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FISD Council of PTAs ▪ Communicator ▪ Volume 9 ▪ Issue 4
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COMMUNICATORFr isco Independent School Distr ict Council of PTAs
May 20�2 Volume 9 ▪ Issue 5
President’s MessageKindra Strachan, Council President In this issue...
Meeting/Luncheon Schedules 2Coming up soon... 2Texas PTA News 2PTA Links 3National PTA News 3Training 3Technology 3Fundraising/Finance 4Legislative 4Membership 4Environmental 5Cultural Arts 6Community Contributors 6Frisco Education Foundation 6Special Report 7Sage 7FISD Superintendent’s Message 8Local PTA News 9Executive Board Roster 13
Wow, what a busy 11th year for our Frisco ISD Council. We support 43 incredible local PTAs and are in the final stretch of organizing 4 new PTAs: Comstock, Nichols, and Phillips Elementaries, and Vandeventer Middle School.
I am so very proud of all of our PTAs and volunteers. You provide support, education, and serve our children and community with joyous hearts and many hours of your free time. I appreciate the time and commitment of each local PTA President, their board, and their members.
No one really knows how many volunteer hours that your boards have put in over the past year to make your PTA what it is today. I started thinking what kind of impact PTA has in Frisco and this is my estimate. We have 43 PTAs with over 16,000 members; we have brought in over 240 programs and have had a $2 million dollar impact on the needs of our children and schools. Everything you do matters! Whether you choose to read to a classroom, serve as a cafeteria helper, make copies, or shelve library books, the way you support the education process is not important. What is important is that you take the step and volunteer. PTA truly makes a difference and helps to “make every child’s potential a reality.” I hope in the years to come that we can all look back and say that we made an impact in the life of a child.
I would also like to recognize my outstanding Council board for this year. They have worked very hard to provide support and assistance. I could not have done my job successfully without them. Special and sincere thanks to:
Susan Thomas, Melanie Crosby, Ginger Tarbet, Anne McCausland, Kathy Mecom, Kristan Olfers, Karen Adolff, Mandy Richards, Sara Kimmich, Amy Kreins, Mary Barisa, Kathryn Carter, Andrea Williams, Debbie Pasha, Terri West, Shelley Kesel, Cindy Badon and Gavin Copeland.
Thank you for letting me serve as your Council President for this past year. I look forward to a great 2012-2013! Have a fabulous, fun and safe summer!
FISD Council of PTAs ▪ Communicator ▪ Volume 9 ▪ Issue 4
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Events & Meetings
Council Regular Meetings
Sep. 20thOct. 18thJan. 17thMar. 20thMay 22nd
FISD Administration Building and Board Complex, 10:00 a.m.
President’s MeetingsFISD Administration Building and Board
Complex, Time TBD
Sep. 20th (luncheon)Nov. 15thFeb. 21stApr. 17thMay 15th (luncheon)
FISD School Board MeetingsFISD Administration Building and Board
Complex, 7:30 p.m.
2011-2012
Texas PTA News
Coming up soon...May 22nd Council Regular Meeting
Jun 1st SLS Early Registration deadline
Jul 27-29th Summer Leadership Seminar
Aug 27th First day of school!
Oct. 10thNov. 14thDec. 12thJan. 9thFeb. 13th
Mar. 5thApr. 9thMay 14thJun. 18th
Get Connected this year at Summer Leadership Seminar 2012 in Austin on July 27-29, and other On The Road locations! Registration is open for all locations and early registration rates apply if you do so before June 1st! Visit the SLS webpage for On The Road dates and locations, additional information and materials as they become available.
Summer Leadership Seminar
click here for the
FISD COUNCIL OF PTAs
2011-2012ANNUAL REPORT
FISD Council of PTAs ▪ Communicator ▪ Volume 9 ▪ Issue 4
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PTA Links
National PTA News
NY State PTA President Testifies on Role of Families in Education Reform
National Convention: June 21-24th
National PTA President Betsy Landers to Appear on Lifetime Show
Welcome to the PTA Great Idea Bank
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Get LINKED to National PTA...
