page 1 of 12 january 2011 rrisd council of...
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Page 1 of 12
January 2011
2010-11 Issue 3
RRISD COUNCIL OF PTAS http://rrisd.council.txpta.org/
In This Issue:
Council President
Page 1
Today’s Speaker
Page 2
TX PTA Convention
Page 2
Mentor Program
Page 3
Calendar Rep. Report
Page 3
Board Recognition
Page 4
Community Meeting
Page 4
Sprinkle of Fairy Dust
Page 4
Reflections News
Page 5
Roundtable News
Page 5
Alternative Campuses
News
Page 6
Clothes Closet News
Page 6
Time To Brag
Pages 7,9,10,11,12
Membership News
Page 8
For Our Treasures
Page 8
Noel Grisham Scholarship
Page 10
Council Luncheon
Schedule
Page 12
Thank You
Page 12
FROM OUR COUNCIL PRESIDENT, LORI HUTSON The holidays are now well behind us and we are back to our routines. This means, that it is that time of year! “What time of year?” You may ask as we have only just begun. It is the time of year that our PTAs will begin to form Nomination Committees, hold elections and begin to prepare for transitions. These processes, which are outlined in your bylaws, bring many questions. Council will model, give information and will host a roundtable on this vital area of securing leadership for our local units. Please take advantage of these opportunities to prepare yourself for the work ahead in your local unit. In our growing community of RRISD, another elementary is currently being constructed and will be ready to open this fall. This means that it is that time of year to follow the boundary changes which will be made to accommodate for the addition of new school. And Council will begin to outline the timeframe for opening a new PTA for the elementary. It is also the time of year when our legislators resume their session. There is a heavy burden before them with imminent budget cuts looming. Not only is the state budget a concern, but there are other student related concerns that are impacted by the state legislators and their decisions. Texas PTA has worked hard in anticipation of this session. We are honored today to have Ellen Arnold with us to share the legislative priorities of Texas PTA and how we, personally and collectively, can make a difference this session. I know you will appreciate her passion and be inspired by it. Are you planning on attending the Texas PTA Annual Convention and PTA Day at the Capitol (Rally Day) coming up soon on February 3-6th? Did you catch a webinar on the Rally Day? There is still time! More information will be available today and here in the Newsletter. January is the time of year for planning! As you can see, our PTAs, our school district and our state has much to plan for and I hope that you will take an active role in providing information and leading in a manner that would seek to secure the best for our children and their future.
The critical responsibility for the generation you're in is to help provide the shoulders, the direction, and the support for those generations who come behind.
- Gloria Dean Randle Scott
There are many other programs and activities listed in the Newsletter that our Council is involved with and we hope that you will plan for these activities as well on your campuses. I regret that I could not be with you today but I look forward to seeing you at our roundtables over the next few months and at our next Council Regular Meeting and Luncheon on Tuesday, March 8th.
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RRISD PTA Council 2010-2011 Officers
Lori Hutson President 218-8479 [email protected]
Carolyn Lawrence 1st VP Roundtables
246-8556
Kelly Moreno 2nd VP Training & Vendors
733-9590 [email protected]
Jennifer Cook 3rd VP Hospitality 244-5462
Alison Shoepe 4th VP Membership 255-3482 [email protected]
Melanie Pav Secretary 244-0159 [email protected]
Jennifer Dees Treasurer 218-9864 [email protected]
Linda Carey Parliamentarian 335-9881 [email protected]
Open Historian
ABOUT TODAY’S SPEAKER, Ellen Arnold Ellen Arnold joined Arnold Public Affairs in 2002. She represents non-profit entities before the Texas Legislature, assisting clients with their goals to pass legislation, obtain state appropriations, and influence or impact potential legislation affecting their organizations. Among her clients are Texas PTA, Goodwill Industries, Texas Boys and Girls Clubs, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Smoke-Free Texas. Ellen worked in the field of education for over 20 years. During her tenure as principal of Barton Creek Elementary School in Eanes ISD in Austin, Barton Creek received Exemplary Status from the Texas Education Agency. In addition, in 2001 Barton Creek Elementary applied for and received the prestigious National Blue Ribbon School Award, presented by the United States Department of Education.
