Rushwood PTA Newsletter

1. Rushwood PTA Newsletter: Issue Five, January 2014 Rushwood PTANewsletter Contacts President: Renee Piper 216-577-5644 drjtpiper@aol.com First Vice President Kim Brown 330-908-3125 kimbar34@yahoo.com Second Vice President Dr. Jacqui O’Connor 330-467-0581 Jacqueline.Oconnor@nordoniaschools.org Third Vice President Allison Graceffo 216-225-8193 Amgraceffo@yahoo.com Treasurer: Andrea Stamp 216-316-9875 astamp75@me.com Recording Secretary Cathy Pendleton 216-215-2041 cathypendleton26@yahoo President’s Message Dear Rushwood Families First, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very happy and healthy 2014! I don’t know where the time has gone – and we are approaching the end of the first semester this month! As always, I am so appreciated for all of your wonderful support to our PTA and our school, so as we move forward to the second half of the school year, I humbly ask for your continued support. Our Third Annual Ginger Bread “My Dollar Made a Difference” Program was again a wonderful success – and we were able to provide our families with Market Day cookie dough and decorations. PTA would like to congratulate Cluster A for winning the submission contest. They will receive a milk and cookies party this month. And our Rushwood Holiday Shop was again a wonderful shopping experience for our students, thanks to your generosity with help to providing gifts for our students to purchase – and all the wonderful “elves” that helped our students select their gifts and wrap them, not to mention all the set up and take down help for this event. The staff luncheon was much appreciated and delicious! Thank you so much Andrea Stamp and all the other parents that donated goodies!! And our Science COSI assembly was a huge hit with the students this year! Thanks to Kim Brown and all our wonderful and dedicated parent volunteers who helped us that day. Our students really enjoyed themselves – and we could not have done it without your help and support. With Sincere Appreciation, Renee Piper PTA President

2. Rushwood PTA Newsletter: Issue Five, January 2014 Important Dates and Events PTA Sponsored Events Kindergarten Skills Family Night Event! The Kindergarten Skills Family Night will be on Thursday, January 30th from 6:00 to 7:30. Kindergarteners and their families are invited to attend a fun filled , skill building night. Kindergartners and their families will play various games while building the skills needed for kindergarten knowledge. Parents will be able to participate in these fun activities by traveling through stations set up for ABC”s and 123’s, sight word recognition, fine motor skills, coin counting and our kinder bank activity. You will also become informed on teacher used websites and materials will be sent home with you that night to continue the skill building at home. Volunteers are needed for this event to help monitor the stations and direct students and parents along . Older siblings and other family members are also welcome to volunteer this night. Please contact our event chair person, Kindergarten Parent Kathleen Laviano at Alaviano@roadrunner.com or 216-299-1933 PTA Meetings • Our First Meeting of the year has been rescheduled for Wednesday , Jan. 15th at 3:45. We will be voting on our Educator of the Year and Helping Hands nominations. Results will be posted in our next newsletter. Thank you for all that submitted your recommendations • As always, we find it so very hard to choose just one! Our next PTA meeting will be Wednesday , February 12th.

3. Rushwood PTA Newsletter: Issue Five, January 2014 Important Dates and Events School Dates and Events Monday, January 6th – School Resumes Friday, January 10th – School Yearbook Candid Photo Day Wednesday, January 15th – Rushwood PTA meeting 3:45 (rescheduled date) Thursday, January 16th – End of the Second Grading Period Thursday, January 16th – Kalahari Night for Rushwood Friday, January 17 – No School – Records Day Saturday, January 18th – Market Day Order Deadline Monday, January 20th – No School – Martin Luther King Day Thursday, January 23rd – Market Day Pick Up 5:00-6:00 – Cafeteria Thursday, January 30th – Kindergarten Skills Family Night – 6:00 – Cafeteria Friday, January 31st – Assembly from First Energy Future Dates and Events February ! Rushwood PTA Scholastic Book Fair – Week of February 3th – 7th Book Fair Family Night – Thursday, February 6th – 6:00 – 8:00pm Breakfast With Families – Tues – Thurs - February 4th, 5th, and 6th – 7:30-8:30am (Book Fair open during this time) Family Fun Night – Fun and Stuff – Thursday , 6:00-9:00 February 13th No School – Friday, February 14thand Monday, February 17th.