TechnologyKristan Olfers, Technology Chair
www.friscopta.org
FISD Council of PTAs is now on facebook! Check it out and “Like” us:
http://www.facebook.com/FriscoPTA
Develop and foster closer relationships with surrounding councils and units without a council.Provide opportunities for local units to partner on programs, fundraising and other common activities.Provide leadership training and support to all local units.Develop and foster closer community inclusiveness with other diverse learning populations through our SAGE campus chair.Continue to develop Texas PTA and Council sponsored and/or assisted projects such as Barktoberfest, Reflections and Watch D.O.G.S.
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2011-2012 Council Goals
Keep checking your Council of PTAs website throughout the summer for news on Back-to-School news and events!
TrainingTerri West, Training Chair
Leadership Orientation TrainingFISD Council of PTAs is offering one more LOT session this school year. The final session is Tuesday, May 30th in the Admin Training Rooms of the Frisco ISD Admin Building: 5515 Ohio Drive, Frisco. Registration 9:00 - 9:30 amLOT 9:30 - 11:30 am
All local PTA board members must attend Leadership Orientation Training by October 15, 2012. If you haven’t attended LOT yet, additional sessions will be offered in the fall. Visit friscopta.org throughout the summer for updates on fall offerings.
Please contact Terri at [email protected] to register or if you have any questions.
FISD Council of PTAs ▪ Communicator ▪ Volume 9 ▪ Issue 4
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Legislative/AdvocacyMary Barisa, Legislative Chair
MembershipAmy Kreins, Membership Chair
Fundraising/FinanceKaren Adolff, Fundraising Chair
Frisco ISD Spirit Night at the RoughRiders
DRUM ROLL PLEASE...the winner for “MOST TICKETS SOLD” is......ROGERS ELEMENTARY.
Our top 5 schools who sold the most tickets, on a percentage of students were Rogers, Fisher, Sonntag, Bledsoe and Corbell.
Everyone did an amazing job and Council truly appreciates all you have done to make our event a success. We sold close to 4,000 tickets!
Ballpark Suite Winners: ROGERS ELEMENTARY
1st Pitch Student: Liam Young, CURTSINGER ELEMENTARY
1st Pitch Counselor: Donna Hickman, ROGERS ELEMENTARY
National Anthem: FRISCO ISD ALL CITY CHOIR
7th Inning Stretch: FRISCO ISD SCHOOL COUNSELORS
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Texas Primary Election Day is May 29, 2012The May election is very important as many winners of races will be determined in the May primary instead of the November general election. It is crucial that parents vote in order to determine if education is made a priority in the next Texas legislative session.
