Burlington PAC

Dear Parents,

School year 2011-2012 is almost on top of us. Who is helping parents learn how to help their children who may be struggling in school or in life? When a child struggles, the whole family struggles too. The Burlington PAC can help parents learn how to advocate for their children in a positive manner with outstanding results. Simply put, the PAC wants to help you cope with difficulties by sharing our experience so that you do not have to reinvent the wheel every time there is a problem.

The Burlington Special Education Parents Advisory Council (PAC) is looking to kick off the year by building a strong membership. We look forward to continuing our work with the Burlington School Department, with whom we have built a great working relationship. The PAC, along with the Burlington schools has been successful in rebuilding the way services are provided in our town and we look forward to the continuance of this relationship.

To keep a strong PAC and to keep Burlington's educational supports moving forward, we need parents to be involved for their children. Please consider the benefit to your children of getting involved. Your involvement may be the one thing that helps your child understand themselves and learn where their talents and strengths lie so that they may build their confidence and succeed in life.

Please contact Dennis McCarron, PAC Chairman for more information and to be added to our email list. We are currently working on ideas for this year's meetings and how to build a better parent's group. Any ideas are welcome, the time commitment is minimal, the benefit to your child is tremendous.

Sincerely,

Dennis McCarron

Chairman, Burlington PAC

email: burlingtonpac@hotmail.com

phone 781-273-5663

Back to School Letter

Burlington Integrated Preschool

Louise D’Amato Office Phone: 781-273-7632

Program Director Fax Phone: 781-270-1733

July 18, 2011

Dear Preschool Families,

Summer is now in full swing, and I hope you are all enjoying some rest and relaxation. Your child’s teacher will be contacting you by mail in the middle of August to let you know your child’s class. In the meantime, we are busy getting ready for the first day of school. The first day of preschool will be on Monday, September 12th. However, you and your child will be invited to a meet and greet on Thursday September 8th, at 10:00 a.m. for the morning session and 12:30 for the afternoon session. This will give you and your child the opportunity to meet the classroom staff and view the classroom. We find that the meet and greet helps with the first day of school jitters. Please make every opportunity to make it. Your child will receive a postcard from the classroom teacher inviting them to the meet and greet.

Enclosed is the orientation packet. Please, fill out all of the forms and return them with you on Thursday September 8th. We realize that it’s a lot of paper work and this is why we send it to you over the summer. The state requires that we have an updated physical and immunizations on file. The computerized forms are fine as long as they are signed by the pediatrician. Please make sure that all forms are filled out thoroughly and accurately. Please, double check emergency contact information phone numbers.

I will be available the rest of the summer, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. The best number to reach me is 781-273-7632. I can also be reached through email at D’Amato@Burlington.mec.edu.

Additional program information can be found Burlington Public Schools web site, www.burlington.mec.edu Once on the page go to schools and then click on the integrated preschool

Enjoy the rest of the summer and I look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday September 8th.

Thank You,

Louise D’Amato

Director of Burlington Integrated Preschool

Fun Free Fridays

Every Friday for nine weeks during the summer, the Highland Street Foundation is providing free admission to museums and cultural attractions across Massachusetts. Since the inception of the program on Friday, July 1st, nearly 30,000 people have visited one of their first eight venues. Twenty-eight great venues remain, including the Norman Rockwell Museum, Peabody Essex Museum, the Museum of Science, and Old Sturbridge Village. These venues will be absolutely free. No tickets or advanced reservations are necessary. The Highland Street Foundation recognizes that it can be very difficult for families to afford admission to these wonderful places. In response, they are making their program available to all families in Massachusetts who might enjoy attending one or all of their free admission days. The Schedule of Events is below. Please email Jen Willis at jen@highlandstreet.com if you have any additional questions. You can also find Highland Street Foundation online at www.highlandstreet.org, on Facebook and Twitter @HighlandStreet. Free Fun Fridays 2011 Schedule Friday July 22rd Franklin Park Zoo 1 Franklin Park Rd – Dorchester The Sports Museum TD Garden – 100 Legends Way – Boston Norman Rockwell Museum 9 Route 183-Stockbridge Peabody Essex Museum 161 Essex St – Salem Friday July 29th Boston Children’s Museum 308 Congress St – Boston American Textile Museum 491 Dutton Street – Lowell New Bedford Whaling Museum 18 Johnny Cake Hill – New Bedford Shakespeare on the Common Boston Common- Boston Friday August 5th Institute of Contemporary Art 100 Northern Ave – Boston Cape Cod Children’s Museum 577 Great Neck Road South – Mashpee Springfield Museums 21 Edwards Street-Springfield Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike – Concord Friday August 12th JFK Presidential Library & Museum Columbia Point – Boston Arnold Arboretum 125 Arborway-Jamaica Plain Tanglewood (BSO) 297 West Street-Lenox Stone Zoo 149 Pond Street – Stoneham Friday August 19th Boston Harbor Island Alliance Free ferry transportation to the Harbor Islands 408 Atlantic Ave – Boston Children’s Museum in Easton 9 Sullivan Avenue-Easton USS Constitution Museum 22 Charlestown Navy Yard – Charlestown Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 1000 West Columbus Ave – Springfield Friday August 26th Old Sturbridge Village 1 Old Sturbridge Village Rd – Sturbridge New Repertory Theatre 321 Arsenal Street-Watertown Berkshire Museum 39 South Street – Pittsfield Friday August 19th Boston Harbor Island Alliance Free ferry transportation to the Harbor Islands 408 Atlantic Ave – Boston Children’s Museum in Easton 9 Sullivan Avenue-Easton USS Constitution Museum 22 Charlestown Navy Yard – Charlestown Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 1000 West Columbus Ave – Springfield Friday August 26th Old Sturbridge Village 1 Old Sturbridge Village Rd – Sturbridge New Repertory Theatre 321 Arsenal Street-Watertown Berkshire Museum 39 South Street – Pittsfield

Water Wednesday

Here are some fun picutres from Water Wednesday

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Summer Program

The summer program will begin on Tuesday July 5th. Your child will need the following supplies daily:

Sunscreen

A hat

Change of clothes

• A healthy snack daily
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• Juice/water to drink daily
• 
  
• If your child is not toilet trained, please send diapers and wipes.
• 
  
• The teachers intend to plan “fun water days” for the children. On these days, children will need a bathing suit and a towel.

You can either send these items daily to the program with your child or your child can bring these items on the first day of summer school and leave them in their classroom for the duration of the program.

If you have any questions about the summer school program, please give me a call at 781-273-7632, or email at d'amato@burlington.mec.edu