Hunt PTO Update 2/20/12

Hey There Hunt Families - Hang in there - just this week and then it's Winter break!  Have a great week and a relaxing break.  Kate

Minutes from the February PTO meeting are included
at the end of this post - Thanks Susan!


Please check out the work some Hunt students are doing which is published on RETN.  Doug Wilhelm is the local author of "The Revealers", which is part of the 6th grade curriculum.
Short recording

An example of a student Newscast.

The February PTO Treasurer's Report is now available for your perusal.  Click on the link below to take a look :
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArN33PjBUbuwdEhlODdzNmtvelVINXZSZDVZVklYNWc

Town Meeting Day is Tuesday, March 6th, but you don't have to wait for Election Day to vote! Please exercise your right and privilege to vote!

Vote Early at City Hall:

8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri (closed Monday, January 20th).

9 am-noon on Saturday, March 3rd
8am-7:30pm on Monday, March 5th

If you are a registered voter in Burlington, you can walk into the Clerk's office and vote--no ID required.

If want to register to vote in the March 6th election, the deadline is Wednesday, February 29th. City Hall Clerk's Office

Vote by Mail:

Absentee ballot request form can be found at http://www.burlingtonvt.gov/CT/Elections/Information/.

Request must be in to City Hall by Friday, March 2nd.

Vote on Town Meeting Day--Tuesday, March 6th: Polls are open 7am-7pm.

These are some great options for busy families. A sick kid, a snowstorm, a trip to see relatives--there are lots of things that can keep you from getting to the polls on March 6th. Avoid the unavoidable and vote early or absentee.


Hunt Library Evening Hours for Families 5-7pm on Thursdays starting March 8 - May 17.  (not open 4/26)  The School Family partnership committee is sponsoring this event.  Parents and families are encouraged to come use the library every Thursday from 5-7pm.  Families will be able to read, check out books and use the computers/internet.  See what our library has to offer! 


Save the Date....

• February 27-March 6 - Winter Break
• March 6 - No school - Town Meeting Day - Vote for a new mayor and the School Budget! PTO/Play Committee Bake sale at Miller Center - goodies and lunch items!
• March 8- May 17 - Hunt Library Evening Hours for Families 5-7pm
• March 15 - PTO meeting in Library - 7-8pm, childcare provided
• March 17 - Hunt Pancake Breakfast/Silent Auction Fundraiser
• March 23, 24 - JJ Flynn Theatre presents Narnia - Friday 7pm, Sat 4pm
• March 24 - Junior Iron Chef 9:30-3:30 - Champlain Valley Expo
• March 24 - Set building day for Grease - all day...
• March 25 - Tech Dress Rehearsal for Grease - All Cast
• March 29-31 - Grease - Th- school show, Friday 7pm, Sat 4pm

Hunt PTO Minutes

2/9/12

Present:
Kate Belluche
Amy Harraden
Brian Pine
Ann Arcovitch
Susan Rutherford
Jon and Tammy Kuypers
Gabi Baumann
Siobhan Donegan
Kim Hunt
Jennifer Sutton
Marcie Lewis

Meeting run by Kate Belluche in place of Helen Hossley who is at Burlington Friends of Education meeting. Notes taken by Susan Rutherford & John Kuypers in place of Kate Belluche

Treasurer Report - Brian Pine
Food service will be tightening up. They have been giving us breaks over the years in terms of how much we were charged for events like community dinner but this will have to change now due to budget constraints. For graduation, 2011, the PTO portion of the bill was $600.00, but Jennifer Sutton negotiated the bill down to $250.00. Marcie Lewis, principal, will pay for this bill. What about the community dinner bill for 2011? Brian & Jen S. will ask Doug Davis for this bill now and ask that the PTO be given bills sooner for now on.

Principal’s corner: Marcie Lewis
Family School Night-need for volunteers. This is an evening designed to encourage more involvement from parents who do not regularly or who have never been seen at school wide events and for those families who this type of evening would make a difference in their lives. Volunteers are needed for food serving, curriculum stations, taking families around to the different stations, working on arts and crafts. The event will be held at Hunt on April 11, 2012 from 5-7pm, and be an invitation only event. Dinner will be served. Tammy and John Kuypers volunteered and many more volunteers are needed. Rich Nadworny is coordinating the food for this event. If you offer to volunteer, there will be childcare for your children. Forty families will be invited.

