DES PTO Newsletter December 2012.pdf - Davidson Elementary ...

December 2012Davidson ElementarySchool News635 South Street • Davidson, NC 28036 • 980-343-3900www.davidsonpto.org * www.facebook.com/davidsonptoYour DES studentmay havementioned thenew playgroundequipmentinstalledon the twoplaygroundsbehind DavidsonElementary.Students andstaff have beenpatient during construction that begannot long after school began.CMS keeps records on the age andcondition of all playground equipmentand determined DES was due for anupgrade.CMS Replaces PlaygroundLike the old playgrounds, the newequipment is age appropriate, meetsall county and state safety codes and ishandicap accessible. In addition, newInside this issue:PTO President Letter 2Tiger Fund Recap 2TOTP Update 3Mathletes Go For It 3Girls Night Out Preview 3Stay Connected 4Calendar 4mulch was brought in for both playgrounds.The students are excited to have newoptions during recess that challengegross motor skills and are fun, too!Do You Like DES PTO?Have you liked the Davidson ElementaryPTO on Facebook yet?If you’re on Facebook, you can stayconnected to DESwith a click of abutton. Simply“like” the PTO atww.facebook.com/davidsonpto andyou’ll get updates and reminders. It’s agreat way to stay connected!Also, don't forget to bookmark the PTOWeb site at davidsonpto.org. You canfind a calendar of the year, PTO contactinfo and newsletter archives.DiscoverExploreSucceed...become DavidsonPrincipal’s CornerHello Parents,Davidson Elementary is truly a great place tobe in 2012-13. The hallwaysand classrooms are explodingwith learning, and successcan be seen all over thestudents’ faces. Every daystudents share their successeswith me, and I am sohappy to be a part of their education. Thissuccess is not only academic, but alsothrough the DES clubs that help our studentsgrow and expand their horizons. I believe weare living up to our motto of Discover, Explore,and Succeed each and every day.Very soon the holidays will be here and ourwinter break will allow our students somewell deserved time away from school withtheir families. I wish for each family of Davidsonthe best for the holidays, no matteryour traditions or family celebrations. Makethis the best year and season ever.Our school year keeps moving along, and aswe keep saying, it is hard to believe howquickly the year is passing. As we move intothe brand new year of 2013, I challenge studentsto push themselves to become morethan they ever dreamed and face challengeswith success as a goal. As educators, we lookfor the best in each student as I am sure theparent of each child does also. With thisshared goal, we are headed for great experiencestogether as we move into 2013.To everyone: parents, students and staff -- Iwish you happy holidays and a prosperousnew year in 2013!For the present and the future,Mr. Dana R. Jarrett, Principal

Dear DES Families & Friends,When I think of the December holiday season, the word “giving” comes to mind. Iam so proud to serve as President of the Davidson Elementary PTO, an organizationwhere giving is a primary focus of the work we do. It’s this spirit of providing for ourschool, students, faculty and families that makes the DES PTO so successful.During the November Executive Board meeting, the PTO voted to fund the $12,000+purchase of three Promethean Boards. This investment in interactive technologycompletes the furnishing of all active classrooms with boards and ensures all DESstudents have this technology accessible on a daily basis. This is a very visible gift thePTO has made to the school, but there are many other ways our organization supportsDES.The PTO budget allocates money each year to provide families in our school mealsfor Thanksgiving and gifts for the holidays. There are funds set aside for scholarshipsso all of our students may participate in field trips throughout the year. Classroomteachers, connect teachers, DES administrators and support staff are all given a stipendeach year so they can purchase items for their classrooms or other supplies toenhance the educational experience for the students. Close to $10,000 has alreadybeen given to the school this year to supplement the new literacy initiative, Reader’sWorkshop, and to enhance classroom libraries and teacher preparation.The DES PTO also funds initiatives that give our students experiences and opportunitiesto learn and play. The Latta Plantation partnership provides each classroom withtwo educational lessons each year utilizing the Eco-trail and hands-on learning aswell as working with all students on Earth Day. Cultural arts programming is broughtinto the school to enhance and enrich our students learning experience. PTO socialfunctions are planned throughout the school year to give our students and familiesopportunities to have fun and enjoy the friendships that are made during the schoolday.Giving is what we, the Davidson Elementary School PTO, do. Without the financialsupport of our families and staff as well as the volunteer support from family andfriends, the PTO would falter in our mission to promote and support our school.Thank you for your many gifts - ‘tis the season!Sincerely,Letter from PTO President Stephanie ShryockStephanie Shryock, PTO PresidentPTO MissionThe Davidson Elementary School PTOis a volunteer based non-profit organizationwhose purpose is to promoteand support the instructionalfocus of our teachers and administratorsand to advocate for all of ourchildren, through consistent communication,parent and teacher involvementand fundraising activities.Share Your Pictures of the Rock!Have you painted the spirit rock thisyear? We are collecting pictures of allof the rock’s celebrations and messageson the PTO Facebook page!We’ve seen Panthers, birthday cakesand some really Angry Birds. Whathave you done? Post them to facebook.com/davidsonpto!Artfest Needs You!One of DavidsonElementary’smost lovedevents iscoming inApril, andvolunteers are needed to make ithappen!Artfest features artwork from allDES grades, performances by students,and silent auctions. It isone of the most popular eventsof the year.Volunteers are key to this event’ssuccess. If you’d like to help,please contact Missy Johnstoneat missyjohnstone@att.net.Contact Us!PTO Board MembersStephanie Shryock, Presidentshryockclan@yahoo.comStacie Jones, President-Electstaciejones2@gmail.comLesley & Gregg Swartz, VP-Fundraisingleswartz@davidson.edu, gls@miconnection.comCat Serrin Niekro, VP-Communicationcaniekro@davidson.eduShelley Suter Notte, VP-School Spirit & Supportsasserskip@gmail.comMissy Johnstone, VP-Community Buildingmissyjohnstone@att.netTerry Bentley, Secretaryterrykbentley@yahoo.comKaren Anthony, Treasurerfiveanthonys@gmail.comKristen Coupal, Member at Largekmcoupal@hotmail.comGennine Davis, Member at Largegennine@bellsouth.net2