102nd Annual Texas PTA Convention
February 4-6, 2011 - Renaissance Hotel, Austin
Register Online Today…
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RRISD PTA Council Board Members Clothes Closet Laura McGuigan Clothes Closet, Chair
Monica von Waaden Clothes Closet-West
Endelia Obregon Clothes Closet-East
Amy Maindelle Clothes Closet-East
MiMi Stewart-Pipkin Clothes Closet-East
Hospitality Pam McFall Hospitality – Decorations
Mary Flores Hospitality – Decorations
Misty May Hospitality – Decorations
Kirsty Delahunt Hospitality –Decorations
Michelle Carson Hospitality –Decorations
April Gunter Hospitality –Reservations
Pam Hess RROC, Success & Goals
Council Programs Jenny Ortiz Healthy Lifestyles
Jennifer Clitheroe President/Principal Rep
Open SEPAC Rep
Cindy Barry Parent Programs
Mary Stewart Fairy Dust Program
Sheri Moore Reflections, Chair
Dena Kipperman Scholarships
Communications Gayle Franzen Directory
Kristina Perry Newsletter
Kim Hodges School Calendar Rep.
Josh Rogers Website Administrator RRISD/Partnership Dr. Jesús Chávez
Superintendent
Michelle Jackson Community Partnership Supervisor
Open Foundation/PIE Rep, Chair
Barbara Beto Legislative Rep/School Board
Heather Stansel DLC Rep
Michelle Willette DLC Rep
RRISD Council of PTA’s Calendar Representative Report
The Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees approved the 2011-2012 school year calendar at their November 18 regularly scheduled meeting. To view the calendar, go to http://www.roundrockisd.org and search under parents/calendars.
Kim Hodges RRISD Council of PTA’s Calendar Representative
Make a Difference – Mentor a Student Round Rock ISD is in desperate need of mentors, and PTA leaders are in a unique position to help recruit them. With student population reaching 45,000 and state assessment requirements becoming more rigorous, students need the strong support of a mentor now more than ever to help them reach their academic goals. Current research shows that mentors play a powerful role in improving students’ academic attitude and enhancing their school experience by acting as a positive role model, building a friendship and exploring college and career opportunities. Currently about 440 students have been matched with community mentors enrolled in the Round Rock ISD STARS Mentor Program, but there are many more students who need a mentor in their life. The Mentor Program, funded by grants from TG, United Way, and Round Rock ISD Partners in Education, affords recruitment and training of community and business leaders as well as a strong support base for its mentors. Through this program, Round Rock ISD provides mentors with monthly communication and curriculum, initial and ongoing training, and other support. Additionally, the mentor program provides several mentor/mentee field trips and career exploration opportunities throughout the year. For more information about mentoring in Round Rock ISD, visit the Round Rock ISD website at www.roundrockisd.org and click on Business and Community Involvement under tools and resources, or call Renae Hellman, College Bound Mentor Program Coordinator at 512-464-5915.
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COMPASSION IS HIGH FASHION
A RRISD Fashion Show
January 13th, 2011 at 7:00pm
in the Westwood High School Cafetorium
Benefitting the
"A Sprinkle of Fairy Dust..." RRISD Prom Dress Drive
Admission is $5 or free with a donation
of a gently used evening or formal gown
T-shirts on sale for $10
Please contact [email protected] with any questions!
January is School Board Recognition Month
Honoring the state wide tradition set forth by the Governor of Texas and the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), the RRISD Council of PTAs wishes to recognize the outstanding contributions and volunteer hours to our schools and students by our RRISD Board of Trustees. We thank you for your service and leadership.
