Just the Facts
Woodland Star Weekly Update
Monday, September 29, 2008
Learning to think, to care, to create
UPCOMING SCHOOL EVENTS
Tuesday, September 30th, Festival Committee Meeting re: Sprite's Night, 8:30 AM
Tuesday, September 30th, First Grade Parent Evening, 6-7:30 PM
October 1 - December 31, Nickels for Nonprofits at Whole Foods
Thurs, October 2nd, Parent Tea/Character Education meeting w/Penni Sparks,
8:30-9:30 AM in the Main Hall.
Monday, October 6th, MGK & 7th grade parent evening, 6-7:30 PM
Tuesday, October 7th, 6th grade parent evening, 6-7:30 PM
Wednesday, October 8th, Danny's Walk, details TBA
Wednesday, October 8th, 2nd grade parent evening, 6-7:30 PM
Friday, October 10th, Fall Assembly, 9:05 AM
Mon-Fri, October 13-17th, Fall Break, NO SCHOOL!
FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR
Thank you Woodland Star community for the tremendously fun Harvest Festival, and your wonderful participation in making the event so special. We have a truly amazing community here and it showed Friday night by the turnout and willingness of all present to pitch in and help where needed. What a great start to our Festival and Fundraising season, the details of which will be made available in within the next few weeks.
Many wonderful events are brewing in our community starting with Penni Sparks, our Curriculum Director, who has agreed to lead the Character Education Group and will be hosting another Parent Tea this Thursday morning from 8:30-9:30. Penni will talk about being a loving authority in our children's lives along with answering any questions that group might have or topics to explore. Plan on spending the morning with us as we delve deeper into understanding ourselves and our children in a more meaningful way. If you have a specific question for Penni to address at the tea, either place it in her box or email her at penni@woodlandstarschool.org
Fall Break is just around the corner, time to rest, walk in the woods and enjoy the company of our children as we take a break from the business of our lives. If you are in need of childcare, check with Mr. Gonzales as he is offering a Fall Break camp featuring bread baking, hikes, art, games and other forms of fun.
The second through fourth grades will celebrate Michaelmas and are performing a play about Knight George and the Dragon. The play will run on Friday, October 3rd at 9:30 am in the outdoor performance space. All are welcome. An email will be forthcoming with further details.
Good things abound! It is such a pleasure to work in community with so many talented and loving individuals, thanks to all for bringing forth your best.
Warmly,
Ms. Reilly
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Padres Unidos (Parents United) ~ Monday, October 20th, 6-7:30 pm in the Main Hall. Come one, come all as we discuss the Day of the Dead festivities for this year; planning the altar and the potluck. Anyone, Spanish or English speaking, is invited to attend and join part in what has been a fun and culturally rich experience.
Congratulations ~ To 8th grade cruise fundraiser winner Mary Johns. Mary is the grandma of John Engelbreth in the 8th grade and William in 5th.
Win FREE money for your class.......It's the Class Supply Fees Contest ~ Have you noticed all of the thermometers located outside of each classroom detailing where each class is at with respect to class supply fees collection? Take a look and if you haven't already done so, please submit your payment and watch your class mercury rise! Each class budget is composed of two funding sources; 1 the parent payment of supplies fees and 2. the school general fund contribution. Last year in order to balance our budget, the general fund contribution was decreased by 10%. That means we are relying more heavily on parent funding in order to meet our class budgets. Your contributions are so critical and so appreciated! If you can give the upper end of the range, please do so. If you can only meet the lower end of the range, we appreciate your contribution. This is not an optional contribution, rather it is paying for the basic necessities of the classroom specifically paper, pencils, paint, crayons, beeswax, main lesson books and fieldtrips. The materials we need to deliver this program to your children. We expect full participation in whatever capacity you can give.
In order to provide a little extra incentive, we are holding a contest. The class that is the first to meet their financial goal will receive an extra $300, the second to reach their goal, an extra $200 and the third, $100. These prizes were generously donated to WSS in the hopes of getting all parents on board and accountable. Let's work together and get this task done!
Great News from Whole Foods ~ WSS is next in line as a recipient of the Nickels for non-profits program. When you shop at Whole Foods between 10/1/08 and 12/31/08, be sure to bring your cloth bags so you can donate the 5 cents per bag refund, to the WSS Library program. Since the WSS community makes up such a big percentage of the Whole Foods customer base, we expect to see a nice return from this program. We'll keep you updated as to how much we receive from this program.
Other great community support ~ Don't forget to sign up and/or update your credit cards on e-scrip.com. It is a free and easy way for WSS to be earning funds and it doesn't cost the donor any money. Did you know that WSS can earn a portion of your bill directly when you grocery shop at local merchants: Safeway, Sonoma Market, Glen Ellen market and Planet Organics. Simply register on-line and when you use that card at any of the above listed merchants, WSS automatically receives revenue. Let friends and family know also as they can be shopping in Omaha, Nebraska and WSS can be receiving the bounty!
Lending Library ~ We have a great collection of books for you to borrow! Please take a look at
CHARTER COUNCIL MEMBER NOMINATIONS, Due by Monday, October 6th. Elections will be held Thursday, October 9th. We have one parent-held seat coming open on our primary governing board, the Charter Council. This seat was held by Second grade mom, Cindy Riley, who is stepped down as her family is moving out-of-state and will be leaving WSS. We will sorely miss Cindy who has been such an integral part of our community for the entire time she has been a parent here. Best of luck on your new, undoubtedly successful endeavors!