Our Tigers are on the Prowl!Our DES tigers have been doing alot of running! Many studentshave already earned their marathons!Please be sure to ask your studenthow many laps they have completed,check out their cool key chainsand congratulate them on their hard work! There are many local 5K races in thearea in the late fall/winter that would be great opportunities for our tigers to testtheir running fitness. They also can be fun family events! As we look forward to2013, we will be celebrating spirit days where students can wear their T-shirt so encourageyour runners to keep running and earn their marathon shirt.Thank you to our wonderful sponsors who enable our program to “run”: MaryLib &Jim Richards, Prudential Carolinas Realty, The Families of CrossFit Davidson, ArtisanCustom Homes, Cashion's, Interstate Cycle and McIntosh Law Firm.Holiday Shoppingthat Benefits DESIf you’re doing holiday shopping onlinebe sure to visit the Box Tops for EducationMarketplace. You can earn eBox-Tops with every qualified purchase atmore than 200 stores, including Target.com,Lands’End, Loft andOld Navy.To shop and earn money for DES, juststart at the Box Tops Marketplace,which has special links to each of thesestores that allow Davidson Elementary’saccount to be credited.Shop and earn today atwww.btfe.com/marketplaceMathapalooza Adds Up to Fun for DES TigersIn early November, a Third Grade team from DES competedat “Mathapalooza,” a math competition sponsoredby CMS. Our team did an outstanding job, andreceived recognition in four events!Andrew Kryshtalowych placed 5th in the individual competition.In the hands-on exploration/team building sessionBrooke Van Epps, Drew Adams and Ella Watt placed 5th and Ryan Harris, LauraPorter and Finley Heller placed 3rd.In the team competition, Davidson's team of Tess Palmer, Ella Watt, Drew Adams,Julian Rizo and Brooke Van Epps took first place!Please join us in congratulating Davidson's outstanding mathletes!Get Your Dancing Shoes Ready!Girls Night Out is set for Friday, January25. This is the annual opportunity forgirls to get dressed up and enjoy a specialnight out with their father or specialguy.The dance starts at 7 p.m. and takesplace in the gym. Mark your calendars!Tiger Fund Tops $36,000Thanks to strong support from our DESfamilies, we have raised $36,057.43 forthe Tiger Fund. Our tiger almost has hisstripes back!If you haven’t contributed yet, it’s nottoo late. There are two ways to give: Online: Go todavidsonpto.orgTiger FundContributions:and use the linksDonations:to give via Paypal,$29,999.29using any majorcredit card. Paw Pennies: By Check: Send acheck to yourchild’s teacherwith “Tiger Fund”in the memo line.$2,631.84Matching gifts:$3,426.30All gifts are tax deductible, and you willreceive a confirmation of your gift fortax purposes.If you make charitable contributions atthe end of the year, please rememberthe Tiger Fund.3

DECEMBER 2012Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat12 3Staff AppreciationCookieGifts9 10Mid-QuarterReports Issued4Honors ChorusPerformance11SLT Meeting4-5 p.m. MediaCenter5 6 7 812 13 14 1516 17 18PTO Meeting &3rd Grade Performance19Holiday Parties,K-220Holiday Parties,Grades3-521 22Winter BreakBegins/NoSchool23 24 25 26 27 28 29Winter Break/No School30 31 1 2 3 4 5Winter Break/No SchoolLooking Ahead….January 10: Class pictures taken, Class Parent meetingJanuary 15: SLT MeetingJanuary 18: Quarter 2 endsJanuary 21-22: No schoolJanuary 25: Girls Night OutJanuary 29: Math Fair, PTO General meetingJanuary 31: Report cards distributed4Stay Connected!E-news: Sent Sundays. Not receiving it? Email lw-adams@juno.comto subscribe.Newsletter: Distributed monthly in Thursday folders. Send articles toLisa Combs at lisa.combs@mac.com.Web: Visit davidsonpto.org & facebook.com/davidsonpto.Thursday Folders: Every week in your child’s backpack.Student Directory: Distributed in October and November.PTO Meetings—3rd Tuesday of every month.