President, Glen Colby Vice President, Chad Chadwell
Secretary, Catherine Hanna Trustee, Diane Cox
Trustee, Terri Romere Trustee, Bobby Seiferman
Trustee, Brain Sellers Superintendent, Dr. Chavez
Community Meeting with Superintendent
The community is invited to meet with RRISD Superintendent Dr. Jesús H. Chávez on Thursday, Feb. 3 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Waterloo Icehouse, 14900 Avery Ranch Blvd #B100, Austin. Ask questions and learn more about the upcoming budget reduction, 2006 and 2008 Bond Programs, parent involvement opportunities, state of the district and district goals. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP by noon on Tuesday, Feb. 1.
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REFLECTIONS NEWS RRISD Council of PTA‟s Reflections program enjoyed another successful year. This theme-based fine arts
program is designed to encourage student participation in the arts through the creation of original works in
dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography and/or visual arts based on
the annual published theme. This year‟s theme is “Together We Can.” Students submit entries through their
local school programs, from which 20% of entries are selected by independent judges to advance to the Council
PTA level. Council level judges select 10% of all RRISD entries for advancement to the State PTA level
Reflections program, where they compete with entries from Councils across the state.
This year, 42 RRISD schools submitted a total of 427 entries for Council level judging on November 30. Of
those entries, 46 received an Award of Excellence and will be forwarded for judging at the State PTA level on
January 17. An additional 82 entries received an Award of Merit and 89 entries received Honorable Mention.
State Reflections judges will select one work from each arts area and grade division (a total of 24) to advance to
the National PTA Reflections program, where up to five Awards of Merit and three Awards of Excellence in each
grade division of each arts area will be awarded. Of those entries, 6 will receive the Outstanding Interpretation
award – one for each of the arts areas. RRISD was fortunate to have two students receive National level awards
last year: Justin Weyn, Deerpark MS, received an Honorable Mention for his musical composition and Shoumik
Roychowdhury, Canyon Creek Elementary, received an Award of Excellence for his photograph. State results
will be posted on the Texas PTA website (http://www.txpta.org/programs/reflections/) in March. National
PTA Reflections awards will be announced in June or July.
RRISD Council of PTAs will celebrate Reflections achievements for the year in an awards ceremony to be held at
the RRISD Performing Arts Center (PAC) at 7 PM February 9th. All students who receive a RRISD Council of
PTAs Award of Excellence, Award of Merit or Honorable Mention will be invited to attend. For additional
information, please contact Sheri Moore, RRISD Council of PTAs Reflections chair, at [email protected].
**The 2011-2012 Reflections Theme will be “Diversity Means.”**
ROUNDTABLE NEWS Happy New Year to you all! We are in our closing stretch and although our dates remain constant the topics on those dates have changed and vary. Please note in your calendar the following changes:
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 Budgets, Boundaries and Bonds with Dr. Chavez 6:30pm at the Old Hopewell Building Thursday, January 27, 2011 NEW! Healthy Lifestyles 10:00 am at the Old Hopewell Building Thursday, February 10, 2011 Nominating Committee Procedures and End of Year Checklist 6:30pm at the Old Hopewell Building Tuesday, February 22, 2011 Bylaws 10:00 am at the Old Hopewell Building Please watch your e-mail for additional details and e-vites. If you have any questions please contact Carolyn Lawrence, Vice-President I Roundtables at [email protected].
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ALTERNATIVE CAMPUSES NEWS
Thank You… RRISD Council of PTAs would like to thank our local PTAs and PTSAs for “stepping up” and “showing out.” We received 100% of our pie donations from our locals during our Annual Thanksgiving Pie Appreciation. We would like to recognize the following local PTAs and PTSA for their generous pie donations: Brushy Creek Elementary, Caraway Elementary, Chandler Oaks Elementary, Great Oaks Elementary, Laurel Mountain Elementary, Sommer Elementary, Canyon Vista Middle School, Deerpark Middle School, Hopewell Middle School, Ridgeview Middle School, and Cedar Ridge High School. Your call to go above and beyond is greatly appreciated! We look forward to your continued support of our alternative school campuses. Recent Events… A “Grab-n-Go Breakfast” was provided for our alternative school campuses on Friday, January 7th. Breakfast bags included a breakfast taco, granola bar and fruit. Tacos were provided by Taco Shack with a 50% discount. Thank you Taco Shack, located at 201 University Oaks in Round Rock!
