Dear Quarton Parents,

We’re already halfway to our $10,000 Pie the Principal goal! Thank you to everyone who has contributed to help bring our teachers’ Grizzly Grants requests to life. Every donation moves us closer to more resources for our students and some pie-filled fun for our principal and staff!

Please join us at Quarton on October 28 at 7 p.m. for a special PTA meeting with our district superintendent, Dr. Roberson, to discuss the 2026 Bond proposal. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and learn what the proposal would mean for Quarton and our district before the November election.

Read on for this week’s updates, upcoming events, and opportunities to get involved. 

Thank you for all you do to support our Quarton community!

Michelle Kastner - PTA President 

Annie Treharne - PTA Vice President

• Pie the Principal is back! This year, we’re raising $10,000 to support Grizzly Grants. A donation of $25 per student would get us to our goal and unlock a school-wide Pie the Principal celebration in November! Donate here.
• Save the date for the following:
  • What's Next for Quarton?: A special PTA Meeting with the BPS Superintendent to discuss the 2026 Bond on October 28th at 7pm
  • Quarton Parent Wellness Event on Nov 4th at 11:30am
  • PTA Meeting on Nov 20th at 9:30am
• We need yearbook pictures! Login or create a Treering account here, click on "Explore Yearbooks" then click "Upload School Photos" to add your pictures.
• We have the following volunteer opportunities available, click on the name to sign up:
  • Book Fair - set up/breakdown & cashiers
  • Spring Promise to Participate(Quarton Cares, Creative Market, 5th Grade) 
  • Math Pentathlon - Children of parent volunteers are guaranteed a spot
  • Bandaid Center 
• Quarton's Polar Bear Ski Club registration is open. Click here then select "Tuesday" and search for Quarton to register.
• Bike Bus will continue on Wednesdays, meet up at the neighborhood meeting points by 8:30am. 
• Local photographer Leon Halip is offering an additional mini photo shoot session at Quarton Lake on Sunday Oct 25th. E-mail Michelle Kastner at maschenb003@yahoo.com if interested.
• The National PTA's Reflections art contest has opened. Click here to learn more. Deadline to submit is November 4th.
• Access our Monthly Snapshot here. More info on all of the above items can be found in the body of the newsletter below.

PIE THE PRINCIPAL: Help Fund Grizzly Grants! We’re raising $10,000 by November 14 to provide materials requested by Quarton teachers & staff. A suggested gift of $25 per student would get us to our goal, and donations of any size are appreciated.Your donations will support:

• Kindergarten - winter gear hooks and curriculum storage
• 1st grade - math, reading fluency, and phonics centers 
• 2nd Grade - 3-D math shapes and literacy corner materials 
• 3rd Grade - curriculum storage and a classroom rug 
• 4th Grade - make-your-own solar cars 
• 5th Grade - puzzle tables, magnetic whiteboards, & classroom items 
• School-wide requests including - P.E. basketballs, VW Lab storage, a calming station, folding chairs, sensory supports, and math and ELA resources.

If we reach our goal, the principal and nine other staff members will get pied at the November Town Hall! Students will be randomly selected to do the pie-ing, whether or not their family donates. Click here to donate.

BOOK FAIR HELP: We need volunteers during the book fair held November 11 &12 from 1pm-7pm. Help parents find books and check out. Additionally we need support on Thursday evening closing up the fair. Packing up the fair can be done in 20-30 minutes with four volunteers. Please click here to sign up for any and all slots available. We appreciate community support!

YEARBOOK SALES & PICTURES: Yearbook sales are open! Click here to purchase. Additionally we need pictures for the yearbook! If you want your child to be in the yearbook, please upload photos of them at Quarton events to Treering! We are especially looking for Ice Cream Social, first day of school, and Trunk or Treat photos. The yearbook pages for fall events are being finalized. To upload photos, use the same link above. After creating an account or logging in to an existing account click on "Explore Yearbooks".  At the bottom of the next page, click on "Upload School Photos." You should see a series of folders. Upload school photos into the proper folder, which are organized by event or grade level.

BANDAID CENTER: Help support our school’s Band-Aid Center! Operated entirely by parent volunteers, the center provides care for minor injuries and assists students who aren’t feeling well during the school day. Sign up here to volunteer and help keep our students comfortable and cared for!

