Cherry Brook Primary School's Playground Project is Moving Forward

The PTO at Cherry Brook Primary School is hard at work raising the funds necessary to replace the existing aging wooden playsets on the school’s campus with new accessible, inclusive play structures that will benefit not just the children at Cherry Brook, but the entire Canton community.

The playground project:

• Was approved by the Board of Education on November 26th, 2013

Over the past few months, the PTO has organized several event to kick-start the fundraising for this project.  They organized a Fun Run held on November 1st that raised an impressive $10,008 and the community basketball game pitting the world famous Harlem Wizards against the Canton Recess Rebounders on January 8th which raised $6,019.

Most recently, the PTO organized a “Pennies for the Playground” campaign in the school.  Each classroom received a collection container, and students were asked to bring in loose change (or even folding money or checks) throughout the month of January.  The classroom that raised the most money during the month got to choose the color Principal Robbin had his hair dyed.

The total raised by all classes...an amazing $5,691.88!!

And the winner was...

Mrs. Dauphinais' Class with $720.62

2nd Place: Mrs. Theriault's Class with $719.78

3rd Place: Mrs. Scapin's Class with $591.76

4th Place: Mrs. Capozzi's Class with $491.39

Several other members of the CBPS faculty and staff were so impressed with the school's effort that they too volunteered to have their hair dyed!

During the month of February, the PTO will be collecting “Spare Change” to Change the Playground.  Canton area businesses that have graciously agreed to have our collection containers on their counters include: Valley Sports Center, Wine & Liquor Warehouse, Petals & Paws, Cherry Brook Pizza, Reno's, Mobil, Citgo, Bahre’s Package Store, The Bagel Deli, Joe Pizza, FroYo World, Dish 'n Dat, Flatbread, Snip-It's, ABC Pizza, The Village Sweet Shoppe, and The Bagel Chalet in Avon.

Any businesses who are interested in participating in the PTO’s “Spare Change” campaign can contact CBPS PTO President Tracy Renaud at tzrenaud@yahoo.com or 860.693.3720.

The Cherry Brook Primary School and the Canton Intermediate School will launch their annual online auction of goods and services starting on Thursday, February 13th, 2014.  Auction items can be viewed and bid on through Thursday, February 27th, 2014.  The auction will include items such as gift certificates to area restaurants, portrait sittings, electronics, dance lessons and much more.    Please log on to biddingforgood.com/cantonpto to learn more about our online auction items, sponsorship and donations.  CBPS's half of the profits from this annual auction will be directed towards the playground project.

The next fundraiser for the playground project will be the Swing into Spring evening event to be held at Bridge Street in Collinsville on Saturday, March 8th, 2014 from 7pm to 11pm.  The evening will feature delightful bites, live music, a selection of high end auction items, a mystery bottle wall, and perhaps even a sneak peek at the playground design and renderings!  Tickets can be purchased through the CBPS PTO shortly.  Additional information about the event and where to purchase tickets will be available on our website: http://www.cantonschools.org/~cbpspto/?OpenItemURL=S01A3B1B4

The first weekend in April, the PTO will be organizing a community tag & bake sale at Cherry Brook Primary School.  Interested community members can purchase a booth space or donate items for the PTO to sell.  Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information.

There will be a sponsorship wall on the new playground with sponsorship levels at $500 to $999, $1,000 to $2,499, $2,500 to $4,999, $5,000 to $9,999, and $10,000 or more.  Donations can be sent directly to the CBPS PTO at 4 Barbourtown Road, Canton, CT  06019.  For questions or more information, please contact the PTO at CBPSPTO@CantonSchools.org.