PLEASE VOTE! Early voting is May 14 – 25, 2012Any run off election will be July 31, 2012 20
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s School HonoreeAllen Ethel DelgadoAnderson Colleen CromleyAshley Susan BakerAshley Kathy Kazanski*Bledsoe Brian ErwinBledsoe Kindra Strachan*Boals Kristien GraffamBoals Grant HowellBright Mary AdayCarroll Melinda SambersonCarroll Jimmy BuddenbergChristie Kristy StoneClark Kim TaberCobb Melinda WemhoffCobb Phil Evans*Corbell Sara FortenberryCurtsinger Pam HamlinElliott Mary StewartFisher Manisha ShrivastaFowler Andrea WilliamsGriffin Phyllis EdmondsGunstream Dennece KinlochHunt Liz SchultzHunt Monica GlennonIsbell Lucy MarkLiberty Jenni MontesMaus Andrea HoinkaMaus Libby MausMooneyham Barb GardnerOgle Kristen LaneOgle Traci DillonPink Lori CunninghamPink Jennifer ClantonPurefoy Lauren CypertRiddle Jina EksaengsriRoach Terri GladdenRobertson Melissa BiscampRogers George Trammell, Sr.Scoggins Katie SmithSem Gayla ThomasShawnee Lori LarsonSmith Sunita PatelSonntag Jodi DavisSparks Abigail MogoteSparks Lisa AllisonSpears Chris HollandStaley Marie SassoTadlock Shannon KellerTadlock Jackie GonzalezTaylor Lisa TurnerCouncil Allison MillerEarly Childhood Lizeth LoCicero
*Extended Service Award
FISD Council of PTAs ▪ Communicator ▪ Volume 9 ▪ Issue 4
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The City of Frisco organized the yearly Clean It & Green It event on April 21st this year, and it was a great success. There was a competition amongst schools to recruit the most volunteers. Here are the winning schools:
Elementary School: Sem Elementary School – 123 volunteers
Middle School: Fowler Middle School - 65 volunteers
Green Tips for the Summer:• Propane burns much cleaner than either wood or charcoal briquettes. If you can’t resist charcoal, try a natural product like those produced by Cowboy Charcoal. When you’re done grilling, use natural cleaning products such as Soy Clean organic grill cleaner to keep your summer as chemical-free as possible. Tests show it’s just as tough on grime as traditional cleaners, but won’t leave that chemical residue behind to leach into your next burger or grilled tomato.
• Turning up the thermostat a few degrees on your AC is a great way to save tons of cash while making the planet a cooler place at the same time.
• Use reusable dishes rather than plastics or Styrofoam. If you absolutely must use disposables, make sure to pick up compostable varieties beforehand to put in the compost bin when you’re done.
• Use products like garlic barrier to ward off mosquitoes. Traditional products certainly do the job, but birds, butterflies, ladybugs, and even the family dog get an unhealthy dose too…not to mention yourself, the kids, and the neighbors’ kids. Make sure to apply it when you think it won’t rain for several days, and the garlic alternative should treat you right. Planting rosemary is also a natural and low-tech way to block mosquitoes.
EnvironmentalAndrea Williams, Environmental Chair
Sem volunteers
Fowler volunteers
FISD Council of PTAs ▪ Communicator ▪ Volume 9 ▪ Issue 4
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Cultural ArtsSara Kimmich, Cultural Arts Chair
2011-2012 Reflec t ions:
Frisco Education FoundationAllison Miller, Foundation Director
REFLECTIONS RECEPTIONMay 24th, 2012
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Main Foyer of the FISD Admin Building
5515 Ohio Drive, Frisco, TX 75035
Children will have an opportunity to pick up their art work and visit with special guests.
Please assist us in contacting your school’s Council Reflections winners. Those inviduals whose entries went to Austin for the State Reflections judging are invited to the reception as well.
For questions, contact Sara Kimmich.
Community Contributors
Thank you to the many Frisco schools who rallied to help with Red Cross relief efforts in the tornado-damaged DFW area. Many school administrators and PTAs organized supply drives to aide families in need, and the generous response was overwhelming!
Corbell ElementaryCurtsinger ElementaryCobb Middle SchoolFisher ElementaryFriends in Christ preshool & kindergartenRiddle ElementaryStaley Middle SchoolAllen Elementary Taylor Elementary
The Frisco Education Foundation held its annual Scholarship Night, Thursday, May 10th at Dr Pepper Arena.
The Class of 2012 certainly fared well.
FEF had an overwhelming response to the scholarship application this year, receiving 702 applications. Over 450 of the applicants received more than 600 scholarships totaling well over $500,000.
FEF would like to thank all of the outside organizations who donated scholarships including the following PTA Organizations: Ashley, Boals, Bright, Clark Middle School, Corbell, Curtsinger, Fisher, Gunstream, Isbell, Pink, Riddle, Roach Middle School, Rogers, Shawnee Trail, Smith, Sparks, and Spears.
