Bowman Book Fair

Wednesday October 23rd – October 31st, In the Bowman Gym

Kids will come through with their class to make a WISH LIST! The Bowman Book Fair will be open during Parent Teacher Conferences on October 23, 24, 30 & 31.

Please visit our webpage at  for information on volunteering or contact Katie Quick at [email protected]  for details. We look forward to seeing you at the Bowman Book Fair.

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Bowman Spirit Wear

It’s Spirit Wear time! Show your school spirit with colorful shirts, sweatshirts, pants, scarves, and hats. Sale ends on Sunday Nov. 10th. Bowman PTO is offering your favorites: Plaid Flannel Pants, Long and Short Sleeve T-shirts, Hooded and Zip Up Sweatshirts, Tie Dye T-shirts, Knit pom-pom hats, baseball hats, scarves and Dri-fit T-shirts! Children and adult sizes available. 

New for 2019/2020

BOWMAN zip up hoodie *back by popular request*

BOWMAN sweater fleece pullover – ADULT ONLY

LEXINGTON pullover sweatshirts and LEXINGTON athletic short sleeve shirts – great for everyone- especially  5th graders moving on next year, and adults!

LIMITED SUPPY: Lexington basketball socks, and Lexington plush blankets – order these fast!

Due to the custom nature of these items, there are NO exchanges or returns so PLEASE be sure of sizes when ordering. 

Store Now Open! Visit the following link to make purchases. Deadline to order Sunday November 10th.

*Orders are processed when this store closes NOT after individual orders are placed*

Questions? Email [email protected] (please do not contact Tricon directly.)

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Directory Cover Drawing Contest

It’s the time of the year for Bowman Students to showcase their drawing skills!! So students start drawing and coloring because Bowman Directory needs a new cover. The winner’s drawing gets featured on the cover of the Bowman School printed directory. So Ready…. Get…. Set….. Go!

How: Draw, Upload, Win!

Draw a picture featuring “Carnival at Bowman!” Upload to the link provided below. Winner’s drawing will be on the cover of the printed directory.

When: Entries will be accepted from September 24th to October 7th 2019

Rules

1. Theme for the contest: “Carnival at Bowman!!”
2. All Bowman students are eligible to participate.
3. Only one entry per participant.
4. The drawing can be black and white or colored with crayons, pencil, watercolor or oil painting.
5. Submitted artwork must be your original creation.

We have very well qualified judges for evaluating the contest. The contest entries will be accepted only online. To submit an entry, please take a picture of the drawing and upload it by visiting the link below – https://forms.gle/pAYasguSz6DxJpHp8

For questions, please email [email protected]

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Elementary and Middle School Redistricting Update

Revision of elementary and middle school assignment maps is still expected to culminate with a preferred redistricting plan presented for public comment and hearings this fall. Key dates and details are as follows:

• A recommended redistricting plan will be presented to the School Committee on October 1st. 
• Community members will have an opportunity to weigh in on this plan by attending one of the public hearings.  Hearings will be held on: 
• Wednesday, October 16 at 9:00 AM and Thursday, October 24 at 6:00 PM. All hearings will be held in the Estabrook Hall Meeting Room at Cary Memorial Hall (1605 Massachusetts Ave).

• Following a review of community feedback and any needed revision, a final recommendation will be presented to School Committee for vote on November 5th.
• Approved maps will be implemented for the 2020-2021 school year.  For more information, you can see the district webpage at: http://bit.ly/RedistrictBlog

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Volunteers Needed!

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Big Map Night Coordinator

We need one or two parent volunteers to help coordinate Big Map Night this year. If you’re interested please email [email protected]. 

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Geography Bee Coordinator

We need at least two parent volunteers (preferably not 4th and 5th grade parents) to help coordinate the National Geography Bee at Bowman this year. This is a 4th and 5th grade activity that happens during school hours. If you’re interested please email [email protected].

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Big Back Yard – Two More Big Back Yard Volunteer Coordinators Needed at Bowman

The BBY group is looking for two more coordinators to help ensure this amazing program runs easily this year. The coordinator would assist in training other parents during the school day periodically throughout the year or helping to schedule walks which takes place anytime online. Please contact us ASAP at [email protected] 

bowmanpto.org.

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Lunch Time Composting

If you’re interested in composting, helping the environment, or just seeing what really goes on in the cafeteria, help out with the lunchtime composting program! 

Parent volunteers help direct students throughout the lunch period to the compost, recycling, and trash receptacles. All of Bowman’s food waste is now diverted from the trash to our partner, Black Earth Compost. No experience needed — it’s very simple, and we’ll tell you everything you need to know. You can sign up for as few — or as many! — shifts as you would like, or even just come in occasionally as a substitute.  

Send an email to [email protected] if you have any questions or would like to be added to the volunteer list (you will NOT be automatically added to the schedule!).