CLOTHES CLOSET NEWS
The Clothes Closet is currently bursting at the seams thanks to a collective effort from
all our schools and our RRISD community! Many families and school groups chose the
RRISD PTA Clothes Closet this year for their “giving tree” or “adopt a family” so as a
result we have been the fortunate beneficiary of many socks, underwear and monetary
contributions. For this we say a huge THANK YOU!!
The week before the break the Clothes Closet received a check for over $500 along
with of many bags of clothes from The Student Council of Westwood High School as a
donation from their Holiday Project. What a way to kick off the season! We also
received drive donations from Laurel Mountain, Spicewood, Chandler Oaks, Cactus
Ranch, Brushy Creek, Dell, and ACC Round Rock campus has a drive in progress. I know
many more schools continue to have drives and this is wonderful; you are all amazing.
So yes it has now donned on you that with all these donations our „Closet‟ is bursting and
in need of many volunteers to sort and distribute as much of these goods as possible to
our families in need. Please encourage volunteers to commit to your school‟s assigned
day; the more the merrier!
We are truly grateful to all who have given to our worthy cause – thank you!
We look forward to a very Prosperous New Year!
Page 7 of 12
TIME TO BRAG
Chandler Oaks Elementary Chandler Oaks Cheetahs are showing their Pride! In October, we held our first Family Night event at
the school. Our theme was a fall festival night where we had costume judging with Spike from RR
Express and H-E-B Buddy as our celebrity judges, games, moon walk, snacks, pumpkin painting and good
old family fun. We also held a Clothes Closet Clothing drive in October and we asked families to bring
items to our family fall fest night in order to help us make a Clothes Closet donation. Both events were
very successful. PTA hosted our 1st Annual Spelling Bee in November and our winning Cheetah will go
on to participate in the next level of competition in Austin in February. Our Staff Appreciation
committee helped provide Thanksgiving pies for our wonderful COE staff during our Thanksgiving
holiday as well as a breakfast cart full of goodies in order to show them our appreciation. In
December, our COE community kicked off the holidays with our 1st Annual Pancakes and Presents and
Holiday Bazaar. PTA hosted the pancakes and sausage breakfast; vendor fair/holiday bazaar which
included local businesses; 1st grade choir performance and pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus. The
event was standing room only and the smiles of joy and laughter that filled the school was truly
amazing. So, how do we start off the New Year after having such an awesome first semester?
Chandler Oaks Elementary started it off with our very first Watch D.O.G.S. Pizza Night Kick-off
party on January 6! We have 2 Top DOGS this year, Clint Barrett and Kevin Popejoy who have done a
great job in organizing this program for our Cheetah dads. We had around 100 dads and 140 kids
attend the kick-off event…showing another strong example of our Cheetah Pride! GO CHEETAHS!
Jollyville Elementary We are so excited about our school and accomplishments. With lots of hard work in fundraising, we
are getting a SUN SHADE for our playground!!!! We also have a great A+ Federal Credit Union Green
Apple Program established and running smoothly on our campus. We had a wonderful World Tour
highlighting many countries for our students to study. Our teachers are appreciated and fed well with
a November luncheon and treats in December. Fall Carnival was the best ever this October, we
tripled our fundraising!! Reflections, 6 students progressing to the District Level...way to go!!!!
Sommer Elementary Sommer Elementary had its 3rd Annual Pancake Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 11th.
The morning was filled with warm aromas, beautiful singing and giggles from the children who had their
photos taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus. This year's attendance seemed to be our largest to date!