For information on the foundation see www.friscoeducationfoundation.org and to keep up with foundation news and events, be sure to like us on facebook.
Scholarship Night 2013 is scheduled for Thursday, May 9th at Dr Pepper Arena.
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Each summer in late July and early August, Frisco ISD rolls out its web-based registration system, known as Infosnap. This online system historically enrolls more than 95% of FISD students each year, before the first day of school. This allows teachers and administrators to have the information they need on the first day of school, while saving parents countless hours filling out registration paperwork. This tool has allowed Frisco ISD to automate the collection of various data for several different organizations in a concise, reportable and organized fashion.
For the 2012-2013 school year, Frisco ISD is partnering with local PTA/PTOs to aid in the collection of directory information. PTAs can now quickly obtain this data for their annual PTA student directory. Parents will fill out information pertaining to phone, e-mail and physical address for up to two (2) parents or may opt out of the directory all together. Only the information that the parents want to be listed shall be released.
Shortly after school begins and most students have gone through the registration process, Frisco ISD will provide student directory reports in the form of a spreadsheet for PTAs to compile their directories. The reporting details are still being worked out, but in essence we hope to provide the released information along with the grade level. The grade level distinction is not in Infosnap, so we’ll have to merge this information from two systems. That process will be created and defined later in the summer once we have the system operational and can test with sample data.
We hope this tool can help you get cleaner and faster data, while making it easier on the parents of your campus. Thanks for your continued support of the students of Frisco ISD and partnering with us to streamline this process for all involved.
Special ReportJamie Driskill, FISD Coordinator of Marketing & Community Relations
SAGECindy Badon, SAGE Chair
Our SAGE Committee has had a very busy year this year! On the GT side of our committee, we launched a monthly GT Game and Family Night! Some of our programs this year were an introduction to SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of Gifted Students) by Sandra Colston of Plano SAGE, a hands-on presentation for students by SMARTS Club of Frisco, a parent roundtable, and a parent and student presentation with hands-on opportunities provided by Arts and Technology Institute of Frisco. We also hosted the annual GT Meet and Greet with Julie Martin, Frisco ISD GT Coordinator and added a Transitions to Middle School program with Brooklyn Calloway and Eydie Simpson, FISD Middle School GT Facilitators this month.
On our Special Ed. side, we began the year with a well-attended Special Ed. Meet and Greet. Support group meetings were held throughout the year, as was our Life Planning for Special Needs Families multi-week course. We assisted with the Early Childhood School’s Kindergarten Transition program as well as with many Diverse Abilities Programs at various schools throughout the district, providing assistance and support as needed. At the request of Frisco ISD, SAGE took charge of the special needs t-shirt sale, creating an inclusive t-shirt that represents our special needs population more fully and the inclusive education provided by the district to all of our students. The shirts were popular with faculty, staff, students and parents and received great reviews for promoting a feeling of cohesion and acceptance of differences.
One of our biggest accomplishments this year was our SAGE Resource Fair, which served all of our populations - special needs, gifted/talented, and everything in between! Over 60 vendors were present to give Frisco ISD students and families a taste of what services and activities are available to our district. This was held in conjunction with the Early Childhood School PTA, and there was no charge to vendors or families wishing to attend. We are hoping this will be an annual event and look forward to expanding it further next year.
For the summer, we are helping coordinate “Ready
FISD to provide directory information to PTAs
FISD Council of PTAs ▪ Communicator ▪ Volume 9 ▪ Issue 4
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Superintendent’s MessageDr. Rick Reedy, FISD Superintendent
Dear PTA Council,
It is hard to believe that another school year has come and gone. The fundraisers are over, the box tops have been collected, the programs have been presented, and we are down to the end-of-school parties.
I know many of you have already signed up for positions for next year. Some of you will be starting up new parent organizations at the new campuses. What would Frisco ISD do without the more than 15,000 of our most active supporters and volunteers? I can’t begin to imagine.
