Updates and March PTA Board Meeting Minutes

Just a couple of requests for help this week:

• The Health Room is in dire need of girls' and boys' pants and shorts sizes 10 and up. If you have kids who are (or were!) that size, now is a good time to clean out clothes worn in cooler weather and last year's summer things! Bring those extras to the Health Room!

• Also, the PTA was contacted by Lisa Peterson, a student at MU working on a project with the Columbia Art League. They are researching how Columbia parents choose summer camps, and why the Columbia Art League’s programs may or may not appeal to them. They have put together an online survey of questions. Parents who take the survey and fill out the contact information section at the bottom will be entered into a drawing to win a free camp session (1 week) for their child! You can find the survey here. The Columbia Art League offers Summer Art Camps for children ages 6-13. The camps are built to encourage kids and young artists to explore their creativity while receiving quality art instruction in downtown Columbia. Each week-long session has a different theme and runs Mon.-Fri., 9:00am-3:00pm. Camps begin June 14 and end August 13. The cost for non-CAL members is $175/week, $160 for CAL members.
  
  If you are interested in the Columbia Art League’s Summer Camps, a list of sessions and registration forms may be found online at www.cal.missouri.org , or call 573-443-8838 for more information.

• Minutes from the March 8, 2010 PTA Board meeting are below. Have a great weekend!!

Fairview Elementary PTA Board Meeting Minutes

Monday, March 8, 2010

Present: Sheila Chapman, Susan Hartnagel, Jill Orr, Christine Simon, Debbie Fisher, Lisa Monsees, Judy Ireland, Kim Deutschmann, Diana DeMoss, Adrienne Patton

Minutes and Treasurer’s reports were approved.

CCPTA: Sheila circulated the document from CCPTA regarding support of the upcoming bond issue, all in attendance were in favor of Fairview PTA supporting it.

Book Fairs: Laurie reported via email that $5000 was the total from the Scholastic book fair and $280 was raised from the used book sale.

Community Fundraisers: Kim reported on Culver’s, haven’t received check from them, but expecting around $200. Will have a fundraiser at Noodle’s and Co. near the end of school.

Fifth Grade Party: Nothing yet.

Literacy/Media Center: Jill Orr suggested a donation of library book program in honor of a child’s birthday. Jill will get more information and report back.

Rebate Programs: Mrs. Patton reported the new equipment from the Box Tops program is here and will be on the playground as the warm weather approaches.

Reflections: Two Fairview winners have also won at the state competition and will be recognized at the April PTA general meeting and school assembly.

Room Parent Coordinator: Christine sent a survey to room parents to see how the new structure for class parties has worked this year. Jill Orr and Christine recently met to discuss Staff Appreciation week.

School Supplies: Lisa Toler will have information at Kindergarten Roundup. Sheila also mentioned a summer workbook program she will gather more information on.

Sportswear: Lisa Paten is working on the sale of gently used Fairview items for the Ice Cream Social in April.

Staff Appreciation: Judy reported on upcoming events for Staff Appreciation and Teacher Appreciation week. Items mentioned included a 5^th grade breakfast for teachers and staff walk.

Wellness: Lisa reported they are working on the new playground project for the kindergarten playground. The Friday morning walk around the track will begin April 9^th from 8:30-8:45 am. The walking mini-course has gone well, Walking School Bus has started up for the spring, and Walk to School Day is set for May 7^th. Lisa also introduced the idea of a monthly event to promote wellness. She will present more information on this at an upcoming meeting.

Yearbook: Orders and money have come in.

Special Programs: Sheila said all of the field trips have been scheduled and the cost estimate is around $1800. Mrs. DeMoss gave a list of all field trips.

Kindergarten: Dairy Farm

1^st Grade: TRYPS

2^nd Grade: Runge Nature Center

3^rd Grade: Kaleidoscope

4^th: Capitol trip to Jefferson City

5^th: Churchill Memorial

Mrs. Patton: Said the daily announcements are going well, be sure to let her know if you have an event or item to announce.

Mrs. DeMoss: Multicultural Night is Thursday, March 18^th. Let her know if you can volunteer to help. Mini-courses are almost over and have gone well. 4^th and 5^th grade math contest is coming up and Thursday, June 3^rd will be the 5^th grade graduation at 6:30 pm. A draft calendar for the 2010-2011 is on the Columbia Public Schools website and the school board should be deciding the final day of school for this year. Kindergarten registration is scheduled for March 17^th from 2:30-6:30 pm. Finally, MAP testing will begin the Tuesday after Spring Break.

Meeting adjourned at 8:25 pm.

April Announcements

Hope everyone enjoyed Spring Break this year! The signs of spring are beautiful right now, aren't they?
Less than two calendar months left of the school year, so things are getting busy. Here are your updates:

• April 6-16: MAP Testing for 3, 4, and 5th graders. Grades 3 and 4 begin testing at 9:00 a.m. each day, and grade 5 starts at 10:00 a.m. Be sure to send your kiddos out the door with a health breakfast for brain power!
• April 9: Fitness Friday. This will repeat each Friday... between 8:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., students of all grades are invited to walk on the track. Parents are welcome!
  