International Week: April 16-20th This is a Hunt only event in its 8th year. Student performances, a parade and cooking with taste tests. There will also be a heritage potluck dinner. The heritage dinner is run by the School Family Partnership on 4/19/12, the same night as a Hunt PTO meeting, from 5:30-7pm so parents can attend dinner and then go to the PTO meeting afterward. The planning event for the heritage dinner is on 3/15/12 at 6pm at Hunt. There is a need for volunteers and a lead is needed for this event. If you are able to volunteer contact Siobhan Donegan.

School Climate: Gabi Baumann spoke about her recent work on renovation of the entrance way to Hunt. There is only $500 at this time allocated. Gabi spoke with an architect who suggested painting and gave her ideas on that.

Hunt Family School Partnerships: The library will be open for Evening Library Hours, every Thursday, from 3/8-5/17 from 5-7pm for computer access and check out books. Michelle Virun will be in the library during this time. These Thursday library evening hours will NOT be open during April school break.

Sports communication: Meeting with Wayne Pecor on transportation, budgeting for buses, communication with parents. Some parents suggested that they do not know what spring sports are available at Hunt since only the kids are given this information at school. Marcie Lewis will email the list to the parents.

Update on Grease by Kim Hunt: Roles have been given to the kids. Finding rooms for rehearsal is still continuing to be a challenge. Fundraising for the play needs a lead; there are parents who have so far organized a dance and a bake sale being split with the PTO fundraising group is coming up on March 6th at the Miller Center, other parents have agreed to lead dinners before the play. Play bill ads are being sold but more assistance is needed on this. Kim says rehearsals are going well. Discussions about taking photos of the kids in the play to put in the hallways in frames as a way to advertise the drama committee at Hunt. The play will be held on March 29 during the day, March 30th at 7pm and March 31st at 4pm.

Communications Board Gabi Baumann, fundraising chair, discussed progress on the possible communications board for Hunt. She met with the planning board/zoning office for a permit to put up a communications board. Gabi learned that this would require a change of ordinance since at this time no schools are allowed to put up signs on North Ave. There will be a public forum to present the case to the planning committee to change the ordinance and Gabi would like some parents to be present for this on March 13th. Gabi will let us know when the time for this is on the March Hunt blog.

Fundraising: Gabi Baumann, Susan Rutherford and Tammy Kuypers, fundraising committee for the PTO, are organizing the Pancake Breakfast/Silent Auction for March 17th. Gabi reports that so far the committee and other parents have collected 60 donations from local businesses and expect to get 100 by the event. The committee is hoping for 300 people in total to attend the breakfast and the auction throughout the morning from 8:30am-11:30am. Numerous volunteers will be needed to make this event a success and should contact anyone from the committee for this. Gabi also states that she would like to see teacher involvement in this event and Marcie offers her help for a possible "Be a principal for the day" type auction item. Teachers can help by offering experiential auction items with any teacher who is experienced in a certain area.

8th grade graduation was discussed. Parents are needed to set a meeting date to discuss what this event will look like this year. It was suggested that 8th grade parents should meet to discuss what they would like this year and then ask the 7th grade parents to volunteer to help at the actual graduation event so that the 8th grade parents can enjoy the event.

Hunt PTO Update 1/16/12

Hey There Hunt Families - Have a great week - stay warm! Kate B.

Informational evening for parents/guardians of the incoming class of 2016 at 7:00 PM on Thursday, January 19, 2012 in the BHS auditorium. This evening is an opportunity for parents to learn about Burlington High School and the registration process for incoming 9^th grade students. You will have a chance to meet BHS administrators and guidance counselors, ask questions, and receive information about the scheduling process for next year.

