Address: Winn Brook Elementary School 97 Waterhouse Rd, Belmont, MA 02478
Contribute to the Winn Brook PTA online by using the Pay Pal Button below. Donations are tax deductible.
Join us in the cafeteria Thursday, April 4th at 7:30pm for our next PTA Meeting. All Winn Brook families are welcome to attend this general membership meeting.
Our special guest presenter is Laura Smith. Ms. Smith has recently been selected as the first permanent principal of Belmont's Chenery Upper Elementary (CUE) School, she starts in that role July 1st. Until then she will continue serving as the CUE’s Elementary Curriculum Coordinator, a position she has held since September. Come hear her plans for smooth and successful transition of the CUE to a 4-6th Grade upper elementary next year and what it means for Winn Brook becoming a K-3rd Grade lower elementary.
Also on the agenda for Thursday, hear from the PTA Executive Board on our budget, upcoming events, and open PTA positions for next school year. Ask questions and get involved, we value your input and greatly appreciate all of our wonderful volunteers. We'll also vote to approve the draft Meeting Minutes from our last PTA Meeting on January 18th.
Three days left in "Pack Assorted Colors for Kids" Week (P.A.C.K.) at Winn Brook. Parents and guardians are encouraged to pack more fruits and vegetables in various colors and forms into the students' lunch and snack bags. Also, keep an eye out for your favorite staff sporting healthy choice costumes (a PTA donation to Winn Brook School from last school year).
Peaches and chickpeas at lunch (left). Mr. Finch and Ms. Cinar rocking their fruit suits (right).
Have you seen some awesome Winn Brook hoodies around town? Do you covet a pair of Winn Brook flannel pants? What about a long sleeve t-shirt for these spring days? You're in luck, the swag sale is ongoing! Anyone may purchase from our Winn Brook Swag Square site. All sales benefit the 3rd Grade Committee as they give our outgoing 3rd Graders the same perks and events this year as the outgoing 4th Graders traditionally have at Winn Brook, like yearbooks and class t-shirts. Please support these kiddos who are Winn Brook's first "graduating" 3rd Grade class and will be Chenery's first 4th Grade class!
Orders are being fulfilled and distributed entirely by PTA volunteers and parents like you, so we appreciate your patience as we get them to you as quickly as we can.
BPS School Calendar 2023-24
Winn Brook School and PTA Calendar
April 4: 2nd Grade Enrichment - Field Trip to Discovery Museum
April 4: PTA Meeting - 7:30pm in the cafeteria
April 8: Winn Brook Bedtime Stories - Google Meet, 7-8pm
April 11: 3rd Grade Bingo Night, 6:30-8pm in the cafeteria
April 12: 4th Grade Enrichment - Giles LaRoche Art Workshop, in school event
April 24: Belmont Wellness Coalition (BWC) Monthly Parenting Group - 7-8pm, Zoom Link - Join the discussion and explore strategies around managing screen time and cell phone use.
April 25: Monthly Staff Treats "Springtime Flowers" from the Staff Appreciation Committee
May 1: Spring Walk, Bike, & Roll to School (hosted by SRTS Committee)
May 6-10: Staff Appreciation Week
May 17: Multicultural Night, 6:30-9pm
May 19: Boston-Belmont Bowling Night, 5pm at Boston Bowl, 820 Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester, MA - All Belmont Public Schools invited for this district-wide event!
May 20-24: Scholastic Book Fair
STEM night finally returned to Winn Brook on March 28th. Families enjoyed various demonstrations led by PTA volunteers that included outdoor rocket launching, chemistry fun, slime making, messy goop, materials science exploration, programming, robotics, and more. It was great to see so many kids (and adults!) excited about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The PTA would like to thank the many families and parents who helped bring back this educational and fun event to Winn Brook, whether you helped with set up, ran the popcorn machine all night, hosted a table, or helped with the very necessary clean-up afterwards. A huge thank you as well to Katy Yang - Chair of the STEM Night Committee, for organizing the entire event essentially from scratch after Science Night and Math Night's long hiatus from Winn Brook (plus she created the cutest giraffe scientist graphic ever). Brava, Katy! More photos in the Gallery.