MATH PENTATHLON: Math Pentathlon is returning for grades K-3rd and will meet Fridays at 8am. Volunteer spots are still open, sign up here. We’ll announce the start date and open student registration once we know how many volunteers we have. Children of volunteers are guaranteed a spot. Contact Harry Pianko (harry.pianko@gmail.com) and Stephanie Lazar (Stephblazar@gmail.com) for more information.

PROMISE TO PARTICIPATE (PTP): PTP is the PTA’s volunteer sign-up for opportunities across all committees. To make the many options easier to navigate, sign-ups are divided into two groups: fall and full-year opportunities, and winter and spring opportunities. Fall and full-year sign-ups were shared last spring, and winter and spring sign-ups are now open! Click here to explore the available opportunities and sign up!

QUARTON POLAR BEAR SNOW CLUB: Join Quarton's Tuesday night ski club and get ready to ski, snowboard, & have fun with your friends at Pine Knob!

• Who: Quarton students 7 years old & up
• When: Tuesdays after school, January 5–February 23
• Where: Pine Knob – parents provide transportation
• Bonus: Parents who join the club receive discounted lift tickets!
• Bonus: Siblings under 7 years can buy a lift ticket at ½ off!

Register here by clicking on "Tuesday" and searching for Quarton.

Never miss an event! Subscribe to the 2026–2027 PTA Community Calendar to automatically add important dates, including school events, half days, days off, and more to your personal calendar. Simply click here and follow the prompts.

Quarton in the 1940s: Remembering a Decade of Change

As we continue the Remember portion of our Remember • Celebrate • Imagine journey, we turn to the 1940s, a decade shaped by World War II and the beginnings of a new chapter for families across the country.

Quarton’s story unfolded against this changing national backdrop. America’s entry into the war in 1941 brought rationing, military service and a focus on supporting the war effort. Peace in 1945 marked the beginning of the postwar years, as returning service members and their families looked toward the future.

Closer to home, Birmingham’s school community was expanding. Franklin joined the district in 1945, followed by Bloomfield Village in 1946 and Walnut Lake in 1947, helping shape the district we know today. 

A Neighborhood Connection

In 1948, Pat Andrews and her husband, Edward, built a home on Chesterfield in Quarton Lake Estates. Andrews would later teach at Quarton in the 1960s and become a dedicated local historian, documenting the stories of the neighborhood’s homes and families. Her commitment to preserving those memories is a fitting reminder of why we’re taking this centennial journey. 

Bringing History to Life in Our Classrooms

Our journey through Quarton’s history is making its way into the classroom! When we explored the 1920s two weeks ago, our first-grade teachers created interactive slide decks to share with their students. Last week, our fifth-grade teachers brought the 1930s to life with a presentation for their fifth graders. Explore these creative resources together at home!

Explore the 1920s with First Grade here.

Step into the 1930s with Fifth Grade here.

Thank you to our teachers for helping students connect with the people, places and stories behind Quarton’s first 100 years!

Help Us Remember

Do you have a family connection to Quarton in the 1940s or another decade? We would love to see class photos, report cards, school keepsakes or memories passed down by parents and grandparents. Please send them to quarton100yr@gmail.com and help us preserve Quarton’s story!

It takes a village to make Quarton shine. Thank you to the following volunteers, staff members, community members and businesses who have generously shared their time, talents and resources with our school!

• Jen Wind, Samantha Bloor & Heather Pirronello for creating the coolest 1920's interactive slide show for the 1st graders.
• Kimber Ghareeb, Patrice Ligon & Stephanie Henderson for creating the coolest 1930's interactive slide deck for the 5th graders.
• Annie Treharne for leading the charge on Grizzly Grants.
• Diane Weisberg, Stephanie Eldest & Liza Gordon for kicking off the 100 Year spirit wear line planning.
• Erin Gottesman & Kyle Cameron for planning new after school classes starting in November.
• Travelin' Toms for bringing their coffee truck to Quarton last Friday. 
• Quarton Alumni Rob MacGregor, Shea Quarton, Chad Ervin & Amy York who have shared some really amazing Quarton memories!

And thank you to all the parents that volunteered this past week to captain a Bike Bus meeting point, noon-aide and work the bandaid center. We truly have the BEARY best community!

Click on the images below to quickly access Membership Toolkit, the monthly Lunch Menu, the Meal Magic Portal (lunch account) and our donation website.