PTO Treasurer's Report can be viewed by clicking on the link below. The minutes from the January PTO meeting can be found at the end of this post.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?pli=1&key=0ArN33PjBUbuwdHlIamNTUWRTdXNGSUxxRjZvZzQ3RWc#gid=0

Grease Update Sixty five students have signed up to audition for Grease so far. Everyone gets a part, so encourage your child to participate! The more the merrier. (Audition permission slips are due Jan. 23rd in the main office. There are extras on the bulletin board.)

Fundraising is underway. A dance party is planned for Feb 4th and we are hoping to split the proceeds of a bake sale on election day, March 6th. We need volunteers. Want to help? Let Kim Hunt (khunt@bsdvt.org) or Sarah Smith (sarah@esptrans.com) know.

Also, we have an important job to fill. Would you like to be a stage manager? Don't be shy! You can do it. Don't know what a stage manager does? We'd be happy to talk about the job! Just let Kim or Sarah know you might want to help.

Our next meeting is January 17th at 7 pm in the Hunt Middle School Library. Don Wright, the director, will be there and we have lots to discuss. Come and join us.

Let’s talk about SEXuality – Adolescent Sexuality

Attention Parents of Tweens and Teens at Flynn Elementary and Hunt Middle School. Parents of students in grades 4-8

You’re invited to a health chat with our own, Dr. Barbara Frankowski. Dr. Frankowski is a pediatrician at Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen, has been teaching sexuality education classes in the Burlington schools for over 15 years, and she firmly believes that parents are the most important partners in this process! She looks forward to sharing her experiences teaching your sons and daughters, and discuss ways you can take an active role in influencing your adolescents to make the best decisions! Bring your questions and concerns as there will be discussion time. Dr. Frankowski will bring some of her favorite books on the subject and she encourages you to bring yours too so we can share recommendations.

Be sure to put this opportunity on your calendar!

Monday, January 30^th, 6pm – 7:15 (can go longer if there are lots of questions!), Hunt Middle School Library  Questions? Contact Kate Belluche at huntmiddleschool@gmail.com or 658-6831


Hunt Drama Program Presents:  Adult Dance Party… for Hunt Parents, friends of Hunt Parents and Hunt Staff
Saturday February 4, 7-12 pm
St. John’s Club, 9 Central Ave, Burlington
Come join us and raise funds for the Hunt production of Grease – Hang out with your friends and neighbors while dancing, and enjoying appetizers and a cash bar – Tickets arelimited – Order Early – Bring a friend!
Suggested Ticket price:  $20 per person/$30 per couple
For more information call Anne Williams 658-9615 or
annenicholswilliams@gmail.com or Bella Nadworny at bella@bellabueno.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name_________________________________________
Phone/Email _________________________________
#of Tickets ____________________________________
Amount Included________________________________
Please make checks payable to ‘Hunt Drama Program’
Drop off at Hunt Middle School – Attn: Dance Party
Or mail to Bella Nadworny, 132 Cumberland Rd, Burlington, VT 05408
Include a SASE or Pick up at the Middle School on 2/2 and 2/3 after school

Save the Date....

• January 16 - No school, Martin Luther King Day
• January 17 - Grease Production Meeting - 7pm, HMS library - The more the merrier!
• January 19, 2012 - 9th Grade Orientation - 7pm at BHS
• January 30 - Health Chat with Dr. Franckowski - 6-7:15pm - Library
• February 2 - BSFP Meeting at Hunt (see above)
• February 4 - Dance Party to benefit Grease (check your child's backpack for the flyer!)
• February 10 - Hunt Dance
• March 6 - No school - Town Meeting Day - Vote for a new mayor and the School Budget! (Can you help staff the bake sale table??? or bake something???)
• March 17 - Hunt Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser
• March 29-31 - Grease

Hunt P.T.O

Meeting Minutes
January 12, 2012

Meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm

Babysitting was offered in the Cafeteria

Treasurer’s Report – reported by Brian Pine

• Reformatted report

• Balance at $6,940.11

• Lots of discussion on expenditures. Questions about cost of 6th grade picnic. Will discuss at February meeting. Jennifer Sutton remarked about our contribution to several costly events- International Taste Test (costs ~1k, we give $250) and Iron Chef (costs ~1k and we give $150) Graduation costs are around $1k. Last year we had $200 to give. This year? Marcie will contact some teachers and we will form a sub-committee to talk about what the staff wants and how the PTO can help. Marcie will report back with interested teachers in February.