Sommer Elementary will be sending five student's Reflections entries to state! We are so proud of
all the participants and to be sending such a large number from one school. Good Luck to all! At our
PTA meeting on February 1st Barbara Paris, Principal from Canyon Vista MS, will be speaking about
Internet Cyber Bullying. Everyone is welcome to join us in the cafeteria 6:30pm.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
AW
ESOM
E!!
WAY T
O G
O!!
Page 8 of 12
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MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Membership…Am I Done? The short answer is no! Keep going! Recruit members at all school functions, PTA meetings and Parent Programs. Set up a table at your next music program; add a membership link to your website and a reminder on your PTA Facebook page! Encourage those parents to join and get involved! Remember that you should also be focused on retaining the members that you already have! Keep them informed and up to date on what’s going on at your school. Ask them if they would like to become more involved…you might be surprised by their answer!
Spring Dates: March 15
Spring membership awards and achievements are based on the total reported membership postmarked by March 15. Texas PTA’s membership total as of March 15 also determines the number of voting delegates for Texas at the National PTA Convention.
Membership names and dues received after April 1 will automatically be posted onto the next year.
*Local PTAs who have not paid dues by March 15 for the entire membership year will remain designated as inactive and services will cease.
*All of our schools in the Round Rock ISD Council of PTAs are ACTIVE!!
Keep up the great work, Round Rock! Feel free to call or email me with questions!
Alison Shoepe 4th VP – Membership Round Rock Council of PTAs
http://rrisd.council.txpta.org/
FOR OUR TREASURERS…
EIN Verification Form Due January 31, 2011
In order for your PTA to be covered by the Texas PTA group exemption, we must submit current information on your behalf to the IRS annually. This form must be completed and returned by January 31, 2011. PTAs not responding will be subject to income tax, and their donations cannot be considered charitable contributions by donors. If you have any questions, contact the Member Services Department at 1-800-TALKPTA.
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TRAINING NEWS
TIME TO BRAG
Double File Trail Elementary What a great way to end the 2010 year at DFT!! We had several of our students Reflections entries receive
awards at the District level. We would like to thank Pamela Anderson who took our Reflections program at
DFT to a whole new level. We are so proud of our Membership awards that we received from the Texas
PTA. Individual award: Abby Duffy, DFT Principal. Golden Apple, MARS, 10% increase award, and the Early
Bird Award. Thank you to Jen Barwick for all your hard work in membership this year.
We had a great turnout for our Scream Free parenting presentation for our DFT families. Thank you to
Chandler Oaks and Cactus Ranch for partnering with us to bring this program to our school. We had a great
turnout for our Fall Carnival. Families had a wonderful time. We invited Roberson Elementary to our carnival
and enjoyed getting to know our neighboring school community.
Cactus Ranch Elementary We‟ve had a great couple of months at Cactus Ranch! In October, PTA hosted our second parent program of
the year: Scream Free Parenting presented by Rebecca Fox. It was well attended and extremely
informative to all of our parents! November brought us to our annual Hoedown where our families had a
great time at our game booths, eating some great food and watching one of our teachers get SLIMED! January and February bring exciting things as well! January will bring our Spelling Bee and our second annual
Sock Hop! This year‟s theme is “Dancin‟ Thru the Decades,” with prizes for the best “decade” costumes.
It‟s bound to be a great time!
In February, in conjunction with National PTA’s Take Your Family to School Week, Cactus Ranch PTA will
host a week long calendar of events starting on Monday, February 14th and ending Friday, February 19th! Our
Take Your Family to School Week will include a Principal Brown Bag Lunch, family game night and much
more! We can‟t wait to see what the rest of the year will bring for our Longhorns!
Walsh Middle We are extremely proud at Walsh Middle School of our Academic Gold Performance Awards given by the
state of Texas. We won 6 out of 7 awards in Science, Social Studies, Reading, Writing, and Math.
Congratulations to all of our students for the outstanding entries in our Annual Science Fair. The academic
level of the projects demonstrated the excellence that we've all come to expect at Walsh. We'd also like to
wish all the best to the students whose projects are moving on to the next level at Regional‟s – we have 101
students attending with their various projects.