The annual 4th Grade Raffle raised $3,725 which was 124% of the fundraiser goal. Across the 13 amazing baskets there were 1,761 tickets sold to 132 supporters. Basket #11: Ms. Kelleher’s class “Kids vs. Adults” was the most popular with 235 tickets sold! Winners were drawn on Sunday March 31st, congratulations to all those who took home a basket!
The PTA is grateful to all those who supported the event, but we’d like to extend a special thank you to Katie Hawko, Casey Wall, Trisha Kahn, and Sarah Boyle for organizing such a successful fundraiser in support of the 4th Grade Committee and their annual activities. See more photos in our Gallery!
Some of our happy winners - 4th Grader Victoria Yoon (left) & Savitz/Ruggiero Family (right)
David A. Kelly visited the Winn Brook 3rd Graders on March 28th. David is the author of the Ballpark Mysteries series, MVP series, and titles such as Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse, Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud that Changed Baseball, and Tee Time on the Moon. He shared with the students that he actually didn't like writing as a student because he felt he wasn't good at it. After seeing how much his children enjoyed the "A-to-Z Mysteries" series by Ron Roy, he decided to write a book for them. He worked hard and sent it off to an editor, who promptly told him all the things that were wrong with it. David took it back and revised it. And revised it. And revised it. After a few times, the editor finally gave it the thumbs up and published it, and that's how David became a children's author. David's story taught the 3rd Graders you should try things that interest you and that it's important to keep trying! This event was fully funded by the PTA and brought to the students by our wonderful 3rd Grade Coordinators of the Enrichment Committee - Lissa Bollettino and Christine Tsau.
Thank you to the many 4th Grade parent volunteers for securing donations from our local businesses and working the bake sale all Election Day. Thank you to everyone across the grades for donating delicious homemade and store-bought treats for the cause. In all we raised over $1,500 for the 4th Grade Committee and their annual activities and events for the outgoing class. Whether you got some hot coffee to go, stunningly presented Algerian desserts, homemade golden mochi, or gluten free cupcakes, it all added up to a delicious success.
Some of our fantastic 4th Grade Committee volunteers: Trisha Kahn, Michelle Miller, and Sarah Boyle.
Even though we had the PTA event write-up in last week's edition of the Weekly Winnie, we received so many more wonderful photos since then that we just had to share them. Check them out in our Gallery!
Excited 4th Graders with their classroom teachers who were the surprise "callers" at Bingo Night.
Belmont High School's UNICEF Club is thrilled to invite you and your family to our upcoming fundraising event, Family Fun Night! Join us on Thursday, April 4th from 4:30-7:30pm at the Belmont High School Cafeteria for a fun-filled evening. This fair-like event will feature a wide range of interactive and educational booths run by our club members, including slime making, henna, a bake sale, and an exciting raffle. With free admission, this event provides a perfect opportunity for families to come together and enjoy quality time while supporting a great cause. We do recommend cash donations to support our cause, and our bake sale and raffle will only accept cash. We can't wait to see you there for a night of family fun and meaningful fundraising for UNICEF! RSVPs not required but are appreciated using this google form.
Are you looking for fun, educational opportunities for your children this summer? If so, Belmont Summer Enrichment (BSE) is a great choice for you! BSE offers a variety of different classes for incoming Pre-K through incoming Grade 7 students, in addition to an intern program for students in grades 8 and up. Some of our courses include Engineering, Coding, Chess, Sports, Improv, Graphic Design, and Art Creations and many are taught by our own BPS teachers. This is a great way to keep curious minds thinking over the summer and maintaining good learning habits so your child will be ready and excited to learn in the fall! See a full list of courses, find important dates and information, and register on our Belmont Public Schools BSE Website. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram!
The PTA runs on an amazing engine of volunteers like you, and we have many opportunities throughout the year for families and guardians to participate and support our students. If you haven’t already, the best place to start is by completing our Parent Volunteer Interest Form.
