Hunt PTO Update 11/21/11

Hey There Hunt families - Another great turn-out at the monthly PTO meeting.  Thank you to Mrs. Hevey and Ms. Anger for representing the teachers - your input is invaluable.  Meeting minutes are included at the end of this post.  Enjoy the holiday break this week.  Kate

Smencils for sale!  Many of the major holidays like Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa are coming up soon and Smencils would make great gifts for the kids! Smencils are standard #2 pencils made from 100% recycled newspaper and scented with 10 delicious smells. Each Smencil comes packaged in a freshness tube to ensure that they keep their trademark Smencil scents. They are only $1 each!! Buy one or buy ten but get your smencils! All the profits from the Smencil sale goes directly to support YOUR PTO. So pick up some great party favors or stocking stuffers!! The kids will love them! To purchase one or in packs of many, contact Gabi Baumann at 660-9189  gamabaumann@burlingtontelecom.net or Tammy Kuypers at 863-1943 kuypers5@yahoo.com

Check out the fundraising thermometer.  Your work and participation has helped us raise almost half of our PTO budget already - Kudos to us!

 

Dialogue Night Wednesday, November 30th - 6:30-8:00PM - Hunt School Library All Hunt students and their parents and guardians are welcome!

Are you interested in learning what Hunt Middle School students think about? Then come to Dialogue Night and you can talk to students about a variety of topics such as: homework, relationships, drugs, technology, bullying and “school life”. Dialogue night is open to every Hunt student and parent/guardian. Dialogue Night is your chance to talk to Middle School students. It is a fun and informative night. Refreshments will be provided. Hope to see you there!! Sponsored by STOP and VKA

CHECK ME OUT...

Did You Know 4.0:  (4 minute video with stats about technology/how things are changing) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8

Urban Dictionary: (look up the kid speak you are clueless about...)
http://www.urbandictionary.com/

December Food Drive

Hunt Middle School, December 7^th – December 16^th  
Please send in with your student or drop off in the library any of the following items to make Holiday Baskets for our community and to help stock the Hunt Food Closet during this needy holiday time:

Staples

Pasta, Pasta Sauce, Macaroni and Cheese, Dried Beans
Rice, Canned Tuna or Meat , Applesauce, Boxed Meals
Canned Fruit, Canned Veggies, Peanut Butter, Jelly
Cereal, Soup
We will also be collecting food items at each of the Hunt Music Concerts
in December:  All concerts are at 7:00pm

· Chorus Concert on 12/7

· Band Concert on 12/14

Orchestra Concert on 12/21

Monetary Donations are also appreciated.  Checks can be made out to
Hunt Middle School.

If you would like to receive a Food Basket for the
Holiday please contact Liz Trackim or Amanda

Schauwecker, School Social Workers, at 865-4170. 
All contacts will remain confidential.  Thank you.

Book Fair coming up - December 7-14

Lots of parent support needed! We need you to buy and sell books! Contact Diane Pawlusiak at Dpawlusi@bsdvt.org to volunteer a shift or two.

Band Concert - 12/14 - 6-7pm before concert in lobby
Chorus Concert - 12/7 - 6-7pm before the concert
Thursday 12/8 - Wednesday 12/14 the Book Fair will be open from 8:00 am until 3:15 pm. We have done shifts of 2 hours 8 -10, 10 - 12, 12 - 2, 2 - 3+ or some volunteers have spent the morning from 8 - 12 and afternoon from 12 - 3+. It doesn't matter to me how long the shifts are!! During the day we need one volunteer per shift.

Save the Date....

• November 23-25 - Thanksgiving Break
• December 2 - School dance
• December 7-14 - Bookfair
• December 7 - Chorus Concert - 7pm
• December 14 - Band Concert - 7pm
• December 21 - Orchestra concert - 7pm
• December 23 - January 2 - Holiday recess
• No PTO meeting in December
• January 19, 2012 - 9th Grade Orientation - 7pm at BHS 

Hunt Middle School PTO Minutes

November 17, 2011

Meeting Start: 7:00pm

Meeting End: 8:25pm

Approximate number of attendees: 15

Meeting facilitated by President – Helen Hossley

Minutes recorded and distributed – Kate Belluche

Amy Mellencamp, Principal at BHS presented about upcoming changes for 2012-13

·        BHS/Winooski HS rec’d a grant from NellieMae to look at school transformation.  In December, transformation grant recipients will be named – Amy will know soon whether BHS/Winooski gets one of the grants.  If so, there will be trickle down to the Middle Schools.

·        9^th graders will enter an Academy or team approach for core classes of math, social studies, biology and English.  These academies will allow more interdisciplinary learning, increased organization support for freshman and homogeneous grouping by team.  All teams will follow common core curriculum, but tailor learning to specific needs.

·        YES Program (Year End Studies) Similar to a college intersession.  Last few weeks of school, students will be able to choose from short courses that they sign up for based on interest.  Courses will be multi-age, interdisciplinary and hands-on.

·        Look this up on YouTube: Did You Know 4.0 – Shift Happens

·        9^th grade orientation meeting scheduled for January 19, 2012.  7pm at BHS

Principal’s Corner focused on 7/8 Healthy Living class.  Ms. Anger presented:

·         7/8 class currently focusing on careers, how to prepare now for college, future jobs.  What’s out there…

·         Previously focused on Cyber Bullying and Internet Safety – How to be a good digital citizen, Digital Tattoos (whatever you put out there on the web, stays out there..), How to be safe on-line, cyber bullying, sexting

·         Have your kids been “flaming”?  (saying negative things about other people via text or on the internet)

·         Don’t know what your kids are talking about/word choice?  Look up the newest lingo in the Urban Dictionary (on-line)

·         6^th Graders still reading the Revealers (about bullying) and watched a video called, “Taunting, Gossiping and Hazing”  Mrs. Hevey’s class took an on-line poll about bullying.

Fundraising  - Gabi Baumann happily reported that wreath sales were up this year despite parents saying they did not receive fliers, emails or weekly blog posts…  Maybe spend the money to mail home a flyer next year to assure the message gets home at least one time.   Our profit should be around $3,100.  Direct giving via checks and INLU is at $700.  INLU will be open until January 31^st.

• Wreaths come in on Sunday, Nov 27^th.  Pick-ups can start after noon on Sunday.  Super sellers should pick up their wreaths and decorate for the ones they sold.  Gabi will need volunteers to help decorate wreaths and deliver on Sunday and Monday.  Call her at 660-9189

• Smencils will be sold at the upcoming bookfair/concerts.  Some students may sell as well.  Gabi is offering out packs of 20 for volunteers to sell. 
• Fundraising team hopes for more communication with school/teachers around any school fundraisers – magazine sale came home right in the middle of the wreath sale

Parent Enrichment/Dialogue

·         Dialogue night 11/30/11 – 6:30-8, Library – Kids and parents together talking about a variety of topics that concern MS students – homework, drugs, relationships, technology, bullying

·         Technology Use discussed – tabling parent discussion – Marcie and teachers working on plan – will get back to PTO

Bookfair planned for December 7-14.  Librarian Diane Pawlusiak is looking for volunteers to help during day.  Bookfair will also be open for the Concerts.  Sign-up sheet went around – help needed!  Brian Pine and Susan Rutherford will help recruit volunteers

Holiday Food Drive scheduled 12/7-12/21.  Donations will go to Hunt families needing assistance.  A flyer will go home after Thanksgiving.

No regular PTO Meeting in December.  Next meeting: January 12, 2012