The council meets monthly (typically on the third Wednesday) with occasional additional meeting in the spring. This is a two 2-year term that begins July 1. Any parent who has been with the school for one year has the right to run. Candidates may self-nominate or be nominated by others. Please deliver a brief letter explaining who you are, why you want to run and why you would be effective as a Charter Council member to Susan in the main office. Self-nominations are welcomed; if you nominate someone beside yourself, please first confirm their willingness to serve. If you need additional information regarding the roles and responsiblities of a Charter Council member, please contact Ben Dewees (Charter council President) at: bdewees@bmrn.com
Miss Gaylan's 2:30 Club ~ We are respectfully asking parents to either pick up their children at 2:30 or send them to aftercare for the 2:30-3 pm timeframe (see below for great offer). This allows your child to experience aftercare and its magical offerings, at a very affordable rate all the while being well supervised. If you are in need of scholarship assistance, please see Miss Gaylan.
A special offer for 1st and 2nd grade students waiting for parents who pick up older siblings at 3 pm. Come join the fun in Aftercare for a mere $25 per month! Parents can be rest assured their children are well looked after, the children can enjoy the extra play time and the office staff can be certain the children are safe and accounted for. It works for everyone! No aftercare supply fee is required and at $1.25 per 30 min session, compared to the $5 per 30 min drop-in rate, it is an incredible deal!
SPRITE'S NIGHT FESTIVAL! ~ The Festival Committee is looking for lots of people to help with our annual Sprite's Night Festival. No experience necessary! Lots of jobs available; will train! Please contact Marika Schamoni, at 299-0656 to sign up for this FUN opportunity! Our first meeting will be Tuesday, September 30 at 8:30 AM, after drop-off.
Class Parent Meetings ~ Check the website: woodlandstarschool.org for the dates of the various class parent meetings. Childcare is provided for these meetings at a cost of $5 per child. Please sign up in advance (in the office) and pay the childcare provider directly.
Lost & Found ~ We already have a hefty supply of "lost" garments and accessories. Have your child check the box regularly and please label items.
Wish List ~ We have several items that we are in need of for the school and aftercare program. Please check to see if you have any of these items available to donate. This list will be updated regularly and posted outside the office and in the JTF. Thanks in advance for your help!
Bookshelves: either short and wide or tall and narrow
Floor lamps
Love seat or small sofa
Balls: rubber, tennis and basketball
Frisbees: foam or silicone
Classical marble or wooden Chess set
Slipcover for a loveseat or queen futon
Corduroy winter curtains
Clean, untreated lumber for outdoor play
Food supplies: ketchup, mustard, olive oil, organic fruit, organic vegetables
From Miss Gaylan: Dear families, sharing food and feeding the hungry is what we do for children, faculty, visitors and parents. We need your help. Please share your bounty whether it be an abundant crop from your garden or fruit trees or maybe from a shopping spree at Costco or leftovers from parties. Whatever you can bring we will gratefully accept and share with all.
Let's Make a Deal ~ You choose which deal works best for you, several options are available: You can pay the annual aftercare registration fee ($40 for 1st child, $35 for the 2nd) and contract for 2 hours of aftercare per week (8 hours per month) at an amazingly low cost of $5.95 per hour. You may schedule the 8 hours per month in anyway/time that is flexible via a drop-in contract. If you choose not to pay the supply fee, but do contract for 8 hrs, the rate is $8 per hour. Without a contract or supplies fee, the per hour rate jumps to $10 per hour. We have several options to fit your budgeting needs. Please see Gaylan in Aftercare if you have any questions.
‘Tis the Season ~ Unfortunately, the season is for head Lice and they have been appearing on campus. Please check your child's head weekly or more frequently if they show any signs of itching or irritation. Lice and nits are treatable but do require vigilance on the part of parents and education for the children. Discourage your children from sharing any hats, brushes combs, etc and bring your own pillow to sleepovers! If we all work together we can eradicate this and a lot of extra work for the whole community.
"Just the Facts" is available on the gate at the front of the school...grab your copy today and stay in touch! Or, sign up on our website for an electronic copy and save trees!
OPPORTUNTIES
We have many important committees and dedicated parents who make the functioning of our school so smooth. Would you like to be part of this incredible group of people? Even if you have only a few hours to donate, we can find something that helps our community without causing hardship or stress on you. An added bonus is that you can learn a new skill , meet new friends and feel good about the service you are offering. It's a win-win for all involved! Below are the committees, for more information about these and other volunteer opportunities please contact volunteer co-ordinators Todd Kneeland (tkneeland@mac.com, 935-6286) or Sheelagh Murphy: 996-8766, sheelagh@peterson-motorsports.com .
Community Education Festival
Hospitality E-scrip
Site committee Outreach
School Store Grant Writing
GRATITUDES
Many, many thanks to the Parent Council for their help in putting on the Harvest Festival. What a smashing success and a smashing group of individuals supporting our school!
Thank you to Nancy Hyde and Val Robins for their help in organizing efforts to create the dragon for the Knight George play as well as their work as wardrobe advisors extraordinaire!
CLASSIFIEDS
Help Needed ~ Our family is in the process of adopting a baby from Guatemala, and we are traveling back & forth for hearings due to a problem with our case. We are humbly requesting flight miles to help us with our next flight. We need 2 one-way tickets to LAX from San Francisco this week. Southwest issues free tickets as soon as you accumulate 16 points. We could use one round trip ticket on Southwest to cover us both for this one-way flight. (We already have other legs of the trip covered). Does anyone have a free ticket on Southwest (or any other airline) that they would be willing to donate? Thank you so much, Kathy, Brett & Rose Lee. Please call Kathy Lee at 996-1297 if you have a ticket to donate.
Another thought: If you'd like to help us out
in our adoption journey, but don't have flight miles to donate, you can support
us by shopping at http://www.aromatherapist.mionegroup.com
for your organic needs. Thanks so much! Kathy, Brett & Rose Lee