Principal’s Corner – Marcie Lewis

· Marcie spoke mostly about the Family School Partnership team. Parents are welcome to join at any time. 2 events coming up for a limited audience – a math night and a literacy night to engage families not usually involved in school. Both nights will include dinner, childcare, real world problem solving and prizes)

· Gabi Baumann brought in a design specialist to look at the climate of the school entryway. The committee is talking about different ways to improve this area and the costs associated. Some ideas include plantings, opening up the auditorium and putting in benches.

Sports Communications – Kate Belluche

· Kate presented a document outlining expectations for student athletes/parents and expectations for communications from coaches. Kate also compiled feedback from parents of student athletes regarding sports communication challenges. Parents are interested in having both paper and on-line documents prior to try-outs, team rosters, and updated practice/game schedules. Especially necessary is getting out info about the different sports offered at Hunt and info about trying out during the first week of school. Sixth grade parents especially experienced unnecessary stress due to this lack of communication. Marcie will take these concerns to the sports director and report back in February.

Fundraising Update- Gabi Baumann

• Pancake breakfast planned for March 17th. Volunteers from 7-1, serving from 8:30-11:30. Concurrent silent auction. Committee working on getting food donated as well as securing items for the auction. Auction items can come from community as well as Hunt parents – handmade items and services welcome as well. Tickets will be sold ahead of time and at the door. Committee needs help getting auction items – will announce on blog.

• Gabi has been looking into possible school signs. Folks agree that digital is better than having to arrange plastic letters. Gabi will continue looking into whether the school has any rights/frontage on North Avenue.

Other

• Low meeting attendance. Kate will review past sign-ins and gently remind past attendees that they are missed at the meetings.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:25pm

Next Meeting: Thursday, 2/9/12, 7-8pm

Hunt PTO Update 10/31/11

Kinda looks like an 8 lb Jabba the hut sweet potato baby

Hey There Hunt families - The 2011 Community Dinner last Tuesday was a smashing success.  Thank you to Barb Prine for her organizing and to all the teachers, students, parents and volunteers who helped put the dinner together.  What a beautiful combined effort this was to see and participate in.  So glad to see the hordes of Hunt families turning out for this event!

Hunt School Newsletter - Did you know that Hunt school puts out a monthly newsletter at the beginning of each month?  You can find it on the right side of the Hunt homepage.  The November newsletter is already posted - check it out!  If you would like a paper copy mailed to your home each month, please contact the office to request it.

Smencils make great stocking stuffers or favors for a party.  The PTO plans to sell Smencils at events this Fall/winter.  If you cannot wait, contact Gabi Baumann at gamabaumann@burlingtontelecom.net and she can make arrangements for a smencil drop.

Book Fair Info from Mrs.Pawlusiak:  Hunt's annual Book Fair will begin on the evening of December 7th. In the past few years I have set up the cases in the lobby so that parents could purchase books before the concerts. I will need volunteers for about an hour 6 - 7pm on 12/7 before the Chorus Concert.   Again on the evening of Wednesday 12/14 the Book Fair will be open from 6 - 7 pm before the Band Concert.  It would be nice to have 2 volunteers for each of the concerts. I will plan to be at the Chorus Concert and the Band Concert to make sure the cases and the cash register are set up.

On Thursday 12/8, Friday 12/9, Monday 12/12, Tuesday 12/13 and 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.

Last year we did not sell enough books to reach the benchmark I needed to make money. I received only Scholastic Dollars to purchase Scholastic books.

In the past I have used the money we made to purchase a stand up catalog station and a wood book case for one of our collections. It is also helpful to have money that can be accessed quickly for the books I want to purchase immediately from B&N or Borders as opposed to ordering through a vendor which can take a number of weeks.


Hunt Gardens   HUGE thank you to Anne Williams for all the work she did over the weekend weeding the flower beds and carting around 5 cubic yards of topsoil.  We have Susan Rutherford to thank for getting the soil and the volunteers.  Susan was persistent in making sure the school district replaced the soil removed during construction so we can be sure to have the means to garden out front at Hunt - Thank you ladies- we are grateful for your hard work!