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PTA Open Positions

Consider volunteering for one of the open PTA positions this school year.

VP Membership – Shadow

We encourage every Bowman family to become a member of the PTA so that we can continue delivering programs and services vital to our students, parents and teachers. You would work with the current VP Membership to learn more about the role. If you’re interested please email [email protected]

Disco Bingo – Shadow

Bingo Night is a fun filled night for the whole family with teacher and student Bingo callers. Volunteers focus on publicizing the annual event (usually in Winter), obtaining prizes and recruiting Bingo callers. If you’re interested please email [email protected]g

Book Fair – Shadow

The Book Fair is a fundraiser held once a year in the Bowman gymnasium. You would work with the current Book Fair coordinator to see what is needed to run the Book Fair. If you’re interested please email [email protected] 

 

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Box Tops Update

Box Tops has gone digital! There is a NEW and improved, user-friendly Box Tops mobile app that allows you to scan your store receipt, find participating products and instantly add Box Tops to your school’s earnings online.  Clipping will become a thing of the past and you will have direct visibility into Bowman’s earnings.

How does the new program work?

You’ll download the new and improved, user-friendly Box Tops app, register and select Bowman as your school, and then scan an eligible receipt containing Box Tops products.  You’ll earn 10 cents for each Box Tops product purchased plus extra earnings for any Bonus Box Tops opportunities. The app will automatically add Box Tops to your school’s earnings online, giving visibility to see how you are supporting your school in real-time. Check here for more details. 

Can I still send in regular Box Tops?

Yes! Keep clipping regular Box Tops and sending them in with your child as long as you continue to find them on packages.  Bowman will still get credit for all clipped Box Tops.

More FAQ’s can be found here:  https://www.boxtops4education.com/How to Earn

Questions?  Contact the Box Tops Coordinator: [email protected] 

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Site Council Updates

Welcome to new Site Council parent-members Stacey Caravella and Valerie Machinist! Stacey and Valerie will join fellow parent-members Karin Ornstein and Alison Stevens, along with Bowman principal Jenny Corduck, and teachers Melinda Loof (library), Ellen Day (kindergarten), and Rosanne Barbacano (2nd grade). Meetings are held monthly, typically before school on a Friday morning, and are open to everyone. Please come to a meeting (dates are listed on the Bowman website) or reach out to any members at [email protected] with questions, ideas, or concerns.

As part of the Education Reform Act of 1993, Site-Based Councils were mandated as part of the Act’s decentralization of decision-making. The Site Council is composed of equal numbers of elected teachers and parents, together with the Principal and a community representative. The role of the Site Council is to advise the Principal. At Bowman, Site Council members meet once a month with Bowman teachers to plan ways to meet the diverse learning needs of students; establish a school climate of tolerance and respect for every individual; involve parents in the life of the school; impact safety and discipline; enhance extracurricular activities; and more

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Thank You!

Teacher Breakfast 

Thank you to all of the parents who volunteered to bring food to the teacher breakfast that took place the day before school started! A special thanks to the Teacher Appreciation team who put together the breakfast. The teachers were well fueled for their first day!

Back to School Coffee

The first day of school wouldn’t be complete without our annual back to school coffee! Thank you to all of the parents who came to learn more about the PTA or catch up with old friends and make new friends. It’s always a nice way to start the school year off!

Picture Day

Thank you to all the parent volunteers who made this year’s Picture Day a success. A special shout out to Michelle Andronaco, with the help this year from Brandy Hartford, for bringing Picture Day to Bowman. Michelle has been coordinating Picture Day for five years and counting. This annual event couldn’t happen without volunteers like you!

Auction

A huge Thank You goes out to everyone who was involved in the PTA “Teacher Experience” Auction. We raised over $4,800! Every penny of this money will be spent on Bowman students.  One of the goals of the PTA is to grow the amount of in-school programming and teacher support. These funds help us with this effort. The Auction could not happen without the contributions of Bowman Staff. Teachers, Specialists, Principal Corduck and Assistant Principal Beth Glick all have donated their time and energy to make the auction a success.   Thank you to Gary Van Deurse and Alison Stevens who worked behind the scenes to bring the Auction to life. If you are interested in helping the PTA organize events like this one, or have fresh ideas for what the PTA could do please visit our website and get involved.    

Lexington Food Bank Food Drive

This year, Lexington’s PTAs and PTOs partnered with the Lexington Food Pantry to host a special back to school collection. Bowman was asked to collect canned beans and boy did everyone bring the beans! Bowman was able to donate 157 cans to the Lexington Food Pantry. Thank you to Anne Norman for coordinating the drive at Bowman, and thank you to everyone who contributed, your generosity is deeply appreciated!

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Membership Update

Thank you to all the families who have signed up for PTA membership so far this year. We are happy to announce our membership is up to 59%. Sign up or renew now! There’s still time to sign up, and there’s still swag left!