Apologies to those who received 2 copies of the Chronicle last week. Yes, it was exactly the same. Since we had a couple questions about it, I thought I'd take this opportunity to explain our communications plan, even if a little late in the year. Every Friday we send out the Friday Digest, which you are reading, that has a couple updates and highlighted events mentioned at the top. The bulk of the email is a list of things "To Do This Week" which are just that, things to do, register for, attend, complete, etc. Some of them apply to everyone, and some are only for certain grades or groups. Friday Digests finish with a list of upcoming events and dates in "Looking Ahead." Once a month, the Friday Digest takes a break in favor of the longer PTA Chronicle newsletter. In the Chronicle we lists upcoming dates and events and some of the "things to do," but we also do more in-depth feature articles, such as last week's on the SCA or previous articles on the music or PE teachers. The Chronicle is also where we thank and highlight the work our committee chairs and volunteers. In addition, we have some Chronicle advertisers, who related closely to education and our children. Occasionally, we send out special reminder emails, using this Constant Contact service, for special events.

Our other news sources include our webpage, www.chesterbrookpta.org, where you can access archived Friday Digests and Chronicles, as well as information on our committees, registration for activities, and purchases. New this year, we have been using our Facebook page  for updates on PTA and school events, as well as all non-Chesterbrook-related events such as those at the McLean Community Center and other local schools. You do not have to have a Facebook account to access this page.

Our communications plan is just one of several topics on our upcoming Chesterbrook PTA Spring 2011 Survey, which will be rolled out next week. Please take about 10 minutes (or less!) to complete the survey on our programs, fundraisers, and communications. This is your opportunity to let us know how we're doing. Look out for a special email with the link to the survey. Also, if you haven't already, please complete a Fun Fair survey as soon as possible.

Again, we welcome many Rising Kindergarten families who have begun signing up for our Kinders email list. I will add the list to our Friday Digest distribution so you can see what's ahead for you. Please continue to send any questions you may have to kinders@chesterbrookpta.org and let any neighbors know about the email list. Anyone can sign up using the "Join Our Mailing List" link in the righthand column of this newsletter.