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.
Celebrate active transportation next Wednesday May 1st on Spring Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day! This spring we're adding a Bike Bus where kids ride to school as a group, accompanied by adults from the Winn Brook community. We'll be meeting at the Claflin Parking lot (near corner of Cross Street and Channing Road) and riding down Cross Street to Winn Brook. Meet us at 8:20am at the start, or join us along the way. Learn more here on the Winn Brook Bike Bus Facebook page. All Winn Brook students, and their grownups are welcome to join. (Helmets required for all kids under 16 and recommended for adults.)
Once you've arrived at Winn Brook on wheels or on foot, find our Safe Routes to School (SRTS) volunteers on the blacktop who will be cheering you on and giving out hand stamps.
Want to volunteer on the day? Please email SRTS Co-Chair Carice Reddien.
It has been a long process, but the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Committee has finally received approval from administration and facilities department to install bike racks on Winn Brook School grounds! The last school in our district to do so, these have been much needed (and much requested) for many years. Fully paid for by the PTA, two sets of racks are planned - one on the Cross Street side and the other on the Sherman Street side. Both will be readily accessible to our students and families during arrival and dismissal. More soon!
Once again Winn Brook is participating in the annual district-wide Boston-Belmont Bowling Event on Sunday May 19th. This is a fantastic opportunity to come together with all the other public schools in Belmont and made possible thanks to the collaboration between all of our PTAs/PTOs. We have a great number of Boston-based families in the Belmont Public School system and this is a rare chance to meet them for a "school" event closer to home. Join us for pizza, bowling, and fun from 5pm-6pm at Boston Bowl, 820 Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester, MA. See the attached flyer and please RSVP using this form by next Friday May 3rd.
BPS School Calendar 2023-24
Winn Brook School and PTA Calendar
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
Two! Four! Six! Eight! Who do we appreciate? All our fantastic Winn Brook 3rd Graders!
The 3rd Grade Committee recently hosted Bingo Night to keep the tradition and fun going for year end celebrations. Kids had a blast playing bingo, winning prizes, meeting Winnie B., and seeing their teachers after school. Enjoy more photos in our Gallery!
A big thank you to all the teacher and parent volunteers! The PTA would especially like to thank Mari Deranian, chair of 3rd Grade Bingo Night, for making this special memory for our students before they leave Winn Brook this year.
In addition to regular deliveries of Kleenex, paper towels, and disinfecting wipes, the PTA stocks up on hundreds EXPO dry erase markers for the staff a few times of year. Be sure your teacher grabs a pack of colorful thick and thin varieties from the staff supply closet in the front office if they are running low.
Speaking of dry erase markers, our fantastic and long-time physical education (PE) teacher Mr. Franey had no where to use them! The PTA has recently purchased a large whiteboard for the gym which will be great for lesson plans, diagrams, note-taking, keeping score, motivational quotes, as well as general use by others using the gymnasium space (think concerts! open houses! PTA events!).
The PTA received a wonderful, large, colorful and heartfelt thank you card from Ms. Monnin's 2nd Grade class for their recent field trips to Wheelock Family Theater and the Discovery Museum. You are most welcome, Room 103!
A lot more has happened in just a few short weeks! Over April vacation our hardworking custodians broke down the remaining old bookcases and removed them, which has opened up the space tremendously and let in so much more light. Mr. Daye also painted our new accent wall in the reading corner as well as the columns about the room in a cheery shade of Winn Brook blue. The new comfy reading chairs have been moved in, the new more attractive and user friendly bookcases have been moved into place, and even the new circulation desk is starting to take shape!
Next, our librarian Ms. Doreen Cameron and the PTA's Friends of the Library Committee will be moving the books onto the new shelving units, creating new signage, hanging pictures, adding decor, and completing the circulation desk area. It's truly coming together! See some before and after photos as we work through this exciting PTA-funded renovation.
In the February 14th edition of the Weekly Winnie, the PTA announced we had purchased 30 emergency backpacks per the request of the Winn Brook School's Emergency Response Team (ERT). Brightly colored, lightweight, and filled with some essentials, these backpacks are meant to be easily accessible for teachers and staff in any emergency to grab-and-go.
We are happy to announce all the emergency backpacks have been individually labeled, filled with the dozens of items requested by Winn Brook personnel, and delivered to the school. Teachers and staff alike have these at the ready in case of an evacuation, fire drill, field trip, or even just for recess. The PTA has committed to restocking the backpacks as needed year after year. We hope these provide our valued staff with more tools, and more peace of mind, as they oversee our children's safety at school every day.
Headed to Chenery Upper Elementary (CUE) next year? Please consider becoming active in the CUE Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Just like at Winn Brook, our friends and colleagues at the CUE PTO welcome help in all shapes and sizes. There are long term needs (like enrichment, extracurriculars, yearbook, and board positions) as well as short term event support (like working the 6th Grade Dance, or volunteering for a shift in the cafeteria at lunch time). Please have a look at their Chenery Volunteer Interest Form for 2024/2025 and email the CUE PTO if you have questions - they'd love to hear from you.
Attention Any Burbank Alumni! Calling on everyone from the Belmont Class of 1999 through 2024! The Burbank community is celebrating Ms. Cox's remarkable 39-year teaching career as she heads into retirement. They're gathering memories from all her former students to compile into a special album. If you had the pleasure of being in her class, kindly share your experiences with Ms. Cox via this link. You can also help by forwarding this link to any Burbank Alumni you know.
Belmont Day School (BDS) is accepting donations for Cradles to Crayons through this Friday April 26th and reaching out to fellow Belmont schools to help with their collection. Their designated drop-off location is the large purple bin in the Belmont Day School parking lot, located at 55 Day School Lane in Belmont. Here is a list of items Cradles to Crayons accepts. Thank you for considering donating to this worthy cause.
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