristin Jurkoic and Arusha Hollister

When you make a gift to the Curley K-8 Playing Field Campaign, the Jessie B. Cox CLT-Cox Family Fund at the Boston Foundation will match your contribution dollar for dollar up to $10,000.

This generous limited time offer expires March 31, 2014.

Our goal is in site! With your help, we can transform the Curley’s 14,000 square foot lot of deteriorating asphalt into dedicated playing field and track—a welcoming and dynamic space for physical education, team sports and informal play.

Double your donation by giving now!

All field sports take place off-site because the only schoolyard expanse large enough for home field play is not safe for play.During the 2012-2013 school year, students sought daily medical attention for cuts, scrapes and bruises caused by falls and trips on the crumbling asphalt. As a result, the lot is off-limits this year. Recess, now restricted to younger grades, takes place behind the lower school. Students in grades 6-8 no longer have recess and Physical Education classes are held indoors.

Your donation now can make a difference.

With your matched contribution today, we can create a vibrant playing field that supports activities essential for building the healthy bodies and strong minds every school child deserves and every community needs. We have the site. We have the plans. We have a community of parents, staff, and students eager to enjoy and care for a new playing field. Together we can make this happen!

Please help us meet the Jessie B. Cox CLT-Cox Family Fund Match Challenge. Contribute today to make your gift go twice as far. With your help, we can break ground in July and open the 2014-2015 school year with the playing field that has been a dream for so many students for such a long time.

This week’s Paw Prints from Principal Katie Grassa:

• Family Math Night: Thank you to all the families and staff who worked hard to make Family Math Night a success!
• School Showcase: There will be four 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.
  • Tuesday, December 3, 5:30pm – 7:00pm
  • Wednesday, December 11, 10:00am -11:30am
  • Thursday, December 19th, 7:00am – 8:30am
  • Tuesday, January 7th 10:00am – 11:30am
• Wednesday, November 27, 2013: The day before Thanksgiving is a half-day for all BPS students. We will dismiss walkers starting at 12:25pm and bus students at 12:30pm. There will be no CASP on this day either so please plan accordingly for pick up. Also there is no school on 11/28 or 11/28 in observance of Thanksgiving.
• December 23, 2013: The BTU has votes 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.
• Principal Breakfast: Thank you to all the families who attending the Principal Breakfast on Friday, November 22nd. I am working with the SPC and BPD to plan a session for families around school safety. Stay tuned for a date, time and further details.
• Report Cards: Middle School report cards were mailed out on Friday and families should be receiving them any day now.

Principal’s Breakfast/Bullying Prevention Presentation

Friday, November 22nd
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 bullying prevention.

8:45 am – Coffee

9:00 am – Greetings and an Update from Principal Katie Grassa

9:30 am – Bullying Prevention Presentation – Luis Tamayo, Ph.D., Diamond Cethus, Ph.D, and Jodie Elgee, Director of the Counseling and Intervention Center.

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 PREVENCIÓN SOBRE LA INTIMIDACIÓN

El viernes, 22 de noviembre, 2013
8:45 am – 10:45 am, en la biblioteca de la escuela Intermedia

8:45 a.m. – CAFÉ

9:00 a.m. – BIENVENIDA Y REPORTE SOBRE QUE ESTA PASANDO EN LA ESCUELA
Por Katherine Grassa, Principal de la escuela Curley

9:30 a.m. – PRESENTACION SOBRE LA PREVENCIÓN DE LA  INTIMIDACIÓN
Por:  Los Doctores Luis Tamayo y Diamond Cethus
La Señora Jodie Elgee, Directora del Centro de Consejería e Intervención estará presente durante la presentación.

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

Exciting news from Mark Racine, BPS’ Chief Technology Officer. His memo, sent today, about Comcast’s Internet Essentials Program is below:

Greetings,

I’m very excited to announce that Comcast’s low-cost internet program, Internet Essentials, is now available to all Boston Public School families! This program gives families the ability to purchase home internet service at a rate of $9.95 a month for as long as they have a student in the BPS. Families can also purchase a netbook computer for $150 when they sign up.