Here are some ways you can get involved today:
Donate to the PTA - Each fall we hold an Annual Appeal, but donations are welcome any time of year and directly support our students, staff, and school. Checks, PayPal, and Venmo are all accepted. Learn how to contribute to the PTA and the ways your donation makes a difference at Winn Brook here.
Donate to the Backup Clothing Closet - Keeping our backup clothing closet well stocked is especially important for Nurse Carbeck who needs changes of clothes for students every day due to spills and accidents that happen at school. To help, first sign-up to donate backup clothing here then launder and package the item in a Ziploc bag, label the size on the outside, and deliver it to the front office.
Purchase and Wear Winn Brook Swag - Head to our Winn Brook Swag Square Site and get outfitted today with long-sleeve t-shirts, flannel pants, hoodies, and beanies to show your Winn Brook pride all year. All purchases support the PTA's 3rd Grade Committee, order now while supplies last!
Volunteer in the Lunchroom - The cafeteria needs up to 3 lunchroom volunteers per lunch period. This is a fun way to visit with the kids in the middle of the school day and help provide much needed (and appreciated) coverage for our staff.
Volunteer in the Library - there are two ways to help in the Winn Brook library:
Sign up to volunteer during your child’s weekly library class. You'll help your child and their classmates check books in and out at the circulation desk plus shelve returns to help our librarian.
Friends of the Library - This separate group of volunteers work on special projects as requested and as needed by the librarian. Some tasks can be done at home while others will be completed in the library itself. Email our librarian Doreen Cameron if you are interested in being a part of the new "Friends of the Library."
Volunteer with the Welcome Committee - Would you like to help welcome and orient families new to Winn Brook, to Belmont, maybe even new to the country? Please fill in this Companion to New Winn Brook Family form and we’ll be in touch if there is a match that could use your support and companionship!
Volunteer with the Staff Appreciation Committee - Help keep our staff nourished, pampered, and cared for while they support our kids by signing up to bring in Monthly Teacher Treats.
Volunteer with 3rd or 4th Grade Committees - Have a third or fourth grader and it is their final year at Winn Brook? It’s not too late to get in on the fun and event planning for our "graduating" students! Check out all the ways you can pitch in on the 3rd Grade Committee or 4th Grade Committee to make their last year here special and memorable.
Visit our Lost and Found online! Check our regularly updated photos of Lost and Found items then stop by the school to collect your things before they are donated to charity. Anything clearly labeled will be returned to the student's classroom by our Lost and Found Committee volunteers.
The students' safety must be our priority. Every day we see dangerous and illegal driving and parking practices at Winn Brook by drivers in our own school community. Our Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Committee reminds us all to please:
Follow the Winn Brook Arrival & Dismissal Plan and associated map
Use the Student Drop-Off Zone on Sherman Street properly
Never obstruct crosswalks, driveways, intersections, disability spaces, or fire hydrants
Never enter or obstruct any Winn Brook parking lot or driveway
Never idle at school, it’s against MA law. Always turn off your vehicle as soon as you are in park.
Never make U-Turns/reverse direction in the school zone
Obey signage, there are one way streets and No Parking/Stopping areas during Arrival and Dismissal times
Never double-park
Never allow your child to enter or exit your vehicle while in the street
With your cooperation and effort we can ensure a much safer and healthier experience for our walkers, bikers, busers, and drivers alike while maintaining critical access for emergency and first responder vehicles at all times.
Weekly Winnies (the PTA weekly newsletter you are currently reading!) will be emailed to you every Wednesday with updates on events, volunteer opportunities, school happenings and more.
Winn Brook Listserv - sign up for the Winn Brook Listserv to receive important correspondence from both the school and your PTA.
PTA Website & Calendar - The PTA Events Calendar and PTA News & Announcements on our website are current! Check regularly.
Room Parents - each classroom has 1-2 volunteer Room Parents who act as liaisons between the classroom teacher, PTA, and parents/guardians. Look for emails from them! Check here if you aren’t sure who your Room Parents are this year.
Erika Roberts & Sarah Boyle
Winn Brook PTA Co-Presidents
winnbrookptapresidents@gmail.com