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.
The PTA wishes you a safe and enjoyable April vacation next week, whether you stay in Belmont or do some traveling. The Weekly Winnie will resume on April 24th when we return.
Thank you to the dozen or so Winn Brook community members who joined the Executive Board and Principal Marchand at our PTA Meeting last Thursday night. For those of you who couldn't make it, please see our Draft Meeting Minutes from April 4th, 2024 for a quick overview.
Our guest speaker was Laura Smith, incoming permanent Principal of Chenery Upper Elementary (CUE). We have obtained her slide presentation that she gave about the vision for the CUE including graphics and information about the planned "small school" design, building layout, school day schedule, and instructional model. Those present added a lot of value to the discussion with Ms. Smith about the changes coming to the CUE as it moves to a 4th-6th Grade building. Thank you for sharing your ideas, opinions, concerns, and experiences.
Laura Smith, incoming Principal of the CUE, presenting at PTA Meeting April 4th.
Just like we always do for the 4th Grade class, our 3rd Graders are getting the royal treatment in their last year at Winn Brook! Don’t miss the latest 3rd Grade event tomorrow night 6:30-8pm in the cafeteria.
BPS School Calendar 2023-24
Winn Brook School and PTA Calendar
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 9: 1st Grade Enrichment, Field Trip to Drumlin Farm
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
May 28 and 31: 3rd Grade Enrichment, “Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride” In-school Presentation by Paul Revere House
May 29: 1st Grade Enrichment, Author Visit by Jamie Deenihan
May 31: 3rd Grade Enrichment, "Windows on Wildlife" In-school Presentation on Raptor Adaptations
The PTA purchased safety eyewear for all Winn Brook students and staff which were distributed the day of the solar eclipse. It was wonderful to see so many in our community enjoying the event together behind the school after dismissal - what an incredible community event put on by nature! See more photos in the Gallery.
PTA Extracurricular students enjoying the solar eclipse. Photo credit: Laureen Federico
WBExL after school students and staff watching the solar eclipse together.
When 2nd Grade teacher Meghan Gallagher had a fantastic idea for some community-building fun, she reached out the PTA asking for support - and we were more than happy to help!
On Friday, April 5th the Winn Brook staff went to work as usual but (surprise!) found themselves in an epic Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament! Each teacher started with 5 necklaces. Throughout the school day they battled their colleagues and won or lost a necklace in each match up.
How did the inaugural tourney go? Ms. Gallagher reported that staff had "permanent grins on" and students were excitedly chanting for their own teacher and then erupting in cheers when they won. She reported it was "pure joy in the halls," which made our PTA hearts soar.
"It was a fantastic day full of cheering, good sportsmanship, and friendly competition. The staff all agreed we can’t wait until next year!" - Ms. Gallagher
In the end, the lucky winner was 4th Grade teacher Devon Kelleher with an impressive 26 necklaces!
The PTA provided all the necklaces for the game (reusable for future tournaments), a small Starbucks gift card for the winner, plus a custom trophy to be passed to the new winner each year for classroom display, and of course bragging rights.
Reigning 2024 Rock, Paper, Scissors Champion - Ms. Kelleher
On April 2nd and 4th our Winn Brook 2nd Graders took shifts going on a great field trip to the Discovery Museum in Acton. This is a fantastic local resource with amazing activities and hands-on learning both inside and outdoors. The PTA covered all costs 100% including busing. We'd like to thank our 2nd Grade Enrichment Coordinator Katy Yang for organizing such a happy and informative excursion for our staff and students. Enjoy more photos in our Gallery!
The PTA's Friends of the Library have been busy this past week assisting Ms. Cameron with identifying, relabeling, and updating the catalog to reflect the changes for a small (but growing!) part of the Winn Brook library collection, books for Multi Language Learners.
Our library has a small collection of books in native languages and bi-lingual books that are available to children who are new to our school. The purpose of these books is to provide a welcoming and comfortable feeling to students who have recently moved into the area and are in the process of learning to speak and understand English.
By relabeling the books, they will become part of the general collection, but still be easy to find. The books will be grouped by the language they are written in, no matter the level or content of the book. For example; all books that are written in Chinese will be grouped together. The titles will also be easy to search for in Destiny (our computer system) since their catalogue record has also been changed.
The Friends of the Library is a group of volunteers who assist Ms. Cameron with more time consuming projects so they can be completed in a shorter amount of time. Some projects are more creative while other projects are more "labor" intensive. If you like to be part of this helpful group feel free to reach out to Ms. Cameron.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Make-A-Gift fundraiser this year. The PTA has placed over 50 orders for >$1,600 with Original Works and we can't wait to see the students' art come back along with their matching mugs, magnets, pillowcases, notebooks, etc. A portion of the order total order amount will come back to the PTA as part of this fundraiser. We expect orders to be fulfilled the week of April 29th, delivered to your child's classroom.
Sample of original student artwork orders from Make-A-Gift event.
Belmont High School (BHS) UNICEF Club thanks the Belmont community for a successful event last Thursday! We had so much fun seeing all your amazing face paint creations, wonderful balloon animals, and so much more. At the request of some of our attendees and due to the abnormal (to say the least) weather, we are extending the online portion of our fundraiser. Here is a link to our donation page if you would like to check it out!
Marshmallow and spaghetti tower challenge from Family Fun Night.
The Belmont Pan Mass Kids Ride is Sunday, May 5th and we want to spread the word. Learn more about this local event and register to ride and/or volunteer by following the QR code below. This is the 9th annual ride and we hope to have a great turn out to help the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) so that “together, we get closer by the mile to a world without cancer.”
Whether your 3rd or 4th Grade student is excited or nervous (or both!) about the move to Chenery Upper Elementary (CUE) in the fall, you can help get them ready to show that CUE spirit with some cool new gear. Our friends and colleagues at the Chenery PTO are selling both "Chenery" and "Belmont" shirts and sweatpants for a limited time as part of their fundraising. Place your order here BY FRIDAY April 12th at 5pm!
(Still only feeling the Winn Brook love? Our swag sale is not going anywhere!)
Around during April vacation week? Sign your child up for a fun-filled Activities Camp at A Chocolate Dream in Belmont Center on Friday, April 19th from 11am-2pm. Open to kids age 6 and up!
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