Although we at Frisco ISD are preparing to finish out the school year in style, we are also working hard to get ready for next year. This year marks the first year for all six Frisco ISD high schools to have graduating classes. We will be having two ceremonies on Friday, June 1, and four on Saturday, June 2, all at Dr Pepper Arena. It will be very exciting and challenging to get everyone in and out of the arena on time. For those of you who have graduating seniors, let me offer my congratulations on your student’s achievements with FISD.
Among our younger students, FISD is proud of the four Destination ImagiNation teams advancing to Globals this year, and a student from Carroll is having his film compete at the national level of the PTA Reflections Program. A young lady from Griffin recently won a $1,000 scholarship from Raytheon’s MathMovesU program. Every day I hear about a new wonderful achievement by an FISD student. All of this would not be possible without parents who are actively involved in their children’s education and in many cases without the support of PTA.
But before you get caught up in the excitement of trips to the pool, the sno-cone stands, and summer vacations, could you take a few minutes to contact your state lawmakers by email or letter this summer and express your concern about the overuse of standardized testing? As you know, I believe that we all must continue to speak out against the over-reliance on standardized testing in our state accountability system. Please let your state legislators know that you share our concern. You may recall that the Frisco Board of Trustees signed a resolution in February voicing its call for examination of the state’s accountability system and the current standardized testing program. The resolution calls for development of a system that truly measures a student’s learning. As a high-performing district, Frisco ISD has long supported a new vision for education – one that is fair, accurate, and that does not increase standardized testing. We know you share this concern because you have told us, and you need to stay informed and involved in this on-going battle that is gaining momentum across the state.
I appreciate the level of concern PTA and PTO parents bring to the table. When letters need to be written to our legislators – you do it. When funding for education is threatened - you send out emails. You bake cookies and work book fairs, but you do so much more. You are the voice for your children and a voice for the children who sit next to them in class every day.
Here in Frisco ISD we’ve been listening to parents for more than 100 years; we hear you and look forward to partnering further in the 2012-2013 school year.
Have a great summer.
Rick Reedy,
Superintendent of Schools
FISD Council of PTAs ▪ Communicator ▪ Volume 9 ▪ Issue 4
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Local PTA News
Ashley ElementaryThe fourth annual Ashley Carnival of Reading was a huge success. Families in attendance were totally engaged in the many games provided. This year, the carnival featured 18 games centered on reading and books. Families played games like Word Toss, trying to spell words by tossing bean bags on different letters. Our old friends Frog and Toad had a new spin added to their game. Players had to stomp the lever to send Frog flying through the air trying to land the frog in the pond. Two obstacle courses, a bounce house, and a bungee pull were also big attractions.
We would like to give a big shout out to Stonebridge Orthodontics for not only sponsoring the carnival games, but also donating and making
all the cotton candy and snow cones. The raffles were a hit again this year. Thanks to all the parents that donated items to create such impressive raffle boxes. If you did not recognize a good friend, it was probably due to the fantastic face painting by Benham Orthodontics. Thank you to all the students that participated and shared their poems in the April poetry contest. Thanks also to the businesses, family sponsors, and Heritage High School students that came out to run the games.
We received over $300 during our One4Books campaign to buy books for the children’s hospital. The principals did a hula dance at Friday Live because of this and it was quite a sight. The collaboration between PTA, our sponsors, the library and the community made the Reading Carnival an amazing success.
Bledsoe ElementaryTeacher Appreciation week was so much fun at Bledsoe! We love recognizing our teachers and staff and all of their hard work. Teachers enjoyed daily
treats and a delicious luncheon hosted by our fantastic hospitality committee.
Bledsoe hosted a fun and successful luau-themed book fair this spring. The students really enjoyed shopping for their favorite books, and our generous Bledsoe families donated $166 in books to Nichols Elementary through the One-For-Books campaign.