• April 20: Donuts with Dads. 7:45 a.m. - 8:20 a.m. in the cafeteria.
• April 21: Administrative Professionals Day. Don't forget to say "thank you" to the school secretaries that help keep the school days organized!
• April 26-30: School Walk for Diabetes. Information has been sent home about walking with your child during his/her PE class for the week. If you did not receive it, contact your child's teacher or the school office.
• April 27: PTA/Choir Concert/School Ice Cream Social. The PTA meeting and choir concert begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by the ice cream social from 7-8:30 p.m.

Looking ahead, please note that there has been a change in the school calendar. May 21st was previously set as a collaboration day for teachers for the entire day. It has now been changed to early release day - school will dismiss on May 21 at 1:15 p.m., rather than being out the entire day. The Last Day of School is now Friday, June 4, and school will dismiss that day at 1:15 p.m. as well. This is a change from the previously announced last day (Monday, June 7).

March Announcements

Springing forward into March, here are some announcements about upcoming events at Fairview Elementary!

Tuesday, March 16: Donuts with Dads from 7:45 - 8:30 a.m.

Wednesday, March 17: School Cooks Day - remind your kids to thank the cooks for all they do each day!

Thursday, March 18 and Friday, March 19: Spring Pictures!! Pre-K, 1, 3, and 5 grades will be on Thursday; K, 2 and 4 pictures will be on Friday. According to the materials sent home from the photographer, siblings may arrange for photos to be taken together on Friday morning from 8-9:00.

Thursday, March 18: Multicultural Celebration - 6:30-7:15: meet and greet and enjoy potluck dinner; 7:15-8 p.m.: enjoy music, dancing and crafts.

2009-2010 Updated PTA Officers, Meeting

The following is a list of the 2009-2010 PTA Officers, and their e-mail addresses:

President: Sheila Chapman

sheila.chapman@mchsi.com

Vice President: Susan Hartnagel

shartnagel@hotmail.com

Treasurer: Amy Pescaglia

amynryan@centurytel.net

Secretary: Chris Teddy

christineteddy@centurytel.net

Because of the weather, this month's general PTA meeting has been rescheduled. The meeting will now be held on Tuesday, February 16 at 6:00 p.m. in the gym at Fairview. At the meeting, the Reflections winners will be presented, and Dr. Belcher will be presenting information regarding the upcoming bond issue in April. We hope you will attend!!

Weekly Update

Isn't it a bad sign when you can count the times you have seen the sun in the past 3 weeks on one hand??!! Everyone at our house is ready for Spring, and I'm sure you are too. Here are a few announcements to keep us looking toward the future and plugging along...

• Most classes are planning for Valentine Parties, coming up on Friday, February 12. Many classes will be holding parties from 2:45 - 3:15 that day; check with your child's teacher or room parent for specific details.
  
• Donuts for Dads will be on Tuesday, February 23 from 7:45-8:20 a.m. This is a nice opportunity for kids to have some special morning time with Dad.
  
• Also on Tuesday, February 23 from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. - treat yourself to dinner at Culver's!! 10% of the sales are donated to Fairview Elementary. The Culver's mascot, Scoopie, will be making an appearance, too!
• Parent-Teacher Conferences are coming up at the end of the month: Thursday, February 25 and Friday, February 26. Sign up forms will be coming home this week. There will be a Book Fair during the conferences as well: from 4:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, and 8:30-10:00 a.m. on Friday.
  
• Don't forget these upcoming dates when school will not be in session: Monday, February 15 (President's Day), Friday, February 19 (Teacher Work Day), and Friday, February 26 (Parent Teacher Conferences).

Announcements, Announcements, Announcements!!

• Don't forget to eat at Subway tonight!! Go to the Forum Shopping Center Location today, Wednesday, January 27 from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. and 15% of the proceeds from your purchase are donated back to Fairview Elementary. Make sure to tell them you are there for the fundraiser!
• Yearbook order forms will be coming home starting this Friday, January 29. Orders must be returned to the office by Tuesday, February 16. Books cost $11, payable by cash or check to Fairview PTA. The yearbooks will arrive in May.
  
• Another fundraiser is coming up... with another good reason to take a break from cooking at home! Mark your calendar for Tuesday, February 23 from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. to eat at Culver's!! 10% of the sales are donated to Fairview Elementary. The Culver's mascot, Scoopie, will be making an appearance, too!
• Don't forget these upcoming dates when school will not be in session: Monday, February 15 (President's Day), Friday, February 19 (Teacher Work Day), and Friday, February 26 (Parent Teacher Conferences).
  

Thawing out and back into swing of things!

I hope everyone had a safe holiday break and enjoyed the time off with the kiddos! We're definitely back into full swing... here's an upcoming Fairview fundraiser:

• Need a break from cooking dinner? Head to Subway (Forum Shopping Center Location) on Wednesday, January 27 from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. 15% of the proceeds are donated to Fairview Elementary. Make sure to tell them you are there for the fundraiser!

Don't forget - no school on Monday, January 18, due to observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.