Box Tops - Your Hunt PTO has signed up for the Box Tops for Education program and placed a collection box in the main office, on the blue shelf to the left of the door. Please support our PTO and our kids by saving box tops and sending them to school with your student to place in the collection box.  All the money we earn will go directly toward great out of classroom experiences for our kids including field trips, 8th grade graduation, 6th grade picnic, the community dinner, and materials for the classrooms. Save your Box Tops for Education and support our kids!! Contact Susan Rutherford at 951-2571 or susanrutherford@hotmail.com with any questions, ideas or concerns. Thanks!!

PTO Budget 2011-12  Click on this link to see what money we have and how we voted to spend it.   https://docs.google.com/open?id=1jzaDQmC2-L6frc5bcsba8YeLCMaYp9ntgmeaTDkSxoKZXs3jBvJltbrDHX0A

Fundraising - Check out the thermometer (at left) and see where we're at!

This could be your wreath...

INLU: We have raised $480 via INLU and checks/cash - thanks for your generosity. To fund our planned programming for 2011-12, we need to raise about $8,000. This works out to be about $20 per student. It is not too late to donate. Cash and checks made out to the

LC Hunt PTO can be sent in a sealed envelope to the office or Click here to make a contribution on-line: www.inlu.com/huntpto2011

Holiday Wreaths: Orders due for Holiday Wreaths November 11th!!-In case you have not heard, your PTO is selling fresh, reasonably priced, balsam wreaths. This year's offerings also include traditional centerpieces and kissing balls that will brighten your home or table. These Vermont-made products make great gifts for your family and friends. These wreaths are the finest wreaths found anywhere and hand-crafted in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. 100% of proceeds will go directly toward PTO activities including team field trips, school-wide assemblies, 8th grade graduation, 6th grade orientation picnic, the community dinner, diversity day, and many other enrichment activities. Order forms can be found in the main office, the Hunt PTO blog spot, or the Hunt website. Orders can also be given over the phone to Gabi Baumann at 660-9189 or email gamabaumann@burlingtontelecom.net or Susan Rutherford at 951-2571 or susanrutherford@hotmail.com Please support your PTO and order now!

Technology Access at Hunt - Are you aware that students in some classes at Hunt have
1:1 access to netbooks on a daily basis? As a parent with a child in one of these classrooms, I can testify to the incredible opportunities my son is being given in integrating technology into his day to day classwork. Students are using googledocs to share documents/collaborate both in school and at home. Instead of paper posters, students are learning to use an e version called glogster. This allows them to embed video and images as well as traditional text. The tight school budget allows for the rare fieldtrip, but students are taking virtual fieldtrips to historical sites/towns around the state on a site called geocaching.com. Students take turns making slides in Powerpoint and have the opportunity to present the information back to their classmates. During core classes, some students use the netbooks to dig deeper into the curriculum if they finish early- exploring curriculum related sites and activities. On the flip side, there are many sites being used for remediation and basic skills work. Each child can get what he/she needs and the extra motivation of using the computer can help keep them engaged longer. While I am thrilled at the crazy-mad computer/research skills my son is developing this year and the collaborating I am seeing, I am already thinking to the future and asking questions about what technology will be available to my children going forward. What are your thoughts? How much access to technology does your child have? What do you want/envision?

Is this a topic parents want to talk about - A Dialogue Night perhaps? If you have thoughts you would like to share with the PTO, we can start the discussion. On the District level, Paul Irish is the Director of Technology. I bet he would would like to hear what parents have to say. Paul can be contacted at pirish@bsdvt.org

One teacher using netbooks daily is 6th grade teacher, Kathy Hevey. Check out her Wiki and see how she communicates and how her students are using technology. http://kheveyvt.wikispaces.com/

Save the Date....

• November 6 - Daylight savings Time - Set clocks back 1 hour
• November 11 - Report Cards
• November 17 - 7-8pm - PTO Meeting (childcare provided) Everyone welcome!
• November 23-25 - Thanksgiving Break
• December 2 - School dance
• December 7-14 - Bookfair