Our students have had the opportunity to participate in many fun and educational PTA-funded programs this year. One of their favorites is the 90-minute hands-on science in the classroom program through High Touch High Tech. They have learned about subjects such as weather, oceans and electricity.
Bledsoe’s WATCH D.O.G.S. program enjoyed tremendous success this school year, with a dad on campus every day. Our WATCH D.O.G.S. program was recently highlighted on NBC 5 news. You can view the news segment on the Bledsoe PTA website at www.bledsoepta.org.
We are very proud of the many ways we helped the environment at Bledsoe this year. We had 245 participants in our adopt-a-street clean up days throughout the year. Together they filled 97 bags of trash! More than 150 families applied for an HOV tag and took advantage of the Bledsoe carpool lane. Many Bledsoe families also participated in International Walk-to-School Day in the fall and spring.
Some of our Bledsoe students will be leaving us to attend Nichols and Allen Elementary schools next year. We are sad to see them go, but we are certain that they will be in wonderful hands at their new schools. We wish you all the best!
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Click on a school’s name to connect to its PTA website
FISD Council of PTAs ▪ Communicator ▪ Volume 9 ▪ Issue 4
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Local PTA News
As we come to the close of another great school year, I want to express my thanks and appreciation to the hard-working Bledsoe PTA Board members, room parents and volunteers who helped make this school year a success. I cannot adequately express how thankful I am for the work you do behind the scenes every day to support the Bledsoe teachers and staff. Have a great summer!
Boals ElementaryThe City of Frisco’s Environmental Services Department approved Boals Elementary school’s application to Adopt Falcons Field Park!! The Adopt-a-Street program provides individuals, civic organizations, schools and others with an opportunity to help beautify their community by volunteering their services to collect litter alongside Frisco streets and parks.
This is a great way to give back to your community, keep Falcons Field Park beautiful and clean, teach
students about good citizenship, and have a great time. Clean ups will be conducted at least four times a year and students will
participate in the city’s annual Clean It and Green It event held every Spring.
Grant Howell, Boals Environmental Chair, stated “after we complete our first clean up and turn in our associated paperwork (i.e. volunteer signatures, etc.), the City will have their crew put our own Adopt-A-Park sign in the ground at Falcons Field Park. The students are so excited and we have noticed many of them already taking extra steps to keep their park clean and litter free.”
Clark Middle SchoolThe Active Learning Class (servicing students with severe physical, mental and medical impairments)
at Clark Middle School is appreciative for the continued generosity of our PTA. They frequently and compassionately inquire as to how they can assist in the success of our students. When our PTA recently asked, our reluctant response was a small refrigerator. Without hesitation they eagerly agreed and merely wanted to know what type, size and color. Their intervention calmed our recent concerns about storing the expensive physician prescribed food in the refrigerator next door to our classroom where it could be inadvertently removed or spilled. We felt a personal classroom refrigerator would minimize this potential.
We have a long history with the PTA as we are previous benefactors of their kindness. For example, they provided raincoats and oversized umbrellas to keep us and our wheelchair bound students dry during inclement weather. It is a comfort working with a PTA committed to making a difference. They consistently exhibit our Cougar attribute of performing above the line.
Sincerely,
Janice JeffersonSpecial Education - Active Learning TeacherClark Middle School
Corbell ElementaryAs the end of another school year fast approaches, the Corbell PTA has been hard at work making this year our best yet!
In April, we had great success with our spring book fair. Sales at the fair exceeded our expectations, so much so as to provide the remaining money we needed to fund a sunshade for the Corbell playground. The whole Corbell community is excited to see our new sunshade installed this summer.
Corbell PTA generously supported students at Corbell and in the greater FISD community. At the FEF Scholarship Night, two deserving Wakeland High School seniors were awarded college scholarships from Corbell PTA.
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FISD Council of PTAs ▪ Communicator ▪ Volume 9 ▪ Issue 4
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We also helped to fund Corbell’s Destination Imagination team as they proceed to the global Destination Imagination competition later this month.