Reflections – Walsh MS has 2 entries that received Artistic Excellence and will be moving onto the state
competition. In addition to that, 3 entries received Artistic Merit, and 2 received Honorable Mention. GO
WILDCATS!!!
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TIME TO BRAG
Old Town Elementary Our Old Town Elementary PTA Superstars have been hard at work these past fall months with some really
creative, new things:
Purchased 7 new Dell Netbook computers for use in all the classrooms.
Initiated a fun BoxTops contest in which the classroom that collected the most won an ice cream
coupon from the cafeteria. We earned over $1400 in BoxTops (our highest amount ever!)! This
money, along with a $1000 donation from the PTA, is going to help purchase new science resource
books for the entire 5th grade.
Had a OTE Beautification work day where volunteers planted plants around the school, weeded the
outdoor classroom, moved mulch and cleaned up the school grounds
Held the 1st Annual "Giving Thanks" Clothing drive, where OTE donated 16 large garbage bags of
new & gently used clothing and 4 large boxes of new socks & underwear to the RRISD Clothes Closet.
The winning classroom won a Thanksgiving basket for their teacher!
Sent each staff member and bus driver home with a pie for Thanksgiving
We are Thankful for our Teachers: Created giant posters with original artwork from the students,
letting the teachers know how much they are appreciated in November
Purchase of outdoor recess benches for OTE Staff
Brought in several Art Performances: Pre-school and Kindergarteners learned African songs and
stories from Elizabeth Kahura, 1st graders were treated to the Nutcracker performed by Round
Rock Repertory Dance, 3rd graders traveled to Austin to watch Ballet Austin's Nutcracker, and
brought in the "Magic of the Orient" No-bullying magic show in December for the entire school.
These as well as the fact that we signed up 505 PTA Members this year makes for a wonderful fall! We
have some incredible opportunities coming up in the spring, including a parent education night, Bring Your
Parent to School Day, our Annual Spring Carnival, and another fun BoxTops collection contest. OUR Old
Town Texans are on a roll!!
Noel Grisham Scholarship
Each year, Round Rock Council awards one $500 scholarship to a graduating student at each of our high school campuses - Round Rock, Stony Point, McNeil, Westwood, and Success. Cedar Ridge High School does not have any graduating students for the next couple of years, but when they do, a scholarship will also be awarded there. The funds for this scholarship come exclusively from donations. Council takes in roughly one-third of the money paid out to students. This has left the fund severely depleted. Presidents and local PTA members, we urge you to consider asking your board to donate to the scholarship fund. If you are unable to donate this year, please consider having a line item built into your budget to help in the future. We need everyone’s help to continue to support the students of RRISD.
Page 11 of 12 TIME TO BRAG
Caraway Elementary The GREEN TEAM, led by our Caraway Green Team Chair, Meredith O‟Reilly, has
led the way for incredible environmental changes to the campus, including from
January to December 2010: the creation of our native Texas demonstration
wildlife habitat, the OWL, beautiful and educational class wildlife habitat murals,
gifted to the community; recycling at our Carnival by other Girl Scouts for their
Bronze award; removal of many, many invasive plants from our school grounds and
woodlands; new native plants along the front of the school and in our woodlands;
special new Green T-shirts, showing just how green we are; a new 5,000-gallon rain
tank; a new dedicated garden shed and benches in the OWL: a Purple Martin Gourd
System; and a Green Team blog; http://carawaygreenteam.wordpress.com.
CARAWAY CARES, chaired by Kathleen Jennings, kicked off its annual “Canned
Food Drive” in November. For 2 weeks students held up signs at morning drop off,
teachers wore “The Can” and students from every grade donated. It was amazing
to see how much Caraway did Care. Everyone was a part of the “Move the Cans
Day.” This year Caraway donated 7441 cans of food. That‟s 6124 pounds which
equates to 4899 meals. It was amazing to see the Caraway students give back,
make a difference and make this year‟s food drive a HUGE success!
