Chesterbrook PTA Friday Digest

The Friday Digest National PTA Logo

Pertinent Points for the Week Ahead
from the Chesterbrook PTA

Vol.2, No.5

September 24, 2010

Happy Fall -- even though it doesn't feel like it outside. I'm sending this out a little early to remind everyone that tomorrow is our first Spirit Day -- wear a sports jersey!

I hope everyone enjoyed Back to School Night. If you'd like an additional opportunity to talk with Mr. Fuqua and learn more about the school, please come to the first Principal's Coffee of the year on October 12, 1 - 2 pm, location TBD. This is a great opportunity for all parents, new to the school or otherwise, to learn about some new features of our school and meet some other parents.

Again, we are asking every family to please update their website accounts with their current teachers. This saves a substantial amount of time and work in preparing the Family Directory. Visit www.chesterbrook.org to do so: click on My Account on the left, then Edit along the top, then click on Child 1, etc., for each child, then select the new teacher from the menu. Don't forget to click Save!

Thanks,
Laurie

To Do This Week

Sell Great American!

Chesterbrook's fall fundraiser sale with Great American is now underway. We are very excited about all the new items this company has to offer, so take a look in the catalog and find some great gifts for all ages. As a reminder, our school code is 1874999; sale runs from September 16th through the 29th. Online orders over $60 are shipped for free. Get a jump on holiday shopping. Orders will be available for pick up the week of student conferences. Any questions, call/contact Judy Williams at 703.442.3984 or Judy Williams.

Register for After School Programs

The PTA offers after school art, chess, drama, and yoga. Registration is open. Note that Yoga for K-2, Drama for K-2, Art at 12:55 pm, and Chess Club are full; waitlists are available on the website. For more information on each program, please visit our website.

The Girls on the Run lottery registration is run through the GOTR organization and began Saturday, September 18 at www.gotrnova.org.

The FLEX language enrichment program is offering after-school courses in Spanish and French at Chesterbrook beginning in October and space is still available! Through stories, games, activities and music, the FLEX program introduces children to a foreign language and gives them exposure to other cultures. The cost for the 20-week course is $185/student, and each class can accommodate 10 to 15 students. The courses to be offered this year are: Spanish for Grades 1-2 on Wednesdays, beginning October 13, 2010 and French for Grades 3-6 on Thursdays, beginning October 14, 2010. You can register for the courses on the PTA website. For more information about the FLEX program, visit the county website.

NOTE: Drama for grades 3-6 and French for grades 3-6 are at risk of being cancelled if we do not get more students enrolled. Please register ASAP!

Order Diary of a Wimpy Kid #5, The Ugly Truth

For those of you with Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans, you'll be happy to hear that the fifth book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid #5: The Ugly Truth, will be releasing on November 9. But you won't need to race around town to track down a copy. All you have to do is pre-order your copy now, and it will be hand-delivered to your child at school on November 9. Proceeds from the sale will provide needed funds to enhance our school library.

Wimpy Kid

If you would like to place a pre-order, please fill out the form and return it with a check made out to Chesterbrook PTA to your child's teacher by October 14, 2010. All the previous Wimpy Kid titles will be available at Chesterbrook's Book Fair October 25 - November 1. Mark your calendars!

Donate to Local Students and Families

Please help us collect items needed by the students of Carlin Springs Elementary and by needy students in our own school pyramid. Your donations can make a world of difference to kids without warm clothing and out-of-work parents who are struggling to feed their families.

Grocery gift cards in any denomination
New or gently used pants, coats, mittens and hats for boys and girls, sizes 4-16
New boys and girls underpants, size 4-16
Small gifts, toys and treat to fill grab bags for Carlin Springs' Fall Festival

Please place items in the bin marked School Outreach outside the Media Center by Friday, October 22. Contact Shawna Saaty or Emily Ludwikowski at with any questions or if you and your child would like to volunteer.

Work on Reflections Entry Reflections logo

A flyer went out in last week's Thursday Envelope about the PTA Reflections Program, a student competition in the areas of photography, literature, visual arts, musical composition, dance choreography and film/video production. All Chesterbrook ES students who submit a Reflections Program entry will receive recognition for their work. For more information, contact Kristin Cabral. Thanks Kristin for organizing our Reflections program this year! Please contact Kristin if you would like to help once entries are submitted.

Register for Website Account and Join PTA

Please log-in to our and update your account with any contact information changes and your new teachers. If you do not have an account yet, visit the PTA website to create one. Profile information forms the basis of the paper directory as well, and having it accurate now means the directory can be produced and distributed even earlier!

Then go to Chipmunk Avenue on the PTA website to pay your dues (you can do this in the same order as when you buy school supply kits). Why? Members get a free Family Directory (nonmember price is $8) and are already supporting our many enrichment programs the PTA delivers! Last year we achieved 100% percent membership -- let's try to match it.

(Re)Designate Grocery Cards

We must associate grocery loyalty rewards cards annually. These programs give money directly to Chesterbrook -- without going through the PTA -- based on the amount of revenue generated from customers who have redesignated their rewards card to Chesterbrook ES. There are a number of September bonuses for early sign-ups, so follow the link to redesignate your Giant, Safeway, and Harris Teeter cards HERE.

In addition, Chesterbrook recently received a check from Target for over $500 due to just 18 families' use of Target cards. Thanks to those familes! Since its inception we've received nearly $5000! Click here to learn more about Target's program and to sign up for a Visa or check card with Target.

Re-Load MyLunchMoney.com

Have you ever seen this sticker? When your child comes home with one, it means his or her lunch account is running low. You can avoid this by signing up with mylunchmoney.com and setting an automatic reload point. For a small fee, they will reload the lunch account in any amount. Through the website, you can also review what your child has purchased in the past week. You can sign up even if you have already paid in the cafeteria--it will just get added to your child's account. Note: if a student forgets a lunch and has no money in his or her account, the cafeteria staff put the lunch on the PTA account and the family is notified to reimburse the PTA.

Donate Gently Used School Supplies for the Needy

And since you've bought new school supplies, perhaps you have some gently used (or even new) supplies you don't need. Once again, Ann-Marie Turnage is collecting supplies to be sent to needy families in Nicaragua through the Peaceworks Foundation. Please tear out any used notebook pages and place school all supplies in the marked box outside the library. Contact Ann-Marie with questions.

Looking Ahead

September 24	Spirit Day -- wear a sports jersey!
September 29	Great American online and paper orders due
October 7	Fall Picture Day
October 10 - 15	National School Lunch Week and
	Custodian Appreciation Week
October 11	Columbus Day holiday -- no school
October 12, 8:30 am	PTA meeting
October 12, 1 - 2 pm	Principal's Coffee
October 14	Wimpy Kid orders due
October 15	Reflections submissions due
October 22	School Outreach donations due
October 25 - November 1	Book Fair
October 26, 8:50 and 9:40	Magic Show morning assemblies (PM-K invited)