After the devastating tornadoes ripped through North Texas in April, Corbell families demonstrated amazing generosity in supporting tornado victims through donations made to the Red Cross.
Finally, the 5th annual Corbell Talent Show, Hollywood Nights in Frisco, was held on May 10. This was our best show yet, and it featured 5th grade emcees, a red carpet with commemorative photos of each performer, professional DVDs of all performances, and concessions. It took the coordinated efforts of PTA, staff and students to make the evening a big hit!
It has been a great year at Corbell. We hope everyone has a super fun and safe summer!
Early Childhood SchoolWOW!, This year has gone by so fast… it doesn’t seem that long ago that we were getting ready to welcome everyone to ECS. Now it’s time to tell everyone to have a safe summer and say good-bye to all of our kids and their families that are not coming back.
Thank you to all the members of the Early Childhood School PTA for helping us to be recognized by the Texas PTA as the #1 Early Childhood School in Texas. We’re very thankful to all the families who donated their time to make this a successful year. Some of the wonderful and fun events that occurred this year were Firemen visit, ECS Fun Run, Cheers & Tears, Watch D.O.G.S. Pizza Night, Appreciation days, Book Fair and bubble lady. Thank you!!! families and friends for your support to our school during our fall “Gourmet Popcorn” fundraiser and during the annual spring carnival. Your hard work have help us donate to the school an amazing tricycle with back and head support and foot adaptors for the existing tricycles and we donated to hope park- look for the Early Childhood School PTA brick. Thank you to each and every one of you.
Now it is time to start looking forward to next year,
be supportive to the 2012-2013 board as you were to us. Try new ideas and don’t be afraid of making mistakes, without them we will not be who we are today.
Let’s all enjoy a well-deserved safe and fun-filled summer vacation!
Thanks, again, for all of your support.
Elliott ElementaryThis year comes to a close with enthusiasm and excitement as the Elliott PTA finishes up its 4th year. It has been an amazing journey! Thank you to all who have volunteered and served this year. Our PTA is what it is because of YOU!
Speaking of amazing volunteers, we would like to congratulate Mary Stewart, our 2011-2012 Lifetime PTA Membership award recipient. Mary is currently a 4th grade teacher at Elliott and has been a part of the Elliott PTA board since its inception in 2008. She works tirelessly to promote community, to educate, and to encourage those around her. Thank you, Mary!!
This spring we enjoyed many programs, including a Love and Logic program for parents, Keith Davis for STAAR encouragement, Kidz Science, and Time for Kids. We also celebrated great success at our
Luau-themed Book Fair. Our Book Fair profits have helped build the Elliott Elementary Library each year and we are so proud and
honored to have been able to help with such an important task. Beyond the programs, our surplus funds this year have also been set aside to purchase a playground cover. Our goal is to raise enough to cover that expense in the next year or two. It takes many years to really establish a mature PTA and I think our school has done a phenomenal job.
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Coming up, we look forward to our class parties, as well as our famous End of Year celebration. This super-sized celebration has grown into quite an event, with bounce houses, photo booths, Soak the Teacher, Rock Band, yummy food and great music – provided by the wonderful Scoggins MS Jazz Band. What a great way to wrap up a terrific school year!!
For us, the approaching summer is also bittersweet, as the 2012-2013 school year brings big changes to the Elliott community. We are losing nearly half of our population to a new school, Comstock Elementary, just a mile or two down the road. We have enjoyed our very large Elliott family, and we will certainly miss those leaving.
Have a safe and fun summer! See you next year!
Gunstream ElementaryThe 2012 Star Community Newspapers READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS have been announced in the April 27, 2012 paper.
Gunstream Elementary WINS AGAIN!!!!