During the first semester of the 2010-2011 school year, the Caraway PTA hosted
two free Science Nights for our students and their families. During the
September 16th event, the theme was Air. Nearly 600 parents and children enjoy
all of the exciting activities! Special thanks to the Central Texas Ballooning
Association, Central Texas Free Flight Association and Austin Radio Controlled
Modeling Association. The second event was held on November 11th with Energy &
Earth as the theme. Close to 500 parents and children enjoyed building and firing
their own table-top trebuchet (a medieval catapult), hunting for real fossils they
could keep, firing a life-sized medieval catapult at a mock castle wall and building
solar power FM radio transmitters. In addition to the hands-on experiments,
participants watched presentations on wind energy (with a working model wind
turbine), the University of Texas Physics Circus, the UT Solar and Biofuels lab
showing how fuel can be made from algae, a presentation on alternative energy
from Austin Energy and a presentation on Texas archeology with a display of
artifacts. Special thanks to UT and Austin Energy.
Just before the Winter Break, the PTA at Caraway organized a socks and
underwear drive to benefit the RRISD Clothes Closet. The Clothes Closet is a
district wide PTA sponsored program providing good new and used clothing for
RRISD children in need. Caraway was able to donate 13 large bags of new socks
and underwear and 2 large bags of gently used clothing to this worthy cause.
Deadline for articles
for the next newsletter is
March 1, 2011
Send submissions to: kristinaperry02@hotmail.
com
Newsletter Chair Kristina Perry 512-904-9516
"There is a brilliant
child locked inside
every student."
~ Marva Collins
Every child’s potential is a
reality.
Page 12 of 12
COUNCIL LUNCHEON SCHEDULE
General Meetings/Luncheons will be held: March 8
April 12
All luncheons will be held from 11am – 1pm at the PAC. All Board meetings will meet at 9:30 am on these dates.
We’re on the Web! See us at:
http://rrisd.council.txpta.org/
THANK YOU!!!
The RRISD Council of PTAs wants to extend a Thank You to
Terri Romere and The Romere Team of Keller
Williams Realty for donating our generous door prizes for all
5 luncheons this year! Thank you Terri and good luck to all of
you in the drawing.
TIME TO BRAG
Deerpark Middle Deerpark Middle School and its PTA had a very busy and eventful first
semester. The year started out with a very successful Open House where
we once again were able to hold a successful membership drive and with a
little help from a couple of very vocal staff members, we have achieved
100% teacher/staff participation. This is the first time that DMS PTA will
be eligible for the Golden Apple Award. Way to Go DMS Staff! We
appreciate and thank you for your support!
Another celebration was the 2nd annual World Culture Night that
occurred in October. The DMS cafeteria was turned into a world festival
celebrating the diverse community and spirit of Deerpark. There were
families representing Morocco, Russia, England, Mexico, Canada, American
Indian, Isle of Mann, Guatemala, Poland and China. The band, choir,
theater and dance classes all performed for those attending and the
History teachers hosted an Around the World Cake Walk fundraiser. With
over 300 people in attendance, this event is quickly becoming a favorite
event for both families and staff.
Finally, on December 8th, Deerpark and Deerpark PTA hosted a career fair
for our 8th grade students. The day started with a pep rally for the
students and guest speakers followed by breakout sessions in which the
students were able to attend 4 presentations of their choice. Speakers for
this event hailed from the computer, medical, veterinary, city and county
offices including Williamson County Sheriff‟s Department, EMS and Fire
Department, food, fashion and business industries. This event was so
successful that plans are already in place for next year.
This coming spring there are many events already in the works. On January
25th, DMS will hold its 3rd Annual Science Fair and host The University of
Texas Physics Circus. On February 11th we will hold our school
wide Valentines Dance and finally on March 25th we will have our traditional
Talent Show. That is just a few of the events being planned for the
spring. At DMS the days are very busy, educational and fun. Go Rangers!!!
The luncheon today was catered by Gino’s Italian
Restaurant . Thanks, Gino’s! It was delicious!