4. Rushwood PTA Newsletter: Issue Five, January 2014 Volunteering Volunteer News • PTA is excited to be hosting two annual events this February . Our Scholastic Book Fair and our 3 day Breakfast with your Family events are always a wonderful experience for both our students and their families. However – both require parent volunteers to help these events to run smoothly. If you can help us – please kindly email us at RW.PTA@Nordoniaschools.org We will be in need of some parent volunteers to assist us at our Book Fair sale and our Breakfast with Families for all three days for the sale and breakfast – February 4th – February 6th. We will be needing parents to assist during the day at the Book Fair helping students select their books and with helping set up, serve and clean up for the breakfast. Again , please contact our VAST coordinator at the email address listed above. Thank you so much! Any time you can give us will be deeply appreciated! Flyers will be going home as well with more information on both. Book Fair! Books make great amigos! Rushwood PTA is pleased to bring the Scholastic Book Fair to you and your children during the week of February 3rd-7th. This year’s theme is “Book Fair Fiesta: Yo Quiero Libros! Vamos A leer! (I Want Books! – Let’s go Read!)”. PTA is also proud to give each student a gift voucher of $5 for one free book to select! For volunteer information – please contact Diane Dodson at: dldodson@msn.com or call at 330-468-4168. More information will be coming home soon! Hip-Hop-Ole!

5. Rushwood PTA Newsletter: Issue Five, January 2014 Fundraising Fundraising News A big thank you to all the families that participated in our Giving Tree last month. The tree was so full it was tipping over from the weight of all the warm gloves, hats, and scarves! They are all going to our needy families in our own area – thank you all so much! And thank you for ordering pizza from Marco’s on our pizza nights! Our next night is March 6th! So treat your family to a pizza or sub sandwich and don’t forget to mention your child’s class when ordering so they get credit for the order. The class with the most orders receives a pizza party! Box Tops for Education Please continue to send in those Box Tops and Campbell Soup and Tyson Labels! The next quarter is coming to an end - and the class with the most turned in will receive a pizza party as well!. Please remember to put your child’s name and class on your sheets or bags so your child’s classroom can receive credit. If you are in need of more sheets, you can access them from our PTA Website or you can always send in a note With your PTA Communication Folder to ask for a new one. Thank you! Rushwood PTA’s Website You can always access this Newsletter , PTA Meeting Minutes , or any of our forms or flyers for any event by visiting our Rushwood PTA Website. You can access our Website by visiting the Rushwood Page from Nordoniaschools.org and selecting our Rushwood PTA link located on the left hand side of the page. You can always contact Rushwood PTA by emailing us at RW.PTA@Nordoniaschools.org. Committee Chairs – please remember to send your flyers to our Website Coordinator Connie Perney at cjperney@windstream.net

6. Rushwood PTA Newsletter: Issue Five, January 2014 Fundraising Market Day Thank you to all the students and families who participated in this year’s Gingerbread “My Dollar Made a Difference program. There were over 220 students who either donated a dollar, or who’s families ordered cookie dough from Market Day. We raised over $300 to donate to families in need right in our own school community. Our chain of decorated Ginger Bread looked amazing throughout the hallway! The winning cluster for the Milk and Cookies Party is Cluster A – First Grade! The party will be on January 24th. Congratulations to everyone for all of your efforts and for making a difference in our own school! Our next Market Day order deadline is Saturday, Jan. 18that midnight. And pick up for that sale is Thursday , Jan 23th from 5:00-6:00 in the Rushwood Cafeteria. Remember to stock up on some yummy appetizers for your Super Bowl celebration. FYI - I ordered the Italian Wedding soup last month and my family LOVED it – better than grandma’s (sshhh!)! Every order will receive a free 2014 Eat Well Calendar & GoGoSqueez Pouch too! Yearbook Information Thank you to all the students who participated in the Yearbook Cover Design Contest! Everyone did an amazing job on your art, and it was a challenge to choose the winners. The winners of the Yearbook Cover contest will have your designs appear on the covers of the yearbook , and you will receive a FREE Yearbook! On the back cover: grade winners are… Kindergarten – Ella Chase • First Grade – Grace Bzdafka Second Grade – Matt Hamad Third Grade - ArickaPerney And the winning design for the front cover of our 2013-2014 Yearbook was created by Fourth Grade student , KatelynnKellermann! Congratulations to all of our winners! Everyone who turned in a design will also see their submissions throughout the yearbook – thank you ! Orders forms for this year’s books will be coming home soon - Cost: $20.