BEST Public School: Gunstream Elementary
BEST Principal: David Smolka, Gunstream Elementary
BEST Teacher: Paige Almond (3rd grade), Gunstream Elementary
Purefoy ElementarySpring has been flying by with many exciting events! Our first ever Spring Carnival was a HUGE success. So far, we have collected over $14,000 toward our playground weather canopy! A huge thank you to our Purefoy families, faculty, sponsors and volunteers. We could not have been a success without you.
Also this spring we had our Book Fair Luau. We sold over $22,000 of books. We also had a friendly competition between the grade levels where each grade level could earn money for One for Books. That money went toward buying books for our teachers. We were able to purchase 3 books per teacher. That gave books to 38 teachers! That is a lot of generosity! Way to go Purefoy parents and students!!
Local PTA News...continued from Page 11
Our final program this year was a visit from Dinosaur George! The students experienced incredible exhibits and learned fascinating information about Dinosaurs all while having a great time! The kids could not quit talking about all the learned at this fabulous program.
We also celebrated our amazing teachers this month with Teacher Appreciation Week. The teachers were treated to a catered lunch from Cristina’s, sweet treats, Sonic drinks to cool them off at Field Day and much more. Thanks to all our teachers, our school would not be what it is without you.
Finally, thank you to our PTA Board for the 2011-2012 School Year. This year has been such a success that would not have been possible without each and every one of you. Enjoy your Summer Break!!
Scoggins MiddleEighth graders at Scoggins Middle School will all receive an end-of-year “I survived middle school” t-shirt courtesy of the Scoggins PTA, as has become the tradition at SMS.
This falls on the heels of a very successful Teacher Appreciation Week where SMS parents honored those who have done so much for our students this year! We treated them to Sonic drinks, a Mexican fiesta, and facilitated a collection of gift cards donated by Scoggins parents. Mrs. Warner expressed the staff’s appreciation at our May board meeting.
Scoggins PTA is wrapping up a very successful school year by helping with the school’s year-end carnival! Parents have donated bottled water and will help the teachers and administrators chaperone the event. The SMS PTA will be on hand with popcorn and snow cones, as well!
We’ve also been working with Fowler Middle School’s PTA and Council to help spin off an active PTA for the new Vandeventer Middle School, which is coming on line for 2012-2013. It’ll be here before we know it!
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The Communicator is published by the Frisco Independent School District Council of PTAs. The Communicator is distributed to FISD Principals, FISD PTA Presidents, Council Delegates, FISD Council of PTAs Board Members, FISD Administration and Board of Trustees. The Communicator may be distributed to all FISD PTA members.
Council Executive Board
President Kindra Strachan [email protected] Aide to the President Susan Thomas [email protected] Secretary Ginger Target [email protected] Treasurer Melanie Crosby [email protected] Parliamentarian Anne McCausland [email protected] Historian Mandy Richards [email protected] Fundraising Karen Adolff [email protected] Cultural Arts Sara Kimmich [email protected] Membership Amy Kreins [email protected] Programs Kathryn Carter [email protected] Environmental Andrea Williams [email protected] Legislative Mary Barisa [email protected] Hospitality Debbie Pasha [email protected] SAGE Cindy Badon [email protected] Training Terri West [email protected] Newsletter/Publicity Kathy Mecom [email protected] Volunteers Shelley Kesel [email protected] Technology Kristan Olfers [email protected] Watch D.O.G.S. Gavin Copeland [email protected]
for Kindergarten” playgroups and get-togethers for parents of students with special needs entering kindergarten in the fall. These groups will be for parent support as well as interaction among the students who will be entering new campuses next year. It is our hope that these groups will assist them in their transition and provide a framework for friendships and a community to provide support and share resources.
We are hoping to add more support groups and programs for the upcoming year and will be working throughout the summer to build our committee of volunteers as well as schedule speakers for parents and students. If you know of parents who would like to be involved with SAGE or you have any ideas for parent programs, please email [email protected].
SAGE...continued from page 7