The district’s move to being 100% free lunch this year has allowed Comcast to open up the program to all BPS families. Opening the program has cut down on the paperwork for parents during the sign-up process and we’re also partnering with Northeastern to bring in additional training opportunities to help with installation, cyber safety lessons, and basic computing skills. Our families in the Technology Goes Home program have had access to these resources for a few years but I’m very excited that this program is now available to all families!

We’re going to be communicating through social media and other outlets but I wanted you to be aware in case you receive questions. You can find more information using the links below but feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Overview of the program
http://www.internetessentials.com/sites/internetessentials.com/files/reports/ie-fcc_trifold-2013_fall_fnl.pdf

How it works
http://www.internetessentials.com/how-it-works

To Sign Up
Families can call 1-855-8-INTERNET or visit www.internetessentials.com

Mark Racine
Chief Information Officer
Boston Public Schools

Four things to consider this week:

Math Night

Thursday, November  21st
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm, Lower School Cafeteria

Math Night returns! This is a chance for the whole family to practice math by playing math games. For more details, please contact Maria Monteiro-Roby or Betty Villalba-Alvarado.

Marathon Numbers

Are you interested in running the 118th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21, 2014? The Curley K-8 School is seeking 2 runners to run for the school. Curley runners must donate/raise $5,000 (each) for the Curley K-8.

Run for a great cause – you’ll help support the new Curley Playing Field and Music and Arts programming at our school.

For more information, please email Susan Elsbree at skelsbree@yahoo.com.

Principal’s Breakfast/Bullying Prevention Presentation

Friday, November 22nd
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 bullying prevention.

8:45 am – Coffee
9:00 am – Greetings and an Update from Principal Katie Grassa
9:30 am – Bullying Prevention Presentation – Luis Tamayo, Ph.D., Diamond Cethus, Ph.D, and Jodie Elgee, Director of the Counseling and Intervention Center.

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 PREVENCIÓN SOBRE LA INTIMIDACIÓN

El viernes, 22 de noviembre, 2013
8:45 am – 10:45 am, en la biblioteca de la escuela Intermedia

8:45 a.m. – CAFÉ

9:00 a.m. – BIENVENIDA Y REPORTE SOBRE QUE ESTA PASANDO EN LA ESCUELA
Por Katherine Grassa, Principal de la escuela Curley

9:30 a.m. – PRESENTACION SOBRE LA PREVENCIÓN DE LA  INTIMIDACIÓN
Por:  Los Doctores Luis Tamayo y Diamond Cethus
La Señora Jodie Elgee, Directora del Centro de Consejería e Intervención estará presente durante la presentación.

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

Nutcracker Tickets

We’re delighted to invite you to attend the near-final dress rehearsal performance of The Nutcracker.

State Street is proud to be a leading supporter of key arts and cultural organizations in Boston and around the world. An important part of that effort is our continued partnership with the Boston Ballet and our support of The Nutcracker.

Please join us for a pre-performance reception featuring holiday treats, face painting, crafts and a special visit from our favorite Nutcracker characters!

Friday, November 29, 2013
Reception: 12:30 p.m.
Dress Rehearsal: 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
The Boston Opera House
539 Washington Street, Boston, MA

Attire: Holiday attire

RSVP Deadline: Friday, November 22nd

Please RSVP by this Friday to Yasmina Alvarenga. Thanks for making this happen again Yasmina!

This week’s Paw Prints from Principal Katie Grassa:

• Family Math Night: Thursday, November 21st from 5:30pm-7:30pm in the Lower School Cafeteria, this is a chance for the whole family to practice math by playing math games. For more details, please contact Maria Monteiro-Roby or Betty Villalba-Alvarado.
• Principal Breakfast: Please join us for the November Principal Breakfast on Friday, November 22nd from 8:45am-9:45am. We will have a presentation for families about bullying.
• School Showcase: Thank you to all the families who volunteered for the School Showcase on Saturday, November 16th. The 60 families who toured the school were thrilled to hear about real experiences from our families.
• Nutrition Walk Through: Thank you to all the families who assisted with the Nutritional Walk Through on Friday, November 15th. Please stay tuned for more details about the results from this event.
• Playing Field Capital Campaign: With the support of the Curley Community, we are very close to reaching $100,000 for our playing field campaign. This is especially impressive since the campaign was only officially launched on May 30th of this year! With every dollar raised, we are one step closer to creating this much needed playing field. Haven’t pledge yet? Every dollar counts. Click here to donate now. The parent fundraising committee will also have a full update very soon. Thank you, all!
• Wednesday, November 27, 2013: The day before Thanksgiving is a half-day for all BPS students. We will dismiss walkers starting at 12:25pm and bus students at 12:30pm. Please plan accordingly for pick up.
• CASP closes on two days: Please note that the Curley After-School Program (CASP) will be closed on both 11/27 and 12/20.
• 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: All students in grades 6-8 will receive their first quarter report card this week.

The Curley K-8 will be holding a Nutritional Awareness Walk Through this Friday, November 15th. The Walk Through is an event sponsored by the Health and Wellness Committee to see what changes we can make to improve nutrition at the Curley, the cafeteria will be the main focus.

ALL parents are welcome to attend, we need your input! There will be two shifts, 8-8:40am and 11-12:30pm, feel free to attend 1 or both. More details about where to meet will follow shortly.

If you are interested or know other parents who might be, please let them know of this event. If you have time, please fill out the doodle poll (see below) but you can just show up too:

http://doodle.com/4tmusygn467p3ufd

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@boston.k12.ma.us)

This week’s Paw Prints from Principal Katie Grassa:

• Family Math Night: Thursday, November 21^st from 5:30pm-7:30pm in the Lower School Cafeteria, this is a chance for the whole family to practice math by playing math games. For more details, please contact Maria Monteiro-Roby or Betty Villalba-Alvarado.
• Election Day Bake Sale: A very special THANK YOU to all the families that helped to organize this event and to all the volunteers who braved the cold weather to raise money for our school.
• Middle School Terms: Students in 6th – 8th grade have four terms instead of three in the elementary grades. The first term ends on Friday, November 8th. Reports cards will follow approximately two weeks later.
• School Showcase: Stay tuned for updates and volunteer opportunities for the Boston Public Schools Showcase. This is the first time the new student assignment process will take place and we are going to be opening our school to potential families on Saturday, November 16th from 9am-1pm.
• Health and Wellness Committee: Our next meeting is on Tuesday, November 12th from 3:00pm-4:15pm in the Guidance Office. All are welcomed.
• School Site Council: Our next meeting is on Tuesday, November 12th from 5:30pm-7:00pm in the Upper School library. All are welcomed but only elected members can vote.
• Nutrition Walk Through: The Curley K-8 will be holding a National Awareness walk through on Friday, November 15th. This event is sponsored by the Health and Wellness Committee to see what changes we can make to improve nutrition at the Curley. During this time we will observe breakfast and lunch in both cafeterias and draw conclusions around next steps for the school around nutrition. Please see Sue Trotz if you are interested in participating.

It’s school preview time again when prospective parents come to tour the Curley.

This year though, BPS has changed the format and standardized the preview times across all schools. In addition to the tours of the school during school hours, they will host a Saturday Open House for each school, and they have also moved tours to different times of the day to accommodate the needs of more parents and guardians.

For many years, parents have played a significant part in showing the school to other parents, and the Curley is noted for our level of parental participation at these tours. Many of you may remember your own tour of the Curley. We (Arusha and Kristin) are coordinating our efforts at the Curley, and we would love your help as tour guides.

New families are encouraged to participate as you give the most valuable feedback to incoming parents. No worries if you don’t know the school yet – we’ll pair you up with a parent who has done tours in the past.

BPS is kicking off the preview season with an Open House on Saturday, November 16th from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Curley.

In addition this year’s preview tour times are:

• Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013: 7 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
• Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

You can access the poll here: http://doodle.com/yg4vb69dsyppn6dn

Any help you can give is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Kristin Jurkoic and Arusha Hollister